INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY OF SAIVA SIDDHANTA
BY
SAIVA THIRU.G. SUBRAMANIA PILLAI .M.A.,B.L.,

    "The Saiva Siddhanta System is the most elaborate, influential, and undoubtedly the most intrinsically valuable of all the religions of India.  It is peculiarly the South Indian and Tamil religion."  Thus observes that great Western scholar, whose epitaph bears the terse but significant line, 'Student of Tamil', Dr. G.U.Pope.  In fact, the roots of Saivism are deeply imbedded in the ancient classical lore of the Tamils, the Sangam Literature.  I shall cite one instance which will bear out this statement.  In a beautiful triplet, which forms the invocatory verse of Aiyinkurunuru, a sangam work, the very cream of Siddhanta philosophy is given in a condensed form:-

    "¿£Ä §ÁÉ¢ Å¡Ä¢¨Æ À¡¸ò
   ¦¾¡ÕŠɢվ¡û ¿¢Æü¸£ú
   ãŨ¸ ÔÄÌ Ó¸¢úò¾É ӨȧÂ."

[The universe demonstrable as of three kinds, (he, she and it) has sprung under the shade of the two feet of the One, Whose Form is shared in halves by His jewel-bedecked Consort (sakti) of the azure hue.]

    This is sufficient to establish the high antiquity of Saiva Siddhanta, the religion and philosophy of the Tamil people.  Dr. Pope again says : "Saivism is the old pre-historic religion of South India, essentially existing from pre-Aryan times, and holds sway over the hearts of the Tamil people."  Verily this system is the choicest product of the Dravidian intellect and the South Indian Hindus of the Saiva persuasion proudly cherish this as their richest heritage, a rare legacy handled down by seers and sages who experienced Bliss in this very earth.  Tholkappiam, the oldest extant grammatical treatise in Tamil, speaks in familiar terms of Arivar and Tapathar. (Sages and Saints).

    "ÁÚÅ¢ø ¦ºö¾¢ ãŨ¸ì ¸¡ÄÓõ
   ¦¿È¢Â¢ É¡üȢ «È¢Åý §¾ÂÓõ
   ¿¡Ä¢Õ ÅÆ츢ü È¡À¾ô Àì¸Óõ."

    (Sutra-20; Purathinaiyial.  Tholkappiam)

    Arivar were those who had conquered all lust, passion and confusing mental delusions springing out of ignorance or fascination; and they were said to have acquired the gift of knowing the past, present and future.  Naccinakiniar, the commentator, says that the words of these Arivar or Seers of wisdom were known as the Agamas which chalked out the course to be followed by ascetics or Tapathar to attain salvation.  The Tapathar were those who had spruned the pleasures of the world and had betaken themselves to a life of renunciation.  They were wedded to the strict observance of the eight austerities, viz., taking holy ablutions or sacred baths; lying on bare ground; wearing only deer-skin; tending sacred fire; avoiding town-life, i.e., living far from the madding crowd; growing matted hair; eating only the yield of the jungle, i.e., bare fruits and dry leaves, and worshipping God.  We get a glimpse of these Tapathar in the following stanza of Purananuru also:-

    "´Åò ¾ýÉ Å¢¼Û¨¼ ŨÃôÀ¢ü
   À¡¨Å ÂýÉ ÌÚó¦¾¡Ê Á¸Ç¢÷
   þ¨Æ¿¢¨Ä ¦¿¸¢úò¾ ÁûÇü ¸ñÊÌí
   ¸¨Æì¸ ¦½ÎŨà ÂÕÅ¢ ¡Êì
   ¸¡É ¡¨É ¾ó¾ Ţȸ¢ü
   ¸Îó ¦¾Èü ¦ºó¾£ §ÅðÎô
   ÒÈó¾¡ú Ò⺨¼ ÒÄ÷óÐ §Å¡§É."

