SAIVA SIDDHANTA: A Brief Introduction

Saivism

Saivism is a general name used to denote a number of schools that regard Lord

Siva or Paramesvara as the supreme deity. Saivism is one of oldest schools of thought in

the world. Even today, it is alive as an inspiring and inviting way of philosophizing and

practiced as a religion by millions of people, not only in India, but all over the world. It

stretches out across the sea to Farther India and the Archipelago and the mountain to

central Asia. No other single religion, alive or extinct, in the entire world can boast of

such an antiquity, as Saivism owns.

From the hay days of the glorious Indus valley civilization onwards, we can trace

strong and clear evidence of Siva worship. From the excavations of Harappa and

Mohanjadaro, the archeologists have found the remains of phallic worship, bull worship

etc. They have unearthed even a statue of a yogin, riding a bull and wearing garlands of

snakes all around, that can be treated as the lord Siva or his ancient prototype1.

Dr. Radhakrishnan confirms that in addition to the worship of the mother

Goddess, the people of Mohanjadaro and Harapa must have adored Lord Pasupati (Lord

Siva) also2. The unearthed figures of Lord are seen as bearing the symbols and marks of

Lord Siva. One of the statues of the Lord is seen as sitting in a Yogic posture on a deer

throne and is having the elephant, bull, tiger and buffalo grouped around him. This figure

has been there from nearly 3250 B.C (if not earlier). It is the date that the archeologists

give to the Indus Valley civilization. The state must have been made at a time when the
civilization has reached its full flourish. Then it can be seen that the religion is much

older than 3250 BC. How old is the Saiva religion is a question we cannot answer since

we do not know when the Indus Valley Civilization began. It must be of more than 40

centuries of age.

Again, when we seek the philosophical background of Saivism, we have clear

evidence from the ancient Indian texts, of a gradual, historical development of this great

school of thought.

In the Yajurveda, there are 101 Sakhas or branches. Of these, the central Sakha is

Bhodayana Sakha. This Sakha has seven kandas (parts). The central kanda constitutes

Sata Rudreeyam. In its central Anuvaka occur the words “Namah Somayacha

Rudrayacha”. That is how the Saivites are justified when they claim that the very center

of the Vedas deals with the divine syllables (panchakshara) “Na Ma Si Va Ya”. In this

light, we can safely assume that it is from the panchakshara appearing at the very heart of

the Vedic literature that the whole system of Saivism dawns.

In the Vedic literature, as Indra is predominant in the rig Veda, Rudra is

predominant in the Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The Yajur Veda deviates from the Rig

Vedic way of ascribing Supperority to Indra by gradually replacing him by Rudra, who is

identified with Lord Siva3. The yajurVeda is full of chants addressed to Rudra. In the

Yajurvedic line, Rudra is described as the Lord of the Skies, the Mighty controller of the

time (Kala), as the master of lighting, thunder and rains, as the gracious Lord who
mercyfully grands us fearlessness and refuge (abhaya) and as the great Lord who over

came death.

Later Upanisads identify Rudra with Paramatman. He is called the Prana or the

Life force. The Swethaswathara Upanisad mentions the names Rudra, Siva, Hara and

Isana as the names of the Brahman. There is undoubtedly, an attempt to interpret the

theory of the Brahman of the previous Upanisads in terms of the worship of Lord Siva.

The Saivism has different schools Viz; Saiva Siddhanta, Vira Saivism, Kasmira

Saivism and Sivadvaita etc. Of these, the former two belongs to South India; (to Tamil

Nadu and Karnataka respectively) and the latter two belongs to the extreme north of

India, Kashmir. This is enough evidence to infer that Saivism once occupied the entire

subcontinent as a religion and philosophy.

The earliest reference to different schools of Saivism is seen in the Sutrabhashya

of Sri Sankara4. Here Sri Sankara refers to the doctrines of the Saivism as having been

written by Lord Maheswara himself Sri Sankara calls the upholders of Saivism as Isvara

karnins; because they regarded God as the instrumental as well as material cause of the

world. Sri Sankara, here seems to be referring to the Pasupata system of saivism. The

other systems are Saivas, Karunika Siddhantins, Kapalikas, Nakulisas etc. Sri Ramanuja,

in his Sri Bhashya5 on the Brahma Sutra mentions the name of Kapalikas and

Kalamukhas as Saiva sects.

