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

52 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
God, the Atma is supported like a piece of iron between two
magnets, the one pulling it higher and the other pulling
it lower. And in the human state, the iron is in closest
contact with the lower magnet, and in the Moksha with
the Higher Magnet. In Moksha, the power of maya to
undergo births alone is destroyed, by the Karma having
been eaten up, just as a seed of grain loses its power of
germination in the granary of the ant, by the sprout being
nibbled off or by some other process. In human evolution,
however, we find both the object and subject being evolved
together and there could be no evolution of the one without the
evolution of the other. In its original condition, what is here
called Thuriyathitha condition, the atma is pure Purusha with-
out consciousness of any sort, its body also being altogether
undevoloped. This is the stage before evolution had commenced.
The atma has no consciousness, no intelligence and no move-
ments of any sort. In the next condition (Thurya avastha)
evolution had been started, we have the first beginning of life,
Purusha, in a living breathing body, without consciousness or
any manifestation of any other faculties. They (mind and body)
are evolved a step further in the Sushupthi avastha, and we
have the first beginning of consciousness; and as such the
faculty of Chittam is evolved in addition; and the objective
body is then called Karana Sarira. A step further we arrive at
Swapna avastha, where all the faculties (objective consciousness)
except the 10 external senses (Gnana and Karma Indriyas) are
fully developed and the objective body is called Sukshuma or
astral body. In the final stage of evolution, where man's
consciousness has been fully developed, all the 36 tatwas formed
of Maya, have been also fully developed; this is the Jakra
avastha, and the body is the Sthula body. In this account of
human evolution, there is no transference really. Similarly
when the atma and its body undergo resolution, subjective and

FOURTH SUTRA. 53
objective consciousness ceases little by little or is drawn in as it
were, just as a spider or tortoise draws all its legs and organs
into itself and rolls itself into a mass and becomes dead to all
appearance. In fact, like a revolving prism of many sides, the
attitude of the atma alone changes and this change of attitude
or avastha is brought about, as, in the language of the text, it
it is in a formless (Arupa) Tatwa form enshrouded by mala i. e.,
not being made of matter but being chit itself and encased in
matter. These five avasthas and their bodies are divided into three
states Kevala, Sakala and Sutta. The Kevala state is the
original state before evolution and described in the text of this
sutra 'சகசமலத்துணராது' (It is not conscious when it is in
conjunction with Anavamala). The Sakala state is described
in the next sutra (V) and in the next one (VI) the Sutta
state is treated of.
Having met a few of the most formidable objections taken
to this view of the Siddhanta school, let me here state a few of
the objections to the Idealistic view for which a rational answer
is not yet forthcoming. Evolving Logos and Mulaprakriti
(matter) from Brahm (Sat), why don't you apply the law of
causation and conservation of energy, and say otherwise that,
Logos and matter are not Brahm, and why do you throw a veil
between Logos and Brahm, and why do you say also that matter
is not 'Sat' but Asat, and why should the one energy or
Chaitanyam or Sakti of the Logos subdivide itself and form into
different monads and acquire Karma, and become evil, and
corrupt and bring sin and sorrow into this earth? If Atma is
not a particle of this Chit but a mere reflection or shadow, how
could the shadow and the substance be the same and how
could a mere shadow become individualized and clothe
with thought and action? And why should this shadow work
out its own salvation? Will it not disappear when the
substance is itself resolved. And in the same way as the

54 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
Logos manifested itself in various bodies, as the sun in
various pots of water, cannot the Logos itself gather up its
lost energies or cannot the energy pass into the Logos as
soon as the body dies, just as the sun's reflection ceases as soon
as the water pot is broken ? With what grace can the objection
be stated that unless the man's individuality .is transferred into
the Logos itself, immortality is only a name, when for no reason
or end, the human monad is evolved from Logos, and when there
is an equal chance for the individual attaining immortality to
evolve agaia as a human monad ?

