The Pilgrim
The Quarterly Bulletin of the Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism
| Volume | Date | Issue |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | January 1948 | 4 |
The Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism
Editorial Board: Bishop Clement D. Rockey, Dr. A.J. Appasamy Mrs. W.S. Gould Rev. C.G. Diehl (Madras) Dr. J.E. McEldowney Prof. V.E. Dutt Rev. A.M. Ward (Bangalore) Mr. R.C. Das Rev. J.S. Moon (Editor)
The objects of the Christian Society for the Study o Hinduism are:
- To create and maintain adequate interest in the study of Hinduism by Christians,
- To carry on the study in a sympathetic, constructive and critical way for the purpose of effective evangelism and
- To achieve the above objects in co-operation with Church and Mission bodies.
The activities of the Society are:
- To conduct in Benares (and if possible in a South Indian centre) an Institute of Hinduism stressing its popular aspects
- To publish The Pilgrim a quarterly bulletin, bearing on Hinduism, its relation To Christianity and work among Hindus, and
- To encourage the organisation of a permanent School of Hinduism
The minimum annual subscription is Rs. 2/. Membership fees, and gifts may be sent to the treasurer:
Dr. C.H. Hazlett, A.P. Mission, Maippari, U.P.
Every member will receive The Pilgrim free.
Comments on Sivagnanabotham
By Rev. H.A. POPLEY,
(Concluded from previous issue)
Stanza 2. The Relation of God to the Soul
The relation of God to the souls of men according to Saiva Siddhanta is expressed by the word ADVITHAM in Tamil. This is a Sanskrit term and means literally ‘non-dual’. The Saiva Siddhanta school points out that the negative prefix indicates a negation of quality and not a negation of separate existence. This relation may, perhaps be best described as ‘immanence of the transcendent in the soul’. The all-embracing immanence of God is always kept clearly in mind and at the same time this immanent relation of God to the souls of men is strongly held and clearly expressed. It is useful to make use of the word ADVITHAM as there is no English word which exactly expresses its meaning. This ADVITHA relation is usually expressed by Tamil authors by means of similes.
The tune and the sound, the sunlight and the
moonlight, the rape-seed and the oil, the glowing
iron and the heat, the sea and the salt, the body and
the soul, the reflection in the water and the noonday
sun, the crystal and the reflected light, the water and
the milk, sight and sunlight, these are all similes for
the inseparable union of the soul and God.— Sivagnana Siddhiar
The idea of all these similes is to show the inseparable co-existence of God and souls. This idea is well expressed in the following:
Saiva Siddhanta, the final expression of the
sacred word of God, is darkness to those without
but light to those within, and declares that the soul
is not identical with God, like the gold and the
golden ornaments, it is not absolutely diverse like
light and darkness, and that it is not exclusive like
the word and its meaning, but like the body and
soul, the eye and sunlight, the mind's knowledge
and the seeing of the eye, the relation of the soul
to God partakes of all these three and is an inseparable
immanent relation to a transcendent God.— Sivapragasam 7
Again:
As the soul lives in union with the body and
its members and yet remains distinct from it, so the
Lord lives in union with the souls of men. But the
Lord cannot become the soul, nor can the soul
become the Lord who is its creator; but the Lord
abides in it, all in all, and yet not the same.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 2:3
The last illustration given in the First Section is that of the whetstone, in which while the two substances remain distinct the union of them in the whetstone is permanent. In this stanza also is introduced the idea of ecstatic contemplation in which the believer loses his own self-consciousness and individuality and becomes united inseparably with the Lord.
The other sections of this stanza show the soul’s pilgrimage and the way the Lord deals with the soul. Its form of rebirth is conditioned by its previous actions and the persisting power of the fruit of those actions is the determining force of its new existence. This force operates through the gracious energy (SAKTI) of the Lord. This energy is regarded as personified in Parvati, the wife of Siva. Even in the philosophical work the gracious energy of the Lord contains an idea of personality. It is likened to the minister of a king. But the law of the fruit of actions operates rigidly throughout and the nature and experiences of the body are determined by this law.
Men seek the joys of wealth with unwearying
perseverance and yet fail to gain them. In the
midst of their perseverance riches perish. They
are sunk in sorrow. Others without any effort find
themselves wealthy. All this is the result of the
accumulated power of the fruit of previous actions.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 2:8
A good action is that which tends to give
one stability to life and a bad action is that which does
the contrary. Then the Lord working with the
fruit of these good and bad actions gives to each
their appropriate fruit in joy and pleasure.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 2:13
In No. 2 the necessity of the operating energy of the Lord is shown. The following quotation makes this clear:
The soul, using its body organs and all its
other earthly agents, experiences and accumulates
the fruits of action. These various agents will not
come of their own accord. But the Lord who is
above all comprehension disposes them fittingly to
each soul— Sivagnana Siddhiar 2:2
In No. 3 the Siddhanta view of the origin of evil is given. This states that the sense impurity attached to the soul is co-eternal with the soul. The following quotation makes this clear:
The principle of sensuousness exhibits itself in
the body and in all its organs and experiences, and
provides the discriminating factor, between them.
