Shaiva (or Saiva) Siddhanta is a Saivite
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
school that encompasses tens of millions of adherents, predominantly in
Tamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai . Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by Puducherry , Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh...
and
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
(
see Hinduism in Sri LankaHindus currently make up approximately 15% of the Sri Lankan population, and are almost exclusively Tamils apart from small immigrant communities from India and Pakistan such as the Sindhis, Telugus and Malayalees. In the 1915 census they made up almost 25% of the population, which included the...
). Today it has thousands of active temples there and dozens of
monasticMonasticism is the religious practice in which one renounces worldly pursuits in order to fully devote one's life to spiritual work...
/
asceticAsceticism describes a life-style characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals...
traditions: twenty-five Brahmin families, the
Adisaivas, are qualified to perform its rituals.
The culmination of a long period of systematisation of its
theologyThe term "theology" literally means the study of God, deriving from the Greek word theos, meaning 'God', and the suffix -ology from the Greek word logos meaning "discourse", "theory", or "reasoning"...
appears to have taken place in Kashmir in the tenth century, the exegetical works of the Kashmirian authors Bhatta Narayanakantha and Bhatta Ramakantha being the most sophisticated expressions of this school of thought. Their works were quoted and emulated in the works of twelfth-century South Indian authors, such as Aghorasiva and Trilocanasiva. The theology they expound is based on a canon of
TantricTantra , or tantram is a religious philosophy according to which Shakti is usually the main deity worshipped, and the universe is regarded as the divine play of Shakti and Shiva...
scriptures called Siddhantatantras or
ShaivaShaivism names the oldest of the four sects of Hinduism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer, revealer and concealer of all that is. Shaivism is...
Agamas. This canon is traditionally held to contain twenty-eight scriptures, but the lists vary, and several doctrinally significant scriptures, such as the
Mrgendra, are not listed. In the systematisation of the liturgy of the Shaiva Siddhanta, the Kashmirian thinkers appear to have exercised less influence: the treatise that had the greatest impact on Shaiva ritual, and indeed on ritual outside the Shaiva sectarian domain, for we find traces of it in such works as the Agnipurana, is a ritual manual composed in North India in the late eleventh century by a certain Somasambhu.
After the twelfth century, North Indian evidence for the presence of the Shaiva Siddhanta grows rarer. The school appears to have died out in other parts of India even as it grew in importance in the Tamil-speaking south. There its original emphasis on ritual fused with an intense devotional (
bhaktiBhakti in practice signifies an active involvement by the devotee in divine worship. The term is often translated as "devotion", though increasingly "participation" is being used as a more accurate rendering, since it conveys a fully engaged relationship with God...
) tradition. The Tamil compendium of devotional songs known as
TirumuraiThe word Tirumurai literally means the sacred book. It is a compendium of songs or hymns in the praise of Shiva in the Tamil language. In South India, Shaivites have the Tirumurai as their religious text while Vaishnavas have the Nalayira Divyaprabandham as their sacred work.-History and...
, along with the Vedas, the Shaiva Agamas and
"Meykanda" or
"Siddhanta" Sastras, form the scriptural canon of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta. Tirumurai is a twelve-volume anthology of the works of few among sixty-three poets, the
NayanarsThe Nayanars or Nayanmars were Shaivite devotional poets of Tamil Nadu, active between the fifth and the tenth centuries CE. The Tamil Shaiva hagiography Periya Puranam, a volume of the Tirumurai, written during the thirteenth century CE, narrates the history of each of sixty-three Nayanars, though...
,
[A. K. Ramanujan (trans. and intro) Speaking of Siva, Penguin Books, 1973.],Manikkavacakar, Sekkizhar and Others.The Meykanda sastras are fourteen in number, authored by St. Meykandar and his disciples.