In short, the literature of Vedantic era which covers Advaita, Dvaita and

Visistadvaita speaks of various Saiva sects, lines of thought and various marks and signs
on their bodies and with different kinds of robes to distinguish themselves from one

another. Some were regarded as Vedic and some others as non-Vedic. The sect of

Vratyas who owned the Atharva Vedic tradition was given high esteem. But the

Kapalikas were treated as non-Vedic, since they indulged in horrid practices of drinking

and eating in skulls as a part of their rituals. The tradition says that Sri Sakara did not

hold any discussion with the Kapalikas, as their views were professedly anti-Vedic. He

simply had them chastised and whipped. But he accepts Pasupatas as real Saivites and

regards their doctrines as being derived from the Agamas.

The Pasupata sutra gives names of 18 teachers beginning with

Nakulisa(Lord Siva). Names as mentioned in Pasupata sutra are 1)Nakulisa 2)Kausika

3)Gargya 4)Maitreya 5)Kaurusha 6)Isana 7)Paragargya 8)Kapilanda 9)Manusyaka

10)Kusika 11)Atri 12)Pingalaksha 13)Pushpaka 14)Brhadarya 15)Agasti 16)Santana

17)Kaundinya or Rasikara and 18)Vidyaguru. However the Sivamahapurana gives 112

names of which most prominent are Lokakshi, Jaigisavya, Rshabha, Bhrgu, Atri,

Gautama, Laukika Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, Kapila, Asuri, Panchasikha, Parasara,

Garga, Bhargava Angira, Suka, Vasista, Brhaspati, Kuni, Vamadeva, Svetaketu, Devala,

Salihotra, Agnivesa, Akshapada, Kanada, Kumara and Ruru.

The Jaina writer Rajasekhara of the middle of the fourteenth century

mentions the name of Saiva philosaphy in his Sad darsana Samuccaya and calls it ‘yoga-

mata’6. He describes the Saiva ascetics as holding staves in their hands and wearing long

loincloths. They had also blankets for covering their bodies; matted locks of hair and
their bodies were smeared with ashes. They ate dry fruits, bore a vessel of gourd and

generally lived in forests. Some of them had wives, while others lived a lonely life.

Rajasekhara further says that the Saivas admitted 18 incarnations of Saiva, the Over Lord

who creates and destroys the world. They were adored as teachers of the system.

Interestingly he adds Nayayikas and Vaisesikas to the list of Saivites.

Of the modern scholars, Schomerus describes the particular form of Saiva-

monism (Saiva Siddanta) and gives names of various other schools of Saivism as he picks

them up on a commentary on Siva Jnanabodham.

Schomerus puts Saiva schools into two groups 1)Pasupata , Mahavrta,

Kapalika, Varma, Bhairava, Aikyaveda, ii) Urtha Siva, Anadisaiva, Adi Saiva, Antara

Saiva, Guna Saiva, Nirguna Saiva Adhvan Saiva, Yoga Saiva , Jnana Saiva, Anu Saiva,

Kriya Saiva, Nalu-pada Saiva, Suddha- saiva7.

Shcomerus is concerned primarily with Saiva Siddhanta. According to

him, with the exceptions of Pasupata, Virasaiva and Prastyabhijna, all the sects of

Saivism are more or less the same as it is taught in Saiva Siddhanta

As stated earlier, Saiva siddanta is the special philosophy of Saivism. It is unique

in nature, because of its ardent love for reason. What one would expect from a religious

philosophy is nothing but as huge bundle of dogmatic principles, mixed up with a number

of shouts at the crowds of non-believing Sinners and at Its own followers to believe in the
power of the supreme Lord, sitting far away in the heaven, and to strictly obey his rules

of conduct without any questions, in order to escape the fear of awaiting fires of the hell.

But Saiva Siddanta is a surprise for such a prejudiced seeker. Prof. G. Subramania Pillai

says that Saiva Sidanta ‘gives more value for reason than anything else. Religious ecstasy

is not allowed to surpass the daylight of reason’8.

