I had always thought of Manikkavachakar to be part of the 63 Nayanmars (Tamil Saivite saints). I was interested in knowing about his story in detail. I eagerly bought & started reading the Periya Puranam. Finished the book. But no story about Manikkavachakar. He didn't even exist in the book. I was puzzled. Why?
In Tamil, there's a saying there refers to what 4 people would say, if you said anything. (நாலு பேர் என்ன சொல்லுவா.) The 4 refer to the Saivite saints: Sundarar, Thirunavukkarasar (Appar), Thirugnanasambandar & Manikkavachakar. Periya Puranam had stories about the first 3. Not the 4th. Why?!
Finally, I found the answer.
The 3 saints, Sundarar, Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) & Thirugnanasambandar, referred to in Periya Puranam follow Saiva Siddhantham. They worship Shiva as the supreme Paramatman & they are the Jivatmans who worship Shiva with devotion (Bhakthi). (This follows the Purva-Mimasa philosophy of Hinduism).
However, Manikkavachakar, constantly yearning to be one with Shiva, merged with Shiva himself. He's no longer considered a devotee of God and doesn't find a mention.
Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMLfiE52C8g (Suki Sivam's Tamil speech on Thiruvasagam)
In Tamil, there's a saying there refers to what 4 people would say, if you said anything. (நாலு பேர் என்ன சொல்லுவா.) The 4 refer to the Saivite saints: Sundarar, Thirunavukkarasar (Appar), Thirugnanasambandar & Manikkavachakar. Periya Puranam had stories about the first 3. Not the 4th. Why?!
Finally, I found the answer.
The 3 saints, Sundarar, Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) & Thirugnanasambandar, referred to in Periya Puranam follow Saiva Siddhantham. They worship Shiva as the supreme Paramatman & they are the Jivatmans who worship Shiva with devotion (Bhakthi). (This follows the Purva-Mimasa philosophy of Hinduism).
However, Manikkavachakar, constantly yearning to be one with Shiva, merged with Shiva himself. He's no longer considered a devotee of God and doesn't find a mention.
Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMLfiE52C8g (Suki Sivam's Tamil speech on Thiruvasagam)
No comments:
Post a Comment