Topic started by P.N.Kumar (@ 202.158.31.5) on Thu Sep 19 11:22:53 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

AUm
NeelamEni vAlizai pAkaththu
oruvan iruthAL NizaRkIz
mUvakai ulakum mukizththana muRaiyE!
(From-
Ainkurunooru - Ancient Sangam Text - Exact period yet to be established)

Friends,

I am tempted to start a thread at last, dedicating to a subject very close to my heart, as many of you know well already.

I have started this thread mainly to re-post my articles from different threads here in Forum Hub and also from other forums. I would be adding many new viewpoints too in the related areas.

Dwelling deep for almost a decade now with the Tamil Saivaite texts - both ThirumuRai and the Sastra works - it has dawned upon me that what is known as Hinduism, the great way of life had originally been the all encompassing MetaSaivism, ancient Tamil's
Religion. I would dare say that it is the Tamil's gift to the mankind, no fanatism intended of course.

In essence it is on 'Comprehending the Cosmos in Self''. 'AndamathE pindamAkum'
(Macrocosm is to be realized in Microcosm) is the core message here. In Tamil we call
it 'uNmukath thEdal' (Turning inwards) and this search is for realizing the divinity in our own temple called -the body.

uLLam pirAn kOyil, Unudampu Alayam - sings St.Thirumular.

Saiva Siddhantha as codified by St.Meykandar in 12th Century is not some kind of a brand new religion. Much earlier St.Thirumular had already enunciated the most principal doctrines of Saiva Siddhantha. And St.Mular himself sings that the 'Pazavazi', the most ancient way is Saivism.

Let me start with the fundamentals of this ancient way:

It reveals the Knowledge of God, Soul and the world of bondages - Pathi, Pasu and Pasam. The mind-bound soul is fed with the dirt and desire of I and mine consciousness. It is like an ore, which has to pass through an arduous process of devotion in the furnace of self-surrender.

And Life is an evolution of the soul from Jivahood to Sivahood.

The Cin-mudra of the Primal Guru Dakshinamurthi indicates this unity of Pasu with Pathi getting rid of three taints - Pasam - vividly.

The thumb represents Linga or Siva in the heart. The fore-finger is the soul bound by (Mummalam in Tamil) mental impurities. The other three fingers represent three-fold impurities: Egoism, Desire and Karma. The long middle finger represents the most obstinate impurity - egoism; the ring finger, karma, which impels action; and the little finger, the maya-mala which tries to mitigate the influnce of anavam or egoism.

I'd be posting first my earlier write-ups on the souls inward journey, seeking Sivam.

NatrunaiyAvathu NamasivayavE

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: mmc (@ netcache.spectranet.com) on: Fri Sep 20 12:52:52
  
  Good posts!
  
  
• From: P.N.Kumar (@ 202.152.27.66) on: Sat Sep 21 03:16:17
  
  3)
  A layikkum Alayam
  (ThirukkOyil siRappu)
  
  St.Meykandar ends his last Sutra saying this:
  AlayamthAnum aran ena-th thozumE!
  
  Here ‘AlayanthAnum aranenath thozumE’ would appear little strange especially after Meykandar mentioning ‘mAl aRa nEyam’. Well, temple worship in Tamil land is certainly different and unique. One has to understand the deep Agamic principles behind that.
  
  Ever since I read this verse, I remained curious about the hidden message. Thanks to a lecture note of Yogi Suddanandha Bharathi on Symbology in Saiva Siddhantha, given at Kasi, delivered under the Thirupannandal endowment, I could assimilate the last line of this last Sutra. I reproduce here the relevant portion.
  
  >>>>>
  
  In the form of Guru or any other material form, all religions worship God. The artistic forms in our temples are symbols of Divine Glory. They are there not to supercede God but to aid concentration and meditation. They are like a mecano-set to spiritual children. Word, Form, Building, Prayer book - all are symbols and there is no religion devoid of one of these. Let us not decry symbols and temples. Whatever we adore God
  in temples, churches, masjids, stupas or mandirs, we do not worship mere brick and stones nor metals, but we send out prayer to the Heart’s Beloved symbolized in them.
  
  All images are symbols of the heart’s love, which is the motive power of worship.
  