It is imperishable and unique. It is without form
and operates in the souls of men to obscure their
intelligence until all the fruit of action is done away
with. It is corporeal and without power of self-movement
and pervades all the elements of the
universe. When all these elements are dissolved
and in a state of quiescence it remains the ground
of their existence and causes them to come to rebirth
This sense-impurity, operates through the
grace of the Lord— Sivagnana Siddhiar 2:4
Again:
This principle of sensuousness is the ground of
the universe, for non-intelligent matter can never
arise from intelligent spirit. This evil cannot attach
itself to bodies and the Lord can only create by
means of this principle, That principle is eternal
like God Himself, so through this he can create all
things. The learned will not say that the Godhead
is the result of this principle.— Sivapragasam 2:5
And again:
When the soul was, then was the sense-principle
of self-assertion. The other two sense-principles
of sensuousness and retribution, like the husk of
the paddy, are said to be co-eternal with the soul.
This is the teaching of the Saivite scriptures.— Sivapragasam 2:7
There are three evil principles which are attached to the soul in its round of births and deaths. These are sensuousness (maya), which is the cause of the distinction between subject and object; self-assertion (Anavam) which is the cause of distinct individuality; and retribution (karma), the fruit of actions, which determines the round of births and deaths. Freedom from the operation of these sense-principles is heaven or Mutthi.
The third section deals with the round of births and deaths and shows how and why the soul passes from one stage to another. Saiva Siddhanta postulates the existence of a spiritual body which the soul retains throughout its whole pilgrimage, till it reaches final bliss.
The material body arises from the distinctive
spiritual body. Just as from one piece of gold the
goldsmith makes pendants necklaces, and other
ornaments, so the Lord causes the one spiritual
body to be transformed into different material
bodies.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 2:47
This transformation takes place just as ‘from the roots of an old tree new shoots spring up.’
While this simile of the tree is true for the birth
of the material body, it is not true that as the root
dies when the tree dies, so also at the death of the
material body the spiritual body also perishes.
The simile of the moon and its phases is better.
Just as the passing away of one phase is only the
occasion for the coming of another phase, while the
moon remains through all its phases, so the spiritual
body abides throughout all the changing material forms.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 2:48
The last section deals with the all-pervading energy of the Lord, which is like the light of the sun. The energy of the Lord is thought of in popular Saivism as having a female form and as being inseparable from the Lord himself.
The Lord creates his energy From this energy
comes the revealed forms of Siva. The two in
union give birth to the material and mental universe.
So those who have learnt the truth think of the
Lord as a young man and his energy as of a young maiden.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 2:77
The Saivite devotee poet, Thayumanavar, thus speaks of the all-pervading energy of the Lord.
All is thy possession; all is thy slave; all is thy work.According to Sivagnana Yogi the energy of the Lord has to perform five functions viz.
- Purification of the soul from worldly attachments;
- Sanctification of the soul so that it no longer has any desire for such attachments;
- Imparting of divine wisdom;
- The production of a state of mind which feels neither pleasure nor pain;
- The making of the soul to be absolutely and divinely quiescent.
Stanza 3. The Existence of the Soul
This chapter, deals with the real existence of the soul as distinct from the body, the universe and the Lord. This is made clear in the very first section itself. The spiritual nature of the soul is emphasised by the simile of the five mystic letters, which are, thought of as a peculiar entity. The nature of this mystic symbol, thought of as containing five letters is explained in the next stanza, and readers may refer to that.
Sivagnana Yogi thus explains the distinction of the soul and body:
The body is a form bound together with many
different members. The soul separates itself from
each of these bodily members and asserts its
distinction from them and so finally nothing is left of
the body which can be identified with the soul.
That intelligence remains the same both in the
act of judgement and after the judgement is given.
In contradiction to all parts of the body it is spirit.
So to say that the intelligence which so
discriminates is mere fiction is like saying that the
mother who has given birth to a child is nursing
it is a barren woman. The two sides of this proposition
simply cannot hold together. Thus, the
real existence of the soul is asserted.Then in regard to the second section Sivagnana Yogi says:
The materialists say that because intelligence
cannot be separated from the body and because
we always say 'I have come', 'I have eaten', the
speaker identifies himself with the body. It is true
that men transfer the actions of the body to the
soul for convenience in speaking, but they who thus
speak will never say. I myself am my body or my
hand or my leg etc. By asserting that these are
all possessions of the self and using the possessive
case the mind distinguishes itself from all these
possessions.In the third section the soul is distinguished from the five senses. Thus, Sivagnana Yogi says:
The soul which knows by means of the five senses
must be distinct from them. The sensations of
one vary from place to place and from time to time
and so it is impossible to identify the senses with
the soul.In the next section the soul is distinguished from the spiritual body into which the soul is said to pass when in the dream state. The following quotation will illustrate this:
The material body is produced from the spiritual
body which is also its cause. Know that by the
power of the Lord each spiritual body is
transformed into different material bodies.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 2:47
The next section describes, the condition of the soul in the state of unconsciousness or dormancy, the state of dormancy preceding rebirth. In this state only the function of respiration is active, all the others being dormant. But the soul must not be identified with the breath as the other functions are functions of the soul and not of the breath.
The next section distinguishes the soul from God by the nature of its intelligence, which is imperfect as against the perfect, intelligence of God. The soul is forgetful, the mind becomes weary and must be taught many things. On the other hand the divine mind remembers all things, never wearies, and needs no teacher.
The last section sums up the whole matter and takes the soul, from, the realm of sense phenomena into the realm of the real and thus makes clear its essential difference from the sense world.
