The religious Hymns and treaties outlined in this part constitute only those expounded by Tamil saints. There are similar literatures in other Indian languages. 3) Religious hymns: Songs which help us to seek God through love. These songs are revelations of great saints who have had the experience of knowing God. Knowing God through experience is a great ecstatic state. The songs and hymns expounded by the saints in that state constitute these religious hymns. When we sing and recite these with awareness the ecstatic state surfaces and rises to singer’s highest mental and spiritual levels. Put in a different form these songs create love and nearness to God that it melts the heart and brings tears in the eye. Even for the simple peasant this is the easiest way to experience divinity. It is the common, melodious and popularized form which is practiced in all hindu ceremonies. There are hymns and songs suited for each type of occasion and hence it is the most convenient religious order.
- Canonical literature in twelve numbers (panniru thirumuraikal)
- Hymns of Thirugnanasampanthar – 1st , 2nd, & 3rd canonical literature
- Hymns of Thirunaavukkarasar – 4th,5th & 6th canonical literature
- Hymns of SuntharamurthikaL – 7th
- Hymns of Manickavaasakar – 8th
- Hymns of Thirumaalikaithevar and nine others – 9th
- Songs of mystic formulae by Thirumular – 10th
- Songs of eleven people starting with Karaikaal ammaiyaar 11th
- The history of 63 Saiva saints (also known as PERIYAPURAANAM) compiled by Sekkizaar – 12th
- Four thousand sweet songs of praise – Eulogies of MahaVishnu This is the compiled songs of the saints Poikaiyaazvaar, Peyaazvaar, Poothaththaazvar, Periyaazvaar, Nammaazvaar, Andaal (the young woman who wore garlands and then put them on Vishnu), Thondaradippodiyaazvaar, Kulasekaraazvaar, Thirumangaiyazvaar, Thiruppaanaazvaar, Mathurakaviyaazvaar and Thirumazisaiyaazvaar.
- Treaties’ These guide us to God through the path of rationalistic knowledge: These were brought out by great saints who got the wisdom direct from God. They used their higher analytical intelligence with a perfected condition of mind in bringing out their philosophies or theories of Hinduism. Their knowledge was carried on in a teacher-student-teacher pedigree manner. The wise saints who kept up this knowledge of spiritual wisdom are known as Santhana Kuravar (santhana means in descent order and Kuravar means wise men). They are of two groups. The first set of saints consist of saints by names of Sanakar, Sanathkumarar, Sanaathanar, and Sananthanar who got their wisdom direct from Lord Shiva while gathered under a tree known as the ‘Kallala maram’ (fig tree on rocks) in Kailasa mountain. Lord Shiva is said to have imparted the knowledge to these saints by a hand pose. The second set consists of a descendant generation of saints. The first among them is Nanthi who was taught by God Shiva himself who got close to him and told these to hi in his ear. Nanthi transferred the divine knowledge to the saint Sanarkumarar. He in turn taught saint Sathiyagnaanatharsini, who passed the knowledge on to saint Paranchothy. All these people were in Kailasa. Saint Paranchothy got down from Kailasa to get this knowledge to the common people. He taught a young saint by the name of Meikandathevar. Meikandathevar is the first Purach Santhana Kuravar (pura denotes outside the Kailasa). The second purachchanthanakuravar is Arunanthi Sivachchariar who was taught by Meikandathevar. Arunanthi sivachchariar’s disciple is Maraignanasampanthar. His disciple in turn is Umapath Sivachchariar. Besides this teacher-student process there are saints who have discoursed these Hindu philosophical knowledge.
The names of the manuscripts made by these saints are in an abbreviated form in the following poem given as a transliteration of the Tamil original.