  Our temples are symbolical representations of the Vedas and Agamas and our idols represent the cosmic and spiritual truths implied in them. The 60 eternal and the 36 inner tatvas form the architectural beauty of the temple. Temple worship is a great sadhana.
  
  Let us go inside a temple. The Agamic rules are followed in our worship. First we pay homage to the flag of Siva. It is the flag of Divine compassion, grace. It also represents Merudanda, the spinalis at the to of which Nandi represents the Jiva. After adoring the Flag (kodikkambam), we adore the Balipitam, the altar where the soul has to sacrifice its egoism, desire and attachments and be the pure pasu, suddha jiva.
  
  The Nandi or soul squats in meditation waiting for the Grace-Light. There is curtain in the sanctum representing Pasam. The Jivanandi can see the Divine-Grace. The forms of Divine-Grace are represented in the images around the temple corridors. First we adore Ganapathi who is the form of AUm; then the Sivalingam in the sanctum is worshipped with prayer; then Sakthi, then Skanda, the fire-form of Siva, then we adore the silent form of Divine knowledge – Dakshinamurthy who speaks to us through His Cinmudra.
  
  The Cinmudra shows the eternal unity or the Suddha-Advaita-Bhava of Soul and God. The soul is conscious of it after leaving off the three impurities of Egoism, Maya and Karma. We begin our worship with AUm, the sound and end with Mauna, silent symbol.
  
  Under the Banian of learning, sits the great silent Master; he teaches to the fours disciples the meaning of the four Vedas, six angas and other scriptures in the fullness of bliss which knows no words. His very presence illumines knowledge of A U m - He is there the All, All-in All, ever as He is. He shows the Thing-in-Itself, as it is in the Self of beings. Let us understand His Cinmudra, which speaks without words; let us meditate upon Him, leaving off all other thoughts and by that meditation and knowledge conquer maya and attain liberation.
  
  After this silent worship, we adore in the temple, the sixty-three canonised saints – Nayanmars and Manicka Vachgar. They are recipients of the Divine Grace. We then adore Chandesa who is so absorbed in samadhi that we clap our hands to invoke his grace. We also put at his feet a thread from our cloth meaning that we have placed our ties and bondage at the feet of hat might Yogin. Dakshinamurthy silences our mouth. Chandesa silences our ears too. Now we go to a solitary corner and silently do prayer and meditation closing the two disturbing senses, ears and mouth. The temple bell rings, ringing out worldly noises and ringing in AUm for the exaltation of the mind. At the bell call of Aumkara, we go the sanctum full of Divine fervour, now the curtain lifts; the soul sees God’s Grace-Light as the Deeparathana is done.
  
  The significance of offering camphor is to be understood here. The mind-bound soul can never comprehend God. He is beyond the ken of sensorium. The ego of consciousness stands between the soul and the Divine Consciousness. The Ego ‘I’ must merge into All is He. Jiva must disappear into Siva-Consciousness. Camphor represents Jiva, flame Siva. The jiva caught by the fire of Siva disappears into His flame and all its impurities go off as smoke. The jiva must melt into prayer for Siva; then the inner ‘I’ opens by devotional fervour and intense love for the Divine.
  
  Says St.Appar “ Who can paint His in form? He is beyond thought and word. The soul cannot imagine Him in any particular colour, form or aspect; he is so subtle. The eye of Grace alone can reveal Him.’’
  
  God is neither nonentity nor mutable. He is the pure Bliss, Light, Suddhananda Jothi. He has no avatar. His Grace manifests itself as Truth- Light, Knowledge and Energy. He is Siva Sat -Truth attained by the Truth Consciousness – Bliss, Satchidanandam. He is not subject to the law of evolution.
  
  Pasu gnanam or Human Knowledge cannot approach the Divine. That is why Krishna says to Arjuna, “You cannot see me with your human eyes. I shall open in you the spiritual eye by which alone you can know me.’’
  
  After this thirunIRu the holy ash is given. nIRu is the residue left after burning off the impurities. It is the symbol of Sivamantra, Panchakshara. The ash is a conductor of Yogic energy.
  
  As we surrender to the Divine and adore Him, impurities leave us off themselves.
  
  Thiruchitrambalam
  
  
• From: mmc (@ netcache.spectranet.com) on: Sat Sep 21 13:35:50
  
  PNK,
  
  One small request .... konjam puriyara mathiri eluthunga brother!:(
  
  padichittu kanla thanni varuthu! :(( (not becos of nekuruguthal..but becos of puriyathathal!!)
  
