Author: Meykandar

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General En

Kannappa Nayanmar

Views : 599

In pothapi nADu (name still in vogue in Andhra Pradesh), in a tribal village called uduppUr, was born this glorious nAyanmAr named kaNNappa. His father nAgan was the chief of the hunters & mother was the tattai. Both parents had a leonine appearance as befitting their heritage.

cEkkizAr’s account of kaNNappa consists of 181 verses & spends many of it beautifully describing the way of life of the tribal hunters. nAgan & tattai were destined for greatness; they were destined to be the parents of kaNNappa. But, for a long time, they had no child.

And then the parents held a great festival for Murugan (skanda) and as a result of his grace, a child was born.

They named this boy tinnan as he was too heavy for his parents to carry, reflective of the weight of his glory that the world will soon see. He was the apple of his parents’ eye. He would play with rolling toys & with the dogs that the hunters raised.

The boy was a little bit of a bully too. At only 6, he would kick the toy-houses built by his female friends. But he also tenderly played with the infants. Ah! How fortunate were they? For the three-eyed god, the king of dice-players, would play a game with tinnan’s fate……

Soon, tinnan was initiated in the art of archery & sacrifices to the gods were made to mark this. Years passed & nAgan (tinnan’s father) felt the effects of an ageing body. The bow, he held skillfully for decades, was no longer gracing him. The time had come to pass the mantle..

nAgan called for the priestess, an elderly woman, to perform sacrifices to the gods, to procure the divine blessings for his son’s first hunting expedition. The day arrived & cEkkizhAr describes in detail how he was adorned (geared up) and prepared for the hunt.

He describes every detail. The woolen bandana around his head, the bracelets for his wrists and gear for his shoulders, the belt & the scabbard….And when he’s all prepared, the elderly priestess comes with the remains of the sacrificial offerings of toddy, honey, meat & rice.

She tells him, “Even your father’s father was not blessed like you. You are blessed with a might that we cannot measure”. Truer words haven’t been spoken but the priestess herself does not know what is to transpire.

So, tinnan left for the hunting expedition with the entire troop of hunters. This is how cEkkizhAr describes tinnan’s march with his men:

The hunting dogs are unleashed upon the forest. Hogs, deers, bears, wild buffaloes, elephants and tigers fall prey to the hunters’ arrows. cEkkizhAr describes the gruesome state of the kill in graphic terms: the heads, slit necks, severed legs, entrails, etc….

At last, one boar speeds away from tiNNan & his 2 companions, nANan & kADan. The latter 2 run after but are exhausted & at a loss for breath. But tiNNan, held by some to be arjuna, was going to claim this boar all for himself; unlike the boar over which shiva competed with arjuna.

The 2 companions, made hungry by the chase, asked tiNNan’s permission to fry the boar-meat while tiNNan was thirsty. Ah! This is a thirst that will mark the beginning of the end of all of tiNNan’s thirsts! nANan tells tiNNan of the cool river called ponmugali in the nearby hills.

Ponmugali is the tamil name of svarNamukhi river, running through and cooling the territory of the three-eyed lord of kAlahasti.

nANan tells tiNNan about the kAlahastIshvara liNGa in the hills and even before setting off, tiNNan’s heart is filled with a longing to see bhagavAn. cEkkizhAr compares the steps on the hill that tiNNan climbs to the 36 tattva-s which, in shaivam, make up the universe.

cEkkizhAr describes the look of grace of tripurAntaka (3 cities symbolically representing the 3 impurities of ANava, karma & mAyA) falling upon tiNNan, and tiNNan’s first encounter with the lord of kAlahasti. (Translation by T.N. Ramachandran: http://shaivam.org/devotees/the-puranam-of-kannappa-nayanar)

He sees remains of flowers and leaves (the remains of an Agamika pUjA) but thinks that his bhagavAn should have proper food (i.e. meat):

tiNNan takes the meat of the recently hunted boar that kADan was guarding, and without speaking much, as if possessed by a spirit, (They did not understand that he was possessed by the anugraha of the three-eyed god), took the meat as it was being fried and would chew to test it and he went back to the lord of kAlahasti and offered the choicest portions of the meat which he had chewed and tested. The next morning, a pious shaiva ascetic, the remains of whose proper pUjA were the leaves and flowers, arrives and shrieks at what he sees:

And this happens on a daily basis. tiNNan sets off in the morning to procure meat whose suitability for the lord of kAlahasti he determines by chewing it first before bringing it to offer.

At morning, shivagocarin, the orthodox shivabrAhmaNa ascetic, comes to find the remains of the previous night’s offering, deemed highly polluting by the hallowed Agama-s. He sweeps them away with a broom, performs the purificatory rites, does the Agamika pUjA, & leaves for tapas.

The work of the three-eyed lord who bears the feared poison in his neck as a sapphire-like ornament began at the very moment the lord of kAlahasti looked upon tiNNan, even before tiNNan saw him; the work of anugraha (grace) had begun.

shivagocarin implores mahAdeva to bring an end to this ghastly daily routine of removing bones & meat from the ground before doing pUjA. The great god appears in the dream of the pious tapasvi that very night & reveals that every act of tiNNan is an act of love & pleases him.

mahAdeva tells the sage that if he stands behind the tree the next day, he’ll get to witness the blemishless love of tiNNan for himself. And so, that fateful moment arrived. shivagocarin stands behind the tree & tiNNan returns from the hunt, bringing flesh & water for the deva…

The lord of kAlahasti makes one of his eyes bleed profusely. tiNNan panics and tries to wash off the blood, but to no avail. He applies the juice of the herbs he has, to no avail. He then resolves,

“Flesh for flesh, it is said. I will tear out my own eye & place it on his”.

