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Dear murugappan,

Well and wish you the same. You have told me about the successful completion of the studies in USA recently. I’m glad you have achieved good position in your new job as well. Im quiet impressed by your sincere efforts in studies and life.

In your letter you have asked me the aspects of life and philosophy that are beyond the realm of science and materialism. I’m glad you have asked me. It is natural such questions creep in your mind after achieving many of your duties of youth! I shall answer them one by one.

Every part of the world has a system of philosophy that explains the spiritual aspects of life and way to practice it. Tamil speaking areas are blessed with one such school called saiva siddhantham. It is quiet natural that enthusiasm towards the saiva philosophy in you stems from your childhood experiences with the grand temples around Chidambaram. You must also have heard  the hymns of thevaaram in your vicinity since childhood. The bi-annual car festival in Chidambaram is famous and in your child hood you were fond of pulling the strong ropes of the temple chariot in the procession.

These are all outward manifestation of the saiva rituals and the inside aspects of it needs a thorough reading of the saiva tenets. These books have a deep past and continues to be written over and above.They will be explained to you in my letters . I wish you read the  siddhantha texts in the time available to you!

AGAMAS IN SAIVA SCHOOLS:

I  briefly go through the various phase evolution of the agama-siddhantha system.  It’s relationship with other schools.   I  also mention the background political conditions that promoted and preserved agama traditions.

Agama  is derived from the verb root  (gam) meaning "to go" and the preposition (aa) meaning "toward" and refers to scriptures "that which has come down". It also means "a traditional doctrine, or system which commands faith".The Agamas are a collection of Sanskrit, Tamil and Grantha scriptures chiefly constituting the methods of temple construction and creation of idols, worship means of deities, philosophical doctrines, meditative practices, attainment of sixfold desires and four kinds of yoga.The Agamic religions are also called Tantrism.

The agamas form the important earliest phase of the development of Saiva siddhantham. The origin of agamas is obscure. The term agama means “from the person” . The tradition says agamas came from the lord Siva himself. Early agamas were written in 4-5TH  centuries CE in Sanskrit. The agamas do not contain the messages of Vedas and it contains materials outside the realm of Vedas . The agamas are divided into four sections

1. Sariya

2. Kiriya

3. Yoga

4. Gnana

The Siva agamas are 28 and the sub chapters (upa-agamas) would amount to about250 texts. There are vaisnava agamas and saktha agamas too. The central theme in agamas is the temple and the disciplines related to worship. The agamas emphasize on the self (cith).  They are the precursors of the siddhantha philosophy.

The agamas are believed by certain scholars to have antedated the Vedas too. They may even have come from Sumerian temple worship practices or from the Indus valley civilization’s yogic practices. The Siva agamas however are available- in part- in Sanskrit only. Early agama was “gamikam”.

Thirumoolar has taken nine important agamas for his work SADHASIVA AGAMA in Tamil. (சதாசிவாகமம்)This book is the most important and the earliest version of Tamil agama tradition. Hence it is revered as the THIRUMANDHIRAM.(திருமந்திரம்) . this aspect of the thirumanthiram can be ascertained by thirumoolar’s own writing,

 "நந்தி அருளாலே மூலனை நாடிப்பின்

நந்திஅரு ளாலே சதாசிவ னாயினேன்

நந்தி அருளால்மெய்ஞ் ஞானத்துள் நண்ணினேன்

நந்தி அருளாலே நானிருந் தேனே."

என்பதே சிலர் இதன்கண் காணப்படும் 'மூலன்' என்பது சிவபெருமானையும் குறிக்கலாம் எனக் கூறுகின்றனர். ஒரு பாட்டுக்குப் பொருள் கொள்ளுங்கால் பற்பல சூழ்வுகளையும் கருத்துட்கொண்டே பொருள் கொள்ளுதல் வேண்டும். இங்கு 'நந்தியருளாலே' என்னும் ஏதுவால் 'மூலன்' என்னும் சொல் நந்தியல்லாத பிறன் என்றே பொருள்படும். மேலும் பின் 'சதாசிவனாயினேன்' என்பதனால் தமிழாகமம் செப்பும் தூய நிலையினை அருளால் அடைந்தார் என்பதாம். இந்நிலையே சதாசிவக்கடவுள் ஆகமம் திருவாய் மலர்ந்தருளினாரென்பதனை நினைவூட்டுவதாகும். மேலும் 'மெய்ஞ்ஞானத்துள் நண்ணினேன்' என்பதனால் செந்தமிழாகமம் திருவாய் மலர்ந்தருளும் செவ்வி வாய்க்கப்பெற்றனர் என்பதாகும். 'நானிருந்தேன்' என்பதனால் தனித் தமிழாகமமாகிய இத்திருமந்திர மாலையைப் பாடியருளிப் பல்லாண்டு நல்லாராய் வீற்றிருந்தருளினரென்பதாம்.