And Tamil Nadu has always been a land of wonders. It is inhabited by one of the

oldest populations of the world, for whom, philosophy, religion, art and culture are not

entirely different watertight compartments, but complementaries to one another. The

Tamils always went on enriching their fields of knowledge by adding new, polishing the

old and removing the needless. Above all other things, they valued reason and always

believed in the best. This explains the greatness of Saiva Siddhanta.

The term, ‘Siddhanta’ was applied for the first time by Tirumular in his

‘Tirumantiram’. He used the term to denote the system of Saivism that developed in the

Southern part of India that accepts Vedas and Agamas as its basis.

The word ‘siddhanta’ means ‘accomplished end’, and ‘Saiva’ means ‘related to

siva’. Thus, ‘Saiva Siddhanta ‘ means ‘the accomplished end, related to Siva’. Thus it is

shown that through Siva, one reaches the extreme of knowledge.

As Vedas and Upanisads give general ideas on Saivism, the Agamic literature

equips us with particular directions on Siva Siddhanta. The Agamas are 28 in number.
They contain elements of Philosophical thought and religious details of the cult of

Saivism.

Each Agama consists of four legs or padas. They are Sariya pada,Kriya pada,

Yoga pada and Jnana pada. The Sariya pada gives instructions upon the collection of

flowers and other items for offerings (puja). Kriya pada deals with construction of

temples, setting up of phallic symbol of Lord Siva and the ways in which pujas and

festivals are performed. yoga pada describes the details of performing yogas (sacrifices).

Finally the Jnanapada illustrates philosophical aspects of Saiva Siddhanta.

After Agamas, Tirumurais are taken with reverence. They are believed to be

divine messages in the best order, true according to the meaning of the term.

They are written in Tamil language and this helped the Siddhanta a great deal in

becoming popular among the common people T he twelve Tirumurais are written by 27

poets. These persons belongs to a special kind of making, since each and every one of

them represents a wonderful combination of saint, seer, poet and musician in one. They

are from different arenas of life. They include: Karaikal Ammaiyar (a lady), Cheraman

Perumal (the Emperor of Chera or Kerala) and to crown it all, Lord Siva Himself as

Thiualavaiyudayur, In short , Agama is the word of the Lord and Tirumurai is the song

of the devotee.
 Another important source of the Saiva Siddantha philosophy is a group of 14

books called Meykanda Sastras. Of them, Sivajnana Bodham by Saint Meykandar is the

most important treatise on the siddantha. In about 40 lines, the saint covers the entire

field of Saiva Siddhanta. We can divide the text in to four parts viz; Piramanaviyal

(Epistemology), Ilakkanaviyal (characteristics of the ultimate principle), Sadanviyal

(means of release), and payanaviyal (fruits of release).

Other note worthy texts of the group are the Sivajana Siddhiyar, unmaivilakkam,

sivaprakasam etc.

Concept of bondage in Saiva Siddantha

The Saiva siddanta is essentially theistic and at the same time pluralistic. It

posits three external Verieties –Pati (God), Pasu (soul) and Pasa (the bonds). Pasas,

otherwise called malas are three in number viz; Anava, Karma and Maya. Of these, maya

is of two kinds as, Suddhamaya and asuddhamaya. Thus, we have six entities without a

beginning and without and end.

Pati

Of these six eternal entities, the Pati stands supreme because He is the only
independent reality. All others have only dependent existence. They are not all supreme.
Pati is the supreme spirit and the source of all being. It is the absolute of thought and God
of religion, (there would be no world of men and things if there were no God, Souls and
material objects derive their being from the Lord9 ).
 He is often compared to vowel ‘A’ that gives sound and life to all the alphabets.

With out ‘A’ no alphabet or sound can exist. Like wise the world cannot exist with out

him10.

His form is love; His attributes and knowledge are love; His functions are love;

His organs such as arms and feet, ornaments like the crescent moon are love. The Lord

who is beyond the reach of thought assumes the form of love for the sake of souls and not

for His benefit11.

Difficult of access even to Gods, He is easy of approach to the bhakta. His name

is Sankara the Bestower of bliss and is changeless12.

Consciousness is the essential aspect of the Pati. He is consciousness. He has a

visuddha deha. His knowledge is natural. He is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.

