The Canon brings together nearly20,000 verses, and the musings,meditations and affirma tions of twenty-six singer-saints. The Tamil Saiva Canon comprises the twelve Tirumurais: the first seven (collectively called 'Tevaram') being the outpourings of Tirugnana Sambandhar, Appar and Sundarar, the eighth (called 'Tiruvachakam') those of Manikkavasagar, the ninth (called 'Tiru-isaippa') a miscellaneous collection, the tenth (called 'Tiruman- diram') being the mystic recordations of Tirumovlar, the eleventh another miscellaneous collection, anti the twelfth and last is Sek- kizhaar's Periyapuranam that weaves into a splendid epic narrative the lives of the sixty-three Tamil Saiva Saints. Pillay retains the buoyancy and commands the purposive energy that might well put to shame a much younger man. There could be another book on the path shown by the Siddhars.' Aside from significant fall-out activities like essays and dis- courses and the well-cut monographs on Appar, Manikkavasagar and Ramalingar, G.V.' S major achievement of the next quinquenn- ium was Pathway to God trod by Saint Ramalingar(l976), a massive tome including verse translations of nearly 1000 stanzas from Tiru-Arutpa, And now, piling Pelion on Ossa, 'This Condensed English Version of Periyapuranam.' In his late seventies and early eighties, G. Scheduled his own comprehensive Agenda: 'Before my desire is completely fulfilled, two or three more books should be written, one on the path shown by the first Seven Tirumurais and the Tenth Tirumurai- the Tirumandiram-another on the path shown by Thayu- manavar and Ramalinga Swamigal, and a third on the path shown by the Alwars. Ranade's classic triology of 'The Pathway to God' in Kannada, Marathi and Hindi literatures for an exemplum, G.V. Since the publication of his edition of V. And, indeed, I have tried to make what profitable use I can of this singular compulsion to plunge into the confluence of Sekkiz- haar and Vanmikanathan, only to be buffeted between Sekkizhaar's encyclopaedic hagiology and divine poesy, and Vanmikanathan's polyphonic reasonings and twin harmonies of prose and verse, and presently, edified as well as exhausted, to feel fulfilled by the sheer exhilaration of the unique adventure. If so, it is a kindness and not alone an honour extended to me. It could be that, coming from an elder, the assignment was meant to give me an opportunity to rectify my ignorance to some extent at least.
My knowledge of Tamil poetry is small, and of Tamil Saivism even less. Vanmikanathan, should ask me to contribute a Foreword to what is his most ambitious effort yet, 'The Condensed English Version of Periyapuranam'. His poetry charms all readers and large audiences have been held spell bound by the recitation of the Periyapuranam.įoreword I could not understand why a scholar of eminence and seasoned writer like my esteemed friend Thiru G. Sekkizhaar, being an admirer of nature and beauty like the Nayanmars, has expressed himself in a simple, sober style. Since that date, Sekkizhaar's work has taken a place next only to the Tevaram and Thiruvachakam and has been the source of information and solace to all devotees. The most important of all the works relating to the lives of the Saints is that of Sekkizhaar and contains detailed information on the lives of the Saints.
This decade contains ten songs beginning with the words, 'I am the servant of the servants of the servants of Tillai' These Tevarams were composed in Tillai and relate, in a very brief form, the lives of all the saints. It also forms part of the Saint's Tevarams.
His work entitled Thiruthondar Purana Saram, is also based on the Thiruthonda Thokai of Nambiandar Nambi, Of the works in Tamil, the Thiruthonda Thokai of Sundaramurthy Swamigal is the first. Vanmikanathan, who has rendered the highlights of the original epic from Tamil into English with a racy running commentary, is an experienced literateur who ahs a number of other devotional works to his credit. To peruse their stories is to inhale the air of sanctity and blessedness. The trials and tribulations they cheerfully undergo and the incredible sacrifices they make for the Lord's sake take our breath away. Case and community, wealth and status do not count with them, even as they do not with the Lord. These Nayanmars are of both the sexes and of all ages, and range from tribal hunters to emperors of vast domains. Lord whom these Saiva-Siddhantins worshipped is not a sectarian deity but the Supreme Creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe, who comes in human form from time to time and 'plays' with these servitors when their devotion gets incandescent. Description About the Book: The Tamil Devotional Classic Peria Puranam or 'The Great Epic' by Sekkizhaar is the saga of the sixty three Nayanmars or servitors of the Lord, who not only lived for Him but adored Him in delightfully distinct ways.
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