It is a good question that everyone should know this. Because our mandra is that.
Actually it is good to pronounce like, Arut-perun-jothi instead of Arut-perum-jothi. What is the definition Vallalar is giving for ArutperunJothi? Let us see the line by line translation of Vallalar's Grand Speach(Tamil Version).
Our first and foremost tool(sathana) for everything is Mercy. So as the first tool is mercy, The Lord was taken the holy mandra openly.....
ArutperunJothi ArutperunJothi
ThaniPerunKarunai ArutperunJothi
grace, mercy, arul all the words are referring the same meaning. So the wisdom of vast grace is complete-everlasting-joy. That is an incomparable vast grace is grand-wisdom. This is the meaning of the mandra. Like this way, one becomes matured in this sadthana(tool), there is no obstacles in getting the concluded experience of bliss. whichever the path/route and Vedha languges that you choose and get hold of, finally it will be ended up here, from this quote you should understand.
So the above explanation was given by Vallalar. So when we re-write the same here, you get like,
arut - means GOD/Grace or you can say it as Arul.
perun - means vast or Immeasurable
jothi - means light
I hope this answer the question.
(the above translation is only a part of the speach but not the whole)

Nice..........,

A quote from Vallalar
The Divine Light shines in four levels, the inmost, inner, outer and the outermost. In Pinda, the human system, anma, the soul is the inmost, and its consciousness knows the truth of a thing; jeevan is the inner being and its consciousness knows the use of a thing; the outer is the instrumental nature, karana, and its consciousness knows by discrimination of mind about the name and form, and qualities, good or bad, of a thing; the outermost is of the bodily sense organs-Indriyas such as eye, and its perceptive knowledge is to perceive a thing by perception without mental discrimination as to the name, form and qualities good or bad of the thing. Similarly there can be visions seen by the inmost soul, the inner jeevan, and by the outer instrumental being. So too in Anda the universal Nature, Agni is the inmost, sun the inner, moon the outer, and stars the outermost…Now the causal manifestation (Karana) of the Divine Light takes place in the human body, at Ajna, the mid centre between the eyebrows; and for the universal, in Paramakasa, the supreme Ether of Sky or Space. The causal-effectual manifestation (Karya-Karana) takes place in Sarvayoni, (i.e. in the Womb of all created beings and things,) in the bindu of lightning, and in the nada of thunder.”

Is its meaning split like Arul + Perunjothi i.e. Arul which is a Vast Divine Light. In fact in Agaval also, in a couple of stanzas it is said that Arul is everything about GOD. I think the word Arul is quite unique to Tamil. In sanskrit there are only lesser equivalents like kataaksham, kaarunyam. Similarly Grace/mercy/compassion in English. The concept of Arul is God is quite unique.
I think before the coming of Ayya This mercy of god was thought of as one of the aspects of GOD. Saint Ramanujacharya has stressed on grace aspect of god. And Madhvacharya said that only God's grace can liberate souls and not jiva's effort. The process then is to qualify oneslef for God's Grace.
How is Arul different from Anbu which means love? In Perubadesam it is said that Arul, Karunai and Dayavu refer to one thing which I think is compassion. Then, is Arul love with discretion ? Obviously there can be compassion only to the ones we perceive as suffering.
Pl. add your thoughts to this. I admit that I am not so good in grammer/semantics etc. prettey much open to learning.
Also kindly explain the meaning of Anma Neya Orumaippadu. The neyam there - is it nesam which means love in tamil or Gneyam in sanskrit which means that which is known.
panivudan,
Ganesan V.P.

Anma - Refers to all souls in any form which includes plants, minerals, animals, birds, insects, humans, etc
Neyam - Love
Orumaippadu - Unity
It means Universal love/compassion towards all souls or all life forms

Oneness Commitment may be equal to anma neya orumaipadu.
This is how vallalar see all the living beings in this world !
This is beautifully explained in his sixth thirumurai song THANI THIRUALANGAL first 3 stanza !
This also tells anma olukam - Considering all life as same from small ANT to big ELEPHANT !
It is the final step of his FOUR DISCIPLINES to reach DEATHLESS LIFE !
senthil

The Mahamantra says Arutperunjothi 3 times, with the Compassion between the 2nd and 3rd Arutperunjothi.
My own experience with the mantra has told me that the first is external Light/Space, the second is the internal Light/Space. The compassion lets us experience the third, which is the Light?Space which is the souce of the other two. They are not seperate. Vallalar uses the term 'has become; to describe how the Lord manifests the World. So the external and internal Light/Space and the Compassion are all the Lord and ways to come to the ultimate vision of the Vast Grace Light Itself.

arutperumjothi is an experience,a man to achieve.see agaval line 118.perumjothi is arul.
arul+perumjothi is read as arutperumjothi.see song thirukadavam thiravayo in which vallalar as written thiruarulaam perumjothi thiruvuru kaatayo.In Arul vilakka malai song commencing thavaratha vethantha says that arulaam perumjothi kondu arithal koodum.This jothi will appear to a person who attains the status of paranatha nilai in three forms.[ see anubhava malai song no.54].Among this three the first jothi is arutperumjothi.For anyother detailed clearification please contact mupaa.Mobile no.919444450601.

Dear Karthikeyan please remember all discussions at Banglore.Please note my email id
balum07@yahoo.com

Dear sir,
Thank you for your kind explanation and referances quoted in thiruvarutpa songs.
Thank you for your mail id also.