Early Siddhanta
The Siddhanta tradition, like
Kashmir ShaivismAmong the various Hindu philosophies, Kaśmir Śaivism is a school of Śaivism identical with trika shaivism categorized by various scholars as monistic idealism . These descriptors denote a standpoint that Cit - consciousness - is the one reality...
and
KaulaKaula Island, also called Kaula Rock, is a small, crescent-shaped offshore islet in the Hawaiian Islands.-Geography:It is located west-southwest of Kawaihoa Point on Niihau, and about west of Honolulu. The island is actually the very top of a volcanic tuff cone that rests on top of a larger,...
, differs from the
VedicThe Vedic Period is the period during which the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of the Indo-Aryans, were being composed. Scholars place the Vedic period in the second and first millennia BCE continuing up to the 6th century BCE based on literary evidence.The associated culture, sometimes referred...
and Puranic cult of
ShivaShiva , also known as Rudra is a major Hindu god and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God...
and also from the ancient Pasupati tradition by its adherence to texts called Agamas or Tantras, which lay down rites that may be performed by any able man in his prime and describe a progressive, four-fold spiritual path of virtuous and moral living (
charya), ritual (
kriyaKriya most commonly refers to a technique or practice within a yoga discipline, also the outward physical manifestations of awakened kundalini. Types of kriya may vary widely between different schools of yoga...
), individual practice (
yogaYoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal toward which that school directs...
) and knowledge (
jnana, vidya). The Sidhanta Prakashikā of Sarvātmasambhu refers to these Sidhanta Shastras as the "mantramārga" ("mantra way") which has been further elaborated by the morden scholars Flood and
Alexis SandersonAlexis G.J.S. Sanderson is the Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics and a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University. He is a Sanskritist and scholar of Indian religions, especially of Shaivism and esoteric Shaiva Tantra...
in their research articles.
Saiva Siddhanta's original form is uncertain. Some hold that it originated as a monistic doctrine, espoused by Rishi Tirumular in approx. 2,200 bce. This Monistic Saiva Siddhanta, or Advaita Isvaravada Saiva Siddhanta, teaches that Siva is both Creator and creation, all pervasive and transcendent. In Tamil, this idea is encapsulated in the phrase "Anbe Sivamayam Sathiyame Parasivam," which means "Siva is immanent love and transcendental reality."
The Tamil Saiva saint Meykandar formulated a dualistic school of Saiva Siddhanta in approx. 900 ce. Meykandar and the dualists content that the world and soul are eternal, were never created, and are inherently flawed. These views are completely counter to the monistic school.
It seems likely to others, however, that the early Śaiva Siddhānta may have developed somewhere in Northern India, as a religion built around the notion of a ritual initiation that conferred liberation. Such a notion of liberatory initiation appears to have been borrowed from a Pashupata (
pāśupata) tradition.
[See Alexis Sanderson]Alexis G.J.S. Sanderson is the Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics and a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University. He is a Sanskritist and scholar of Indian religions, especially of Shaivism and esoteric Shaiva Tantra...
's The Lākulas: New evidence of a system intermediate between Pāñcārthika Pāśupatism and Āgamic Śaivism. Ramalinga Reddy Memorial Lectures, 1997. In: The Indian Philosophical Annual 24 (2006), pp.143-217. At the time of the early development of the theology of the school, the question of monism or dualism, which became so central to later theological debates, had not yet emerged as an important issue.
Sanskrit Siddhanta
The name of the school could be translated as "the settled view (
siddhānta) of Shaiva doctrine". There are of course many other Shaiva doctrines, and so it may seem odd that this particular one should have been known by a name that makes such a large claim, but widespread epigraphical and literary evidence suggests that this is because it simply was the dominant school of Shaiva liturgy and theology for a long period and across a wide area. Early works of the school do not appear to use the label
Śaivasiddhānta:
[See, for instance, Dominic Goodall and Harunaga Isaacson, « Workshop on the Niśvāsatattvasaṃhitā : the Earliest Surviving Saiva Tantra? », in the Newsletter of the Nepal-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project No.3 (2007), p.4–6.] one the earliest datable attestations of the label is probably that in the eighth-century Sanskrit inscription carved around the central shrine in the Kailasanatha temple in Kancheepuram.
