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The worship of Shiva or Rudra as a Godhead can be traced back to the Vedas. The Yajur Veda talks of a malevolent Rudra in the Shatarudriya, while the Taiitriiya Aaranyaka holds that the whole universe is only a manifestation of Rudra. From the ferocious Rudra of the Vedas there is a transformation to the benign aspect stressed in some of the Upanishads like Svetasvetaara Upanishad and Brhadjabalopanishad. In the Puraanas as well as the Mahaabhaaratha, Shiva gets a distinct identity as the supreme.
The stress on the Ishvarahood of Shiva was basically due to the rise of the importance of the Agamas. The Shaiva Agamas are sacred literature of the Shaivas. According to Tirumular, while the Vedas are general the Agamas deal with specifics injunctions.
Many schools of Shaivism existed even in the pre-mauryan era. Paanini refers to a sect called Ayahsulikas who according to Patanjali were a sect who carried iron spikes.
The schools of Shaivism can be broadly classified as the Raudra and Saumya schools.
The Raudra schools of Shaivism are :
The Saumya schools of shuddha shaivas include those who believe in various doctrines like the Aikyavada, pashana, bheda, sama, sankraanti, avikara, parinaama and siddhaanta.
The major schools are the
As can be noted, the first two streams represent Shaivism from two extreme geographical corners of the country. The followers of Lingaayata which was fundamentally an anti-brahmin movement are mostly confined to Karnataka. The sect was founded by Baasava who was himself a Brahmin.
SAIVA SIDDHAANTA
The followers of the Saiva Siddhaanta accepted both the karma kanda and jnana kanda of the Vedas.
The philosophical foundations of the Shaiva Siddhaanta lie in the Shaiva Agamas. Historically the Agamas are said to have been composed by the Sivaachaarya sect of Brahmins in the Tamil country. The Sivaachaaryas are historically said to have been Kashmiri Shaivites who were brought down to the Tamil country by the Chola King Rajendra when his armies victoriously crossed the Ganges.
LITERATURE
The literature of this school are the Shaiva Agamas, Tamil devotionals, the work of the Sanksrit systematicians and the work of Tamil systematicians.
The Shaiva Agamas are 28 in number and the first 10 are called Shiva and the 18 are called rudra Agamas. They are generally divided into four sections : Charya (prescriptions), kriya (rituals), jnana (doctrine ) and yoga (discipline).
Even as the Aazhvaars were the patron saints of Vaishnavism, so were the Naayanmaars the inspiration behind Southern Shaivism. There were sixty three Naayanmaars and the collection of their soul stirring and deeply spiritual hymns, which constitute a magnificently rich devotional literature, forms the first part of the sacred literature of the Shaivas called the Thirumurai.
The Thirumurai is traditionally divided into four parts
The Stotram section comprises of Thirukkadaikkaappu of Thirujnaanasambandar, Thevaaram of Thirunaavukkarasar, Thiruppaatu of Sundarar, Thiruvaachgam of Maanikkavaachagar, Thiruvicchaippa and the Thiruppallaandu of Thirumaaligaiththevar.
The mystical hymns of Thirumandiram by Thirumoolar is the Shaastram. Thirumandiram deals with rules of religion and ethics, philosophy - dealing with Shiva's 5 activities,the classification of souls ,yoga ,mantra the shaiva schools, path to liberation, the bindu and its evolutes, unity of the tatvatraya and liberation.
The Prabandham is by Thiruaalavaayudaiyaar.
The Periapuraanam is by Sekhkizaar.
The songs of Thaayumaanavar and the Thiruarutpaa are also considered as sacred by the Shaivas.
The Sanskrit systematicians include Bhoja (tatvaprakashika), Shrikumara and AghoraShiva.
Foremost among the Tamil systematicians are Meikkanda Thevar (13th century CE) the first systematic expounder of the Saiva Siddhaanta, who lays down the basic doctrines of the school in his Sivajnaanbodham. His disciple Arulnandi Sivaachaarya is the author of the famous Sivajnaanasiddhiyar.
Srikanta Sivaachaarya has written a commentary on the Brahma Sutras from the Shaiva standpoint, on which Appaya Dikshita has written a commentary called Shivaarkamanideepikaa. Appaya's work is not strictly Shaiva Siddhaanta, but more a generic Shaiva work - his philosophy has sometimes been referred to as Shiva-Advaita.
EVOLUTION OF THE SIDDHAANTA
The Siddhaanta's theological method has a five fold format :
It is in accordance with this method that the Siddhaanta interprets its triad of categories and employs them to establish the inferiority of the purvapaksha in relation to the Siddhaanta. These two classes comprise the four groups - outermost, outer, inner and innermost. The first three are included under dissentient views and the last with the Siddhaanta.
