Arunagirinaathar’sLife

Arunagirinaathar’s Lifeand
andContribution
Contributiontoto
The
The TamilBhakti
Tamil BhaktiLiterature
Literature
Kollengode S Venkataraman, Murrysville, PA
By Kollengode S Venkataraman, Murrysville, PA
e-mail:[email protected]
e-mail:[email protected]

Acknowledgments: M. Meenakshisundaram of In his poems, Arunagirinaathar refers to Prabhuda

Tiruchy, India for going over the drafts and offering Devaraayan, the Vijayanagara king who ruled
valuable suggestions. over the Tiravannamalai region in the 15th century,
In all faiths all over which confirms Arunagirinaathar’s time.
the world, admirers and Arunagarinaathar’s life and lifestyle: In
devotees of great savants one of his poems starting with மனையவள்
often add hagiographic நனைை்ை… … he describes his adult life, from
embellishments to the which we can infer that he led a married life. From
lives of these sages, with the structure and contents of his poems, there are
some of these embellish- strong reasons to believe that he lived close to tem-
ments so fantastic that ple dancers in the region. Living close to temple
they confound rational dancers — called Devadasis, a term not always
minds. The admirers of used as a compliment — he saw in close quarters
Poet Arunagiri are no exception. His followers the lifestyles of the dancers living under the pat-
and devotees call him Arunagirinaathar ronage of landlords and local kings. These dancers
(அருணகிரிநாதர், अरुनगिरि-नादि), “nathar” a had to make many compromises in their lifestyles
suffix added to his name out of their love and re- to live under such patronage.
spect. This great Bhakti poet is known for his ex- In his poems the poet vividly describes the
traordinary poetical skills employing complex young dancers’ charm and beauty, the jewelry and
and varying rhythm patterns in clothes they wear, and the
his poems, his proficiency in cosmetics and perfumes
Tamil and Sanskrit languages, they use to enhance their
and virtuosity in weaving into beauty.
his poems the tenets of the In over 1600 of his po-
Vedas, and stories from the ems, Arunagirinaathar can-
Ramayana, the Mahabharata, didly acknowledges his pro-
and Siva, Vishnu, and Skanda clivity for excessive indul-
Puranas. When you come to gence in sensual pleasures.
know of these, you too will Recognizing this, he pleads
admire him, and understand for Muruga-p-peruman’s
why his devotees call him (literally, Lord Muruga’s)
Arunagirinaathar. Another grace to wean himself away
unique feature in his poems is from this weakness.
his mastery in trying to reconcile the conflicts be-
tween the Shaivites and Vaishnavites of his time.
Arunagirinaathar’s Time: His prolific reli-
I n all societies throughout history, in people
given to excessive indulgences of all types, we
see radical transformations taking place quite ab-
gious-spiritual-poetical work was in the 15th cen- ruptly. As if by a miracle, people voluntarily and
tury. He was born in 1370 Current Era and died in without any struggle walk away from their life-
1450 at the age of 80. He was born in the Sengunta style given to excesses. We hear about people
Kaikolar community in Tiruvannamalai, the tem- among us making these kinds of abrupt U-turns in
ple town for Arunachaleshawara in Tamil Nadu. their lives — some of us even know them

Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam 55

Arunagirinaathar’s Life and Contribution toThe Tamil Bhakti Literature Sri Siva Vishnu Temple

personally. When we ask them how they changed requires great linguistic skills purely in terms of
so suddenly, they struggle to explain the changes prosody.
using logic. They attribute the abrupt changes for For example, his most popular poem muththai-
the better in their lives to Divine Intervention, or tharu-paththi-thirunagai (முத்னதத்தரு பத்தித்
God’s Grace (இனைவை் அருள் ). திருநனை அத்திை்கினை சத்திச் சரவண… …)
Such a miraculous transformation happens to follows the following rhythm pattern.:
Arunagiri also, who was given to a profligate life- tatta-tana tatta-tana-tana tatta-tana tatta-
style. Recognizing this, he feels so despondent tana-tana tatta-tana tatta-tana-tana --
about his situation, as the popular story of his life tana-taana
goes, that he wanted to kill himself by jumping off
a smaller Gopuram in the Arunachaleshwara Tem- தத்த-தை தத்த-தைதை
ple complex in Tiruvannamalai. As he was about தத்த-தை தத்த-தைதை
to jump off the tower, he was miraculously தத்த-தை தத்த தைதை –– தைதாை
stopped by Muruga-p-perumaan (Lord Muruga)
Himself, telling him, “Your life is not to be
wasted, and your mission is to save the lives of
M any Tamils know the name Tiru-p-pugazh,
or at least would have heard the name. Not
many would have read the verses or grasped their
fallen people.” When Arunagiri pleaded how he meanings. The verses have complex tongue-twist-
can do it given his background, Muruga-p-perum- ing phrases mixed with Tamil and Sanskrit words,
aan (Lord Muruga) gives him the first phrases, written following Tamil and Sanskrit sandhi rules.
முத்னதத்தரு பத்தித் திருநனை (Muththai- This is difficult to grasp, especially for today’s
tharu-paththi-thirunagai) and disappears. Tamils with a limited knowledge of the Tamil lan-
With the grace granted by Muruga-p-perum- guage and its vocabulary because of the neglect of
aan, Arunagirinaathar spontaneously composes the Tamil in the school curriculum.
his first song right there. You can listen to his What is remarkable about Arunagirinaathar is
first verse here: that his skills in using complex rhythm patterns
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp7VAfmxJog, are only the base frame of skeleton in his poems.
and listen to Sambandam Gurukkal rendering the Around this frame, the poet builds complex sto-
song in pulsating and lilting rhythm.

