1. Siddhanta Mukti

2. Siddhanta & Siddhantins

3. Some Dasha-words

4. Siddhanta and Vedanta

5. Bakti in the Vedas

6. Siddhanta and Advaita

7. Siddhanta Advaita & Mukti - Meykandar Siddhanta Deconstructed

8. The MetaTheism of Sacred Tamil - Metaphysics of Colors

9. Meykandar Siddhanta Shastras Deconstructed

10. Siddhanta Teaches Thou Art Siva - Meykandar

11. Corroborating Siddhanta - that 'Thou Art Siva'

12. Learning the TRUTH and Gaining Moksa - Appar

13. Ajita Tantra

14. Skanda-Muruga in the Vedas

15. Morbid Sexuality Blinds the Soul - Vallalar

16. The Magic of Tantra - Invoking the Gods, Worshipping the Gods

17. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (BrihasâraNyaka)

18. One God, Many Gods

19. Chandogya Upanishad (Chândogya)

20. Transductive Perceptions and ESP

21. Aitareya Upanishad

22. Isha or Ishavasya Upanishad (Îsha or Îshâvâsya)

23. Katha Upanishad or Kathopanishad (Kathâ)

24. Siva Prevents the Fall from Paradise - Punitavati

25. 20th Century Reforms of the Hindus

26. Kena Upanishad or Kenopanishad

27. Usefulness of Scriptures

28. Mandukya Upanishad (MâNDukya)

29. The Pleasant Side of Siva - Manikkavasagar

30. BEING and Submergence in Earthly Life - Punitavati

31. Prashna Upanishad

32. The Transcendence of Language - Tayumanavar

33. The Destruction of Ego and the Bliss of Moksa - Vallalar

34. The Inner Light

35. Shvetashvatara Upanishad (Shvetâshvatara)

36. Darshanas

37. Siva Does Not Promote VarNas - Vallalaar

38. Space -Time

39. Makuta, Chandrajnana and Parameshvara Agama

40. The Natural Laws and the Play of BEING - Vallalaar

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Siddhanta Mukti

Let us always keep in mind that all religions and philosophies are based on
postulates. These are posited to make the philosophic reasoning stand. God, soul
and the world are the three main postulates of any religious philosophy
including siddhanta.

We can verify the world by simply opening our eyes and seeing the world out
there. It is Real. We can prove it. It is mind and matter, albeit of temporary
existence, arrangements of protons, and the neurological firings that ***sesses
information and p***es it on to the consciousness. The mind is a tool of the
consciousness of the soul.

We are aware of our soul as our consciousness, and we all accept it as a reality
although we cannot prove it. It is a given.

We posit God as a reality, although it cannot be proven.

What we have is philosophies built on these three, two of which posits cannot be
proved, because they are non-matter. What we have is rational reductionist
philosophies that are non-falsifiable, therefore cannot be deconstructed. Give
us a philosophy that can be falsified and we shall falsify it.

What we do have are the countless testimonies of sages who have experienced the
other two posits - god and soul, whose 'experience' byp***ed and circumvented
their sense organs and therefore not received by their sense organs and mind,
and therefore remains inexplicable. It is inexplicable because our consciousness
requires tools to express the experience, but the sense organs and mind that we
have are inadequate for this task.

Eventually we fall back on and rely on their testimonies, and the only way to
prove it is to trod the path and experience it ourselves, then leave a testimony
for others to peruse.

The issue here is 'why did god create the soul'. And the (Meykandar) answer is that
'obviously because the souls were already infested with malam and therefore God
in His Infinite Love and Grace refashioned existing primordial matter for the
souls to experience, evolve and divest itself from the malam and gain unity with
God'.

The new question is, where did the primordial matter come from?

The next question is, is the malam integral to the soul? If not, how did it
become infested with malam in the first place? Why was this question not dealt
with?

Obviously the malam is not integral to the soul simply because God eventually
unfetters the soul from it. If it is integral, it cannot be divested of it.

So when did the soul become infested with the malam which is not integral to it?

This is the question to the Meykandar siddhantists.

If the answer is 'we don't know', then why not accept in the first place that
'we don't know why, and how, God created the world, and how God and the soul is
one'. Why try and explain this first 'we don't know' with the theory of
non-creation of the three pre-existing entities, to end up again with the second
'we don't know'?

The first time we hit a brick wall on logic, that is when our questions on
causation must necessarily cease. If not its a never ending chicken and egg
situation of which came first.

After deconstructing the other philosophies, then establishing siddhanta by
reductionism as a viable and non falsifiable alternate, in my opinion, Meykandar
should have stopped right there and not go further on the question of creation
or non creation of souls. He had already established everything he needed to
establish.

If the subject is not approached, it is already a given ***umption, another
posit, that God, souls and world are in unison (somehow) as a one entity,
eternal and beginningless. Such a postulate is entirely in accordance with the
overwhelming majority of testimonies in the agamas and vedas.

Next we then have to deal with the question of God's Veiling Grace. Just what
exactly is He veiling when the soul is supposedly already infested, veiled,
fettered and bonded hopelessly by the malam to the point of total ignorance and
helplessness? Is there a need to veil it further?

Taking a seed, which is already perfect and untainted, and putting it in the
ground and covering it with earth, is veiling it, so that the right conditions
are available for the already perfect untainted seed to sprout, blossom and grow
into a vast tree. This is done, so that the seed 'realises' its vast and full
potential, that it is indeed a towering tree and not just a mere seed. This
analogy serves the purpose of explaining His Veiling Grace and Revealing Grace.

Souls, like seeds, were at all times perfect and untainted. They just needed the
world (pasam) to mature, into His likeness. The seeds transforming into trees,
is movement from one perfection to another perfection, and this is echoed in the
hymn 'purnamadah, purnamidam..'

And where did the untainted seed come from? From that (tat) Big Tree of course.
No further reductionism than this or it leads to another chicken and egg
situation.

The Rule of Emanation
Life is a ceaseless text; from the Big Bang which exploded out the whole world
of matter and planets, from the stars shining and emanating light, heat,
magnetism and gravity, to lifeforms dividing, from animals laying eggs to giving
birth, to death and atropy where one changes into another - all these are
examples of one coming out from another, or one changing into another. It is
always an unending loop of 'form change' and transformation only. We do not have
a single instance of one manifesting from nothing, or something transforming
into nothing. There is always a pre-existence but in another form.

So why did the Big Tree create seeds? Its the nature of trees to produce seeds
and propagate itself. Its the nature of the sun to shine, to emanate, and Gods
to create, as Brahma and Vishnu too asked that first question. In that Hindu
myth, referred to many times by Tirumular, we have a testimony that two gods and
an unknown linga of light 'sprang forth from The Nothingness', but there is no
mention of souls or the primordial matter in that primordial time as it was not
there differentiated in those primordial times, has not sprung forth yet we have
to ***ume. That (tat) Nothingness obviously is not 'empty' or void, as it
emanated three entities. Now if it can emanate three great gods, what is the big
problem with emanating souls and worlds!

Afterall emanation is what we see everyday in our lives in everything. We
produce many kids who came from 'nowhere'. Physically we emanate or discharge,
mentally we emanate or generate ideas and visions, psychically we emanate love
or emotions. Emanation is a flow, and the way to go.

And if the two primordial gods could not figure out how the linga of light
emerged from the Nothingness right before their very eyes even in 'realtime', we
are implicitly told not to proceed further with this line of questioning and
reduction, but stop right there.

Notice that we have not departed at all from saying that the soul and world is
also eternal and beginningless. The seed was already existing as an imprint in
the dna of the Big Tree, as a potentiality waiting to manifest. It was already
enjoying a nondual relationship with the Big Tree.

But the question of 'beginningless' does not apply really until the advent of
the time-space continuum. It does not apply during the interim period after
mahapralaya and before re-creation during which time there is no time-space.
Therefore we cannot say these three entities were 'pre-existing'. What we can
say is that 'they were neither existent nor non existent, neither differentiated
nor non differentiated'.

Regards.

Pathma

PS
I am not casting doubt on Meykandar; on the contrary as
you already know, I accept it (almost) fully, except that I am stopping just
short of the issue on creation and dissolution, and not proceeding further, as
it is not necessary.

I would agree with Nammalvar that upon mukti souls have the privilege of either
retaining their separate existence, or merging fully and not retaining their
individual identity. There are many such souls who chose to maintain their
separate identity, some of whom are worshipped to this day by Hindus, as gods.

What is siddhanta? It is knowledge, the final conclusions on the relationship
between god and soul. Philosophies describe themselves as advaita, dvaita, etc.,
in relation to the union of god and soul.

Who is a siddhantist? That would be a silly question to Hindus. The question
should be, who is not a siddhantist. Anyone who goes to a temple, worships the
Diety (pati), and the vahana (pasu) and the altar (pasam) - is a siddhantist,
whether he realises it or not. Anyone who worships at a home alter is a
siddhantist. Anyone who offers flowers to a Diety, sings hymn to the Diety is a
siddhantist. Anyone who meditates (to realise his advaitic union with God) is a
siddhantist. The path is siddhanta too as the nayanmars have shown, as well as
the goal. One can entirely not know any philosophy and still be a siddhantist.

Siddhanta is not about books and theories. Whether the Sivajnanabodham was
translated into the sanskrit Raurava Agama, or the other way around, is
immaterial and of no consequence. Siddhanta existed before the Meykandar
Shastras, and never depended on it. It existed before the Raurava Agama. The
point is siddhanta is independent of books. It is independent of the Meykandar
shastras as of a dozen others, not beholden to any set of documents.

Just with the tamil mahavakyas siddhanta can be
propounded without once resorting to the Raurava Agama or Meykandar Shastras and
the methodology, terminology and nomenclature used there.

Below is an explanation of the Siva Jnana Bodham.

Pathma

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SIVA JNANA BODHAM

A MANUAL OF SAIVA RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE

Translated from the Tamil with synopsis, exposition, &c.,
by
THE LATE GORDON MATTHEWS M.A., B.Litt.

http://www.shaivam.org/tamil/sansivae.pdf

PREFACE

Siva-ńana-bodham is a Tamil manual of saiva religious doctrine by Meykanda Devar and
belongs to the first half of the thirteenth century A.D. It appears to be based on twelve
Sanskrit Sutras said to be from the Raurava Agama. These, freely paraphrased, are to the
following effect:

1. The world, animate and inanimate, passes through a cycle of three phases, evolution,
maintenance, and dissolution. As the world evolves, it exists; for that which does not
exist never evolves, never comes into being, as, for example, the horn of a hare. As the
world is something which exists, it must have an efficient cause. This efficient cause is
not Maya, the measurable, the empirically objective; for M?y? is material and devoid of
consciousness. The efficient cause must be the Agent of dissolution. He is the Primal
Being, the Supreme Deity; for of the three phases dissolution is primary, all evolution
being but the manifestation of the inherent potentialities of the unevolved or dissolved;
and, secondly, because all deities other than the Agent of dissolution are themselves
necessarily involved in the universal dissolution.

The purpose of this periodic reproduction of the world of animate and inanimate being is
to free souls from anava, the principle of individuation, called Sahaja Mala, the impurity
born together with the soul, by association with which from eternity souls have been
enveloped in the darkness of unconsciousness. This release is effected by providing for
souls the earthly experience in the midst of which they may receive by divine grace the
light of the knowledge of their oneness with God and their dependence upon Him.

2. God’s relation to souls is advaita, non-duality; this relation is understood as a synthesis
of three relations, abheda or identity, bheda or difference, and bhed?bheda, a
combination of these two.

God causes the world to re-emerge from Maya through the instrumentality of His Sakti or
Power, with which He is in implicit union, samavaya, the union of substance and quality.
When sakti functions thus as the instrumental cause of the evolution of M?y?, it is called
Tirodhana Sakti or Concealment-Power; for though in associating the soul with a
material body, sense-organs and intellectual faculties, all evolutes of M?y?, it causes a
finite experience in which the utter unconsciousness of the soul involved in ?n?ava is
dissipated, yet in that finite experience the Truth, the Knowledge of Reality, is still
concealed from the soul until such time as by God’s grace it is revealed. It is ?akti, not
Karma, which provides souls with the conditions of finite experience; but Karma, the
principle of action and reaction, determines the form and quality of the experience. The
soul experiences pr?rabdha karma, ‘that which has begun’, in other words, the
consequence of so much of the ‘store’ of previous deeds, sańcita, as is ready for fruition.

3. Besides (a) Pati, the Master, God, and (b) Pasa or Bond, the threefold fetter consisting
of anava, Karma, and Maya, there is a third pad?rtha or category of being, (c) Pasu, the
herd, i.e. souls. The argument for the existence of this third category, the soul, is that
there is something which, failing to discover the soul among empirical objects, denies
that there is a soul; that something is the soul.

Soul is not the body; it is that which is conscious of possessing a body. It is not the five
sense-organs; it is that which is conscious of all five kinds of sensation, whereas each
sense perceives only one, and which is conscious of the functioning of the sense-organ,
whereas the sense-organ is aware only of its object. It is not the suksma sarira or subtle
body which functions in the dream-state, svapna; it is that which in association with the
s?ks?ma ?ar?ra dreams and in association with the sth?la ?ar?ra or gross body wakes and
realizes the dream to have been a dream. It is not pr?n??a-v?yu, the vital air, that functions
in deep sleep, sus?upti, and in the fourth state, turya; it is that which causes the difference
between these states and the waking state, in which the functioning of Pranna-vayu is a
common factor. It is not Brahma; it is that which lies unconscious when devoid of sense-
organs, and only becomes conscious when associated with them. It is not the whole
material organism, body, sense-organs, &c.; it is different from it as eyesight differs from
lamplight.

4. Nor is the soul to be identified with the antahkaranas, namely, citta, manas,
ahamkara, and buddhi, which constitute the inner sensorium. But it is associated with
them. Through citta it is vaguely aware, through manas it registers the message of the
senses, through aham?k?ra it questions these data, and through buddhi it reaches a rational
conclusion. The necessity of this association is that by reason of ?n?ava the soul without
them is utterly devoid of consciousness. In association with these mental faculties and
other tattvas or evolutes of M?y? the soul passes through five phases or states of
consciousness, j?grat, svapna, sus?upti, turya, and tury?t?ta, as the activity of successive
tattvas is suppressed.

5. Without the soul the sense-organs are not sensitive to the stimuli of their respective
objects; they are percipient only when the soul in union with them perceives in and
through them. Their capacity to perceive is dependent upon the soul, and is limited to
their objects; they cannot perceive themselves or the soul. Similarly the soul’s
consciousness is dependent upon God, who is in union with the soul; its knowledge is of
the empirical world; the soul does not know itself or God. God is not Himself subject to
change by reason of the changeful experience that He makes the soul undergo. The
changes of the soul are like the movements of a piece of iron which a magnet causes; and
God is no more affected than is the magnet.

6. What is knowable by P??a-jń?na, sense-perception, and by Pa?u-jń?na, the soul’s
sense-conditioned knowledge, is asat, the non-real. What is not thus knowable is ??nya,
the void, the non-existent. God is not knowable in that way; nor is He in that sense
unknowable; He is neither asat nor ??nya. He is beyond V?k and Manas, that is to say,
beyond, P??a-jń?na and Pa?u-jń?na, and yet He is comprehensible. He is Cit-sat, ?iva-
sat, Absolute Spiritual Reality, and is knowable only by Pati-jń?na, immediate
knowledge of God imparted to the soul by divine grace.

7. God, the Real, does not know P??a, the non-real; for the non-real cannot appear in the
presence of the real, even as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. And even if
God did know Pasa, He would not know it objectively, because it does not exist apart
from Him.

Conversely, P??a, the non-real, which includes M?y? and its evolutes, the sense-organs
and intellectual faculties, has no knowledge of the real; for P??a is insentient and
impercipient matter. The appearance of knowledge in the non-real is an illusion, like the
appearance of water in a mirage. But the soul, which is neither real nor non-real, can
depend on and identify itself with either. In association with the non-real, it can by its
help know the non-real; and in association with the real it can with its help know the real.

8. When the soul in association with the senses and intellectual faculties is immersed in
earthly experience, it knows the non-real through the non-real, but it does not know itself
or God. But when God comes as a guru and teaches the soul, the soul is made to see that
the world of experience, evolved from M?y?, is non-real. It ceases then to identify itself
with the non-real and to depend upon it; and in so doing it discovers its oneness with
God.

This knowledge received from a guru is the last of the four p?das which prepare the soul
for release. Jń?na, knowledge, follows upon the due performance of the first three, viz.
Cary?, menial service in the temple, Kriy?, acts of worship, and Y?ga, inward spiritual
worship. It is, in all cases, of divine, not human, origin; but the manner in which it is
imparted varies according to the class of soul. To Sakalas, souls immersed in all three
impurities, God comes as a guru of human form; to Pralayakalas, souls affected only by
?nava and Karma, He comes as a guru in Siva’s form; and to Vijń?n?kalas, souls
involved only in ?nava, He comes as the inner principle of the soul’s consciousness.

9. It is not by p??a-jń?na, nor by pa?u-jń?na, in other words, not by sense-perception nor
by discriminative reason, that the soul can know reality, God. To know Him is God’s gift,
an experience of illumination to which the prepared soul is brought by the instruction of a
guru in whom God dwells. Such knowledge is pati-jń?na, variously termed in Tamil
tiruvadiń?nam, knowledge of God, meyńń?nam, knowledge of the truth or reality, and
ń?nakkan, spiritual vision or illumination. This experience of illumination, this
knowledge of reality, arises in the instant when the soul, with God as immanent but
hidden principle of its consciousness, the unseen light of all its seeing, recognizes the
non-reality of the non-real. What in that recognition the soul discovers is the Real; what
shines forth is Knowledge, Jń?na-svar?pa, knowledge which is not only of the Real but
is the Real, Divine consciousness itself, Absolute Spiritual Reality.

But through the influence of long association with the non-real the soul may tend to lose
its new sense of oneness with God and dependence on Him, and to resume its old
dependence on the non-real. To combat this tendency, the j?van-mukta, the soul released
but still in the body, must concentrate meditation upon the ?r? Pańc?ks?ara, the Five-
Letter symbol of Absolute Spiritual Reality.

10. The results attained by this s?dhana, this way of release, through Jń?na, are twofold,
the soul’s release from P??a and its attainment of Siva.

As to the former, release from the threefold bond consisting of ?n?ava, Karma, and M?y?,
the soul achieves its escape from ?n?ava, the principle of individuation, through its union
with God. It is not enough for the soul to know God; because even when it knows Him
there is the illusiory thought, ‘I know Him’. The soul, to destroy this illusion of ‘I’ and
‘mine’, must not only know Him but be one with Him. The removal of the other bonds,
Karma, and M?y?, release from the necessity of finite experience in association with
evolutes of M?y?, is achieved through devoted service of God. The j?van-mukta continues
to experience pr?rabdha, the karmic fruit of previous deeds; but if in devoted service,
knowing that he does nothing but by God’s grace, he regards his every action as God’s
action, then prarabdha, his present experience, cannot sow ?g?mya, the seed of future
experience. It cannot create the karmic necessity for rebirth.

11. The second result attained by this way of Jń?na is ?ivapp?ru, ‘the attainment of
Siva’, the soul’s experience of Divine Blessedness in conscious oneness with God. This
is the soul’s nis?th?, its final goal or resting-place; and it may be reached while still in the
body.

12. So long as those who have found release remain in the body, their thought is
concerned with the knowledge of the non-reality of this world of sense; their affection
finds expression in the fellowship of ?iva’s devotees; and their activity is occupied with
the worship of ?iva, as dwelling in the emblems worn by His devotees and in the linga.



TRANSLATION
THE SUBSTANCE OF THE SUTRAS
ACCORDING TO MEYKANDAR’S KARUTTURAI

SUTRA
1. God, who causes its Dissolution, is the Primal source of the world.
2. How the world is evolved again.
3. The existence of the soul.
4. The same.
5. God’s first service to souls.
6. The real and the non-real.
7. A supplement to the above.
8. How the soul obtains Knowledge.
9. How the soul is purified.
10. How Pasa, the fetter, is removed.
11. How the soul reaches the sacred feet of God.
12. How God, invisible and unknowable, can be worshipped as visible and knowable.

Ten in Sanskrit is dashan. It is regarded as a perfect number in that (in one
tradition) there were ten incarnations of VishNu here below.

The Sanskrit writer Dananjaya (10th century C.E.) wrote a work on theater theory
entitled Dasharűpika. Here he listed ten kinds of dramatical works. (Recall
that categorization is a science in which classical Hindus excelled.) In his
classification, nâTaka is the highest form of drama, wherein the subject matter
is usually from history, sacred or secular. Plays in which the protagonists are
not of the royal family were classified as prakaNa. Then are presentations in
the form of a soliloquy. These are called bhâna. They are often appealing to the
masses. Some plays have just two or three characters. These are known as vîthi.
Likewise there are light-hearted comedic plays called prahasana. To the category
dima belong plays which treat of purely legendary themes, whereas a vyâyoga
play usually deals with a military matter: wars, conquests, etc. Plays dealing
with the supernatural are called samavakâra. supernatural theme. Sometimes there
is a play within a play. Such a one is known as an angka. Finally to the tenth
category belong plays that deal with imaginary and exotic animals, and they are
known as îhâ-mriga.

The eminent Shankaracharya classified renunciants into ten categories, giving
them names based mostly on natural and geographical variety. The ten names of
these dashanâmi monks were Sârasvatî (pool), Purî (citadel), Vana (tree), Tîrtha
(ford), Giri (hill), Parvata (mountain), Bhâratî (land), ÂraNya (forest),
Âshrama (hermitage), and Sâgara (sea). The tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh wrote
Dasam Granth (Tenth Granth).

The villain in the Ramayana was RâvaNa. He had ten faces. Therefore he is also
known as Dashânana, or Dasakantha or Dashagrîva the ten-headed or the ten necked
one. He is said to be an embodiment of dashendriya: five organs of knowledge and
five motor organs.

The father of the epic hero Rama was called Dasharatha because he had ten
chariots which went along ten directions which consist of the four cardinal
directions (East, West, North, and South), the four diagonal ones (Northeast,
Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest), as well as the upward and downward
directions. He is said to have had full control over his ten as he had control
over the ten horses.

Sudâsa was an ancient king who is mentioned in the Rig Veda. No less a personage
than Vishvâmitra was his minister. Sudâsa was a great conqueror, but ten
different groups joined hands to fight in a battle. That battle is referred to
as dasharâjńa.

In the Hindu framework the Divine manifests itself periodically here on earth
for the welfare of human kind. Such a descent, as per the grammarian PâNini, is
what one calls an avatâra. In the VaishNava tradition there were ten distinct
avatâras which are therefore collectively known as the dashâvatâra. It may be
noted that there are at least four different branches of VaishNava school:
Ekântika, Vhyűhavâda, Avarâravâda, and Pâńcarâtra, and each has its own list and
interpretation of the dashâvatâra. The dashâvatâra, as per the Mahâbhârata are:
Hamsa (Swan) Kűrma (Tortoise), Mâtsya (Fish), Varâha (Boar), Narasimha
(Man-Lion), Vâmana (Dwarf), Râma, Balarâma, Sâtvata (Vâsudeva), and Kalkin. Some
purâNas include the Buddha and others Risabha (the Jain Tîrthankara) also. Other
texts list 22 different avatâras.

The tenth and last day of the Navaratra festival is called Dassarâ
(Dusshera) It is dedicated to the Mother Goddess in some parts of India or taken
to celebrate Rama's victory (Vijayadashami) in other region.

