Thiruvasagam is
Words filled with the Ultimate Truth (Meipporul)
Words that bestow the Ultimate Truth (Meipporul)
— Vallalar
”Thiruvasagam”
As Manikkavasagar recited, the Lord himself, who came in the form of a Vedic Brahmin—the Lord of Thillai Nataraja—listened and wrote it with His own hand on palm-leaf manuscripts. He then signed it as “Alagiya Chitrambala Mudaiyan” (The Beautiful Lord of the Golden Hall), placed it on the steps of the Thillai Nataraja sanctuary, and disappeared!
“Thiruvasagam is that which the Devotee recited and the Commoner wrote.”
Thiru-Mani-Vasaga Maalai
The Eighth—the number “8”—the letter “A” (அ)—The Eighth Thirumurai – Manikkavasagam
Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalar Ramalinga Swamigal, whose compassion for life was such that he withered whenever he saw a withering crop, praised the Thiruvasagam with joy, saying: “If even the birds and animals there can attain true wisdom upon hearing the Thiruvasagam, then it is no wonder that I have attained it!”
Perhaps the elders categorized this as the Eighth Thirumurai so that it would be within reach of our intellect, perceived by our senses, and soaked into our feelings! In the Tamil numbering system, the number 8 is represented by the letter “அ” (A)! The very first of letters is “அ”! The Thiruvasagam of Manivasagar speaks specifically of the greatness of this “அ”, which is the first in writing and the number eight in counting!
“Numbers and letters are like two eyes.”
This is the secret of wisdom (Gnana Secret) stated by the ancient Tamil poetess Avvaiyar! She subtly reveals that the number (“8”) and the first Tamil letter (“அ”) represent the Eye! That is, she has coded the eye as “8” and as the form of the letter “அ”! The fact that this work is set as the Eighth Thirumurai to explain the greatness of this “eight” is its specialty!
This “eight,” this letter “A,” this eye, this pupil—the words that emerge from that Mani (pupil) are indeed the Thiruvasagam! Within the inner light of the pupil, the one who is the Light itself is Natarajan! It is the nature of Light to be eternally vibrating, enjoying, and dancing! It is as that very Light that God is dancing within our two eyes!
In our eyes, within the Ultimate Truth (Meipporul) that is unreachable by others, the one who dances and shines as an open stage (Ambalam) for all to see is Ambalavanan! Those who witness His dance and fix their intention upon Him—upon the eyes through which He is revealed—will dance in ecstasy! They will sing! They will attain supreme bliss! Only those who have thus “seen” (kandavar) know the Holy Feet of God! they will realize!
That is it—the eye is the Holy Feet of God! The eye is the Ultimate Truth (Meipporul)!
There is no limit to the bliss attained by our great Manivasagar because he knew and realized the eye! There is no equal to the state he achieved! Manivasagar merged into the Akasha (Ether/Space), which is Chidambaram—one of the five elements! We can know this from the “Thiruvarutpa” where Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalar Ramalinga Swamigal sang, “O Manikkavasagar, when I sing your verses, merging with them…”
The supreme state of bliss is when the human body, a combination of the five elements, merges with one of those elements along with the divine spark of the soul! Many Siddhars and great Gnanis merged with the Earth. Many Siddhars and Gnanis became Light and merged. Many others merged with Water. If the soul leaves the body, that is death! That state is not the state of wisdom (Gnana)! That soul will be born again! Merging with the body and soul intact is the state of Wisdom! He who does not die is a Siddhar! He who conquers death is a Gnani! He is a Chiranjeevi (Immortal), a complete being who has merged with the Whole!
Manivasagar and Bhadragiriyar are examples of those who merged with the Akasha (Ether)! Thirugnanasambandar and Vallalar are examples of those who became Light and merged! Pattinathar and Sita Devi are examples of those who merged with the Earth! Rama is the example for merging with Water! There are countless Siddhars and Gnanis who merged with Wind! I have mentioned only a few who merged with the five elements. Countless Gnanis and Siddhars exist here!
Sundarar, Appar, and countless other Gnanis and Siddhars are those who left with their physical bodies (Sthula Udal). Such is our land of Bharat (India), where wisdom blossomed. Here, if you trip and fall, you should fall upon a Samadhi (shrine of a saint)! This is a land where so many Siddha-swamis took their stand. Born in this soil, should we not know? Should we not realize this wisdom?
The Thiruvasagam is the best among all hymns of praise! Sing it! As you sing it repeatedly, you will understand. As you sing, your mouth will become fragrant! As you listen, it is a delight to the ears! As you continue to read, the “meaning” will become clear! These are the simple, sweet, pure Tamil songs of the Thiruvasagam!
