Amma's Column

	Sunday, March 16, 2008
	Saints of Tamilnadu -- Manikkavachakar Manika in Sanskrit means emerald. Vacha means words. The popular saint of Tamilnadu was deemed as having utterances equal to jewel. Hymns composed by him are called Tiruvachakam (holy words). There is a Tamil saying that nothing can melt the heart of the man whose heart does not melt at hearing hymns of Tiruvacakam. Manikkavachakar was a Brahmin by birth and was in service of a Pandyan King. He thought of Siva all the time and worldly things had no meaning for him. He was once entrusted with the job of buying horses and huge amount was given by the king. It is told that he spent the entire amount on building a temple for Siva! He renounced the world thereafter and started preaching about Siva-realization. His book of Tiruvachakam is considered as having high literary merit, and for him God and knowledge were one. One of his hymns runs:- Beyond created time and space are thou, Without beginning and end Yet thou dost create the many worlds. Oh! Preserver, Destroyer, Procreator, Thou leadest by thy grace to dedicated Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Imperceptible as the fragrance, Thou art afar and yet so near. O unscrutable Mystery, Who eludes speech and thought Indissoluble as the sweet juice of cane And cream in fresh pure milk, Thy pure bliss spreads In the hearts of Thy devotees O mighty Lord, who cuts The continuity of births. No details of life of the great saint are forthcoming. He is believed to have died at the young age of thirty-two. His Tiruvachakam deals with mystery of creation, God's real nature and the soul's required attempts to attain the Divine. His preaching of God realization is called Satmarga or Sanmarga, path of knowledge. See Also: • Tamizhakam - Tamil Potpourri • The Alvars • Important Proponents of the Bhakti Movement
	Amma's Column by Jyotsna Kamat Comments (0)

More Entries...

Browse Amma's Column by Tags

ancient India - avatars - banana - bangalore - buddha - calcutta - christmas - coins - colin mackenzie - colonel - conference ii - conversions - cousin - cows - dalit - democracy - dhols - dr narayan - drums - dung - fables - far east - gandhi - gandhiji - guru - hinduism - human body - idolatry - kalpa - karnataka - kautilya - krishna - marriage - new year - nuances - obituary - old temple - patience - personalities - peru - pontiff - postal service - prime source - queen - rao - relevance - religion - revolt - runners - saga - saints - Saints of India - salt satyagraha - science - sher - sri lanka - suresh - terracotta - tradition - tsunami - tulunadu - unity - universality - women - zen - 11th century - 75th anniversary - alberuni - all india radio - amrita - ancient art - ancient india - ancient indians - animals - anmori - arthashastra - autobiographical notes - b_g_l_swamy - babies - basham - bedas - belief - bengaluru - bhagat singh - Bhagatsingh as seen by Kamaladevi. - bhagavata purana - bhagirath - Bhakti Cult - bhat - brahmin - brute - buddha jayanti - card games - cart - caste system - centenary tribute - centennial - chanakya - chariot - cheers - chilli - chinese monk - Christmas - christmas eve - cloud messenger - cockfights - code of manu - colonel colin - complete works - conch shell - cuisine - curry - customs - dasa - demons - dessert - devil worship - dhyan - dikshit - dikshitar - discovery - doldrums - eknath - elephant - empire - epigraphy - fanny - festival foods - festive - forest scene - freedom - gandhi - gandhiji - ganesh - gautama buddha - gayatri mantra - gesture - Goa - gods - gramophone record - grandmother - great men - grinder - guru - happy new year - haste - helping hands - hind swaraj - hind_swaraj - hindu religious symbols - hinduism - hindus - history conference - humanist - hunger - idolatry - indian civil service - indian names - institution of marriage - interviews - jaina - juggernaut - kamath - karnataka - kasaragod - kavya - keladi - laughing buddha - legacy - lotus - loving touch - m n srinivas - mallya - mango season - manu - masters - materialism - medieval india - memories - middle path - midwife - misadventure - moorthy - music tradition - musical - musings - narad - narada - new articles - night life - obituary - offerings - old photo - Om - ordinary people - ornaments - pai - pampa - panchatantra - peacock - peacock dance - peacock dress - pearls - philanthropist - pigeons - poet - poetess - prayer - prehistory - promising artist - prostitutes - queen - quilt - rahul - rajasthan - rajendra - ramayana - ramdas - rao - robber - roots - rubaiyat of omar khayyam - saints - sane guruji - saraswati - saraswats - scorn - sea navigation - sedam - serpent worship - sharana - shastra - shivaji - silver art - sorab - south india - subba rao - swami - swamy - swastika - tara - tea - temple school - temple town - terracotta_town - three books - tiger - titan - torave_ramayan - tradition - translator - travelogue - tree of life - tribute - tsunami damage - Tulasidas - tuluva - upanishad - vedanta - vedas - viswanath - Viswanath Kashinath Rajwade - vivekananda - w h sleeman - wall paintings - what is in a name - wilks -

Jyotsna Kamat Ph.D. lives in Bangalore.

Introduction

ARCHIVES

More articles by Jyotsna Kamat