Vigna rajar

 

The next name is "vigna rajar". That is vigneswarar. The lord of obstacles (vigna) is verily the king (raja) of vigna – i.e. vigna raja. We may consider that iswara (lord) is much greater than the king. But if we go to the root of these words, iswara is also the person who does what a king does. The root word "ish" means to rule. The one who rules is there fore iswaran. In the names of the lord, the words raja, iswaran, and Nathan all appear to convey the same meaning. We call the name nataraja as natesan and nateswaran. The name ranga raja is called as ranganathan and rangesagan. The name "thiru navu-karasar" is called "vag-isar". Similarly, vigna raja and vigneswarar both mean the same.

 

This name vigna raja displays the distinct authority that the lord vigneswarar wields. What is his distinct authority? As we have a specific department for each lord form: Brahma is for creation, Vishnu for protection, and rudra for destruction, durga for victory, lakshmi for wealth, saraswati for knowledge, and danvantari for curing illness, what is the distinct department for lord vigneswarar? It is to remove obstacles. What ever task we take, to avoid any obstacles or mishaps in it, we pray to the lord vigeswarar at the very beginning itself. The form that the primodal entity took inorder to remove obstacles is called the vigneswarar or vigna raja.

 

We should not try to take the meaning that vigneswarar is the king of making obstacles! He is vigna raja because he subdues and eliminates the obstacles. The main task for a ruler (king) is to vanquish all the enemies. Similarly, the lord vigneswarar is the king who vanquishes all obstacles.

 

Some researchers claim that in the beginning the lord was a cruel deity who created obstacles, and therefore was called vigneswarar; though his name stayed even after he became a kind deity and people started to worship him.