FIFTH SUTRA. 55
V
FIFTH SUTRA.
ON THE RELATION OF GOD,
SOUL AND BODY.
Sutra. The senses while perceiving the object
cannot perceive themselves or the soul ; and they
are perceived by soul. Similarly, the soul while
perceiving cannot perceive itself (while thinking
cannot think thought) and God. It is moved by
the Arul Sakti of God, as the magnet moves the
iron, while Himself remains immoveable or unchan-
geable.
Commentary.
This treats of the way in which God renders good or
actuates the souls and consists of two arguments.
First Argument.
Churnika.—The Tatwas act with the aid of the soul.
Varthikam.—It is established that the five senses per-
ceive only as the instruments of the soul, as they can
perceive nothing when not acting together with the soul.
Illustrations.—The soul has regal sway over the five
senses ; these are not conscious of the soul and its sway,
and the soul itself will have no consciousness except
through the five Senses ; but if the soul itself is not active

56 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
the eye though seeing cannot see, and the ear though
hearing, cannot hear.
Second Argument.
Churnika.—The souls understand with the aid of Hara.
Varthikam.—As the soul cannot perceive itself, in the
same way, the five senses cannot feel except with the aid
of the soul, it is established that the soul also perceives
with the aid of God.
Illustrations (a). Thou who hast even forgotten the
text of the Veda which says that the world (animate and in-
animate) becomes developed in the presence of Siva,
understand that the soul knows (the world) only according
to its Karma with the light of Siva. As all Asat is sunya,
He cannot experience Asat.
(b). Just as the stars which lose their individual light
in the light of the sun and yet do not become the sun itself,
so the soul receiving impressions from all the five senses
with the aid of God who is the only Truth, becomes indis-
tinguishable and inseparable from Him (without becoming
one or different from Him.)
(c). The Arul of Isa exists eternally with Him. It is
His Sakti. Without Him, Sakti does not exist; and with-
out Sakti, He cannot be. Hara (and His Sakti) appear as
one to the gnanis, as the sun and its light appear as one to
the eye.

FIFTH SUTRA. 57
NOTES.
This Sutra points out the essential limitation of all human
senses, faculties, and the soul. The power of each is limited
to knowing or perceiving the lower one and it cannot perceive
itself or the higher faculty, and one faculty cannot perform the
functions of another. The external and internal senses and the
soul are therefore placed in an ascending order. Of these the
highest, the soul can only perceive and know what is subordinate
to itself. It cannot know itself nor know God. It is on this
analogy and for this reason that God is imperceivable by the
human senses and inconceivable by the human mind or soul;
and it will be seen further that the soul cannot see God at any
time by its own powers and that even the Yogi sees nothing but
a figment of his own brain.
Not only are these human powers limited in their nature
but there exists an interdependance of the lower over the higher.
In the last sutra, it was shown that the soul does not become
conscious till the Andakarana are evolved from matter; and it is
here shown that the Andakarana themselves will not act unless
the soul influences them and act together; and that the Andakara-
na have no independent action. And it is further seen that the
higher consciousness exists or even predominates when the lower
ones cease. That which stands therefore to the soul as the soul
stands towards mind, is God, 'முற்றறிவன்', Perfect Intelligence
பேரறிவன் 'Supreme intelligence' or as described in the next
sutra 'Siva Sat' or 'Chit Sat.' And herein consists the most
important distinction between God and man, and which entitles

58 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
this school of philosophers to call themselves Asthika and all
the rest (theistic and atheistic) Nasthika. In the latter theistic
schools, their ideal of God is a purely personal or human one i.e.,
man raised to a God, or as in the idealistic school, God is brought
down to the level of man, in either of which cases, the conception
of God does not soar higher than that of man and the true ideal
of God is never reached. Coming to the distinction noted above
God and man do not differ in mere place or quantity or quality
or in degree of power, strength or intelligence. It is not the same
order of being differiug merely in the amount of strength and
intelligence. Man is not a particle of God, so that the requisite
number of particles of human souls will make up one God. Put
thus, the idea is absurd enough, yet one finds thousands of people
believing in the theory. The real difference is that God and
man belong each to a different order or plane of existence. Just
as we ascend from the plane of objective consciousness to the
plane of subject or mental consciousness and just as we ascend
from the latter to the consciousness of true subject or soul, so
also do we ascend from the latter consciousness to True Sat or
God. The base of the lower rests upon the higher but not as
effect and cause. Such expressions as உயிருக்குயிர் (Life of
life) அறிவுக்கறிவு (Intelligence of Intelligences) express the
relation clearly and yet we find these expressions freely used by
Idealistic philosophers without any meaning. According to the
latter school, God will be an அறிவு (Intelligence) and not an
அறிவுக்கறிவு (Intelligence of Intelligences). When Siddhanthis
use the expression “ எல்லாம் சிவன்செயல் ” “ All actions are
God's actions,” they are also misunderstood often times, and the
expression simply means that God is He who sustains our very
being and actions as He vivifies our intelligence. Though there
is dependence of the soul on God in respect of its Itcha (will)
Gnana (Intelligence) and Kriya (action) yet the souls' self action
and responsibility is not destroyed. For instance when I move

