Sri Lankan Reflections on Siva: A Response To Hoole
April 25, 2013 | Filed under: Colombo Telegraph,Opinion | Posted by: COLOMBO_TELEGRAPH
By Romesh Jayaratnam -
As a Sri Lankan, I reflect on Siva, the Lord Most High. I enumerate several of his names, allude to His grace and describe his ancient shrine in Trincomalee, East Sri Lanka. The intent is to celebrate His place in the Sri Lankan Tamil inheritance. Siva presides over our destiny amidst our turbulent history.
The Names of Siva
Siva, God almighty, has many names in the Hindu tradition. The 9th century Tamil text, the Tiruvachakam, uses several to designate him. Amongst others, Siva is called the First (Munnon), the Great One (Periyon), the Ancient One (Pazhaiyon), the Precious One (Ariyon) and the Wonderful (Athpudan). He is termed the Sage (Ayyan), the Helper (Tunai Aalane), the Giver of Every Grace (Karunai Aalane) and the Only Ruler (Aal-udai Oruva). He is referred to as the Teacher (Tesane), the Guardian (Kaakum En Kaavalan), the Great Light (Per Oli), the Only Wise (Arivane) and the Lord of the Southern Pandya Land (Ten Paandya Naataane). He is named the Warrior Strong (Por Ere) and the One (Oruvan). These names illustrate the supremacy and benevolence of Siva. He is the Infinite, Almighty Lord (Alavilaap Pemaane) who is The First and Last (Muthal Antham Aayinaan). He is infinitely kind and compassionate.
The Grace of Siva
His grace is manifold. One prayer in the Tiru-vachakam is the Tiru-chatakam or ‘the one hundred verses’. This song of triumph narrates the spiritual journey of the Tamil saint Manikka vachakar and describes Siva’s benevolence. Manikka vachakar speaks figuratively of ‘being alone’, ‘tossed by the turbulent waves’, ‘troubled by a storm mid-sea’ and ‘caught in the jaws of a monster’. In desperation, he ‘seized Siva’s raft’ and was in turn ‘shown the boundless, fertile shore’. Siva provided him ‘a royal seat’ and ‘revealed things not shown before’. The Lord caused him to ‘hear things not heard before’ and ‘dispelled his fear’. Here was a metaphor of Siva’s grace in the unsteady journey of life.
The Tiru-chatakam teaches us that a devotee has none to fear. He is no longer any one’s vassal. Siva will ‘lift him high’ and ‘take him for His own’ despite the imperfections and failings. As Manikka vachakar narrates, Siva is the remover of all ills ‘even if it be through hell’s abyss or house and home on fire’. He is the sole refuge and ‘in mercy teaches the devotee all’. He causes one ‘to know the higher path’. Siva is the ‘giver of every grace’ and is the Only Light (Tani chudare).
Its important to add that Hinduism is not a monotheistic faith. It has never been and will never be one! In Hinduism, truth is one, the paths are many. The religion upholds the unity of all being, not just the divine.
Sacred Trincomalee
There are numerous centers of old Hindu worship that dot the Sri Lankan landscape. The ancient temple in Trincomalee is one. The word Trincomalee is derived from the Tamil ‘Tiru-kona-malai’ which translates as ‘the sacred hill of the Lord’. Megalithic urn burials were excavated in Nilaveli a few kilometers away from this site. The archeological findings included black and red ware pottery and iron tools dated to the 3rd century BCE. Remarkable parallels exist between these urn burials and those excavated in Tamil Nadu. Both regions had evidently shared the same early iron age culture.
The Siva temple in Trincomalee is located in a region of considerable antiquity. Chapter 35 verses 40 and 41 of the Pali chronicle, the Mahavamsa indicates that King Maha Sena had destroyed three Deva temples, one of which was in Gokarna, another name for Trincomalee. He built a Buddhist vihara on the site of the earlier Deva temple in the 4th century CE. Trincomalee was called Gokarna in Sanskrit and Gokanna in Pali. Gokarna in Sanskrit translates as cow’s ear and signifies a place of Saivite Hindu worship.
