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.