Stanza 4. The Nature of the Soul
This stanza defines the conditions of the soul, and its relationship to the intellectual faculties.
The first section shows the soul as distinct from the intellectual faculties and then makes clear their relations by means of the mystic symbol, AUM. The soul is seen as a personal force, directing all the intellectual faculties and making use of them as a king does his ministers. The following quotation makes this clear:
The soul, uniting with the four intellectual
faculties of Mind, Reason, Mental activity and
Thought, uses them as its instruments. Those who
clearly separate the function of the true self from
the functions of these faculties know the soul.
Afterwards the divine wisdom which has given this
earthly wisdom will appear.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 4:2
It is difficult to find exact equivalents for the terms used and so there is a certain amount of confusion. The exact nature and function of each faculty is not clearly defined and is differently stated by different commentators. Mind, activity and thought are said to deal with perceptions, each having its own particular function. The reason is the chief minister of the king and comes to conclusions as a result of the various perceptions.
The next two verses treat of the mystic symbol AUM and it’s meaning. This mystic symbol is the most important prayer of Hindus of all sects and each of them explains it differently. It is used as a kind of incantation at the beginning and end of all prayers and in the form of the letter as it usually stands at the head of all books. Two explanations of this symbol are given in these verses, The first refers the different letters to the different intellectual faculties. In the symbol the circle represents the soul. This mystic symbol is identified by Saivism with the name of God.
The next verse refers the various letters of the symbol to the different functions of God. Each function is regarded as having a separate form of God presiding over it. God as creator of the sense world also obscures the souls of men by means of the sense-principles. This obscuration is necessary in order that souls may be brought to a fit condition to receive the grace of God. This is brought out in the next verse. There is the evil principle of self-assertion in the soul. Like the soul this is without beginning and is distinct from the other sense-principles. It persists in the soul until the final liberation.
The third section describes the progress of the soul through the various stages to liberation. The soul passes through the five states in each of its distinct conditions. These conditions are three viz, first, as a spiritual entity before it comes to birth in a material body; then in a material body after birth; and finally in a state of liberation from all the sense-principles. The following quotations will make this clear:
The soul in its prenatal condition is without a
body. It has neither sense-knowledge nor sense
qualities, no desires, intelligence, actions,
self-determination, birth or death, but abides alone with
only the sense principle of selfhood.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 4:38
The soul in its corporeal condition takes a body,
possesses sense knowledge, and sense faculties,
desires, intelligence, actions, birth and death, and
living as an individual progresses through the
various states of sense obscuration.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 4:39
The soul in its condition of liberation has seen
the likeness of the two kinds of actions and through
the grace of the Lord has received divine teaching
and attained to heavenly wisdom, and becomes
purified from all the sense-principles, having left
all false sense knowledge, it comes to rest at the
feet of the Lord.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 4:40
The following are the 25 faculties:
- Thought, intelligence, reason, decision, together with the self.
- Five sensations - sound, touch, form, taste, smell.
- Five actions - speaking, going, standing, evacuation pleasure.
- Five sense-organs - Ear, body, eye, tongue, nose.
- Five organs of action - Word, foot, hand, anus, genitals.
The following quotation: gives some idea of the method of the soul’s progress.
The soul, as a king who goes in procession with
his army and ministers, when he enters into the
palace, passes through and leaves behind every gate
and places guards, and leaves one by one all the
bodily and mental faculties, and having placed the
breath as a guard, alone it passes through the five
states into the inner apartments.— Sivapragasam 4:32
Stanza 5. The Method of the Soul’s Knowledge
This stanza and its commentaries treat of the work of God in the soul and the way the soul obtains knowledge of the real.
The senses cannot cognise either objects or themselves, but their perceptions and the relations between them are cognised by the soul, which rules them as a king rules his ministers. Similarly, the soul cannot know itself or the Lord who has created it. All the knowledge that the soul obtains of the real is acquired only through the gracious energy of the Lord.
The senses and intellectual faculties know only
their peculiar objects and cannot know the soul
Which rules them. So the souls; which knows and
experiences the fruit of actions cannot know the
divine grace which controls these. The Lord alone
knows all and makes it known to the souls by his grace.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 5:1
The senses and faculties are likened to the ministers and servants of a king, each of whom knows only his particular work and not the motives and purposes and plan of the ruler.
The second verse points out that the soul of itself cannot know reality and needs the grace of God to acquire such knowledge.
One supreme intelligence: using the Various
faculties and organs of the soul and body in accordance
with the previous actions will be the grace
of God teach all things to the soul, which can only
know as it is taught by him.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 5:4
While it is clearly taught that the supreme being is the creative intelligence for all souls, the author is very careful to make it clear that the supreme being is in no way mixed up in phenomena or identified with them. He makes use of the expression ‘the presence of God’ in order to make this clear. Like the light of the sun, the presence of the Lord is the mediator of knowledge to the soul as well as the mediator of creation for the world, but like the sunlight is not affected by these. All things come into existence in the presence of God, just as the mere presence of a magnet shapes and settles the iron filings. This does not, involve any special action on the part of God. His pervading energy, that is his grace, is sufficient to induce all these changes. So although the presence of God is necessary to the soul for even phenomenal knowledge, God is always quite free from any taint of phenomena.
