Thiruvasagam (திருவாசகம்) is a volume of Tamil hymns composed by the ninth century Shaivite bhakti poet Manikkavacakar. It contains 51 compositions and constitutes the eighth volume of the Tirumurai, the sacred anthology of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta. Legend has it that Manikkavasakar was appointed as minister by king Arimarttanar and sent to purchase 10,000 horses from Arab traders but spent the money building a temple in Tirupperunturai.
Manikkavasagar's Thiruvasagam and Thirukovayar are compiled as the eighth Thirumurai and is full of visionary experience, divine love and urgent striving for truth. Though he is not counted as one of the 63 Saiva nayanars, he is counted as Nalvars consisting of the first three nayanars namely Appar, Sambandhar and sundharar. He was born in an orthodox brahmin
family in Tiruvatavur near Madurai. His father was an adivsor to the
Pandya king and he followed his father's footsteps in becoming the
king's minister.
He is believed to be in the 10th or 11th century, but Dr. Pope places
him in 7th or 8th century. Manickavasgar was the king's prime minister
and renounced his post in search of divinity.The king bestowed his minister to buy horses, but he was taken to divinity by the vision of Siva with his saints. The minister spent his entire sum of money in building the temple at Thiruperunturai,
considered an architectural marvel among Hindu temples. From the time,
the saint poet wandered to various temples and devoted hymns on Siva.
His conversion is attributed to Sivagnana bodham, an saivite work by Meykandar. He was an orthodox saivite and represents bhakti at its highest form in his age.
Thirupperunthurai (Tamil: திருபெருந்துறை), known as Avudayar Koil), a Shiva temple where Thiruvasagam is believed to have been originated. Manikkavasagar is said to have converted the king to the cult of Shiva and built the temple with money that had been intended for war-horses.
Most of the portions in Thiruvasagam is first sung in Thillai Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram. It is considered one of the profound works of Tamil literature and it discusses every phase of spiritual path from doubt and anguish to perfect faith in Shiva, from earthly experience to teacher-disciple relationship and ultimately freedom from rebirth. There are 658 poems in the work and along with 400 poems in Tirukovayar by the same author make it the 8th volume of Tirumarai - the 12 volume Saiva canon. The author finds both theistic and pantheistic ideas corresponding to medieval India, but identifies God with the universe.As a devotional literature, it finds alternatives between joy and sorrow.
Raja Raja Chola I (985-1013 CE) embarked on a mission to recover the hymns after hearing short excerpts of Tevaram in his court. He sought the help of Nambi Andar Nambi, who was a priest in a temple.
It is believed that by divine intervention Nambi found the presence of
scripts, in the form of cadijam leaves half eaten by white ants in a
chamber inside the second precinct in Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram.The brahmanas in the temple opposed the mission, but Rajaraja intervened by
consecrating the images of the saint-poets through the streets of
Chidambaram. Rajaraja thus became to be known as Tirumurai Kanda Cholan meaning one who saved the Tirumurai.
Thus far Shiva temples only had images of god forms, but after the
advent of Rajaraja, the images of the Nayanar saints were also placed
inside the temple.Nambi arranged the hymns of three saint poets Sambandhar, Appar and Sundarar as the first seven books, Manickavasagar's Tirukovayar Thiruvasagam as the 8th book, the 28 hymns of nine other saints as the 9th book, the Tirumandiram of Tirumular as the 10th book, 40 hymns by 12 other poets as the 10th book, Tirutotanar Tiruvanthathi - the sacred anthathi of the labours of the 63 nayanar saints and added his own hymns as the 11th book. The first seven books were later called as Tevaram, and the whole Saiva canon, to which was added, as the 12th book, Sekkizhar's Periya Puranam (1135 CE) is wholly known as Tirumurai, the holy book.
Please find below the symphony effort of Maestro Ilayaraja's Thiruvasagam:
Poovar Senni Mannan - Download
Muthu Natramam - Download
Pollar Vinayaen - Download
Ponerukonum Purantharanum - Download
Umbarkatkarasaey - Download
Puttril Vazh Aravum Anjaen - Download
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