Credit: Dr. Aravind Subramanyam Swami

According to the Skanda Purana, Tārakāsura, Surāpadmana, and Siṃhāsura - the three asuras who fought against Lord Murugan - were ardent Shiva devotees in their previous birth. In that life, they had specifically aspired to become vahanas for the deities. However, due to a minor transgression, they were cursed to be born as asuras. When Lord Murugan finally vanquished them in the Sūrasaṃhāram, they were liberated from their cursed state and their original wish was fulfilled - they transformed into vahanas for the deities, with Tārakāsura becoming the elephant vahana for Sri Dharma Sastha.
Philosophically, these three asuras represent the primary obstacles on the spiritual path:
1. Ego (Tārakāsura) - The inflated sense of self that leads to delusion and opposition to the divine.
2. Karma (Surāpadmana) - The bondage of actions and their consequences that keep the soul trapped in cyclic existence.
3. Maya (Siṃhāsura) - The veil of illusion that obscures one's true nature and divine connection.
By facing and overcoming these three obstacles, represented by the vanquishing of the asuras, the seeker is liberated and becomes worthy of merging with Dharma Sastha.
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