Kannappa Nayanmar

He gouges out his eye with his arrow & places it on the three-eyed lord and the blood stops gushing. tiNNan, overjoyed, goes into a frenzy-filled dance, in tune with his character & background. But the three-eyed lord was not done showing the greatness of tiNNan.

He gouges out his eye with his arrow & places it on the three-eyed lord and the blood stops gushing. tiNNan, overjoyed, goes into a frenzy-filled dance, in tune with his character & background. But the three-eyed lord was not done showing the greatness of tiNNan.

The god who drank poison so that the others could drink nectar; he could bear no more. He appears at that very spot and stays the hand of his servant, possessed of a zealous & violent love.

“Stop oh kaNNappa!”, the destroyer of the three cities shouts thrice.

Siva

The muni of deep shivaj~nAna saw this wonderful act. All the devas headed by brahma came to shower flowers upon him. The vedas reverberated through that forest. “Be at my right side forever”, said mahAdeva & made tiNNan, made kaNNappa his own.

Thus we end the recollection of the story of kaNNappa, one of the 63 nAyanmArs. The story of kaNNappa gives rise to a lot of interesting questions about Agama, bhakti, etc. I hope to discuss them at some point of time soon.

Categories
General En

Why must Utsavams happen?

Views : 606

For adīkṣitas (the uninitiated), dhūrtas (rogues), birds, animals & trees; to remove their ills & confer good upon them; utsavas are necessary.

This is from Mahotsava-Paṭala of Śrīmat-Uttarakāraṇāgama. The śloka is often cited by learned Śivācāryas in the context of explaining the importance of temples in every town.

Sure, they are for the benefit of Dīkṣitas & Bhakta-s in general. But at least they have immediate access to Śiva’s grace by virtue of the blessings they have. A Dīkṣita initiated into the Śaiva wisdom has his daily rites; the Bhakta has Śiva’s name on his lips.

But what about others? Although Śiva’s grace is omnipresent, it is not readily accessible for all. That the Āgama mentions those less fortunate classes first shows its profound concern for the well-being of those who stand removed from an immediate access to Śiva’s grace.

But what about others? Although Śiva’s grace is omnipresent, it is not readily accessible for all. That the Āgama mentions those less fortunate classes first shows its profound concern for the well-being of those who stand removed from an immediate access to Śiva’s grace.

For this reason, so that the mantras residing with Śiva & mediating His grace to us do not withdraw from us due to the bondage & impurities we exhibit, purificatory rites are performed for the mūrti when the utsava is over & the mūrti returns back to the temple.

Categories
General En

Other Philosophical Texts Quoted in Sivajnana Mapadiyam by Srīmat Mātavac Civañāṉa Muṉivar

Views : 1,502

In Māpāṭiyam, Civañāṉa Cittiyār is referred to, by one hundred and sixteen Cupakkam Bhagas, seventy Civappirakāca Bhagas and seventeen ñāṉāmirta Bhagas.

He also takes nine songs from Thiruvarutpayan. Also eight eight songs from Tirukkaḷiṟṟuppaṭiyār and Caṅkaṟpa Nirārākaraṇam respectively are referred by him. Six hymns from Tukaḷaṟu Bodham and five hymns from Pōṟṟip Paḥṟoṭai.

All three hymns are quoted from Civañāṉa Cittiyār Parapakkam and Uṇmai Viḷakkam respectively. Also two songs each from Tiruvuntiyār, Viṉā Veṇpā, Aṉupūti Viḷakkam, Catamaṇik Kōvai, Neñcu Viṭu Tūtu.

Each of the hymns from Irupā Irupaḥtu, Koṭikkavi, Tāyumāṉavar, Ciṟṟampala Nāṭikaḷ Kalittuṟai respectively, are quoted by the sage.

In this way, by quoting the eighteen philosophical texts of Shivjnana Sidhyar etc., one can know the vast philosophical knowledge of the sage.

Categories
General En

Ragas and Times

Views : 506
Source
Categories
Saiva Siddhanta Overview Tuticorin Shanmugavel

Role of Doctrinal and Canonical Books

Views : 722

We have a huge duty to put them(children) on this path for which we have to prepare ourselves.

First we have to realise  it ourselves then expound it to others for them to realise.

To be able to realise the superiority of Saivam, one should have knowledge of

  • Thothiram
  • Sathiram
  • Puranam

The story of 63 nayanmars were.

  • Thoguthavar – Sundarar (Tiru Tonda Thogai)
  • Vaguthavar – Nambi Andar Nambi (Tiru Tonda Puranam)
  • Pirithivar – Sekkizhar (Periyapuram)

What one conveys and what one intends to convey are two different things.

Not everyone is capable of differentiating between the two. Most listeners are capable of  only seeing what is conveyed and not what actually is intended, for it requires a deeper understanding of the nuances and experience.

That’s why the scriptures by our ancients have to be looked at with, what is intended rather than only looking at what is conveyed.

Vazhaku: presenting a thing logically (good case)

Sazhaku: bad case

Both these words come in Periyapuram.