FIFTH SUTRA. 59
my arm, not only is my volition and energy (Itcha and
Kriya Sakti) brought into play but the same action is
sustained by and is possible only in the presence of the supreme
energy (Kriya Sakti) of God. When I think also,
Gnana Sakti of God is also brought into play. Only when God
works, He does not work as we do. As the 1st illustration to
the second argument points out, His Presence produces these
effects (சந்நிதிக்கே ஐந்து தொழிலாம்). And even then, He does not
suffer any change as pointed out in the Sutra. Analogous are
these. All the actions of the human body are supported and
aided in the end by the Force of Gravity which is one and uni-
form, and yet in ordinary language we do not recognize its power,
though a scientic account of all the causes must include it as
well. Similarly, all our visual perceptions are aided by the Sun's
Light which is one and uniform. Yet I say merely ‘I see.’
Accordingly the ignorant do not recognize and feel the Power of
the Lord, but the wise recognizing this Power, try to realize and
feel it by withdrawing more and more from themselves and
bringing themselves more and more into contact or rapport with
Him, aided thereto by His Arul Sakti. And the last illustration
appropriately discusses the nature of this Arul Sakti. The
approximation of man to God results in the end in adwaitha
relation as described in the 2nd illustration. In day light, the
light of the star is completely lost to all sight and yet not lost.
The light of the star blends with and becomes indistinguishable
from the light of the Sun. Its identity is lost and not itself.
There is no annihilation of the soul but its individuality or
Egoism is lost, its Karma having been eaten. This is Moksha
or Nirvana, according to the Saiva Siddhanti. Then and then
alone will its action, if it has any, be in reality that of the Lord.
The subject is further discussed in the next Sutra.
The limitation of the human intelligence is thus described in
Sivagnana Siddhi, “The soul understands with the aid of the

60 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
Supreme Intelligence as it understands through some sense or
other, forgets what it has learnt, learns from others, is not
conscious of itself, does not understand of itself."
On the other hand God is described as 'Swa Para Prakasam'
'He who is self luminous and illumines others.' On this subject
the same authority raises several other questions and gives beauti-
ful replies.
If God illumines all souls, He must illumine all of them equally
well. If each one's intelligence follows his own Karma, then no
God is required. The answer is that Karma itself acts through
God, though God cannot change Karma. And the analogies of
the earth which yields according to the labour of the peasant, and
the sun who can only ripen those fruits that are matured, are
pointed out.
The theory that the soul is self luminous or self intelligent
is refuted by the fact that the soul is only conscious when in
union with the senses; and the opponent is compared to a man
who would say that a man, with the full power of eye sight, finds
out objects by feeling with his hands.
Man's intelligence is in fact analogous with his eyesight.
He is not blind (non-intelligent) nor is his sight such as to make
him see in the dark and dispense with the aid of the sun's
light (God's grace.)

SIXTH SUTRA. 61
VI
SIXTH SUTRA.
ON THE NATURE OF GOD AND THE WORLD.
Sutra. That which is perceived by the senses is
asat (changeable.) That which is not so perceived
do not exist. God is neither the one nor the other,
and hence called Siva Sat or Chit Sat by the wise ;
Chit or Siva when not understood by the human
intelligence and Sat when perceived with divine
wisdom.
Commentary.
This treats of the nature of Sat and Asat and consists
of two arguments.
First Argument.
Churnika.—Every thing that is perceived by the
human understanding is liable to decay.
Varthikam.—As an object exists or does not exist ac-
cording to one or other attitude of the soul, it is established
that the object perceived by the human understanding is
Asat.
Illustration. Hear, O! thou who art ignorant of the
real nature of Asat. All those that are perceived by the
human faculties and senses will be found to be Asat by him
who has understood Sat.