T
ries giving us sensuous poems dripping in Bhakti
his was a great transforming moment in Arun- (devotion). To fully understand and appreciate
agirinaathar’s life. He effortlessly abandoned Arunanagirinaathar’s poems, one needs a good
his reckless lifestyle, becoming a mendicant and grasp of Tamil and Sanskrit vocabulary and
an ardent devotee of Muruga-p-perumaan. He later grammar to get their basic meanings; and also to
traveled all over South India and Sri Lanka, visit- know of Sanatana Dharma’s tenets in the Vedas,
ing over 200 Siva and Murugan temples, and com- Puranas, Ashtanga Yoga… … as we discussed
posed songs addressing their presiding deities. earlier.
Over 1600 poems are available in an anthology
called திருப்புைழ் (Tiru-p-pugazh), meaning Di- So, without the help of commentaries from
vine Praise, most of them addressed to Muruga-p- scholars, it will be very difficult to understand and
peruman. admire the prosodic skills of Arunagirinaathar and
Arunagirinaathar’s poems in Tiru-p-pugazh his grasp of all facets of the Sanatana Dharma.
are known for their lilting and pulsating complex Here is a two-line example, first in the original
rhythm patterns, known in Indian prosody as form with the words fitted to flow with the rhythm
pattern, and then with the words split to get some
Chandas (छन्दस् in Devanagari, and சந்தம் in
idea of what the poet conveys:
Tamil), meaning poetical meter. His poems are
usually four- or eight-line verses consisting of 6, Rhythm pattern:
8, 10, 12, 14, 16, or even 20 phrases in each line தாத்தைத் தாைதை தாத்தைத் தாைதை
conforming to complex rhythm patterns. The poet தாத்தைத் தாைதை ...... தைதாை
keeps the same complex rhythm pattern in all the
Original lyrics:
four or eight lines in each poem. This alone

56 Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam

 Siva Vishnu Temple
Sri Arunagirinaathar’s Life and Contribution toThe Tamil Bhakti Literature

வாட்படச் சசனைபட சவாட்டியயாட் Parvathi, Rama, Krishna, Arjuna, Ravana, Hanu-

டானரயிறு மாப்புனடத் தாளரசர் ...... man, Ganesha, and weaves episodes in the Rama-
யபருவாழ் வும் yana and Mahabharata and the puranas into his
poems. Why he did this in the 15th century is an
மாத்தினரப் சபாதிலிடு ைாட்டிைிை் interesting question for all of us to ponder over
சபாயமைஇல் வாழ் ை்னைவிட் சடறுமடி and see its relevance in the 21st century, here in
...... யவர்சபாலை்
the US.
With words split for getting the meaning:
வாட்படச் சசனைபட ஓட்டி ஒட்டானர
H ow Arunagirinaathar’s poems were un-
earthed is a fascinating story. Aruna-
girinaathar’s contribution to Tamil literature in
இறுமாப்புனடத்து ஆள் அரசர்… …
யபருவாழ் வும்
general, and Tamil Bhakti literature in particular,
will be incomplete without the contributions of
மாத்தினரப் சபாதில் இடு ைாட்டிைிை் these great men:
சபாயமை இல் வாழ் ை்னைவிட்டு V. T. Subramania Pillai (1846 – 1909): Till
ஏறும் … … அடியவர்சபால the late part of 19th century, Arunagirinaathar’s
poems were not known to
In these poems Arunagirinaathar openly and
most people in Tamil
candidly pours out his proclivity to excessive sen-
Nadu. They were on palm
sual gratifications. He pleads for Muruga-p-pe-
leaves in homes of people
ruman’s grace to wean himself away from his
in and around Tiruvanna-
weakness, and move him towards the sublime. In
malai and the Kaveri
his verses, Arunagirinaathar uses first-person sin-
Delta area.
gular, indicating his own personal struggle. When
One Shri V. T.
we read these poems constructed in first-person
Subramania Pillai, a Dis-
singular, we often feel that Arunagirinaathar is de-
trict Munsiiff and Judi-
scribing our own personal struggle on these mat-
cial Officer under the
ters.
British, in 1871 went to resolve a dispute at the
A Unique Feature of Arunagirinaathar’s
Chidambaram Temple; the Temple’s Deekshitars
Poems: The schism between the Saiva and Vaish-
quoted several verses from old Tamil bhakti po-
nava schools of worship in the Tamil country
etry to make their claims. One such poem the
through the centuries is well known and there is no
Deekshitars quoted was from a verse of Aruna-
need to gloss over this division. Given this atmos-
girinaathar. Fascinated by this verse, Subramania
phere, Arunagirinaathar is unique in the Tamil
Pillai, a devotee of Muruga-p-peruman, wanted to
Bhakti literature.
know more about the person who wrote the
Muruga-p-peruman is the son of Siva and Par-
poem, and he came to
vathi; with Parvathi being Vishnu’s sister, Muru-
know of Arunagirinaathar.
gan is also the nephew of Vishnu and Lakshmi.
This started Subramania
Arunagirinaathar uses this puranic fact quite
Pillai’s search for Aruna-
brilliantly and unabashedly in many poems. He
girinaathar’s poetry. He
would describe Muruga-p-perumaan as the son of
came to know of the sage’s
Siva; and in the next breath and in the next line, as
six poems in a book by the
the nephew of Vishnu. Here is an example:
great scholar Arumuga
“O the Crimson-Colored (யசய் சயாய் , a de-
Naavalar (1822-1879),
scriptive name for Muruga-p-peruman), the son of
who lived in Jaffna, Sri
the One Who Wears Snakes as Garlands (refer-
Lanka.
ence to Shiva), and the nephew of the One Who
Arumuga Naavalar’s contribution to preserv-
Sleeps on the Bed of a Snake (reference to Vishnu),
ing Saivism among the educated Tamils in Sri
please grant me Your Grace.”
Lanka is considerable during the Portuguese and
There are hundreds of references like this in
Dutch colonial occupation of Sri Lanka.
his poems in which the poet refers to Lakshmi,

Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam 57

Arunagirinaathar’s Life and Contribution toThe Tamil Bhakti Literature Sri Siva Vishnu Temple

