4.7 FORM, FORMLESNESS AND FORMLESS- FORM: SYMBOLISATION OF SHIVA IN ICONIC FORMS

URUVAM, ARUVAM AND ARUVURUVAM: (roopa, aroopa and aroopa-roopa)(உருவம்,அருவம்,அருவுருவம்)

The verse six of the SGB tells the three types of the form of sivam.

 we see in the Chidambaram three forms of siva. They are

1.the nataraja (uruvam)

2. an empty chamber  (aruvam)

3. aruvuruvam(Siva lingam)     

The empty chamber in chit-sabai is very popular among people. This is called the chithambara rahasyam. The rahasya is that god is formless, invisible and omnipresent.

The aruvuruvam is the lingam. Formless-form. Nobody can say what the form is. Yet a form. It is very abstract. This formless form is lingam.

The nataraja is the uruvam. Here god takes the form of a man there fore he is in a roopa state.

The sivagnana bodham describes the need for these three concepts.

1.UNAR-URU YENIN ASATHU: உணர் உரு எனின் அசத்து

The sivam if it has a identifiable image then it would only mean to people a perishable object.(like the anthropomorphic image lord nataraja)

2.UNAR-AADHU YENIN INMAI:உணராது எனின் இன்மை

 The sivam if it has no image at all then no one will easily understand it. (like the chidhambara rahasyam)

3.IRU-THIRAN OR IRANDU-VAGAI SIVASATHU: இரு திறன் ஓர் இரண்டு வகை சிவசத்து

This form is either identifiable and un- identifiable . that is by the higher knowledge of sivam we can understand this image. But by lower mundane human knowledge we cannot imagine this to anything. (This form is the siva-lingam).

Thus,

1.FORM=ROOPAM=URUVAM=NATARAJA

2.FORMLESS=AROOPA=ARUVAM=RAHASYAM

3.FORMLESS FORM=AROOPAROOPA=ARUVURUVAM=SIVA-LINGAM

 The sivagnanabodham clears these basic issues in the 6^th sootram