Tirumantiram
Thirumandhiram, also spelt Thirumandiram or Tirumandiram is a masterpiece of Thirumoolar, a Siddhar. It contains 3047 verses that tells about various aspects of human life and praises of God i, especially Lord Shiva.I held my Lord in me concealed, I adored Him in my heart's depths,
Lo! He revealed Himself unto me, And blessed me--here below,
Well may you adore Him, Revealing the rapture abounding and love endearing
That too pleases Him far.
The teachings of Thirumoolar is known as Tirumandiram and is reckoned as the tenth of the 12 Tirumurais of Saivism.
It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the Tirumantiram in Saiva Siddhanta philosophy. In the first place, it is the earliest full statement of Siddhanta, "the end of ends," composed over 2,000 years ago. It is perhaps the most complete and profound exposition of the subtle theology of Saiva Siddhanta ever written, so filled with the esoteric and the abtruse that it has not through its long history been read or studied outside of the conclaves of scholars-though in the last two decades this trend has shifted and will continue now that a complete English edition is available. Within the context of other Saiva scriptures of South India, the Tirumantiram is the tenth of the twelve Tirumurai or "Holy Books." The Tirumurai are collected works in the Tamil language written for the most part during the first millennium A.D. by various Saivite saints and then gathered together in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. They constitute what might be looked upon as a Saiva canon and hymnal in which may be found all forms of spiritual expression from the advaitic principles of non-dualism and Self-Realization i to devotional praises to God, Siva. The Tirumurai have come to be regarded as the very lifebreath of the devotional strength of Saivism. They are second in importance only to the Vedas, Upanishads and Agamas, and they are sung daily in the temples of the Deities throughout South India and elsewhere in the world where Saivites worship. The remaining Tirumurai consist of the Devaram hymns of the Samachariyas-Saints Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasagar-the Periya Puranam of Saint Sekkilar, and other works.
The Holy Guru is God Himself (1573)
I walk with those who go after God,
I live with those who sing His praise,
The Lord blesses those who seek Him,
With them I consort,
Their feet I seek.
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They are Siva Muktas
Who turned their thoughts to Siva
Who became Siva-suffused,
Who attained Mukti
By silentness that leads to it;
They abandoned the senses five
In search of Divine Purity
Their thoughts centered on Dance Cosmic.
Let all your thoughts be thoughts of Siva,
And the Lord by His Grace shall reveal all;
If your thoughts be Siva-saturated
In you shall He then close abide.
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Guru's Acts of Grace Beyond Description
Into my bosom, on my eyes, over my head
He gently planted His loving Feet
Nandi, my Lord Supreme;
He laid me the Path,
He showed me the Truth,
He settled the course of my Destiny
Truly, truly, all that I can not describe.
See Table of Contents
and Tirumantiram
Tirumantiram
I freed myself from the fetters the Creator bound me with.
I learned the way of reaching Siva.
I destroyed my karmas with the sharp sword of realization and stood ego-lost.
And now I hasten toward the city of God i.
Tirumantiram 2962