    "He was once indulging in luxury and langour, in the midst of a bevy of damsels in mansion halls; but now, has turned an ascetic renunciate with matted hair, tending sacred fire with faggots brought by elephants in the inner recesses of forests."

    And, Pope's is not the one solitary voice that speaks on this point.  No less a person than that cultured Christian missionary, Rev. C.Gowdie, observes thus: "This system (Siddhanta) possesses the merits of great antiquity; in the religious world it is heir to all that is most ancient in Southern India.  It is a religion of the Tamil people by the side of which every other form is of comparatively foreign origin.  As a system of religious thought, as an expression of faith and life, the Saiva Siddhanta is by far the best that South India possesses; indeed it would not be rash to include the whole of India and to maintain that, judged by its intrinsic merits, the Siddhanta represents the high water - mark of Indian thought and Indian feeling."

    The tenets of Saiva Siddhanta were fully and finally codified by Saint Meikandar in his glorious work, Sivagnana Botham.  It was one pious Christian Missionary, Rev. Hosington by name, who first translated Sivagnana Botham into English.  It is worth while noting down his interesting observation also, regarding the antiquity of Saivism.  "The Agamam which contains the doctrinal treatise given in this work, may safely be ascribed to what I would term the Philosophical Period of Hinduism, the period between the Vedic and Puranic Eras.  These doctrines can be traced in the earlier works of the Puranic period, in the Ramayana, the Bagavadgita and the Manava Darma Sastra.  They are so alluded to and involved in those works, as to evince that they were already systematised and established.  We have the evidence of some Tamil works that the Agama doctrines were revived in the South of India before Brahminism, by which I mean Mythological Hinduism, obtained any prominent place there.  From some statements in the Ramayana, it would appear that they were adopted in the South before Rama's time.  This would fix their date at more than a thousand years before the Christian Era, certainly as that of the Ramayana."

    The Tamils, as a race, have always evinced a broad outlook on life and have set a high premium for all humane virtues.  They were basking in the sunshine of culture and civilisation when more than half the globe was completely enveloped in darkness and weltering in savagery.  Here is a poem by Kaniyan Pungundranar, long before Caesar had crossed the Rubicon, which will testify to you the clarity of expression, the catholicity of views and a comprehensive range of vision about the very fundamentals of life, enjoyed by this ancient race in that remote past:

"¡Рã§Ã ¡ÅÕí §¸Ç¢÷
 ¾£Ðõ ¿ýÚõ À¢È÷¾Ã šá
 §¿¡¾Öó ¾½¢¾Ö ÁÅü§È ÃýÉ
 º¡¾Öõ ÒÐÅ ¾ý§È Å¡ú¾ø
 þÉ¢¦¾É Á¸¢úó¾ýÚ Á¢Ä§Á Á¢ý¦É¡Î
 Å¡Éó ¾ñÎÇ¢ ¾¨Äþ ¡ɡÐ
 ¸ø¦À¡Õ ¾¢ÃíÌ ÁøÄü §À÷¡üÚ
 ¿£÷ÅÆ¢ô ÀÞ¯õ Ò¨½§À¡ Ä¡Õ¢÷
 Ó¨ÈÅÆ¢ô ÀÞ¯ ¦ÁýÀÐ ¾¢È§Å¡÷
 ¸¡ðº¢Â¢ü ¦ÈÇ¢ó¾É Á¡¸Ä¢ý Á¡ðº¢Â¢ü
 ¦Àâ§Â¡¨Ã Å¢Âò¾Ö Á¢Ä§Á
 º¢È¢§Â¡¨Ã ¢¸ú¾ ľɢóÛ Á¢Ä§Á"

                    (Purananuru-192)

"All places are ours, all our kith and kin;
  Good and evil come, not caused by others;
  Pain and relief are brought likewise, not by others;
  Dying is not new; nor living gave us joy;
  Misery we hated out.  As in the flood,
  Caused by clouds that poured in torrents
  On a mountain top with lightning flash.
  A raft goes in the direction of the stream,
  So the swarm of lives move onward
  In the way of destiny.  This we have discerned
  From the teachings of sages strong in wisdom
  So we admire not the great; nor scoff at the churl."

