The Beauty and Wisdom of Thiruvasagam
There are many poems filled with divine elements in this world. If there are literary works of complete wisdom in the world of literature, they are the Brama Gnana words sung in our mother tongue Tamil, inscribed by the almighty Paramashiva with his divine hands, standing as the crown jewel in the prime seat of our blooming Tamil Veda, Thiruvasagam. Such is the greatness of our Thiruvasagam.
Man speaks for man in Thirukkural.
God speaks for man in Bhagavad Gita.
Man sings for God in Thiruvasagam.
If there is one unique distinction that no other text has, it is that God himself wrote the songs sung by man with his divine hands. We must deeply ponder how much divine wisdom each line and verse of these songs holds.
A text should purify the hearts of those who read it and provide them with complete wisdom. All the songs of Thiruvasagam are composed simply and sweetly, with wisdom and ecstatic bliss, gradually melting our emotions, bringing tears to our eyes, and leading our mind, intellect, and ego to a state of ancient bliss beyond words and feelings. Can we achieve this by reading any other texts?
What to leave out? What to take from this Tamil Veda, Thiruvasagam? When we read it with an emotional state, we become emotionless; when we read it with love, we develop an intense love for God; when we read it understanding the meaning of the words, our minds become wordless; when we think with intelligence, we lose our intellect; seekers searching for an end find endless wisdom; those suffering find heavenly bliss; seekers of dawn find the sun itself; those living in darkness find an eternal lamp. What can we say? How can we describe the greatness and beauty of Thiruvasagam? It is not a mere stone sculpture to be shaped into words, nor is it an epic to be composed into songs. It stands beyond the constraints of time and space, filled with Brama Gnana in every song, flowing as an endless river of life.
Seeing the ocean of Brama Gnana and merging with it, the subtle tactics to dissolve into it are scattered like seeds within each verse, waiting for the harvest.
Thiruvasagam can be split into Thiru + Vasam + Agam, meaning the divine God resides in the inner self. How to see the God living within, the Shiva, the ancient truth, the ultimate truth, and merge with him, shedding tears of joy and becoming Shiva, is the core message of Thiruvasagam.
You are not here to learn Thiruvasagam; you are here to learn about yourself. You are not here to admire the beauty and richness of Thiruvasagam; instead, you are here to discover your own subtle beauty and the richness of your soul. Thiruvasagam makes you find the place where you lost yourself. It teaches you how to love God in many ways and how to unite with him in bliss. Union is not a physical event; it is a wondrous event of soul merging with soul in joy. You will learn this here.
Each time you think of Thiruvasagam, each time you recite its loving verses, your heart will be filled with divine ecstasy, shedding tears and feeling divine presence. When tears flow, you will dissolve into yourself and dance in bliss like a breeze in ecstasy.
Who can stand and open their mouth in front of those who know the words of Thiruvasagam? This shows us the greatness of Thiruvasagam. It is rightly said to be a garland of divine praise that everyone loves.
Sivathiru Marai Malai Adigal says, “Thiruvasagam is a word with a beauty unmatched by any other,” and “Thiruvasagam is a word of beauty appreciated by all who see it.” We can understand from this that Thiruvasagam possesses a unique excellence.
Sivagnana Yogi says, “Thiruvasagam is not a collection of external words born outside; it is an internal word collection. Even those who call it an external word collection should realize that it is indeed an internal word collection.”
“Thiruvasagam, which melts the hearts of those who read it and leads them to great wisdom, shines with a beauty unmatched by any other text. No other text in the world has a beauty superior to this. Whenever we read and recite its verses filled with love, devotion, divine search, and Brama Gnana, our hearts melt, tears overflow, our tongue stumbles, and the great bliss of wisdom makes our hair stand on end and our skin tingle. This shows the unique beauty of Thiruvasagam compared to other texts,” says Sivathiru Marai Malai Adigal.
Thiruvasagam, the Tamil Veda that blooms life, has been a text of worship for Saivites in Tamil Nadu and Tamil-speaking communities abroad. Henceforth, it should be celebrated not just as a religious text but as a literary work filled with excellence, making the lives of those who recite it bloom. With our Sadguru’s permission, we have broken the secret of the true meaning of Thiruvasagam and presented it here for you.
May the joy we have attained be attained by all, in accordance with the words of our Tamil ancestor Thirumoolar. From now on, Thiruvasagam is not just a religious song; it is a text of Brama Gnana that transcends time, blooming our souls in the lake of bliss.
Can a soul be brought to the state of realization and made to bloom by a single text? Thiruvasagam can certainly do that. It has already shown that it can. That is why, upon finishing Thiruvasagam, Manickavasagar pointed to the sanctum of Chidambaram Nataraja and said, “Here is the true essence of this,” and his body turned into light and merged with Shiva. What other proof is needed to say that this text is a wonderful treasure of Brama Gnana? We respectfully request scholars to think deeply about this.
Thiruvasagam should be recited daily. The words of Thiruvasagam are divine words. They contain great power. They are the flowers of wisdom that bloomed in the life of Manickavasagar, who attained the light body. Each word is an arrow of love that pierces our soul. When we constantly strike our soul with these arrows using the breeze of nectar, at some point, our soul’s lotus will begin to bloom, spreading its fragrance. At that time, the light arts blooming within the soul will spread to every cell of the body, transforming it into a light body. The soul is light but has shriveled. Once it blooms, it will be enough. The fragrance of the soul will turn all the genetic material of the body into light cells, making the body eternal.
Therefore,
Reciting Thiruvasagam will lead to Shiva Gnana.
Reciting Thiruvasagam will lead to Para Gnana.
Reciting Thiruvasagam will make the third eye appear.
Reciting Thiruvasagam will lead to the attainment of divine arts.
Reciting Thiruvasagam will make the nectar honey flow.
When the nectar honey flows, divine arts will be attained.
When divine arts are attained, the light body of wisdom will be attained.
Thus, with humility, we conclude this preface by saying that daily recitation of Thiruvasagam will unite the body and soul.
May all beings live in bliss!
Thiruchitrambalam!