  • Aandror Vazhaku: how a learned person with explain a thing.
  • Seyyul Vazhaku: how it has been explained in a scripture of verse
  • Ulaga Vazhaku: how it has been explained in common parlance
  • Izhi Vazhaku: taboo or something that can be said only in private

Vinaiyen: karma tainted myself (since G.U.Pope accepts that there is no one single word to  translate Vinaiyen)

There is a cinema actress called Asin, meaning opposite of Sin.

In tamizh there is no negative prefix (vaimai x poimai and not avaimai)

Puranam : the stories which are beyond human timelines and human intelligence and different from human species

We have not seen devas, rakshasas, gandarvas etc., but it does not discount their existence just because we have not seen them. In Kanda Shashti, there are explanations of how many types of peis (ghosts) and pisasis (goblins?) are there. Even in Tirukural, Tiruvalluvar accepts it.

If there is debate for long on whether a certain thing exists or not, then it does exist. E.g., God, Soul, Karma etc., because it has not been disproved.

In law there are three

  • Proved – established.
  • Disproved – established as not existent.
  • Not proved – neither proved nor disproved.

Tiruvalluvar explains it in a single verse that all that our ancients said as existing, there will be those who will say it does not exist.

Repudiation of anything does not require any knowledge whereas establishing something requires some knowledge.

This is the reason a lot of people nowadays say « does not exist » since one does not have to learn anything. The problem arises only when one says something exists as it must be proved.

The difference between Sathiram and Thothiram.

Thothiram: praises / glorifies God. All praise to God.

Sathiram: what are the specialities? Why should one read them? What are the benefits of reading them?

Some people who are Saivaites demand that Saivaites should not even use the word Hinduism.

Even Satguru SivayaSubramunyaSwami introduces it as Saivaite Hinduism.

The major difference between sastras and thothirams is that sastras will not have imaginations, literary descriptions and episodes.

Sastras have certain characteristics.

The Tirumurais will not have lexicons (for ex., Advaitam is not present hence people say that it’s a north Indian word) but this raises problems since pradosham, Sivaratri does not occur in Tirumurai, and we cannot leave them out.

  • For example, Rudraksham will not be called Rudraksham in botany. Hence a botany student cannot say that he will not study botany because there is no Rudraksham in botany.
  • Only by using the botanical name, will everyone in the world be able to understand it. Because it’s a scientific name.
  • Another example is the technical term for diseases etc.,
  • There is more than 2000+ languages the world over and its impossible for anyone to learn all.
  • This is why in Sastras, lexicon is used whereas in Thothiram, the lexicons will not be used.

In thothirams, the order of things will or can be changed but in sastras, the order of things are followed and things are explained step by step:

  • E.g., education curriculum
  • MD after MBBS
  • MDS after BDS
  • Thothiram will mix everything and only by our experience and intellect will we be able to understand them.

Thothirams do not follow logic / epistemology (darga sastram / Alavei nool) whereas sastras should have logic/Alavei:

  • Ezhuthu also means grammar, in tamizh.
  • For a great scholar, one eye should be on grammar and other darga sastram(logic).
  • Sastras put forth their arguments in form of logic whereas thothirams put forth their arguments via experience.
  • This does not mean sastras do not have experience or Gnanam.

One who lives (vazhum uyirrukku – said by Tiruvalluvar):

  • Only when we read in depth, we understand the profoundness of tamizh.
  • There are people who call Tirukural as tamizh Veda but have absolutely no clue about the depth in it.
  • Jothidar in Sanskrit is known to all but many tamizh don’t know the word in tamizh. The word is « Kaniyan ». In Puranooru, there was a pulavar whose name was « Kaniyan Poon Kondranar » who sang « yaadum oore yaavarum kelir » in Puranooru. The word « Kaniyan » means one who is master in Jothidam.

Refutation through reasoning: In a democracy, when too much rights are given, there is very much the possibility that everything falls off the rails. It has more possibility of getting misused.

  • Everyone has a right to refute but to explain why one refutes is different.
  • Refutation through reasoning either by scientific or logical means
  • Tiru Gnana Sambandhar never sings why we refute Buddhism and Jainism in His songs but sastras will explain the why part
  • Saivism not only refutes non-Indic beliefs but also many Indic faiths including those within Saivam.
  • Two women went to match a cricket match and it started raining. The one in front opened an umbrella and the one behind demanded to close it since its blocking here view. The first one said I have right to open her umbrella but the second one said that her right ends where her nose begins. So, rights have boundaries.
  • Saivam gives one right which has not been given by another other in the world.

Terminologies from Upanishads and agamas will be used in sastras:

  • Thothirams will not have this.
  • E.g., Nityanandam, Advaitam, nirgunan, satchidanandam
  • Today there is undue fear that northern language will overtake Tamizh. This is not true since lots of Vidwans like Navalar, navanna kathirvel Pillai, m k Velupillai, Siva Sundara Pandithar, senjinatha Iyer had so much more passion towards tamizh then all of us combined. So those fears are totally baseless.
  • These are Saivaite giants who passion for tamizh is unparalleled but there have been so many misconceptions that we have learnt unfortunately.
  • Tamizh belongs to Saivaites, but Siva Peruman belongs not only Tamizh but to all
  • Pasupati is one of the names of Siva Peruman and one person in London misinterprets it’s as Lord of Cows/animals in a magazine. This is the basic error that happens because of various reasons.
  • Certain people say Upanishads are not relevant to us. To illustrate this, for. Ex., we don’t have to explain bible or koran unless one accepts it as an authority.
  • The burden of proof lies on those who accept the scriptures as authority else there is no need to explain.
  • So, if someone says they won’t accept Tiruvalluvar, then there is no burden of proof on him to explain Tirukural.
  • Meikandar explains Upanishads in 2nd sutra because He accepts the Authority of Upanishads and hence explains it. He could have said it’s in Sanskrit and hence not relevant to us, but he has explained it.
  • He explains why the explanations of Sandokya Upanishad by Sankarar, Ramanujar and Madhavar’s vyagyanyam. This means Upanishads is an authority for us.
  • The explanation of a certain meaning is very difficult nigh impossible in words and hence create so much misinterpretation and misconceptions.
  • One person said that most problems don’t occur because they  don’t know how to say it.
  • The difference between class and sorpozhivu(discourse) is that a verse can be explained in depth in class but not in sorpozhivu
  • Even though people call themselves as passionate for tamizh, they have Sanskrit names. In Sri Lanka as well. « Sh » « Ja » sibilant are used very often these days.
  • Sweta means vellaiammal but people prefer Swetha.
  • 99% people have Sanskrit names including actors/actresses. Rajinikanth means lover of nights. Simran means one who meditates. Even politicians have Sanskrit names, but they say they hate Sanskrit.
  • Even maraimalai adigal’s real name was vedachalam but he changed it.
  • Even Karunanidhi is Sanskrit, and he says he fights for tamizh. Dayanidhi, Durga etc all are Sanskrit names.
  • Why are there so many words to denote God? Marriage and wedding both mean the same but why two words?  Hence there is a difference, but you have to say you don’t know it. What is means is that two spouses becoming husband/wife by law is marriage and by religious ceremony is wedding.
  • These are called synonyms in english (Oru Porul pan Mozhi)
  • The reason for usage of different terminologies in Upanishads cannot be explained by Tirumurais but only by sastras and this explains the role /importance of sastras in Saivism.

Grammar and applied grammar:

  • For ex., there is word « avai » in 1st and 2nd Sutra, but they have different meanings. The first means « the phenomenal world » and the second means « soul » and this is why one has to read the tamizh grammar and can be understood only by sastras
  • Explaining the « Invisible God » with the « Visible world » says Tiruvalluvar.

Concept/explanation of Principles:

  • These cannot be explained simply using Tirumurais.
  • There are 6 different schools of Saivam, and they differ in their principle.
  • Siva Sankara Pandithar explains in his book « prabanda tirattu » what Xian religion says, how it developed gradually, and how it does not fit. He calls it « Mleccha » religion also used by Navalar. It means religion of cannibals.
  • Mleccha means those who eat cow.
    • Mleccha madam vidarpam
    • Mleccha madam Saram
    • Mleccha madam Kandanam
  • Even if you read bible a thousand times, the points highlighted by him will not strike you. His intellect was very sharp. Meaning you can speak for 1-2 hours but you’ll be flummoxed by a simple question and your 2 hours speech is rendered useless. One has to certainly read it.
  • Saivam means (how our forefather used that word) the objective of Agamas. (Agamam is a noun and Saivam is the adjective) – menmai kol saiva needhi vilanguga ulagam ellam.
  • The anthem of Saivam is written by Kachiappa Sivachariyar. That is why at the end of all vizhas, it must be said.

வான்முகில் வழாது பெய்க மலிவளஞ் சுரக்க மன்னன்

கோன்முறை யரசு செய்க குறைவிலா துயிர்கள் வாழ்க

நான் மறை யறங்க ளோங்க நற்றவம் வேள்வி மல்க

மேன்மைகொள் சைவ நீதி விளங்குக வுலக மெல்லாம்.

ORIGINAL SCRIPT

Vaanmugil valaathu peyga malivalam surakka mannan 

Kohnmurai yarasu seyka kuraivilaa thuyirgal vaal.ga

Naan marai yaranga lohnga natravam veylvi malga 

Meynmaikol saiva neethi vilanguka vulaka mellaam.