Because he was born in Thiruvathavur, our Shiva-descended Manikkavasagar was called Vathavurar! Even by the age of sixteen, he excelled in devotion, conduct, and education! The Pandya King of that time summoned Vathavurar, made him his Prime Minister, and honored him with the title “Thennavan Bramarayan”!
On his way to perform a task assigned by the King, he reached Thirupperunthurai (now known as Avudaiyar Koil)! To claim Vathavurar as His own, the Lord appeared as a Shiva-Guru and was teaching the Ultimate Truth (Meipporul) to His disciples! Entranced by Shiva, Vathavurar surrendered his body, wealth, and soul to that Guru and begged for His grace. The Guru blessed him accordingly, instructed him in the Ultimate Truth, and granted him Gnana Deeksha (spiritual initiation)! He began to sing songs of praise to God with incomparable words like gems. Hearing this, the Supreme Guru blessed Vathavurar, named him “Manikkavasagar” (He whose words are rubies), and told him to perform temple service before disappearing!
Forgetting the King’s business, he took up the service of the Lord’s temple as his primary duty! Learning of this, the King grew angry because the work was not done on the appointed day and imprisoned him! The Lord Himself came with horses for Manikkavasagar’s sake. That very night, all those horses turned back into foxes, and the Pandya King grew angry once again! He punished him by making him stand on the hot sands of the Vaigai River with a heavy stone on his back! Could God remain indifferent seeing this? He caused the Vaigai River to flood!
To show grace to an old woman named Vanthi, the Lord performed many divine plays (Thiruvilaiyadal). When the angry King struck the Lord (who was in the guise of a laborer) with a cane, that blow was felt by all living beings! Only then did the King realize the greatness of Manikkavasagar and begged for his forgiveness!
Manikkavasagar, being full of grace, forgave and forgot. He renounced his position! He traveled from village to village, temple to temple, praising and worshiping God!
Finally, he reached the city of Thillai (Chidambaram). He defeated the Buddhist gurus in a debate! All those who were defeated became Shaivites! His wonderful glory even made a mute girl speak!
One day, the Lord of the Thillai Dance (Shiva) came in the form of a Brahmin and asked Manikkavasagar to sing all his songs so that He could record them…
He began writing on palm leaves. He wrote, “Written by Alagiya Tiruchitrambala Mudaiyan as spoken by Manikkavasagar,” placed those palm-leaf manuscripts on the Panchakshara steps of the Kanakasabai (the Golden Hall), and disappeared!
The next morning, the three thousand Brahmins living in Thillai found the manuscript. Realizing that the Lord of the Hall (Ambalavanan) Himself had written it, they were amazed and asked Manikkavasagar about it! They joyfully asked for the meaning of the songs. Manikkavasagar pointed to the Lord of the Thillai Dance, performing His cosmic dance in the Golden Hall, and said, “He is the meaning!” and immediately merged into the Holy Feet of God and disappeared!
How wondrous was this life of Manikkavasagar! To wipe away the sorrow of His devotee, the Lord of the Hall came running! He bestowed supreme bliss and united the devotee with Himself! If the Lord wrote the Thiruvasagam with His own hand, what could possibly equal it? There is no parallel to the greatness of Manikkavasagar!
The Lord wrote the Thiruvasagam as the devotee spoke! If the Lord listened and wrote it, no one else in the world has ever received such an honor! The fortune attained by Manikkavasagar was of immense majesty. Manikkavasagar himself is the witness to the state of Wisdom (Gnana)! The “jewel-like” words he uttered are the Thiruvasagam! This is not just a Shaivite scripture! It is a universal scripture (Podhumurai) for all people of the world! To save all souls and for the elevation of the spirit, one must necessarily read the Thiruvasagam!
”When I sang the Thiruvasagam, Divine Grace joined me,
I stood with the oneness of knowing the Thiruvasagam,
Through the two gateways (the eyes), I saw God,
O Compassionate One with the Eye, grace me so I enter not the gateway of the womb.”
This is the song that arose while realizing the “Mani” (the pupil) in the eye while writing this book! As the Thiruvasagam is sung, and as it is felt more and more, we can become the Thiruvasagam! What merit must I have performed to write a true spiritual commentary for the Thiruvasagam—the “Manivasagam” of Manikkavasagar! O God, the Eye-Giver! Your mercy is the only mercy! O Lord, through this book, may the world receive true wisdom! I touch You with my heart! Dwell within my feelings!