Thamizhar Vazhvil Vainavam

Abstract

Tamil life had attained prosperity more than 2,000 years ago. Their way of life was framed not only as a right for humankind but also as one that embraced all living beings. There have been some among the Tamils who, understanding the true essence of this noble way of life, have sought to convey it to the world so that all may live in happiness. Among the religions evolved and practiced by such Tamils, Saivism and Vaishnavism are the most ancient. The religion that worships Lord Siva as the Supreme Deity is known as Saivism. Likewise, the religion that worships Vishnu, known as Thirumal, as the Supreme Deity is called Vaishnavism. The credit for systematizing these two religious doctrines into philosophical systems belongs to the Tamil people. Based on the philosophical principles of Saivism, Meykandar formulated the philosophical system known as Saiva Siddhanta. Similarly, Ramanuja, taking as his foundation the Nalayira Divya Prabandham—the collection of the sacred hymns of the Alvars—formulated the philosophical doctrine called Vishishtadvaita. An ancient saying that explains the nature of God is, “He exists in the pillar and He exists in the speck.” The Tolkappiyam, the ancient Tamil grammatical treatise, states “Māyōn mēya kāḍurai ulagam,” which indicates that the worship of Thirumal was practiced by the ancient Tamils. The term Māyōn refers to Thirumal of dark complexion. Thirumal is regarded as the primal deity of the Vedas. Vaishnavism is founded on the three fundamental principles of the soul (ātma), matter, and God (Īśvara). It stands as a rich treasury of the Tamil people’s religion, art, literature, culture, and way of life.