kanthar anubhuthi

[Guest guest]

Transliteration:

 

saadum thani vEl murugan saraNam, soodum padi thanThathu sollumathO veedum surar maamudi vEthamum vem— , kaadum punamum kamazhum kazhalE. 44

 

Meaning:

 

Murugan, the Great, with the destroying, Peerless Vel, Granted His Feet to be crowned, — O, what to tell! Moksha, God's glorious heads, and the Vedas eternal, Shine with the Feet, the hot forest and the field as well. "Lord Muruga, with the Incomparable and destroying Vel, granted His Feet to be crowned (on my head), — the Feet which shine as (or whose divine fragrance is emitting or felt in) Moksha, on the heads of the Devas, in the Vedas, in the hot forest and the millet fields. O What shall I say (of His graciousness)!"

 

Detailed Commentary:

Murugan bestows His Feet on Arunagirinathar's Head

This is a simple verse in its meaning, but its implications are great and many sided. Saint Arunagirinathar exclaims over the rare blessedness that was conferred on him. What is that blessedness? Lord Muruga graciously offered His Feet to be crowned on Arunagirinathar's head. This is the highest blessing conceivable, for it confers Moksha on the recipient. The Feet that are granted are those, for whose manifestation on the stony tablet of his heart he prayed (verse 6); meditation on which, while giving away one's possessions in charity, frees one from transmigration (verse 7); by obtaining which one can give up all one's desires and be saved, i.e., liberated (verse 14); the grant of which means the attainment of the non-thinking and non-forgetting state of Mukthi (for which he prayed, verse 21); to bow to which feeling them as verily Satchidananda, is a great merit, difficult of attainment (verse 22); non-thinking of which, due to the coming into active play of ignorance, is verily one's destruction (to overcome which was his prayer, verse 23); which alone are not red, i.e., Perfect, but He, whose they are, is Himself red in His whole being (verse 25); the grant of which was longed for to attain the state of Mukthi and be freed from Karmas (verse 35); which are worn on the heads of Brahma and other gods (verse 36); and protection under which here and now means Jivanmukthi, which he aspired for (verse 41). Such Feet were crowned on Arunagirinathar's head.

What happens to the soul when the Lord's Feet is granted?

When the Lord's Feet are granted, what happens? The bound soul at once gets liberated, the Sadhaka becomes a Siddha. To that blessed one, a new vision is opened up — as the Feet disclose their real nature. They shine as the Invisible, the visible, as well as the link between the two; as the Absolute, the phenomenal, as also that which bridges them. Arunagirinathar describes the Feet as the self-luminous state of Moksha, as shining on the heads of the Devas in heaven, as the (essence of the) eternal Vedas, as the (tender) Feet that shine in the dry forest and field. He uses the peculiar word "Kamalum Kalal", which does not easily lend itself to translation. It means "the Feet whose sweet fragrance emanates, or the Feet that shine, or the Feet that reveal themselves. By this, what is meant is that the Feet are not visible physically, but that their divine presence is felt in a subtle way. As the fragrance of a flower cannot be seen but sensed, so are the Lord's Feet not perceived physically but felt and experienced intuitively, by the realized soul. This is the significance of "Kamalum" (shine or emit fragrance). Again, while the act of granting the Feet is in the past tense, as "granted" (Thantha), the Saint has used the present tense as "shine" (Kamalum), in describing the nature of the Feet so granted. This also indicates that the Feet are not merely those that were placed on the heads of gods or walked over the forest and field in search of Valli, then, but that they are a living presence to the liberated ones. The mention f a few places where the Lord's Feet shine is only symbolic, and is meant to suggest their omnipresence. Arunagirinathar's selection of places is significant.

Where & How do the Lord's Feet shine?

Now, let us see where and how the Lord's Feet shine.

Moksha is the Goal of all human aspiration, attaining which life's purpose is fulfilled. It is the consciousness of Absolute freedom (liberation). It is called Paramapada — the Supreme Abode of Rest. It is the Divine Feet of the Lord. The Lord's Feet themselves shine as the every state of Moksha and Moksha stands for the Absolute.

Murugan's Feet on the heads of Devas

The Lord's Feet shine on the heads of the Devas. The Eternal and the Formless manifested Itself as Lord Skanda to alleviate the sufferings of the Devas. When the Asura Surapadman, under whose tyranny the Devas were suffering, was vanquished by the Lord, the Devas all worshipped Him and placed His Feet on their heads as a mark of respect and gratitude. Thus, His Feet shine on the heads of the Devas, i.e., in heaven. Those which shine as the Absolute also shine in and as the higher regions.

Murugan's Feet on the Vedas

The Feet do not merely shine as the Absolute and the higher regions, they are also the means of attaining them — the Vedas. The Vedas are the repository of wisdom. They are regarded as Apaurusheya, i.e., not man-made or composed by men, but as the revelations of the Supreme Being itself. The Vedas are not the written books but the wisdom Eternal, the ecstatic outpourings of the revelations of men of realization. They have come down to us through the Guru-disciple tradition of hearing and reciting. Hence, the Vedas are called as Sruti (what is heard or revealed) as distinguished from Smritis which are the works of human origin. The Vedas extol God and exhort men to seek perfection. They are replete with Upasanas and Vidyas of different kinds which are capable of bestowing upon the practitioner heaven as well as Moksha. As the Vedas are revelations of the Supreme Being and as they serve as means of attaining heaven or Moksha, they are regarded as the Feet of the Lord. The Lord's Feet, thus, shine as the Vedas. The Feet which shine as the Absolute and in the higher regions, also serve as the means of attaining the heaven or Moksha, they are regarded as the Feet of the Lord. The Lord's Feet, thus, shine as the Vedas. The Feet which shine as the Absolute and in the higher regions, also serve as the means of attaining them.

more in skandagurunatha web site

 

Content taken with permission from www.skandagurunatha.org