TRANSLITERATION
  • Saivam talks about all the souls (living beings) living without any problems. It shows how all souls have the right not just human rights. It speaks about a law which is the soul’s right including the ant, elephant etc.,
  • Yazhpana Vada(kovi) sabapathy Navalar: in Periyapuram, the « ulagam ellam odharku ariya » he explains the meaning behind that song alone. He writes for about 25 sides for that one song and that shows that we don’t even know tamizh. I felt how nice it would have been if he had written the explanation for the entire Periyapuram.
  • Arumuka Navalar started to write explanation for Periyapuram but as per Siva Perumaan’s Grace he wrote until Karaikal Ammaiyar only before he attained Siva Pada. Fortunately, Pandithar mu Kandiah continued from that point to finish what Arumuka Navalar had started.
  • Saiva Siddhanta Mandram, Kuala Lampur have released the works of both. Arumuka Navalar Susanam and mu Kandiah Susanam together. These works show the depth of the scholarly works and the nuances they showcase.
  • Saivam is from Vada Mozhi is the accepted viewpoint of so many learned scholars. The six schools of Saivam have almost all in common like nothing greater than Siva Lingam worship. All the Murthy worship get subsumed into Siva Lingam worship. Lingam means Index (Kuri).
  • Where we agree and where we disagree. We have sort out those points and this is the real analysis.  The intention should not be to cancel but to seek out the truth. All six schools agree Siva Peruman as The One, Agamas as Pramana and Panchaksharam as the most powerful mantra and only Rudraksham / thiruneer are the symbols.
  • But there are some subtle differences between these 6 schools. For ex., the same Kural is used by atheists as well to say that God is not present. So why does this difference of opinion occur? This is because of the past life Karmas and not because of education. If yes, all those who have studied M.A or MBBS should think alike but they don’t.
  • Silver tongue Srinivasan tutored M.K. Gandhi. He was the first vice-chancellor of Annamalai University which was a private university. When he was in London, he was asked why the bride and bridegroom did not see other until the actual marriage and was made fun of. He replied that once you have spent time to understand Each other etc., then there should not be any divorce, but there is, so why ? Another time while dining, he was eating with hands when others were eating with cutlery. The Englishmen again said it was unhygienic to which he replied that « you can use my spoon but you cannot use my hand »
  • 6 schools of Saivam
    • Pasupatha – Saint Lakulisar (200 B.C)
    • Kashmir – Vasugupta (A.D 800) Anno Domeni from Hebrew
    • ViraSaivam – Basavanna (A.D 1200) in modern day Karnataka
    • Siddha Siddhantham – Gorakshanath (A.D 1000) Based out of Nepal, the only Hindu country in the world.
    • Sivadvaita – Nilakantha Sivachariyar (A.D 1050) in Karnataka
    • Saiva Siddhantham – Meikandar (A.D 1234) SivaGnanaBotham
  • All above accept that Sanskrit is an important language including Meikandar. So, the role of Sanskrit cannot be neglected as the agamas cannot be fully comprehended without Sanskrit.
  • The closest to saiva siddhantham is Sivadvaita Saivam of Nilakanta Sivachariyar. Senthilnatha Iyer in SL asked which is the most important for one reading saiva siddhantham? So, a student of saiva siddhantham must read Sivadvaita Saivam of Nilakantha Sivachariyar. Senchinatha Iyer has translated from Sanskrit into tamizh his works. He has done around 42 works which is of great service to us. To remember that they did not have xerox copies or modern technology like us these days.
  • Kala Sambakshana Sangam of Tanjai has released this book for around 400 Rs. We should buy and keep these texts so that someone in the present or the future will come and take up these texts and explain them for the benefit of the world. Whether we read these texts or not, we should preserve them for future generations.
  • Only Sastras will be helpful in understanding the differences between 6 schools of Saivam. Sivadvaita Saivam is in Sanskrit, but its explanation is in Canarese language. To understand fully the works of Meikandar one must be proficient in both Sanskrit and tamizh. To understand Vira Saivam, both Sanskrit and kannada one must be proficient. Kashmir Saivam is in multiple languages. All of these schools have as many texts as Saiva siddhantham.
  • To highlight the superiority of a philosophy, only comparative religion is not enough. The speciality of Bharat is that along with the rise of religions, there was also darsanam. The Munivars expounded the underlying and base aphorisms along with religion. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniya swami calls darsanam as insight.
  • The MeiGnanis gives comments on these insights because it was their duty. Those who gave these darsanams are Munivars or vedic scientists. The below are the different darsanams (shat (6) darsanams/insights in Sanskrit)
    • Mimamsa
    • Nyaya
    • Vaisheshikam
    • Sankhya
    • Yogam
    • Vedantham

The explanations for the darsanams are available only in sastras in which the comments of the saints have been recorded.

How does the duty of learning /studying these sastras for a Saivaite comes about?

Sastras Arivu (intelligence)

Sastras unarvu (experience)

Sastras payirchi (practice)

without any effort it will come via sastras introduction, Sastras Education and sastras practice.

What we have spoken till now is introduction of sastras. Payirchi means without referring to any texts one should be able to explain the concepts in depth, effortlessly.

Payirchi: it means parsing. Means it should not tell the meaning but grammatical aspect of word. In tamizh it’s called « ilakanam kurippu » or « Si vigiri petra thozhil peyar »

Without knowing the « parsing / ilakana Kurippu » one should not explain the tamizh words. That is why « pulavars » were very much important and respected in those days.

In english its root, in Sanskrit its Tharu.

When the present participle does the function of a noun, it’s called a gerund. In tamizh it’s called thozhil peyar. Languages have many similarities. Even english has so much depth and only by learning at such depth, will mastery of a language occur.

I have learnt it via a Guru and then the matter has to be delivered in the right way as well.

Categories
Pulavar Keeran Various Discourses

Mahabharatham by Pulavar Keeran

Lord Krishna as Arjuna's charioteer in the battle against the kauravas.

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Pulavar Keeran Tirumurai Ta Tiruvasagam Ta

Sivapuranam (Tiruvasagam) Explanation

Siva as Dakshinamurthi teaching SivaGnanaBotham to Manickavasagar, who was on His way to buy horses, as a minister of the king.

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values

Poetry Of The Festivals

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The Kaman Pandihai (festival of Cupid) is one which has great popularity among the lower levels of society. But it has not always been so, as we find Andal herself praying to him. Many of the Tamil epics narrate stories of heroines offering worship to Kaman (Manmata). This angel of love has given rise to a number of conventions in poetic tradition. The dart which he aims at the lovers are traditionally the five – the lotus, the mango flower, the asoka, the jasmine and the nelumbiam (lily). There darts are aimed at the different parts of the love- sick girl’s body and they give rise to different emotions. The lotus aimed at the heart, makes her pine after the lover who has gone away from her for the moment, on some work or state errand. The mango flower aimed at her breasts* causes a tell- tale golden colour to appear thereon for the same reason; The Asoka aimed at the eyes, creates an aversion to all food. The jasmine aimed at her head stretches her on the bed while the lily actually takes away her life; The concept of Kama can thus be seen to have given rise in turn to quite a volume of poetic concepts.

