शिवज्ञानबोध (मेय्कण्डार - शैव सिद्धान्त का आधारभूत दार्शनिक सूत्र ग्रन्थ)

NOTE ON THE AUTHOR. xix
great Love. My old Christian teacher used to observe that the
Dravidian is essentially and naturally a devotional man ; and is
this not so, because they had early received and imbibed the Great
outpourings of Love of our Divine Saints ? To the student or
enquirer who is more ambitious and wishes to fathom the mysteries
of nature, I cannot do better than recommend these very books
as a first course and the conviction will surely dawn upon his mind
as he advances in his study of Philosophy and compares what is
contained in the Tamil Veda with the bare bones of Philosophy
that he has nothing better for his last course than what he had
for his first course ; and as the Divine Tiruvalluvar says, what is
the use of all philosophy and knowledge if it does not lead one to the
worship of his Maker in all truth and in all love ? However, as
a course of philosophical study, the Siddhanta works contain the
most highly developed and logically systematized thinking of the
Hindus. And if it is thought necessary, a study of the Vedas and
Upanishads may follow. Without this preliminary course, a
study of the latter will only end one in chaos and confusion. I
address these remarks as a student to a student, as one enquirer to
another and I claim no more weight to my words.
I give below a stanza which shows in what high estimation,
Tamlians hold the present work and other works referred to above.
“ வேதம் பசு அதன்பால் மெய்யாகமம் நால்வர்
ஓதும் தமிழ் அதனி னுள்ளுறுநெய்—போதமிகு
நெய்யினுறு சுவையா நீள் வெண்ணெய் மெய்கண்டான்,
செய்த தமிழ் நூலின் திறம்.”
(The Veda is the cow ; the Agama is its milk ; the Tamil
(Thevaram and Thiruvachakam) of the four Saints, is the ghee
churned from it ; the excellence of the well instructive Tamil
(Sivagnana Botham) of Meikanda Deva of Thiruvennainallur is
like the sweetness of such ghee.)