In view of the various exchanges where the Saiva Siddhanta darsana is compared with Vedanta and said to be essentially non-different and that Siddhanta is indeed Vedanta (whatever it means) I feel I have to say something to show that there is no school of philosophy not only in India but in the whole world similar or even comparable to Saiva Siddhanta. Anyone who dilutes the great achievements of Tirumular Meykandar and so forth and whose metaphysical achievement far exceeds that of Sankara Ramanuja Madhava and so forth, are doing a great disservice to the Tamil genius. What I want to point out is that the metaphysical achievements of the Tamils are really great and they deserve recognition and given a prominent place in the tradition of Indian philosophies.

1.
Now the first point and which is quite new and not even perhaps known to Tirumular Appar and so forth is that the roots of Saiva Siddhanta go back to the SumeroTamil period and hence millenniums earlier than the Vedas. The exaggerated importance given to the Vedas come only because till recently it was not well known that the First Sangam of the Tamils was true and it existed in Sumeria and that the main texts are available now and where they belong to the 3rd- 4th Millennium period well before even a single sloka of Rig Veda was sung. This metaphysics prevalent was Agamism as there were massive temples built, gods installed and worshipped. There were even many philosophically endearing Temple Hymns sung, a tradition that was continued by Tamils in their latter day Sacred Tamil literature where most of the hymns are Temple Hymns.

2.
Now the main methodological orientation was already worked out even as early as 3000 BC. When Surruppak said “nig-nam kal-kal-in me kal kal (Ta, nikaznam kalkallin mey kal kal): if you study the happenings around you will learn truths), he already articulated the METHOD that has sustained Dravidian philosophical tradition to this day and which has enabled them to develop numerous Hermeneutic Sciences where Metaphysics has been developed as the most inclusive Hermeneutic Science. This was the accomplishment of Meykandar and in which he also deconstructed all the Vedantas brilliantly. The TRUTH- orientation made the Dravidian philosophers remain OPEN to all philosophies but only to deconstruct all with the view to establish and enjoy TRUTH and nothing else. All the Vedantic schools have been pushed to Parapakkam, the realms of the false. Only that which remains beyond all forms of deconstruction are retained in Supakkam and Saiva Siddhanta with its Triadism belongs to this Supakkam. It is worth remembering that none of the Vedantic scools have anything comparable to the Siddhiyar of AruNandi, the SaGkaRpa NirakaraNam of Umapathi etc. The Vedantic philosopher do not venture beyond the different interpretations of the Vedanta Sutras and fight bitterly among themselves only about the interpretations. This is true even to-day none of the Vedanties ever bother to read Meykanda Sastras and so forth and establish the Vedanta by deconstructing them.

3.
Now while all the Vedantic traditions are authoritarian, Siddhanta tradition is not. You can see that in any treatise on Vedanta, at very crucial points they will say since X is inconsistent with the Vedas, it has to be rejected. The believe is that Vedas already contain the TRUTH, only they contain the TRUTH being Aparushiya etc and so no metaphysical insights contradicting the Vedas can be admitted. The Vedanties CANNOT reject the Vedas and plunge into metaphysical inquiries independent of the Vedas. They don’t have the mental freedom to reject the Vedas and investigate as free souls. This also makes the Vedantic tradition implicitly support the very evil Varnashrama Dharma that has eaten up into the whole of Hinduism like a poison.

4.
Now such a restriction into metaphysical studies does not hold in the Siddhantic tradition where metaphysics has been developed as the most inclusive Hermeneutic Science. We are FREE to reject the Vedas, the Agamas, Meykanda Sastras, the Sacred Tamil literature and so forth and begin inquiry into metaphysics taking the World as TEXT and existence as something being written there. As is the case in Science there are no authorities except that of TRUTH. Siddhantins search for Axiomatic Truths, the truths that cannot be further deconstructed. The Fundamental Ontology of Triadism, the Siddhanta Mukti and so forth are Axiomatic Truths and hence already there as objective realities to be encountered and enjoyed by ANY. So it also promotes a VD free egalitarian society where all human beings are treated as potential mumuksus.

5.
From this it also follows that while the Vedantic systems promote inauthentic life, a life of ideological constructions, postulates beliefs and so forth that do not invite deconstruction but only rationalization. In contrast to this Siddhanta has located the Axiomatic Truths that allow further deconstruction (if possible) and with that found an existence on absolute truths. Such an existence is the most authentic existence and hence something that is really San Maarkkam, the Way of Enlightenment. Now as part of this and as an understanding whatever axiomatic truths, the piramaaNam a soul enjoys is a blessing of BEING, aruL. Siddhanta also cultivates LOVE and COMPASSION and not at all the Vedantic aloofness and indifference.

6.
Now it should be noticed that the Suddhadvaita or the absence of alienness of the soul with BEING is actually a matter of Pure Love unto all and that unless LOVE and Compassion are cultivated the SAMENESS of the soul with BEING cannot be enjoyed and which is again a GIFT of BEING. In Vedanta systems there is no love and compassion and BEING is understood only as Brahman, the resplendent and not at all as Anbu, Love and Compassion. No Vedantic Maka Vakkiyas declare Anbe Sivam (Love is Siva and vice versa) and so forth.

Loga
31.5.2007

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What an excellent summary of siddhanta and vedanta, and it is some of your best writings so far. It is fantastic and I agree with it entirely. I shall save it and promote it. Like I said we have advanced siddhanta more in these last few
weeks than in the last 700 years, even more in the last two days. Perhaps my forceful and confrontational writing brings out the better in you.

That said, let me clarify somethings. When we say vedanta what we mean is the upanishads. That is what Tirumular meant, and not the uttar mimamsha philosophies based on the so called 'vedanta sutras', all of which did not exist
during his time. So if you want to hit these vedantic philosophies please carry on but do not refer to them as vedanta. Instead refer to them as uttar mimamsha schools of philosophies. Otherwise it gives the wrong impression that you are knocking the upanishads and as Dr. Kannan says, someday someone will use these to run you and your writings down. We have no quarrels with the upanishads; it is in accordance with siddhanta and vice versa.

We are agreed that the works of Tirumular, Meykandar, Arunandi, Umapati Sivam, etc are incomparable, and in their dazzling light the rest of the sages and philosophies are mere shadows. One look at the Tirumantiram and the entire upanishads will look like its pale shadow. But that is for others to find out and say so! It is not for us to criticise the others (and other sages) if they do not know and acknowledge it.

I have always suspected that the vedas and agamas did not suddenly spring from nowhere in the 2nd millenium BCE in such perfect form, rather that it must have had some previous beginnings. Due to little archeological findings to support the suspicions all we could say was 'Saivism is prevedic'. Now we have some linguistic proofs, thanks due to your works and those few before you, that there is indeed a linkup and continuation from Sumerian texts. It is for this reason that I quickly included the Sumerian texts in the chronological listings of Hindu texts and sages as prevedic here in this forum a few months ago, thereby bringing things to a completeness. Though such thinking may be nascent it is only a matter of time before the indologists acknowledge this. Some swamis already have.

While the vedas limits itself to propounding the Ultimate Truths, Tirumular went even further than that in stating that there is something even higher than truth, and that is, Love is Siva. In this regard even the vedas is not comparable to the Tirumantiram. Tirumular must have found that in the agamas and in his realisations. This is not to say the vedas does not talk of Love; it is also there as the ananda of 'satchitananda', but this has not been propounded rather left in the background with little attention to it.

The reason why siddhanta is not widely studied is because it is largely in tamil, and its proponents often insist one must know tamil first before reading siddhanta. This puts a blocker. But I have shown there is siddhanta in sanskrit too and even prior to Meykandar. So should I insist that everyone learn sanskrit to understand siddhanta? Now its english that is propagating siddhanta and thats the way to go.

Let us not confuse casteism and caste atrocities with either vedanta or siddhanta. Let us leave it out completely. It arose from the smirthis and its a sociological problem due to the mass psychological influences of these evil texts on the people.

Pathma
31.5.2007

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Now if the North Indians were not aware of Meykanda Sastras and the hundreds of philosophical treatises written by Tamils because the language was Tamil, we can understand that. Even this shows how prejudiced and closed are the Hindu minds - It just baffles me to note that the bulk of North Indian scholars can remain ignorant of the deconstructions of all Vedantic schools by Meykandar, AruNandi and so forth.
 
But anyway the surprising thing is that since the 16th cent there has been hundreds of books on Vedanta written by great Tamil scholars and mostly non-brahmins except for Tattva Rayar. I have a good collection of them. You are familar with Kaivalya Navaneetham of TaNdavarayar, Vedanta IlakkaNam of IIsuur Caccinathan SwamikaL, etc.  Now among hundreds of these NONE  comparable to Siddhiyar SaGkRapa Nirakaranam and so forth. In none of Vedanta texts written by Tamils and in Tamil language, there is a desconstruction of other schools including Saiva Siddhanta to establish Vedanta as the Supakkam.
 
As a young man when I made it a point to collect as many books in philosophy and in Tamil, this is one of the glaring DIFFERENCES I noticed  between Siddhnnta and Vedanta. Even in post 16th cent Saiva classics like Tattva Prakasam, NjaanavaRaNa ViLakkam, etc we see clear description of contrary philosophies and their deconstruction.
 
The point is Vedantic culture does not promote FREE inquiry - it closes the mind and resorts to REPEAT what has been said and which finally rests on the authority of the Vedas.
 
Now you may counter my view by saying that Swami ViddyaNaya's (16th cent)  Sarva Darsana Sagkraham is comparabel to Siddhyar, etc. But you find  here  only a compilation of the different schools of Indian philosophy (Saiva Siddhanta not included) but no deconstruction at all. The book does not have Parapakkam and Supakkam.
 
The only conclusion we can arrive at is that the Vedantic tradition does not promote FREE inquiry and whether Brahmins or Non Brahmins, whoever follows Vedanta do not practice the art of deconstuction and with that seek out Axiomatic Truths.
 
This applies also to the 18 VaishNava Rahasya Granthas - none of them deal with Saiva Siddhanta and many other schools current at that time, and deconstruct them. Here too there is no culture of deconstruction.
 
I will be happy if anyone can cite me philosophic texts in Tamil and on Vedanta which practices deconstruction as practiced by AruNandi, Umapati and so forth.
 
Loga
31.5.2007

Bakti is the essence of the veda samhitas. The entire rig veda samhitas are hymns of salutations, adoration, devotion to the gods, prayers of thanksgiving and beseeching benedictions upon the worshipper. These are bakti hymns, sung to the gods in devotion in homa sacrifices as well as in temples today. The hymns are full of humility and love for the gods.

Singing to the gods has been the Hindu tradition continued in the bakti hymns till this day. It is for this reason Hindus wrote hymns in the vedas, thirumurais and prabandam - hymns to be sung to the Gods.

Muslims read the doa (affirmation), Christians pray (beg), but Hindus sing songs of love and adoration of the gods. There is a difference here.

Whereas the agamas are *manuals* of worship and jnana. They are not a collection of devotional hymns like the veda samhitas and thirumurais (although some mantras are mentioned) - they are instructions on worship. It is a collection of instructions or 'orders'.

The thirumurais and prabandam follows the same pattern as the veda samhitas in an unbroken continuity.

The rudram and chamakam together saluting 26 Dieties in the yajur veda are the grandest hymns of devotion par excellence in the vedas and remains unexcelled. Likewise the Sri Suktam, found in the khila rig (not the vedas, but an addendum to the rig which was added onto the rig much later) which is addressed to MahaDevi (but later interpreted as Lakshmi), the the Lalita Sahasranama which occurs in the Brahmanda Purana, and the Aditya Hridayam for Narayana in the Ramayana.

I'm sure there is bakti enshrined as the essence of the Sumerian texts?

The itithasas and puranas are not bakti texts in my opinion but a continuation of the metaphorical hermeneutic explanation of 'truths' in the communicative language of myths, which tradition has its origins in the vedas itself.

In passing may I mention that neither the vedas nor puranas were written by Vyasa. He was the author of non devotional texts; commentator on some upanishads and the yoga sutras of Patanjali, as well as the author of the Bharatha (not the original Jaya, the precursor of the Bharatha, whose author remains unknown) which is the precursor of todays Mahabharatha. The bharatha is a collection and woven together composition, and then expansion, of several vedic and puranic metaphorical myths. So we can safely say he wrote nothing new.

In my readings of his writings he did not come across to me as someone who knew about meditation, let alone enlightened. Anyone who is on the spiritual path, now or in the past, would have noticed it quickly in fifteen minutes of reading. He came across to me as a scholar. My humble opinions only and I hope this is received in the spirit of study and enquiry.

If we are discussing philosophy, all participants must disclose their stand and
define it. This is being transparent.

In post no. 27668 I have already clearly stated my stand, on advaita, siddhanta,
siddhantin, the areas of agreement, and the areas of disagreement. I call my
siddhanta as Monistic theism or Advaita Isvarapada. This advaita encompasses the
threefold relationship of god and the soul. It is derived from the Tirumantiram,
backed by the Tirumurais, consistent with the upanishads, and in my view does
not necessarily differ from the Siva Jnana Bodham, although the way we explain
it is different. (It may differ from the rest of the Meykandar shastras as it
seems to take a different turn and become more dualistic.)

Ganesalingam says, "this aspect of relationship in three states (onraai,
udanaai, veraai) is the *Advaita* relationship mentioned in Siddhanta
philosophy". (Which is what I said anyway.)

And he mentions, "the second Aphorism of Sivagnanabodham speaks of the Advaita
relationship in Siddhanta philosophy" and he further states, "The Advaita
relationship of God with us *always exists*".

In post no. 27352 Ganesalingam then says, "saying 'Siddhanta is Advaita' is like
saying 'table is chair' (because both are made of wood)".

Dr. Loga now says, " I don't agree at all with Pathma's claim that Siddhanta is
Advaita. The one-ness that Siddhanta talks about is suddhadvaita and which means
the absence of alienness".

Chandra says, "My conclusion....it is pluralism all the time from Sumerian times
right up to Meykandar.".

Can everyone now see the confusion in siddhanta? They are not really sure how to
characterise themselves, are averse to using the term advaita due to its
association with the mayavada philosophy which they despise. Well the word
'advaita' does not belong to the mayavadins.

In his article on Siddhanta Mukti, Dr. Loga says:
"It gives an account of advaita without annihilating the psyche in the
process."

"The Siddhanta Mukti is not annihilation of the subject,...it is a transposition
into an inseparable unity, a supremely blissful oneness with the Deity
Himself. Most certainly we cannot think of anything higher than that
homogeneity".

In that same article Dr. Loga characterises the oneness of god and the soul as
"the 'soul is in perfect harmony with the Diety, perfect synchronity,
indistinguishable from the Diety, its activities are in fact the activities of
the Deity, homogeneity with the Diety, the impossibility of distinguishing the
soul from the Diety, the soul does not do anything the Diety does not, the soul
is the Diety as far as behaviour goes, there is an inability to establish a
fissure between the soul and the Diety, an inseparable unity of the soul and the
Diety'.

Now what is that? Just look at it. This is advaita! This is what we monists have
been saying all along! This is a long winded, wordy, roundabout rhetorical way
of saying 'advaita'. This is not dualism or pluralism. The above description of
the union with God is what we simply, clearly and unambiguously call 'merging
with Siva'.

Well at least we have finally after 700 years, established clearly that
Meykandar's Siddhanta is suddhaadvaita. Fine, that is acceptable to me. Whatever
the qualifications and prefixes are, it is still advaita. The qualifications are
just hair splitting and which I think is not necessary.

Whereas all these 700 years siddhantists have not been clearly defining
themselves, rather they have been calling themselves pluralists, or avoiding
every sort of definition and ducking any attempt at categorisation. That was my
point. One reckless writer even hastily wrote a book called 'There has Always
been a Pluralistic Saiva Siddhanta'.

When we call them pluralists, they immediately point to the oneness and say they
are advaitists. When we tell them that what they are saying is advaita, they
immediately point to the three eternal realities.

In the threefold relationship, when I highlight the oneness (ondraai), they
highlight the twoness (veyraai). When I say that the cup is half full, they say
the cup is half empty! This is exasperating.

It is not for no reason that the very first word in the 3,000 verse Tirumantiram
says, 'onRavan thAnE (The One is He only), clearly stressing its importance, and
of the One Reality ONLY.

Gordan Matthews explains even all deities other than the Agent of Dissolution
are themselves necessarily involved in the universal dissolution. All evolutes
and dieties too permanently and irreversibly dissolve in Him. Anything that
evolves, dissolves.

He further clarifies, "God's relation to souls is advaita, non-duality; this
relation is understood as a synthesis of three relations, abheda or identity,
bheda or difference, and bhedabheda, a combination of these two.

In para 7 he says, "God, the Real, does not know Pasa, the non-real; for the
non real cannot appear in the presence of the real, even as darkness cannot
exist in the presence of light. And even if God did know Pasa, He would not know
it objectively, because it does not exist apart from Him".

"..Conversely, Pasa, the non-real, which includes Maya and its evolutes.."

In other words, pasa is non real and has no ultimate reality, and dissolves in
Him at Dissolution.

Satyam which means 'the ultimate truth or reality' means, "that which exists in
all the three periods of time (past, present and future) without undergoing any
change; and also in all the three states of consciousness (waking state, dream
state and deep-sleep state)." This is therefore the absolute Reality —
birthless, deathless and changeless — referred to in the Upanishads as Brahman
or Siva, and to jivas (souls) too.

This does not mean that the world of maya is unreality, rather the world is
relatively real, relative to brahman. Relative Reality, pasa, is not eternal.

But I take it further; whatever exists after Dissolution, after time and space
have ceased to exists, is the Only Reality. For time, space and causation starts
at the point of creation and ends at dissolution. Where there is no time and
space there is no eternity, no existence, and whatever is there cannot be
described.

He further states, "..the soul achieves its escape from anava, the principle of
individuation, through its union with God. It is not enough for the soul to know
God; because even when it knows Him there is the illusory thought, `I know Him'.
The soul, to destroy this illusion of `I' and `mine', must not only know Him but
be one with Him".

Again Matthews says there will be no 'I' and 'my' upon dissolution. All separate
identity will disappear.

What all this means is that pasa is a non-Reality, an evolute, and the souls
union with Siva is outright merging with permanent and total loss of identity,
with the annihilation of the psyche, for as long as the psyche remains the 'I'
and 'my' remains.

This is advaita. And I have shown it clearly even from the Siva Jnana
Bodham/Raurava Agama. This is what Meykandar says! This is what the
Sivajnanabodham says.

If one can abandon the fixations with the rest of the 13 Meykandar Shastras, one
can begin to see what Meykandar actually said.

It is for these reasons that I say that insofar as the relationship between God
and souls and its ultimate merger, we, all siddhantins, are advaitists, and we
have no differences.

Let us use this term.

But all these are rationalisations of the mind, whereas there is an area beyond
time, space and causation where there is consciousness but no mind, and the laws
of mind and matter don't apply. This is the area of the tattva no. 1-5 and
beyond tattva no. 1 (parasiva).

My arguments cannot be
refuted as it is based on the Siva Jnana Bodham itself! I simply lifted the
lines from the Meykandar Karuttural in the explanation of the SJB. The
translations are not mine at all, but by Gordon Matthews (Oxford, 1947). I can
provide further references by S. Shivapadasundaram (1934) where he too explains
siddhanta as advaita (but distinguished from mayavadin advaita) in explaining
the Siva Jnana Siddiyar.

In the absence of rebuttals and deconstruction of my arguments, which now stands
for all time as it has been published in this respectable international forum,
my position that siddhanta is advaita and on siddhanta mukti then stands,
unchallenged. And it is in accordance with the Siva Jnana Bodham insofar as
mukti.

Which then allows us to proceed to the next stage of discussions, if the
participants so wish, on the areas of disagreement, viz, creation or non
creation of souls, and on triadism.

Before that one issue needs to be clarified:

On Ekan anekan, Dr. Loga says, "The point is that BEING discloses Himself in
countless number icons or deities leading the souls to think that is Many " Siva
VishNu Muruka Ambal etc but where as a matter of fact He is really One. "

You have limited anekan to mean just the various iconic forms, the various gods.
Whereas we take Anekan to mean not just iconic forms or gods, but include souls
and the world. This is our different understanding. Why do you restrict? Where
is the qualification on anekan? Ekan, Anekan is followed by Iraivan, meaning
Lord or Ruler. What would He be a Lord of? Souls and the world of course, and
not just the various iconic forms. Why would He need to be a Lord of His own
iconic forms?

This remains another area of disagreement.

Now to proceed to the issue of creation or non creation of souls, I would need
the questions raised in my post no. 27745 to be responded to.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27745

The reason is it would become obvious to the discussant that I have already
deconstructed Meykandar's siddhanta (which I feel Dr. Loga already suspects).
For the first time in 700 years in a public fora, meykandar's siddhanta has been
demolished, in that fateful post no. 27745. This is why I said that in the past
few weeks we have really moved siddhanta forward. I hope this development is
welcomed and pondered over, and not criticised.

Meanwhile, while responding to this post and my earlier questions, consider this
from the SJB which relates to the issue of creation, dissolution and triadism.

"Nothing can come into being except out of the dissolution into which it
dissolved; for it dissolves there."

"That which dissolved is produced (again) from that into which it dissolved."

"That which is produced must be that which dissolved."

"If thou sayest that that which dissolved is in (the Agent of preservation), then the
whole world has not dissolved. (The Agents of)preservation and production
dissolve there (viz. in the Agent of dissolution)."

"Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light." (When light appears, the
darkness recedes without a trace. Where is the darkness then?)

The above are not my words or translations. Please dont blame me or anyone for
mistranslations or misunderstandings because these are lifted straight from the
Siva Jnana Bodham, from the Meykandar Karutturai and from the interpretations of
the 18th century commentary by Siva Jnana Yogi in the expository notes. Its your
own shastras, not mine.

Dissolve into something, then later emerge from that something. That is creation
and dissolution. If the gods (iconic forms) dissolve in Him, if the worlds
dissolve in Him, why would the mere souls not dissolve in Him with total
annihilation of identity when they already enjoy a oneness relationship with Him
anyway, all along? These are the axiomatic truths, on the laws of emanation or
causation.

The deconstruction of triadism is clear, as all that undergoes changes,
including fettered souls and the worlds *dissolve* in Him.

Pathma

The Dravidian folks and right from Sumerian times were neither montheistic nor polytheistic but rather METATHEISTIC. This is summarized by Manikkar when he says BEING is both Ekan (One) and Anekan (Many). A few years back I wrote many essays on Metatheism showing this is how in Sacred Tamil BEING is understood.

The notion of Metatheism seems to be quite unique to Dravidian Thesim.