The outermost accepts only the category of pasha and is formed of the systems like Jainism, Buddhism and materialism. The outer accepts pasu and pasha and comprises the systems of Saankhya, Yoga, Nyaaya, Vaisheshika, Purva Mimaamsa,Vaishnava Pancaraatra and Ekatmavaada.
The inner group accepts the pasu, pati and pasha and includes Shrikantha's school, the Vamis, Kaapaalikas and Aikyavadins etc. The innermost is the Siddhaanta which in addition to the three accepts the existence of Anavamala or infinitesimal pollution and the preeminence of Agama over other sources of revelation.
This group has six doctrines and they affirm either difference or identity or both. They are :
Pashana vaada and bheda vaada - emphasizing difference.
Shivasama vaada and Shivasankranta vaada , avikaara vaada ie equality with Shiva, Shiva permeation and non-modification.
Shivadvaita or nimittakaranaparinamavada- emphasizes identity.
Hence Saiva Siddhaanta calls itself Shuddhadvaita, the name which Vallabha's school also bears. But while for Vallabha shuddhadvaita means non-dualism without the taint of Maya, for Shaiva Siddhaanta shuddha means 'unqualified' and advaita means 'dvaita devoid of duality' i.e, all differences, which are real in the world, are reconciled in the absolute consciousness. Though matter and souls are independently real and substantial in themselves, they are still inseparably united with Shiva.
Thus we can see that the primacy of knowledge in the Agamas gave way to the devotionalists i.e., the nayanmars. Then the principles evolve and solidify under the Sanskrit systematicians like Bhoja, Shrikumara and AghoraShiva. Bhoja classifies the Siddhaanta but does not explain the precise relation of the transcendental and the phenomenal. AghoraShiva declares that the transcendant was the supreme Shiva without emanation in the form of Shiva ie shaktimat and his shakti. Thus is established the nature of the Siddhaanta's goal.
The Tamil systematicians affirmed the primacy of devotion in achieving this goal. They reject Shivasamavada and give more emphasis to grace.
METAPHYSICS
The categories of the Siddhaanta
The Siddhaanta has two classes of categories or tatvas three eternal or primary and thirty six secondary or dependent. The primary categories are the pati, pashu and pasha.
The samhara karana is pati - the Lord of the universe who is Sadaashiva. Pati, the Supreme Lord who possesses eight attributes : self existence, essential purity, intuitive wisdom, infinite intelligence, freedom from all bonds, infinite grace or love, omnipotence and infinite bliss. As in a pot, where the potter is the primary cause, his staff and wheel are the instrumental causes and the clay is the material cause, so is Shiva the first cause, his Shakti or power is the instrumental cause and maya is the material cause of the world. The relation between Shiva and Shakti is one of identity, though it is the power of the Lord. Shakti also called Svarupa Shakti is the unchanging, conscious and eternal energy. The supreme Lord of the universe and his manifestation shakti are the father and mother of the universe(ammaiappar). The Pati is in eternal union with his energy.
Matter is of two kinds : 1. pure matter or saatvika jagat and 2. defiled matter or praakrta jagat. Mahaamaaya and Maya are the parihaara shaktis or the material powers of the Lord which act as the material cause for the pure and defiled creation. The Lord not only is the creator, preserver and destroyer but also obscures (tirodhaana) and liberates (anugraha) the souls. These five acts are given visual representation in the dancing form of Nataraaja.
The bound souls are called Pashu (cows), for like cattle they are bound to this world by the rope of ignorance (avidhya). The soul is also the real agent and the enjoyer. It is different from the gross and the subtle body and the senses. In reality the souls are eternal and all pervading. But they mistake themselves as finite and limited in will, thought and action and in liberation they are restored to their true nature.
Pasha is that which binds the soul and is inconscient by nature. It consists of the five objects (arthapanchaka) the two material causes and the three kind of malas.
THE DEPENDENT CATEGORIES AND THEIR EVOLUTION
These are thirty six . They begin with Shiva the first change of state that the bindu undergoes when activated by the energy of the primordial Shiva. Its function is to reveal the powers of knowledge and action to those who enter the shuddhadhva which comprises itself and the next four priniciples of which it is the cause.ie shakti, Sadaashiva, Ishvara and Vidya.
Energy arises when Shiva favours the bonded souls so that they may reap the effects of karma. When the energies are equally determinate and in a state of equilibrium the category is Sadaashiva. This state gives rise to where the action prevails over knowledge to arouse cosmic activity in its subtle form and is called Ishvara . When the energy of Action is in abeyance and knowledge prevails, vidya originates.