Siddhas such as Sadyojyoti (ca seventh century
[See Alexis Sanderson, “The Date of Sadyojyotis and Brhaspati.” In Cracow Indological Studies 8 (2006), pp.39–91. (Actual publication date 2007.)]) are credited with the systematization of the Siddhanta theology in Sanskrit. Sadyojyoti, initiated by the guru Ugrajyoti, propounded the Siddhanta philosophical views as found in the
Rauravatantra and
Svāyambhuvasūtrasaṅgraha. He may or may not have been from Kashmir, but the next thinkers whose works survive were those of a Kashmirian lineage active in the tenth century: Ramakantha I, Vidyākaṇṭha I, Śrīkaṇṭha, Nārāyaṇakaṇṭha, Rāmakaṇṭha II, Vidyākaṇṭha II. Treatises by the last four of these survive. King
BhojaBhoja was a philosopher king and polymath of medieval India. He ruled the kingdom of Malwa in central India from about 1010 to 1060....
of Gujarat (ca 1018) condensed the massive body of Siddhanta scriptural texts into one concise metaphysical treatise called the
Tattvaprakāśa.
Three monastic orders were instrumental in Shaiva Siddhanta’s diffusion through India; the Åmardaka order, identified with one of Shaivism’s holiest cities,
UjjainUjjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
, the Mattamayura Order, in the capital of the Chalukya dynasty near the Karnataka, and the Madhumateya order of Central India. Each developed numerous sub-orders. (
see Nandinatha SampradayaNandinatha Sampradaya is a denomination of Hinduism that places great importance on the practice of yoga. It is related to the broader Nath Sampradaya.- Origins :...
)
Tamil bhakti
From the fifth to the eighth CCE Buddhism and Jainism had spread in Tamilnadu before a forceful Shaiva
bhaktiBhakti in practice signifies an active involvement by the devotee in divine worship. The term is often translated as "devotion", though increasingly "participation" is being used as a more accurate rendering, since it conveys a fully engaged relationship with God...
movement arose. Between the seventh and ninth centuries, pilgrim saints such as Campantar, Appar and Cuntarar used songs
(bhajanA Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
) of
ShivaShiva , also known as Rudra is a major Hindu god and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God...
’s greatness to refute concepts of Buddhism and Jainism. Manikkavacakar's heart-melting verses, called
Tiruvacakam, are full of visionary experience, divine love and urgent striving for Truth. The songs of these four saints are part of the compendium known as
TirumuraiThe word Tirumurai literally means the sacred book. It is a compendium of songs or hymns in the praise of Shiva in the Tamil language. In South India, Shaivites have the Tirumurai as their religious text while Vaishnavas have the Nalayira Divyaprabandham as their sacred work.-History and...
which, along with the Vedas, Siddhanta Shastras and Shaiva Agamas, are now considered to form the scriptural basis of the Śaiva Siddhānta in
Tamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai . Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by Puducherry , Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh...
. It seems probable that the devotional literature was not, however, considered to belong to the Śaiva Siddhānta canon at the time when it was first composed:
[Dominic Goodall, The Parākhyatantra. A Scripture of the Śaiva Siddhānta, Pondicherry, French Institute of Pondicherry and Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient, 2004, pp.xxix-xxxiv.] the hymns themselves appear to make no such claim for themselves.
The bhakti movement, which both parallels and was an influence upon northern Vaishnava bhakti, asserted a positive and devotional quality missing in Buddhist and Jain asceticism, yet still inherited from those religions a certain antinomianism, particularly a rebellion against caste and privilege.
Siddhanta monastics used the influence of royal patrons to propagate the teachings in neighboring kingdoms, particularly in South India. From Mattamayura, they established monasteries in the regions now in
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
,
KarnatakaKarnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act...
, Andhra and
KeralaKerala , is a state located in southwestern India. The state was created in 1956 on linguistc basis, bringing together those places where Malayalam formed the principal language...
.
