Saint Arunagirinathar has composed this work some 500 years ago. This work has 51 four line verses outpouring the fulfilment, the Saint had by the Grace of Lord Subhramonya. The peacock, cock and the sphere held by the Lord are symbolic of bindu, nadam and gnanam. Bindu is the first expression and nadam is the first vibration of the Abvsolute. The cock has a name 'Irulakattan' in tamil which means one who is capable of removing darkness - ignorance.
Murugan means beauty and attraction. Guhan means one who is seated in the heart. Kanthar means non-dual aspect. Kumaran means one who destroys 'ku' (mummalam i.e. ego, maya and jagat). Shanmugha means with six faces emanated from Lord Shiva. Vela means with sphere in hand.These are different names to Lord Subhramonya.
The first verse praises Lord as the brother of Lord Vinayaka. He is remembered as the elder brother of Lord Muruga. In the secoind verse the saint declares that the small self in him is destroyed and he has become one with the highest Self personified in Lord Muruga. "Ennai izhantha nalam chollai' conveys a deep meaning - one's ego to be lost for which saint craves for His grace. Ego means 'universal' asserting itself as 'particular' - ocean asserting as individual wave.
In the third verse Saint declares that Lord is the base - 'adharam' of all the five elements - earth, water, fire etc, and also the base of vedas, atma, anthakarana and the supreme knowledge. In the fifth verse he distinguishes 'maha maya' and 'jagan maya'. Maha maya is the sakthy inherent in the Absolute . This is the first expression similar to ocean which is the first expression of water. Absolute is noumena and the sakthy is non-phenomena from which the phenomena - prapancham i.e. jagan-maya appears as an illusion. This jagan maya conceals both the maha maya and the Absolute and it expresses multiplicity in prapancham. While maha maya is vidya roopini, the jagan maya is avidya roopini. To be precise 'unicity' is vidya and 'multiplicity is avidya'. Above these two is the Absolute which is the base - adharam - wherein vidhya, avidhya, unicity, multiplicity, avaranam, vikshepam - everything dissolves. The Saint pleads his helplesness while caught in jagan maya and seeks Lord's Grace to outlive both the jagan maya and maha maya.This realisation of 'helplesness' is given importancein 'visishta-adwaidham, as one of the six pre-requisites to reach Lord's Abode. The devotee should reach a stage of helplesness thereby the ego is emptied and the devotee is prepared to receive His Grace.
In the seventh verse the Saint exhorts to shed all karmas. He repeats the word 'shed' twice in the verse. One of the exponents of the work has commented that one 'shed' is for doing away with all karmas and the other is for shedding the result of karmas in case karmas are essentially to be performed willingly or unwillingly. Another interpretation is to shed both papa and punya karmas as advocated in B.G (sarvadharman parithyajya). There is a term in the verse 'karavathu iduvai' meaning 'give unreservedly' i.e. charity which would wash away the karmas which are otherwise binding. There is another terms "irai thal ninnavai' which conveys the meaning meditation. Thus charity is a preparation for the heart to meditate..
The 12th verse praises Lord as one without beginning and end - adhi-antham--. On attaining realisation with the mantra "chumma iru" the Saint outlived the temporal phenomena and became one with Noumena - Absolute Eternal.. Here significantly the verse has two terms viz 'chumma iru' and 'chollara iru'. These two terms indicate the two disciplines 'pratyagaram and 'uparathy' advocated in the Ashtaga Yoga and Shad-sampathy. One is withdrawing within and the other is blocking outside influence. These two disciplines lift one to the witness stage i.e. the non-phenomen (consciousness - bodham) stage from which one witnesses all happenings in the phenomenal with equanimity i.e. 'sama bhava. The art of living is witnessing - Consciousness is the witness and Ego is the doer. Consciousness witnessing the doership.
The 13th verse says that the Absolute (personified as Lord Muruga) is with form and without form. Absolute exhibits both 'is' and 'is not' and 'light and shadow'. The duality viz. form and formles, is and is not and light & shadow are synthesised in the Absolute. A shadow cannot remain independently without light whereas light remains as such without shadow. Waves cannot remain independently without water/ocean whereas water can remain without waves. Thus form merges in formles, shadow merges in light and is not merges in 'is'.
The 15th verse beseaches Lord to bestow the power to melt and to be one with Him. This is the highest stage of anuboodhy and the cruix of the Adwaitha philosophy. By remembering Lord constantly our vasanas get melted and the pure mind reflects consciousness. In the 17th verse the Saint says that the knowledge Pure as well as analytical - gnana and vignana can be had only through the grace of Lord Muruga.
The 25th verse deplores the temporality of the worldly life and the pitiable state of mortals believing that life as we live is the end all. This illusion is also the power of Lord and the power is known as 'thirodanam'. This thirodanam acts like mercury behind a glass making it a mirror . Man believes that the reflection in the mirror is his true image forgetting his 'isness' as the true swaroopam.
The 26th verse hints that Supreme reveals by Himself and no human effort can achieve the same. There is an Upanishadic saying that the Self cannot be gained by Vedas nor by intellectual power nor by much learning. He is to be gained only by the one whom He chooses. To such a one the Self reveals His own nature - Kathopanishad.
In the 37th verse the Saint has emphasised the importance of knowledge such as vivechana buddhy, nichayadardyam, pure/analytical knowledge, sama buddhy - equanimity - and that by acquiring this knowledge one could annihilate the ego and prepare the ground to receive His Grace. "Purivai maname Poraiam arival arivai"..
Saint Arunagirinathar concludes this work with the song: "Oh Lord, You are with form and without form, You are 'is' and 'is not'. You are the fragrance and You are the flower, You are the jewel and the radiance. You are the protector of the baby in the womb, You are the life principle, You are the ultimate goal and You are the means (and end). You are the Guru.
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