O thou fool, who art always forgetting that
there is no natural operation except in the presence
of the Lord; the results of that sensory knowledge
which exists in the presence of the Lord is made
known to the souls of men; but it does not affect
the Lord himself for in his presence the material
world cannot stand.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 5:6
The next verse makes use of the illustration of the stars to prove that although the soul in the presence of God loses all operative individuality, yet it is not merely absorbed into God as the Vedantists say, but still retains its distinct identity.
The last verse declares the supremacy of divine, grace in all this work.
The grace of God, which is the cause of the soul's
knowledge, is his own eternal energy. Apart from
his grace the supreme being does not exist and
apart from the supreme being there is no grace.
The Lord by his grace will drive away all falsehood
from the souls of men and grant them true knowledge
as the sun by its light drives away the darkness.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 5:9
The following is a definition of divine grace by Sivagnana Yogi:
The divine mercy which frees souls from the
taint of vengefulness and grants to them the divine
nature.Here is another illustrative commentary:
Just as men by the aid of the sunlight, which
drives away the darkness, are enabled to see and do
their work, though they may not appreciate that aid,
so the soul knows all through the grace of God
even though it may spurn the divine grace through
which alone it obtains freedom from sense-evils.— Sivapragasam 5:4
Stanza 6. The Nature of the Lord
This stanza shows that the nature of God transcends all human knowledge and cannot be classed in any way with phenomena or be apprehended experimentally by the mind of man. God belongs to the realm of eternal reality. And all else in the universe, except the soul, belongs to the realm of the phenomenal,
The special point of the three metaphors used in the first section is pointed out by the commentator, Sivagnana Yogi:
The writing on the water passes away as soon
as it is done. The incidents of a dream break off
suddenly without coming to a proper end. The
noonday mirage disappears when the sun is obscured.
These are the reasons why the metaphors are used.
Though these metaphors show clearly the unstable
nature of the phenomenal world, they do not deny
its existence. All these things have an existence
though but for a short time.Then he goes on to say:
To speak of an absolutely unintelligible being
as real is quite useless; for such a being cannot
unite with us nor can we unite with it. Nor can
it do anything for us. So like garlands made from
airy flowers and the rope made from the hair of a
tortoise, such a being is nothing.Saiva Siddhanta philosophers and singers are very careful to make clear the transcendence of God, who is not known even to the gods, but they also assert that he has made himself known to his devotees by his divine grace,
If your conception of God is the result of sensory
perception then that conception must belong to the
material world. If it is produced apart from all
your faculties then it must be a trance-mirage. If
it is neither of these then it must be a non-entity.
If you say it is simply the conception of the self
then that is useless. Thus, the supreme being who
transcends all conception is conceived by his own grace.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 6:7
Stanza 7. The Nature of the Soul
This chapter does not need much in the way of explanation. It treats of the relation of the Lord and of the soul to phenomena. It explains that as the soul has a relation to both the phenomenal and the real worlds it must therefore partake to some extent of the nature of both. So it is described as ‘Sat-asat’ i.e., both real and unreal.
The following quotation brings out the point:
The soul knows both the real and the phenomenal
and therefore cannot belong wholly either to the
real or to the phenomenal, but must be different
from both. It cannot be something:which is produced
from both nor can it be a fiction. Therefore,
its nature must be like that of the scent in the flower,
partaking of both realms.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 7:2
Stanza 8. The Soul’s Release
This chapter is the beginning of a series of chapters which show how the soul attains release from the evil sense-principles. In these chapters will be found fundamental principles of the Saivite religion.
The path of release begins in the virtuous acts of previous existences and the end of the path is ‘the feet of God.’ Sivagnana Yogi summarises this path in the following:
As a king comes to his son, who has left him and
wandered among savage tribes and knows nothing
of his true position, and then tells him that he is
his own son, separates him from the savages, makes
him like himself and guards and guides him; so
the Lord in the form of a gracious teacher comes to
the soul, caught among the five senses, harassed and
deluded, and separates it from them, abolishes its
impurity, makes it as himself and places it at his
own feet.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 8:1
Sivagnana Yogi quotes this in order to show the state of bliss to which the soul attains, that it is not a state of absolute identity with that of the Lord. He says. ‘Will the king’s son thus restored to him, rule in an equality with the king or will he not submit himself to his father’s rule?’ He then says that even if he does rule with the king, it will not be in his own right but by the grace of his father. To usurp the position of the king after all that the king has done for him would be base ingratitude for which there could be no forgiveness. Although it is true that the Lord and the soul have the same nature it does not follow that they are identical in functions and characteristics. Again, the king’s son in relation to the king is always under authority and has not got absolute authority himself. Similarly, the soul can never abolish the relationship of servant and master with God, and even though in regard to a God external to itself, the soul may be regarded as self-determining, as regards the indwelling God the soul is always determined by another.
