of the valleys the king, because he was to the Aryans the king of Svarga and gives to the sea-god the Sanskrit name of Varuṇan. The ancient Tamil names of the two latter are not recoverable; they may have been Seṇon and Kaḍalon. Tolkāppiyanār does not name the goddess of the desert, because he omits the Pālai from the list of permanently inhabited regions.

II. The God of Youth and Beauty

The worship of Murukan obtained a very prominent place in early Tamil religion. He was worshipped under several aspects. The poem commented upon in the following reading shows a third or fourth century development of his cult. Sir P. ARUNACHALAM whose Studies and Translations reveal a deep and comparative understanding of Tamil literature and culture comments on the cult of Murukan in his essay, The worship of Muruka or Skanda, The Apothecaries Co., Colombo, 1937, pages 130 to 133.

THE TIRU-MURUK-ARRUP-PADAI IS a poem of the third Academy, and commences the anthology known as the Ten Lyrics and is in praise of god Muruka. It belongs to a class of poems known in classic Tamil as Āṛṛup paḍai, literally "a guiding or conducting", from aru, way and paduthu, to cause. Various kinds of this class of poem are mentioned in the Tholkāppiyam. A poet, musician, minstrel or dancer, on his way home with gifts from a patron would direct others to him and make it the occasion for singing his praise. Or, as in this poem, one who has received from his patron-god many precious spiritual boons tells others of his good fortune and how they too may win it.

"If, striving for the wisdom that cometh of steadfastness in righteous deeds, thou with pure heart fixed upon His feet desirest to rest there in peace, then by that sweet yearning-the fruit of ancient deed-which spurneth all things else, thou wilt here now gain thy goal" (v.v. 62-68)

This is the central idea of the poem. He is regarded as in his essence formless and beyond speech and thought, but assuming forms to suit the needs of his votaries and accepting their worship in whatever form, if only heartfelt. This is indeed the normal Hindu attitude in religious matters and accounts for its infinite tolerance. All religions are ways, short or long, to God. "The nameless, formless one we will call and worship by a thousand names in chant and dance," the Psalmist Mānikka-vāchakar cries. God, under what-