Starting with the six poems found in Aru- the songs starting local
muga Naavalar’s book, Shri Pillai went about his chapters of Tiru-p-
mission in his search for Arunagirinaathar’s pugazh bhajans wherever
works, said to be over 16,000 poems. He ended they settled, including in
up collecting from vari- the US. His group called
ous sources over 3,000 Tiru-p-pugazh Anbargal
verses on palm leaves. He (Friends of Tiruppugazh)
spent considerable time in set up branches in many
sorting out his palm leaf parts of India and even outside. Details here:
collections, removing du- https://www.lokvani.com/lokvani/article.php?ar-
plicates (which confirmed ticle_id=9938
to him the authenticity of For people with a decent
Arunagirinaathar’s grasp of the Tamil language
works) and reconciling and the basic tenets of the
the same poems with dif- Sanatana Dharma, a very
ferent similar sounding good source for Tiru-p-
words here and there. He Pugazh songs and their gen-
and his sons Chengalvaraya Pillai and Shanmu- eral meanings is the website
gam Pillai spent considerable amount of their developed by Shri Gopala
time and personal resources in bringing out Arun- Sundaram at www.kau-
agirinaathar’s poems in three volumes in the late maram.com/thiru/nnt0663_u.html. Gopala
19th century and early 20th century. The Tamil lit- Sundaram’s website catalogs Arunagirinaathar’s
erary World owes a great deal to V. T. Subrama- Tiru-p-pugazh songs alphabetically, and also in
nia Pillai and his two sons for bringing out Arun- terms of the temples on which the poems were
agirinaathar’s works for the outside world. composed.
Kripananda Variar Swami (1906-1993): You can listen, en-
We owe a great deal to Kripananda Variar for joy, and admire Aruna-
pains-takingly writing in girinaathar’s complex
six volumes detailed com- rhythm patterns in Shri
mentaries the Tiru-p- Pondicherry Sam-
pugazh songs, giving bandam Gurukkal’s
word-by-word meaning and excellent recordings of
explaining the references to Tiru-p-pugazh songs
all the stories in the songs. here:
This monumental work is www.tinyurl.com/Sambandam-Gurukkal-1
necessary for anyone want-
ing to understand the nu- www.tinyurl.com/Sambandam-Gurukkal-2
anced meanings of the Tiru- Shri Sambandam Gurukkal brings out the life
p-pugazh verses in the con- in Arunagirinaathar’s verses with his grasp of
text of Tamil Bhakti literature. Variar Swamy Tamil Bhakti literary tradition and musical train-
gave countless upanyasams and discourses on ing.
Tiru-p-pugazh all over the world. Incidentally,
Variar Swamy was the inspiration for the Muru-
gan Temple in Lanham, MD.
A runagirinaathar’s complex meters, Sanskrit
and Tamil phrases, and descriptive names
for deities in his poems are impossible to poeti-
A. S Raghavan Sept 4, 1928-May 17, 2013), cally translate into English or other European lan-
a government official in New Delhi, was so guages; and perhaps even into South Indian lan-
deeply impressed with Tiru-p-pugazh that he guages.
started a bhajan group in New Delhi. This grew Fred Clothey, who was born to missionary
over the years with people who learned from him parents in the Tamil country in the early 20th

58 Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam

 Siva Vishnu Temple
Sri Arunagirinaathar’s Life and Contribution toThe Tamil Bhakti Literature

century, is the Professor Emeritus of Religious • ைந்தர் அந்தாதி Kandar Anthaathi - 100
Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He spent verses, each four lines, with five phrases/line.
over 15 years in India, and also worked in Malay- • திருவகுப்பு Thiru Vaguppu
sia and Singapore. Clothey introduced Aruna- • சவல் விருத்தம் Vel Virutham – 10
girinaathar to English-speaking readers in his verses each four lines, with twelve phrases/line.
scholarly book Quiescence and Passion (now out • மயில் விருத்தம் Mayil Virutham – 11
of print), focusing on Kandar-Anubhuti and Kan- verses each four lines with twelve
dar-Alankaaram. On the difficulty of translating phrases/line.
Arunagirinaathar Clothey says: • சசவல் விருத்தம் , Seval Viruttam and –
“[My work] is a classic example of the kind of 11 verses each four lines with twelve
project into which fools rush where angels fear to phrases/line.
tread. Neither my English nor Tamil qualifies me
to translate poetically a Tamil poet who remains
defiantly untranslatable… … [I got introduced to
Arunagiri] in 1965 and sampled the poet’s unu-
A runagirinaathar’s expansive, enigmatic, and
inscrutable idea of Godhead, we can see in
the last verse in Kandhar Anubhuthi:
sual style. I have since come to know even better உருவாய் அருவாய் , உளதாய் இலதாய்
why none have dared to attempt a translation [of மருவாய் மலராய் , மணியாய் ஒளியாய் ை்
Arunagirinaathar] save in the most prosaic of ைருவாய் உயிராய் ை், ைதியாய் விதியாய் ை்
ways.” குருவாய் வருவாய் , அருள் வாய் குைசை.

T amil scholars in the 19th and 20th century

who brought this great poet’ work to public
attention are: The Tamil poet Pamban Swamigal
Fred Clothey translated the above terse verse
into English, capturing the great poet’s cryptic
style in his English translation as well:
(1848 -1929); The scholar-writer Vannasarapam
Dhandapani Swamigal (1839 – 1898); A.S.Subra- Formed, Formless; Being, Non-Being;
manian known as Thiru-p-pugazh Thatha; and Flower, Fragrance; Jewel, Radiation;
Ki. Vaa. Jagannathan (1906-1988). Embryo, Life; Goal, Way;
Arunagirinaathar left his mortal remains Come Guha, [as my] Guru
when he was 80 years in Tiruvannamalai. Every [and] Grant [me] your Grace.
year in July the Murugan Temple in Viralimalai, Arunagirinaathar’s devotees organize festivals
(situated 18 miles southwest of Trichy in Tamil for him periodically at the Tiruvannamalai temple
Nadu) organizes a music festival honoring Arun- and Murugan temples in India, and in Hindu Tem-
agirinaathar. ples in Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka,
Arunagirinaathar life Australia, and North America.
story is so captivating that
the Tamil film industry
made a full-length feature
A fter this discursive discussion, it may be ap-
propriate to end this write-up by quoting a
great terse phrase in Arunagirinaathar’s Kandar-
film Arunagirinaathar with Anubhuti, in which the poet recalls the advice
the famous playback singer Muruga-p-peruman gave him:
T.M. Soundararajan as the poet Arunagirinaathar. சும் மா இரு, ச ால் அற,
And the Government of India released a postage
stamp (INR 50 denomination) in Aruna- literally meaning “Be Still, and Speak Not,” or
girinaathar’s honor. Arunagirinaathar’s other better still, “Keep Quiet and Chatter not.”
works: It is worth noting that both Thaayumaanava
• ைந்தர் அனுபூதி Kanthar Anubhuthi – Swamy (1705-1744) and Ramana Maharshi
51 verses, each four lines, with four (1879-1950) adopted these phrases in their philo-
phrases/line. sophical/spiritual works. And that is a delightful
• ைந்தர் அலங் ைாரம் Kanthar Alangaaram way to end this write up on the One-of-a-Kind
- 107 verses each four lines, with five phrases Great Tamil Bhakti poet, Arunagirinaathar.
line

Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam 59

Arunagirinaathar’s Life and Contribution toThe Tamil Bhakti Literature Sri Siva Vishnu Temple

References: and is the editor and publisher of a 28-year-old inde-

pendent quarterly magazine, The Pittsburgh Patrika,
1. Clothey, Fred, Quiescence and Passion, Publish- (www.pittsburghpatrika.com). 
ers: Austin & Winfield, San Francisco, 1996, 177
pp. (now out of print, but available in a few
bookstores and on-line book outlets.)
2. www.eng.arunagirinatharmani-
mandapam.org/scholars-of-tirupugazh/
3. Kripananda Variar, Tiru-p-pugazh Virivurai, in
six volumes, Publishers: Vaanathi Pathippagar,
T.Nagar, Chennai, 1985 onwards.
4. www.kaumaram.com/thiru/nnt0663_u.html.
5. www.tinyurl.com/Sambandam-Gurukkal-1
6. www.tinyurl.com/Sambandam-Gurukkal-2
__________________________________________
About the author: Kollengode S. Venkataraman,
lives in the Pittsburgh metro area since mid-1980s,

Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, Singapore

60 Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam

 AruNagiri Amutam
Shankar A. Iyer
INTRODUCTION gave him topics on which to write His Glory. The
Saint captures this in the following Tiruppugazh song
Saint AruNagiri Natar was a great Tamil savant, Lord
pakkarai vicitramaṇi [http://thiruppugazhamirutham.
Muruga’s devotee who extolled His glory in rhythmic,
blogspot.com/2012/08/2.html]
unique poetic styles rarely seen in Tamil. He was a
true seeker who found the Divine in the Form of Lord ðè¢è¬óõ¤ ê¤î¢óñí¤ ªð£ø¢èô¬í ò¤ì¢ìï¬ì
Subrahmanya and allowed the Grace to transform his ðì¢ê¤ªòÂñ¢ àè¢ó¶óèºñ¢¢ ....….ï¦ðð¢
early life of debauchery into one of intense devotion and ð袰õñôó¢î¢ªî£¬ì»ñ¢, Ü袰õ´ ð좪ì£ö¤ò
askesis. In this short article, with the Saint’s blessings ð좴¼õ õ¤ì¢ì¼÷¢¬è õ®«õ½ñ¢
and the Grace of Lord Murugan, my humble attempt is
to share drops of this nectar of divine poetry with you. pakkaraivi chithramaNi poRkalaNai ittanadai
pakshiyenum ugrathura ...... gamuneeba
WHO was SAINT ARUNAGIRI?
pakkuvama larththodaiyum akkuvadu pattozhiya
Saint AruNagiriwas born in TiruvaNNAmalai circa patturuva vittaruLkai ...... vadivElum
1370 CE and merged with Lord Murugan there circa
1450 CE. Well-educated and erudite, a scholar in He recalls with gratitude how Vayalur Murugan directed
Tamizh and Samskrutam, and from a rich family, the Saint to sing about His Peacock, His beautiful
AruNagiri fell into a life of debauchery. Soon all his flower garlands, His Spear, His Rooster, His small feet,
wealth was wasted, and diseases wreaked havoc on and His twelve powerful shoulders. While the poet in
his body. Reduced to penury, he decided to end it all him expressed the self-awareness of the beauty of his
by leaping down from the top of the main gopuram of own works in many places, he calls himself a slave of
ANNAmalaiyAr Temple. Lord Murugan saved him, Lord Skanda and expresses his gratitude to the Lord
and advised him: ²ñ¢ñ£ Þ¼, ªê£ô¢ Üø! (Be still, for blessing him, to sing excellent poetry praising
don’t speak) Him and spreading it worldwide. The Saint expresses
justifiable pride in the excellence of the poetry but is
The rejuvenated AruNagiri spent several years in silent
very humble in calling his colossal contribution ‘little’
meditation, till Lord Murugan asked him to sing His
in a verse composed at Tiruchengodu (Sarpagiri)
Glory. Following His command (ºî¢¶ ºî¢î£èð¢
temple. (https://www.sivasiva.org/thiruppugazh_song.
ð£´), Saint AruNagiri started his first song thus:
php?sequence_no=602)
ºî¢¬îî¢î¼ ðî¢î¤î¢ ï¬è / Üî¢î¤è¢è¤¬ø êî¢î¤ê¢
ê¤î¢óè õ¤î¢¶õ êî¢îñ¤ °î¢îî¤ / ¼ð¢¹è ¬öê¢ê¤ø¤ ......
êóõí /
òÂë¢
ºî¢î¤è¢ªè£¼ õ¤î¢¶è¢ °¼ðó ...... âù«õ£¶ñ¢
ªêð¢ªðù ¬õô è¤ø¢ðó õîó¤/ ê¤î¢îõ ¸è¢óè
muththaiththaru paththith thirunakai ...... ñø«õ«ù
aththikkiRai saththis saravaNa
chithraka viththuva saththami guththathi / ruppuga
muththikkoru viththuk gurupara ...... enavOthum
zhaichiRi ...... dhadiyEnum
(Verse2)
seppena vaith ulagiR paravath dheri / siththa anugraha
Having penned his first song, the poet was at a loss. ...... maRavEnE
Lord Murugan bade him to come to Vayalur and

Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam 61

AruNagiri Amutam Sri Siva Vishnu Temple

THE DIVINE OUTPOURING unaiththi nanthozhu dhilanuna dhiyalbinai

Taking His cue, the Saint exploded in a torrent of uraiththi lanpala malarkodun adiyiNai
over 16,000 Tiruppugazh songs, hailing the Lord in uRappa Nindhilan oruthava milanuna ......
His temples all over South India (and the Kadiragama dharuLmARA
Temple in Sri Lanka). In addition to Tiruppugazh
songs, he wrote of his experience of Self-realization in (I haven’t thought of You every day; I have praised
Kandar Anubhooti, he exalted in His praise in Kandar Your nature; I haven’t worshipped You by offering
AlankAram, wrote several extended Viruttams on flowers at Your feet. I haven’t practiced any
His Vel, Mayil and Cheval, and a whole collection of austerities.)
Tiruvakkuppu songs.
The Saint has employed hundreds of Chandams, with
The stars among these are his Tiru-yezhu-kooRRirukkai
complex patterns of beats (tALams). Learning to sing
and the hundred elaborate and profound verses of
Tiruppugazh songs in their proper Chandam is a great
Kandar AndAdi.
way to gain TALa-jnAnam.
Through the yeoman service of Shri Chengalvaraya
Pillai, his son and several other scholars in late 19th
VENERATING MURUGAN
& early 20th centuries, about 1,365 Tiruppugazh songs
have been recovered. Through the lifelong efforts of Now, let’s take a brief look at how Saint AruNagiri
AruLmigu Shri KrupAnanda VAriyAr, Shri PittukuLi venerates Lord Murugan.
Murugadas and my Tiruppugazh guru Tiruppugazh AruNagiri advocates saguNa, bahir mukha
Mani Guruji Raghavan, several hundred of these songs upAsanA, praying to Lord Murugan to shower
have been popularized among devotees worldwide. His Love on the OmkAram within in which His
likeness is shown in æªñ¿î¢î¤ô¢ Üù¢¹ ñ¤è×ø¤,
HIS TIRUPPUGAZH SONGS æõ¤òî¢î¤ô¢Üï¢îñ¼÷¢õ£«ò!. He pleads with Him
Saint AruNagiri wrote his Tiruppugazh songs as Chanda to reside in his heart and Grace him to to deal with
PADalkaL. A Chandam is an established poetic meter all doubts and obstacles (Þîòï¢îù¤ô¢ ޼
with unique musical and rhymic pattern. For example, 袼¬ðò£è¤, Þìó¢ ê颬èè÷¢ èôé¢è ܼ÷¢õ£«ò).
here is a Tiruppugazh song (Verse 8) rendered with - He calls Lord Skanda as the Form and Basis for
absolute fidelity to its complex Chandam: various concepts of darshana schools like Naada,
Bindu, kala, Vaak of veda mantraas, tattvas of Shaivism
îùî¢î îï¢îù îùîù îùîù
--ï£îõ¤ï¢¶ èô£î¤, «õî ñï¢î¢óú¢õÏð£ and, îî¢õ
îùî¢î îï¢îù îùîù îùîù Ýî¤. He hails the Lord as the Supreme Divine in
îùî¢î îï¢îù îùîù îùîù ...... îùî£ù the SahasrAra Chakra as in Íô£î¤ôñî¤ù¢ «ñ«ô
ñù¶Á ….. «ü£î¤ ïìñ¤´ñ¢ ªð¼ñ£«÷ - He
taṉatta tantaṉa taṉataṉa taṉataṉa
hails Him as present in many temples on many hills:
taṉatta tantaṉa taṉataṉa taṉataṉa; ðòé¢ è¤½ñ¤ ¼ï¢¶ õ¤¬÷ò£®ð¢, ðô°ù¢ ø¤½ñ
taṉatta tantaṉa taṉataṉa taṉataṉa ..... taṉatāṉa ñó¢ï¢î ªð¼ñ£«÷. Not content, in his Kshettira
Kovai song, He hails Lord Murugan as present in all
à¬ùî¢î¤ ù î¤ôÂù î¤òô¢ð¤¬ù temples all over the world - àôªè颰ñ¢ «ñõ¤ò
«îõ£ôòñ¢ ªî£Áªð¼ñ£«÷!
à¬óî¢î¤ ôù¢ðô ñôó¢ªè£´ù¢ ù®ò¤¬í
àøð¢ð í¤ï¢î¤ôù¢ å¼îõ ñ¤ôÂù ..... î¼÷¢ñ£ø£

62 Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam

 Siva Vishnu Temple
Sri AruNagiri Amutam

VENERATION OF RELATED DIVINE Þóõ¤Þï¢îó¢ ù¢ ªõø¢ø¤è¢ °óé¢è¤ù¢ ……. ……. ……. ªï´ï¦ôù¢
FORMS And, in the verse 150 he names Hanuman as °ø¤ð¢ð¤ø¢
Saint AruNagiri praises Lord Murugan as the younger °ø¤è£µ ñ£¼î¤ (one who is capable of discerning
sibling of Lord GaNesha, the Divine Children born facts even with simple clues] and succinctly describes
from the Sparks emanating from the Third Eye of Lord how Lord RAma bade groups of VAnAras to search for
Shiva, the six infants with the KrittikA damsels as foster SeetA Devi. The verse explains that Lord Rama sent
mothers, and who become the six-faced Arumugan when several emissaries to the East, North and the West. He
the Divine Mother embraces them all. In many songs, sent the perspicacious MAruti to go South! (This was
he praises Lord Shiva and Parvati Devi. He praises Him the direction RAvaNa was seen headed in his celestial
as the favorite nephew of Lord NArAyaNa. His songs chariot). [http://thiruppugazhamirutham.blogspot.
show his extensive and in depth knowledge of the many com/2012/11/150.html]
PurANams. His Divine poetry paints beautiful pictures His understanding of Shaivam and ShAktam is equally
of avatArs of Lord VishNu in short lines starting from exhaustive and profound. In many songs he hails the
his first song (http://thiruppugazhamirutham.blogspot. various forms of the Devi seen in Devi MAhAtmyam.
com/2012/08/5.html) Here is an example and for others refer to this site
ðî¢î¬ô îî¢îè¢ è¬íªî£´ (https://www.kaumaram.com/thiru/nnt0425_u.html)