It is said by some that the soul is self-determining in heaven. This is so as regards the bonds of the sense world and the operations of God consequent upon these bonds, but because the soul can only, work through the grace of God, from that point of view it must always be regarded as determined by another. In regard, to ecstatic contemplation he says that this inward contemplation shows the soul in union with the object of its contemplation ton. The soul becomes like the spiritual principle with which it unites and so by means of ecstatic contemplation comes to know the Lord as he is in himself and becomes united to him in an indissoluble union. Like the crystal, whatever the soul unites to itself will, take on its nature. There are two kinds of intelligence: first, that which knows of itself; and second, that which knows as it unites with another intelligence. So as the soul unites with the Lord it takes upon itself the qualities of the Lord and becomes like him. In this sense alone it may be said to become the Lord, but as it only knows the Lord as it is united with him, it must be said to be the servant of the Lord. This union and likeness take place through the gracious energy of the Lord The union is not like the union of milk with milk or water with water. The likeness is one which subsists on account of the union and is not induced by itself. Eternal wisdom can only be predicated of the Lord and not of the soul. In order that the soul may possess the qualities of the Lord it must continue forever in ecstatic union with him.
So it said that the soul must remain in an ADVITHA union with the Lord. What is the meaning of this word, ADVITHAM? It does not mean identity which some have construed it to mean. It declares a union between, two things, so that one becomes like the other. The true illustration to show the meaning of this word is that of the eye, and it’s light.
In heaven the soul enjoys supreme bliss as we learn from the sacred books The soul which can comprehend the supreme bliss can also enjoy it. To know as one united with an object is to be absorbed in that object. This experience is peculiar to the soul and cannot be predicated of the Lord. This heavenly joy is not like earthly joy the fruit of actions. The truest earthly joy is for the soul to possess a good character and so the truest heavenly joy is for the soul to possess the character of God and to shine with his light.
In another place Sivagnana Yogi says of Wisdom:
The wisdom here spoken of is the wisdom which
is imparted by the divine teacher. Wisdom is the
path by which we attain to that supreme wisdom
called the good way.The various stages of wisdom are thus described:
The Lord appears to the soul little by little and
teaches it. Like the moon, first coming with obscuring
light, little by little it drives away the darkness
of sense-impurities. As the darkness vanishes, so
the energy of this obscuration little by little passes
away and the transcendent energy of the Lord
makes itself felt. As this energy takes possession
of the soul, there comes an abhorrence of sensuousness
and a growing desire for the heavenly home.
As this increases other truths little by little become
clear to the soul until the fullness of the divine
wisdom shines out,The commentator makes it clear that before this can be realised the soul must have a course of training in previous existences. Without this wisdom it is impossible to unite with the Lord and attain to eternal bliss.
The good acts spoken of are said to be of two classes viz., those done to creatures and those done to the Lord. The quality of an act depends upon its motive and not upon the recipient. Acts of truth-seekers who do good to others are acts done to the Lord, Acts of sacrifice done simply for personal profit are not regarded as acts done to the Lord. If such religious acts are done solely with one’s thought upon the Lord then such acts will be acts done to the Lord. Three kinds of religious acts are mentioned: religious rites, religious worship of God and religious devotion to God. Each of these acts has its appropriate blessing and these are said to be dwelling with God, nearness to God and likeness to God. Through divine wisdom alone can the soul attain to union with God. These four heavenly blessings are termed as follows in the order above:
- Saloham - to be with the Lord as a special servant.
- Sameebam - to be with the Lord as a worshipper.
- Sarubam - to be with the Lord as a friend and to be like him.
- Sayucchiam-to be in perfect union with the Lord.
The enlightenment of the soul takes place through the gracious energy of God and this works in the soul until the soul comes into the presence of the divine teacher. As a result of this process of enlightenment the soul is purified from all the sense principles.
In the second section souls are classified into three classes according to their degree of enlightenment. The lowest are the Sakalar - the sensuous i.e., those who are under the control of the sense-principles. Second, the pralayakalar i.e., the spiritual, those who are learning divine wisdom. Third, the vignanakalar, i.e., the perfected, those who are free from sense-attachment, though still in the body and who are in communion with the Lord. Sakalar are under the dominance of the three sense-principles of sensuousness, self-assertion and retribution. Pralayakalar are under the dominance of the two sense-principles of self-assertion and retribution; vignanakalar are under the dominance of the sense-principle of retribution only.
The following quotations from Saivite books show how this work is carried out:
As the purification of the soul takes many forms,
the divine teacher uses different means viz, gracious
looks, touch, word, similes, books, austerities, symbolic
rites.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 8:3
The Lord causes the souls of men to enjoy the
fruit of their former actions of thought, word and
deed, and thus destroys the power of those actions
and brings self-assertion to full fruition; then
appearing as a divine teacher, he searches the soul
to purify it from sensuousness and frees it
from the accumulated fruits of previous actions
and abolishes the fruit of present actions. He
destroys self-assertion and sense desire by the
divine wisdom.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 8:10
The enjoyment of sensuous pleasure, the
abolishing of the five sensations, the overcoming
of the three qualities, the perishing of the fruit
of actions, the freedom from sense-principles, living
in an eternal body, omniscience, annihilation,
the possession of the eight supernatural powers,
lifelessness, all these are false ideas of heavenly
bliss. The true definition of heavenly bliss is the
full realisation of the divine grace so that all sense-impurities
are done away with.— Sivapragasam 2:32
The Siddhanta says that the Lord will lead the
soul through all its births by his grace, will immerse
it in the sea of wisdom and give it boundless joy,
wash away all sin and make it a freed soul, deliver
it from the round of births and deaths and set it
finally at the gracious feet of the Lord. What
foolishness is this that the world, chattering idle
things, spurns this and falls into the pit of sin.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 8:16
Just as the sun emits fire in the light of the
sun, so the soul acquires knowledge in the presence
of the divine teacher. In this light the nature of
the Lord, the nature of the soul and the sense world
is revealed. Then the immanent relation of the
Lord to the world and his omnipresence will reveal
themselves.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 8: 28
After the soul has been prepared the saving grace
of the Lord comes and wisdom grows and enters
into his heart by the grace of the teacher, and he
longs for purification. Then, without like or dislike,
looking at everything with an equable mind, he becomes
a freed soul and the-finite intelligence unites
in an inseparable union with the Lord-infinite intelligence,
and the likeness of the Lord alone shines out.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 8:29
That pure energy is the light of wisdom. That
energy cannot exist apart from the Lord. That
energy dispels the sense-evils which have clouded
the soul from eternity, and reveals the Lord, just as
the sunlight dispels the darkness and reveals the
sun.— Sivapragasam 8:5
Stanza 9. The Purification of the Soul
The soul has turned to the Lord and received the divine teaching, but as it is still in this sense-world, it retains a clinging fragrance of sense-evil - a hankering after all the old sense objects. The following are the means for the removal of this clinging association:
- The realisation of the divine in one’s own soul.