62 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
O! Thou, who art not Asat. If similes are required to
illustrate that the world is Asat, they are the figures formed
on the water, the dreams and the cloud-car. They disappear
before Him, as does darkness before the sun.
Second Argument..
Churnika.—The Being so arrived at (that is not per-
ceived by the soul) is Hara.
Varthikam.—All objects understood by us do not require
a light to know them by, and all not so understood cannot
be known even with a light. Hence that which is not
included in these two and which is beyond the ken of human
powers and is within its ken also, that is Sivam which is
Sat.
Illustrations.—(a) If the meaning of the expression
that God is neither what can be proved and known by us
nor what cannot be known is asked, he who has found the
truth will say that He exists. He cannot be seen by the
human understanding as He will then become Asat. He
must be seen by the Arul Sakti of Siva who cannot be
known by man. This Arul Sakti is His Foot.
(b) The faculties by which the Soul perceives are Asat.
Therefore none of them can perceive the One. Even
thou, who so perceivest, cannot understand Him. If
examined, what thou perceivest will be different from
thee. He who has understood himself will perceive him-
self to be not different from Him, as he merges his per-
sonality in Him and understands through His Arul.
(c) If God is capable of being meditated by man, He
becomes Asat. If He is regarded as a Being beyond human

SIXTH SUTRA. 63
meditation, He will be a mere fiction. If He is meditat-
ed as neither, He will be a nonentity. If He is meditat-
ed as an object of meditation though He is beyond human
meditation, this will be also a fiction. The Param can only
be meditated with the aid of His Arul. Therefore He is
not a nonentity.
(d.) To be known by the soul, He is not different from
itself. As He is even present in its understanding it can-
not know Him. As He in fact makes the soul see, its
understanding cannot comprehend and point Him out to
the soul, just as the eye which the soul enables it to see
and yet is one with it cannot see the soul.
(e.) God is not one who can be pointed out as "That."
If so, not only will He be an object of knowledge, it will
imply a Gnatha who understands Him as such. He is not
different from the soul as an object of knowledge. He be-
comes one with the soul pervading its understanding
altogether. The soul so feeling itself is also Sivam.

64 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
NOTES.
This Sutra contains the true and only definition of God, and
all other attributes of God follow from the two given here. The
way in which these attributes are derived is thus. In the first
place, God must either be an object of human knowledge or He
is not. If the first, everything that is perceived by us is liable
to decay and change and we cannot regard God as liable to
change. Therefore God is beyond human perception and hence
called Sivam or Chit (Pure Intelligence). If it is not an object
of knowledge, is it nonentity? Of course not, and hence He is
‘Sat’ ‘that which subsists’ ‘The only Truth.’ These two form
the components of the word ‘Satchithanantham,’ so freely
applied to God in the Saivite and Vedantic lore. This is our
only definition of God and it is seen that any definition of
God must contain these elements and the conception of God
could not be simplified in any degree. Stated thus, very few
religionists would quarrel with our definition of God. And
yet how very few of the religions of the world even those,
which charges others as polytheistic and idolatrous have an
ideal of God which conforms to this definition. Their tradi-
tions, beliefs and methods of worship destroy this true idea.
For instance if our definition of God, that He is inconceivable
by the human intelligence and imperceptible to human powers,
is true how are all those religions which believe in Avatars,
Christianity and Vaishnavism included, reconcileable with our
definition. When God is born in the flesh, is He not a tangible
thing, a thing to be seen by our eye, felt by our touch and com-
prehended by our senses. How can we then call Him indescrib-
able and imperceivable. How can the Author of evolution