åø¢¬øè¢è¤ó¤ ñî𢠪𣼪 ªêòªêò ܼí£î¢ î¤ó¤ê¤õ òïñê¢

ðì¢ìð¢ðèô¢ õì¢ìî¢ î¤è¤ó¤ò¤ô¢ ...... Þóõ£è ªêòªêò ܼí£î¢ î¤ó¤ñê¤ õòïê¢

ªêòªêò ܼí£î¢ î¤ó¤ïñ ê¤õòî¢ ......
Íô£
paththuththalai thaththak kaNaithodu
jaya jaya aruNAdhdhiri sivayanama
otRaikkiri maththaip poruthoru
jaya jaya aruNAdhdhiri masivayana
pattappakal vattath thikiriyil ...... iravAkap
jaya jaya aruNAdhdhiri namasivaya ...... thirumUlA
He recalls the RAma avatAram, the Koorma AvatAram,
the KrishNa avatAram (when the Lord served as
Arjuna’s charioteer and temporarily eclipsed the Sun In this excerpt from a Tiruppugazh he sang in
with His Sudarshana Chakra)! In his CheerpAda ArunAchalam [http://kuganarul.blogspot.com/2018/07/
Vakuppu, ,with this extended description of Lord blog-post_979.html], he details the Shaiva Agama
VishNu’s actions inGajendra Moksham, the Nrusimha method of chanting Shiva PanchAksharam -
avatAram, the VAmana avatAram that transforms into as ‘Shivayanama, mashivayana, namashivaya,
Trivikrama form, and the RAma avatAram - and then yanamashiva, and vayanamashi.
hails Lord Murugan as a nephew of such a Lord VishNu.
In his Devendira Sanga Vakuppu, twelve whole lines are
[https://kaumaram.com/vaguppu/vgp01.html]
devoted to a fantastic description of the Divine Mother.
As a final example, let us see how well he knew The Divine Mother’s multi-various forms and Her
Kamba RAmAyaNam and incorporated extended prowess are all captured in these lines which flow like a
references. Here are just a couple of examples where torrent! He calls Lord Murugan as one given by such a
he describes the AvatAra Rahasyam of all devatAs in puissant, divine mother! [https://www.kaumaram.com/
aid of Lord RAma is beautifully in verse #7 [http:// vaguppu/vgp02.html]
thiruppugazhamirutham.blogspot.com/2012/08/7.
In this excerpt from a Tiruppugazh he sang in
html].

Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam 63

AruNagiri Amutam Sri Siva Vishnu Temple
ArunAchalam [http://kuganarul.blogspot.com/2018/07/ blogspot.com/2015/08/velvaguppu.html].
blog-post_979.html], he details the Shaiva Agama ¶î¤è¢°ñ® òõó¢è¢ªè£¼õó¢ ªè´è¢èÞìó¢
method of chanting Shiva PanchAksharam -
as ‘Shivayanama, mashivayana, namashivaya, 郎ùè¢è¤ùõó¢ °ôîºî ôøè¢è¬÷»ñ¢
yanamashiva, and vayanamashi. âù袪è£ó¢¶¬í ò£°ñ¢
In his Devendira Sanga Vakuppu, twelve whole lines are Such is the nature of the eternal salvation granting
devoted to a fantastic description of the Divine Mother. nectar that Saint AruNagiri has given us in the extant
The Divine Mother’s multi-various forms and Her 1328 verses of Tiruppugazh. His other works include
prowess are all captured in these lines which flow like a Kandar Alamkaram (108songs), KandharandhAdhi
torrent! He calls Lord Murugan as one given by such a (100 sogns), KandharanubhUdhi (about 100 songs half
puissant, divine mother! [https://www.kaumaram.com/ of which are not available), Tiruvaguppu (25 songs
vaguppu/vgp02.html] which follow Tiruppugazh in narration), Velviruthham
îóí¤ò¤ ôóí¤ò ºóí¤ó í¤òÂìô¢ î¬ùïè (10 songs), Mayilviruttam (11 songs) and Sevalviruttam
¸î¤ªè£´ (11 songs).

꣫ì£é¢°ªï ´é¢è¤ó¤ «ò£«ìð òé¢èó¤ IN CONCLUSION

Given space constraints, I wish to conclude with two
observations:
THE DIVINE NATURE OF HIS POETRY
1. Our Nova Tiruppugazh group has been meeting
Saint AruNagiri is conscious of the profound power of weekly for over five years, and also having monthly
his poetry, as it is of Divine origin. He exhorts every Shukla ShashTi ArAdhanais and special ArAdhanais
one to learn to songs with their meaning understood on all auspicious days for Lord Murugan. We have
and to sing them without any mistakes. He guarantees performed extended programs at the Lord Murugan
that Lord Murugan will take care of all the physical, shrines in our area. All interested devotees are welcome
mental and spiritual ailments of His devotees who to join our classes. All are also welcome to host any of
learn and sing these songs. He asserts in TiruttaNi that the special ArAdhanais in their homes.
Tiruppugazh is like a veritable fire that will consume
2. By the divine inspiration of Lord Murugan and
one’s detractors and enemies, and a wish-fulfilling,
Saint AruNagiri, the following songs were composed in
salvation granting path for devotees [www.kaumaram.
praise of Lord Murugan enshrined in our Capital area
com/thiru/nnt0269_u.html]. Tiruppugazh songs will
inspired by the style and chandam of Tiruppugazh:
eliminate those who are angry or inimical, and those
who laugh at them or make fun of them. We know they (Ìó¢õ¤èô¢ò£í¤ / ꣹)
are like fire for them. At the same time, to those who âùªîù¢Á õ£ö¢ï£¬÷ Þ¼÷£è¢è¤
sing them, they will grant all their wishes, destroy their
karmic burden and give them eternal salvation. They âõ¼è¢°ñ¢ àîõ£î ªð£¼÷£è¢è¤
can burn down fires and pulverize mountains. Þè¿è¢° ñ¤èö£ù è¬ì«òù£ñ¢
In His Vel Vakuppu, the Saint hails the Lord’s Divine ÞõÂ袰ñ¢ ܼì¢ð£¬î õ£«ù
Spear (Vel) as the Grace that will uproot and destroy the
ïñÂ袰 à¬îõ¤ì¢ì î¤ó¤Åôù¢
entire lineage of anyone who thinks inimically about
any devotee; it will rise up and destroy all detractors ê¤õÂ袰 ªð£¼÷¢ ªê£ù¢ù °ñ«ó£«ù
of those who sing His (difficult to sing) Tiruppugazh Üõù¤è¢° ÜöÃ좴ñ¢ õ®«õ£«ù
and establish Dharma! [http://thiruppugazh-nectar.