- Renunciation of the world on account of its evanescent quality.
- The repetition of the mystic formula in ecstatic contemplation.
The first section shows that we can only realise the divine by means of the divine wisdom.
Sensuous knowledge through mind, word and
speech, and individual knowledge which cannot
know itself perfectly, both of these are transcended
by the divine knowledge, which is self-illuminating
and at the same time reveals both the self and the
Deity. By this divine knowledge we can attain to
the Lord.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 9:4
The eye which is illuminated externally to itself
cannot see itself nor the mental faculties which
control it. The mental faculties, which are also
illuminated externally, cannot know either themselves
or the soul. In the same way the soul which
is illuminated externally cannot see itself nor the
Lord who is the life of its life. The divine wisdom,
being self-illuminating, and revealing both itself and
the soul, needs no illuminant. So the soul, taking
this as its illuminant, can see through that the
Lord and come into union with the Lord. The soul
thus in union with the Lord will always see the
Lord through his divine wisdom.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 9:5
The second section deals with the realisation of the transience of the sensory world and the attainment of the knowledge of the transcendent nature of God.
If the soul, through the teaching of the divine
teacher, hates all the worlds and their varied beauties
and enjoyments and comes to understand surely
that the sense-world is unreal, the all-wise One,
who is without height or depth, without definable
qualities, who is beyond understanding by any and
without any attachments, will appear in his heart
and bestow upon him that unspeakable love; and
by means of that love giving unspeakable joy will
enter into his soul.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 9:6
The method of ecstatic contemplation which is explained in this chapter has already been referred to. The soul is like a mirror which partakes of the nature of the object with which it is associated. In this world it is associated with the sensuous world and so it partakes of the sensuous nature. By means of ecstatic contemplation it becomes associated with the Lord and so partakes of his nature.
If one, realising his distinction from the sensuous
world, and from God, considers that loving service
and the union of the Lord within his soul, and
engages in ecstatic contemplation, the Lord will
appear as united with his soul and will abolish all
sense-evils and make him pure, even as the poison
of the snake is mitigated by the contemplation of
the Brahmani kite.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 9:2
The third section deals with the mystical repetition of the sacred letters. Such repetitions are common to all Indian forms of religion and in the present day Mahatma Gandhi has emphasised this tendency by his demand for the repetition of Ramanam.
By the five letters we know the soul as the possession
of God. By the five letters we can understand
the form of God. By the five letters the various
members of the body worship the Lord. By the:
five letters man worships the Lord in his soul and
keeps alive the sacred fire for the home sacrifice
in the navel and contemplates the Lord between
the eyebrows.
So by means of divine grace
according to rule repeat the mystic formula of the
five letters.
2 The Lord will appear in the soul of
those who do this.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 9:8
Such mystical repetition passes into spiritual worship.
Just as the newly mercurised mirror becomes
brighter and brighter in the light, so to the soul
finding the various objects of worship in the mind
and performing the rites of worship, sacrifice and
contemplation by means of wisdom, the Lord will
appear brighter and brighter. Afterwards sense-evil
will pass away. This is the purification of
the soul and the means of attaining bliss.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 9:8
The reminiscence of sense-evil, like the scent
of asafoetida and the revolution of the wheel, will
not cease immediately, the power of sense-evil has
been destroyed. Works will continue to go on;
but these will not harm in the least those who by
the grace of God and according to the rule repeat
the five mystic letters.— Sivapragasam 10:11
These mystical letters are NA MA SI VA YA or SI VA YA NAMA. Both orders are used. They mean in combination ‘Hail to Siva’. Separately they are said to mean as follows:
SI represents Siva, VA represents the grace of God or Sakti, YA represents the soul, NA represents the energy of obscuration, MA represents, sense-evil. This is called the Saivite Mantram or liturgical prayer.
