Tirumurai

Tirumurai
The twelve volumes of Tamil Shaivite hymns of the sixty-three Nayanars
Parts Name Author
1,2,3 Tirukadaikkappu Campantar
4,5,6 Tevaram Appar
7 Tirupaatu Cuntarar
8 Tiruvacakam &
Tirukkovaiyar
Manikkavacakar
9 Tiruvisaippa &
Tiruppallaandu
Various
10 Tirumandhiram Tirumular
11 Various
12 Periya Puranam Sekkizhar
edit

Thirumurai(Tamil:திரு முறை, meaning holy division) is a twelve volume compendium of songs or hymns in the praise of Shiva in the Tamil language from 6th century to 11th century by various poets in South India. Nambi Andar Nambi compiled the first seven volumes by Appar, Campantar and Cuntarar as Tevaram. During the course of time, a strong necessity was felt by scholars to compile Saiva literature to accommodate other works. Tirumurai along with Vedas and Saiva agamas from the basis of Saiva Siddantha philosopy in Tamil Nadu.[1]

Contents

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History and background

The Pallava period in the history of the Tamil land is a period of religious revival of Saivism by the Shaivite Nayanars who by their Bhakti hymns captured the hearts of the people. They made a tremendous impression on the people by singing the praise of Shiva in soul-stirring devotional hymns.[2]

Poets

Tirumurai↓ Hymns↓ Period↓ Author↓
1,2,3 Tevaram 7th Century CE Campantar[3][4]
4,5,6 Tevaram 7th Century CE Appar[3][4]
7 Tevaram 8th Century CE Cuntarar[3][4]
8 Thiruvasakam and Thirukkovaiyar 9th century Manikkavacakar
9 Thiruvisaippa & Thiruppallaandu 9 Thirumalikaittever
Centanar
Karuvurttevar
Nampikatava nampi
Kantaratittar
Venattatikal
Tiruvaliyamutanar
Purutottama nampi
Cetirayar
10 Tirumandiram 8th Century CE Tirumular
11 Prabandham
Karaikkal Ammaiyar
Ceraman Perumal Nayanar
Pattinattu p-pillaiyar
Nakkiratevar Nayanar
Kapilateva Nayanar
Thiruvalaviyudaiyar
Nampiyantarnampi
IyyadigalkatavarkonNayanar
Kalladateva Nayanar
Paranateva Nayanar
Ellamperuman Adigal
Athiravadigal
12 Periya Puranam Sekkizhar

The Hymns

The Shaiva Tirumurais are twelve in number. The first seven Tirumurais are the hymns of the three great Shaivite saints, Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar. These hymns were the best musical compositions of their age.

Manikkavasagar's Tiruvacakam and Tirukovayar are compiled as the eighth Tirumurai and is full of visionary experience, divine love and urgent striving for truth.[5] Manickavasgar was the king's prime minister and renounced his post in search of divinity.[5]

Tirumandiram by Tirumular unfolds siddantha (attainment) as a four fold path - virtous and moral living, temple worship, internal worship and union with Siva.[5]

Compilation

Raja Raja Chola I (985-1013 CE) embarked on a mission to recover the hymns after hearing short excerpts of Tevaram in his court.[6] He sought the help of Nambi Andar Nambi, who was a priest in a temple.[7] It is believed that by divine intervention Nambi found the presence of scripts, in the form of cadijam leaves half eaten by white ants in a chamber inside the second precinct in Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram.[7][6] The brahmanas (Dikshitars) in the temple opposed the mission, but Rajaraja intervened by consecrating the images of the saint-poets through the streets of Chidambaram.[6][8] Rajaraja thus became to be known as Tirumurai Kanda Cholan meaning one who saved the Tirumurai.[8] Thus far Shiva temples only had images of god forms, but after the advent of Rajaraja, the images of the Nayanar saints were also placed inside the temple.[8] Nambi arranged the hymns of three saint poets Campantar, Appar and Sundarar as the first seven books,Manickavasagar's Tirukovayar and Tiruvacakam as the 8th book, the 28 hymns of nine other saints as the 9th book, the Tirumandiram of Tirumular as the 10th book, 40 hymns by 12 other poets as the 10th book, Tirutotanar Tiruvanthathi - the sacred anthathi of the labours of the 63 nayanar saints and added his own hymns as the 11th book.[9] The first seven books were later called as Tevaram, and the whole Saiva canon, to which was added, as the 12th book, Sekkizhar's Periya Puranam (1135 CE) is wholly known as Tirumurai, the holy book. Thus Saiva literature which covers about 600 years of religious, philosophical and literary development.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ Subramuniyaswami 2003, p. 551
  2. ^ Subramuniyaswami 2003, p. 541
  3. ^ a b c Cutler 1987, p. 4
  4. ^ a b c Zvelebil 1974, p. 92
  5. ^ a b c Subramuniyaswami 2003, p. 494
  6. ^ a b c Culter 1987, p. 50
  7. ^ a b Cort 1998, p. 178
  8. ^ a b c Vasudevan 2003, pp. 109-110
  9. ^ a b Zvelebil 1974, p. 191

References

Further reading