    Their inordinate thirst for knowledge made the Tamils not to acquiesce in anything with blind faith.  Their morals and philosophy were founded on the stable rocks of Reason and Experience.  Mere half-truths and non-truths were smashed to the ground.  All religious beliefs were subjected to a sifting and analytical research and everything was examined in the light of logic and practicality.  Mere may-bes and might-have-beens were mercilessly brushed asided and only are shimmering with scintillations of the Siddhantic doctrines.  Many valuable works on Science, Ethics, Philosophy, Religion, Geology, Astronomy, Alchemy, Medicine, Witchcraft, Astrology, Metallurgy, etc., written in Tamil by the ancients were lost by the wrath of the sea which had submerged the continent of Lemuria, populated by the highly-civilised race of the Tamils.  The following stanza testifies to this irreparable loss:-

"±Ã½ ÓÕÅõ §Â¡¸ Á¢¨º ¸½ì ¸¢Ã¾ïº¡Äó
 ¾¡Ã½ ÁȧÁ ºó¾ó ¾õÀ¿£÷ ¿¢Äӧġ¸õ
 Á¡Ã½õ ¦À¡Õ¦ÇýÈ¢ýÉ Á¡Éáø ¡×õ šâ
 Å¡Ã½í ¦¸¡ñ¼¾ó§¾¡ ÅÆ¢ÅÆ¢ô ¦ÀÂÕÁ¡Ç."

    Saiva Siddhanta, as a system of philosophy, first assumes a palpable form in Tirumantiram, composed by Saint Tirumular.  His date cannnot be placed later than the sixth century A.D. Sundaramuti Nayanar, one of the Saiva Samayacharyas, who is generally assigned to the eighth century A.D., refers to Tirumular in his 'Breviary of Devotees',     where he has said:-

"¿õÀ¢Ã¡ý ¾¢ÕãÄý «Ê¡÷ìÌõ «Ê§Âý."

"I am slave of the devotees of our Lord Tirumular."

    Tirumular deprecates the differences existing between the Vedic and Agamic doctrines and says that they are both equally the revelations of the Almighty:-

"§Å¾§Á¡ ¼¡¸Áõ ¦Áö¡ Á¢¨ÈÅëø
 ´Ðï º¢ÈôÒõ ¦À¡ÐצÁý ÚûÇÉ
 ¿¡¾ ۨâ¨Å ¿¡Ê Ä¢Ãñ¼ó¾õ
 §À¾Á ¦¾ýÀ÷ ¦Àâ§Â¡÷ì ¸§À¾§Á."

 "The Veda with the Agama is the truth; they are the word of the Lord: these revelations of the Lord are to be studied as the general and the special doctrines; on enquiry they are taken to be different as giving rise to two different sets of conclusions: but to the great ones they are non different."  It is in Tirumantiram we first come across the word Siddhantam.  In one place, Tirumular says:-

"º¢ò¾¡ó¾ò §¾º£Åý Óò¾¢º¢ò ¾¢ò¾Ä¡ü
 º¢ò¾¡ó¾ò §¾¿¢ü§À¡÷ Óò¾¢º¢ò ¾¢ò¾Å÷
 º¢ò¾¡ó¾ §Å¾¡ó¾ï ¦ºõ¦À¡Õ Ç¡¾Ä¡ü
 º¢ò¾¡ó¾ §Å¾¡ó¾í ¸¡ðÎï º¢Å¨É§Â"

    "Since the soul attains salvation in Siddhanta, the devotees of Siddhanta become Jivan-Muktas; as Siddhanta is the quintessence of all the Vedas, it is the right path that will discover Siva."