  
  
• From: P.N.Kumar (@ 202.158.125.2) on: Sun Sep 22 08:08:57
  
  Dear Brother Mummudi,
  
  Thanks for your reminder. puriyaRa maathiriye ezuthaRen thalaivA!
  
  As I mentioned in the topic header, this thread is dedicated to Saiva Siddhanta; the process of Pasu (soul) merging back with the Pathi, shedding the Pasam.
  
  My first post talks about that quest, inherent in any individual. The second is on the nature of Pathi and Pasam. The third one is on symbols in the Sivan temple. Here again it is only on Pasu seeking Pathignanam through symbols.
  
  I am going to write on Civagnanabotham in detail and this old posts are reposted here just as a starter.
  
  
• From: mmc (@ netcache.spectranet.com) on: Sun Sep 22 09:28:16
  
  Ok... thanx.Continue the posts, i will try to understand as far as possible.
  
  
• From: Skanthavelu Nadarajah (@ edtntnt10-port-180.dial.telus.net) on: Sun Sep 22 09:57:08
  
  P. N. Kumar,
  The great Tamil patriot. Keep up the good work. Cheers!
  
  
• From: P.N.Kumar (@ 202.152.27.66) on: Tue Oct 8 07:55:46
  
  >My first post talks about that quest, inherent in any individual. The second is on the nature of Pathi and Pasam. The third one is on symbols in the Sivan temple. Here again it is only on Pasu seeking Pathignanam through symbols.<
  
  Let me continue from here..
  
  St.Mular draws the fundamentals in this verse:
  
  À¾¢ÀÍ À¡ºõ ±ÉôÀ¸÷ ãýÈ¢ü
  À¾¢Â¢¨Éô §À¡üÀÍ À¡ºõ «É¡¾¢
  À¾¢Â¢¨Éî ¦ºýÈÏ ¸¡ôÀÍ À¡ºõ
  À¾¢ÂÏ ¸¢üÀÍ À¡º¿¢ø Ä¡§Å.
  
  pathipasu pAsam enappagar muntRiR
  pathiyinaip pOl pasu pAsam aNathi
  pathiyinai-ch senRu aNukAp pasu pAsam
  pathiyaNukiR pasu pAsam nillAvE.
  
  Pathi is God, Pasu is the soul. And Paasam
  is the rope or fetter (aka) bondage
  i.e. the three taints or malams (ANavam, the I ness, Karma & Maya.
  
  They speak of the three - Pathi, Pasu and Paasa;
  Beginningless as Pathi, Pasu and Paasa are.
  But the Pasu-Pasa nears not the Pathi supreme;
  Let but Pathi touch! The Pasu-Paasa is naught.
  
  pathiyinai-p pOl pasu pAsam anAthi - is the most misinterpreted quote in SaivaSiddantha. It sounds as though they are two separate eternal entities as God Almighty!
  
  avvari suttuvathu avatrin thonmaiyinai; iyaRkaiyinai anRu. thonmai vERu, iyaRkai vERu.
  (Ref - the fourth verse of irupA irupaqthu)
  
  Anathi here just indicates the antiquity, not the nature of them.
  
  emmai vathaNaiya-th
  thAnO mAttAthu
  yAnO seykilan;
  nIyO seyyAy ninman Ayittu;
  iyalpenil pOkAthu!
  - Civagnana Siddhiyar
  
  iyalpu enil pOkAthu
  is the key note here.
  
  Hence the verse concludes -
  'pathiyaNukiR pasu pAsam nillAvE'
  Let but Pathi touch! The Pasu-Paasa is naught.
  
  
• From: pradheep (@ 207.177.73.98) on: Thu Oct 10 10:53:22
  
  Dear PNK
  Great to read your postings. So knowledgeable. Please continue...there are many silent readers like me who appreaicte what you write.
  
  
• From: P.N.Kumar (@ 202.152.27.66) on: Sat Oct 12 04:34:57
  
  Oh dear Pradheep,
  
  Thanks. I am in the process of surrendering whatever I have gathered. With the blessings of great souls like St.Meykandar, the Truth Seeker, I'd sure continue. Let me go at a slower pace in this thread, as this subject itself is such.
  
  

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