பக்கம்:சிவன் அருள் திரட்டு (தேவாரம் திருவாசகம் திருப்புகழ் திருஅருட்பா).pdf/18

wii FOREWORD My career as the Principal of the Oriental College of Tiruppanandal in Tanjavur District was to a considerable extent spent in keeping association with the Tirumura is in varied ways. Now I am glad to state that I have been given an opportunity to write out in Tamil the life sketches of the Great Saiva Saints in simple Tamil along with paraphrase in Tamil and renderings in English prose. The Tamil Saiva Devotional songs have been collected and codified long ago into 12 Books or Thirumurais. The first three contain the Thevarams extemporised by Thirugnana Sambandhar. The next three consist of Thevarams improvised by Thirunavukarasar, the seventh by Sundarar and the eighth consists of Thiruvasagam of the Divine utterances of Manicka vasa ga r. The lives of the Thevaram Trio have been related in detail in Periyapuranam by Sekkizhar in the 12th century A.D. It may not be out of place to remark that the Thiruthondathogai formed the basis for Periyapuranam. The life of Manickavasagar has been narrated exquisitely in Thiruvilaiyadalpuranam—the sports of Lord Siva. Sa mbandar was a younger contemporary of Thirunavukarasar who lived in the 7th century A. D. Sundarar lived in the last qua rt e r of the 7th century A. D. Manickavasa gar in the 8th Century A. D. But the orthodox section of the Saivities opine that he preceded the Thevaram Trio. It is gratifying to note that the Natal Tamil Vedic Society is engaged in propagating the tenets of Saiva religion as expounded by the great Saints by various publications of the Theva rams with paraph rase and English renderings. The first edition was based on the previous publication but the narration has been made as simple as possible to make the young understand with the least difficulty or ell'ort. I am extremely thankful to Thiru N. C. Naidoo, for having entrusted me with this work and I pray the Lord to shower His choicest blessings on our friend for his tireless efforts in this fic Id. Om Na ma Si Va Ya Tirupanandal. K. M. Venkataramiah South India. Retired Principal, Oriental College.