There is also another tradition regarding the blossoming of the flowering shrubs and trees. When they do not bear blooms in profusion during the flowering season, the tradition says that they give out flowers in abundance at a particular act from a virgin girl. The popular tradition is expressed in many poems, when a virgin girl kicks a mara tree (white Indian oak) with her foot, it will bear flowers soon. If her shadow falls on a champaka tree, it will soon bloom. The mahizh (mimusops) will bloom if she casts a loving look on it. If she hugs an asoka tree or if it could hear her footfalls, it will bloom. The kura (wedera) tree blooms at her smile and laughter. When she befriends the palai tree it bears flowers. On the other hand, the padali tree will flower when she scolds it. When she takes food in the shade of a mango tree, the tree begins to flower. The madhavi (hiptage) plant will give out its fragrant flowers when she sings some tunes in it shade. The punnai tree (calophyllam) blooms when she dances before it. This fine poetic convention clearly illustrates how nature and people’s lives had been closely interwoven with mortal people’s lives, particularly with love.

All these are not mere whims of men of letters. They indicate how the people of those days were living a life in tune with nature and how they had a personal relationship with all of God’s creation including the plant world. All these poetic concepts are closely linked with vasantha, the festival of spring. The jasmine has always evoked fine feelings of tenderness and affection in the poets. Its pure white colour, fine arrangement of petals, its opening exactly at a specified hour of the evening and its lingering sweet fragrance have endeared it to poets. The Sangham poetry tells us that Pari, the great warrior patron of the period, returning from a hunt saw a large jasmine creeper mullai covering a small bush with its shoots. It was in full bloom., its snow-white flowers in sharp contrast with its own dark green foliage in the gathering evening dusk. As Pari looked at the mullai he saw it send out scores of shoots with buds, flowers, and foliage; it had covered the entire bush, and the shoots had no more support., but were stretching out into the void with nothing to hold on. His heart was touched by the condition of the plant. It was his duty as ruler of the land to lend support to those who needed it. His artistic mind at once took in the helpless state of the plant. With no hesitation he drove his chariot close to the bush, trained the shoots on the chariot and walked home. No greater tribute can be paid to the flower culture of the Tamils than this most poignant story.

In love poetry mullai is the symbol of purity and chastity and we have a fine story of a festival for the blooming of the mullai It is a poetic convention to say that a young girl expecting a marriage alliance, raises a mullai plant close to her house, with care and love. The belief is that when the plant blooms, she also would get her marriage solemnized. The mullai plant grew and very soon flower buds appeared on it and one fine evening it burst into bloom. Naturally the girl was very happy, and she celebrated the occasion by organizing a festival to celebrate the event. The Tamil Naidatam says that the uproar in the great city of Nala, when girls celebrated the mullai bloom festival in this manner and the great orchestra music celebrating the marriage of young men and women, even excelled the roar of the waves of the sea.

This concept of considering the plant in a human relationship is further extended in a verse in Natrinai (172). A lover going over to meet his lady love tries to flirt with her in the shade of a punnai tree. In her early years her mother had told her that the tree had been lovingly reared with milk and water and it stood in the relationship of a younger sister to the girl. She now remembers this and so tells her lover out of her own sense of modesty that they should not indulge in love pranks in the presence of the tree.

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values

Values

Festivals are occasions of joy. One does not celebrate sorrow. A festival is a celebration and has come to mean joy, joy all round. So, occasions of festivals unite all people and have been a means of uniting people and of integrating communities from the earliest times. Man does not live in isolation but lives as a member of a society to whose joys and pleasures he contributes and from which he also receives sustenance. So, festivals have a great value for him.

We associate the Sanskrit word for festival utsava with a temple festival. But the Tamil. Word vizha has come to mean any festival, not only temple festival, and religious festival, but any social festival and even a national or literary festival. Vizha derives from the root vizhai which means to desire, and so vizha would mean the fulfilment of desire, and a celebration.   When people joined together there was joy and celebration, and these came naturally to be festivals. People came together on some important occasion in the very early times and the memory of that occasion probably came to be remembered and celebrated with great rejoicing annually in later years. Thus came the celebration of festivals. The festivals are of course associated with some kind of origin or cause of celebration, but this need not be pushed further back. We may rest content with saying that out of joy and mutual goodwill were born many of our great festivities.

Festivals had been compared by some to the carnivals of the West. Carnivals are mere fun and sensory enjoyment, materialistic to the core. We should remember that the case in India is different. Our recorded history, culture and civilization go back to more than 2500 years, two and a half millennia, and they hand down to us the culture which is at least five millennia old. There has been a continuity, one generation passing on its great legacy of culture down to the next. We certainly did have foreign cultures & languages, civilizations, and domination. But we did not succumb. There was an in-suppressible vitality in our culture and our sense of values which continued to live and thrive under any type of adverse conditions and this feature has handed down to us an unbroken cultural heritage.