    We may note here that Tirumular treats Siddhanta as the only true Vedanta, the end of the Vedas.

    Speaking about Saiva Siddhanta, Sir S.Radhakrishnan has rightly observed: "While it prevailed in South India even before the Christian era, it received a great access of strength from its opposition to Buddhism and Jainism, which it, along with Vaishnavism, overcame about the fifth or the sixth century after Christ."  During that period wave after wave of Buddhistic and Jain missionaries swept over South India and disseminated their teachings.  Saivism was at great peril.  Its very existence was at stake.  But this momentous period gave birth to the four great Samayacharyas, Saint Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manickavacakar, who,  by their divine - inspired hymns and miraculous deeds, stemmed the tide of the on-rushing Jains and Buddhists and saved Saivism.  Frequent debates and incessant disputations were carried on with these alien schools of philosophy and all their hollow arguments were beaten to the ground.  These four saints wrote and sang soul-inspiring and beautiful devotional songs in Tamil.  Those songs are songs of Siva, sung in praise of Him.  They are the eternal springs of ineffable joy.  They are the outpourings of matured souls, gushing forth from the deepest recesses of devotion.  Their meaning and melody melt and move our hearts to meet the Mighty Feet of Siva.  The unthinkable and unknowable Siva is seen reflected in the dainty mirror of their devotional hymns, called Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.    These rapturous and spontaneous hymns of self-realisation are sparkling with the shadow of Siva.  St. Appar himself gives out this idea in an important Tevaram stanza of his:-

"âõÀÊÁì¸Äõ ¦À¡üÀÊ Áì¸Ä ¦ÁýÈ¢ÅüÈ¡ø
 ¬õÀÊÁì¸Ä Á¡¸¢Ö Á¡å âɢ¾Á÷ó¾¡÷
 ¾¡õÀÊÁì¸Äõ §ÅñÎŧÃü ÈÁ¢ú Á¡¨Ä¸Ç¡ø
 ¿¡õÀÊ Áì¸Äï ¦ºöÐ ¦¾¡ØÐ Á¼¦¿ïº§Á."

"O heart! no good of mirrors, golden and floral:
 Our Lord of Arur wants a mirror of laurel
 A glass wrought with Tamil poetic wreath;
 So Him we pray and hymns in Tamil breathe."

    The Tevaram hymns are indeed the shining mirrors where gleams the Grace of Siva.  The hymns of the first three saints are known as Tevaram and are collected into seven Tirumurais.  The eight Tirumurai is Tiruvacakam by Manickavacakar.  These four saints, the real Apostles of Saivism, were the regenerators of the Saiva Creed.  They took pilgrimage to every holy shrine and Siva temple, throughout the length and breadth of the country, form Cape to Himalayas and preached and propagated the Faith of Siva.  They were the champions of the Bakti cult.  They believed not in abstract philosophies, but in real spiritual experience.  They discovered real religion and true salvation only in close communion with Siva, the Almighty.  They showed the true way which led the soul to realise spiritual salvation even in this very life.

    Their teachings and mode of life arrested the attention of the masses and touched their hearts.  Even kings bowed to them.  Many conversions took place.  For instance, Saint Appar converted the Pallava King, Mahendravarman I, from the Jain faith to the Saiva fold.  One of his descendants, Rajasimha I, (690-715 A.D.), proudly speaks of himself as the follower of the path of Saiva Siddhanta in one of his inscriptions.  (South Indian Inscriptions, Volume I, No.24).  In fact, this is the first known inscription in which the compound, 'Saiva Siddhanta - Marge' appears.  These Jivan Muktas, the Tevaram hymnalists, with their message of Truth, Love, Service and Sacrifice, infused new life and vigour to the Saiva religion.  Jainism and Buddhism vanished like vapour.