Unthi Kaliru Uyarpotham Sithiyar Pinthu Irupaa Unmai Pirakasam Vanthiravarud Panpu Vinaa Potti Kodi Paasamilaa Nechchuvidu Unmaineri Sankatpa muttu
The expansion of this into the name of book and the saint concerned as follows
| Name of book | Saint who composed |
| Thiruvunthiyar | Uyyavanthathevar |
| Thirukkalittuppadiyar | Thirukkadavur uyyavanthathevar |
| Sivagnanapotham | Maikandaar |
| Sivagnanasithiyar | Arunanthi sivachchariyar |
| Irupaa irupahthu | Arunanthi sivachchariyar |
| Unmaivilakkam | Manavaasam kadanthar |
| Sivappirakasam | Umapathi sivachchariyar |
| Thiruvarudpayan | Umapathi sivachchariyar |
| Vinaavenpaa | Umapathi sivachchariyar |
| Kodikkavi | Umapathi sivachchariyar |
| Nenchuviduthuuthu | Umapathi sivachchariyar |
| Pottipahrodai | Umapathi sivachchariyar |
| Unmainerivilakkam | Umapathi sivachchariyar |
| Sankatpaniraakaranam | Umapathi sivachchariyar |
All these great saints were not only of high intellectual capacity but also very ethical in the observation of values of those days. They hesitated not a moment in recognizing higher spiritual status of another person and saluted them with all humbleness. In the words of Valluvar, the divine Tamil poet they learned what they wanted without uncertainty and stood by what they learned. But unlike ordinary people they could grasp true knowledge even from signs. There is a true story which brings out how humbly they accepted superior spiritual status. There is an incident which relates how the much elder Arunanthi Sivachchariyar became the disciple of the young Meikandathevar. The relationship between two is eye brow rising. Meikandathevar is the son of ArunanthiSivachchariar’s disciple! That disciple was childless for a long time. He consulted his Guru who suggested to him to go on a pilgrimage. So the student decided to heed his Guru’s advice. While on Pilgrimage he came to the holy place known as Thiruvenkaadu. There his wife became pregnant and gave birth to a child. The parents named the child Suvethanapperumal. When Suvethananapperumal was a young boy itself the saint Paranchchothy from Kailas who came that way saw him and gauged his spiritual maturity and imparted to him the religious truths. He taught him the realities of God, Spirit and Bindings and as is the practice those days renamed him as Meikandar. (Once a spiritually reformed person that person is no longer considered as the same old person. That is why that person is given a new name) People then added Thevar as suffix as a mark of respect and he came to be known as Meikandathevar. Meikandarthevar then became a spiritual teacher and started teaching the religious philosophies to young students. One day Arunanthisivachchariyar came that way and saw his disciple’s son teaching about Annava, the ego of self pride and esteem to students. He interrupted and asked Meikandathevar whether could describe the characteristics of Aanava. Meikandar just just cast his eyes on Arunanthi sivachchariyar and looked at him from head to foot indicating by symbolic action the substance of Aanava. Being a matured spiritualist himself Arunanthisivachchariar immediately realized the meaning and prostrated before Meikandathevar and became his head disciple. So the great saints had the mental maturiry to transcend above the limits of age in their search of truth. 5) Ancient Epics which tell about god values upheld known as ‘IthikasankaL’. These are great stories which tell about the conduct of the civilizations of that time. Mahabharata and Ramayana are the two main ethics. Mahabharata tells about the life styles and practices of the four fold casts system of the Hindus, the relationship of Hinduism with those practices, justice and righteousness and principles followed in wars and battles. Ramayanam relates the life story of Rama an avatar of Lord Vishnu. It is impregnated with high values that could be observed in life. 6) The Puranas These are stories relating to Hinduism. Purana means old stories. There are references Puranas, and epical Vedic stories in literatures written much later. References to these are found in Mahabharata too. Puranas expound and expand the concepts of the beginning of the universe, the end and reformation of it, the history of God concept, descending order and history of kings and sages and the forming and age of different manuscripts, by elaborating the teachings of the Vedas. Puranas start from creation and extend till present. Various saints compiled the historical story that happened before their time. It was in verbal form, each saint transferring it to his disciple generation wise. Hence it sustained. There is a chronological order among the Puranas. At a certain point a new saint took up the history from the point the predecessor left. In the process there was overlapping. Veda Vyasar compiled and recorded these into eighteen Purnas. The eighteen Puranas are as follows:
- Vishnu Purana: This very ancient Purana was told by Viyasar’s father to his disciple saint Mythirayan. The Myura dynasty is mentioned in this.
- Naratha Purana: This was told by the saints Sanakar, Sanathanar, Sananthanar and Sanathkumarar to the saint Naratha. It is about devotion to God MahaVishnu and it explains feasts and ceremonies observed by the devotees.