நம்பிரான்மூலர்க்குத் தொன்மைத் திருப்பெயர் 'சுந்தரன்' என்பதாகும். அது 'வந்தமடமேழு' என்னும் திருப்பாட்டில் 'சுந்தரன் ஆகமச் சொன்மொழிந் தானே' என ஓதப்படுதலால் உணரலாம். 'நாதன்' என்னும் திருப்பெயர் நந்தி திருவருளால் பெற்றதாகும். அது 'நந்தியருளாலே நாதனாம் பேர்பெற்றோம்' என்னும் திருப்பாட்டானுணரலாம். :  திருமந்திரம். தற்சிறப்புப்பாயிரம், திருமுலர் தம் வரலாறு கூறுதல்,

As per agama tradition the early Saiva philosophy was declared by Siva himself in the dhakshinamoorthy form. It was told to Nandi dhevar by Siva in mount kailash. From him it was taught to Sanathkamarar, Sathyagnana dharisini and to Paranjyothi munivar.

Hence we can deduce that these four  have written the earliest Siva agamas in Sanskrit. These four saints are called dheva tradition as they have been with Siva himself. It is to be noted that the dhakshinamoorthy concept was there in sangam literature too.

The agama tradition hence is believed to have a closer relationship with Tamil and Tamils. Some scholars affirm this school is originally a southern tradition independent of the Vedic schools . It is also possible that agama schools and Veda schools mutually benefited each other till the 5th century CE.

 There is one collection of books called “ashta prakaranams”(அஷ்டப்பிரகரணம்)   written by Boja dhevar, Sathyajyothi, Sreekandar and Parama kandar. This book contains the gnana kanda of agamas . They were written in 8-9th century. Other books written on the gnana kanda are sidhantha saravali(சித்தாந்த சாராவளி) in Sanskrit, Thugalaru bodham and Ozhivil odukkam (துகளறுபோதம், ஒழிவில் ஒடுக்கம்)in Tamil.

Gnanamirdham is a text written by vagees munivar. It belong to the 1250s. it however belongs to the northindian tradition called GOKAZHI SANDHANAM( goga-kalli). It was centred around the modern day Bhopal region( bhoj-pala).

The king bhoja deva was patronizing saiva siddhantha texts in this region in central india.  It appears saiva agama texts consolidated during the Gupta period in northern india( 300AD-600AD :golden age of Hinduism in northern india). During these period tamil country did not have significant siddhantha works.

The agama pattern of saivism and its gnana portion became saivasiddhantham later (as per some theorists like avvai doraisami pillai). But this trend was between 300 AD  and 1200AD. 

 It was possible there was a conflict between agama pattern and vedic pattern of saivism. One story in periya puranam depicts the conflict. The Meiporul nayanar story among the 63 nayanmars shows how Muthanadhan kills him in the pretext of teaching an agama book.

According to George L. Hart, who holds the endowed Chair in Tamil Studies by University of California, Berkeley, has written in his book "The Milieu of the Ancient Tamil Poems, Prof. George Hart"  that the legend of the Tamil Sangams or "literary assemblies, was based on the Jain sangham at Madurai. There was a permanent Jaina assembly called a Sangha established about 600 A.D. in Madurai. It seems likely that this assembly was the model upon which tradition fabricated the Sangam legend. The jain phase had its impact in literature that majority of their works were secular in nature especially th 18 keezh kanakku texts.  The Tamil tradition does not have all the agamas now. The agamas may have perished during the “Jain phase” of tamilagam .The sivachariyas of tamilnadu carried the information by heart and preserved the concepts in Sanskrit and Tamil.  They are called “adhi saiva sivacharyas” .

The fall of Jainism (in 5TH CE) has led to the development of bakthi literature in Tamil and the thirumurai phase of saivam in the Tamil speaking regions . During this glorious phase the thevaaram, thiruvasakam and the periyapuranam were written.

 The next phase in the development of saivam in tamilagam was in 13th century AD. This phase traditionally been with Meykandar and his followers like Arulnandhi, Maraignana sambandhar and Umapathisivachriyar. (மெய்கண்டார்,அருள்நந்தி, மறைஞானசம்பந்தம், உமாபதிசிவம்)

They have written the 14 sandhana texts. These sandhana texts explored the fundamental metaphysics of the siddhantham in tamil. These were politically volatile time in north India. South India offered a peaceful recluse for Hindu philosophers and saivism had the advantage to continue and flourish .

This was followed by the establishment of the adheenams from thiru-avaduthurai first. Eighteen such adheenams were established.  They were the medieval universities in south India.

Many new books were written under their patronage. They continue to function to this date. They call themselves as Nandi marabu(tradition) recalling the thirunandhi dhevar who learnt agamas from lord Siva from mount Kailas. Hence they are known as thiru kaiyilaya parambarai (kailash genealogy-திருக்கயிலாய பரம்பரை).

Affectionately

Gandhibabu