He is opposed to all imperfections. He is svatantra. He has the fullness of perfection. He

is the embodiment of grace. He abides in all things eternally and completely. As per His

order, the universe runs. But He is ordered by none. He dwells everywhere without being

tainted by their imperfections. He creates the world, sustains it and destroys it in order to

bestow upon the souls a state similar to his own. He gives the Pasu omniscience and

limitless bliss.
 The Saiva siddhantins describe the Pati or Siva as having eight fold qualities.

They are independence, purity self-knowledge omniscience, freedom from the malas,

boundless benevolence omnipotence and bliss.

Siva is pictured by the Saiva Siddhanta as executing fivefold activities.

They are: srshti (creation) sthiti (preservation), Samhara (destruction), tirobhava

(Supression of malas) and anugraha (blessing). The entire universe is on the move, in

accordance with His performance of these five functions. He is the gracious lord of the

Pasu (Pasupati) and the mighty controller of the malas.

Pasu

By the term ‘Pasu’ (which literally means beast), Saiva Siddhanta denotes

what philosophers call the individual self. The Siddhantin admits the reality of Pasu along

with its plurality. There exists an infinite number of pasus; who are real, eternal,

conscious and partless entities. From the beginning-less time they are associated with the

pasas or malas or bonds. Thus their freedom is limited. But they can shed their malas

sooner or later with the infinite grace of the Supreme Lord, the Pati. Till then, they have

to suffer from the limitations enforced by the malas.

The Souls are classified in to three categories, in terms of the malas

attached to them. They are Sakalas, pralayakalas and vijnana kalas.

The first group Sakala consists of all those souls bound by all the three malas-

anava, karma and maya.

 The second group pralayakala, consists of those Souls who have cast the maya

away. They are still under the power of the other two malas Karma and Anava.

By Vijnanakala, it is meant that the group of souls who have shed their Maya and

Karma, but, still, are under the power of anava mala. When this final mala, anava, is cast

off, the Pasu becomes liberated and becomes perfect to enjoy the supreme blessedness.

When the conscious nature is concerned, the Pasu is like the Pati. But they differ

in the essential nature. Both are consciousness; but Siva is the giver of grace and the Pasu

is the recipient13. Just as the body cannot function without the soul, the atman cannot

function without the Lord. Its relation to God is as intimate as the relation of body to soul

or Quality to its substratum14 .

The Pati arranges worldly life, gives pleasures and pains to the Souls according

to their karmas. Siva gives necessary physical and mental equipment and confers final

liberation to the soul. The Pati is capable of knowing everything without the aid of any

instruments. But, the Pasu knows everything, only when it is given knowledge by the

Pati.

Even when liberated, the Pasu does not become one with the Pati. “The Jiva

(pasu) stands to God in the same relation in which the body stands to the soul15.’’ Even

though the Soul is called cit, it cannot know without the grace of God. It needs to be
equipped with the senses, and the mind; to have knowledge16. They are to be provided by

the Lord, Siva. Thus, it is made clear that the Pasu is inferior, in nature, to the absolute,

Pati, in all respects.

Pasa

The three malas maya, karma and anava bound the soul, and limit its freedom.

Hence they are called Pasas. These malas or pasas account for the miseries of life. They

play a very important role in the Pasu’s passage to the realization of the absolute Spirit,

the pati. It is upon the escape of the pasu from the three malas that the release or the state

of Mukti attained by the pasu depends.

Maya

Maya is the material cause from which the pati forms the world and constructs the

body for the individual soul. Maya, by the creative function of the Lord Siva, becomes

material for the instruments of knowledge and action and also for the objects of

enjoyment for the soul, according to their karmas.

The soul is thus, provided with maya. Thus it gets body, instruments of

knowledge (senses) and the mind. Thus it becomes capable of doing its karmas and

finally, of reaching the stage of release or mukti.

 It is through the experience of happiness and sorrows, the pasu begins to attain

knowledge. The senses and the mind, made up of the maya, can give rise only to

imperfect and partial knowledge. Thus the individual soul, or the Pasu, is handicapped. It

is seen, that maya provides only partial knowledge. But, as the proverb says, “Something

is better than nothing “, with the help of this mala, called maya, thus, the soul is set to

function. By this initial ‘’take of’’, the soul gradually becomes capable of finding and

pursuing its way up to its ultimate goal, the mukti. So the maya supports the souls as a

launching - pad in their pursuit of the absolute reality, the Pati.