Loga

Essence-ing Appar on the Metaphysics of Colors-3

One of the most important concepts that thrived in Sumerian culture (perhaps also in Nubian and Kemetian) is that of METATHEISM and which involves the AVOIDANCE of MONOTHEISM that has been at the roots of evangelical religions and continue to be so even now causing the many religious strives throughout the world. The Metatheism of Appar that he clearly formulates here and elsewhere, avoids not only this Monotheism but also the Vedantic Idealism where ‘atman’ is taken to be as the same as Brahman (God?) a view that has been very repellant not only for the Saivites but also the Tamil VaishNavites who have battled with this Advaita Vedanta in their own way. Metatheism is the understanding that the ONE and SAME BEING shows Himself in so many different iconic forms and all only to illuminate the understanding of the creatures so that eventually and in stages they are brought to enjoy the Njaanam, the Absolute Understanding so that the very hermeneutic impulse to investigate and search is undermined and subliminated

The Sources Monotheism

But what is source of Monotheism and how was it avoided by the Sumero-Dravidians at least?
With this question in mind, let us look at the following verse again

3.
cintai vaNNamum tiiyatoor vaNNamum
antip pootu azakaakiya vaNNamum
pantik kaalanmaip paayntatoot vaNNamum
anti vaNnamum aavar aiyaaRaree

Meaning:
The BEING who pervades this Temple of AiyaaRu takes also forms whereby He stimulates metaphysical thinking where He takes the Form of Pure Fire (tiiyatoor vaNNam) in order to PURIFY the consciousness by burning off the dirt within. Now when one has come to end of life and fears death He also assumes various kinds of the Beautiful Forms and showing that there is BEAUTY even at old age He dispels the unwanted fears. On the way when fear of premature death grips the soul, He discloses Himself as the One who can terminate the whole of embodied existence by transporting the soul to the timeless metaphysical realms that allows them to enjoy the Nittyam, the absoluteness (the Anti VaNNan).

BEING here is the Rudra Siva, the Agni Ille, the Intense Fire and in which form he singes to ashes the Kaalan, the Black One, the demon of DEATH. Metaphysical BEING-as-Rudra is the Fire that violates the DARK FORCES, the Malam that throws the whole of cosmos into the Primordial NIGHT, a situation where NOTHING is allowed to shine forth as there, enjoy a presence, uL-mai (uNmai) being there as real. The Kaalan that causes the DEATH is this same DARK FORCE but in the soul and which does the same - devour the physical body so that the soul is forced to roam around somewhere but bodiless until BEING blesses with another physical embodiment (Punar uRpatti).

Now we can see that this BEING-as-Rudra is WHOLLY powerful and who cannot have another power above Him to cause its presence or absence, that BEING-as-Rudra is a power unto Himself, the Supreme, the TaRparan, the One ABOVE all.

In this understanding we can see the birth of Monotheism as was probably the case with Zoroastrianism where this Rudra worship was installed and to the EXCLUSION of other icon presentations of BEING. Now we do not have exclusivism in the Vedas reputed to be contemporary to the Avesta of Zorostrianism and where in addition to Agni we also have the worship of Indra Soma, Purusha , Mithra and so forth and in this quite consistent with the overall cultural openness that we see in SumeroTamil literature. En Hudu Anna as almost all the great Sumerians did NOT worship a single deity to the exclusion of others. En Hudu Anna though certainly very fond of In-Anna also sings the glories of An, En Lil and so many other deities .

Now we see this avoidance of Monotheism and continuation of METATHESIM most clearly in the following verse of this Patikam as well

4.
iruLin vaNNamum eezicai vaNNamum
curuLin vaNNamum coothiyin vaNNamum
maruLum naamukan maalodu vaNNamum
aruLum vaNNamum aavar aiyaRaree!

Meaning;
BEING who pervades the Temple of AiyaRu is the Night colored at the point of the total annihilation of everything into the Empty Nothingness when everything is resolved into the Black Hole and becomes the Forms of the Seven Musical Notes (when he re-issues) the resolved universe. Now He also becomes the One with the Long Curls that He spreads across the whole universes during His Ananta Tandava (that installs sexual desires within all). At the same time becomes the Pure Light to illuminate all creatures (and with that prevent the fall into vulgar sexuality). To help further the creatures in their metaphysical learning He also becomes the Brahma who installs the desires for scriptural learning and production and Tirumaal of Yoga Nidra so that the creatures will also enjoy Deep Dreams and with that access the world beyond the senses.

Here the key description is that eezicai vaNNam- the form of all musical notes and which we can generalize to all colors and forms. It also retains the importance of AESTHEICS, the arts and the spirit of hermeneutic sciences where the sciences are approached THROUGH the arts and not by KILLING the arts as is done in the Western positive sciences.

The Avoidance of Monotheism

Now how is the uncountable multiplicity of the forms and colors of BEING is maintained along with the fact BEING is ONE and the Supreme who has NOTHING above and along with Him?

Here emerges the essentials of the Pedagogic Hermeneutic of the Dravidian folks (perhaps common to all the Tantric traditions in India and elsewhere) . Whatever taken for analysis is a TEXT with a DUALITY of structure - the Surface Structure(SS) and Deep Structure (DS). When human understanding does not forget or dissolve this DEPTH dimensions as structured by SS-DS elements and where the metaphysical journey can be like into a China Box, entering into a box only to discover another within and so forth, we can see that BEING-as-One-and-Supreme at the Deepest of DS with all other colors and forms as DS’s on the way. We can take up the climb upon a mountain to illustrate the point. BEING-as-the One is the Peak experience while BEING as so many deities as the experience of the SAME BEING but at the different steps while climbing up.

When we remain alive to the peak experience of BEING or the possibility of it while enjoying the experiences of BEING at the various steps on the way, we have an understanding that is essentially metatheistic - the ONE and SAME BEING showing Himself in so many guises -dancing away as said in CaGkam Tamil, assuming and throwing off different guises ( palluruvam peyarttu nii aduGkaal )

The Avoidance of Advaita Vedanta
.
The essence of Advaita Vedanta is the denial of the substantial and separate identity of self, the atman and taking it as the same as Brahman, Paramatman etc and attributing the sense of difference in ordinary life to some kind of inexplicable Maya Sakti etc. Now once we keep firmly to the fact that our understanding is TEXTUAL with SS-DS organization inherent to it, it is clear this kind of understanding pertains to the self, the Atman and it remains as such even at the Peak Experience where it reaches the Absolute Understanding, the Njanam and which also understands from within that experience itself that it is the LIMIT, that it cannot move further for it encounters only Sunyam beyond it, as Meykandar observed (sattu etit suunyam). The self is there as that which enjoys this Njaanam and which is the LIMIT only because it has overcome the EGO completely. The Paramatman is not BEING only the ego-less self. The self that has been the dual self, the sat-asat-self become the Sat-Self alone at the point of this peak experience and it is this Sat_Self that is the Paramatma.

Loga

As there have no rebuttals and my propositions and deconstructions have been
allowed to pass without challenge, we may proceed to the next level of
discussion. If in future a discussant wishes to rebut my refutations of the now
debunked Meykandar siddanta, we may resume our discussions then at that point.

The usual summarised view of the siddhanta philosophy as put forward by the
Meykandar siddhantists is as follows:

"The triad - God, souls and the world are three eternal realities, each separate
and distinct from each other, and uncreated, existing from eternity. God in His
infinite Love so as to free the souls, existing from eternity, fettered by the
bondage of anava, created this world from the pre-existing uncreated primordial
stuff, maya, so that souls and evolve and know Him and reach His Holy Feet to
forever enjoy a non-dual (but a differentiated oneness) relationship with Him."

It is claimed that this is the teachings of the Siva Jnana Bodham. There are
many translations of the SJB, some of which I have studied. Shown below are two
translations by Gordon Matthews (GM) and K. Loganathan (KL).

It is my view, and I now challenge any discussant to show otherwise, that the
claim that 'souls and the world are uncreated independent eternal realities', is
not found anywhere in those twelve sutras of the SJB. No such postulate has been
put forward by Meykandar. The SJB does not deal with the issue of creation or
non creation of the souls and worlds! It is silent on those issues. It deals
with freeing the souls of its inherent fetters.

So where did that assumed claim come from? From the 13 commentaries on the Siva
Jnana Bodham which together with the SJB are collectively called the '14
Meykandar Shastras'. Being commentaries they are not really original writings
but an expansion and elaboration of the 12 original SJB sutras. And in that
process assumptions and corollary postulates have been put forward so as to make
the whole Meykandar philosophic scaffolding stand.

In these commentaries the question was asked, 'why did god create the world'.
And inorder to resolve that they 'worked backwords' to come up, to provide, a a
reasonable and acceptable basis. A hypothesis was put forward, 'that God did
create the world', and therefore a hypothetical theory was backward generated -
logic working backwards, 'that it must have been indeed a praiseworthy reason
for him to do so'. So we arrive at a solution that 'it was to free the eternal
souls from the malams' that 'somehow got enmeshed with souls', even though the
malams are obviously not integral to the soul. As to how the souls got infected
with malams in the first place is not for anyone to impertinently ask, and
neither was such a crucial question dealt with in the SJB which is supposed to
be a complete overarching philosophy.

Notice that the SJB did not comment anything on the subject of 'why god created
the world' but delves straight into freeing souls of anava.

So I make a firm separation between the SJB and the rest of the 13 Meykandar
Shastras. The MS is not in compliance and consistent with the SJB. It dealt with
a subject that was not dealt with in the SJB.

While we are on this let us be reminded that the Siva Jnana bodham is a
translation of the Raurava Agama, and therefore not an original text (this is
accepted by S. Shivapadasundaram). Tirumular (200 BCE) mentions the 28 agamas,
including the Raurava, which means that agamas clearly preceded the SJB. The
'receiver' of the Raurava Agama according to tradition is Rishi Gautama, a vedic
sage, who authored/received several rig veda samhitas an well as several
upanishads. One would be hard pressed to believe that he would write something
that contradicts his own upanishads and rig verses.

As to whether Meykandar translated the Raurava agama faithfully is another
issue, but something I do not which to pursue as it is not necessary. We are
certain that Meykandar did not author the SJB because he wrote a commentary to
the SJB, the Meykandar Karutturai. One does not write a text and then write a
commentary on it. There would be no logic here, as that would mean his SJB is
incomplete, and a sorely needed addendum was required.

The word 'siddhanta' was used for the first time in the Tirumantiram. It is used
to describe the philosophy of Tirumular. He was a saint and therefore did not
codify his philosophy as a scholar such as Meykandar would. Neither in the
Raurava Agama or in the Siva Jnana Bodham is the word 'siddhanta' once used to
describe itself as that philosophy. Siddhanta therefore cannot be used to to
describe the Siva Jnana Bodham.

While the vedas and upanishads speaks of several traditions including monism,
dualism, monotheism, polytheism as well as metatheism, the agamas are specific;
it is singularly theistic, monistic and unambiguous. This can be shown later if
required.

It has to be shown clearly 'where exactly' Meykandar 'wrote' in those twelve
sutras that souls and world are;

1. uncreated by Him,
2. independent of Him
3. and on Dissolution, souls and worlds continued to exist independent of Him.

After all, such important distinctions would surely deserve a clear statement to
that effect.

Let all read and judge for themselves. Just quote me the exact sutra number and
line, as I cannot seem to locate it.

Thereafter I shall proceed to show exactly what Meykandar's commentary was, to
further discredit the now demolished philosophy that is so called 'Meykandar's
siddhanta'.

It must be borne in mind that 'what remains unchallenged and undeconstructed' is
the final siddhanta.

Regards.

Pathma

SIVA JNANA BODHAM

FIRST SUTRA
GM: Because the world, consisting of things male, female and neuter, is subject
to the three operations (production, maintenance, and dissolution), it is an
entity produced (by an Agent). Having dissolved, it comes into being again
because of Impurity. The end is the beginning, say the wise.

KL: This world, objectively understood and linguisticalized in terms of the
pronouns he, she, it and so forth is a totality that is in historical flux; and
therefore a Reality caused to appear. And since though dissolved by DARKNESS
into not-being-there, it gets continuously reissued, there is a BEING that
remains as the causal ground for its dissolution and reissuance. So will say the
philosophers.

SECOND SUTRA
GM: He, being one with souls and other than souls, abides in inseparable union
with the Power, so that souls experience going and coming because of twofold
works.

KL: The creatures act as if they are BEING itself, get into the existential
circulation of births and deaths as determined by the MORAL LAW, the basis of
which is the undying DECREE of BEING, who stands always with them never
departing or absenting HIMSELF even for a moment.

THIRD SUTRA
GM: By saying that it is not, by saying `my body', by knowing of the five
senses, by knowledge when they are suppressed, by the absence of feeling and
activity in sleep, by knowing when caused to know,(it is proved that) there is a
soul in the body which is an instrument produced by Maya.

KL: The psyche exists as a distinct entity in a machine-like body because; there
is the act of denial or negation; there is appropriation of the body as its own;
there is consciousness of the five senses being ineffective during meditative
moments; when deeply asleep there is no emotional and feeling toned activities,
and there is learning on being instructed.

FOURTH SUTRA
GM: The soul is not one of the inner faculties. But being without knowledge
owing to Innate Impurity, it is associated with them like a king with his
ministers, and has five states.

KL: The psychic entity is not any one of the internal cognitive utensils but
rather that which uses them (to attain various states of consciousness). Being
not-yet-fully-conscious because of the intrinsically present atomising DARKNESS,
like a king who uses the information provided by his ministers (to make a
decision), the psyche enjoys the five fold existential states (with the use of
these utensils).

FIFTH SUTRA
GM: Though body, mouth, eye, nose (and ear) perceive by the help of the soul,
they do not know. Like them, souls, (though they know), by the grace of the
Peerless One in their knowing (do not know). They are like the iron in the
presence of the magnet.

KL: The senses the eyes, nose, mouth, the body and so forth do not perceive and
judge unless ordained by the psychic entity the truth of which has already been
shown. In an analogous manner the psychic entities remain ignorant of themselves
unless they are given to understand themselves by BEING that remains the GROUND
of LOVE. The psychical entities attain self-consciousness in being drawn unto
BEING irresistibly like pieces of iron are drawn to a magnet.

SIXTH SUTRA
GM: If He is knowable, He is non-real; if He is unknowable, He is non-existent.
Therefore the truly wise say that He is neither, but is spiritual reality,
knowable and unknowable.

KL: If whatever apprehended is nonabsolute and if not apprehended at all then it
is a nothing, the understanding of BEING, it should be noted is not either of
these. It is understood however in a way distinct from the above too. The world
is understood and articulated in terms of these two distinct modes of
understanding, i.e. understanding the civacat and acat.

SEVENTH SUTRA
GM: In the presence of the real all things are non-existent; so the real does
not know (them). The non-real is not; so it cannot know (the real). (Therefore)
that which knows both is the soul which is neither.

KL: Because there is nothing as an Other in the context of absolute
illumination, BEING cannot be said to perceive in the ordinary sense. The
Non-Being, because it is NOT-THERE absolutely, can never be conscious of the
possibility of absolute illumination. Hence there is something different from
BEING and Non-Being with the capacity for both i.e. with a Being that is
[Being-(BEING)] and which on account of that does not cease to be a single
individual.

EIGHTH SUTRA
GM: When because of the soul's meritorious practices the Primal One enlightens
the soul as a guru also, saying, `Brought up among savages, the five senses,
thou hast lost consciousness (of thy true estate), the soul leaves them and,
being not other (than Hara), reaches Hara's feet.

KL: The human beings are normally lost in the pleasures of the senses that they
seek like the hunters and grow ignorant of the nonsensorial. The BEING however
discloses HIMSELF in various archetypal forms and instructs as a GURU and on
account of which the human beings gain illumination provided they practice the
necessary austerities. And since BEING is not alien to the Being of these
individuals, they naturally gravitate towards the divine presence of BEING.

NINTH SUTRA
GM: Let the soul by spiritual vision discover the Lord in its own
consciousness-the Lord who cannot be known by imperfect knowledge and
sense-perception. Which the soul abandons the world of sense as a quickly
passing mirage, the Lord becomes cool shade (for it). It will ponder the Five
Letters in the manner prescribed.

KL: BEING cannot be comprehended with the objective glances that disclose only
the sensorial, the physical and hence transcending them and developing visages
for the noumenal realities one should seek to comprehend BEING through
hermeneutical efforts in these realms. And having grasped the essence of BEING
which is beyond any form of the linguistic one should abandon the earthly
desires. At this point the relevant sadhana is pancatsara, the recitation and
full understanding of which would lead the anma to the cool shades of the
presence of BEING ITSELF.

TENTH SUTRA
GM: When the soul, having become one (with the Lord), even as the Lord is one
with the soul, abides in the Lord's service, powerful Karma and Mala and Maya
pass away.

KL: Existence constituted by the self living as SAME AS BEING is authentic
existence. And when one pursues it, being always One-With-BEING and doing only
those dictated by BEING, not only we escape the worldly attachments but also the
karma so difficult to disengage otherwise.

ELEVENTH SUTRA
GM: Like the soul which makes the seeing eye to see-in order that the soul may
see, the Lord sees, and makes the soul to see. Therefore in unforgetting love
the soul reaches the feet of Hara.

KL: Like the mind that directs the eyes and makes them perceive, BEING directs
the self and also discloses to the self what it is in itself. And because of
this overcome with immense gratitude the anma will abide with unabating LOVE
towards BEING and follow unquestioningly Its dictates.

TWELFTH SUTRA
GM: When, having washed away the Impurity which prevents it reaching the
sustaining Feet that are like the red lotus-flower, and having joined the
company of those who love the Lord, the soul is rid of delusion, it worships as
Hara Himself the habit of those who abound in devotion, and His shrines.

KL: Having destroyed the presence of ANTIBEING within that resists the anma
accessing and being in the realms of UNIVERSAL DANCE, one should be in the
company of those in LOVE with BEING, worshipping the divine individuals pure in
heart and full of universal LOVE and the Temples as if BEING itself is present
as these.

Links to Translations:
http://shaivam.org/tamil/sansivae.pdf
http://mssubashinik.tripod.com/sivabo_1.htm

In Tamil:
http://shaivam.org/siddhanta/san_sivagnana_bodam_u.htm

These are issues that we have to ponder over a while and let it sink in, as we
have been so long fixated to given ideas, this ruthless discrediting would be
mentally violating. Dazed and disoriented, one may console oneself and walk away
thinking this is just a minority opinion of a misguided person, or a
mistranslation by foreigners. But have a look below (at the bottom of the page)
of a translation of the SJB by one of the greatest and most prolific of all
tamil poets, listed among 'Worlds Great Men', Kavi Yogi Shuddhananda Bharati.
(http://www.srambharati.com/sria/anglais/Association/DrShuddhananda.html).

A careful reading shows there is no pluralism at all in the SJB. In fact, in the
first verse Meykandar states that all things -- which he calls "he, she and it"
-- undergo the three processes (creation, preservation and dissolution). He also
states that Siva is Himself the end and the source of existence. Meykandar
speaks of God, the Creator, as Beginning and End. Nowhere does he tell us that
souls coexist from eternity with God, that there were three things in the
beginning and will be three in the end. Rather, he clearly states that there is
one Beginning, God; there is one End, God. Antham aathi - the end (is/becomes)
the beginning. Nor does he speak of an eternal, uncreated world. He assures that
God created in the beginning and will reabsorb in the end.

I can provide any amount of quotes from the shastras, but we have all been
through that tiring route umpteen times before. The vedas, agamas, upanishads,
tirumantiram all use analogies to explain emanation and dissolution. The Raurava
Agama itself describes creation as a spark of fire or light issuing forth from
the third eye of the Creator. All these we shall put aside to consider what the
Meykandar Shastras says.

Meykandar says,

5. 2 (a) "Siva is not conscious of the non-real (world), because the non-real is
nothing."

6.2(b) "All the organs of knowledge are non-real; therefore none knows the One.
And thou, the knower, cannot know (Him). If thou knewest Him, He would be (an
object) other than thou. He who has seen the Truth knows (Him) by Himeslf. So he
does not know the Peerless One as (an object) other than himself.

7.1 In His presence there is no inglorious non-real, even as there is no
darkness in the presence of the sun.

8.4(a) The soul, like a great river dammed, escaping from the restriction of
sense-knowledge attains the everlasting feet of Hara and never returns, just as
the river bursting the dam flows into the sea and merges itself therein.

12.4(d) O thou who hast learnt the Siddhanta that thou art Siva, souls with one
and with two Impurities become Siva, where there is no rebirth.."

I have been quoting the SJB and the Meykandar Karutturai verbatim. None of these
is my words.

It is Meykandar himself who uses the analogy of water merging with water, and
exclaims 'thou art Siva'. In his own words he says that 'siddhanta teaches thou
art Siva'.

He so clearly speaks of the 'non real' (world) and of vanishing without a trace.
He says the world is non-real and therefore Siva does not know the world, as it
does not exist, as the darkness does not exist when there is light. He says only
the soul perceives the world, only for the souls do the world seems to exist,
and in ignorance it clings to it. In his own words Meykandar debunks triadism.

There is laya, pralaya and mahapralaya. The agamas only deals with pralaya (as
mahapralaya is too far away). Even Arulnandi, the most respected of Meykandar's
commentators, admitted to the completeness of mahapralaya and thereby
transcended pluralism to absolute monism at mahapralaya when he wrote in
Sivajnana Siddhiyar:

Only One remains at the end of time.
If two others (pashu-souls and pasham-fetters) also
remained at their posts, then it cannot be.

One cannot say this and not be a monist.

All these remains irrefutable, BECAUSE I have not quoted any 'authority' even
once all this while. I have not quoted any veda, agama, upanishad, or
tirumantiram, but I have simply reproduced verbatim the words of the grandmaster
logicians Meykandar and Arulnandi from their texts, which is the subject of
discussion! (One can only refute what is not one's own position. One cannot
refute one's own position.)

The SivaJnana Bodham and the Meykandar Karutturai is entirely monistic-theistic,
consistent with the Tirumantiram and the Agamas, and this is attested
unequivocally by Arulnandi. We have brought an epoch to an end.

As there can be no refutations, and my post can only be responded to with
elegant silence indicating negative concurrence, we could proceed to
corroborating the siddhanta rationalisations.

Regards.

Pathma

Siva Jnana Bodham

as translated by

Kavi Yogi Shuddhananda Bharati, 'The Revelations of Saint Meykandar'.

1. He, she and it -- these are the three terms in which the cosmic entity is
spoken of. This cosmos undergoes three changes -- birth, growth and death --
triple functions. It appears, stays and disappears; but it reappears by dint of
the ego-consciousness which binds it. He who ends it is its origin. He, Hara, is
the Supreme Master: so say the seers of knowledge.

2. He is one with souls; yet He is Himself unattached, beyond all. He is
identified with His willpower, His knowledge-force in inseparable union. Through
this force, He pervades all and submits souls to birth and death, allowing them
to eat the fruits of their dual acts [good and bad deeds].

3. Because it says: "The body is the mechanism of nature. A soul dwells in its
core." For it responds, "Yes" or "No." It asserts, "This is my body." It feels
the five sensations. It is conscious in dreams. It does not hunger or eat or act
in deep sleep. It knows when taught.

4. The soul is none of the antahkaranas [the inner faculties or senses]. The
soul does not feel shrouded by egoism. It is cognizant only in conjunction with
the Inner Instruments, just as the king knows the state of affairs through his
ministers. Similar is the relation of the soul with the five planes of
experience, too.

5. The senses perceive and carry impressions of external objects to the mind.
But they cannot know themselves; nor do they know the soul. The soul perceives
through the senses and the mind. But similarly, it cannot know itself or God. It
is the Divine Grace that activates it, just like a magnet activates iron.

6. If [God] is knowable, then He is nonreal; if unknowable, He does not exist.
Therefore, the wise of the world say that He is neither of the two, but the
Supreme Reality, both knowable and unknowable. [This version is from Mariasusai
Dhavamony's Love of God According to Saiva Siddhanta, who renders this sutra and
the next more adequately.]

7. Before Being, all things are nonexistent; hence, Being does not know
[nonbeing]; nonbeing does not exist, so it cannot know [Being]. Therefore, that
which knows both [Being and nonbeing] is the soul, which is neither Being nor
nonbeing [Dhavamony].

