Understanding the fundamental concept of what Katakamuna is is crucial for anyone studying it. All 80 Katakamuna Utai (chants) can essentially be described as chants that originate from this very concept of Katakamuna, encompassing all things and phenomena.
The word “Katakamuna” itself is a string of sounds you’ve already learned: “KA,” “TA,” “KA,” “MU,” and “NA.”
To elaborate, it can be interpreted as “KA that TA-ed Kamu’s NA.” Here, “KA” refers to Chikara, or force/energy flow. It signifies the Kamu no NA (the particle-like essence or fundamental particle of the latent realm) that emerges or has emerged by borrowing the power of “KA.”
We live in the Ama (Phenomenal) Realm, a world we can perceive with our five senses or observe through scientific means. However, this Ama Realm doesn’t exist independently. Behind it lies the Kamu (Latent) Realm, which continuously supplies it with an inexhaustible source of energy.
The medium that freely and ceaselessly travels between the Ama (Phenomenal) Realm and the Kamu (Latent) Realm is what is named “KA,” and it is this very phenomenon that we refer to as “Katakamuna.”
How Katakamuna functions in detail will be unraveled as we delve deeper into the chants.