    These first four were followed by a band of devotees who contributed to the remaining four Tirumurais, and these were later recognised as the Twelve Tirumurais or the Twelve Anthologies of Devotional Hymns, which form the real sheet-anchor of the Siddhantic doctrine.  The Twelfth Tirumurai is Periyapuranam, composed by the sage Sekkilar, wherein is recounted the life-history of a glorious galaxy of sixty-three Nayanmars of Tamil origin, who attained Veedu or Moksha by their devotion to Siva and His devotees.  So Periyapuranam is the Biggest Biography of a Band of Baktas or devotees.  It is on the wake of Periyapuranam that the effulgent light of Sivagnana Botham bursts to our view.  All illusions are set at nought and the eternal verities of life are settled for ever.

    Sivagnana Botham was composed by Saint Meikandar, the Truth - Seer or Satyadarshi, who flourished at the beginning of the thirteenth century.  He expounded the truths, gathered and realised by him, for the benefit of the world, in the form of pithy aphorisms or Sutras, twelve in number.  The demands both of the logical and moral consciousness are convincingly satisfied in Saiva Siddhanta, as conceived by Saint Meikandar.  "Although the four great leaders of Saivism who flourished before the 8th century have given distinct expression to the essential principles of the system in their sublime devotional lyrics, an exposition of the same in a scientific manner is found only in Saint Tirumular;s Tirumantiram, Gnanamirtham, Tiruvuntiar, Tirukalirrupadiar and a few other books prior to the age of Sri Meikandar, the inspired Vellala boy-saint of Tiruvennainallur who inaugurated the Renaissance of Siddhanta Philosophy in the 13th century."

    Sivagnana Botham, which consists of twelve Sutras only, presents in a nutshell the whole system of Siddhanta religion and philosophy.  Arulnandi Sivachariyar, the first among the forty-nine disciples of Saint Meikandar, composed Sivagnana Siddhiar which serves as an elaborate and valuable commentary on Sivagnana Botham.  Saint Tayumanavar has very aptly given his meed of praise of Arulnandi Sivachariyar in the following couplet.

"À¡¾¢Å¢Õò¾ò¾¡ Ä¢ôÀ¡÷ Å¢Õò¾Á¡¸ ×ñ¨Á
 º¡¾¢ò¾¡÷ ¦À¡ýÉʨÂò ¾¡ýÀ½¢Å ¦¾ó¿¡§Ç¡"

    "O for the day! when I can worship the golden feet of him who declared the truth, in half a stanza, by which I lost my illusions1"  Six commentators, namely, Sivagra-Yogigal, Gnanaprakasar, Tattuvaprakasar, Madurai Sivaprakasar, Sivagnana Swamigal and Subramania Desikar, have produced elaborate commentaries on Sivagnana Siddhiar.  This alone is sufficient proof of its greatness, and importance.

    Siddhanta Sastras in Tamil, considered as most important, are fourteen in number; for there are other works also, like the Pandara Sastras, which are of later growth.  Of the rest among the above fourteen, I content myself by referring only to Sivaprakasam by Umapathy Sivachariyar.  Sivaprakasam figures as an important supplement to Sivagnana Botham. 

    We have actually taken here a bird's eye view of the origin, development and consummation of Siddhanta Philosophy, starting with the Scriptures and Sangam works and ending with Sivagnana Botham, which clustered around itself a host of other works, supplementing and complementing the same.  The following verse shows in what light and order the Tamils of South India viewed those Siddhantic works:-

"§Å¾õÀÍ; «¾ýÀ¡ø ¦Áö¡¸Áõ; ¿¡øÅ÷
 ´Ðó¾Á¢ú «¾É¢ý ¯ûÙÚ¦¿ö; - §À¡¾Á¢Ì
 ¦¿ö¢ý ¯ÚͨÅ¡õ ¿£û¦Åñ¦½ö ¦Áö¸ñ¼¡ý
 ¦ºö¾ ¾Á¢ú áÄ¢ý ¾¢Èõ."

