31. ...became the quiet hunter's call

Verse 31

பாட்டிலாத பரமனைப் பரலோக நாதனை

நாட்டிலாத நாதனை நாரிபங்கர் பாகனை

கூட்டிமெள்ள வாய்புதைத்து குணுகுணுத்த மந்திரம்

வேட்டகாரர் குசுகுசுப்பை கூப்பிடா முடிந்ததே

Translation:

The blissful Lord, the Lord of the heavens,

The unfettered Lord, the Lord who shares his body with the Lady,

Calling him slowly covering the mouth reverentially, the mandiram chanted quietly so,

Is like the secret language of the hunters.

Commentary:

In this verse Civavākkiyar tells us how to recite the mantra for the Ultimate Reality.  The Lord, the Supreme Divinity is the one who shares his body with the lady.  This refers to Ardhanārīśvara form of the Lord.  This form represents the Parama Śiva, the supreme consciousness which is the consciousness, Śiva, and Śakti, the awareness remaining together.  The consciousness and its self-awareness always remain together like the soul and the body.  This great principle is represented by the Lord’s form as the one sharing his body with the lady.

The mantra uttered towards such a being is the prayer to the Supreme consciousness, the Ultimate Reality.  Such a mantra should be uttered in a very low voice so that others do not hear it.  Tradition has it that a mantra uttered audibly is less powerful than that the one uttered under the breath and the one uttered silently within the mind is the most powerful of all.  Here Civavākkiyar says that the mantra should be uttered quietly like the hushed voice of a hunter who does not want to make any noise to scare away his prey.