The new Buddhist Vihara evidently did not last long if one were to accept the tradition of the Vayu Purana also dated to the 4th century CE where Chapter 48 verses 20 to 30 refers to a hallowed Siva temple on Tri-kuta hill on the Eastern seaboard of Lanka. Tri-kuta refers to Trincomalee. The Tamil Saivite saint, Tiru-Gnana-sambandar sang of the glories of this Siva temple in the 7th century. The Nilaveli inscription in the 10th century refers to a land grant of 1,710 acre equivalent donated for the upkeep of this same shrine.
Kachi-appar Siva-acharyar, author of the Kanda-puranam, compared the sanctity of this temple in Trincomalee with that of Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu. Aruna-girinathar visited this shrine in the 15th century. An unverified tradition has it that Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutras, of the 2nd century BCE was born in Gokarna ‘situated to the South East of India’. This uncorroborated tradition was reiterated by Tiru-mular in his 10th century Tiru-manthiram. The Yoga Sutras is the cornerstone of Yoga, a school of Hindu philosophy intended at the development of one’s mind through discipline. If this tradition is indeed correct, it would place Trincomalee in the pan-Indic intellectual arena, much as Anuradhapura already is given the latter’s role in the development of Theravada Buddhism and the Pali language.
Portuguese travelers in the 17th century described this Siva Temple of ‘a Thousand Columns’. They referred to Trincomalee as the ‘Rome of the Pagans’. In April 1622, the Portuguese General Constantino de Sa Noronha razed the temple to the ground and used its materials to build a fort. The Sinhalese king Rajasinghe II of Kandy took immediate steps to construct a successor Siva temple in Tampalakamam 24 kilometers to the west of Trincomalee. Tampalakamam was then part of the Kandyan kingdom. This was an act of Hindu piety by a Buddhist king. The main temple was rebuilt in its original location, albeit on a smaller scale, three hundred and forty one years later in March 1963. In September 2008, the Chief Priest of the Temple – Sivasri Kuharaja Kurukkal was killed in an event not unrelated to the conflict. The shrine has had a volatile history.
Conclusion
Its time to repose our trust in the God of our forefathers who stood by us in the past, will stand by us in the present and will protect us in the days to come. The verses of the 7th century Tiru-Naavuk-arasa Naayanar assume a salience here.
We are subject to no one;
We do not fear death.
We will not be deterred by hell’s tortures, we do not tremble.
We shall exult, we do not know disease, we will not submit.
Eternal joy is our lot;
Sorrow is not for us.
We are the irredeemable slaves of Siva.
http://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/sri-lankan-reflections-on-siva-a-response-to-hoole/
31 Responses to Sri Lankan Reflections on Siva: A Response To Hoole
It is very funny to see that comparatively powerless humans are trying to safeguard their gods and religions which they claim having ultimate power.If there is a god and it have all the powers then it should be safe itself and safeguard the followers,not the other way.
Newton - April 25, 2013
4:37 am
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Oi, Doubting Thomas- God… a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man’s power to conceive. Get that into your head.
ONE - April 26, 2013
4:58 pm
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Nice, informative article. Very illustrative. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the read.
Raja - April 25, 2013
7:26 am
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Prof.Hoole’s contention that Hindu temples were once Jain and Buddhist temples cannot be accepted. Hinduism was in existence before Jainism & Buddhism. Prior to the Kalabra’s rule in Tamilakam (combination of Tamil Nadu and present Kerala it is Saivaism was the predominant religion. Moreover Saivaism was also a predominant religion in Gujarat, Kashmir and Nepal. Buddhism, Jainsim, Sakthism, etc are all offshoots of Hinduism. Even in the Rig Veda, Lord Shiva is described as Rudra. Moreover, the language during Indus Valley civilization was Sanskrit. Mount Kailash is the abode of Lord Shiva. The words ‘Kailash’, ‘Himalaya’, ‘Saraswathi’, etc are Sanskrit words. The worship of Lord Shiva was not only prevalent in Sri Lanka, but also in the lost continent of Lemuria known as Kumari Kandam. When continent of Lemuria was submerged in sea on account of natural disasters, it is believed that Sri Lanka was part of the continent of Lost Lemuria. There are references that Ravana worshipped Lord Shiva at Trincomalee which are all a matter of considerable debate. I think Romesh Jayaratnam has given some correct version of Lord Shiva from the Hindu scriptures.