Integration
In the twelfth century Aghorasiva, the head of a branch monastery of the Åmardaka Order in
ChidambaramChidambaram is a municipality in Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. Located at , it is 11 km from the coast and 240 km south of Chennai by rail in the Kollidam River Valley...
, took up the task of amalgamating Sanskrit and Tamil Siddhanta. Strongly refuting monist interpretations of Siddhanta, Aghorasiva brought a change in the understanding of the Godhead by reclassifying the first five principles, or
tattvaTattva is a Sanskrit word meaning 'thatness', 'principle', 'reality' or 'truth'. According to various Indian schools of philosophy, a tattva is an element or aspect of reality conceived as an aspect of deity. Although the number of tattvas varies depending on the philosophical school, together they...
s (Nada, Bindu, Sadasiva, Èsvara and Suddhavidya), into the category of pasa (bonds), stating they were effects of a cause and inherently unconscious substances, a departure from the traditional teaching in which these five were part of the divine nature of God.
Aghorasiva was successful in preserving the Sanskrit rituals of the ancient Ågamic tradition. To this day, Aghorasiva’s Siddhanta philosophy is followed by almost all of the hereditary temple priests (Sivacharya), and his texts on the Ågamas have become the standard puja manuals. His Kriyakramadyotika is a vast work covering nearly all aspects of Shaiva Siddhanta ritual, including dîksha, saMskaras, atmartha puja and installation of Deities.
In the thirteenth century Meykandar and his
discipleA disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other wise figure. It can refer to:-Religion:*Disciple , a follower of Jesus Christ**The Twelve Apostles, often referred to as "The Disciples"...
Arulnandi Sivacharya further spread Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta. Meykandar wrote 'Sivagnana Botham' and Arulnandi Sivacharya wrote 'Sivagnana Sithiar'. The twelve-verse Sivajñanabodham and subsequent works by other writers laid the foundation of the Meykandar Sampradaya, which propounds a pluralistic realism wherein God, souls and world are coexistent and without beginning. Siva is an efficient but not material cause. They view the soul’s merging in Siva as salt in water, an eternal oneness that is also twoness.
Shaiva Siddhanta today
There a number of Aadheenams which are involved in maintaining and propagating Shaiva Siddhanta in Tamil Nadu. The most prominent are
1. Dharumai Aadheenam (Dharmapuram)
2. Tiruvaavadudurai Aadheenam (Tiruvaavadudurai)
3. Turupanandal Adheenam (Turupanandal)
4. Madurai Aadheenam (Madurai) and
5. Perur Adheenam (Perur)
These Aadheenams are headed by Acharyas. They are also the hereditary trustees of almost all the Siva/Sakthi/Subramanya temples of Tamil Nadu. The rituals in these temples are conducted as per the Agama Sasthras.
Prominent Siddhanta societies, temples and monasteries also exist in a number of other countries.
The United States island of
KauaiKauai or Kauai is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago and the 21st largest island in the United States...
, a part of
HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August...
, is home to the
Saiva Siddhanta ChurchŚaiva Siddhanta Church is a spiritual institution dedicated to protect, preserve and promote the Śaivite Hindu religion. It is based on the precepts of the Nandinatha Sampradaya, and led by Gurus from the two thousand year-old lineage of the Kailāsa Paramparā.The Church was...
, an organization that promotes the union of worldwide Hindus, Shaivites and others, through a publication called
Hinduism Today. This was founded by
Satguru Sivaya SubramuniyaswamiSivaya Subramuniyaswami , affectionately known as Gurudeva by his followers, was born in Oakland, California on January 5 1927 and adopted Saivism as a young man. He traveled to India and Sri Lanka where he received initiation from Sage Yogaswami of Jaffna in 1949. In the 1970s he established a...
(1927-2001), which is currently under the auspices of Subramuniyaswami's designated successor,
Satguru Bodhinatha VeylanswamiSatguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami was born in Berkeley, California, on October 15 1942. A disciple of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami for 37 years, now he is Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's successor...
(1942- ).