SIXTH SUTRA. 65
subject himself to the laws of evolution—birth and death. Is it
not therefore that our sages one and all declare that He is
‘உதியா மரியா’ ‘இறப்பிலி பிறப்பிலி’ (without birth and death).
We challenge any body to point out in the vast puranic lore, any
story in which Siva is said to have been born in the flesh and
the very stories which exist, only serve to illustrate the difference
between Him and the so called Immortals, namely, that Siva
cannot die and be born, and that all others are capable of births
and deaths, and our poet says :
“ எல்லார் பிறப்பும் இறப்பும் இயற்பாவலர்தம்,
சொல்லாற் றெளிந்தேம்,—நம் சோணேசர்,
இல்லிற் பிறந்த கதையும் கேளேம் பேருலகில் வாழ்ந்துண்டு,
இறந்த கதையும் கேட்டிலேம்.”
and every Tamil student can recall to mind the popular Stanza
of Kalamegam in which he claims superiority to Vishnu who is
superior to God, as Siva has no births, Vishnu's births are ten
and his own are innumerable. The Churnika points out that all
object and subject (mental) phenomena are liable to decay, not
annihilation, but change. They so change from moment to
moment, they are so evanescent that they may almost be said to
have no existence at all, ‘இல்லே யெனு மாயை’ and these are
therefore called Asat. And to avoid further misconception, it
is defined as that which exists or does not exist according to the
objective or subjective attitude of the mind, bearing in mind,
however, Asat here includes all the phenomena of object and sub-
ject, both being objective to the soul. Asat or Maya therefore
does not mean nonexistent nor illusion nor Mitya. It simply
means ‘other than Sat.’ And this definition has to be borne in
mind fully, as the confusion of its meaning alone has given birth
to the tortuosities of the Idealistic School. The latter School
compares Asat to the imagined silver in the shell and the snake
in a rope. That this is a false analogy, without any meaning, is
8

66 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
easily shown. For the production of this illusory knowledge
we must have previously possessed a knowledge of two realities
both the shell and silver, and the snake and the rope and an
imperfectly intelligent being, who by either defective vision or
distance or fear &c. mistakes one thing for the other. The silver
and snake, in themselves realities, are not in the shell and rope
respectively but in a defective mind. In the genesis of the Asat,
what supplies the places of silver, shell and defective mind must
be shown. So far as the illusory knowledge of silver is con-
cerned we have traced it to a defective mind. If myself and
my human consciousness, objective and subjective is an illu-
sion, who is the subject of this illusion. Inevitably, God.
Such a God is itself illusory and He could not be self luminous
and Intelligent. The analogy gives us no sense whatever and
though the objection as stated here has often and often been press-
ed, yet we find no book meeting it and we find the analogy
repeated often enough and even by intelligent men, parrot-like.
The nature of Asat is further explained in the illustration, and
the similes given are in themselves real experiences while they
last, and the point of comparison is simply their evanescent and
temporary character.
2. The second Varthika gives one of the many dilemmas
fopnd in this work. If God is knowable by us, it will be easy
enough to know Him and we do not require a superior Light to
guide us to Him. If He is not knowable, then however we might
try, we cannot discover Him, and the worship of God will be all vain
trouble. The meaning being that it is not possible to know with
what is called Pasa and Pasu Guanam i.e., by the human powers
and by the soul itself. The Divine Light (Pathi Gnanam) must
penetrate our soul and then we can discover Him dwelling in our-
selves; and merging our personalities in Him, we become indis-
tinguishable from Him and we cau as it were, call ourselves even
God, in name. At no-time, can we therefore see God face to face