However, there is a misconception among the people that Lord Shiva is a fierce deity. The manner in which Lord Shiva is portrayed with adoring skulls and snakes together with a trident in his hand tends one to think that he is the God of Destruction. Upon a close examination, the clarification of Lord Shiva demolishes the concept of the God of Destruction. Lord Shiva is infinite and eternal.
Shiva means auspicious and perfection. There are various factors that establish that Lord Shiva is a merciful and loving God to his devotees. First, the realization of God will lead to the discovery of his supreme potence and glorious qualities. Second, even the great Devas worship Lord to receive boons. There are various instances in Ramayana, Maha Bharatha and Puranas where devotees worship Lord Shiva ro receive boons to achieve their objectives., all of which establish the fact that Lord Shiva is one with pleasing characters and always merciful. Thirdly, the worship of Lord Shiva is not out of fear, but through love and affection towards the Lord. The devotees experience the glorious qualities of Lord Shiva. It is the love, knowledge and experience which pave way for the spiritual success through the worship of Lord Shiva. Fear just wades away. This is the speciality of the worship of Lord Shiva. In short, Lord Shiva is not a God of Destruction, but is the Supreme Being who is instrumental for the five activities of Creation, Protection, Destruction, Concealing and Blessing. Moreover, Lord Shiva is also described as a deity popular among the Dravidians, but he belongs to all of humanity.Lord Shiva is impartial and hates nobody and shows no discrimination whatsoever even to those who have demonic characters, if they worship him with love and reverence. Ravana of Lanka is a case in point. .
Lord Shiva is considered as the Supreme Ascetic and portrayed in deep meditation in his usual abode in Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. As such Lord Shiva remains as the God of Yogis and ascetics. The manner of performing Yoga on the slopes of Mount Kailash demonstrates the glory of the Supreme Being – as possessed of all knowledge, all power and all renunciation. He is the embodiment of serenity, renunciation and indifference to the world. He is also depicted with a long matted hair in a topknot, in which the Crescent Moon is positioned, and from which the sacred river Ganga flows. The third eye is in the centre of forehead, symbolizing his superior wisdom and insight. His neck is shown as dark blue, resulting fromthe scars caused by a deadly poison which he drank to save from protection. The encircling of his neck by the snakes symbolizes that all dangerous evils or elements are under his control. Moreover, his body is covered with ashes. Holy ash symbolizes that as Lord Shiva appeared as a Supreme Flame, ash becomes the symbol that indicates the association with that Supreme Flame. His weapon Trident, which is also shown beside him, stands for air, life force and aspects of time (past, present and future). The central dent represents life force (known as Prana), while the dents on both sides represent air movng from from the right and left nostrils to the lungs and back.
Apparently Lord Shiva is not only depicted as an ascetic, but also as a householder.
Citizen - April 25, 2013
8:17 am
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This precis on a distinctive Tamil Hinduism in a Sri Lankan island context is most valuable. Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists would be uncomfortable with the literary and archeological evidence provided that situates the strategic port town of Trincomalee in a Tamil Hindu religious context, one that had antecedents for at least 1,500 years. It is clear that Sri Lanka has had plural identities from the start of its history, one that a unidimensional mono-ethnic nationalist discourse epitomized by the JHU and BBS would find irritating.
This explains why the Sri Lankan administration had destroyed the Murukan temple in Ilankaiturai in nearby Sampur, renamed Ilankaiturai as Lankapatuna, built a Buddhist Vihara in the Hindu sacred site of Kanniyai, placed Buddhist statuary within the Koneswaram temple precincts, financed the building of a stand-alone Buddhist vihara next to Fort Frederick, built another Vihara on the otherside of Fort Fredereick and has successively refused to declare Fort Frederick a Hindu sacred area. This refusal that led to the collapse of the United National Party- Federal Party (read Sinhalese Tamil) coalition in 1969 which ushered in the hard-line Sirimavo administration. The rest is history. Sri Lanka is still a divided fractured island and the Tamil issue has once again become internationalized. When will people ever learn!
