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Concept
Thiruvasagam
Summary
Thiruvasagam (tiruvācakam) is a volume of Tamil hymns composed by the ninth century Shaivite bhakti poet Manikkavasagar. It contains 51 compositions and constitutes the eighth volume of the Tirumurai, the sacred anthology of the Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta.
Legend has it that Manikkavasakar was appointed as minister by king Arimarttanar and sent to purchase 10,000 horses from Arab traders but spent the money building a temple in Tirupperunturai.
As the legend goes, Thiruvasagam is the only work which is signed as well as written by Lord Shiva in guise of a Tamil man when narrated by Manikkavasagar. The poet chased the writer but without success but the palm leaf manuscript had been seen inside the locked sanctum sanctorum of Thillai Nataraja with the Lord's signature.
Manikkavasagar's Thiruvasagam and Thirukovayar are compiled as the eighth Thirumurai and is full of visionary experience, divine love and urgent striving for truth. Though he is not counted as one of the 63 Saiva nayanars, he is counted as one of the Nalvars ("The Four") consisting of himself and the first three nayanars namely Appar, Sambandhar and Sundarar. He was born in an Pandithar saivite temple priest guild in Tiruvatavur near Madurai. His father was an adivsor to the Pandya king and he followed his father's footsteps in becoming the king's minister. He is believed to be in the 10th or 11th century, but G. U. Pope places him in 7th or 8th century. Manickavasgar was the king's prime minister and renounced his post in search of divinity. The king bestowed his minister to buy horses, but he was taken to divinity by the vision of Siva with his saints. The minister spent his entire sum of money in building the temple at Thiruperunturai, considered an architectural marvel among Hindu temples. From the time, the saint poet wandered to various temples and devoted hymns on Siva. His conversion is attributed to Sivagnana bodham, an saivite work by Meykandar. He was an orthodox saivite and represents bhakti at its highest form in his age.
Official source
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