Thiruvasaka Sivapuranam - Comparison of Books

திருவாசக சிவபுராணம் - நூல்களின் ஒப்பீடு

Abstract

The twelve Tirumuraigas, considered to be the main texts of Saiva religion, explain the philosophies of Saiva religion in a simple way. These Tirumuraigas were composed by 27 authors. The first three Tirumuraigas were composed by Thirugnanasambandhar, the fourth, fifth, and sixth Tirumuraigas by Thirunavukkarasar, and the seventh Tirumuraigas by Sundaramurthy Swami. The eighth Tirumuraiga was composed by several authors, the tenth Tirumuraiga by Thirumoolar, the eleventh Tirumuraiga by several authors, and the twelfth Tirumuraiga by Sekkizhar Swami. Each Tirumuraiga approaches the deep concepts of Saiva religion from different angles and provides the devotees with wisdom and divine experience. Thiruvasakam is the eighth Tirumuraiga of the twelve Tirumuraigas. Composed by Manikkavasaka, it occupies an important place in Saiva religious literature. The deep devotional feeling and poetic style of the Thiruvasakam have attracted devotees for centuries. Many have written texts on it. Each text explains the meaning of the Thiruvasakam in a different way. Explanations are given from different angles according to the understanding of the readers. The Shiva Puranam is the first of the 51 parts of the Thiruvasakam. The Shiva Puranam describes the origin of Lord Shiva, his qualities, and his grace. It also talks about the birth, death, and liberation of man. Each line of the Shiva Puranam sheds new light on the devotees. This article examines the differences found in the first part of the Thiruvasaka Shiva Puranam texts. That is, the variations in the opening lines of the Shiva Puranam, the differences in the words, and the differences in their interpretations are compared. Only the first part of the Shiva Purana of the three texts, namely the Dandapani Desikar text, the Thiruvavaduthurai Atheena edition compiled by Srikali Thandavaraya Swamigal, and the Dharmapura Atheena edition, is taken for comparison. These three texts are important in Saiva religion. Because, all three were written in different periods. Also, they were written by different scholars. Therefore, these texts reveal different dimensions of the Shiva Purana. Through this comparison, the deep meaning of the Shiva Purana can be understood. Also, the different approaches of the commentators can be known. This study highlights the importance of the various texts in the Shiva Purana of the Thiruvasakam and highlights the philosophical and literary richness of Saiva religion. Moreover, it serves as an incentive to study the Thiruvasakam in depth and understand its content.Keywords : Devi Fort, Architectural Heritage, Tamilnadu.