Thank you, Romesh for this thought provoking editorial.
Raman - April 25, 2013
9:11 am
Reply
The ‘ Dance of Siva’ in its essence represents the dance of the subatomic particles. It thus represents energy , a fundamental in this universe. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but it can manifest in many firms. It is in the living and in the non-living. It is in light, sound and electricity. It is in the thunder and lightening. It is in the heavens, on earth and within earth. By extension it is the dance of the universe. The genius of our ancestors who could depict this principle in sculpture, has to be indeed marvelled. In honour of this genius a newly discovered subatomic particle is also called God’s particle , although officially named Hobb’s particle. A huge statue of the Dance of Siva has been placed in the lawn of the European atomic research centre on the Franco- Swiss border and casts a beautiful shadow over the building at sunset . This honours the Science behind the concept of Siva.
I always think that it is unfortunate that a great scientific concept in our religion and philosophy which probably had origins even before the Harappa and Mohenjadaro civilisations, has not been yet understood by most modern humans, who call themselves Hindus.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran - April 25, 2013
11:57 am
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It can also create, preserve and destroy.
Dr.RN
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran - April 25, 2013
2:40 pm
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Dr. Narendran,
I think you are referring to the Higgs-Boson.
FYI, the popular usage of the term ‘God’s particle’ for the Higgs-Boson was really intended as a joke from the beginning, and the media knows it was a joke. Many people mistakenly assume it was intended as a fact.
Peter Higgs himself was very much an atheist.
Dance of Siva is used more as a metaphor and art, not as any valid science. It was fashionable for Western scientists in the 1960′s and 70′s to talk about Hinduism. It was a time when all manner of Swamis from India arrived in the West to capitalize on the insecurities and capitalist guilt of wealthy people. And Westerners went to India to seek enlightenment.
But after several decades of such interaction, there has been no finding of any significance. Maybe more people in the West discovered Yoga and meditation, but these are practiced as a way of handling stress (Nothing wrong with that, but there are often exaggerated claims about the benefits), not as anything to do with God.
Agnos - April 26, 2013
6:41 am
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Agnos,
Thanks. Please read the book, ‘ The Tao of Physics’ by Fridjof Capra, described as an exploration of the parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism. He is a well known high-energy physicist and author. Although, the book precedes the identification and recent confirmation of the God’s particle (Higg’s particle) by decades , he refers to the Dancinf Siva as following words in his preface;
” Five years ago, I had a beautiful experience which set me on a road that has led to the writing of this book. I was sitting by the ocean one late summer afternoon, watching the waves rolling in and feeling the rhythm of my breathing, when I suddenly became aware of my whole environment as being engaged in a gigantic cosmic dance. Being a physicist, I knew that the sand, rocks, water and air around me were made of vibrating molecules and atoms, and that these consisted of particles which interacted with one another by creating and destroying other particles. I knew also that the Earth’s atmosphere was continually bombarded by showers of ‘cosmic rays’, particles of high energy undergoingg multiple collisions as they penetrated the air. All this was familiar to me from my research in high-energy physics, but until that moment I had only experienced it through graphs, diagrams a d mathematical theories. As I sat on that breach my former experiences came to life; I ‘saw’ cascades of energy coming down from outer space, in which particles were created and destroyed in rhythmic pulses; I ‘saw’ the atoms of the elements and those of my body participating in this cosmic dance of energy; I felt its rhythm and I ‘heard’ its sound, and at that moment I knew that his was the Dance of Siva, the Lord of Dancers worshipped by the Hindus.”
Dr.Rajssingham Narendran
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran - April 26, 2013
1:21 pm
Reply
Correction:
–refers to the Dancing Siva in the following words in his preface:
Dr.RN
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran - April 26, 2013
3:30 pm
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Dr. Narendran,
Capra wrote that in 1975. He was precisely the kind that found Hinduism fashionable at that time.
