There are hundreds of festivals in a year to be celebrated by Saivites all over the world. All festivals not meant to GOD only but for us participate and become better people and love the all souls in the universe. Festivals like Thaipusam, Maasi Magam, Maha Sivaratiri, Pangguni Uttiram, Sittirai Pournami, Vaikasi Visagam, Aani Uttiram, Aadi Puram, Vinayagar Saturti, Kanda Sashti, Kartigai Theepam, Tiruvembai- Aarutira Tharishanam and etc are few notable festivals to be mentioned. But the very basic essence of Saivism is to get the blessings of GURU- a guide to remove our ignorance from darkness and show the right path in our spiritual life AND without a proper guru's guidance, people are diverted to all kinds of confusion in their religious life.
It is always stressed that a guru must be chosen wisely. According to Tirumantiram, a good teacher or Sadguru is one who is faultless. He helps his disciple to overcome attachment, ego, karma and ignorance so that the latter yearns only for the love of God.He is not a wise guru who is taken up by the noise or show of arguments or petty squabbles. It also warns against the dangers of attaching oneself to a guru who is incapable of guiding a disciple.
"Those who do not accept a guru who will remove their blindness
but accept one who will not are like a blind man
who prances here and there with another and
finally falls into a pit"
A guru may teach the essence of religion, agamas, sacred text, the five lettered mantra-namasivaya or merely look into the soul of the student through the eyes so as to remove all bonds with penetrating look. He may also teach with symbols and postures as Siva, the mauna guru. Others may teach by example, living pure religious lives that may be emulated and followed.The Periyapuranam contains the life stories of such saints who may become models to other spiritual aspirants.
Periya Puranam contains 63 Nayanmarkal and everyone of them had their own way of getting blessings and mokhsa from Sivaperuman. But in reality, the most famous and hardened Saivites follow the footsteps of NAALVAR. Who are they? They are Tirunyanasambantar (Sambantar), Tirunavukkuarasar (Appar), Sundramoorthi Nayanar (Sundarar) and Manikkavasagar. These 4 Saint showed us the Sariya, Kriya, Yoga and Nyana ways to attain Siva's blessings and mukti. These Saints lived in different centuries ( 7-9 AD) but they gave us first 8 THIRUMURAIKAL. Sambantar's first 3 three, namely TIRUKADAIKAPPU, Appar's 4 - 6 as THEVARAM, Sundarar's 7th as THIRUPATTU and lastly Manivasagar's 8th as THIRUVASAGAM.
We must be most gifted Saivites to recite their Thirumuraikal as its our TAMIL AGAMAS or SCRIPTURES which inject us a spiritualism in our challenging life. They guide us to a simple Supreme God concept, truthful, healthy, discipline, respected, loving soul to others, spiritual life with chanting namasivaya, putting tiruneeru, praying at homes and temples, serving to humanity, selfless service, humble, egoless, meditation and wisdom of knowledge and endless good values to human kind. They are not only GURUS but they are good guide to millions of Saivites who are following their teachings in their lives and prospered in many ways.
What is our way of appreciating them for their enormous contribution the Saiva World? The most we can start:
- reciting their Tirumurais daily for prayers at home and temples
- follow their footsteps towards spiritualism either sariyai,kriyai, yogam or nyanam
- propagate their good values and moral teachings to our society
- encourage to conduct Tirumurai and Religious Classes for all
- encourage to conduct Guru Poojas and Naalvar Vizha or Festivals
- encourage to organise Tirumurai Conferences, Forums, Seminars and other Discourses
- encourage people to involve in SERVICE
- encourage Paarayanam of Pathigams (Recite Tirumurai in sequence)
- encourage Annathanam for poor
- serve all people wherever you are
I hope religious related NGO's in the country, make it compulsory to organise and conduct NAALVAR VIZHA/FESTIVAL annually in their respected places of worship. Its a great and golden opportunity given to us by Siva Himself to organise this Naalvar Festival as RajaRaja Cholan did 1,000 years back to bring back the golden era of Saivism and Tamilsm to the world. NGO's and temples can work together to conduct the Festival. Religion is not ONLY conducting poojas BUT sharing religious knowledge is more important than that. God is beyond kriyas but he loves devotees with full of love and knowledge.
May Siva blesses everyone in the world. sivasiva
Balakrishnan Kandasamy
Thank you for the information. I was thinking the same... about chanting thevaram, as group in our home. Make a periodic event, so that even children get introduced to it.
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