Balasubramanian,
Jothi(Light) is the symbol to Arul(Knowledge/Enlightment/God ). Many of us wrongly take that Light itself is evertyhing. All of us must be aware of this.
K. Ganesan

Why said, Light is everything. Light=Arul=ArutperunJothi=Wisdom are interchangeables. Why Vallalar kept a oil lamp and asked to workship it? The light which it emits is what light. Our eye sight is an example to it. you can not go in darkness but if you have a light you can. Similarly, the inner has darkness, the light is required, light is what is=Arul=ArutperunJothi=Wisdom ... . And this light is everything and see the song by Vallalar which HE describes the entire universe is made of that.
ஒளிஒன்றே அண்டபகி ரண்டமெலாம் விளங்கி
oLiondrE aNtapaki raNtamelaam viLangi (57)
ஓங்குகின்ற தனிஅண்ட பகிரண்டங் களிலும்
Ongukindra thaniaNta pakiraNtang kaLilum (58)
வெளிநின்ற சராசரத்தும் அகத்தினொடு புறத்தும்
veLinindra saraasaraththum akaththinotu puRaththum (59)
விளம்பும்அகப் புறத்தினொடு புறப்புறத்தும் நிறைந்தே
viLampumakap puRaththinotu puRappuRaththum niRaindhE (60)
உளிநின்ற இருள்நீக்கி இலங்குகின்ற தன்மை
uLinindra iruLneekki ilangukindra thanmai (61)
உலகறியும் நீஅறியா தன்றுகண்டாய் தோழி
ulakaRiyum neeaRiyaa thandrukaNtaai thOzhi (62)
தளிநின்ற ஒளிமயமே வேறிலைஎல் லாமும்
thaLinindra oLimayamE vERilaiel laamum (63)
தான்எனவே தாகமங்கள் சாற்றுதல்சத் தியமே
thaanenavE thaakamangaL saatrudhalsath thiyamE (64)

Sargurubathem,
The last two lines in this song gives to me the following meaning.
Light is not something else. It is true that Light and all here are God and God only.
Light takes third place in five basic elements. Those basic elements are sky(empty space),air, light, water and earth. Vallalar took light to explain us about God. Anything and everything here have at least one of these five basic elements in them.
K. Ganesan

Ganesan: you are asking a right question here but we have to take the meaning this way.
Five Basic Elements are : Earth/Nilam, Water/Neer, Agni/Nerupu, Air/Kaatru, Sky/Agayam.
Agni/Nerupu is not light but it is the effect of that. So here you can take like for example, Sun is the cause and effect is the light.
Having said that, there are two kinds of light. One is the light that we feel outer things for example our eyes needs light to see things. The other one is the inner light which is the wisdom light.
So this light is the wisdom and completeness by nature. Light can travel to any distance at any place at any time with a fraction of a second provided that you have that kind of light in you.
Here is the Agaval line,
அண்டகோ டிகளெலா மரைக்கணத் தேகிக் (1301)
கண்டுகொண் டிடவொளிர் கலைநிறை மணியே (1302)
Also in MahaDeva Malai, HE sings like Cause Effect beyond Thing-A!.
காரணகா ரியங்கடந்த கடவு ளேநின் (714)

Sargurubathem ,
So Jothi stands for light. Since Jothi is made out of fire, many people mistakenly worship jothi as fire instead of light.
K. Ganesan

Ganesh: I see your point. Actually in general, we are all object oriented people. We can not take the literal meaning everytime when we talk about light per se. For example, to get light in a room, you need a candle or electric light etc., but how it knows, it should emit as light when you burn. That thing's knows how to is what is nature and that is what is wisdom here. Or you can take like Light behind Light. so it knows by itself as how to do or react. So when somebody worships at a fire which means, either he must be workshiping fire itself or fire behind the wisdom or result of the fire. But here depends on how ones maturity towards looking at it. However whatever the shape one thinks and worship GOD and HE showers HIS arul hence HE is in all form.
See here Vallalar Songs in ThiruVadi Perumai
தோற்றம்ஒன்றே வடிவொன்று வண்ணம்ஒன்று விளங்கும் (129)
சோதிஒன்று மற்றதனில் துலங்கும்இயல் ஒன்று (130)
Having said that it depends on one's maturity level, Here see, how Vallalar sings in another song about people who are asking like which is the form of God?
காற்றுருவோ கனல்உருவோ கடவுள்உரு என்பார் (105)
காற்றுருவும் கனல்உருவும் கண்டுரைப்பீர் என்றால் (106)
வேற்றுருவே புகல்வர்அதை வேறொன்றால் மறுத்தால் (107)
விழித்துவிழித் தெம்போல்வார் மிகவும்மருள் கின்றார் (108)
தோற்றும்அந்தத் தத்துவமும் தோற்றாத்தத் துவமும் (109)
துரிசாக அவைகடந்த சுகசொருபம் ஆகி (110)
மாற்றமனம் உணர்வுசெல்லாத் தலத்தாடும் பெருமான் (111)
வடிவுரைக்க வல்லவரார் வழுத்தாய்என் தோழி (112)

Dear Sargurupadem!
Vandhanangal! Yes. You are right. Concentrating in jothi of a lamp will pave the way for zero state of mind. Then the real jothi of wisdom will shine and we will get experience of it. So that Vallalar ordered to concentrate in a outer part of jothi in form a lamp.
Vallalar thiruvadigale saranam.