    "The Veda is the cow; the Agamam is its milk; the Tamil(Tevaram and Tiruvacakam) of the four saints, is the ghee churned from it; the excellence of the well-instructive Tamil, (Sivagnana Botham) of Meikandar of Tiruvennainallur, is like the sweetness of such ghee."  I would like to add to this that Sivagnana Siddhiar is the relish of that sweetness.

    The Siddhanta is the special philosophy of the Saiva Religion.  Siddhanta means the True End or the Accomplished End.  The system of Siddhanta is hailed to be the crown of all philosophy for it has attained logical perfection to a degree not attained by any other system.  One important feature of Siddhanta is that it gives more value for Reason, than for anything else.  Religious ecstasy is not allowed to surpass the dry light of Reason.  Subjecting his concepts to metaphysical criticism, the Siddhantin recognises the importance of satisfying the demands of Reason.  It must be said to the credit of this school of philosophy, that in elucidating the principles of its theory, it does not evade to tackle any real difficulty nor resort to language which makes confusion more confounded.  It does not try to puzzle man and baffle argument.  It voluntarily invites free discussion and only exhibits anxiety to thrash out the truth.  There is no logical quibbling in its arguments.  It shines in its own sublime simplicity and celestial clarity.  It has not said anything which is relegated to the realms of the mysterious.  It teaches only practical philosophy, appealing to our rational understanding and experience.  I can only say it is pragmatic to the hilt.

    The Siddhanta does not adopt the policy of scouting Reason and holding fast to Sruti alone.  The Siddhantins are always conscious of the fact that the yelling of a hundred scriptures cannot establish what is opposed to Reason.  Scriptures are elucidated in a rational manner.  We fail to meet with any apology or begging the question.  Of course there is an appeal to our moral consciousness but it is not a call for blind faith.  The reference to one elementary principle of criticism the Siddhantins have adopted, as stated in Sivaprakasam, will at once bring into full relief their breadth of vision and progressive thought.

"¦¾¡ý¨ÁÂÅ¡õ ±Ûõ ±¨ÅÔõ ¿ýȸ¡ þýÚ
    §¾¡ýÈ¢Âáø ±Ûõ ±¨ÅÔõ ¾£¾¡¸¡ н¢ó¾
 ¿ý¨Á¢ɡ÷ ¿øí¦¸¡ûÁ½¢ ¦À¡¾¢ÔÁ¾ý ¸Çí¸õ
    ¿¨Å¡¸¡ ¦¾É ¯ñ¨Á ¿Â÷¾¢ÎÅ÷ ¿ÎÅ¡÷
 ¾ý¨Á¢ɡ÷ ÀƨÁ«Æ ¸¡Ã¡öóÐ ¾Ã¢ôÀ÷
    ¾ÅÚ¿Äõ ¦À¡ÕÇ¢ý¸ð º¡÷šáöó ¾È¢¾ø
 þý¨Á¢ɡ÷ ÀÄ÷ҸƢø ±òÐÅ÷ ±¾¢ÄÕü
   È¢¸úó¾É§Ãø þ¸úó¾¢ÎÅ÷ ¾Áì¦¸É ¦Å¡ýȢħÃ." 

    "Whatever is old cannot be deemed to be good ( on account of its antiquity alone), and whatever book comes forth to-day cannot be judged ill because of its newness.  Men pledged to seek good in everything will not mind the dust that covers a beautiful gem but only appreciate its true worth.  People of middle calibre will investigate and welcome the beauty and antiquity of a work.  Men who have no capacity to judge of the faults, excellences and substantial worth of a production, will praise it, if many admire it, and will in the same breath condemn it on hearing others speak ill of it, because they have no opinion for themselves."