Although festivals are spontaneous expressions of joy and thanksgiving to nature if we may say so, they certainly have a core of bhakti in their celebration. They are a frequent reminder of God and surrender to a higher Power. They have also helped in a great measure to cultivate the mind of man and to evolve a uniform culture and have handed it down to generations of posterity.

The spirit of all festivals is joy, a fellow feeling and a surrender to the higher power also an outcome of the society’s feeling of thanksgiving. Their aim is to remind man of God and induce him to contemplate on God as stipulated in the scriptures. Man is expected to suspend all his normal activities on the day of a festival and learn to concentrate upon something above Him to forget himself and if possible, experience the joy of living as a responsible member of society and to learn the joy of giving to the working class and to the less fortunate^ without expecting anything in return. The festivals are recorded in our Puranas and each of them commemorates a great event like the Kamadahana, the burning of Kama or lust, and so on. These are occasions of joy, although fasts are prescribed as a means of bodily purification. When a festival is celebrated in honour of some deity, it is conceived of as an act of thanksgiving for some good to society that was done by the deity. It is a remembrance of how God suppressed evil in order that Good may prevail and happiness may come to all. Man, by the observance of the fasts and feasts, purifies himself and rises higher.

There are several marginal benefits resulting from any festival. For one thing, in the name of decoration, the whole house becomes clean. Pongal of course insists on a complete overhaul of the house, white washing and painting where necessary, discarding all accumulated and unwanted rubbish. Cobwebs, waste piles, and rubbish dumps one year old are then removed.

This apart, the periodical decoration as for example for Navaratri brings in its train a greater cleaning of the house at least partially, a brightening up and fresh illumination. Ayudha puja necessitates the cleaning up of all tools and instruments giving them an enforced rest for a couple of days dusting the books and the like. The New Year’s Day causes a complete cleanup of the entire house. Apart from the cleaning on festive occasions, every Hindu home has its own traditional way of beautifying the entrance to the house, for welcoming Lakshmi every day. Early morning and in the evening, the yard at the entrance is swept clean water is sprinkled and a kolam, small or big, is drawn there by the lady of the house or by the girl children. This gives a trim appearance to the whole house and lends a fine atmosphere.

What is more valuable than a trim and chic environment to share one-’s life with? This can easily be seen in contrast with any neighboring house which has no sprinkling of water and no kolams. Such a house will present a dismal and neglected sight which will be just the reverse of joy and merriment. Add to this a small lighted kuttuvilakku in the evening at the entrance to every Hindu household and here we have the full measure of the joy, which is obtained from a festival, just by following tradition, even without celebrating any festival. Such are the lasting benefits given to us by the tradition of festivals.

The latter half of the twentieth century witnesses loud declarations of rationalism by many who call themselves thinkers and they claim that they do not like to celebrate ‘meaningless and superstitious festivals in their homes.’ They are only to be pitied. Celebrations are not a mere matter of superstition. They are a matter of infinite joy to the children and the women folk even if the grown-up men who claim to be radicals and atheists are unable to enter into the spirit of the festivals fully. The festivals build a bridge of understanding between the past and the present and also open up a path for the future. They are a social attempt to retain all the best in our past culture and customs and to hand them down to the future generations in an agreeable, enjoyable and elevating manner and they seem to perpetuate the best in them. Then they area bond in society which is calculated to develop good neighborliness and harmony and partially remove the disparities arising out of class and wealth. Through the songs sung at the time of festivals, they also help to introduce language to the children and offer great scope for the development of all art and of creativity and the training of the eyes and ears and the skill of the hands and the fingers in handiwork. There is no ether single element today which can be substituted for this that the festivals accomplish. We can only pity such scoffers and feel sorry for their children who are denied the innocent pleasures and free gains of life through no fault of their own.

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Saiva Siddhanta Overview Tuticorin Shanmugavel

Science and Siddhanta

Approximate Translated Transcription

Science and Siddhanta, discourse by Tiru Tuticorin Shanmugavel Ayya

Indian history was first written by Germans

Since S will not be first alphabet in German words, hence sindhustan became Hindustan.

Hindu – all faiths that had originated from Hindustan are called Hindu

Siddhanta does neither negate nor is contrary to science, but it runs parallel and also transcends the barriers of science.

Science can deal with phenomenon or matter.

  •  that which is apprehended by the senses
  • Possesses characteristics susceptible to precise measurements like force, mass, radiation & energy

Those which does not fall into the above two categories, scientists cannot enter. They accept it as their limitations.

Saiva Siddhantam is not a blind belief.

Scholarly definition and layman’s definition are different.

One should know the scholarly definitions to be able to enter Saiva Siddhantam

Logical question: Are there any matter/phenomenon which cannot & do not fall within the definition of science?

  • Science does not refute but says that it’s not our domain
  • When same question is asked to saints, Saiva Siddhantam replies that yes there are six categories that science cannot approach (tiruvarutpayan 52)
    • Not only God, but there are also six entities which cannot/do not fall within purview of science
      • Aegan
      • Anegan
      • Irul
      • Kanmam
      • Maya 2 types
        • Suddha
        • Asuddha

The subtlety with Saiva Siddhanta is that one cannot directly understand its definitions though it is in tamizh.

What does Saiva Siddhantam mean when it says God? Or who is God ?