Maya is of two fold forms -suddha maya and asudhamaya. They act as

material cause to Suddhaprapancha and asuddhaprapancha respectively.

Suddhamaya is not associated with anava and karma.It is suddha or pure. Out of

suddhamaya, the Lord has created the body, instruments and the world of the Vijnanakala

group of souls.

Sudhamaya acts as the first cause of the four modes of speach namely;

Vaikhari, Madhyama, pasyanti and suksma.

Madhyama helps to form determinate knowledge in the mind of him who

utters it and it is heard only internally because it is soft in nature. It is residing in the

throat and is not acted upon by pranavayu.

 Pasyanti possesses in a very subtle from, the several letters manifested and

distinguished in the madhyama sthana; and resides in the throat. It makes the

indeterminate knowledge possible.

Suksma exits as a sound in the karana sarira, and makes knowledge

possible while pasyanti, madhyama and Vaikhari which evolve from suksma are

destroyed it persists as sudha maya.

In addition to its function as the first cause of four modes of speech,

sudhamaya acts, as the first cause of words, letters, mantras, tattvas, bodies, objects of

enjoyment, organs and all other things required for the partially released souls like the

Mantresvaras, Mantramahesvaras and the Anusadasivas.

Asudhamaya is actually the first cause of our universe. It is the seed of the

universe. It is inert. It pervades souls with the bodies, organs and words. It is pervaded by

the Pati. Therefore, it is the assumptive power of the Lord. It is delusive because, it

causes delusive cognition.

It is out of asuddamaya that the body, instruments and world of

pralayakalas are produced.

From asuddamaya arise kala, niyuti and kala. From kala arise vidya and

Raga. These five tattvas: kalatattva, niyatitattva, kalatattva, vidyatattva and ragatattva

together called pancakancuka or the five cloaks. They are the five casual tattvas.
 Kala is the sense of time. It is distinguished into past, present and future. It

sets time limits for the universe. Kala causes the universe to function in accordance with

karma. Kala causes the creation, sustentation and destruction of the world17.

Niyati allocates, by the command of Lord Siva, the experience of pleasure

or pain as the fruits of karma (deeds) to the doers.

Kalatattva partially removes the evil of anava, illumines the connative

Energy of the soul and thus enables the Pasu to experience the fruits of its deeds. Other

wise, the soul would have been incapable of experiences. It is vidya tattva that arises

from the kala tattva that illumines the cognitive energy of the soul and making it capable

of experiencing. And, finally, it is the raga tattva that enables the soul to distinguish

between the happiness or sorrow of the experiences.

Karma

Karma means ‘action’. It is produced by the activity of manas, Vak and kaya

(thought, words and deed). It is depending upon their past karmas that the souls

experience pleasure or pain. The sakala souls, in order to experience the fruits of their

karmas, take infinite number of births, one after another, and go to and return from

heaven and hell again and again.

 The positive effect of Karma is explained in the Siddhiar. It is Just as pain caused

by the surgeon is the inevitable means to lasting good, the Lord by making the soul

experience the consequences of its deeds, leads to get rid of mala altogether18.

Karma is of three kinds-prarabdha, sanchitha and agamiya. Prarabdha is

the past karma accumulated due to the past deeds of the pasu. The pasu has to enjoy its

fruits in the future lives. Sanchita is the present karma. What the pasu performs at present

has its own fruits. The pasu has to reap it in the future life. Agamiya is future karma. The

pasu, because of the prarabdha and agamiya karmas, has to experience pleasure or pains

in the future. This leads to further karmas in future. This is agamiya karma. “In

experiencing the fruits of past deeds, the souls forget that their experience is made

possible by the will of the Lord and wrongly think that their experience is due to

themselves; wherefore agami begins”19.

Thus the pasu is caught in an endless chain of karmas. He can break it to attain

release, only with the help of the benevolence of the Pati. Sivagra yogin gives the reason

why the Lord takes away the karmas. According to him, the Lord who dwells in the

hearts of all souls is inseparably existent in them; He takes their deeds Himself.