SIXTH SUTRA. 67
as He, as it were, lies behind us, lives in us, part of our very be-
ing. Sivagnana Siddhi summarises the resasons thus :
" God cannot be perceived by the Human intelligence as He
is not separate from the soul, as He illumines its intelligence,
makes it understand whatever it thinks about, and as He has no
such pride as I and mine, everything being in Him."
(b) and (d) and (e). Maya is object. Soul is subject. The
object cannot perceive the subject ; otherwise the subject will
become the object and the object subject. God is true subject,
and Maya and Soul are objects and hence Maya and Soul cannot
perceive God. The subject receives further elaboration in the
next Sutra.
(c) This verse discusses the various conceptions of God by
the Yogis, and they are reduced to either mere idols of the human
mind or fiction or nonentity, in all of which cases, the meditation
of God will bring no profit whatever. When the highest concep-
tions of God in the Yoga philosophy are thus declared to be mere
material idols or myths, it need not be pointed out that any re-
presentation of the Unknown and the Inconceivable by either the
eye or the ear or any other human senses will be equally mate-
rial conceptions and fruitless. This then is our real reason for
the objection taken to all forms of idolatory. The religions ordi-
narily professing hatred of idolatry are based on such narrow
philosophic foundations that they simply object to the idols of the
eye—namely pictures and statues, &c., but their ordinary concep-
tions of God conveyed by the language and sound is equally gross
and idolatrous. If you object to a male representation of God in
gold or marble as your Father and to a worship of the same, why
do you call Him ‘Our Father’ and ‘Our Lord’ and repeat other
names which are mere idols of the ear, and what benefit would it
bring you the worship of these mere names ? If you object to
locate the picture of the eye in a temple, why do you build Him

68 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
a temple in words and in your mind and say 'Our Father which
art in Heaven.' This heaven of your mind is as unreal a re-
presentation of God's abode as the Temple of the earth. A
prayer is a mere word or sound worship, and all our mantras fall
within this category. God can only be and is therefore represented
by means of all the human senses, and the mental conceptions simp-
ly follow from the sensory conceptions. Of all these, however, the
eye and the ear standing foremost among the most intellectual of
the five gateways of knowledge, the symbolic forms of these two
senses are deservedly most popular. And of these, the forms of
the eye are all the varied forms of the universe, the five elements,
the Sun, and the Moon, and the luminaries and all animal form
chiefly man, comprised under what are called Ashta-Mukurtham;
which forms are again divided into Guru, Lingam and Sanga-
mam : Guru and Sangama comprising Living Beings and Lingam
including all pictorial and sculptural representations, from
the root 'lik,' meaning to write or describe. Cf. The word
'Lipika,' used in the 'Secret Doctrine.' The symbols presented.
to the ear, are sounds, words, names, and mantras, prayers, &c.
And of all these the Pranava and Sri Panchakshara stand fore-
most. And these mantras form what is called Sabda Brahm.
And how futile this worship of Sabda Brahm is when not
accompanied by Pathignanam is illustrated by the Puranic story of
the Rishis of the Tharukavana. Cf. the following extract
from Barths' Religions of India. "Sacrifice is only an act of
preparation, it is the best of acts but it is an act and its fruits
consequently perishable. Accordingly although whole sections
of these treatises (Upanishads) are taken up exclusively with
speculations on the rites, what they teach may be summed up in
the words of Munduka Upanishad "Know the Atman only and
away with everything else; it alone is the bridge to immortality."
The Veda itself and the whole circle of sacred science are quite as
sweepingly consigned to the second place. The Veda is not the

SIXTH SUTRA. 69
true Brahm; it is only its reflection. And the science of this
imperfect Brahm, this Sabda Brahm or Brahm in words is only
a science of a lower order. The true science is that which has
the true Brahm, The Para Brahmam for its subject." That is,
the Vedas themselves resolve into Asat and they cannot know Sat.
These thoughts are not only found in almost every page of our
sacred literature, but they can be met with even in every popular
song, and story. If I attempt here any quotation, these will in
themselves form matter for a separate book, but I am unwiliing to
leave it withouta few, seeing the importance of the subject. Turning
over the first few pages of 'Thiruvachakam' we meet with these :
"பரமன் காண்க"
(Behold the Supreme)
"சொற்பதங் கடந்ததொல்லோன் காண்க"
(Behold The most Ancient God who cannot be described by
words)
"சித்தமுஞ்செல்லா சேட்சியன் காண்க"
(Behold the Incomprehensible Being who cannot be reach-
ed by the Human mind)
"தேவரு மறியாச் சிவனே காண்க"
(Behold the Lord unknown to the Immortals)
"சொற்பதங் கடந்த தொல் லோன்
உள்ளத்துணர்ச்சியிற் கொள்ளவும் படான்
கண்முதற்புலனாற் காட்சியுமில்லோன்"
'He is passing the description of words, not comprehensible
by the mind, not vissible to the eye and other senses' (note
here the words 'eye and other senses')
"யுரையுணர் விறந்த வொருவ போற்றி."
(Praise be to the One who is passing speech and thought)
"வேதங்கள் ஐயா வெனவோங்கி
ஆழ்ந்தகன்ற நுண்ணியனே."
(Thou hast passed far beyond the reach of the Vedas, which
called loudly for Thee)