    Meikandadeva has expounded the truths realised by him in the form of syllogisms, beautifully marshalled out in the order of Proposition, Reason, Instance, Assumption or Application and Deduction.  There is no flaw or speck to be found, for, the process of ratiocination is crystal clear.  Its simplicity in expounding the theistic position arrests our attention and can easily be comprehended by the generality of the people.  The convincing arguments of Sivagnana Botham easily prepare the ground for renunication and instil the firmness of mind necessary for the attainment of the ultimate goal, viz, spiritual bliss.

    Saiva Siddhanta is famous for its Adwaitic interpretation of God and the Universe.  The very nature and gist of the Siddhantic doctrine of Adwaita is briefly summarised in a simple stanza found in the introductory portion of Sivaprakasam:-

"ÒÈîºÁÂò¾Å÷ì ¸¢ÕÇ¡ö «¸îºÁÂò ¦¾¡Ç¢Â¡öô
 Ò¸ø «Ç¨Åì ¸ÇÅ¡¸¢ô ¦À¡üÀ½¢§À¡ø «§À¾ô
 À¢ÈôÀ¢Ä¾¡ö þÕû¦ÅÇ¢§À¡ü §À¾Óõ ¦º¡ü¦À¡Õû§À¡ø
 §À¾¡§À¾Óõ þýÈ¢ô ¦ÀÕáø¦º¡ýÉ
 «Èò¾¢ÈÉ¡ø Å¢¨Çž¡ö ¯¼Ö¢÷¸ñ «Õì¸ý
 «È¢¦Å¡Ç¢§À¡ø À¢È¢ÅÕõ «òÐÅ¢¾Á¡Ìõ
 º¢ÈôÀ¢É¾¡ö §Å¾¡ó¾ò ¦¾Ç¢Å¡õ ¨ºÅ
 º¢ò¾¡ó¾ò¾¢Èý þíÌò ¦¾Ã¢ì¸ÖüÈ¡õ"

    "We intend to expound herein the truths of the Saiva Siddhanta System, the distilled essence of the Vedanta, which is dark to the heathen and bright to the adherents of inner creeds, and satisfying the reputed standards of logic and which is remarkable for advocating such inseperable Adwaitic (non-dual) union of God and the world as will not warrant their substantial identity like gold and jewels made of it, or their opposition like light and darkness or any midway relation like that of word and sense.  Such union will be comparable in their unity to the blending of body and soul and in their diversity to the light of the eye and the light of the sun and in their concomitance to the knowing power of the soul and the seeing power of the eye and will be realisable as the fruit of a course of righteous practice ordained by great books of wisdom."  This, in brief, is the metaphysical purport and the distinguishing mark of this philosophy.

    While the Siddhantin seeks to establish his convictions on unassailable ground, urges several arguments in refutation of the false theories sponsored by other schools.  The Siddhantins distinguish four schools of faiths.

Pura-puraccamayam (The most external),

Puraccammayam (The external),

Ahapuraccamayam (Those which are half in and half out) and

Ahaccamayam (The innermost).

Those which do not recognise the Vedas or the Sivagamas are the most external or outermost schools.  They are the Lokayata, Buddhism and Jainism.  The external or the outer schools, viz, Tarka, Mimasa, Ekatmavada, Sankhya, Yoga and Pancharatra, accept only the Vedas.  The schools which are half in and half out are the Pasupata, Mahavrata, Kapala, Vama, Bhairava and Aiykyavada.  These accept the Vedas and Agamas but only in a restricted sense.  The Ahaccamayam or the innermost schools are the Pasanavada Saiva, Bhedavada Saiva, Sivasamavada Saiva, Sivasankrantavada Saiva, Isvaraavikaravada Saiva and Sivadvaita Saiva.  These differ only in their conceptions of Mukti.  A Tamil work called Sankarpa Nirakaranam by Umapathi Sivachariyar treats about these various schools and gives a clear exposition of the flaws ingrained in their various doctrines.

THE METAPHYSICS OF SAIVA SIDDHANTA

ATMA DHARSAN OR ANMA PRAKASAM

THE DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE GURU

SIVAPRAKASAM