The true mantram is the five letters. The One
who resides alone at Kachi, the father of Ganabathi,
revealed to me the five things contained in the
mantram, put an end to the sway of obscuration and
sense-evil, opened the doors to the Lord and his
grace and bestowed on me heavenly bliss.— Sivagama Kachimalai
Stanza 10. The Victory of the Soul
This stanza firstly explains the nature of the union of the soul with the Lord. It is not an identity of oneness but a union of master and servant, so that all the acts of the servant are truly the acts of the master. The following quotations bring this out:
If the Lord unites with the soul in the inseparable
ADVITHA union as master and servant, he will
agree that all the acts of the soul are his own acts
and all the experiences of the soul his own
experiences. Even the evil that the soul does out
of love will become service. All sense-evils will
pass away— Sivagnana Siddhiar 10:1
I have done this; others have done it; I, mine;
So, speaks sense-perversity. In order that this
sense-perversity may be eradicated, and we may
walk in the way of the Lord, the Lord has revealed
himself to us. By this means deeds are destroyed.
To all those who still retain this sense-perversity the
Lord gives the experiences fitting to their deeds
and causes them to enjoy the fruits of their actions.
Unless one leaves this petty sense-knowledge and
trains the divine wisdom, the pride of I and mine
will never be abolished.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 10:2
As long as the soul remains clothed in this sensuous body the power of association and the fragrance of old habits will be retained, just as the pot retains a faint smell of asafoetida even after the stuff has been taken away, or as the wheel continues to revolve for a short time after the hand of the potter has ceased to spin it. But through the indwelling grace of the Lord the acts of such a man will not be fruit-producing acts. Some acts will be necessary still, but whatever is done will have no power to produce fresh sense experiences.
The power of present actions, which is the seed
of future births, will perish like a seed in the fire,
at the glance of the divine teacher. The fruits of
the present body must be enjoyed. If however any
fruits are gathered for future births, they will perish
in the wisdom of the Lord, like the darkness before
a light.— Sivapragasam 10: 10
Stanza 11. The Soul Attains Oneness With the Lord
This chapter shows the nature of the union between the soul and the Lord by means of many similes and metaphors, The following quotations will further illustrate this.
Those who by divine wisdom have become the
loving saints of the Lord, will see only the Lord
himself and no sensuous objects. The divine wisdom
which transcends all earthly wisdom is the supreme
wisdom. So freed souls will only gaze upon the Lord.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 11: 12
It may be said that if the Lord is everywhere then
every soul will see him. This is not so for the
blind, the sun itself is as darkness. To those who
do not see with the sight of his grace the light of
God itself is darkness. Just as the sunlight
causes the lotus which is rooted in the mud to
blossom and open, so the Lord gives to those who
are fitted with the eye of wisdom. To those, who
receive the loving gift of his grace he comes as the
light of lights.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 11:8
Though you say both the Lord and the soul are
spirit, yet the Lord is the spirit of divine grace and
the soul the spirit that unites with that grace. The
Lord is the spirit which destroys sin and grants bliss
and the soul is the spirit which is immersed in these.
The Lord is the self-knowing spirit and the soul the
spirit which knows only what it is taught. Though
the two are united they do not become one and
the same but remain distinct. They are like the light
of the eye and the light of the sun, inseparable
entities. Though the soul may become pure intelligent
spirit, it is always unintelligent in relation to
the divine mind.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 11:1
We have seen the magnet without any change
in itself draw to itself the iron filings. So the Lord
without changing himself brings the soul under his
own control. As the flame makes the iron glow
like itself and destroys only the alloy mixed with
the iron, so the Lord makes the soul his own and
destroys only the sense-impurity mixed with it.
Like the salt dissolved in the water, the Lord causes
his eight qualities to be impressed on the soul.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 11:12
Stanza 12. Ways of Maintaining Oneness Between the Soul and the Lord
The last chapter deals with practical methods of worship in this world and explains idol worship and saint worship. The fundamental principle is that while God is immanent in all things, there are some forms in which he is more clearly apprehended than in others. Such forms are to be regarded’as objects of worship and in order to stimulate devotion the soul should regard them as the Lord himself.
The transcendent God has granted certain
forms to reveal him to his devotees. Because he is
life of all life and reveals wisdom, those true devotees
become as the Lord himself. Because the
Lord is in their hearts in union with them, they
stand forth as the Lord. So worship them with
love, so that you may give up all sensuous attachments.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 12:3
To those who see the Lord in the sacred temple,
the Lord will grant his grace. To those who worship
the sacred forms with the mystic prayers and
to those who say that the all-pervading has made
his home in this place and make offerings there, the
Lord will appear, like the flame in the fire, in the
sacred symbol according to the wish of each and
will bestow his grace upon them. As the unseen
milk of the cow flows in streams at the thought of
the call, so in the abundance of his love, the Lord
appears everywhere to his devotees and bestows his
grace upon them.— Sivagnana Siddhiar 12:4
General Notes
The Siddhanta religious philosophy has not yet received the same careful and sympathetic treatment by European or American scholars as the Vedanta philosophy. Probably one reason of this is that it is contained in works written in classical and somewhat difficult Tamil for the most part, though there are one or two treatises in Sanskrit such as the Pasupata and Pancaratra Agamas, and the commentary of Srikantha on the Vedanta Sutras, which teach a similar philosophy. It is not possible at present to reach clear conclusions on the origin and early development of this distinctive philosophy though considerable research has been undertaken by Tamil scholars in recent years. Some of the seals found at Mahenjo-Daro suggest that an early form of this Saivite religion was in existence among the people of that epoch, 3,000 years before Christ and Fr. Heras maintains that the people were Saivite Dravidians. There is undoubtedly some evidence in favour of this belief, but it cannot be said that it has been established beyond doubt.
