Thiruvasagam

Work

Most of the portions in Thiruvasagam is first sung in Thillai Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram. It is considered one of the profound works of Tamil literature and it discusses every phase of spiritual path from doubt and anguish to perfect understanding in Shiva, from earthly experience to teacher-disciple relationship and ultimately freedom from rebirth. There are 658 poems in the work and along with 400 poems in Tirukovayar by the same author make it the 8th volume of Tirumarai - the 12 volume Shaiva canon. The author finds both theistic and pantheistic ideas corresponding to medieval India, but identifies God with the universe. Manikkavacakar often finds himself unworthy of Shiva being his saviour. It is said that this made Shiva feel sorry for him and bless him. As a devotional literature, it finds alternatives between joy and sorrow.

Tiruvempavai

"Tiruvempavai" - the early morning wake up songs sung for Shiva on Tamil month Margali are part of Thiruvasagam. Tiruvempavai songs were composed in Annamalaiyar Temple.

In Thailand, an annual Giant Swing ceremony known as Triyampavai-Tripavai was held in major cities until 1935, when it was abolished for safety reasons. The name of the ceremony was derived from the names of Tiruvempavai and Tiruppavai (a Vaishnavite hymn by Andal). It is known that Tiruvempavai verses — poet pratu sivalai ("opening the portals of Shiva's home") — were recited at this ceremony, as well as the coronation ceremony of the Thai king. According to T.P. Meenakshisundaram, the name of the festival indicates that Tiruppavai might have been recited as well.

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. He sought the help of Nambi Andar Nambi, who was a priest in a temple. 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. 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. Rajaraja thus became known as Tirumurai Kanda Cholan meaning one who saved the Tirumurai. 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. Nambi arranged the hymns of three saint poets Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar as the first seven books, Manikkavacakar's Tirukovayar Thiruvasagam as the 8th book, the 28 hymns of nine other saints as the 9th book, the Tirumantiram of Tirumular as the 10th book, 40 hymns by 12 other poets as the 10th book, Tirutotanar Tiruvantati - the sacred antati of the labours of the 63 Nayanar saints and added his own hymns as the 11th book. The first seven books were later called as Tevaram, and the whole Shaiva canon, to which was added, as the 12th book, Sekkilar's Periya Puranam (1135 CE) is wholly known as Tirumurai, the holy book.

Grammar

Thiruvasagam songs are a collection of dynamic poetic meters (yāppu). The following yāppu forms are used across the 51 patikams (decads):

Veṇpā

• Kaliveṇpā
• Nēricai veṇpā

Āciriyappā

• Nilaimāṇṭila āciriyappā
• Iṇaikkuṟaḷ āciriyappā

Kalippā

• Koccakak kalippā
• Taravu koccakak kalippā
• Nālaṭit taravu koccakak kalippā
• Āṟaṭittaravuk koccakak kalippā

Viruttam

• Kaliviruttam
• Āciriya viruttam
• Aṟucīr āciriya viruttam
• Eḻucīr āciriya viruttam
• Aṟucīrk kaḻineṭilaṭi āciriya viruttam
• Eḻucīrk kaḻineṭilaṭi āciriya viruttam
• Eṇcīrk kaḻineṭilaṭi āciriya viruttam
• Paṉṉiru cīrkkaḻineṭilaṭi āciriya viruttam

Others

• Kalittāḻicai
• Kaṭṭaḷaik kalitturai
• Kalavaip pāṭṭu

Translation works on Thiruvasagam

George Uglow Pope, an Anglican Christian missionary, was born on 24 April 1820 on Prince Edward Island in Canada. He became interested in Tamil and learned the language during a six-month ship voyage to India. His magnum opus, an English translation of Thiruvasagam, appeared in 1900. Pope found a close affinity to the utterances of sincere devotion in such verses as 'Longing for devotion alone', 'Without thy presence I pine', 'Deadness of soul', 'God all in all', 'I am thine, save me', 'His love demands my all'. He also compared Manickavasgar to the likes of St. Paul and St. Francis of Assisi.

G.U.Pope Translation

G.U.Pope translated Thiruvasagam.

Victory to the foot of the King, who soothed my soul's unrest and made me His !
Victory to the jewelled foot of Pinnagan, who severs continuity of birth !
Victory to the flower-foot of Him Who is far from those without !
Victory to the anklets of the King, rejoicing 'mid those that fold adoring hands !
Victory to the anklets of the glorious One, who uplifts those that bow the head ! (10)

And in places G.U.Pope mentions the difficulty about translating these Tamil poems to the proper meaning in English. He states, "Lines 66-95 are well nigh untranslateable, for they contain a subtle and intricate allegory, by means of which the grace of the manifested Shivan, who is praised under the title of the 'Cloud' is set forth. The idea is that the Infinite sea of rapturous supreme felicity is Civan, but - as the Cloud in the monsoon season sucks up water from the sea, and rises in black masses that cover the sky, while all the phenomena of the wonderful outburst of the beneficient, but also fearful, monsoon are exhibited - so does the Supreme manifest Himself as the Guru, the Object of Love, and Give of grace to His worshippers..."

Other works

In 1921, an English translation of the hymns by Sambandhar, Apparswami, Sundaramurthi was done by Francis Kingsbury and GE Phillips, both of United Theological College, Bangalore (Edited by Fred Goodwill) and published in a book as Hymns of the Tamil Śaivite Saints, by the Oxford University Press.

Noted Tamil film music composer Ilayaraja had composed Thiruvasagam in Symphony from the verses of Manikkavacakar's Thiruvasagam as a tribute to the saint and Tamil itself. All songs are orchestral renditions of the verses of Thiruvasagam.

In culture

Ramalinga Swamigal (1823-1874 CE) is believed to have taken inspiration from Thiruvasagam for his devotional work.

Portions of Thiruvasagam are also read out by the Chief Brahmin Priest of Thailand during the coronation ceremony of a new Thai King. The ancestors of the Brahmins of the Thai Royal Household are thought to have emigrated from Rameswaram to Thailand centuries back.

List of temple revered in Thiruvasagam