August 2025

Kandar Anubhūti – Mantra Prayoga – 02

To Make Those Who Do Not Respect You, Begin to Respect You

Do the people around you fail to value you?
At your workplace, do colleagues not show you proper respect or affection?

Arunagirināthar says in his second hymn of Kandar Anubhūti that if such things happen, it means you are not truly meditating on the radiant Lord Muruga:

Tamil Verse:
உல்லாச நிராகுல யோகவிதச்
சல்லாப விநோதனும் நீயலையோ
எல்லா மறவென்னை யிழந்தநலஞ்
சொல்லாய் முருகா சுரபூ பதியே.

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Explanation

• Ullāsa – One who is ever joyful, radiant with bliss.
• Nirākula – Free from agitation and confusion, serene and composed.
• Yōgavida – Knower of Yoga, who has realized his true Self.
• Sallāpa Vinōdhan – One who engages in sweet, loving conversation and delightful play.
• Surapūpati – Lord of the divine mind, master of all godly qualities, endowed with intuitive foreknowledge (the true Indra-like quality).

Arunagirināthar portrays Muruga as:

1. Ever blissful (Ullāsa).
2. Serene and unperturbed (Nirākula).
3. Master of Yoga, having realized his true nature (Yōgavida).
4. Capable of tender, loving speech (Sallāpan).
5. One who delights and gives joy through play (Vinōdhan).
6. Supreme over the divine qualities and intuitive mind (Surapūpati).

These six divine qualities shine forth as Muruga’s six faces (Ārumugam). When we worship him, these very qualities begin to radiate within us.

• A person who is always joyful will naturally be loved by all.
• A serene and untroubled person becomes a pillar of strength, sought for counsel, and accepted as a leader.
• A yogi with mastery over the mind is not enslaved by petty pleasures or sensory distractions.
• One who speaks sweetly and with affection wins hearts effortlessly.
• One who brings laughter and joy is cherished by everyone.
• The supreme lordship over divine qualities transforms even opponents into allies.

Even Surapadman, Muruga’s great adversary, was not slain outright but transformed—his two forms made into the peacock and rooster, Muruga’s emblems—thus granting him sāyujya (union with the Lord). This shows Muruga’s power: not by destruction, but by his six radiant qualities he conquers and wins over even enemies.

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Historical Mantra Prayoga

Tiyāgarāja Mudaliyār records in his book that he taught this very hymn as a prayoga to a German student named Harry Dickman. By meditating upon Muruga in the form of this hymn, Dickman experienced a remarkable change—those who had opposed him in his workplace began to support and respect him instead.

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Instruction for Practice

If you wish to transform the attitude of those around you into respect and goodwill:

• Meditate on the meanings of this hymn deeply.
• Contemplate Muruga as the Ullāsa, Nirākula, Yōgavida, Sallāpa Vinōdhan, Surapūpati.
• Imagine these qualities manifesting within yourself through Muruga’s grace.

By doing so, you will begin to embody these qualities, and through that transformation, others will naturally honor and respect you.

There is also a corresponding yantra and mūlamantra for this prayoga. These must be learned directly from a Guru through proper initiation.

Invocation of Gaṇapati’s Grace for Attaining Siddhi in Devī–Muruga Upāsanā

Around the year 1959, in the cremation grounds of Mylapore (Chennai), a realized Siddha by the name of Tiyāgarāja Mudaliyār, a dedicated Muruga upāsaka, received from his Guru palm-leaf manuscripts that contained the yantra and mūla-mantra corresponding to each song of Kandar Anubhūti. He later published these, together with experiential notes of the fruits attained by various practitioners who had used them. This publication has since become a rare treasure for Muruga devotees.

In that work, the very first hymn of Gaṇapati worship is presented as a means for removing obstacles in Devī-upāsanā. Tiyāgarāja Mudaliyār even records how he taught this practice to an American devotee named Edward James, who received tangible experiences by invoking Gaṇapati in this way.

Here, we begin by offering both the practical insights and the mantric prayogas given by Tiyāgarāja Mudaliyār. However, anyone who wishes to practice must necessarily do so under the guidance of their own Guru. No form of mantra or deity worship should ever be attempted merely through books, YouTube, or Facebook, for such attempts only trap the mind in māyā, entangle it in ahaṅkāra (ego), and prevent true progress.

Why then share these details at all? Only so that knowledge becomes available to all; with that spark of inspiration, at least a few may be drawn to approach a genuine Guru and undertake sādhana in the right way.

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The First Hymn of Gaṇapati Praise in Kandar Anubhūti

Tamil Verse:
ஆடும் பரிவேல் அணிசேவ லெனப்
பாடும் பணியே பணியாய் அருள்வாய்
தேடுங் கயமா முகனைச் செருவிற்
சாடுந் தனியானை சகோதரனே.