Anava

Anava is the primal bondage for the souls. It is eternal and beginningless. It is

attached firmly to the souls as verdigris is to copper. The soul gets its name Pasu from its
attachment with anava mala as Sivajnana Siddhiyar says ‘‘its intelligence power are

eternally concealed by the pasa, (the anava) and hence it is called pasu’’20. This shows the

important position of anava in the system of the Saiva Siddhanta.

Anava is an eternal cosmic evil. ’’Anava is one, but by virtue of its infinite

capacities, it thwarts the cognitive, conative and affective functions of the souls’’. If

anava is once removed, the souls will be freed to their essential nature as intelligences.

‘’If we find the soul’s intelligence manifest sometimes and not at other times, if we find it

parviscient, these conditions must be due to an external factor; and that factor is anava’’.

It is anava that obscure souls. Thus the souls become incapable of realizing its pure

consciousness; and are fully embedded in ignorance.

Anava persists till the body lasts and it vanishes with the body without attaching

itself to any other body. In the jivanmuktha stae it abides without exercising its

function21. Though, anava is anadi (beginingless), it is removed by the grace of the Lord

as the verdigris is removed form copper by the alchemists stone22.

Thus, it is only the grace of the Pati, that can drive away the anava like sunlight

drives away the darkness.

In short, the soul is desperately bound by three bonds of evils namely maya, karma and

anava and its only release rests with the mercy of the ultimate Spirit, Siva.
 Mukti- the way out

The Siddhantin presents four margas or paths to the bounded souls for their

ultimate freedom. They are Chariya marga, Kriya marga, Yoga marga and Jnana marga.

This fourfold path can bring about the release of the Pasu.

Chariya

Chariya consists in the external worship of siva. This involves external

activities in service of the Lord, in his sakala form, in a temple. The devotee acts as a

servant of the Lord by his thought, words and deeds. Therefore this marga is also called

dasamarga or the path of the servant.

The duties of the servant may involve washing and cleaning God’s temple,

brining flowers and making various kinds of garlands (mala) for worshiping Lord Siva,

lighting lamps in the temple, singing prayers or chanting the holy pentad (panchaksara),

doing service to the God’s saints and so on. Saint Thirunavukkarasar is identified with

this marga.

Chariya diminishes the power of anava. By this way, the devotee gains Saloka. It

involves the attainment of the abode of Siva23.

Kriya

Kriya consists in worshipping Lord Siva with rites and ceremonies prescribed in

the agamas. It is performed by both internal and external actions. Here, Lord Siva is

worshipped in his sakala nishkala state here his form and formless states are worshipped.

This marga demands a deeper knowledge on the part of the devotee. This includes

medication together with external worship.

Here the devotee acts as a son to the Lord; the Universal Father. This stage

is more intimate than the chariya marga because a father is closer to one than the master.

Thus, this path has another name, Satputra marga or the way of good son. This path

brings about the nearness of the Lord (samipya) to the devotee by destroying the I-ness

(Ahankara), My-ness (Mamakara). Saint Thirunjnanasambandar is an exponent of this

marga.

Yoga

The third stage is Yogamarga, which consists in mental worship of God in

his subtler form. Here, no external action is involved. The yogi meditates upon the

nishkala (formless) aspect of Lord Siva.

The yoga involves eight steps (angas): 1)Yama (aquisition of moral

qualities), 2) Niyama (cultivation of virtuous actions), 3) Asana (various body postures),

4) Pranayama (breath control), 5) Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses and mind from

distractions), 6) dharana (concentration of mind on God), 7) dhyana (spiritual contact)

and 8) Samadhi (Yogic-spiritual experience).

This marga is also called Sagamarga since yogi looks upon the Lord as a

loving friend of the devotee. By performing yoga, one gets God’s Sarupya.

Jnana

Chariya, kriya and yoga lead only to lower level of mukthi called

padamukti. For the complete release, the fourth stage jnanamarga is to be followed. This

way is also called Sanmarga.

In Sanmarga, there is a wife-husband type of relation in between the Pasu

and the Pati. In this marga one has to study all the arts and science, Scriptures-vedas,

upanisads Agamas and hold on to the path of the Siddhanta.