8. When the soul is sufficiently advanced in tapasya (spiritual discipline), the
Supreme Lord comes in the form of a divine master. He instructs the soul: "O
Soul, thou hast fallen into the hands of the hunters [the senses]; growing up
among them, thou hast forgotten the Lord, who is thy very core. Awake!" The soul
wakes up to Reality, renounces all attachments to the senses. It devotes itself
unreservedly and uniquely to Hara and attains His Blessed Feet."

9. The Lord cannot be seen by carnal eyes, by the senses. The eye of knowledge
must open. Thought must fix in it. Bondage of the lower nature must be left off
as a mirage. Then the soul finds shelter in God. To attain this blissful state,
the soul should meditate upon the mantra Namah Sivaya.

10. Siva is one with the soul. The soul must merge its individuality, become one
with Him and do His Will; then there shall be no stain of maya and karma left in
its immaculate self.

11. The soul sees and enables the eye to see. Even so, Hara sees, knows and
enables the soul to see and know. The soul, by ceaseless devotion (love),
attains the feet of Hara.

The best the vedas came up with was the 'thou art that. Meykandar went further
and clarified 'tat' as Siva. For this we are indebted to him. No more ambiguity.
Now you know why we call it siddhanta.

You can share with me you dreams and I can share with you my visions. We all
accept the 'reality' of dreams because all of us have experienced dreams during
sleep even though there is no way to prove it to another. When we are asleep,
with all the sense organs are shut off, and we experience a dream, that is a
fact of the existence of soul. The dream is received and processed by the barely
functioning mind. When awake we remember our dreams indicating that it has been
recorded in the subconscious as a memory.

One can tell me their dream in vivid detail but there is no way for me to verify
or corroborate it, that one has indeed had a dream and what the substance of the
dream was, and what was the hermeneutic interpretation of the dream was. It is
not possible to verify another's dream unless we have the same dream which is an
imposibility. But we accept that dreams are possible and take a person's word
for it. It is accepted as a testimony.

Likewise with visions. Having a vision is almost exactly like having a dream,
except that it is in the waking conscious state and not during sleep state. Here
too the sense organs are temporarily shut off and the mind at a standstill.
Another difference between dreams and visions is that there is (usually) no need
for any hermeneutic interpretations, for visions are direct cognitions of
another Reality. We perceive it directly, and enjoy the effects of it. For
example it like seeing another sun in the sky in the waking conscious state -
two suns at the same time, something that can be repeatedly seen at different
times, on different days, experienced repeatedly as often as we want to. This is
very unlike a dream. There is nothing to interpret except to simply recognise
that reality of two suns. A vision would be something like that except that it
is in the meditative/worship state experiencing the inner reality and not the
outside physical world.

Most people have dreams most of the nights except that most do not remember it
upon waking. Therefore they say they only experience dreams occasionally. This
is not true. What is true is that they don't remember.

Anyone who can dream can have a vision. But we hardly hear of people saying they
have had visions, and so we conclude that visions are rare and only experienced
by rare spiritual souls, rarely.

Well, this is even more untrue. Most people have visions most of the time in the
waking as well as after the deep sleep state. It is just that they do not
recognise it! It is because of this non recognition that we find it hard to
accept the 'reality' of visions. While all of us accept the reality of having
dreams most people cannot accept the possibility of having visions, though both
cannot be 'proved'. This is itself illogical, and such statements of having
visions are met with disbelief.

So how do we corroborate dreams and visions? A Belgian friend asked if I
meditate and I replied, 'yes, in the morning'. Then he asked me, 'is it before
brushing your teeth or after brushing your teeth'. This question immediately
told me that he indeed was a meditator. I replied, 'before brushing my teeth',
and with this he immediately recognised that I was an established meditator. We
recognised each other, and we both knew more or less where each other stood. To
his statement that he practiced mantra meditation I replied I did 'light and
sound'. Thereafter concord, harmony and deference followed.

For those on the path, this is how we recognise a testimony, as only another
knower would know it, and all others are excluded from this knowledge. Another
person present in that discussion thought we listen to background music while
meditating and offered to lend me his CDs on buddhist chants! This is the
'criteria to verify a testimony'. It would be impossible for one to convince
another about dreams if that other person has never ever experienced one
himself. Likewise with visions.

So we see things differently; chandra (moon), surya (sun), the warm glow of
soma, infinite energy, agni the fire that gives no heat - all these things means
different to us. To the rest they just chant 'agnim ille purohitam..''
mindlessly. It may interest you to know that when we speak of 'that' or 'tat',
all of us whether hindus, buddhists, taoists, christians, etc - exclusively call
it shiva, not kuan yin, nirvana or anything else. No other word can be used
to describe it adequately. It is a state as well as a Being that is very alive,
and of infinite energy. No other diety that we know of quite corresponds to what
we are trying to mean. Ganesha, Muruga and any other dieties just does not quite
'fit' this Being. Meykandar must have experienced that, and clearly identified
'tat' as Siva. It is for this we are in gratitude and recognise his greatness
too, over and above the vedas.

It is for this reason that teachers of the past formulated traditions like
chariya, kriya and yoga, so that the people can train themselves to be open to
receive metaphysical dreams and remember it, and experience visions during the
awake state. These are practices to shutoff the mind, shutoff the instinctive
and intellectual mind, shut off the subconscious, release the sub of that
subconscious, shut the sense organs, and recognise the inner reality. When one
is stable in these practices, having a vision is as routine as having dreams
during sleep.

Time and Space are the axis of the room that provides a three-dimentional
experience, with past, present and future. If one is living in a sealed room
right from birth, one cannot know what is outside, and the laws that apply
there. We cannot know if there is time and space or whether the room is
free-falling in a vacuum. One can only speculate. Outside time-space there are
no points of reference; we cannot say we are standing still, or falling, because
there is no fixed point of reference. We cannot say something exists or does not
exists; we can only say something in relation to something else, relative to
something. Outside time-space 'there is no something else'. Anything that we
rationalise about the period prior to creation (or time-space) is guessing or
postulating. We are applying laws of the room to the realm outside the room. All
that we can firmly say is that, 'we do not know' - naam ariyom.

Why stop at rationalisations? Why not go further, higher, to corroborate? Here
only an experiencer can tell us of it. It would be his testimony of his
experiences. Siddhanta accepts all avenues of information, more so those of
Sivajnanis - knowers of Siva.

Logic and rationale can only supply standards. "The agamic method is of
proceeding from facts of experience to general principles and in saiva
philosophy, experiences includes yogic vision obtained by spiritual
illumination, which may be regarded even as the higher type of intuition." (The
Saiva School of Hinduism by S. Shivapadasundaram, Victoria College, Jaffna,
1934). Wisdom says we have to corroborate our reason with testimonies by
jivanmuktas. These testimonies are experiences of being outside the room.

Consider another way of looking at the solution, the yogic way, and what past
and currently living jivanmuktas have shared with me is this:

1. In the White Light
Here the meditator goes into a realm where there is a brilliant white light
pervading everywhere. He has consciousness of himself and the White Light, and
nothing else. He is not aware of his body, mind or the world. Only two things
remain - his awareness and the white light. Its a duality.

2. In the Dark Inner Space
Next, from the realm of the white light the experiencer moves into another realm
where there is what we call the Dark Inner Space pervading everywhere. It looks
like the physical outer space above the stratosphere but this is inner, within
us, and it is dark. The meditator has consciousness of himself and this Dark
Inner Space and experiences deep peacefullness. He is not aware of his body,
mind or the world. Only two things remain - his awareness and the dark endless
space. Its a duality.

3. In the Golden Light
Next, the experiencer moves from the realm of the dark inner space into another
realm where a yellow-golden light is experienced. It is not really a 'move' from
one realm into another but rather the realm of the dark inner space transforms
into this Golden Light pervading everywhere. It is formless form. The meditator
has consciousness of himself and this Golden Light. He is not aware of his body,
mind or the world. All these things cease to exist. Only two things remain - his
awareness and the golden light. Its a duality.

4. Entering the Golden Light
Next, the experiencer 'moves' from merely being aware of the golden light to
entering it, or, becoming the golden light. This is a transition phase, where
the consciousness of the experiencer merges into the golden light. He is only
aware of the merging.

5. Becoming the Golden Light
Next, the transition is complete, and the experiencer has become the Golden
Light. He is the Golden Light. He has lost awareness of his own personal
consciousness. There is no duality. Only One Thing exists in this realm. The
experiencer sees himself as All, has all knowledge and bliss, but no power.

6. Entering the Nothing
Next, the experiencer as the Golden Light, moves or transforms, into The
Nothingness. There is no duality. He is only aware of himself as
the golden light entering another dimension and becoming The Nothing. This is another
transition phase really.

7. Becoming the Unknown
Next, the experiencer 'moves' from experiencing The Nothing to merging into the
Nothing and becoming what we call as The Unknown. Nothing is describable in this
state. It cannot be said if anything exists or does not exists.

State 6 & 7 is what we term as parasiva, parabrahman, atattva (beyond the 36
tattvas). Buddhists call state 6 as nirvana. The relationship cannot be
described, (if there is one, that is) except as not two.

State 3, 4 & 5 is what we term as satchitananda, parashakti, Siva or Saguna
Brahman, tattva 1 & 2. Oneness and twoness is experienced here.

Nowhere in any book to date has the parasiva state been described in two stages,
like above.

When the experiencer 'returns' to normal consciousness and the mind begins to
stir and become alive again, it is only the 'aftermath of the experience' that
is remembered, but is not fully explainable.

How do we know if this was made up or a fake. Check any veda, upanishad or agama
and you will not find any such knowledge there. Only living jivanmuktas can
describe all these stages with such clarity, precision and exactitude. And this
is the first time something such as this this has been published in the public
fora.

Or, show this to any jivanmukta and he may confirm its accuracy. I have
confirmed this with 'more than two' living jivanmuktas, men and women, Indians
and Chinese, Hindus and Buddhists, more than a thousand times, over decades. It
cannot be corroborated otherwise, as siddhanta deals with those realms that
transcends the mind. Otherwise it would be like convincing one about the reality
of dreams when that person has never had a dream in his entire life.

While the rest of the world can rationalise and speculate on these issues, we
know it for a certainty, as clear as the sun rises each morning, and corroborate
it directly with the Diety daily. Because thats what we do daily; corroborate it
each morning.

But it remains that these testimonies overrides any rationalisations of the mind
that we discussed above, as it deals with areas beyond the realms of the mind,
in the realm of tattvas 1 to 5.

The point here in this testimony is that it reconfirms the non-dual
relationship, the threefold relationship of God and soul, the final siddhanta,
that 'thou art Siva'.

One can read the geography of a place, rationalise about it, but its better to
have it confirmed by one who has visited the place. All of our rationalisations
must be corroborated and verified by experiencers and not remain mere
intellectual gymnastics on documents.

This would be my final in this series for the moment. Is there anyone who wishes
to rebut it?

Until such time, this stands as the final siddhanta - monistic, theistic,
advaita isvarapada, the siddhanta of Tirumular and Meykandar. There are no other
philosophies and religions in the world today; what remains existing in the mass
mind are illogics as well as that commonly known as 'myths, superstitions and
faiths'.

Regards.

Pathma

For easy reference these are the records that has to be dealt with.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27352

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27639

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27668

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27701

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27745

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27778

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27819

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27832

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27868

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27887

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27909

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/27921

Learning the TRUTH and Gaining Moksa

TRUTH is something objectively there in the world accessible to all and as deathless. Because of this any culture that organizes itself as for seeking TRUTH also becomes DEATHLESS. The social philosophy promoted is also one of EQUALITY where no one is denied accessing and enjoying the TRUTH that hovers in the horizon as belonging to all. The TRUTH is NOT trapped inescapably in any of the scriptures or the mind of the messiahs. The Tamil culture has disallowed this enslavery of the mind and this is the secret of its survival and which we realize now in that it is one of the most ancient cultures of the world that still survives with a vitality of its own. When a culture is founded upon TRUTH, everything on the way can be thrown out and new insights installed and thus the culture maintained with CONTINUITY amidst even fundamental changes.

It is quite amazing that what Appar declares as the essence of Metaphysical Life as distinct from the religious life of fanaticism and hatred was also declared by Suruppak around 3000 BC and in a language that is quite clearly Tamil: nig-nam kal-kal-en nig-a me kal-kal (nikaznam kalkaliyen nikavee mey kalkal) i.e. learning should be the learning of TRUTHS and that this will be realized if one studies the great happenings around.

This is NOT religion in the typical sense of the word for what is promoted is LEARNING and a FREEDOM of the mind that comes along with it and which is NOT something that would be condoned by any religion. One must escape from the hold of the world religions in order to live a truly Metaphysical Life.

This has been the Metaphysical Way of Life of the Tamils from very ancient times and Appar in the following verse describes it with an unsurpassable elegance and beauty using a metaphor that is most suited.

2(737)
meymaiyaam uzavaic ceytu viruppenum vittai vittip
poymaiyaaG kaLaiyai vaaGkip poRaiyenum n_iiraip paayccit
tammaiyum n_ookkik kaNdu takavenum veeliyidduc
cemmaiyuL n_rparaakiR civakati viLaiyumanRee

Meaning:

One should plough the field of one’s own thoughts so that only TRUTHS are allowed to grow as the crops. Then one should plant the seeds of desires that allow only such crops to grow and when amidst these the crops of falsities grow as well on their own, then one should identify them and remove them from the field. Now as the result there will be the water of LOVE and one should then water the field only with this water so that the plants of truth will grow well. The one should seek out the vision of BEING who is really the GROUND of all and establish ethical boundaries with the resolve not to do anything inconsistent with BEING. Should one live well with these great principles then Sivakati or Moksa will blossom on its own

Comments:
It is really amazing how beautifully and simply Appar manages to describe the RIGHT kind of metaphysical existence and which is NOT the typical religious life where there is more mental slavery than anything else. The Metaphysical Life is NOT a religious life but rather life of immense FREEDOM where the person should be after TRUTHS and prepare his mind only for the truths. Appar uses the metaphor of plowing the field and cultivating crops to explain how the metaphysical mind must be cultivated.

Center to all remains the search for TRUTHS as that which must be sought after and hence a hermeneutic scientific way of life. It is NOT a way of life where authorities of Vedas Agamas or such scriptures are accepted and the RIGHT WAY understood as RECITING them with the appropriate intonation contours and so forth and living in accordance with such 'words of God' . There are no recommendations to accept anyone as a MahaGuru, the Jagadacariya or Messiah and become a slave to his dictates.

The right WAY is the way where one searches relentlessly for TRUTH and a willingness to discard any falsities that crop up on the way. It is this way of TRUTH that by the illuminations it brings about make the heart also FULL OF LOVE and which in turn nourishes the mind in its search for even deeper truths.

But this search for TRUTH is NOT moving in a blind alley for there is BEING as the foundation of it all and one should seek a VISION of this BEING for it is only in the context of this vision that we know what is RIGHT and what is WRONG and thus manage to establish ethical boundaries where those that OUGHT NOT be done are put aside. What is RIGHT is what is consistent with BEING and what is WRONG are those which are inconsistent with BEING.

The soul becomes a GOOD soul if it happens to live in accordance with these principles and should one continue to live as such, assures Appar, Sivakati or Moksa will blossom on its own.

I have been reading the Ajita Agama recently. It happens to be a few of the first of any agama that has been fully translated into English (and French). This agama calls itself the Ajita Mahatantra or 'The Great Tantra of the Unconquered'. Ajita is a name of Siva.

The agamas deals with temples, pujas, home shrines, temple festivals, life to death sacraments, dikshas, etc - in short our religion in full. We only use the vedas for the mantras and the bakti literature for hymns to be sung in temples and homes. The Hindu religion would be better described as Agama, Agamism or Tantrism rather than 'Hinduism', Vedic religion, or the self-patronising 'sanatana dharma'. Hopefully this word usage catches on, as it makes an impact and captures the fleeting Hindu mind, because what we want is manuals on belief and worship and not speculations. A reading of this agama tells us what all other agamas would be like and hopefully the agamas would be widely studied and quoted after this.

There are 28 saiva agamas and more than 207 upagamas. The agamic worldview is reproduced in the temple; God is king, the temple is his home, and we are its subjects. In the temple, the king is replaced by the Supreme God. The agama is dated 10-12th century (although the oral tradition goes back much further) and refers to Bharata's teachings on music and dance. The language of the agama is classical sanskrit and in verse form. Agama and tantra both means the same thing and is used intercheangeably. Tantra is explained as 'that which gives liberation to souls' (1.115)

The first chapter talks of how the tantras (agamas) came to be. The Ajita is a dialogue between Rudra the teacher to Vishnu the questioner and disciple. It is a saasana, command, order, or instructions on worship.

The second chapter talks of creation, the relationship of Siva to the other gods, and how exactly the gods are one and the same, yet different murthis (forms). The origin of the Linga is traced in the Ajita to the primordial times when The Unknown appeared as a column of Fire to Brahma and Vishnu. That is related here in chapter two. The Unknown is now known as Sadasiva.

The relationship of the gods is as follows:
Siva emanated Sadasiva as a hypostasis substate. Sadasiva then emanated Mahesvara as a hypostasis substate. Mahesvara then emanated Rudra who emanated Vishnu, who emanated Brahma. All these forms are an hypostasis substate of the one and the same being. Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra are the three major hypostasis of Sadasiva, and all three share the Linga as residence. Rudra is the upper part of the linga, Vishnu is the middle part and Brahma is the lower part. Shakti is the pedestal, sockle or peetha. Therefore three hypostasis is worshipped in the Linga.

Because they are hypostasis substates, to say that Vishnu is Siva is correct, to say that Shakti is Siva is correct, to say that Vishnu created the world is correct, likewise the other dieties. In the same way our soul pervades and animates our physical body, in that same way our soul is animated by Brahma, who is animated by Vishnu, who is animated by Rudra, who is animated by Mahesvara, who emanated from sadasiva, which emanated from siva.

It is those who are not familiar with this understandings that create unnecessary rivalries, besides the different usage of terminology and names coumpounds the misunderstandings. That said, there are the different saiva, vaishnava and shakta agamic traditions, each of which must be fully observed as that tradition dictates, without any dilution or mishmashing. The agamas commands it. The Ajita is a full and complete singular stand alone document, and any temple can be based on just this one agama only, without referring to other agamas. By this one agama alone, Hinduism can be perpetuated for eternity.

The Ajita clearly mentions the linga is a 'sign' (cihna) of Sadasiva. There is no sexual connotations to the Linga, no sexual symbolism, as the translator himself vouches, that it is a 'serious error'. The Linga is clearly distinguished from all other figurative forms called murthis. Murthis are emanation of Mahesvara, just like Vishnu and Rudra.

The amorphic linga represents the sat-asat whereas the anthropomorphic other dieties represent the Personal gods. Wherever the linga is present, that place becomes a temple, and the central garbha, and all other dieties becomes the entourage dieties. Those are the rules. One cannot have a temple and have the linga as a surrounding entourage diety, even if it is, say, Nataraja or Dakshinamurthi as the main murthi, as it makes no sense. This agama makes a clear distinction between murthis and the linga. The linga is not a murthi; its a sign, mark, emblem, of the the supreme. So we have the linga, and murthis - both of which are worshipped in Hinduism. To take note that Siva is not sat-asat (manifest-nonmanifest) whereas Sadasiva is sat-asat. Therefore Siva cannot be represented by anything, not even a sign. However nobody takes the trouble to make these kinds of distinctions in casual discussions.

In philosophy the Ajita is thoroughly monistic and theistic. Siva is the efficient and material cause. Creation is real. It is emanation. Only the Real emanates from the Real. There is arising from, and merging back into.

Very little is mentioned of devotees but only mentioned as yajamana or kartar. Puja is explained as 'to honour'. In the vedic religion, the specialists are the brahmins, the authors of the kalpa sutras. In the agamas, the specialists refers to gurukal, acharya or desika, not brahmins. However it mentions that the desikar lets the brahmins chant some mantras during certain times. The desikars does not bother to chant it but conduct the puja while the chanting goes on.

Women are mentioned in the service of the temple; as rudrayatanayosit, who are responsible for the preparation of the wicks, oiling, lighting the lamps and transport of the lamps on their heads for the nocturnal waving of lights (aaraatrika). Thus women have a part to play in the temple duties, apart from dancers and musicians, which the Ajita mentions too.

There is no mention of any mantra in the Ajita. It refers to and uses vedic mantras for all its rituals. It simply says, use this or use that mantra without reproducing it at all, indicating that the desika is fully familiar with vedic mantras. Yet it transforms all vedic mantras into tantric mantras by the inclusion of aum, bija mantras (ham, aim, haum, klim, etc), nama,h and svaha.

There is mention of the four varnas in the Ajita but as the translator says, it is suspected to be a later interpolation. Other thirteen whole chapters have been excluded from this edition of the Ajita, as they have been confirmed to be interpolations. Such is an indication of the alterations that have been going on to our shastras.

In 89 chapters comprising 10,000 slokas, making it equal to the four vedas in volume, the Ajita deals with the following;

creation, relationship between Siva and the Gods, how the tantras came about, the natue of Siva, how the linga came about, meaning of linga, types and characteristics of the linga, materials used in making, selection of temple sites, earthworks, worshipping the site-spirit, installing the sundial-gnomon, placing the first bricks, temple sizes and characteristics, wall base, pillars, pedestal, depositing materials in the garbha, installing the linga, ablutions, homas, waving of lights, daily pujas, mudras, abhisegam, milk ablution, substances to be used in pujas, temple pavilions, entourage shrines, installing icons of various gods, circumnambulation, diksha, temple chariot, renovation, purification rites, atonement of faults, pacification of portends, removal of decaying lingas and murthis, swing, krritika and gauri festival, installation of ganesha, skanda, sastha, trident, tower dieties, kestrapala, visnu, sarasvati, surya, durga, jyestha, candesa, brahma, bull, rudra-narayana, installation of murthis of deceased devotees, festivals and sacraments.

It contains charts (snapana), diagrams, illustrations, of mudras and kumdams, measurements and utensils. Thus we see that the Ajita is a manual for priests, temple architects (stapatis) and sculptors (silpis). Chapters 3-89 does not concern the rest of us.

Let us hear what the Ajita Mahatantra says. Quotes from the Ajita Agama:

1.26
The supreme is taught as being the siva and designated by the word brahman. That which is made of the sabda-brahman is traditionally known as sadasiva.

(Sadasiva is akin to what we know as satchitadanda or saguna brahman, which is sat-asat. Siva is neither sat-asat, He is nirguna or parabrahman. From this sat-asat arose Mahesvara (Paramesvara), then Rudra, Vishnu and Brahma who are Personal Dieties whereas Sadasiva is impersonal.

1.27-30
The pranava (is) will be directly the body of Sadasiva, O Janardana. The god of gods, sadasiva is the cause of everything. The supreme Siva is established as his cause, and is told to be supreme, as his nature is beyond mind and speech. Therefore that which is the (material) cause is traditionally known here as only Siva. Sadasiva is the agent, sustainer and supreme Lord. From him is born Mahesvara from whom I, Rudra (am born). From me you (are born) and from you Brahman, the grandfather of the world.

1.31-33
Having thus arisen (samutpanna) from (supreme Siva), this eternal root-diety (muladeva) Lord Sadasiva, extending his grace to Mahesa and other Lords of the world, thus ready to realise the properity of the whole world, through us, bearing five faces, with five mouths uttered the whole mass of books, vedas, etc.