He himself said that was using psychedelics, and the kind of experiences you quote above are precisely those induced by such drugs. It is really easy for me to dismiss his hallucinations. I have no doubt about it.
His work has been roundly criticized by serious physicists for his use of outdated physics theory, even for his time.
The real scientists behind such particles who are still alive–such as Peter Higgs and Leon Lederman ( a Nobel laureate)– are atheists. Actually it is said that the latter in a book wanted to call the particle ‘Goddamn’ particle, as it was difficult to find, but his publisher wanted to change it to ‘God particle’ for fun.
Agnos - April 27, 2013
6:54 am
Reply
Agnos,
You have presented the scientific perspective. However, there is a point at which science and mysticism find confluence, without either acknowledging it. I think Capra was far ahead of his genre in understanding this. I do not take drugs of any sort and am not prone to hallucinations, however, from the little I have learned of modern, non-physical , intangible physics and Hindu mysticism , I can also perceive the Dance of Siva, as a Cosmic Dance in words described by Capra.
Further, why should the Nataraja (Dancing Siva) statue have been placed in the lawn of CERN where the Hadron Colllider which confirmed the presence of the Gods Particle is located? I think it affirms the acknowledgement of the science behind Hindu mysticism. I have also seen photographs of Oppenheimer’s ( The father of the atom bomb) office, where a large statue of the ‘Dancing Siva’was placed as a backdrop to his desk. I surmise this was also a recognition of what this symbolism represented.
Leon Lederman, whom you refer to, in fact says as follows in his book of 1993, ” This boson is so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive, that I have given it a nick name the God Particle? Two reasons: One, the publisher wouldn’t let us call it the Goddamn Particle, though that might be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing and two, there is a connection of sorts , to another book, a much older one– “.
What he is referring to is the book of Genesis and its theme of man not obeying God’s guidelines, over and over again, which makes God send Abraham and Noah to put mankind back on track. The word ‘Goddamn’ is used in the context of the trouble and exasperation mankind was/is causing God, according to Christian beliefs.
I once again believe that Lederman, chose the right nickname, without intending to do so, for something so elusive, intangible, but yet proven to exist rather indirectly. This is definiition of Siva for the Hindus.
As an aside, I remember sitting with a great modern day Saivite mystic from Jaffna as a teenager, to try to convert the distance between the earth and the moon mentioned in the Andakola Padalam of the Kanthapuranam in classical Tamil units of measurement, into the equivalent of modern measures. It was quite illuminating to learn that the Kanthapuranic figures were no different from modern scientific estimates!
Dr.RN
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran - April 27, 2013
4:28 pm
Not sure why you are invoking Hoole ?
It seems that you are paying your obedience to lord Shiva.Not sure if Hoole objects too that. You are also state that you do so as a “Sri Lankan” . You may want to check with BBS if that is permissible.
Don’t think Prof.Hoole would have any issue with your relationship with Lord Shiva. Except for the fact that is one of the most scholarly post I have read in the Colombo Telegraph – of some one doing a Puja.
Kiri Yakka - April 25, 2013
4:47 pm
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Dear Dr. Narendran,
Over ten centuries ago, Rishi Tirumular praised God Siva’s never-ending dance with loving eloquence: “In all worlds He is, the Holy Lord. In darkness He is, light He is. In sun He is, in moon He is. Everywhere He is. The Lord is in all creation. None knows His coming and going. He is distant. He is near. Multiple He is. One He is. Water, earth, sky, fire and wind, the spark within the body–all these He is. He is the walking jiva here below. Deathless He is”.
Tamil Woman - April 25, 2013
6:15 pm
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Tamil woman,
I think the never ending dance of Lord Shiva has to be analyzed in the context of science. Dr.R.N. has explained has correctly pointed out the movement of subatomic particles originating from energy – a fundamental in this Universe. The dance of Lord Shiva is, in fact, referred to as the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. It deals with the creation of the Universe. Some scientists believe that the Cosmos came from nothing or that everything began with nothing. If this is the case, then from where does the cosmic egg of creation come from which the Big Bang Theory suggested. Big Bang Theory fails to answer this issue otherwise its explanations of how the Universe was created from the Big Bang of the cosmic egg to the present day state is immaculate. Multiple universes suggest that there are many universes and that there are multiple dimensions in space. Is it possible the the earth came from such multi-dimensional universe and through an invisible dimension which is unknown to humanity. Many physicists now believe in multi-dimensional world. Even Albert Einstein proposed his theory of relativity based on four dimensions of space that is three dimensions as well as time.
