INTRODUCTION:

The modern saiva works deal with the  area like thirumurai studies, Tamil literary aspects, the musical aspects, bakthi aspects and some on the  life style . Some do concentrate on the historical background of saivism. The core metaphysical aspects –called as saivasiddhantham-are often not available to English readers. 

 

Knowledge of good Tamil  for the understanding of the poetry style of sastra texts have been an obstacle. There is a need for English works without the poetic style. However the terminologies are still very hard and their translations are yet not complete.

Knowledge of Sanskrit also may be useful in understanding the agamic lexicon, as most of them are derived from them. The saiva-sastra texts  discuss about  a wide range of issues like ontology, cosmology,  phenomenology,  episte mology, logic,  psycho-analysis, psychotherapy, physiology,  medicine and ethics. 

However the sastra texts are not studied in debth and the interpretation varies from author to author on many issues.  Besides the contemporary trends like hermeneutical and psycho-analytical interpretation are not done yet in the sastra texts.

A scientific study of the philosophy of the saiva doctrines especially the core philosophy is my aim.  Traditional way to describe them would be to take up the three core issues of the saivite ontology that are the pathi, pasu and pasam. 

 I have taken up  the psychological analysis of these core issues.  In addition the iruvinai oppu,malaparibaham and sakthinibatham aspects were  compared with analytic connotations.  The nittai theories and the sadhana aspects were compared with the modern insight and psychotherapy. The dheekai methods which are very much close to the psychotherapist’s style is also disussed in the last.

I have taken thiruvasagam,thirumandhitam and periyapuranam among the thirumurai texts.  As for as the sandhana texts I have taken sivagnanabodham and sivagnanasiddhiyar. Among the pandara texts I have studied dhaskariam,panchkra pahrodai and nittai vilakkam. Besides these I have taken a few quotes from vallalar’s thiruarutpa.

Logical inferences can be made from studying religious texts. They have the same psycho-analytic value. This particular method is known as hermeneutics. It is accepted as a science.

I have also tried in a minimal way to compare with the other Indian philosophies and the western philosophies.

 Besides I have also attempted to describe the Saiva siddhantham from the psychology angle. It is to be noted these Saiva texts are treasure troves of eastern psychotherapy and depth psychology.

Modern concepts in the philosophy of mind are compared with the Saiva schools in a small way. The unconscious was a fundamental theme in many hindu doctrines. In the west however it was studied  in detail after the eighteenth century only.

 Certain areas in eastern schools are still unknown to the world.These issues need to be studied and more elaborate works that deal them thoroughly have to be written. The hidden facts must be brought to the light of the modern world.

Nevertheless I have no ambition of breaking open any new path in the time tested concepts of siddhantham. But I am intent upon taking a perilous journey, on the roads less travelled, between the Hindu mysticism and the western logical positivism. This approach is mandated by the contemporary developments in the world.