(Note the reference to 'arisen', one emanating/arising from the other. Also note the reference to root-diety indicating all dieties arise/emanate from him. The reason for creation is suggested here.)

1.115
It spreads (tan) the vast subject matter based on essences and formula; it gives salvation (traa) to souls; therefore it is called tantra.

2.1-2
Only that one who is Siva, superior to all, stable, supreme soul, great lord, whose form is existence, consciousness and felicity, who is free from existence and non existent manifestations (sat-asat), who is all pervading, only him is named by the sages with the word brahman.

2.13-17
This Lord (Siva) is all that. There is nothing different from him. He is the material cause, the mahat and the ahamkara, the tanmatras of sound, touch,....the five (elements) earth, ....etc with the soul, raga, maya, vidya, kala, niyati, etc, know him as sadasiva in the form of Siva.

2.17-21
Only him can be the Lord. He is I (Rudra) and you (Vishnu). He is the god, i.e. Brahman etc., the Creators, Kasyapa etc. He is the seven sages, Moon and Sun, Lords of planets. He is the king of gods (Indra), Kuberam Varuna, Yama, Agni, Nagesa (Adisesa) Nirrti, Vayu, Isanam all the chiegs of Ganasm the eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, other excellent gods and demons, the eight fold celestial species, the five fold animal one and the human one. Siva is told to be the universe.

(Note the reference that He is also the material cause).

2.22-25
The four vedas with their secret (sections, upanishads) speak of him.

2.28-30
Without his worship, with any other (rite) there is no benefit for embodied souls.

(Note the reference to 'embodied souls. Souls are actually embodied - sariraka, not an illusion of bondage.)

2.30-32
Someone sometimes is entitled to perform inner worship (meditation); those who have little knowledge are entitled to perform external worship (temple worship). Being aware of that this, lord of gods, Siva, who stands inside everything, who (desires) to extend his grace to all and gives creatures experience and liberation, this Siva became Sadasiva. whose body is manifested as the five brahma (mantras).

(Those who are not familiar with meditation should pursue temple worship. These are alternative methods to liberation but not mutually exclusive.)

2.33-38
From him (sadasiva) was born Isvara, the origin of all the (manifested) gods, free from decline. From (Isvara) I was born and from me you (Vishnu), the teacher of the universe. From you, in the lotus of your navel, sprung forth Aja, the grandfather of the world. The consciousness who inhabits Siva should be celebrated as Maya. Others (call her) Root principle (of matter)". She also stands in a relation of material cause and effect in five bodies. Hear her establishments. From her (is born) the diety Manonmani related to Sadasiva. From (Manonmani) is born Gauri related to Mahesvara. From (Gauri) is born Uma who is mine, she should be Bhavapriya. From (Uma) is born Padma who is related to you, Vishnu. And from (Padma) is born Vani related to Brahman.

2. 38-41
The whole universe entirely is created by Brahman, protected by you (Vishnu) and destroyed by me (Rudra). Thus a relation of material cause and effect is established in us. the nature of body of Siva is told to be in Sadasiva, etc., The nature of material cause is unique and established only in him. This undecaying Sadasiva is worshipped in the Linga, by us, led by Mahesvara and by all the creatures in the world.

3. 1-2
That which is the sign of the soul, i.e., a cause of manifestation of the soul, such a sign for Sadasiva is traditionally known as Sivalinga.

(Sadasiva is the cause of the manifestation of the soul, and the linga is a sign that the soul manifested/arose from siva).

3.14-17
Because all the elements go (ga) to reabsorbtion (li) [in him] at the time of destruction and spring forth (ga) [from him], for this reason he is called Linga. When linga is worshipped, all the gods are worshipped.

(A clear reference to all elements merging into, and then issueing forth from Him.)

4.22 (Sites unfit for installing a Linga)
Where stones and gravels are seen in huge quantity, where candalas, pilindas etc stayed for long periods.

4. 24
The linga installed in the brahma-sthana ( ie. in the centre of the village) will bring good to brahmins and kshatriyas.

11.2-3 (On fire ritual oblations)
Siva standing in the linga receives the worship, standing in the fire (agni homa fire ritual and offering of oblations in fire) takes the offering. Siva is absolutely unique. Therefore, in both Siva is the same. Considering this, one should worship Siva in the Linga and in fire, with effort.

(The reference to linga worship and Agni worship in the homa fire ritual as one and the same thing.)

50.2-5
Skanda is born from my body. He has my energy, my valor. He was created by me formerly as son of Uma, good for the world. He is also born of fire. Therefore the fire origin is told of him. So that, among the best of the gods, he does not have birth from a womb. In the course of time he became a god with a manifest body, shining like the blazing fire at the end of the world.

50.6-8
Therefore he is called Born of fire, Born of reed, Skanda, Kumara, Senani, Subrahmanya, Guru. He is called by all these and other numerous names. Because he will cause jumping (skand) out of all sins, he is Skanda. Because he will destroy (maar) evils (ku) he is well known as Kumara. Because he protects the army of gods he has the quality of army-leader.

(Su-brahma-nya means 'of the great brahman')

89.1-3
I will tell the purification of the places. Listen O Lord of Kamala. If a women in her courses, one recently delivered, a man born of adultery, an outcaste, a despised one, a barber, a washerman, a dog, (a donkey), a cock, a bird of prey, a vulture enter in the temple by mistake (the desika) should perform a purification of the place in the beginning, then perform a sprinkling ceremony... (text missing).

Pathma

Let me share a very inspiring verse from the yajur veda about Murugan, the translation is so telling of events in the three worlds in the distant past, of the reasons for the creation of a Preserver and Great Guide, by the Creator of the Gods, His Father.

This mantra comes under Krishna Yajur Veda, Arunakandam ( Surya namaskaram ) 1st prasnam, 12th anuvakam, 58th panjathi (also Taittiriya Aranyaka 1.12).

Om nigrushvaira samaayuthaihi
kaalair harithvamaapannaihi
indhraayaahi sahasrayuk
agnir vibraashti vasanaha
vaayusvEtha sikadhrukaha
samvathsarO vishoovarNaihi
nithyaasthE nu cha raasthava
subrahmaNyOgm subrahmaNyOgm SubrahmaNyOm

Om. Afflictions and miseries mounted
And surrounded all, in all three worlds,
Disunity prevailed, harmony was nowhere to be found,
Destruction raged everywhere,
Erupting forth everywhere like fiery rays from the sun.
Even Indra, the Conqueror, with thousands of devas,
And Agni, in a blazing fury, highly vexed,
Though dressed in armour, ready to fight,
Were soon fleeing like the wind to they knew not where,
Their unbound hair streaming out behind them.
Then did our supreme Lord Siva emanate a Child
Of splendour unsurpassed,
Of golden features, exceedingly handsome,
Here to abide and rule forever.
We now praise Him in a voice like thunder!
Om Subrahmanyogm, Subrahmayogm, Subrahmanyom.

Pathmarajah

[This message has been edited by Pathmarajah (edited July 07, 2007).]

Morbid Sexuality Blinds the Soul

The moral sense whereby we intuit that a certain action is ethical and some others not so is seen as a strong cord with which BEING binds the souls so that they do not transgress the ethical values in their social existence. This is also a help to enable them to move in the Right Way in their metaphysical Odyssey. BEING stands one-with all the souls and when a certain action is effected then BEING provides a feedback as to whether that action is in the direction of Moksa or not. That which is so is felt as the Right, the PuNNiyam and that which is contrary and causes the FALL is felt as evil the Paavam.

This is the Ethical Theory of Saivism and which is as ancient as Sumerian times where the many incantation texts outline this theory quite clearly and where even such technical terms as pab is also seen to occur.

But this is the case only with the normal individuals. However when such individuals are taken over by morbid sexuality and become abnormal and where the sexual desires become devilish and hence very oppressive, the individual loses all the balance. Blinded by such passions and morbidity, they become supremely insensitive to the ethical values and continue in their sexual fantasies enjoying morbid pleasures like a dog gets chewing the fleshless bones.

Such a life is non-productive of real joys and useless like seeking to get milk by milking the bulls instead of the cows.

It is extremely foolish but the power of morbid sexuality is such that it pulls the person into a world of sexual fantasies where no genuine joys of whatever kind are available.

87
tii Vinai nal Vinai enum van kayiRRaal intac
ciivarkaLai aaddukinRa teevaa naayeen
eevinai neer kaN madavaarmaiyaR peeyaal
idar uzantum calippinRi ennee innum
naavinai enpaal varuntic curaNdukinRa’
naaykkum nakai toonRa ninRu nayakkinReen
aavinai viddu erutu karantiduvaan cellum
aRivilikkum aRiviliyeen aan eeRee

Meaning>

O my Lord, the Bull! You have bound all the souls with the strong rope of the ethical values of right and wrong to help them out in their metaphysical journey. But dog-like individuals like me are blinded with excessive sexual passions and spend all the time in various kinds of sexual fantasies of young females of seductive looks and this despite various kinds of severe and very painful sufferings. I persist in such fantasies tirelessly like a dog that chews the bare bones and derives some pleasure. I continue to desire such females even to the mocking glances of such dogs. I realize that such efforts of mine are like milking out the bulls instead of the cows, a task that is not only foolish but also totally misplaced. I am just very foolish unable to benefit by all the help You provide and all because of my morbidity.

Hinduism is a supernatural and magical religion. Hindus invoke the gods, and honor the gods, and in that process seek liberation, an end to the separation of the soul and god. The magics' are in the mantras, tantras and yantras, and every Hindu is a shaman, occultist, whether he knows it or not.

In both philosophy and practice, Hinduism as it is today, is based on the agamas, with the veda samhitas as supplementary texts. Three hundred and twenty agamas and over a thousand upagamas cover every aspect of our religious and spiritual live. Some agamas are as large as the Quran (6,000 verses) and some are five times the size of the Bible (20,000 verses). In this we are rich. From temples to home altars, pujas, first feeding, ear piercing to death and ancestor worship, festivals and holy days and temple chariot pulling, initiations, fasts and other observances, why, even the sizes and crafting of homa ladles, yak-hair fans, etchings on the conch, flags and banners, - all these, the A to Z of Hinduism is dictated by the Agamas. It has its myths, but which are quite different from itihasa and puranic myths. In philosophy too the agamas provides its own, specific and clarified, nothing to do with the upanishads. It does not depend on any schools of thought, vedanta or otherwise. We are Agamists. We are Tantriks. To this we supplement with vedic mantras, enchanting samhitas and soul moving bakti hymns that are pleasing to the gods, songs that convey our deepest affections.

In the same way the vedas supplement the central agamas, the shastras, and the saints, sages and sat gurus, supplement the temples. The temples are the central pillar of Hinduism, the source of all shastras, religious and spiritual life, and culture. The core of Hinduism is the agamas, and the core of the agamas are the temples, and the core of temples is the diety. Everything else in Hinduism are at its remote fringes.

The mantra is the basic tool for the inner religious experience of the presence of god. The worshipper by enunciation of the mantra, experiences the presence of the living diety in the murthi of the temple and may have a personal exchange, from soul to soul, with the diety, to perform his worship. It is an interaction between a bonded soul occupying, pervading and animating a physical body, and a supreme soul, God, occupying, pervading and animating a murthi. There are tools to arrive at this interactive communicative inner experience; the tools being mantra recital, imagination and dhyana.

"Like the ocean, the king is the recipient of all valuables." (Kadambari)

This state of kings is also transferred to the temple, which is the seat of magnification of all arts and culture. They include architecture, sculpture, painting, singing, music, dances, language, literature, hymns, rituals, mudras, yantras, garland making, flower decoration, costuming, perfumery, and cuisine.

All that is performed in the world involves a communication, an exchange between living, conscious beings, the subject and the king, for instance. The worship, as a sublimated form of this transaction, is an interaction between the conscious worshipper and the conscious, living god, not with the stone statue or any other material object of worship. The presence of the diety is achieved through ritualistic action, on one side, and through the inner experience of the worshipper on the another. In the temple, that is achieved by the worshipper, at the time of his perception of the presence of god.

Every act of the worshipper implies the presence of the diety in the statue, and in the mind of the worshipper. Worship is the aspiration of the worshipper to suppress the separation of himself from the object of worship. The worshipper works at amalgamating his self with the supreme self. The ultimate stage in worship is the identification of the worshipper and the diety, the same state as in that of meditation. As a step towards that unity, the worshipper recreates himself as an 'effigy of god'. In the Bhagavata (which I recently trashed for different reasons), god is a mirror who sends back to the worshipper the sublimated image he has worked out.

"Not for himself does this Lord (Narasimha) desires honor from an ignorant creature.....Any honor, which the creature extends to the Sovereign Lord, is for himself, like the beauty made up on the face extended to the mirror." Bhagavata 7.9.11

(Note the reference to 'ignorant creatures'. That means us, or you!)

The supreme is characterised as inaccessible to senses, speech and mind, making contemplation and worship impossible. Therefore the supreme makes himself accessible, through accessible hypostases substates. In the Ajita the primary (mula) hypostasis is Sadasiva, and from this, several more hypostasis substates, each of which has been identified and named as a god, each with a specific name and form, and specific functions. Each of these 'Gods' has a separate existence but without altering the essence from which they emerged from. Each of these 'Gods' is a metaphysical murthi (form) who inhabits the physical murthi in the temple. Hindus worship the metaphysical murthi, in the physical murthi, in the temple.

The three major hypostases are Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra, and this inseparable triad shares the Linga as residence. All other murthis are placed ritually around the linga as ancilliary murthis, or entourage dieties, for the king is never alone.

We explain 'hypostasis substates' by the anology of light, which at different frequencies appears as a spectrum of colors. Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra and Mahesvara would be akin to the different colors, with sadasiva as the undifferentiated light. There are no colors without the light. Whereas the other gods (Ganesha, Skanda, Hanuman, etc) are the different emanations of the same light, such as radiation, magnetism, alpha, beta and gamma waves. The other gods do have a birth and separate existence, just like souls, but all of whom will be eventually dissolved at mahapralaya by and into the Agent of Dissolution.

The staff of the temple is called the desika, acharya or gurukal, all signifying 'perceptor'. The assistants are called murtipa (protector of the murthi), putraka, sadhaka and hotri (oblator) when performing the homa. All of them are qualified by various dikshas. Today we call the priests as gurukkals, and the assistants as pandarams.

Dikshas are open to all men and women and there is no restrictions, making it spiritually an egalitarian religion. The agamas are varna free. The basic samaya diksha empowers one to conduct daily pujas in the home shrine which is a miniature temple, as a daily sadhana of the initiated, and chant mantras in japa. All temple desikars who naturally themselves have received the abisheka diksha, are empowered to initiate any person. All others who are not initiated may simply worship in the temple by observing the puja with palms together in reverence, sponsoring an abishegam, etc., and, worship in the home shrine by simply singing any hymns with offerings of flowers and garlands.

Other participants in the temple are the brahmins, who are the professional recitors of the vedas, and the paricarakas who are involved in the preparation of food and the transport of materials and procession apparatus. This is the only part brahmins play in a temple. The acharyas chant the mantras during the main course of the puja, whereas the brahmins chant the vedic slokas during pujas or during a homa, and which is not uttered by the acarya but left entrusted to the professional chanters. Likewise, the professional chanters of bakti hymns, the othuvars, and the temple dancers, have a part to play during the puja.

Women, referred to in the Ajita as 'slaves of Rudra', are to prepare the lamps and wicks, transport them on their head to the main shrine, oil them, light them and pass it to the desika for the nocturnal waving of the lamps. Music and conch blowing is mandated during pujas.

The simplest worship is gandhaadyair archayet - synonymous expression, 'to worship with sandal paste, etc'. This involves putting a little sandal paste on the icon, offering a flower, showing burning incense, waving the lamp with ringing of bell, offering a spoonful of water, while uttering a mantra of that Diety. This rite is executable in one minute, and it answers to the idea of satisfying all the divine beings. This would be the minimum daily worship sadhana for a Hindu.

Apart from pujas to the murthis the Ajita explains in detail worship through homa (fire ritual) and kalasam (an arrangement of water pots with coconut and mango leaves on top, representing the body of the various gods). Both these rituals create the presence of the diety there, and which 'charged' water in the pot is later transferred to the murthi by way of ablutions, which transfers the divine presence to the murthi. Both the homa and kalasam worship is a duplicate of the murthi worship, yet it is stressed as indispensable for certain ceremonies, but not for the daily worship of the murthi. So we know that a 'temporary temple' can be established anywhere just by conducting a homa, or kalasam worship. These rituals have the intent to create or recall the presence of the diety as a living conscious being, in the murthi, in the homa-fire, or in the kalasa water-pot.

Presence of the diety is a prerequisite for worship. This is established by invoking and 'placing' the diety in a particular spot with a rite of touching with darbha grass, 'looking' at a spot, or sprinkling water at a spot while uttering a mantra. The purpose is to render an inert unconscious spot fit for a conscious, living being to manifest therein. In elaborate ceremonies, the sprinkling gives way to ablutions of water, milk and other substances on the murthi while chanting mantras to permanently establish the presence of the diety. The living diety remains latent in the murthi all day, and is reinvoked or enlivened each day. The Ajita calls this, the re- 'apparition', to explain the rite of daily re-enlivening.

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami says, 'a desika, by the power of his training, can turn a tree into a temple, and a stone into a diety'.

The Ajita is listed as the fifth agama, suggests it is an important one.

More Quotes from the 'Great Tantra of the Unconquered' - the Ajita Agama

2.26-27
In the saiva tradition Siva is known as free from beginning, middle and end, free by nature from the stain-entity, powerful, omniscient, endowed with plenitude, non limited by directions of space, times, etc., beyond the range of speech and mind, free of manifestation, without action, all pervading, always seeing everything.

(Note the mention of 'saiva' tradition, indicating and accepting implicitly the existence of other traditions.)

3.2-3
Sadasiva, the unchangeable, great god, cause of all causes, is the origin of that entity (Mahesvara) who is the origin of me (Rudra), origin of you (Vishnu).

(Note the difference in the nature of siva and sadasiva which becomes important in philosophy, and in understanding the oneness and distinctions of the different gods.)

26.2 (Ethymology of the word mudra)
It gives joy to the gods and drives away the demons. The word mudra tells the fact to have the properties of rejoicing and driving away.

26.3-66 mentions forty mudras to be used in worship.

30.11-15
By worshipping the Linga one time, a mortal obtains the fruit of all rituals, penances, gifts, pilgrimages, etc...There is no meritorious action equal to the worship of the Linga in the three worlds, O Hari. As no limit of the vast sky is seen anywhere, in the same way there is no limit to the merit issued from the worship of the Linga. It alone is told to give experience of higher worlds and liberation. By the force of the process of worshipping the Linga of Siva who is everything, Brahman, Vishnu and others obtained the status of god of gods.

(obtaining the status of gods: reference to origin of linga mythology).

49.2-10 (The birth of Vinayaka)
Once, when I was playing with Uma on the bank of the Manasa lake, we saw elephants together with excellent she-elephants playing as they desired on that attractive bank. In this beautiful lake with pleasant animals we took the form of elephants for our enjoyment, and engendered an excellent son with an elephant head with the thought 'we will play with him as we desire', thus told, I did immediately all that I was told. Then after doing elephant play a long time, and thinking of the good of the gods, with desire for the good of the worlds, with Uma, I made this son a chastiser of god's enemies and foremost leader of the forteenfold universe. Therefore his name is heard as Vinayaka "Superior Leader'. I gave him the lordship of eighteen hosts (ganas) and the lordship over obstacles, the lordship of riches and incomparability. Then all the gods led by Indra, for the success of their aim, worshipped him at the beginning of their actions.

(This myth differs sharply from the puranic myth. As agamas are shruti, it supercedes the puranas, and the puranic myths can be dispensed with.)

76.5-7
One should perform (circumnambulation) in an odd number, one, three, five, seven, etc. The circumnambulation done with the number twenty one will be superior...

76.8-9
In performing a circumnambulation one should proceed at a gentle gait, with concentrated mind, placing one's footsteps after seeing, refraining from talking to others, reciting vedic mantras or hymns.

20.269-272 (music during pujas)
During ablutions, when the curtain is removed, at the end of food oblations, during the nocturnal offering of light, the offering of bali-s and in the process of the daily festival (puja) there should be musical instruments, but only the conch at the time of bringing the food oblation, of bringing the betel, of bringing the flowers, eatable and drinkable materials.

Pathma

Attributed to Yajnavalkya (9th century BCE), the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (BU)
is part of Shatapatha BrâhmaNa. In epic literature ashvamedha is referred to as
the sacrifice of a horse which had been sent to roam with three hundred others
to assert the dominance of a monarch in his own realm or beyond. The BU opens
with a beautiful metaphorical interpretation of the ashvamedha. The head of the
sacrificial horse represents dawn (ushâ vâ ashvasya medhasya shirah), its eye is
the sun, its breath is the wind, and so on. Symbolism plays a major role in the
magic of mysticism.

The BU propounds an ex nihilo cosmology: There was absolutely nothing in the
beginning naiveha kimcanâgra âshît. The world is a manifestation of the Supreme
Self. There is also here a reference to the perennial conflict between good and
evil. The BU recognizes the primacy of food. It mentions three realms: One for
living humans, one for departed souls, and one for the gods. It underscores the
importance of prâNa: vital breath. It speaks about the perishable and the
imperishable aspects of Brahman which it describes famously as na iti, na iti
(not-this, not this). This has been interpreted differently by Shankara who
denied the reality to the perceived world, and by Ramanuja who denied the
reality of the world that does not have the Divine at its core.

The BU compares the Brahmin who recites scriptures without knowing their meaning
to the donkey that carries a load of sandalwood without experiencing its
fragrance. It compares the Supreme Self to the hub that holds together all the
gods and worlds and beings. It mentions the esoteric nature of higher truths as
madhu-vidya: honey doctrine. This is a spiritual discipline to meditate on the
Divine as a honeycomb.

This Upanishad states that the mind alone is infinite: anantam vai manah. It
makes the insightful comment that even when a realized person (an eminent one)
dies, his name remains for ever: anantam vai nâma. This is true of all the
greats of history.

It stresses the unknowability of Brahman: One cannot see the Seer of seeing, nor
the Hearer of hearing, nor think the Thinker of thinking, nor understand the
Understander of understanding. It reminds us that if we ask too much about the
Divine, our heads will fall off, meaning perhaps that we will get all confused.
Logic has its limits when it comes to probing the mystery of the Divine. Brahman
dwells in all, is within all, and of whom no being knows. Its body is in all
beings, and it controls all beings from within.

Sometimes the BU is rhetorical. Thus, (Brahman) is not gross or fine, short or
long, glowing red or adhesive, shadow or darkness, air or space; it is
unattached, without taste or smell or eyes or ears or voice or mind or radiance
or breath or mouth or measure. It has no inside or outside. Every definition of
Brahman is inadequate.

The BU explores the notion of the soul which, in the deep sleep state, is the
light of human beings (âtmaivâsya jyotir bhavati). It speaks about it as one in
which there is no father or mother, no worlds of gods or Vedas, no smell, sound
or taste, speech, thought, or knowledge. There is also a statement of the law of
karma. Another passage says that we value people not for what they are but for
the consciousness they embody.

The popular shloka on fullness (pűrNamam adah pűrNam idam...) occurs in the BU.
Here again we also find the view that in the beginning water pervaded the
universe: âpa evedam agra âhuh. There is also a discussion on the power of the
gâyatrî. There are injunctions for obtaining one's wishes, such as a male
progeny.

There are conversations in the BU between sage Yajnavalkya and his wife
Maitreyi, suggesting that women were also involved in discussions on philosophy
and spirituality.