Every religion states that the Universe was created by God. However, the definition of God is a controversial subject. God is a conceptual phenomenon which is unique to our universe and our existence.
There is also a misconception that God is only a fiction (a propaganda carried by atheists) on account of the vast advancement of science and technology. The ancient sages of Hinduism (including Buddhism and Jainism) have seen both religion and science as parts of the great search for truth and enlightenment through their inspiration. Hence according to Hinduism, both religion and science are not viewed as opposing factors. Both religion and science are seen as parts of the great search for truth and enlightenment that inspired the sages of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Actually time, space and causation are not separate entities outside, they all exist in God., i.e in God’s mind. Science is the finding of unity and after finding unity, it would stop from further progress. But in religion, especially in Hinduism, the finding becomes perfect when the Soul unionize with the Supreme Soul, which is responsible for the changing world.
Though Science is considered as an expanding base of knowledge, it cannot find out an ultimate answer about the concept of existence. Knowledge may increase, but the mystery of existence will always remain undiscovered. It is very difficult to provide sufficient evidence that will satisfy the requirements of Science relating to the origin of the Universe and the origin of the life. (The origin of the Universe and the origin of life cannot be manipulated in a way to provide convincing scientific evidence.) Any experiments and observations relating to the origins of the Universe and Life can only lead to speculations. It is at this juncture that Hinduism in its true perspective, found out and provide the suitable answer for the creation of the Universe and Life Spirituality, which can only be felt through experience of deep meditation. Accordingly, in Hinduism God is not only transcendent, but also immanent in all his creations. God is part and parcel of the Universe and dwells in the human beings as much as God is in the phenomenal world outside. Briefly it can be said that God is all pervading. (Isavasyam Idam Sarvam).
According to Hindu theory of creation, Time is a manifestation of God. Creation begins when God activates his energies and creation ends when God withdraws all his energies into a state of inactivity. God is timeless because time is relative and ceases to exist in the Absolute. The past, the present and the future co-exist in God simultaneously.
It is the ancient sages or Rishis with their super-sensuous truth discovered the nature of the Supreme Being, the God. According to Hinduism, God is omni potent, omni scient and omni present. The Hindu theory of creation stipulates that Time is a manifestation of God. Creation begins when God activates his energies. Similarly when God withdraws his energies and remain in a state of inactivity, destruction begins. God is timeless because time is relative and ceases to exist in the Absolute. As God performs creation, preservation and destruction, it is evident that the past, the present and the future co-exist in God simultaneously. According to Hinduism, God and the Universe are essentially the same. God manifest himself as the Universe at the time of creation.
Citizen - April 25, 2013
8:07 pm
Reply
Tamil Woman
Was Rishi Tirumular aware of VP’s incarnation as the sun god?
Native Vedda - April 26, 2013
3:23 am
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Native Vedda,
Incarnation is the appearance of a God in a new form, mostly but not necessarily as a human. The usage of the word ‘rebirth’ is meant for common men and women. The doctrine of re-incarnation concerns the re-birth of the soul in a series of physical or pre-natural embodiment which is customarily human or animal in nature, but are in some instances divine, angelic or demonic.
The Law of Karma covers a very wide field from the principle of ‘he who sows will have to reap it’. This occurs in everyone’s life. Accordingly, a person’s course of life is determined by his conducts in his previous birth. For instance, if a person had done meritorious acts in his past life, he is likely to continue the same path in the next life. Similarly, each Soul born in this world has a purpose in its life. According to the doctrine of Karma, the ability to make choices remains with the individual. An individual is subject to the doctrine of Karma just as our physical behaviours on earth are subject to the law of gravitation.