Explanation:

• Āḍum pari (dancing vehicle) → refers to the peacock, Muruga’s mount.
• Vēl → Muruga’s divine spear, symbol of knowledge and grace.
• Aṇi-cēval (the adorned rooster-banner) → the rooster, which decorates the flag as Muruga’s emblem.

The devotee sings: “Bless me that my song may itself be your service. O brother of Him who single-handedly struck down the elephant-demon Gajāsura, O Gaṇapati, grant me your grace.”

Thus, though the hymn outwardly praises Muruga—his peacock, spear, and rooster—its final address is to Gaṇapati, calling Him “Brother.” This is a subtle and profound Gaṇapati stuti hidden within a Muruga hymn!

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Symbolic Meanings

• Kayamukha (the elephant-demon) = Greed, pride, and violence – the negative forces in man.
• Muruga’s Vēl (spear) = Divine Knowledge and Grace.
• Slaying of Kayamukha = The triumph of divine knowledge and grace over ego and ignorance.

Thus, this hymn contains deep esoteric truths of Muruga upāsanā:

1. The Peacock (Āḍum Pari) – symbolizes the restless prāṇa (life-force). To enthrone Muruga upon it means to stabilize prāṇa by subduing the coiled kuṇḍalinī serpent underfoot.
2. The Spear (Vēl) – symbolizes Śakti’s weapon, the power of divine knowledge. Only by Śakti’s grace does Muruga’s grace descend. When impurities are removed, the light of wisdom arises.
3. The Rooster (Aṇi-cēval) – symbolizes the mind. Just as a rooster cries boastfully, so too the mind crows with pride and restlessness. But when surrendered to Subrahmaṇya, it becomes His beautiful banner—disciplined and adorned.

Therefore, to attain siddhi in Muruga-upāsanā, the aspirant must:

• enthrone Subrahmaṇya upon the restless prāṇa,
• receive the grace of Śakti through the weapon of wisdom,
• and transform the boastful mind into Muruga’s radiant banner.

To accomplish this, the aspirant must conquer the inner demon Kāyamukha—the conglomerate of greed, pride, and violence. And such victory is possible only through the grace of Gaṇapati, the elder brother of Subrahmaṇya.

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Note to Practitioners

This hymn, its mantra, and yantra form part of a sacred Mantra Prayoga of Gaṇapati invocation to remove obstacles in Devī-upāsanā. Those interested in the prayoga connected to this verse may reach out through the given contact. Yet, let it be remembered: practice must always be with the blessings and direction of a living Guru.

Why is Kandar Anubhūti considered a Mantra?

According to Tolkāppiyar’s grammatical dictum, a mantra is defined as “a sacred utterance (மறைமொழி) that springs forth from the injunction of the perfected ones who speak complete speech (நிறைமொழி மாந்தர் ஆணை).” It is on the basis of this rule that Arunagirināthar affirms in his Kāppu (invocatory verse) that what he has sung is indeed mantra:

Verse:
நெஞ்சக் கனகல்லும் நெகிழ்ந் துருகத்
தஞ்சத் தருள்சண் முகனுக் கியல்சேர்
செஞ்சொற் புனைமாலை சிறந் திடவே
பஞ்சக் கரஆனை பதம் பணிவாம்.

Meaning:
The heart, hardened like stone by āṇava (egoism) and other impurities, must be made to melt and soften. For this, we must seek refuge at the sacred feet of Ṣaṇmukha (Murugan). For he is the divine priest (vēdhiyan) who “kneads the stone into ripened fruit, and by pressing it with the flood of his compassion, dissolves our karmic bonds.” When such a heart, heavy with impurities like stone, is surrendered to Murugan, those impurities melt away, and the mind gains the capacity to weave garlands of pure words (ceñcol). It is through such pañcākṣara-pranava, the root essence of mantra, that Kandar Anubhūti was composed in the spirit of surrender to his feet.

Here, the expressions ceñcol (pure speech) and pañcākṣara (five-syllabled mantra) stand as scriptural testimony that Kandar Anubhūti is indeed mantra.

Om (praṇava) is the primal mantra-sound that arises from Īśvara Tattva, while pañcākṣara emerges from Sadāśiva Tattva. Both Om and pañcākṣara are the origin and source of all mantras. Arunagirināthar, aligning his inner consciousness with these two primordial mantras of the universe, wove Kandar Anubhūti as a perfected utterance (nirai mozhi), as ceñcol, born of direct realization (anubhūti).

Therefore, Kandar Anubhūti must be understood as a mantra-śāstra text. Tradition also records that about sixty years ago, its practical application, along with its corresponding mūlamantra and yantra, was revealed by a Siddhar (adept) to one Tiāgarāja Mudaliyar. These details will be shared one by one.