The fruit of sanmarga is called Sayujya (the bliss of divine

communication). In sayujya, one sees the Lord all round and in himself. He, thus, realises

his true nature as the channel of the Divine will. In submitting to the divine will, he finds

unlimitable bliss. Saint Manikkavasagar is an exponent of sanmarga.

Of these four fold path, the first three chariya, Kriya, Yoga are the steping stones

to reach the highest marga-Sanmarga. Through the first three preparatory stages, the soul
becomes qualified for the jnana marga. This qualification to enter jnanamarga is called

Padamukthi.

The four Margas yield their fruits also. They are Iruvinaigappu,

Malaparipagam, and saktinipadam respectively.

Iruvinaigoppu is a state in which the soul takes an attitude of equanimity

towards both righteous and sinful actions. When the three malas in the soul reach a stage

to meet with the causes of their removal, it is called Malaparipakam. Saktinipada is the

settling of the Divine God’s grace in the soul. In this stage Siva appears before devotee to

impart spiritual knowledge. Thus the Pasu becomes all set to attain the final release,

Mukti.

Concept of Mukti (liberation)

In the Saiva Siddhanta view, the final release or Mukti is acquired and

possessed by the Soul, only if it is allowed to do so by Siva. In other words, Siva’s grace

is an important factor in the acquisition of Mukti; which is undoubtedly, a gift of God.

The Mukti is of two kinds jivan mukti and Videhamukti.

Jivan mukti

To Saiva Siddhanta, liberation is possible now and here, in this very world

of affairs. This kind of release is called Jivanmukti, where the soul retains its material

body.
 The soul overcomes its limitations, attains spiritual purity and perfection.

It reaches a stage of communion with Siva and leads a life of bliss where it can worship

Him and can take delight in the company of Siva-bhaktas.

There are seven kinds of jivanmukti, illustrated by seven analogies. They

are as, sugarcane, fruit, milk, honey, Sugar candy, Sugar and nectar.

a. Sugar cane- More of fibrous matter; and less of juice. Likewise, more of jivabhava

and less of sivabhava.

b. Fruit- more stone and rind; then juice. But less harder than sugarcane. Likewise, yet,

more jivabhava and less sivabhava.

c. Milk- three parts water and one part milk. Still, more jivabhava and less Sivabhava.

d. Honey- Sweet and sour juice. Jivabhava and Sivabhava equal.

e. Sugar Candy- Sweetness pervades the form, but is hard. More of Sivabhava.

f. Sugar-Sweet. Not being hard, melts quickly. Jivabhava negligible. Sivabhava

dominates.
g. Nectar- pure sweetness-Even as nectar and sweetness are not differentiated, Siva

pervades the soul completely.

The jivan mukta exercises perfect control over his senses and mind, all the time and is

no longer swayed by the thought of ‘I’ and ‘mind’. This is a permanent and not an

occasional attitude like the retraction of its limbs by tortoise24.

Seeing everything with the eye of jnana, he sees his actions as Siva’s. He has no

friends and foes; all are alike manifestations of Siva. Meypporul Nayanar saw Siva in

Atisutra who stabbed him. The Jivan muktas may spend the rest of their lives in servise to

follow human beings or in meditation and concentration.

Even those Jivanmuktas who seem to be preoccupied with their own spiritual

advance are in reality serving others at the same time. The Nayanmars who spent their

time in composing hymns, visiting shrines for prayers and worship and shared their

experiences with others, invited them to partake of their delectable experience, like

minded people were collected together for acts of prayer and worship; and this is a means

of enhancing their joy by sharing25.

In jivan mukti, however, there is the presence of anava mala, though in the

slightest, weakest from. This limitation continues as long as the body exists.
 The state of jivan mukti dawns as the ignorance and misery caused by

malas come to an end, by the grace of the Lord. This state continues as long as the body

exists together with the soul.

2.2.Videhamukti.

When the Pati cuts off the power of anava, which bound the pasu to the

samsara; with infinite joy, it reaches the lotus feet of the Lord Siva. It feels as a sudden

awakening from a long sleep and finds its place in the real world, which knows no end.