There is no doubt that some form of Saivism existed in South India among the Tamils long before the philosophy received its present detailed form. Dr. Pope says, “Saivism is the old prehistoric religion of South India essentially existing from pre-Aryan times and holds sway over the hearts of the Tamil people.” The songs of the Saivite adiyars - Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar - and of Manikkavasagar, and the poetical exposition of Saivism by Tirumular, in the seventh and eighth centuries of our era show the wide dispersion of this religion and its hold over the Tamil people. These songs show that long before it received philosophical exposition in the SIVAGNANABOTHAM this system of religious thought and worship was part and parcel of the Tamil tradition. The philosophical ideas that are worked out in detailed form in this treatise are already: found in the hymns and stories of these Saivite devotees. The SIVAGNANABOTHAM only gave to these living ideas and traditions a philosophical form.
The advocates of Saiva Siddhanta claim that it is a universal religion, which completely satisfies the religious yearnings and ideals of men. While it may not be possible to accept this claim for the teaching as a whole it must be said that it has more to justify this claim than many other religious philosophies. Perhaps the greatest lack of Saivism is that it cannot point to a divine teacher who was an historical person and who exemplified in his life the ideals of pure religion as Jesus Christ did. The doctrine of divine grace and the emphasis upon the divine teacher, even though he is not a historical person, are two great things in this teaching which cannot fail to appeal to the Christian.
The following criticisms may be made regarding the teachings of the Saiva Siddhanta. I do not make these criticisms in any carping spirit with a view to find faults in it, but as one who has always had a very high opinion of it and as one who has found much to help the spiritual life in its teachings.
The main emphasis of the religion is on the metaphysical and philosophical aspect and not on the moral. The ethical aspect remains in the background for the most part. Even in the teaching on worship the emphasis is still on the philosophical factors rather than on the ethical,
It is lacking in the sense of the viciousness of sin. It lacks the strong ethical idea of holiness and the thought of sin as offence against God. The sense-evils are thought of rather as metaphysical entities connected with sensory existence and not as ethical factors. While it is true that the Saivite songsters do speak very strongly of sin and have deep convictions on their own evil deeds this aspect is not worked out to any extent in the teaching.
The thought of divine forgiveness is hardly mentioned in this philosophy. This naturally follows from the metaphysical idea of sin. What takes place is a modification of intellectual attitudes and relations. The grace of God is emphasised very strongly as abolishing sense-impurity and leading the soul to an intellectual enjoyment of God, but there is very little about forgiveness. It is true that some of the later Saivite singers correct this, in spite of the fact that the relentless working out of Karma, the principle of retribution, is held by all of them. We find in Thayumanavar the following beautiful verse:
Just as a crore of crows, gathered on the tree, are scattered by a single stone, so even though a crore of evil deeds may be gathered, they can do no evil to the soul of one who has sought the boundless grace of God.— Yeng. 6
This brings out the idea of the sweeping away of all the centres of retributive force by one single act of divine grace. But this thought comes out of the personal experience of the saint and not out of the philosophical teaching.
The teaching concerning the divine teacher lacks certainty and reality. The soul’s experience of this teacher’is of the nature of a vision experience, and it has no basis in history. In the songs of Manikkavasagar there is some basis of historical experience, as in his case like that of St. Paul, he actually meets the teacher face to face. But this is an individual experience, and he cannot like Paul refer back to the life and teaching of the teacher. The Saiva Siddhanta does not teach any form of incarnation. In fact, it denies the possibility of such. Yet since it is said that the manifestations of Siva can clothe themselves in human form so as to be intelligible to those in the Sakalar state, then it would not be impossible for Saivism to believe in a real life of a divine teacher on earth.
The teaching on salvation of the soul from sense-evil is very beautiful and appealing, but it seems to lack contact with reality. It is metaphysical and mystical rather than practical. The process of salvation is such a long and difficult one that it hardly seems possible for the ordinary mortal to complete it. It seems to be fitted rather for saints and devotees than for ordinary men and women.
The teaching on the necessity and value of idol-worship will certainly not appeal to Christian thinkers. It is interesting that popular Saivism has been largely identified with the twelfth chapter of the book and its teaching of saint and idol worship. It is true that bad coinage always drives out good coinage and this has happened in Saivism. For the great mass of the people the higher truths of the religion are practically unknown, but the teaching of this chapter is the one that appeals to them most.
While making these criticisms it must be stated that the Saiva Siddhanta has brought out clearly and beautifully many great truths that are not always emphasised in Hindu philosophy. Its emphasis on the transcendence as well as the immanence of God; its insistence upon the real life of the soul as distinct from the divine soul; it’s teaching on the boundless grace of God working in the soul; its proclamation of a divine teacher who comes to teach and save the soul from the sense-evils; and its belief that there is a future life of bliss for every soul in union with God, yet not absolutely identified with him; these are some of the great truths that we find so finely expressed in this religion.
Thayumanavar thus sings of the divine teacher:
He is a teacher fitted for the path of wisdom;
He is a teacher who has brought to fruition divine
power, heavenly bliss, kindness and charity;
He is a teacher who came in greatness of soul
with a mother's love and showed me myself;
He is a teacher who makes my heart his temple
and dwells therein.— Udal. 28