70 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
“ ஓர்நாமம் ஒருருவம் ஒன்றுமில்லான்”
He has no name, and no form and no marks whatever.
“ சோதிமணிமுடி. சொல்லிற் சொல்லிறந்து நின்றதொன்மை
ஆதிகுணம் ஒன்றுமில்லா அந்தமிலான்.”
(His Lustrous Crown is where all speech and thought
cease to enter,
He has no beginning, no attributes and no end.)
Turn to the ‘Thevaram :’
“ அவன் அருளே கண்ணாகிக் காண்பதல்லால்.
இப்படியன் இவ்வுருவன், இவ்வண்ணத்தன்
இவனிறைவ னென்றெழுதிக் காட்டொணாதே.”
(Unless you can see him with His Grace as your eye,
You cannot describe Him in words or picture, as this is
the God possesing such and such attributes, forms and
qualities).
Says our Sainted Poetess Karaikal Ammayar :
“ அன்றும் திருவுருவம் காணாதே யாட்பட்டேன்
இன்றும் திருவுருவம் காண்கிலேன்— என்றுந்தான்
எவ்வுருவோ நும்பிரான் என்பார்கட் கென்னுரைப்பேன்,
எவ்வுருவோ நின்னுருவம் ஏது.”
When I first became Thy slave I did not know Thy form,
I have not seen Thy form even now.
What am I to say to those who ask me what Thy form is ?
What is Thy form ? Which is it ? None.
Our Thayumanavar :
“ ஊனாயுணர்வு இறந்து தம்மையுணர்டவர் உணர்வினூடே
கரையிலா இன்பவெள்ளம் காட்டிடும் முகிலே.”
“ சொல்லாலும் பொருளாலும் அளவையானும்
தொடரவொண்ணா அருள்நெறி.”

SIXTH SUTRA. 71
"குலமிலான் குணங்குறி யிலான்,"
"சுருதியே சிவாகமங்களே யுங்களாற் சொல்லும்
ஒருதனிப்பொருள் அளவையீதென்னவா யுண்டோ
பொருதிரைக்கடலெண்ணினும் புகல
கருதவெட்டிடா நிறைபொருள் அளவையார் காண்பார்.”
Cf. with verse (d).
"அறியுந்தரமோ நானுன்னை, அறிவுக்கறிவாய் நிற்பதனால்
பிரியுந் தரமோ நீ யென்னைப் பெம்மானே—பேரின்பமதாய்
செறியும் பொருள் நீ நின்னையன்றிச் செறியாப் பொருள்
நான்.”
Having said so much, it might reasonably be asked, how is
it, that the Saiva Religion whose Temples are more numerous
than that of any other faith and are spread out from the Hima-
layas to Cape Comorin and the Islands beyond and from the
caves of Elephanta to the Rock cut Temples of Mahabalipuram,
tolerates these practices? This is the subject of the next chapter
on Sadana and the reason is found there. This symbolic worship
(sensory and mental) is required as Sadana for the human
soul and these are not Sadhia i. e., the means to attain an end,
the knowledge of Sat, and not the end itself; or in the words of
the extract quoted above, these are acts of preparation. The
human mind, if it must progress in Spirituality, must withdraw
more and more from its own self and rest itself on what it
considers, the Highest, the Holiest and Loveliest and bestow
upon it all its deeds, riches, and thoughts (உடல், பொருள்,
ஆவி). By such continued practice of Altruism and love of
Sivam, who is All Love, will reach true Bhakti or Pathi
Gnanam, described in the last chapter on Payan. Besides when we
must worship God, we must worship in that body in which He
is present, and we have before shown that the whole universe,