By Sri Arunagirinathar
Commentary by N.V. Karthikeyan
Chanted by S. Pranava

Transliteration: kookaa ena en kiLai koodi alap, pOkaa vakai mey poruL pEsiyavaa naakaasala vElava naalu kavith— , thyaagaa suralOka sikhaamaNiyE. 11 Meaning: My relatives to gather round and lament as 'koo-kaa', Not so to die, Lo! On Truth Supreme You gave Upadesa; O Poet-maker, of the type four! O Velayudtha! O Lord at Nagasala! O Crest-Jewel of Devaloka! "O Lord enshrined (on the hillock) at Nagasala! O Velayudtha! O Granter of the power to compose the four kinds of poetry! O Crest-Jewel of Devaloka! What a wonder; You gave me Upadesa on the Supreme Reality such that it averted my so passing away as to occasion my relatives to gather around and lament as 'koo-kaa' over my dead body!" Download Kanthar Anubhuthi - Verse 11

Detailed Commentary:

Nagasala is another name for Thiruchenkodu. Thiruchenkodu is near Salem, in South India, and has a beautiful hillock on the top of which Lord Skanda is enshrined. This is one of the important places visited by the saint, which captivated his heart. The enchanting form of the Lord and the charm of the temple and of that place attracted the saint so much that in one of the verses of his other work, Kanthar Alangaaram, he says, "O, what a pity that Brahma has not created me with four thousand eyes to behold the beauty of the Lord of Thiruchenkodu."

Arunagirinathar has dedicated many Thiruppugal songs in praise of the Lord at this place, and had obtained a special boon from Him that, where he be, when he utters "Kantha" and calls the Lord, Skanda would appear. Such is the glory of the Lord of Thriuchenkodu.

When Arunagirinathar threw himself down from the Temple tower to commit suicide for the expiation of his wrongs, had the Lord not held him with His hands, given upadesa on the highest Truth (which we shall see in verse 12) and commanded him to sing His glories, Arunagirinathar would have died like any other mortal, which would have occasioned the gathering of the public and his relatives around his dead body, wailing over it. Not only did the Lord save him from this phenomenon, but also conferred on him the ability to compose songs in His praise, and finally to rest in His Satchitananda swaroopa. Hence, Arunagirinathar says that the Lord, who grants the power to compose the four kinds of poem (all of which Arunagirinathar has done in his different works), revealed to him the supreme secret and also averted the usual phenomenon that takes place at one's death. Over this extraordinary favour conferred on him by the Lord, Arunagirinathar exclaims in joy!

Aasu Kavi, Madhura Kavi, Chithira Kavi, and Visthaara Kavi, are the four kinds of poetry, in the Tamil language.

Aasu Kavi is to compose poems at once on a given subject or theme.
Madhura Kavi is to sing verses overflowing with sweetness of music.
Chithira Kavi is to compose poems which can be expressed through drawings.
Visthaara Kavi is to elaborate long works of poetry (epic poems).

Lord Murugan is considered as the Tamil God, the Lord who gave the Tamil language. So, He has the power to confer on one the capacity to sing poems of all kinds.

[Here is the further instruction of the Guru to the seeker. Though the Guru's Hitopadesa (verse 8) gave him immediate solace, the aspirant is troubled by attractions of sense-objects and by fear of death (verses 9 and 10). Seeing this disturbed mental condition of the disciple, the Guru again gives upadesa to him on the supreme reality (i.e. the Self) by which he is convinced that he will be taken beyond death and that it will avert the usual scene on death. It is not that he has crossed over death, but the Guru's instruction is so powerful and convincing that he foresees that he will not pass away like an ordinary mortal.]

References:

Karthikeyan, N.V. Kanthar Anubhuti (God-Experience) of Saint Arunagirinathar. 2nd ed. India: Divine Life Society, 1990.

Print this page