Page 60 - Hinduism

number. The Tevāram of Tirujñānasambandar, Tirunāvukkarasu (Appar) and Sundarmurti constitutes the first seven Tirumurais. Tiruvācakam and Tirukkovayār of Mānikyavācakar form the eight. Tiruvicaippā and Tiruppallāṇdu of different authors form the ninth. Tirumular's Tirumantram is the tenth. The eleventh consists of 40 poems by 12 authors. Periyapurānam (otherwise called Tiruttoṇdar purāṇam; of Sekkilar constitutes the 12th. Here too the glory of the arcāvatāra of Śiva is mainly described. The Tamil hymns are designed to inspire feelings of veneration and love towards God besides presenting valuable truths. The devotional songs of Tāyumānavar and Pattinattār addressed to Śiva are as popular amongst the Śaivites as the psalms of the Nayanmārs.
Śaivism is embodied in the philosophic system known as Śaiva Siddhanta and Śaiva Siddhanta is therefore called the philosophy of Śaivism and it is traced to the Upaniṣads like Vaiṣṇava Siddhānta. It is chiefly contained in Śivajñānabodham by Maikaṇdan Śivajñānasiddhiyār.
There is a large body of similar religious hymns in the Sanskrit language also. These constitute the stotra literature. They are small hymns consisting of from one to 100 stanzas in praise of a deity, describing the devotee's absolute surrender to God, admitting his sinful nature and his utter helplessness to attain mukti unless the Deity out of His natural 60