In recent times, an alarming narrative has emerged within the Malaysian blogosphere, suggesting a historical event that appears to be a misinterpretation or perhaps a deliberate misinformation campaign. The claim revolves around a so called Malay prince named Manabharana from Srivijaya, purportedly attacking and conquering the Chola kingdom. This misleading story has gained traction and is spreading like wildfire across various social media platforms. The need to address and rectify such inaccuracies is crucial not only for the sake of historical accuracy but also for fostering a responsible and informed online community. To delve into the matter, it is essential to clarify that historical records reveal the existence of multiple individuals named Manabharana throughout history. However, a nuanced understanding reveals that all these figures were Tamils (Damila) hailing from the Pandya kingdom, with references to their exploits documented in Tamil inscriptions and Sri Lankan chronicles
Image Source Pinterest Śivarātri, the night of Śivā (shi-vaa) occurs every month. The śivarātri that happens during the month of Māgha or Māsi is the greatest of all śivarātris. Hence, it is called as the Mahāśivarātri. While Brahmā creates and Viṣṇu preserves, Śivā in the form of Rudra, destroys. Although these three are represented as three separate deities, they are actually three activities of the eternal cosmic cycle. The earliest reference to the word Śivā can be found in the Vēdas especially in the Yajurvēda. There are hymns requesting the blue throated Rudra to show his benevolent form as Śivā. The word Śivā here can mean to represent auspiciousness. It is synonymous with the word maṅgalam. We get the following from Yajurvēda: ōm namō bhagavatē̍ rudrā̠ya nama̍stē rudra ma̠nyava̍ u̠tōta̠ iṣa̍vē̠ nama̍ḥ nama̍stē astu̠ dhanva̍nē bā̠hubhyā̍mu̠ta tē̠ nama̍ḥ yā ta̠ iṣu̍-śi̠vata̍mā śi̠vam ba̠bhūva̍ tē̠ dhanu̍ḥ śi̠vā śa̍ra̠vyā̍ yā tava̠ tayā̍ nō rudra mṛḍaya yā tē̍ rudra śi̠vā ta̠nūra