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“But there is also a statement in the Tirumandiramthat can be interpreted asfavorable to our task, which reads, ‘TheLord with the matted locks stood blemishless/ To those whose mind is like awaveless sea.’ How can the BoundlessOne be bound in translations and commentaries?Tirumular provides the answer:only those with a clear mind, thatis, a waveless mind like the calm deepsea, can comprehend it. Though thetranslators and commentators claim nosuch mind, we seek and obtain protectionin the words of Tirumular.”So, is the commentary authoritative?Not exactly, says Dr. Ganapathy. “Thecommentaries are meant to be guides,pointing to the goal, to the essence, butthemselves are unrealized, mere descriptionsof truth.” By keeping the translationas crystalline as they could, andrelegating all speculation and scholarlyanalysis to the commentary, the translatorscreated a book that will be interestingto several different audiences, fromthe expert scholar or the initiated mysticto the beginning student of South Indianmysticism.However impossible it might have seemed,the task is now finished. Dr. Ganapathystates in the introduction, “In bringing outthe entire Tamil text in translation, saintCekkilar’s words come before me: ‘Thoughimpossible to reach its limit / Insatiable lovedrives me to the task.’ ”h i n d u i s m t o dayA yogi’s treasure:Ten volumes hold 3,000 years of yogic disciplineas penned—more precisely,etched on palm leaves—bySaint TirumularScriptural GreatnessThe Tirumandiram is one of the most importantworks related to yoga, tantra, SaivaSiddhanta philosophy and spirituality everwritten (see the next page for a story of SaintMular and how this book came to be). It isclosely related to the Saiva Agamas, and oftencited as an opus that summarizes them.The book’s first tandiram, or section,prepares the aspirant by defining the philosophyof Saiva Siddhanta. In the secondtandiram, creation and souls are explained,along with the five-fold nature of Lord Siva’sactions. In the third, techniques for sadhanaand yoga are laid out. In the fourth, mantras,yantras and siddhis are described andtaught. In the fifth tandiram, the four margas(charya, kriya, yoga and jnana) are explained,along with four stages of liberationof the soul. In the sixth tandiram, advancedsadhanas that lead to jnana are explained. Inthe seventh, divine conduct is prescribed,which includes worship of the Sivalingam.In the eighth, high states of consciousnessare elucidated; and, finally, in the ninth tandiram,the experiencing of Lord Siva is expoundedand liberated souls studied.Each tandiram takes up one volume of thiscollection. The tenth volume is comprisedof a glossary, a selected bibliography, anindex and an appendix containing two enlighteningdiscourses on the nature of SaivaSiddhanta: whether it is ultimately monisticor dualistic. It is a discussion crucial toSaivites, the culmination of a centuries-longA qualified translator: The eruditeT.N. Ganapathy approached the taskwith reverence and some trepidation,leading a team as talented as himselfdebate that questions the nature of thesoul and whether it ultimately mergeswith Siva in advaitic union.The publisher explains, “It has been achallenge to produce a translation thatwould not take sides in the importantphilosophical debate between Saiva Siddhantins[who are] realistic pluralistsand those who see the Tirumandiramas an expression of the highest mysticalstates of consciousness accessible tothe Yogi, [a stance called] monistic theism.The views of the two sides are in theappendix.”Is there a place in our fast-paced modernsociety for such a deep treatise? Isit meant only for yogis and scholars?Dr. Ganapathy addresses the questionbeautifully in his introduction: “If religiondeals with ultimate Reality and societyis a common system of ultimate values,then there must be a necessary connectionbetween the two. To reveal this necessaryconnection is the purpose of the Tirumandiram.”Dr. Ganapathy states that the Tirumandiram’sontology (a word naming theinvestigation of the nature of being) “isbased on the notion of the Absolute not as aperson, but as a principle and value, an AbsoluteFreedom or a Great Aloneness, calledta∫i urra kê valam in Tirumular’s words.”It’s a book about freedom, liberation, moksa,nirvana or vettaveli.”From its unmatched lofty platform, theTirumandiram proceeds to give guidance ondaily life, prescribing humility, ahimsa, restraintof one’s desires, courage, control of themind, cleanliness and the steadfast cultivationof a pure and unswerving love. Whatelse could be more relevant to our times?Tirumandiram, 10 volumes, 3,766 pages. Ordersoutside of India US$100 plus a flat shipping rate ofUS$50; orders in India Rs. 4,400 plus actual shippingfees. To order visit www.babajiskriyayoga.neth i n d u i s m t o dayjuly/august/september, 2010 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 63