The beings who live in the shuddha adhva are free from the three malas.
Maya, the material cause of the ashuddha adhva is the sixth category. This maya is different from the maya of Vedaanta. The thirty-six evolutes from kaala (time) to prithvi (earth) exist potentially in maya during mahapralaya. Kalaa (aptitude), vidya, raga (attachment) ensue after kaala. Kalaa partially removes the veil of the malas. When the power of knowledge is manifested the soul comprehension of objects is achieved by the arousal of desire without which no experience is possible. This is done by attachment. Niyati or necessity is the next evolute. It helps each soul to reap its own karma.
The aggregate of the five ie kaala, niyati, kalaa, vidya, raga together is called the five sheaths. The soul then becomes the purusha. When the soul has attained bhoktrtva, kalaa manifests avyakta or prakrti . Here it is temporary. It is different from the Saamkhya where it is considered as eternal. It is the cause of the three sattva, rajas and tamas in the subtle state. When they become manifest guna arises.
From this buddhi evolves whose function is to apprehend objects in a determinate manner. From buddhi evolves ahankara which is again differentiated into jivana, samrambha and garva and also tejasa , vaikhari and bhutadi.manas and the jnanendriyas evolve from tejasa.karmendriyas from vaikhari and the five subtle tanmatras and gross bhutas from the elemental ie bhutaadi.
The Siddhaanta establishes the existence of the pashu and proves that it is distinct from pati. Siddhantins like Shivaagrayogin maintain after showing that the function of the pashu cannot be fulfilled by pasha or any of its parts they proceed to show that it is distinct from Shiva despite the commonness of consciousness.
The souls are of three kinds in accordance with being tainted with one or two or three of these impurities.Sakala or conditioned when it is fettered by the all the three malas, anava maya and karma. It is deconditioned or akala when freed from one or two of these. When freed at dissolution from maya it is known as pralayaakala. When freed through jnana from the bonds of karma it is vijnana kala.
When freed from all the bonds (vimala) it is called unconditioned and is at the state of liberation.
BONDAGE
All Sidhaantins agree that the pashu is a sentient being the pollution of whose powers is without beginning. This concept of the malas distinguishes them from other schools of philosophy.
Pasu is in bondage owing to the association of the anava, karma and maya the triple malas. Avidhya or anava is beginningless and due to it the soul is ignorant of its inherent glory and greatness. Avidhya is also aanavamala or the impurity which consists in the false notion of the soul to regard itself as finite and atomic and confined to the body and limited in knowledge and power. Unlike the ajnaana of Vedaanta it is a draavya. AghoraShiva in his Tatvaprakashakavyakhya says that it is natural to the soul just as the husk and rust are natural to rice and copper. Moreover pollution can be removed not by the mere dawn of knowledge but by the energy of Shiva known as initiation or diksha.
Karma which is subtle and unseen, is the result of the actions of the soul and is the cause of the union of the conscious and the unconscious.
Maya is the material cause of the impure world.
LIBERATION
Liberation is one of Siddhaanta's central doctrines and is differently explained by the devotional and the Gnostic groups. Bhoja , Sadyojyoti, Naaraayanakantha and AghoraShiva believe in the Shivasama vaada while Tamil devotionals like Velliambalavana Tambiraan and Shivagrayogin believe that the soul experiences the bliss of Shiva rather than that if itself.
The individual soul identifies itself with the senses (pancha indriyas) and is unable to realize its true nature. Knowledge dawns on the soul by tapas. The supreme Lord manifests himself as the teacher. The individual soul can perceive the supreme only through his anugraha or grace. The vasanamala is removed by chanting the panchakshara of sivs.By devoting all actions to the Lord, worshipping the Shivalinga and Shivajnanins as Shivan and thereby removing the triple malas emanicipation is achieved.
Liberation is getting rid of all three impurities, for which God's grace is absolutely essential. Divine grace is ever present for God wishes us to know him. It is for us to grasp it or not.
Liberation is to become one with Shiva. The liberated soul becomes co-pervasive with Shiva and shares his glory and greatness. The experience of bliss points to individuality even in the state of liberation, but the soul is not conscious of it. Even as salt dissolves in water and becomes co-pervasive with it, so does the soul merge in Shiva and become co-pervasive with him. Though it attains the same status as Shiva, still the five powers of creation, preservation, destruction, obscuration and liberation are Shiva's alone.
The essential quality (svarupalakshana) of the soul is to identify itself with the object and become co-pervasive with it. Thus the bound soul identifies itself with matter while the liberated soul identifies itself with Shiva and realizes its true nature.