64 Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam

 Siva Vishnu Temple
Sri AruNagiri Amutam
ܪñó¤è¢èî¢ î¬ôïèó𢠪ð¼ñ£«ù These songs were presented in our special programs in
the Lord Murugan shrines.

(²ð ðõó£÷¤ ó£èñ¢/î¤ú¢ó î¢ó¤¹¬ì) References/Bibliography:

òï¢î¤ó õ£ö¢«õ ï¤üªñù ïñ¢ð¤ Þî¤Öø¤ A more comprehensive biography of Saint AruNagiri,
by SvAmi AnvAnandA, is available here:
îï¢î¤ó ü£ôñ¢ ðø¢ðô ªêò¢¶ î´ñ£Áñ¢
Biography of Saint Arunagirinathar
ñï¢î¤ó «ð£îñ¢ åù¢Áñ¢ Þô¢ô£ îø¤õ¤ô¤¬ò 1. An extended scholarly treatise by Shri Karthikeyan of Sri Sivananda
Ashram is available here: The Esoteric Kandar Anubhuti Introduction
àù¢î¤¼ ï£ñ ªñù¢Áñ¢ ð£®ì ܼ÷¢õ£«ò - N.V. Karthikeyan
1. The website Kaumaram.com is a veritable encyclopedia of Saint
êï¢î¤ó Åó¤òó¢ ªêï¢îöô¢ ºè¢èí¢ ªè£í¢ì¼Àñ¢ AruNagiri’s works. Here is its portal:

êé¢èóù¢ ð£ô£ ê¶ó¢ñ¬ø «ð£ø¢Áñ¢ õ®«õô£ º¼èù¢ Murugan Devotees - Lord Muruga - -
²ï¢îó ñé¢¬è ªñô¢ô¤¬ì õ÷¢÷¤ ¶¬í«ò£´ Ü®ò£ó¢è÷¢ - º¼èðè¢îó

Þï¢î¤ó èí¢ìî¢ î¬ôïèó¢ õ£¿ñ¢ º¼«è£«ù Practically all the quotes here have been excerpted
from this site. My grateful acknowledgments of this
comprehensive resource.

Shankar Iyer is a well-known Tamil poet, a lyricist of devotional songs and a singer. He was blessed to learn Tiruppugazh as a young boy for many years
from Guruji Raghavan. Later, he learnt many songs from listening to PittukuLi Murugadas. Over the past sixty years, he has sung Tiruppugazh songs in many
fora in BhAratam and USA, including the SSVT and MTNA in our area. Since 2018, he has been holding weekly Tiruppugazh classes in the Capital area under
the aegis of Nova Tiruppugazh group.

Skanda also known as  Wei Tuo in Chinese and  Idaten in Japanese, is a Mahayana bodhisattva regarded as a devoted guardian
of Buddhist monasteries who protects the teachings of Buddhism. He is also considered “Honored Dharma Protector Skanda Bodhisattva”.

Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam 65

66 Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam
 Greatness of Murugan
(º¼èù¤ù¢ ªð¼¬ñ)
Sri Sankaran Sivachariyar
Á ´ÉÏ aÉÑÂprÉÉå lÉqÉÈ the sanctum sanctorum is made out of an amalgam of
EqÉÉ MüÉåqÉsÉ WûxiÉÉprÉÉÇ xÉqpÉÉÌuÉiÉ sÉsÉÉOûMüqÉç | nine minerals popularly called Navapashana. Legend
ÌWûUhrÉ MÑühQûsÉÇ uÉlSå MÑüqÉÉUqÉç mÉÑwMüU xÉëeÉçÇ || has it that the lord took this form after being angry at
losing a contest for obtaining a divine mango fruit to
Introduction
his elder brother Lord Ganesha.
Every year Sri Siva Vishnu Temple conducts a
Mahotsavam. This year from August 4 through August 4. Swamimalai, where the presiding deity is called
13, we are conducting ‘Guha Ghoshanam’ – An Sivagurunathan, who expounded the meaning of the
Utsavam celebrating Sri Subrahmanya, to understand Pranava mantra OM to his own Father Lord Siva
the universe and experience the divinity within us. This Himself who accepted his son as his Guru.
article is a part of this year’s Souvenir reflecting on the 5. Tiruttani is the site where Murugan stayed after
Glory of Murugan. destroying the demon Surapadman in Tiruchendur to
The Tamil word Murugu, means “beauty” or calm down his mind. Tiruttani is said to be the place
“youthfulness”, is the root-word for the Tamil where the Lord Subrahmanya married Valli - one of
appellation of the divine manifestation known as his two consorts who happened to be the daughter of
Murugan [‘the eternally Beautiful and Youthful One’], a hunter chieftain, and
adored and worshipped as the Supreme Being by the 6. Pazhamudircholai, this temple is situated on top of
Tamil people. When you think about Murugan you a hill called “Azahagar Malai” also called “Solai
visualize his divine figure that captures our mind. His Malai”. It is believed that this is where the Lord
various divine enactments and his divine manifestation Murugan disguised himself as a boy and in the name
represent principles of dharmic life. of teaching the Tamil Poet Avvaiyar a lesson in
humility brought out her poetic greatness. The Lord
Six abodes of Murugan {Arupadai Veedugal} Murugan here is called Vetrivel Murugan. The name
The legendary and revered temples of Muruga are the Pazhamudircholai means “the fruit orchard”.
ones situated on hills. In addition, there are many other
ancient temples in many places, In Tamil Nadu itself we Kanda Purnam and Kamba Ramayanam
have six famous temples, called “Arupadai Veedugal”. Tamil has two major epics in addition to five great
They are. (äñ¢ªð¼ñ¢è£ð¢ð¤òé¢è÷¢, aimperum káppiaṅgaḷ). Of
1. Tirupparamkundram, where the main deity is these two one is devoted to the sacred history of Murugan
presented along with Deivanai whom he married (Kandan), a Saiva classic Kanda Puránam, authored by
after winning the war against Surapadman, Kachchiyappa Sivácháriár of Káncheepuram, which has
10,345 verses. The other is Kamba Ramayanam, authored
2. Tiruchendur, located near the seashore is also called
by the great Tamil Poet Kamban, devoted to Sri Rama.
Jayanthipuram. Kandhapuranam says that this is where
Lord Muruga vanquished the demon Surapadman. Scholars in Tamil literature find many similarities in
both of them and let us focus on them. For example, both
3. Pazhani is considered a sacred place where Siddars
the epics date back to the 12th century CE. Both epics
(mystics with special powers) lived. Here the deity
have six Cantos.Kanda Puranam has the following cantos -
known as Dandayudhapani Swami, the Lord clad with
Sambava Kaandam, Asura Kaandam, Mahendra Kaandam,
loin cloth & having the Staff in his Hand - a person
Yuddha Kaandam, Deva Kaandam, Daksha Kaandam,
who has renounced all worldly pomp. The deity at

Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam 53

Greatness of Murugan Sri Siva Vishnu Temple
& Upadesa Kaandam. The last cantos was completed by his composition before an assemblage of scholars
Mariappa Mudaliar and Guganeriyappa Mudaliar. & poets. During that process, some questioned his
Lord Murugan is the hero in the first while Lord Rama interpretation of the first line stating that grammar
in the second. Veerabhahu is the head of the Army in does not permit such words. The meeting was
the first with Lakshmana in the same position in the adjourned, and they asked for proof of any grammar
second. In the Kanda Puranam it was Jayanthan who text that supports this. Then Lord Muruga Himself
was in prison while in Ramayanam it was Sita who appeared in his dream and stated that the joining rule
was imprisoned. It was Asamukhi who was the root (sandhi) that led to the word formation can be found
cause for the war with Soorabhadman in the first while in the grammar text called Virasozhiyam, a very
Soorpanaka incident triggered the events leading to the ancient Tamil work. This enabled the acceptance of
war with Ravana. In both instances, at the plea of the Kachiyappar’s work as authentic and he was taken
devotees, the Divine manifests Itself to rid the world of in a procession seated in a palanquin along with the
a harmful being and his entourage. epic written by him, by 24 local chieftans.

Author of Kanda Puranam Glory of Murugan

Kanda Puranam is the Tamil version of the Sanskrit The three Murthys, Valli, Devayani and Murugan,
epic, Skanda Puranam. Kanda Puranam was written represent Iccha Shakti, Kriya Shakti & Gnana
by Kachiyappa Sivachariar, who was a priest at the Shakti. Like how Shiva Moola Mantra has
Kumara Kottam temple at Kanchipuram. Kachiyappa Panchaksharas (five seed syllables), Vishnu Moola
Sivachariar was a very fortunate and blessed devotee of Mantra has Ashtakshara (eight seed syllables),
Sri Skanda. It closely follows poet Kamban’s poetic style. Muruga has Shadakshara (six seed syllables).
It is based on the Shiva Shankara Samhita in Sanskrit. Hence Murugan is called Shadksharan.
There are six samhitas in Skandha Puranam in Sanskrit. To get relief from stress from the miseries of our daily
Lord Shanmukha one day appeared to Kachiyappa life it is highly recommended that we do Satru Samhara
Sivacharyar in a dream and ordered him to take the first Trishati Archana to Sri Subrahmanya. When done
canto (called siva rahasyam) in the Sankara Samhita elaborately, Six different flowers, fruits, & naivedyams
of Skandha Puranam and write it as a great epic in are used and six different deeparadhana are performed
Tamil and name the same as Kanda Puranam. Giving in this puja.
this as his first line, ‘Tigadachakkara-chemmukha- Murugan is addressed by many names (Namas). One
maindullan” he disappeared. Kachiyappa Sivachariar of that is Shanmukha meaning Six faced Lord. The six
awoke and thought over this wonder, took up the faces are Esana Mukham, Tatpurusha Mukham, Agora
task and finished it suitably. According to the account Mukham, Vamadeva Mukham, Satyojata Mukham, and
of Kachiappar, each day he would write his inspired Adho Mukham.
account of Lord Murugan or Skanda, and in the evening As per Saivagama there is an agama slokam starting
deposit his day’s work in the mûlasthâam (sanctum with “Subrahmanya Shodasanamani….”. With this I
sanctorum) of Lord Subrahmanya at Kumara Kottam. pray Lord Muruga for the welfare and well health of all
Each night, miraculously, the Lord Himself would our devotees.
modify Kachiyappa’s manuscript with His own
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनोभवंतु | सर्वे जना: सुखिनो भवन्थु ||
corrections. Hence, the Kanda Purânam is considered
Note: This article was translated from Tamil by S.V. Krishnaswamy
an authoritative account. For formal acceptance as a
literary work, Kachiyappa Sivacharya had to place
Sri Sankaran Sivachariyar hails from Tiruveezhimizhalai, Tamilnadu and is trained in Saivagama under his Guru Sivasri Visvanatha Sivachariyar from Sri Vedha
Sivaagama Patasali, Allur, Tamilnadu. He is trained in Poorva Prayoga and Shraddha Prayogas. He has been with SSVT as Saivagama priest since March 2010. Over the
years he was many titles awarded to him, like Sivaagama Siromani, Sanathana Dharma Poshaka Ratna, Siva Kainkarya Chudamani by various organizations.

54 Sri Guha Ghoshanam Mahotsavam