Saiva Siddhantam in a Nutshell
Saiva Siddhantam is an elaborate and complete system of philosophy on True Knowledge. The Siddhantam, a pluralistic realism, maintains that God, souls and matter, or Pati, pasu and pasam or 3-malas, constitute reality and eternal. The events in the world, and the changes that overtake the soul are due to the two facts of the impure state of the soul ( 3-malas make the soul impure), and God's concern for soul, which arises from His nature to love. The soul is covered by the 3-malas, anavam, kanmam and mayai. Anavam (called moola malam or root cause), an impurity, produces ignorance, detracts the soul from its true nature of a spiritual being. The remedy for it lies in true knowledge or Gnanam. Such Gnanam as is required to overcome anavam is possible for the soul as it has the faculties of knowing, feeling and acting; In other words it has the Gnana, iccha and kriya saktis, which are the cognitive, emotive and conative abilities respectively. These can be made to function and to develop by the power or sakti or grace of God, which expresses itself as Gnana sakti or omniscience, iccha sakti or love for the soul, and kriya sakti or power to act. The actions required to redeem the soul are carried out by the kriya sakti of God, which again takes different forms in fulfilling the five functions of God. The Padaithal sakthi (Brahma) creates the world ; the Kaththal sakthi (Vishnu) preserves the world ; the Odukkum sakthi (Rudhra)destroys the world; the Maraithal sakthi (tirobhava or tirothana) conceals from the soul the true nature of the world so that the soul is attracted by it and yields to its temptations; and the Arul sakti (Anugraha) reveals to the soul the true nature of the world, so that the soul withdraws from the world, and turns to God.
These activities are necessary to bring into play the faculties of the soul, which thereby attain their highest development. Such development is necessary for the soul to rise from its impure to its pure state. Its knowing power or Gnana sakti enables it to attain, in successive stages, knowledge of the world (pasa-Gnana), knowledge of the soul (pasu-Gnana), and finally, knowledge of God (Pati-Gnana). These steps constitute Gnana marga or the path of knowledge, which the Siddhanta upholds as the highest path to salvation. The desiring power of the soul enables it to desire firstly, the things of this world, and finally, God, the Great Spirit. Its power to act enables it to pursue the things of the world in its earliest stage. In doing so, it performs good and bad deeds or karma (vinai). The laws of karma requires that good deeds(nalvinai) should be rewarded, and bad ones(theevinai), penalised. The reward and punishment that accrue to the soul (Sanchitha karma or PazhaVinai) are to be reaped in various lives and through different embodiments (Prarartha karma or OozhVinai). This passing from life to life in different bodies constitutes transmigration or samsara. In this long journey, the soul learns through experience that bad deeds bring about its ruin, and good ones, its redemption. This discipline transforms the soul so that from pursuing the world, it now seeks God. When the soul surrenders itself completely to God, and when its ego leaves and is filled with Siva, its acts are not its acts, but those of Siva, then it incurs no more karma. Here, ends transmigration of soul; and the soul becomes a saved being or a jivanmukta.
In emerging from its impure to its pure state, it goes through different stages called avasthas. In the kevala avastha, thesoul lies forlorn, covered by anava, and with karma over-shadowing it. In the sakala avastha, it takes on a body, enters the world where it meets objects made out of maya or matter, and begins its active career. In the suddha avastha, it becomes a redeemed soul, a jivanmukta at first, and then, when it sheds its body, a released Soul, enjoying the bliss of fellowship with Siva. This is paramukthi.
These activities are necessary to bring into play the faculties of the soul, which thereby attain their highest development. Such development is necessary for the soul to rise from its impure to its pure state. Its knowing power or Gnana sakti enables it to attain, in successive stages, knowledge of the world (pasa-Gnana), knowledge of the soul (pasu-Gnana), and finally, knowledge of God (Pati-Gnana). These steps constitute Gnana marga or the path of knowledge, which the Siddhanta upholds as the highest path to salvation. The desiring power of the soul enables it to desire firstly, the things of this world, and finally, God, the Great Spirit. Its power to act enables it to pursue the things of the world in its earliest stage. In doing so, it performs good and bad deeds or karma (vinai). The laws of karma requires that good deeds(nalvinai) should be rewarded, and bad ones(theevinai), penalised. The reward and punishment that accrue to the soul (Sanchitha karma or PazhaVinai) are to be reaped in various lives and through different embodiments (Prarartha karma or OozhVinai). This passing from life to life in different bodies constitutes transmigration or samsara. In this long journey, the soul learns through experience that bad deeds bring about its ruin, and good ones, its redemption. This discipline transforms the soul so that from pursuing the world, it now seeks God. When the soul surrenders itself completely to God, and when its ego leaves and is filled with Siva, its acts are not its acts, but those of Siva, then it incurs no more karma. Here, ends transmigration of soul; and the soul becomes a saved being or a jivanmukta.
In emerging from its impure to its pure state, it goes through different stages called avasthas. In the kevala avastha, thesoul lies forlorn, covered by anava, and with karma over-shadowing it. In the sakala avastha, it takes on a body, enters the world where it meets objects made out of maya or matter, and begins its active career. In the suddha avastha, it becomes a redeemed soul, a jivanmukta at first, and then, when it sheds its body, a released Soul, enjoying the bliss of fellowship with Siva. This is paramukthi.
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