  1. Aegan – God
  2. Anegan – aggregate of souls
  3. Irul (Sakaja mala Sanskrit) – sivagnanabotham sutra 4: not darkness but night
    • Rajinikanth – Rajini (night) kanth (lover)
    • Simran – one who meditates
    • Meaning of ananvam: a connate that atomises the ubiquitous nature of the souls. It is not ego because ego/egoism is only a character and does not mean a person or entity. Without a thing, a character will not arise. Anava is an entity.
    • Connate: the capillary membrane develops into cataract hence it already existed. The capillary membrane and eye are co-existing. Hence connate means co existing. Soul itself is ubiquitous meaning soul is not confined to the body.
    • If we say soul is existing within the body, then where does it exist? The burden of proof now is upon you.
    • Anavam is one which gives you the feeling that the soul is confined to the body
  4. Kanmam – entity by which God endows body to the souls
  5. & 6. Suddha maya / asuddha maya: locus for the sound potential and sound kinetic

When you clap hands, where did the sound come from? If it came from hand, then where in the hand did it come from?  Hence sound did not come from hand but from akash. The reason for activating the sound is the hand but the sound potential/sound kinetic comes from akash

The earth spins on its own axis. Though scientists have not seen the axis, can the axis be removed from the definition of science ?

A point is a circle which has no circumference as per mathematics.

A straight line has certain length but no breadth.

No one can draw a point or a line without going against the above definitions, but can one remove those definitions from science?  Science itself is in limbo on these aspects.

Do not keep the body for more than 24 hours. Do not embalm the body.

Satguru Sivayasubramuniya Swami, Kauai Aadheenam

Is there life? Is there God? Etc., those who say nothing exists is called Alagai. – tirukural

That which says no to everything, that which acts cannot be a non-entity. Hence its Aanma which says or acts.

Meikandar
  • The 6 entities are eternal – Tamizh Tiru Gnana Sambandar
  • They are not the by-product of something else (Anadi- no beginning)
  • No primordial matrix from which they emanated

Arul Thalaivan – Kadavul

A professor introduced to Mahavidwan Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, a student who said he had learnt kamba ramayanam, silapadikkaram

MMSP: which is your favourite amongst the literature you have learnt ?

Student: kamba ramayanam

MMSP: your favourite padal in it? Read it and tell me, which is ezhuvai, paynilai, seyal padum porul in it.

Student did not know.

MMSP : get up (ezhuvai), no use(paynilai), we both have no purpose discussing anything (a pun on the three tamizh words)

Mahavidwan meenakshi sundaram pillai (a story): it was considered great to have studied under mahavidwan.
  • Ezhuvai: pasu

Whereas other religions have lots of difference with science, Saiva Siddantam does not. But Saiva Siddantam also mentions that science has its limitations.

Also, science does not deal with soul or God since its beyond their perimeter. But we cannot refute those because science cannot deal or explain it.

These 6 entities since they have an effect on the aanma, then we have to explain it. We can leave it if those 6 entities don’t have any effect.

  1. All things cannot be answered by science
  2. Science can maybe answer the how, but it can never answer the why.

The planets are going about in their orbits due to gravitation and repulsion. These answers the how. But the next question is why did gravitation come by?  Science cannot answer that.

Saiva siddantam answers the “why” even though you are not convinced. Read it even though you are not convinced or disagree. My humble request is to read what our ancients and sages have expounded for our benefits. Don’t use society as a benchmark to throw away the ancient knowledge. Read it then later agree or disagree but read it.

Tiru Tuticorin Shanmugavel Ayya

You are not even able to correct your own wife, husband, children, or family so why are you venturing to change the society and others?

If you say that will come to Saivam only when society is reformed, then you are actually cheating yourself and you’ll never come.

The body is important. Mind is more important than the body. The aanma is more important than the mind and the body.

The aanma is eternal. This is the core message of Bhagavad Gita. It explains how Krishna explains to Arjuna that he is acting according to dharma and is not crossing the limits of worldly dharma.

All faiths that originated in India have this core concept that aanma is eternal, except buddhism and jainism.

Buddhism says that when the soul dies, that is gnana.

Whether God has created the Soul? The question of creation does not arise at all is the logical answer as far as Saiva Siddhanta is concerned.

If science has approached soul, then there should be a scientific law or at least a theory. Is there any law or theory in science about the soul?

The world classifies religion into Semitic and non-semitic. Or abrahamic or pagan.

The soul is eternal. when a man or animal dies, the soul takes another birth. Pythagoras was the first person to say this in the west. Metempsychosis: a word coined in Greek philosophy on the basis of Pythagoras statement.

The western philosophy, Bertrand Russell (philosopher and scientist)

The panchangam says correctly when a next eclipse will occur. It was written after consultation with NASA. (Jokingly)

People will not believe what Appar and Sambandhar says but will accept if a white man says. Especially in TN, where this disease has spread even among kids. What the nayanmars and other Saivaite saints have revealed is The Truth.

8000 jaina monks came to debate with Tiru Gnana Sambandhar. Queen Mangaikarasiyar holds a fear in her heart as what would happen if this child lost.

Then Sambandhar sings « maanin ner veli maadar aai ». The deer rolls its eyes to make sure it’s not hunted. He says the queen’s eyes is similar to that of a deer and that you need not have mercy upon me. You think I’m going to debate with these 8000 jainas. It’s actually Madurai Aalavai Chokkan(Siva) who is going to debate and not me. Also, I know the violence that these jaina monks have done. Also, I know that they have guerrilla soldiers in the 8 hills.