- Pathma Purana: This is a big Purana. It tells about creation, the customs of kings, Holy places and Pilgrimages. The rites to be followed by devotees are mentioned too much. This includes the stories of Ramayana, Sakuntala, Ekatasi and Mahaatmayam.
- Garuda Purana: This was told by Mahavishnu to his Vehicle the Garuda or the Eagle. It tells about worship, feasts, and rites. The status of soul after death and funeral rites detailed in this.
- Varaaka Purana: Mahavishnu in his Boar incarnation told this to mother Earth. It explains the daily routine of a Vishnu devotee.
- Bhagavatha Purana: this is the most popular Purana. It has been translated into almost all main languages of India. There are twelve books in this Purana. In the tenth book the birth of Lord Krishna is described. Bagavan Krishnan’n all Avatars, high philosophical concepts and devotional songs are found in abundance in this.
- Bramma Purana: It is said that this is the first Purana. this was told by the God of creation to Thakshyya Prajapathy. The greatness of Holy places are described in this.
- Brmma Vaivartha Purana: this says that whole universe is changing illusionary forms of the Supreme Being. In the fourth section of this Krishna and Ratha are beautifully described. Ratha or Maya an illusionary part of Krishna appears as part of Krishna. Their abode is Kokula, beyond the Vykuntha the heaven. All devotees who have attained the status of Lord Krishna exist there. This is the source of Jeyadevar’s ‘Geetha-Kovintham’.
- Brammanantha Purana: The famous Athiyaathma Ramayana is a part of this. This is presented as a dialog between Lord Shiva and Parrvathy.
- Markandeya Purana: Elaborate descriptions of creation and deludge and Stories of Vedic Gods like the Sun, Fire God etc. are available in this. This is close to Vedic Phylosophy.
- Bhavisha Purana: Tells about the future of kaliyuga. Duties of the four casts, methods of worship of the Sun, Agni and Nagas are mentioned in this.
- Vamana Purana: Starting with the description of Vamana Avatar it proceeds to the worship of Sivalinga and pilgrimage to Siva temples.
- Siva Purana: This forms a part of Vayu purana and hence many tell this as Vayu Purana instead of Sivapurana. Sage Banabhata refers this purana as it was recited everyday in his village. The Gupta kings are mentioned in this. The greatness of Siva is mentioned in this by Vayu, the wind God.
- Linga purana: In this the 28 incarnations Of Lord Siva are described.
- Skanda Purana: Consisting of 81000 Sanscrit verses it is a big purana and is based on poet Kalidasa’s composition, the Kumarasambhava.
- Agni Purana: this was narrated by the fire God, Agni to the saint Vashista. It describes the cult of Siva and Durka. This contains many modern topics. It is like an encyclopaedia dealing with subjects like Ayurveda (Indian medical system) Sitpa Shastra (architecture) Jhothida (astrology and astronomy) and poetics etc.
- Matsaya Purana: Lord Vishnu took the form a fish and narrated this to Manu the first king after Pirahalathan. Holy places, festivals, omens, and rites to be observed by people worshipping Siva and Vishnu are described in this. South Indian architecture is also described in this.
- Kurma Purana: Vishnu in the form of a tortoise described the worship of Siva and his incarnations.
- Devi Purana: Though it comes after the 18 Puranas. Some people include this in puranas. This is actually Devi Bagavatham also called Srimath Bagavatham. The reason for this inclusion is Vyasar was having no peace of mind after compiling the 18 puranas and coposing the great epic Mahabharata so he asked Narada to write a book dealing with the incarnations of Lord Vishnu praising Vishnu Bhagthi.
Many of the details given here are just headings. In some what those headings represent are also given.The twelve numbered canonical literature, the Ahamas, Treaties, Epics, Upanisths, the Vedas and the puranas will constitute an encyclopedia on Hindism. The intertested reader will find in each of them a mine of ancient wisdom. He will get a feeling of gratifying peace when his interest creates a yearning to find out what is inside in any one of the above or subdivisions of it. This work is just a synopsis of the ocean of Hinduism as seen from a small point on its shores. Though it is impossible to read and comprehend well all of what is in these books, learning the hymns in the twelve canonical literature (the Thirumuraikal) with their meanings and reciting them will foster the path of love which is the basis of Hinduism that helps you lead meaningful peace filled life.
