By Sri Skanda’s Warrior of Light
November 27, 2000
For the longest time, I have been desperately trying to learn Kanthar Anubhuthi. I first started to learn the song over a year ago, in the summer of 1999. Hence, a year and a half went by and I only managed to learn up to the 25th verse:
meyyE ena- vevvinai vaalvai ukanThu-,
aiyyO adiyEn alaya- thakumO
kaiyyO ayilO kalalO muluthum,
seyyOy mayil Eriya sEvakanE. 25
Taking life, of Karmas relentless, as real and rejoicing,
Am I to toss about and whirl? Is it becoming?
Not only Thy hands, Vel and Feet, but Thy whole being Is red in colour;
O Valorous Lord, Peacock-riding!
When I stayed with Sri Narayani Amma, during her October 2000 visit, I tried very hard to learn the remaining 26 verses but I simply could not remember them. I would often cry to Murugan, asking him to at least bless me to learn this divine work, which He so much loves. I wanted to learn this song desparately because I wanted to develop a closer relationship with my beloved Lord Muruga — just like how Saint Arunagirinathar did. My sincere wish to serve my dear Skanda — through Kanthar Anubhuthi paarayanam — was granted amazingly with the following experience.
Yesterday, I dreamt that I was in a temple standing in front of a vikgraha of Lord Murugan, singing Kanthar Anubhuthi. He was very nicely dressed and had flowers on his right and left hands as well as on His crown. As I was singing the song, the flower from His right hand fell. I paused in amazement and then continued to sing, which caused another flower to fall from His left hand. Then the flower from His crown fell. I then awoke immediately because I felt something tell me that I was late for school.
That morning, when I started my morning prayers, which includes daily recitation of Kanthar Anubhuthi, I felt something. Some mysterious voice inside of me said,”Sing without the book.” Normally, I look at the lyrics of the song in my prayer book to sing, as I have not yet memorized all 51 verses. However, I was curious about what the tiny voice inside me told me to do and so, I simply listened to it.
I closed my eyes and sang Kanthar Anubhuthi, without looking at the book. By Sri Skanda’s grace, I sang the entire 51 verses without stopping or any difficulty. When I finished, I cried happy tears. It took me a year and a half to learn only 25 verses of Kanthar Anubhuthi, but in one night Sri Skanda bestowed upon me – silently – divine knowledge and the gift to sing this masterpiece from my heart rather than from my memory. While I was singing, I did not know what the next verses where. They just came out of my heart and onto my lips. It was so effortless on my part. I could not explain the feeling or the experience. It was remarkable and one that I have never experienced nor felt before.
Dakshinamurthi in the Siva temple is the visual representation of the Supreme Guru. Under the spreading fiscus tree (kallaal) in Kailas, this murthi was seated in the pose of perfect peace and bliss; His form was that of a youth of sixteen years. Four-aged rishis (sages): Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara came to Him for spiritual instruction. He did not utter a word but His very pose gave them all the instruction they needed and they departed, enlightened and all their doubts dispelled. Like wise, my gracious Lord, Skandagurunatha, came in my dream. He did not utter a word but His darshan alone gave me all the instructions I needed to learn Kanthar Anubhuthi.
From that day onwards, I continued to sing Kanthar Anubhuthi every day. My own conviction and experience has shown the true potency and efficacy of this Tamil masterpiece. I have since then received further divine experiences and messages, more powerful and stronger than the dreams I currently used to have. I dreamt Murugan more frequently. He would come more often than ever before and graciously bless, guide, and protect me, ever since I started daily recitation of this wonderful literary work by Saint Arunagirinathar. To this day, I am still amazed at the potency of Kanthar Anubhuthi and the wonders that Sri Skanda can do.
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To enhance your puja experience, you might want to consider using the following files along side the mantra chanting. Just click on the Naathasvaram files and you’ll have background music to accompany your chants.
Maha Ganapathi Puja – Naathasvaram
Sri Skanda Jyothi Vidhana [Pancha/Shodasa/Raja] Upachara Puja – Naathasvaram
Victory, victory to the Great Hero Lord Skanda, whom we worship