This absolute Liberation is a state of perfect purity for which the pasu has always been

struggling to attain, from the time immemorial. Now the Pasu, with the grace of the Lord

Siva, experience the state of Sivamukti. ”This is an even higher state than the jivin

muktha state, as the soul exists here without the body and the malas”26.

Cleared of these impurities, the soul has union with God and experience bliss.

Sivajnanabodham says: “When clouds move away in part, the Sun is partially visible. But

when they are completely blown away by the winds, the Sun shows itself fully. Like

wise, When under the influence of anava, through the instrumentality of the senses of and

the like born of maya, the soul perceives the real in part but when Mala is completely

dispelled through divine grace, it gets full knowledge of the Lord and become wholly

pure and free. This signifies anava’s subordination and loss of its veiling power”27.
 There is no longer any fear of anava, for it can never show its evil effects. Rice,

when polished off the hust and bran never again gets attached to them to become paddy

again. Like wise, after the Soul gets liberation, Anava can no longer torture it28.

The author of Unmaivilakkam gives an interesting suggestion. In moksha the soul

enjoys transcendental felicity. The Lord confers this delectable experience on the Soul

and anava now heightens this bliss29. Thus, anava persists in mukti with an altogether

different role to play.

Once the state of mukti is attained, there is no more Maya, Karma or

Anava, and the soul is in an ultimate communion with God. Yet it is not an integrity of

the soul and the Lord. There is no question of identity. There is only a state of a union of

two in one. There is no room for confusion between God and the soul. God here acts as

the source of infinite bliss and the soul as the enjoyer of the same. The Pasu continues in

this blissful condition through all eternity. This is the ultimate aim of Saiva Siddhanta.

References

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paperbacks, London, 1996. P. 116

3. Frauly, David, Arise Arjuna 2nd Edn, Voice of India, New Delhi, 1998, P.84
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Thrissur, Kerala, 1992,

5. Ramanuja, Sri, Sribhashya (Mal Edn) chpt.2. st.37. SriRamakrshna Matt, Thrissur,

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7. Schomerus, Der Saiva Siddhaanta, Oxford Paperbacks, London, 1988, P.142

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11. Arulnandisivacharyar, SivajnanaSiddhiyar, supakkam-67, Thiruvavaduthurai

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13. Arulnandisivacharyar, Sivajnana Siddhiyar, supakkam.203, Thiruvavaduthurai

Adhinam, Thiruvavaduthurai, 1965.

14. Ramanajachari, R. Selected Lectures, Annamalai University, 1964, P.158.

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Thirvavaduthurai, 1976.

16. Ramanujachari, Selected Lectures, Annamalai University, 1964, P.159.

17. Devasenapathi, V.A, Saiva Siddhanta, University of Madras, 1974, P.144.

18. Arulnandi Sivacharyar, Sivajnana Siddhiyar, supakkam 33. Thiruvavaduthurai

Adhinam, Thiruvavaduthurai, 1965.

19. Devasenapathi, V.A. Saiva Siddhanta, University of Madras, 1974, P.170.

20. Arulnandi Sivacharyar, Sivajnana Siddhiyar, supakkam. 22 Thiruvavaduthurai

Adhinam, Thiruvavaduthrai, 1965.

21. Arulnandisivacharyar, Sivajnana Siddhiyar, supakkam.4 Thiruvavaduthurai Adhinam,

Thiruvavadu thrai, 1965.

22. Ibid - 5

23. Arulnandi Sivacharya, Sivajnana Siddhiyar, supakkam.270, Thiruvavaduthurai

Adhinam, Thiruvavadu thurai, 1965.

24. Ibid, 272.

25. Manickavasagar, Thiruvasagam, st-30, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1900.

26. Arulnandi Sivacharyar, Sivajnana Siddhiyar, supakkam.36, Thiruvavaduturai

Adhinam, Thiruvavaduthurai, 1965.

27. Meykandar, Sivajnanabodham, sut.10, Seikizhar Press, Madras, 1989.

28. Arulnandi Sivacharyar, Sivajnana Siddhiyar, supakkam 6, Thiruvavaduthurai

Adhinam, Thiruvavaduthurai, 1965.

29. Manavasagamkadanthar, Unmaivilakkam, st.50 Dharmapura Adhinam,

Dharmapuram, 1946.