In the first verse of Kandar Anubhuti, Arunagirinatha begins with the word ‘aadum’. Thus the work may be said to begin with the pranava mantra — AUM, said So. So. Meenakshisundaram in a discourse. The word ‘aadum’ contains ‘a,’ ‘u’ and ‘m.’ Aadum pari are the first two words in the verse. Pari means horse. But here, it is a reference to the peacock. The saint could have used the more commonly used word ‘mayil’ for peacock. But then, the pranava would be lost and his intention was to place the pranava right at the beginning. If he had used the word mayil, then along with the adjective ‘aadum’ (dancing), it would have been read as ‘aadumayil’. Thus the separate word aadum, with its emphasis on all the three letters, namely, ‘a,’ ‘u’, and ‘m’, would no longer be there in the verse. Hence the use of the word pari, instead of mayil.
He talks next about Muruga’s vel (spear). In Thiruppugazh, Arunagirinatha praises the spear as ‘manthira vel’, the spear as the embodiment of mantras. Because of the many references to the vel in Kandar Anubhuti, it is called manthira nool — the work about mantras.
Arunagirinatha then refers to ‘azhagiya seval’, the lovely rooster. Seval can be taken to mean protection or guarding. By beginning with Muruga’s peacock mount, his spear, and the rooster on His flag, Arunagirinatha indicates to us that Kandar Anubhuti is a description of Muruga’s appearance. Arunagirinatha prays that he should always have the blessing of singing about Muruga.