The many Gods are perceived as divine creations of that one Being. These Gods, or Mahadevas, are real beings, capable of thought and feeling beyond the limited thought and feeling of embodied man. So, Hinduism has one God, but it has many Gods.

There are only a few of these Gods for whom temples are built and pujas conducted. Ganesha, Siva, Subramaniam, Vishnu and Shakti are the most prominent Deities in contemporary Hinduism. Of course, there are many others for whom certain rites or mantras are done in daily ceremony, often in the home shrine. These include Brahma, Surya, Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Agni, Chandra, Ayyappan, Hanuman, Mariyamman and others.

The Chandogya Upanishad (CU) is affiliated to the Sâma Veda. The sound of aum
(om) majestically and serenely resonates at the invocation of all Hindu mantras
and prayers, engendering an all-pervasive spiritual peace. The CU begins with
this mystical sound and goes on to expound on this chant (udgîtâ): aum, iti etad
aksharam udgîtham upâsîta: one should meditate on this syllabic chant. [Other
Upanishads also refer to aum, which is regarded as the seed (bîja) of all
mantras.]

Chanting aum is said to be the essence of all chants (sâman). The CU says aum is
the syllable of assent: tad vâ etad anujnâksharam. Thus om implies harmony of
thought. I recall that the Tamil word for yes is âm from om or âmâm from a
repetition of this: om-om.

We read that in the confrontation between devas (gods) and asuras (demons), the
devas got hold of the udgîtha. They meditated on it as nasal breath, as speech,
as the eye, as the ear, as the mind, as oral breath, and vanquished the demons
in each instance.

The CU says that we should meditate on the three syllables of udgîtha as ut:
breath, gî: speech, and tha: food; as ut: heaven, gî: atmosphere and tha: earth;
and also as ut: Sâmaveda, gî: Yajur Deva, and tha: Rig Veda. There are further
expositions of these.

To illustrate how mantras are often repeated by people who know not their
meanings or spiritual significance, the CU introduces a story: When a certain
Baka Dâlbhya went to study the scriptures, he came upon a white dog surrounded
by other dogs which said, "Get us some food by chanting, for we are hungry."
They were asked to come the following morning. They did, and they chanted the
sound of himm. And they said, "aum, let us eat; aum, let us drink; aum, may
Varuna bring us food..." The seers were not without a sense of humor.

The CU gives interpretations of other chants too. It describes the sun as the
honey of the gods, the sky is the cross-beam, and the atmosphere is the
honeycomb. The Vedas are flowers that produces the honey. And so is Brahman.

The CU talks about the value and benefits of chanting the Vedic mantras. Those
who know the cosmic significance of the Vedas reach the world of the Vasus, the
Rudras, the Âdityas, the Maruts, the Sâdhyas, and of Brahmâ, it says.

The Upanishad extols the Gâyatrî mantra, saying it embodies all that has come to
be: gâyatrî vâ idam sarvam bhűtam.

One of the loftiest expressions of the spiritual view of life is to be found in
the CU aphorism, which says that the light in Heaven and in all the worlds is
present in every individual. In another stanza we read: "The atman in my heart
is smaller than a grain or a mustard seed, and is greater than the earth, the
atmosphere, the sky, and all the worlds." It describes the universe as a
treasure chest enclosing everything there is, and adds, "I take refuge in the
imperishable chest," which is a sublime reverential posture of humility.

In the cosmogony of the CU, when the Cosmic Egg broke, one part was silver (the
earth) and one was gold (the sky). It speaks about the esoteric meanings of some
mantras, of prâNa (vital breath), and also of the sexual act. It classifies
living entities as oviparous, mammals, and plants. It classifies the ingredients
of what we eat as becoming flesh, mind, and excretion. Unfortunately, in its
explanation of karma it says that those whose conduct is evil will be born as a
dog, a hog, or a chandala, reflecting the social framework of the age.

There are reflections in the CU on speech, mind, will thought, memory,
happiness, hope, post-mortem states, and much more. The CU also contains the
great saying and insight of Hindu thinkers, tat tvam asi: Thou art that.

Transductive Perceptions (TP) is not Extrasensory
Perceptions(ESP). TP is of two kinds;

1) metaphysical dreams during the sleep state, and,
2) metaphysical visions during the awake state, usually while meditating or
during worship.

Usually over time the first state (1) leads automatically into the second state
(2).

Metaphysical visions itself are also of two variations;

1. visions in the awake state when the eyes are closed, and,
2. visions in the awake state when the eyes are open.

Usually over time the first state (1) leads automatically into the second state
(2).

These different states of experience cannot be induced. It has to happen
automatically, or shall we say, we have to be introduced into it. It has to be
shown to us. And it can happen anytime.

Like many people have had ESP experiences, likewise some people have had TP.
Its then we realise that the earth and the skies are
far more populated, far more crowded, with different kinds of beings of all
shapes, sizes and colors than we thought, beings that we never thought existed,
never thought that they walked the same streets as us, without colliding. Its
two sets of beings sharing the same world, same streets, trees, ponds, rivers,
homes, yes homes, crematoriums, etc., both of them are rarely visible to the
other, and hence both conclude, "it does not exist, there is none, you must be
imagining!".

Temple icon worship begins with the understanding and acceptance of the
existence of such beings, as well as greater beings than that, the gods. Temple
worship with all its rituals, formalises that understanding in stone, for these
beings who may not see us humans, can see the rituals, can see the stone diety
and understand the meanings of it as a form of communication with them, and that
the temple and pujas are the formal place where the communications takes place.

For the same reason fersome looking guardian devas are 'posted' on the four
corners of the temple and outside the garbhas to prevent lower world beings from
entering the temple or harassing the devotees or rituals.

Pathma

This Upanishad is part of what is known as Aitareya ÂraNyaka. Its invocatory
hymn has lines which are promises and a prayer: ritam vadishyâmi, satyam
vadishyâmi, tan mâm avatu: I will speak (only) that which is righteous; I will
speak (only) that which is true; may that protect me. Simple words, but powerful
and of enormous significance, reflecting a sophisticated ethical system where
the promise of adhering to righteousness and truth is linked to divine
protection from any harm.

The cosmology here implies that the world was created by the will of the Divine.
For it says: He (the Supreme Being) thought, "Let me now create the world: (sa
aikshata lokân nu srijâ iti)" Then again, He is said to have created water and
light too. It is very possible that the vast expanse of the seas inspired the
ancient thinkers to imagine the universe to have been filled with water at the
beginning of it all. Thales of Miletus said this also. The idea of light at the
start reminds us of the Book of Genesis (Fiat lux!).

Next, He decided to create guardians for the worlds (loka pâlân). The AU talks
about the creation of gods and cow and horse, and finally the person (purusha).
Then a linkage is established between fire (through speech) and mouth, between
air (through breath) and the nostrils, between the sun (through sight) and the
eyes, between the directions of space (through hearing) and the ear, between
plants and trees (through the hairs) and the skin, between the moon (through the
heart) and the mind, between death (through) the out-breath and the navel,
between water (through semen) and the generative organ.

Next comes the creation of food for the guardians. But purusha could not get
hold of the food through speech. If this had been possible, one would be
satisfied by merely saying food. Purusha could not get hold of the food through
breath. . If this had been possible, one would be satisfied by merely breathing
food. Purusha could not get hold of the food through sight. If this had been
possible, one would be satisfied by merely seeing food. Purusha could not get
hold of the food through hearing. . If this had been possible, one would be
satisfied by merely hearing food. Purusha could not get hold of the food through
the skin. If this had been possible, one would be satisfied by merely touching
food. Purusha could not get hold of the food through the mind. . If this had
been possible, one would be satisfied by merely thinking of food. Purusha could
not get hold of the food through the generative organ. If this had been
possible, one would be satisfied by merely ejaculating. Then he tried to grasp
food apâna (the digestive energy), and succeeded. The idea is that there is more
to all this than our physical bodies and senses. The idea is that there is more
to human life that its physical vital dimensions.

From this and what follows it is clear that these are mystical utterances,
flashes of some profound visions. When these are articulated in the language we
are accustomed to, they may make little sense at all. The AU says cryptically
that the gods are indeed fond of the cryptic (paroksha-priyâ iva hi devâh).

The AU describes the heart and mind as consciousness, perception,
discrimination, intelligence, wisdom, insight, steadfastness, thoughtfulness,
memory, conception, purpose, life, desire, and control. These indeed are the
aspects of awareness. It is clear that this ancient thinker had reflected on
various attributes of the thinking mind. These are surely among the most ancient
formulations of what we call psychology today.

Considered not only as esoteric knowledge, but also efforts to grasp the
complexity of the experienced world, the Upanishads become fascinating works in
the history of ideas. And therein lies their interest and value even in our own
times.

We may picture the Divine as an abstract principle, as the Creator Supreme who
transcends space and time, as one that exists detached from Creation. This is
parabrahman in Hindu vision. Or again, we consider the Divine as involved with
the world, as enmeshed in the Creation. This is called Îsha or Îshvara in the
Hindu framework. This Upanishad speaks about Îsha, and it is therefore named
Isha Upanishad (IU) or Ishopanishad. The alternative term Îshâvâsya means
pervaded by Îsha. Each of the eighteen stanzas in the IU is a known as a mantra.

The invocatory shloka for the IU is pűrNamadah pűrNamidam ... which occurs in
the BU also. This shows the intertwining of the Upanishads which, though
composed by different rishis at different times, have a common connecting
thread.

The IU begins with the word Isha [another reason for its name] by declaring that
everything that moves in this world of motion, is pervaded by the Divine (Isha):
Îshâvâsyam idam sarvam yat kim ca jagatyâm jagat. In other words, the
permeation of the universe by the Divine spirit is what keeps it dynamic. We may
note that the Sanskrit word jagat for the world also means that which is in
constant motion (gacchati iti jagat). In this context, we may recall René
Descartes' phrase in the 17th century to describe the universe: matter in motion
(matičre en mouvement).

It describes the elusive spirit as stationary, yet faster than the mind. The
spirit is always ahead of the senses. It is also incomprehensible to the mind
for it has logically incompatible properties: It moves and it does not move, it
is far and also near, it is inside of everything and also outside of everything.

The IU stresses the importance of commitment to life and work. It says that with
such commitment one can live to be a hundred. It also declares that in the most
enlightened state, one sees all beings in one's own self, and sees one's own
self in all beings. (yas tu sarvâNi bhűtâni atmanyeva anupashyati sarva bhűteshu
ca âtmânam tato na vijugupsate.) The idea is that the enlightened person can see
the unity behind the diversity, the oneness that binds us all. That binding
thread is the universal spirit throbbing in each one of us. Its presence in us
is the core teaching of the Upanishads. This line reminds us of Krishna's
statement in Bhagavad Gita: I am never lost to him who sees me everywhere, and
sees everything in me, nor is such a one lost to me.: yo mâm pashyati sarvatra
sarvam ca mayî pashyati, tasya aham na praNashyâmi, sa ca me na praNasyati.

In another stanza we read that those who venerate ignorance enter a realm of
blinding darkness, but also those who delight in knowledge. How this could be?
The meaning is that intense involvement in everyday things to the exclusion of
spiritual matters (which is the veneration of ignorance) will spell doom
(blinding darkness), but this will also happen if one is totally engrossed in
theoretical spiritual pursuits to the exclusion of matters of worldly
significance. It has been said that the main teaching of this Upanishad is that
one shouldn't separate life in the world from life with the Divine in mind.

There is a beautiful prayer in the IU which asks for the removal of the golden
disk that covers the face of the truth that the seeker loves. Perhaps the seeker
feels that the true nature of the Divine is hidden behind the glamour and
glitter of traditional rites and rituals, icons and names. It is difficult to
see beyond these outward adornments (golden disk), and the prayer is to enable
one to understand the ultimate reality behind all these.

A prayer for the hereafter says: May this life merge with the immortal breath,
and may the body end in ashes (vâyur anilam amritam athedam bhasmântam
sharîram). This mantra is recited to this day as part of the funerary sacraments
in the Hindu world.

The invocation with which the Katha Upanishad (KaU) begins is one of the most
imortant prayers:

sa ha nau avatu - saha nau bhunaktu - saha vîryam
karavâvahai, tejasvi nau adhîtam astu - mâ vidvishâvahai, - Om shântih, shântih
shântih:

May he protect both of us (master and the pupil) - May he rule over
both of us - May we both work with vigor - Let the learning of both of us be
illuminative - May we both not hate each other. Let there be peace! peace!
peace!"

Thrice because one is âdhyâtmika (for within the body); one is
âdhidaivika (for the celestial world) and one is âdhibhautika (for other living
beings in this world).

The KaU is famous for the story of Naciketas. Young Naciketas was once struck by
the meager offerings of his father in a sacrifice and asked to whom the father
would offer him - his son. "To the God of Death," said the angry father, and so
Naciketas went to the abode of Yama where he waited for three days. Yama was so
impressed by the youth that he promised him three boons. First Naciketas wanted
to regain his father's affection, then to know about the secret of the fire
sacrifice. These two were granted. The third boon that he desired was knowledge
of our post-mortem state. This Yama wouldn't grant. Instead, he offered the
young man many wonderful things, including wealth and celestial damsels. But
Naciketas refused all this, and persisted in knowing about after-death.

The dialogue between Yama and Naciketas contains many pearls of wisdom, as
relevant today as when it was composed. We must distinguish between what is good
and what is gratifying, but choose what is good. Yama says. How timely this
insight is in the world of reckless technology wherein we live! Everything done
in the industrialized world is to gratify our immediate needs with little
thought of what could be long-range effects. The KaU says further that often the
ignorant, imagining themselves to be learned and wise, lead others fools, like
the blind leading the blind (andheneva nîyamânâ yathândhâh). How true in the
world of Internet exchanges where much nonsense is spread by half-baked
thinkers! It is remarkable that the phenomenon existed even in ancient times.
The KaU goes on to say that those who teach true wisdom are rare, and those who
can grasp that wisdom are fortunate. Recall that the Upanishads were composed
between 800 and 200 BCE. In the New Testament, which was clearly composed
centuries later, we find the following (Matthew 16:14): "Let them alone: they
be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall
into the ditch."

The sacred syllable of aum is paid homage in this Upanishad. Aum is the word
that all the Vedas declare: sarve veda yat padam âmananti ... aum iti etat. It
is what is uttered in every austerity, the religious aspirant lives for it. It
is the eternal spirit, it is the loftiest goal. One can attain whatever one
wants by knowing it.

The metaphor of the reins and the chariot for the mind and the intellect is
mentioned here. The gradation in the universe leading to the Absolute is
expressed in the KaU as follows: Beyond the senses (indriya) are the sensory
objects (artha); beyond the objects is the mind (manah). Understanding (buddhi)
is even beyond, and still beyond is the great self (âtmâ mahân). Beyond this is
the unmanifest (avyakta), and beyond the unmanifest is the spirit (purushah),
Beyond this is nothing (na kińcit). This probing at various levels reminds us of
the physicist's penetration into the layers of the material world: Beyond the
substance are the molecules, beyond the molecules are the atoms, beyond them are
the nuclei, beyond the nuclei are the quarks, beyond these is the vacuum. That
nothingness, says the KaU Upanishad, should be our final goal (sâ parâ gatih).

This is the third of the Trilogy that were composed by one of the most important women mystic in the world, perhaps a line of women mystics who descended from the tradition of Sumerian women mystics like the great En Hudu Anna. Punitavatiyar more popularly known as the Ghost of Kaaraikkaal composed three treatises of outstanding merits. This is known as Iraddai Mani Maalai and which means a Garland of Double Gems, It is named thus because the verses are two different types. The tex is quite short with only 20 verses.

I begin the translation with commentary of this third and last composition of Punita aided by the lexical notes given by Tiru Vi. Ka, one of the great Tamil scholars of the 20th cent.  It is quite interesting that despite the enormous novelty and depth of metaphysical insights, so far there has been no commentary written on these verses, I feel very happy to write these commentaries and with that bring back into current relevance the remarkable writings of this very remarkable young lady who can be dated around the 5th cent AD or so and paved the way for the burst of Bakti movement that later spread the whole of India and abroad registering a massive cultural revival.

The Garland of Double Gems-2.

Siva Prevents the Fall from Paradise

There is an  unusual metaphysical concept emerging here.  We see that the whole of Bakti literature where Punitaiyar was one of the founders speaks of Moksa as miiNdum piRavaamai,/[b] not being born again as embodied.  [b]This provides the primordial meaning of Existence - that of seeking Moksa and where only BEING as Isan can confer it. The whole of egalitarian social philosophy is founded on this.

Punita makes a clear mention of Isan and the fact that it is He who gives moksa to the ripe souls. But what constitutes the WAY whereby BEING as Isan will be pleased to bless the souls with Moksa?

Fist there is an Axiomatic Truth that one must grasp and retain always in the mind. And this truth is that BEING is the causal ground of all so that there is NOTHING without having Him as the ground. BEING permeates all and remains the Agentive Cause of all and hence also Moksa here.

Secondly having installed this truth firmly in the mind, one must withdraw from active involvement with earthly life with its exacting demands that leaves no time at all for metaphysical reflections and assimilations. A life of self isolation allows the soul to explore the metaphysical world and hence gain a deeper understanding of the Grace of BEING, how He dances and manages the whole cosmos.

Thirdly one must speak extensively of BEING and such other metaphysical matters  so that others also begin to understand the real meaning of existence. Thus one must indulge in edifying discourses and communicate whatever understanding one has freely to all so that the whole of humanity gets alerted about the real meaning of existence. Here there is the egalitarianism of Bakti movement that recognizes the possibility of Moksa.

Now comes the twist. BEING as Isan not only grants Moksa for the ripe souls who live as above but also protects them so that they do not FALL back into embodied existence and  thrown back into the physical world.

Thus we need the grave of BEING not only to enjoy Moksa but also to enjoy a permanent stay without FALL in the paradise.

2.

Iisan avan allaatu illai ena ninaintu
Kuuci manattakattuk koNdiruntu = peeci
maRavaatu vaazvaarai maNNulakattu enRum
piRavaamaik kaakkum piraan

Meaning:

BEING as Isan is the agentive cause of all and hence there is nothing without Him. This is an axiomatic truth and one should live withdrawing from active commerce with the world and installing it firmly in the soul and indulge in edifying discourses on metaphysical matters.  If one lives thus persistently then Isan, the Lord of All will not only grant Moksa but also will protect the soul from falling back into the earth embodied again.

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/07/18/stories/2004071800120300.htm

Ambedkar's work on the Constitution is well known. Less well known
are his labours on the reform of Hindu personal laws. Basing himself
on a draft prepared by Sir B. N. Rau, Ambedkar sought to bring the
varying interpretations and traditions of Hindu law into a single
unified code. But this act of codification was also an act of radical
reform, by which the distinctions of caste were made irrelevant, and
the rights of women greatly enhanced.

Those who want to explore the details of these changes are directed
to Mulla's massive Principles of Hindu Law (now in its 18th edition),
or to the works of the leading authority on the subject, Professor
J.D.M. Derrett. For our purposes, it is enough to summarise the major
changes as follows; (1) For the first time, the widow and daughter
were awarded the same share of property as the son; (2) for the first
time, women were allowed to divorce a cruel or negligent husband; (3)
for the first time, the husband was prohibited from taking a second
wife; (4) for the first time, a man and woman of different castes
could be married under Hindu law; (5) for the first time, a Hindu
couple could adopt a child of a different caste.

These were truly revolutionary changes, which raised a storm of
protest among the orthodox. As Professor Derrett remarked, "every
argument that could be mustered against the protest was garnered,
including many that cancelled each other out". Thus "the offer of
divorce to all oppressed spouses became the chief target of attack,
and the cry that religion was in danger was raised by many whose real
objection to the Bill was that daughters were to have equal shares
with sons, a proposition that aroused (curiously) fiercer jealousy
among certain commercial than among agricultural classes".

The Kena Upanishad (KeU) is one of the classic pamphlets in the Hindu lore,
which states with poetic elegance the magnificent notion of Brahman. It
formulates the power that is implicit in the quest and discovery of that supreme
vision which is at the root of conscious existence, and of the world at large.
It conveys these perspectives as questions and answers and concludes with the
affirmation that even the Vedic gods were once without knowledge of Brahman, and
that they attained their supreme power because they came to know about it.

It asks rhetorically: Who directs the mind to spotlight on things? Who commands
the first spark of life? Who in a person causes one to speak? Which God fuels
the eye and the ear? The answer is, it is the spark of the cosmic Self that is
within each of us (âtman) that is behind all the senses and perceptions and
thoughts.

The KeU goes on to teach that the wise realize that the Self is the ear of the
ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of the speech, the breath of the breath
and the eye of the eye. It reminds us again and again that it is the realization
of that fundamental spiritual truth that leads one to immortality.

But this is a complex esoteric truth which is not easily comprehensible. In that
state there is no eye or speech or mind. "How can this be taught?" it asks
rhetorically. After all, this great truth is ridden with paradoxes. It is
different from what is known, and it is beyond what is unknown. And, says the
KeU, this is a truth that the ancients taught us.

Then, in a variety of ways, it goes on to articulate what Brahman is: It is not
expressed through speech, but it is what enables speech. That indeed is Brahman
(tad eva Brahma). The mind does not think it. But it makes the mind think: tad
eva Brahma. It is not seen by the eye, but it makes the eye see: tad eva Brahma.
It is not heard by the ear, but it makes the ear hear: tad eva Brahma. That
which is not breathed, but by which breathing occurs: tad eva Brahma. At the end
of each of these terse affirmations, it says most emphatically, "No, Brahman is
not that which one adores: nedam yad idam upâsate." It would seem that the
Upanishadic seer is telling us here that the usual images through which one
worships the Divine are not the same as the supreme Spirit that is the
undergirding principle of the cosmos. One must distinguish between local,
historical representations of the Divine as is seen in the religions of the
world, and the cosmic principle that is all encompassing and beyond cultural
boundaries.

The KeU also reminds us that those who imagine they have understood the nature
of Brahman are quite mistaken in their certainty. They need to strive for more.
It makes teasing statements like: "I don't think I know it, nor do I think I
don't know it. Whoever knows it, knows it, and yet doesn't know it" But it goes
on to reiterate that when Brahman is rightly known in every mode, one acquires
immense power and immortality. Knowledge of Brahman is a great gain just as not
knowing it is a great loss.

To further emphasize the difference between Vedic deities and the Supreme
Spirit, the KeU gives a parable: It is said that the Vedic gods Agni, Vayu, and
Indra went to Brahman and explained their respective powers. But they were shown
to be impotent in the face of Brahman. They tried to grasp what the cosmic
spirit is all about. Finally, it was Parvati (the Goddess of the Mountain) who
initiated Indra into the esoteric knowledge related to Brahman. Thus it was that
the Vedic deities became all so powerful. It has been suggested that this is to
say that the great spiritual truths were learned by the ascetic renunciants who
meditated on the Himalayan slopes.

A man of true knowledge who has attained enlightenment, has the same use for all the scriptures as one has for a small reservoir of water in a place flooded on all sides.

The Mandukya (MaU) is a short Upanishad with a clearly defined theme: To expound
on the esoteric meanings of the sacred syllable aum. According to the Muktika
Upanishad, Shri Rama is said to have told Hanuman that the benefit one derives
from reading the MaU is equivalent to what one obtains by reading all the other
Upanishads. This is to say that undrstanding the significance of aum is of
immense importance.

The first interpretation of aum is that just its sound encompasses everything
that was, is, and will be: bhűtam bhavad bhavishyad iti sarvam aumkâra eva. And
Brahman too contains all this. The idea that some entity would incorporate the
past, the present, and the future is remarkable in itself. The association of
this entity with the serene aum syllable is a conceptual tour de force.

Then we learn that Brahman is manifest in four states. The first of these is the
waking state (jâgarita sthâna), known as vaishvânara. In this state we become
aware of things, we become aware of the physical Universe. This is the state in
which we spend most of our lives. The term is derived from the words for the
Universe (vishva) and Man (nara).

After this comes the dream state (svapna sthâna), called taijasa. In this state
we recognize the world within rather than external objects.

This is followed by what is called the prâjńa state. This is the state of deep
sleep (sushupta-sthâna). In this state we are said to experience pure bliss
(ânanda). This is because our consciousness is totally detached from external
objects as also from internal factors. We understand from this explanation that
such impeccable detachment is the root of bliss. The notion of detachment, with
no desire for anything, is central in the Hindu ethical and spiritual framework.
It finds mystical expression here.

We recall here the Freudian view that dreams are turbulent expressions of
deep-seated desires. Here it states that the dreamless deep-sleep state must be
one bereft of any desire.

The prâjńa is also regarded as the state in which the individual soul merges
with the supreme. It is therefore described as the lord of everything
(sarveshvarah), as knower of everything (sarvajńah), as the inner master
(antaryami), as the origin of everything (yonih sarvasya). Indeed it is the
beginning and end of all beings.

Now there is something more. Normally, after the prâjńa state we return to the
svapna and the jâgarita states. However, beyond this is a state called the
turîya. In this state all distinctions between the individual and the supreme
dissolve altogether, and then there are no words to describe anything. This is
ultimate mystic merger.

The MaU says that all of this is embodied in the sacred aum. More specifically,
the a in aum stands for the waking state of vaishvânara; the u stands for the
dream state of taijasa; and the third element m represents the deep-sleep state
of prâjńa. The shushupta state is ineffable, and so cannot be described in these
terms.

Several other Upanishads also speak about aum, but none is devoted as entirely
to this topic as the MaU. Considering the spiritual significance of the sacred
aum in Indic traditions, we can see why this Upanishad came to be regarded as
very important.

The MaU gained particular attention also because of a learned commentary on it
that was written by an eminent scholar and foremost exponent of Advaita, whose
name was Gaudapada. This saintly personage is regarded in some traditions as one
who had had a vision of Lord Vishnu. His work is known as MâNDukya-kârikâ. In
his commentary on this work, Shankara describes him as paramaguru.

It is said that in motionless meditation one is like a frog (manDűka in
Sanskrit). Since this Upanishad is about such meditation, it is called MânDűkya
(frog-like).

The Pleasant Side of Siva - Manikkavasagar

We are used to seeing Siva as the One who destroys the cosmos and that He dances with Fire in the cremation grounds with ghosts and goblins. His attire with snake tiger skin and so forth are also aesthetically not pleasing as those of VishNu and many other gods. However there is a pleasant side to Siva and this is the thrust of this verse of Manikkar below.

For the true Siva Baktas who meditate upon Him, He is the brilliant light that brings about deep metaphysical illuminations and which in turn allow the souls to enjoy various kinds of pleasures and joys. These make the very thought of Siva sweet like honey nourishing like pure milk, pleasant like the sugar juice and so forth. On top of it all for those who understand not only the destructive and hence superficially cruel but also this pleasant side, they will have their heart melt with kindness to all.

Now in view of all these Manikkar notes that should a soul fall under the full control of BEING as Siva, there will be another kind of surprise. Siva begins to bless the soul with a smile so that the very thought of Siva become sweet and so forth.

Now interestingly enough this is not without its effect upon the souls. The souls that begin to cherish this kind of understanding of Siva also begin to shape up like Him - bless all others with a smile.

8.
teenai paalai kannalin
teLiyai oLiyai teLintaar tam
uunai urukkum udaiyaanai
umparanai vambaneen
naan nin adiyeen nii ennai
aaNdaay enRaal adiyeeRkut
taanum cirittee aruLalaam
tanmai aam en tanmaiye

Meaning:
BEING as Siva is Brilliant Light and for those who really understand Him, he is in fact sweet like honey, nourishing like milk and pleasant like sugar cane juice. He remains the transcendent BEING above all and the owner of all. As He possesses the souls, He also melts their heart melt so that they become kind and loving. I am but a quarrelsome creature and should. You rule me completely as I am also a worshipper of You. You can bless me with a smile so that I also become such an individual - who graces all others with a smile.

Loga

BEING and Submergence in Earthly Life - Punitavati

In embodied existence with the demands the body makes, one can think only of searching for food shelter clothings and sexual partners. The whole of existential concern is limited to simply surviving and seeking the various things needed for it. When the concerns do not go beyond this basic existential needs, then we have what is called being submerged in worldly life. Punita mentions that BEING interferes and disallows this fate.

This we can see in noting that man does not life for bread alone. Even from very primitive times where we cannot rule out even some higher mammals, there is concern with something deeper the recognition of which begins with religious rituals. Even elephants are known to indulge in some ritual behaviors when they encounter the skulls of dead elephants.

Among human beings when this recognition becomes deepened and they recognize the presence of BEING and not only accommodate themselves but begin to live to His dictates, then Punita observers that BEING lifts the souls from worldly concerns and deepens their understanding of the metaphysical realms. The existential concerns become more than just simply surviving - they seek out Moksa and which is a desire not to become embodied again at all. In fact the concerns with higher begins with this.

Punita observes that for those who allow BEING to found their existence, He will protect them from being submerged in existential concerns by always pulling them out from and maintaining them active in religious life even in terms of some ritual practices.

Now here emerges another meaning of why BEING as Siva wears not golden ornaments on His neck like many other gods but rather a huge snake. In their existential struggles what the embodied souls need is KuNdalini Sakti and Siva keeps on supplying this to those souls who are directly under His guidance and hence spend their energy towards seeking and enjoying Moksa.

4.
antaNanait tanjcamenRu
aadpaddaar aazaamee
vantaNaintu kaattaLikkum
vallaaLan kontaNainta
pom kaNdaaR puuNaatee
kooL naaka, puuNdaanee
en kaNdaay wekncee ini

Meaning:
BEING as Siva secures the embodied souls from sinking into the ocean of embodied existence provided they seek Him take Him as the sole refuge and allow themselves to be ruled wholly by Him. He is powerful enough to provide the necessary security whereby they are prevented from this slide. It is for this purpose that He wears on His neck not an assembly of golden ornaments but rather a huge snake (with which He supplies the Kundalini Sakti for the embodied souls).

The word prashna means question in Sanskrit. This Prashana Upanishad (PU) is so
named because six questions are raised and answered in its text. It begins with
a beautiful invocation to the Vedic gods: the glorious Indra, the all-knowing
Pűshan, Târkshya, and Brihaspati.

The PU is in the form of the report of a meeting in which a certain number of
seekers of spiritual truths went to the revered Pippalâda for illumination on
certain matters. He agreed to do his best with the modest statement worthy of
any wise teacher by saying: "Ask us the questions as you wish, and we shall give
you the answers if we know: yathâ-kâman prashnân pricchatha, yadi vijńâsyâmah
sarvam ha vo vâkshyâma iti.

The first question related to the origin of terrestrial creatures. It is
explained that the origin of it all was Prajâpati. He gave rise to matter
(rayîh) and to the life principle (prâNah) from which all creatures came to be.
The sun is said to be the life principle and the moon is the matter. There is a
poetic homage to the sun here as the golden one who is all knowing, the unique
source of light and heat, and with a thousand radiations (shahasra rashmih). The
sun is described as the life of all creation. Then there is a discussion of the
sun's periodic course to the southern (Capricorn) and northern (Cancer)
tropics. The time periods like the month and day and night are described as
Prajâpati, as also food and semen, from all of which life springs, it says.

The second question related to the powers that support and illumine Creation.
These are said to be wind, fire, water, earth, speech, mind, eye, and ear. But
the life principle is the most important of all. In other words, the universe
would be nothing if life were not present in it. Every other entity is under the
control of life (prâNasyedam vashe sarvam).

The third question is about life itself: how it enters the body, sustains, and
leaves it, etc. The answers lead to an exposition of ancient physiology, with
such ideas as that the âtmâ is in the heart (hridyahi esha âtmâ) which has a
hundred and one arteries (nâDînâm), each with hundred smaller arteries, each of
these with seventy thousand capillaries infused with prâNa.

The next question has to do with sleep and the root of all things. Sleep is the
state in which one doesn't hear, see, taste, smell, or touch; one doesn't speak,
take anything, rejoice, emit, or move. Only the fires of life remain. Then there
is a discussion of the dreamless state of sleep. Like birds retreating to the
tree for rest, everything recedes to the Supreme Self (paramâtman) in this
state. That Supreme Undecaying Self (para akshara âtman) is the root of
everything: the one who sees, touches, hears, tastes, perceives, knows, does,
thinks is the Purusha.

The fifth question is about the goal of meditating on aum. The sound of aum is
the higher and the lower Brahman (param ca aparam ca brahma). So one must
meditate on the entire sound, and not just on a part of it, to merge with the
light, the sun, i.e. to attain full liberation.

The last of the sixth questions is of an even more esoteric kind. It is about
the sixteen aspects of Purusha, the Cosmic Person. The sixteen aspects refer to
life, faith, ether, air, light, water, earth, sense organ, mind food, vigor,
austerity, hymns, deeds, worlds, and name. These categories are explained
further by the philosophers of the Sâmkhya school.

In the end we are reminded that the Purusha is like the hub of a wheel, right at
the center, from which emanate the spokes that maintain the integrity of the
wheel.

The Deep Silence: The Transcendence of Language - Tayumanavar

There are many trends in Philosophical Saivism of the Tamils that come to be very clearly articulated in this 18th cent Tayumanavar. The most notable element of his philosophy is the transcendence of all religions which is the essence of Indian secularism. This is a trend already implicit in the great Saiva philosophers like Tirumular Appar and so forth. It is Tayumanavar who uses the technical terms camayaatiitam, the transcendence of all religions subsequent to which there have been many other terms with the same meaning.

Certainly this component of Tamil Saivism has contributed substantially to the inter-religious tolerance that we see so abundantly among the Tamils.

Now another trend is investigations in relation to the origin of language along with transcending language and replacing communication with Mudras. This is another vast area of Saiva studies where while Tolkaappiyam and such other linguistic treatises unfolded the essence of languages and paralinguistic features body language and so forth and how they determine communication, they were also related to Mantras in a way. Mantrayana such as that available in Tirumular’s Tirumanmtiram reduced languages into a field on Mantras which are very wide in its scope and applications.

Now along this line of inquiry they also have investigated the LIMITS of linguistic communication where Deep Silence takes over and becomes communicative solely with Mudras.

There is linguistic communication only when the soul stands alienated from BEING so that there can be a fundamental I-Thou relationship so that there is an Other in consciousness of the soul. Now what will happen if this fundamental I-Thou kind of structure is dissolved and the soul is made to stand the SAME as BEING and hence without any alienation? At this point as Meykandar very brilliantly noted there is only Suunyam as the Other, a Pure Nothingness and which dissolves all consciousness as Other. Along with this there is also no more time consciousness for there is no more intentionality of the soul as distinct from that of BEING. At this point while the soul stands without loosing its substantiality, but it does not have a consciousness other than that of BEING.

The souls live on but without its own desires and so forth. They become simply a crystal that shines forth only the radiance of BEING and nothing else.

This is also the stage of impossibility of speech where once speech occur, there is alienation reintroduced with the usual sufferings and so forth. The soul maintains itself in Deep Silence to be the same as BEING and enjoy the Njaanam and which is the consciousness of BEING. This Njaanam provides a satisfaction, a saturation that breeds infinite Bliss for the soul. It ceases to have desires of its own and hence NirkkuNa (nirguna), i.e without any dispositional traits of its own. In enjoying this state of Deep Silence it also enjoys Moksa and hence the primordial meaning of existence. Since the soul ceases to have its own mind and enjoys the same consciousness as that BEING there is no more anything misleading false illusory delusory and so forth. The soul maintains itself in this state to enjoy this absolute authenticity that produces an understanding of only the axiomatic truths.

Tayumanavar seems to have enjoyed this beautiful state and wonders how he was blessed this kind of state which is also the end of the evolutionary development of a soul where the soul has evolved over countless number of births.

7.
Adiyenum, atuvum aruLenum atuvum
aRintidin nirkkuNa niRaivum
mudiyenum atuvum poruLenum atuvum
mozintidiR cuka mana maayaik
kudikeda veeNdiR paNiyaRa niRRal
kuNam enap punnakaik kaaddip
padimicai mauni taaki nii aaLa
paakkiyam en ceyteen? paranee!

Meaning:
O my Lord! For anyone who understands Your dancing feet and the spontaneous manner You bless all, they will be pure with no dispositional kuNas (gunas) and with that enjoy a fullness of being. Further to that Moksa is the end of evolutionary development and that this is the primordial meaning of the whole of phenomenal struggles and they also become free of all illusions delusions and so forth of the mind. If further and as You indicate with a smile, if one stands outside seeking the earthly things and doing self-centered actions towards attaining worldly desires that is the most excellent thing to do. Now this allows one be in deep Silence on the way towards You where existence is ruled wholly by You. I am blessed with this kind of life and I don’t know what I have done to deserve this.

The Destruction of Ego and the Bliss of Moksa - Vallalar

As I have pointed out many times, in the whole range of Sacred Tamil literature which is more extensive and varied than the Vedas put together, there is no mention at all of the criminal VarNasrama Dharma and if at all it is only to condemn it outright. Of the many reasons for this fundamental difference between Sk and Tamil literature in this respect is that the Tamils have developed a metaphysics of Ego destruction and NOT ego cultivation as is the case with VD and Sanskrit literature that upholds it. The VarNa Thinking emphasizes the ego assertion and hence very detrimental to spiritual development. It is then surprising that the Mayavada Advaita Vedanata is so extensively discussed in Vedism for only by denying the reality of the world and the substantiality of the soul that they can somehow let there be VD as a social structure. The Mayavdam kills conscience and with that allows the VD to go by unchallenged.

In this verse VaLLalaar makes it clear that only those who destroy their Ego and hence become forgetful of themselves can allow without any resistance the flow of the Amutu of BEING and preserving it keep on living embodied but with joys untold. Such egoless individuals are the Tirukkuuddam, a community of individuals spiritually matured and who are certainly not a caste group. They are not for sure a group of Brahmins VeLLalaas or any other such a caste for it has nothing to do with birth at all. No matter what their birth, once the ego is destroyed all social identities dissolve and the person becomes simply an Adyar, one who enjoys the vision of the Dancing Feet of BEING.

Now how exactly the Amutu flows into the soul of such individuals blessing them with great joys ?

Such individuals indulge in metaphysical questioning of a profound kind and struggle with dialogues and discussions to gain metaphysical illuminations. Such deep illuminations not only add to their understanding but also evaporate their worldly desires so that they become less and less interested in earthly pursuits. They begin to enjoy a calmness and coolness that bring about a self saturation and hence a profound peace of mind.

Now as metaphysical illuminations abound and the soul develops more and more in spirituality, slowly but surely it is pulled up into a state of being the SAME as BEING, a state of absence of alienation from BEING that is called Suddhadvaita by the Siddhantists. It is at this point that the ego is destroyed completely and the soul enjoys a bliss that is the same as that of BEING. At this stage the ordinary speech becomes impossible and the soul sleeps without sleeping, forgetful of the physical world and what transpires there including the onset of night times, day times and so forth. The world does not become a dream-like reality but only that something the soul is not interested in any more. A profound indifference to the world sets in.

The soul does not see itself as this and that for there is the final destruction of the Ego that in fact constitutes self identities. This state of egoless-ness is supremely blissful and constitutes the highest stage of spiritual development that VaLLalaar asks quite rhetorically will ever be possible for him to enjoy. It . This of course also implies that he in fact is enjoying it but wishes that all would seek to enjoy it. Part of the bliss here is knowing in advance that there will no more rebirths for the soul

94
tmmai maRantaruL amutam uNdu teekkum
takaiyudaiyaae tirukkuuddam caarntu naayeen
vemmaiyelaam tavirttu manzG kuLirak keeLvi
viruntarunti meyyaRivaam viiddiul enRum
cemmaiyelaam tarum mauna aNaimeeR koNdu
ceRitiravu pakal onRum teriyaavaNNam
imaiyilee emmai inum kaaNaac cutta
inba nilai adaiveenoo eezaiyeenee?

Meaning;
There are the truly spiritual individuals who having destroyed their ego are self-forgetful and in that state enjoy the flow Amutu as a blessing of BEING that they preserve and enjoy always. I am but a evil person like a street dog and I am not sure whether I can join the community of such people and enjoy a life of metaphysical dialoguess that result in deep metaphysical illuminations that purify the soul by destroying various passions of the world and bring about a coolness of temper. I am not also sure whether in the company of such great souls I can sleep on the bed of Deep Silence without being aware of anything worldly including the fall of night and day break and in that state enjoy all the great state of supreme consciousness. I am not also sure whether I will enjoy the joys of knowing that I will not be reborn as embodied again while still living in this world.

When the instinctive mind becomes lifted into the light, a person is strong enough to be kind when he could have become angry. He generates enough spiritual power to be generous when he might have reacted selfishly.

Disciplined periods of meditation nurture a magnanimous and benevolent nature. Such a being is naturally in the light of the supreme consciousness. His great strength is humility, a shock absorber for the malicious experiences in life. Humility makes one immune to resentment and places everything in proportion and balance within the mind. A person lacking in humility does not give the appearance of being firmly rooted and poised within himself. At the other extreme, the arrogant person who lives in the shadows of the mind presents a pitiful picture of insecurity and incompleteness.

What do we mean by this word light? We mean light literally, not metaphysically or symbolically, but light, just as you see the light of the sun or a light emitted by a bulb. You will see light first at the top of the head, then throughout the body. An openness of mind occurs, and great peace. As a seeker gazes upon his inner light in contemplation, he continues the process of purifying the subconscious mind. As soon as that first yoga awakening comes to you, your whole nature begins to change. You have a foundation on which to continue. The yamas and the niyamas are the foundation."

The Shvetashvatara Upanishad (SU) begins with the basic metaphysical questions
that are the themes of all the Upanishads: What is the ultimate cause of
existence? How do we subsist? Can time, nature, necessity, accident, the
elements, the womb, or purusha be the cause of it all? It isn't possible that it
is a combination of all these, because there is the soul (âtmâ). Those who have
meditated have recognized a divine power (devâtmâ shakti) who is ultimately the
cause of everything. That Ultimate cause is compared to the center of a wheel
with many spokes.

The supreme is described here as a river with five streams whose waves are the
five vital breaths (prâNas). The individual soul flutters here, imagining itself
to be different from the supreme one. When it receives His blessings, it merges
with Him. The Divine supports the world which has changeable and unchanging
aspects, manifest and unmanifest aspects. As long as the soul is in a state of
enjoyment, it is bound. It is only by knowing the Divine that it will be set
free. The SU talks about three entities: personal God (îshavara), individual
soul (jîvâtman), and nature (prakriti). It says again and again that all the
souls and nature are part of the Divine.

Primal matter (pradhâna) is perishable. Then there is Hara (soul), the immortal
and imperishable (amrita aksharam). God governs both these. Illusions melt away
when we meditate on the Divine. Our shackles and sufferings are removed, and
there is no more rebirth. One must know this Eternal principle (nityam) which
includes the subject, the object, and the prime mover.

Latent fire is seen only through friction. Using the body as a stick and aum as
another stick, the fire (God) may be made visible. In the SU we read an
invocation to Savitri who inspires the mind and the thought of truth. It talks
about the practice of yoga as a means to conquer all fear. It compares the
unrealized soul to a dusty mirror which, when cleaned, shines. The SU pays
homage to the God who is in fire and water, in plants and trees, and in the
entire world. That God is the highest Reality, personalized in the SU as Rudra.
He creates, sustains, and dissolves. He has eye, face, arms and feet on every
side. He creates heaven and earth. And there are prayers to Rudra. It is
explained that Brahman (the impersonal Divine) is even higher than this.

The SU also talks about Shiva who is in every person. We find here passages from
the Purusha Sukta: sahasra shîrsha purushah. It describes the âtmâ as subtler
than the subtle (aNor aNîyân) and greater than great (mahato mahîyan). Speaking
of the multiple manifestations of the Divine, it says poetically that the
colorless One endows the world with many colors, reminding one of white light
consisting us of the rainbow colors. Fire, sun, wind, moon, waters are all
manifestations of Brahman. The SU reminds us of the Vadic chant: Thou are woman,
Thou are man, Thou are youth and maiden and the tottering old man. It goes on to
see the Divine in the dark-blue bird, in the green parrot with red eyes, in the
lightning-bearing cloud, in seasons and the seas.

In ths work we read the parable of the two birds perching on the tree, of which
one eats the fruit and the other merely looks. So too, some are deluded and
suffer, and some are liberated.

SU's name is derived from the name of the Rishi who authored it. That name is
translated as one who has a white mule or as one with a pure mind. This is a
theistic Upanishad, speaking about personal God. It refers to the Vedanta,
suggesting that it is of a later period.

Even in the midst of all the tension and acrimony that go on within and about
Hinduism, the Hindu world is well known for its Gods and Goddesses, its art and
sculpture, its music and dance, its temples and mantras, its cuisine and
festivals. Most Hindus are aware of these, for they have experienced aspects of
these. But what is not as universally recognized is that the classical Hindu
genius expressed itself abundantly in philosophical reflections no less. Given
the complexity, metaphor, imagery and subtlety of Vedic utterances, the rich
debates and discussions that they provoked is not surprising at all. The result
of it all was the emergence and elaborate development of major philos ophical
systems whose founders are not all identifiable with historical definiteness,
but whose impact has been felt far beyond the portals of academia.

Perhaps in no other civilization has philosophy permeated the masses, in however
crude and nebulous a manner, as it has done in the Hindu world. Not every Hindu
may be able to spell out the doctrines of the various systems of Indian
philosophy, or even list their names. But the epistemological essence of the
various schools, their claims and theses are felt even by many non-literate
members of the society. Philosophy and religion have always gone hand in hand in
India. The great philosophers have also been, for the most part, men of faith
and spiritual integrity, not just scholars of the read-think-publish variety.
The great masters of classical Hindu philosophy were given to simplicity and
serenity also, not merely to metaphysical subtleties.

Their reflections centered around sacred Vedic wisdom. They tried to blend
religious thinking and philosophical commentaries into well reasoned systems.
The various systems of philosophy which arose in classical India are generally
divided into two broad classes: the orthodox and the heretical. The former
accepted the Vedas as revealed truths, and the latter did not. The orthodox
systems consist of six major schools of philosophical thought. These are known
as the six darshanas. The word darshana has been translated as vision or
revelation. By the term heretical systems, one usually means the Buddhist and
Jain schools which do not accept the infallibility of the Vedas, as well as
other purely materialist schools which deny the existence of in tangible and
empirically unverifiable entities such as soul and after-life.

In the darshanas, direct spiritual experience is regarded as superior to
intellectual discourse. In other words, the mind and its antics may be
interesting, and sometimes even fruitful. But they are by no means reliable in
the cognition of the Absolute. Indeed, they are often hindrances. To grasp the
ultimate truth, one needs spiritual awakening. The theoretical acceptance of
this or that principle regarding the nature of ultimate reality is not enough.
One ought to strive to attain personal realization. So all the darshanas insist
on a marriage between theory and practice. The goal of philosophy, they contend,
is not so much to comprehend the world of experience, as to transcend it. One
must constantly bear this in mind in trying to understand Indian philosophy.

The six darshanas are together known as the Shad-darshana. They are said to have
evolved over from about 200 BCE to 500 CE. Much of the original writings on
those systems would have been unintelligible today, were it not for the
commen taries by a great thirteenth century scholar Mâdhva. His compendium of
All Philosophical Systems (Sarvadarsana Sangraha) analyzed with remarkable
erudition and objectivity sixteen different philosophical systems.

Siva Does Not Promote VarNas - Vallalaar

Anyone who does not understand Hinduism as Agamism that is promoted by Sacred Tamil literature and has been for millenniums does not understand Hinduism at all. The best of Hinduism, the Hinduism free of VarNa Thinking is available only in Sacred Tamil literature. There are many mighty Brahmins who also developed it but only by relinquishing their caste identity completely. They understand BEING as Love (anbee Sivam) and within this they see that BEING does not promote at all the VarNa organization of society where some, even really criminals belong to high castes entirely by birth alone and enjoy special social privileges.

VaLLalaar in his own inimitable way questions this assumption that is justified by almost all Dharma Sastras in Sanskrit.

He asks here rhetorically: Does BEING as Siva promote a low caste birth because of the wrings done by person in the past life? Most certainly not for Siva is arud kadal, an Ocean of Mercy who tolerates wrongs done by the embodied souls and still guides them overlooking all such evils. Siva does not throw the souls into a lower kind of rebirth by remembering the evils done by the person. In other words Siva does not support at all the Karma justification of VarNa organization of society that Brahmanism promotes.

But then how is that there are varNas so extensively promoted and for millenniums by the so-called Acaryas?

VaLLalaar is very clear, In the minds of such people there is a Maayai, a delusion an illusion carried away by which they commit thousands of social evils like depriving the basic human rights for millions of people.

But why does not Siva punish them, destroy then etc?

Siva tolerates all their evils and wrongs but does not remain indifferent. He stands as the Brilliance that installs the Njaanam that would dispel this delusions and make them pure and clean and an Adiyar. BEING is not only LOVE itself, an Ocean of Mercy but also the Maha Guru who transforms the souls through PEDAGOGY, through spiritual education of various sorts.

Now VaLLalaar, and to his great credit also notes that this is not something peculiar to Saivism alone. All great scriptures all over the world also declare this truth that BEING does not promoye VarNas and that such a social organization is entirely due to the delusions of some aberrant minds.

95.
adiyaneen pizio anattum poRuttu aadkoNda
arudkadalee manRil ooGkum arasee innaaL
kodiyaneen cey pizaikaLait tiruvuLLattee
koLLutiyoo koNdu kulaG kuRippatuNdoo
nedityanee mutaR kadavud samuukattoor tam
nedum pizaikaL aayiram poRuttu maayai
odiya neer ninRa peruG karuNau VaLLal
ena maRaikaL ootuvatiGku unaitaan anRee

Meaning:
I am but a humble person who worships Your Dancing Feet. You bear with all the wrongs I do and overpowering me from within guide me along. You are indeed an Ocean of Mercy and who dances as the King in the Paradise. Now in these days, do You remember the wrongs I do and cast me into a lower kind of caste in my next birth? Certainly not. But there are communities of people despite holding You as the Supreme God, but because of illusions and delusions, commit a thousand errors in upholding VarNa Thinking. Again You tolerate them but seek to purify them by standing as the Radiant Light of immense kindness. This is how all great scriptures declare Your essence.

Namaskar,
Trust me, we are not contradicting each other when we take two
different stands: Your stand is that Time and Space are single
separate identities and my stand is that space and time are two
sides of the same coin! In fact both these stands get reconciled in
one statement: Space-Time-continuum!

This is a scientific statement and not coined by me!

What we mean by Space is actually a vacuum and not the distance
between two objects! The only quality of "akash" is "shunya" - nothingness!

There is an anecdote about it: A disciple got exasperated by being
told by his teacher time and again that Parabrahman was neti, neti,
neti...subtler than even akasha! To remove the student's
exasperation, the teacher hit upon a plan. He got a room emptied
of all its contents, including the window sills and what not. He
asked his shishya to enter the room and come back. After having
come out of the room, the teacher asked his shishya, "What did you
see in the room"? Student, "Nothing". Teacher, "Please bring it
here". Student, "Sir, there is nothing there. How can I bring it
here"? Teacher, "Why can you not bring it here? Is it so heavy"?
Student, "Sir, there is nothing, absolutely nothing. How can I
bring it here?" Teacher, "What prevents you from bringing it here?
If you say there is nothing, it means there is something that is
known as nothing. So, you must be able to bring it here".

On
hearing that sermon, the student became enlightened and just kept
quiet. After a few moments of silence, the teacher asked him, "Why
are you not saying something"? Student, "Sir, I am unable to
describe the something called nothing!". Teacher, "The only way out
for you is neti, neti i.e. it is not x, it is not y, it is not z and
so on and so forth". So that is why, I keep on repeating 'neti,
neti..."

Then again, the question may sound strange, but it is a very valid
question, "When did the time start"?. The only answer is, "It
started with the start of our universe". Obviously, it means there
was no time before that! Similarly, there was no space either! Thus
the time started the moment universe started expanding from its
embryonic/electronic/photonic/wavicle stage! The more it went on
expanding the more time went by and the more space got created!
Expansion and time are thus two sides of the same coin! Expansion
can be in the form of galaxies or enzymes/genes/neutrons. But both
these "single separate identities" started simultaneously and from
something known as "nothing" - or you can call it "cosmic egg"
or "parmatma" or whatever you want to!
Clearly, the time itself will end when the universe ends!

But then
there will be left just one entitity: The time keeper who will
continue to watch the coming and going (creation and destruction) of
these myriad universes! It is that very Time keeper which we call
by different names: The Surya Bhagwan (who is a time keeper for us
mortals!) or Mahakala (the deity supposed to be presiding over time
keeping) or ultimately, Parabrahman!

In the vedas we read of moving devotional hymns to Agni, Surya, Indra, Soma and other gods. In the upanishads we read of philosophy dealing with the relationship between God and soul. In the puranas and itihasas, we read of fantastic myths involving gods and men. Putting these books aside, when we look out the Indian window, we see Hindus worshipping in a temple, Hindus pulling a chariot through the town, Hindus maintaining a miniature temple in their home and worshipping there, observing festivals and vratas, adorning sacraments on their foreheads, cremating or burying their dead with rituals, etc.

There is a major disconnect between what we read of Hinduism in the vedas, upanishads, itihasas and puranas, and what is practised today. Thats because the entire religion practised today is based on the Agamas; of temple worship, of home altar worship, of home sacraments, of festivals, pujas, homas, abishegams, of vratas and tapas, of annals of the Dieties, dikshas, gurus and birth to death sacraments, etc.

There is not much of the philosophy of the upanishads reflected at the ground level. When one enters the temple, one is aware of the Diety, the Vahana, and the Altar - pati-pasu-pasam. One knows this is the philosophy of the siddhantist*, an agamist, a tantrik, and not anything else. When one conducts a marriage or a funeral ceremony today, one is a siddhantist or agamist. Whether one cremates or buries, one is an agamist. When one mentally focusus on the Diety in the temple or home shrine, with the eyes open or closed during pujas, one is a tantrik.

This disconnect between what is read and what is practised is serious, and served to provide an imbalanced and lopsided, nay, wrong view of Hinduism, both to the Hindus and the world at large. It distorted Hinduism. The writings on Hinduism in the last two hundred years did not contain anything on the agamas.

When one is not talking of the agamas, one is not talking of Hinduism, one is probably talking of something else, some other religion, probably some tradition that may have existed in the subcontinent in the remote past, or existed in parallel, or some socio-cultural myths and legends, all of which has little to do with Hindus today. When the agamas are juxtaposed with Hinduism on the ground, it matches perfectly! What it says is what we practice.

These shastras, the vedas, upanishads, puranas and itihasas, manu shastras, etc., and the books written about them did not reflect the Hindu religion. It talked of something else while the Hindus believed and practiced something else. Thats because the agamas were not available, in devanagiri, hindi or english. It was only recently in the last few years that is was translated into english and these reviews of it in this last three months are the very first in all time. I know of no others.

It may be probable that when the early european indologists enquired about Hinduism, afraid that their shastras may be lost or stolen, the Hindus guided the indologists by leading them down the garden path on a goose chase with the vedas and puranas, but keeping quiet about the agamas. Then the early Indian writers followed that chase. And so on. Today we have a few thousand books that does not talk of the religion of the Hindus, but only on the fringes of it.

The only contribution from the 'vedic shastras' as mentioned above to Hinduism that is practised today are the mantras which are used in conducting pujas to the dieties. Nothing more than that. Period! Even the vedic mantras are 'modified' in that with the addition of 'aum', 'bija' mantras as prefixes, 'namaha' as suffix and where appropriate, 'svaha', these then are now converted to agamic or tantrik mantras. The agamas does not use the philosophy of the upanishads at all. To be sure, it does not conflict with the upanishads, rather praises it and the vedas, but overrides it completely and have its own philosophy which may be called agamanta or simply siddhanta. The philosophy provided in the agamas is exacting and voluminous. As explained earlier, philosophy, meditation and yoga in the Ajita Agama is more than in the 108 upanishads combined. It is this philosophy that underpins all the rituals and practices of the Hindus. Philosophy is not just for introspection and discussing as many are apt to think, but to be used in everyday life, built into our daily actions. What is the philosophy underlying the act of placing a flower at a picture of a Diety while gazing at it with devotion, earnest hope and a silent prayer?

The view obtained from the vedic shastras is on chanting of mantras, stress on dharma especially varnashrama, and myths. The view obtained from the agamas is worship of the dieties, and bakti. Period. Worship of the gods is the be all and end all.

The restating, or re-presenting of Hinduism in a more balanced view would be the first step in reforming it as it immediately becomes clear that in Agama Hinduism, there is no discrimination in temple entry, or in spiritual initiations and sacraments, or study of shastras, as it is open for all men and women, regardless or race, caste or gender. And that salvation is open to all worshippers in this very life, regardless or karma, birth, gunas or even self realisation. The emphasis in on worship with little or no emphasis on dharma. The question of castes, outcastes, varnashrama dharma or study of vedic sanskrit texts and chants does not arise in Agama Hinduism. It is this that should be made clear to all Hindus and the world at large. This would be the centrality of Hindu reform.

Agama is a generic term for any revealed shastra, however in popular usage the saiva agamas are called agamas, the vaishnava agamas are called samhitas, and the shakta agamas are called tantras. The etymology of agama is that, 'a' denotes that which is originated, 'ga' means emerging, and 'ma' means the religion. Another understanding is that 'a' means knowledge, 'ga' means liberation, and 'ma' denotes the means of destroying the bonds.

Whereas the vedas reaches out to God through devotional hymns, the agamas aims at invoking god within one's own self, and the worship and sacraments are geared towards this. The shastra that emerged where this special path which is founded on a definate principle on its own, and which is different from the vedic tradition, is known as the agama. The agamas are not just about temples and pujas, rather it has its own philosophy, independent of the upanishads, and its own myths, and its own worship and meditative practices. In short, its complete and represents an entire religion, an entire tradition.

These three agamas were first translated and published in english between 1994-96. Clearly these three are Virasaiva agamas and extols that sect as supreme among all sects. The Makuta, Chandrajnana and Parameshvara agamas are listed as number 17, 19 and 26 respectively, making them late and of lesser importance compared with the early agamas.

The translator, Dr. Ms Rama Ghose merely translated without an analysis of its historical dating, authenticity and possible accretions. We do not know the date of these agamas but it appears very late, possibly 12th-15th century, or perhaps even later. These agamas do use jaati and varna terms but there is no condescension of the different castes. It does note the jaati social observances of the times, without being critical. It outrightly rejects varnashrama dharma.

These are the foundational shastras for Virasaivas as these agamas are focused on their philosophy and worship, and therefore would not be of much use to other Hindus. In the Kamika Agama, which is considered to be the first Agama, the term Veerasaiva was described along with the concept of wearing the linga. There is also references to Ishtalinga in the Yogaja and Kirana Agama. Even though the main principles of Veerasaivism are mentioned in the very early Agamas, it becomes fully elaborated and developed in these three late agamas. Basavanna and other 12th century teachers took the Veerasaivism of the Agamas and revised it.

In these three agamas the philosophy is that Siva is the formless brahman, creator and created, the power and substratum of all (Parameshvara 21.35-43). It uses the analogy of waves arising and falling back into the ocean. The various gods, who are also souls or pasus, exist with a distinct identity. There is no conflict as He, the formless Siva, provides the power to the gods to carry out their functions as epitomized also in the Kena Upanishad. He who has no form, exists within the gods, inseparably, as the power that flows through them, the divinity within the divine. In the Ajita it has been explained that Siva is brahman and inaccessible. He makes Himself accessible as Sadasiva, a brilliant formless golden light, and it is this that flows through all the gods as their power and through all creation and souls. Even this amorphous golden light cannot be represented by a murthi, it can only be iconised by a 'sign', the linga. So its correct to say the gods are one and the same, while at the same time it is also correct to say each of the numerous gods have a separate and distinct brilliant existence and identity. One may call this 'inaccessible transcendent brahman' and 'the accessible formless all pervading brilliant golden light' by any other word or terminology. We just use the established terminology for quick understanding. I hope this explanation is satisfactory to all as it belittles none to second place.

These agamas preach the spiritual and philosophical doctrines, and sacraments for the common man irrespective of caste and gender, and offers authority on that, making it truly an egalitarian sect. According to these agamas everybody is eligible to enter into spiritual life on the basis of inner capability as decided by the guru (priest), a uniform opportunity for all, so that nobody is deprived of spiritual upliftment on account of lineage or status.

This virasaiva agamic tradition is unique as it emphasizes the wearing of a linga kept in a casket after initiation by a guru into the virasaiva religion, the daily worship of it called sambhava vrata, the complete burial rites of the deceased virasaiva in a sitting position, and the building of a shrine atop the samadhi grave, making it then a mausoleum. These three agamas deals with this primarily and not temple building and temple worship. So there is no overlap with, say, the Ajita Agama.

The Makuta deals with pre-death, death and post death ceremonies as well as the rituals and procedures thereafter. It talks of sambhava vrata, the daily worship of the linga worn by the virasaiva. It includes details on waking up, easing and urinating, procedures for cleaning the teeth, bathing, mantras to be chanted, wearing of linga, tripundra and rukraksha, etc. The Makuta contains only the chariya and kriya sections; we do not know if the yoga and jnana sections are available or lost. Makuta is considered the 'crown of all agamas' as it describes the dealing with the demise and last rites, as the death ceremonies is the most important of all ceremonies or sacraments to the Hindu.

The Candrajnana deals with virasaiva philosophy, importance of the guru (or priest who provides initiation), preparation of the sacred ashes, power of the panchakshara mantra, and description of the different groups of saivas. It also deals with last rites, digging the gravesite, defilements and atonements.

The Parameshvara makes the important statement that 'compassion to all beings' is the only means to get rid of the bonds, and is the source of other virtues (Parameshvara 10.75-76). It talks of the various sects: buddha, jaina, carvaka, vaidika, saura, vaishnava and saiva. While it grades them, on enquiry on the hierarchy among them, the Lord categorically emphasizes the uniqueness and greatness of all sects since liberation is the goal of all (Parameshvara 1.38). Interestingly it classifies smarthas as saivas.

Here are a selection of quotes.

Chandrajnana kriyapada 1.10-11 (and repeated in Parameshvara 12.60-65)
Lord Siva the bearer of trishul and the controller of all devas is called Pasupati because He keeps under control all the beings from Brahma to the animates and vegetation. These pasus are always entangled in the maya. By virtue of being the Lord (controller) of these pasus (souls) Lord Siva is called the Pasupati. He binds the pasus with mala and maya, hence He is termed the pati (Lord) of the pasus.

Parameshvara 1.58
'Whatever caste he may be, brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, sudra or a person belonging to any other caste, becomes Siva by wearing the linga'.

Parameshvara 1.59-60
O Sive, woman, child, old, lame, hunch, blind, invalid, insane, deaf, crosseyed, wretched, cunning, deceitful, thief, adulterous, prostitute and untouchable, whosoever one may be, attains my nature if he wears a linga.

Parameshvara 1.61
There is no difference between the child and the old in paying obeisance and worshipping. Everybody including widow and menstruated are considered to be adorable.

Parameshvara 1.67
O Goddess of the divinities, though one who has attained the state of turiya is known as 'vira' in every school, but now the word is popularly known as the sect of virasaivism.

Parameshvara 5.40
For all sivayogis, various differences of caste are non existent, rather means one and the same. So he should think all human beings as his own brothers born of the same mother. According to virasaivism, the differences between men and women, caste, creed and the classification of men (varnashrama) do not exist. Please know that this discipline of Mine, namely virasaivism, transcends all differences.

Parameshvara 17.20-21
O Shailaja (Daughter of the Mountain), sometimes it so happens (in marriage) that the woman is the wearer of the Linga, whereas the man is a devotee of Vishnu. On the contrary, sometimes it is the man who wears the Linga, and the woman follows the order of the Vaishnavas. I ensure redemption to devotees of Vishnu and Shiva, as I have equal affection for both.

Parameshvara 21.53
O Goddess, the soul is immutable, devoid of attributes, pure, self-luminous, unsheathed, pyretic, essence of substance, non-enjoyer and God Himself.

Parameshvara 22.88
It is impossible for a mortal being to abandon entirely and immediately all the karmas. They should be discarded gradually one by one. Thus arose the differences in doctrines.

Parameshvara 22.90
O Sankari, various kinds of worships and prayers are meant for the well being of the people, They are also for the steadiness of the knowledge and devotion and for the attainment of liberation.

Parameshvara 23.8-10
I support all beings and the whole universe without touching them as the space bears the air. In this way I am the basis of everything. The grass etc. grow on the hills and die. This function is carried out by the movement of the clouds, rains and the sun. How are they related to the mountain?

Fifty Rudras to be worshipped (Makuta chariyapada 6.14-20), 32 species of flowers for worship are emumerated (Makuta kriyapada 4.6-9), 32 spots on the body to be adorned with the tripundra sacred ash, including the *****/vagina and anus (Makuta kriyapada 2.13-16). One can see that its not that easy to be an orthodox virasaiva.

Mixing of the various doctrines and religious rites is prohibited. Followers of these (saiva) schools should strictly observe their own in pure form without mixing each other (Parameshvara 1.24). Gopala, Pancaratra, Narasimha, Vaishnava and Narayana are the five fold (vaishnava) schools that (their worship rituals) should never be mixed with each other (Parameshavara 1.27-28). Four divisions of saktagamas, namely, Nitya, Anitya, Sabara and Sakti also should not be intermingled, rather observed separately (Parameshavara 1.27-29).

Some Interesting Verses

Chandrajnana chariyapada 7.10
A brahmin should recite the gayatri hymn one hundred times if bitten by a fox. A brahmin man or women if bitten by a dog is purified by taking a bath after walking around a bull once.

Chandrajnana chariyapada 7.17
If touched by an outcaste, he should take a bath, on seeing the outcaste, he should glance at the sun as atonement.

Chandrajnana chariyapada 8.6
For having lustful relations with an unwilling brahmin lady, one has to perform the krcchra candrayana vrata, for sexual relations with a willing brahmin women the punishment (vrata) is half.

Unfortunately the Parameshvara agama condones sati for widows without sons, and non remarriage for widows. This could be an accretion as it is found in some of the last verses does seem to conflict with the equal vratas for men and women in the virasaiva tradition.

As we can see except for the virasaivas, not much of these agamas are useful to the rest of the Hindus. I look forward to reading the vaishnava samhitas and shakta tantras as and when it is published in english. Except for the names and a few other changes, in all probability it will mirror these agamas. I would appreciate it if anyone could let me know of such translated agamas.

Pathma

* click on siddhanta.org and, surprise, it leads to an Iskcon website. Now everyone is a siddhantist.

Makuta Agama Chapters 1-11
http://www.emptymirror.org/ACIP_R7/INTERFACE/sanskrit_titles/MUKUTA_AGAMA_CHAPTERS _1-11.html

For easy reference:

Ajita Tantra
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/28266

The Magic of Tantra - Invoking the Gods, Worshipping the Gods
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/28394

Makuta, Chandrajnana and Parameshvara Agam
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/29172

The Natural Laws and the Play of BEING - Vallalaar

The spiritually matured are the people who with their Third Eye opened enjoy transductive perceptions where they witness directly the majestic play of BEING and by which He manages the cosmos including the fates of the living creatures. Such people do not bother about rules regulations norms and so forth of the ordinary folks. There cannot anything more powerful than the Play or Dance of BEING in determining the various events in life

But does this mean that BEING neglects and forgets the ordinary folks who do not yet enjoy the visions of the Third Eye and are forced to see only with the five senses and the various cognitive processes that accompanies them?

This is the question that VaLLalaar poses himself here and brings out by way of answering it, the cognitive understanding of rules and regulations in the physical and social world as a help given by BEING himself.

There is first of all the throwing of a soul into a desert-like wilderness all because the understanding is covered by an immense darkness of aaNavam that also disallows any metaphysical understanding where the Meaning of Existence is made available. This darkness of vision blinds the person and makes him immature like a child where the elements of adult life are not available.

But like a woman who follows faithfully and despite the advise of others a man she loves, the Darkness of aaNavam is followed faithfully by the Darkness of Physicalism, the Maayai iruL as said here. Now the person is lost in the jungle of sensory information that reach the five senses and which are processed by the various mental modules. Such individuals are lost in the wilderness of the physical world unable to penetrate through them and reach the metaphysical realms beneath where are available the divine Play.

Now does this mean that BEING does not help such people at all?

Now VaLLalaar observers that it is only for such people that He provides the Niyati, the various rules and regulations and such other regularities which they can discover within the physical realms. BEING here hides Himself and allows the PLAY to be seen as the regularities in nature mathematically determinable.

Thus we have the justification of the positive sciences as a kind of divine help BEING blesses people incapable yet of Transductive Perceptions where they see the Play or Dance with a rhythm of its own.

The rhythmic movement of the Dance or Play becomes transfigured as the regularities in the physical world The laws of Nature positive sciences are the physical distillation of the metaphysical Dance of Siva with Uma.

96.
kaNmayakkum peerirudduk kaGkul pootil
karuttaRiyaac ciüuvanai oor kaduG kaanattee
uNmayakkaő koLa viduttee oruvan pinpoom
orutaayaip pool Maayai iruL ooGkum ppotil
maNmayakkum perum vidayak kaaddil antoo
matiyileen maazaantu mayaGka niitaan
vaNmaiyuRRa niyatiyin pin enaividdu
maRaintanaiyee paramee vaNmai enee!

Meaning:
There is a boy who in the thick of the intense metaphysical darkness (of Malam) remains totally ignorant of the meaning of existence and so forth. He remains in a wilderness of great difficulties mental confusions where follows, like a woman who follows a man, the great darkness induced by the physical world. He, the soul remains captured in the jungle of sensory information, where unable to free itself remains fixated to the physical realms as if only they are real. At that point You disappear from direct visions but allow the souls to appreciate and follow the regularities in the natural world in terms of laws and rules available there and within which Your greatness is manifest in a way. O my Lord! You are indeed great!

Loga