Souls are regarded as emanations of the Divine Spirit. Each Soul passes from one body to another in a continuous cycle of births and deaths, their condition in each existence being determined by their actions in previous births. Transmigration is closely interwoven with the concept of Karma, which involves the inevitable working out, for good or evil, of all actions in a future existence. The whole experience of life, whether happiness or sorrow, is a just reward for deals (good or bad) done in earlier existence. The cycle of Karma and transmigration may extend through innumerable lives; the ultimate goal is the re-absorption of the Soul and occurs when the individual realizes the truth about the Soul and the Absolute (Brahman) and the Soul becomes one with Brahman.
So in stead of verifying Rishi Tirumular about the soul of VP, you can have your own judgment as to what he will be in the next birth.
Citizen - April 28, 2013
1:33 am
Reply
In Sri Lanka, we associate the Sinhala people with Buddhism. Yet there were Sinhala kings, very few in number, who were Saivite Hindus. Rajasinha of Sitawake comes to mind, a fervent devotee of Siva.
He was a heroic king who laid seige to the Portuguese held Kotte twice i.e. in 1563 and 1564. Kotte fell to the forces of Sitawake, a defeat that the Portuguese had until then not encountered in the Straits of Hormuz, South Asia, Malacca, Macao or East Timor. The Portuguese after all had only arrived in South Asia in 1505!
Rajasinha then laid seige for one year to Colombo in 1579 but failed. He later attacked Kandy in 1582 and annexed it. All of Sri Lanka except the north and Colombo was at that point under his rule. Rajasinha of Sitawake returned to lay seige in Colombo in 1587. But the Portuguese, who were encircled with Colombo reduced to severe food scarcity and plague, then cultivated Don John, alias Konappu Bandara, alias Vimala Dharma Suriya, ‘defender of Buddhism’, to launch a revolt in Kandy.
This led to Rajasinha of Sitawake fighting a two pronged battle. This saved Colombo for the Portuguese. With his death in 1593, the Portuguese were able to recapture Kotte, Sitawake, Bentota, Galle and Hambantota in quick succession. Jaffna fell in 1621.
Rajasinha is largely ignored in Sri Lankan text books, as are last four kings of Kandy. The Culavamsa account of Rajasinha of being a parricide and persecuting those Buddhist monks who had collaborated with the Portuguese needs to be complemented with Portuguese accounts of his military prowess and fierce determination to know the historical role that he, a Sinhalese Saivite Hindu, had played in the resistance against European colonialism.
Tamil Woman - April 25, 2013
6:17 pm
Reply
Yes, you are correct. These Rajasinghes had their roots from Nayakka dynasty in Madurai. The Sinhalese and the Tamils were in good relations and used to marry Pandya Princess. Rajasinghe was not against Buddhism, but against people who collaborated with the Portuguese. There were trade between the Sinhalese of the South and the Tamils of the North. After the invasion of the Cholas there two Siva temples built in Polonnaruwa. It is the Hindu sculptors who were brought from Tamil Nadu (then Tamilakam) for costruction of Buddhist temples which has Hindu influence. An old Buddhist temple at Kadugannawa is a case in point, where even Lord Shiva was given prminence. Moreover, the script were in Tamil which could be seen in treaties between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. Similarly the Sinhalese kings also built temples in Jaffna. It is reported that a Sinhalese king had contributed a major role in the construction of Vallipura Alvar temple (Vishnu temple).
Citizen - April 25, 2013
8:00 pm
Reply
Was not the temple at Dondra now taken to have a Vishnu Kovil, originally a Shiva Temple?
MedalankaradeChoppe - April 26, 2013
12:37 am
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Dear Citizen
You make a valid point. Successive Sinhalese Buddhist kings had imported Tamil Hindu artisans, craftsmen and stone masons to build their shrines. This pattern is visible in the Polonnaruwa, Dambadeniya, Gampola and Kandy periods. Even independent Ceylon did the same. Kelaniya temple was rebuilt by the Wijewardene family using South Indian stone masons and craftsmen. The annex to the famed Temple of the Tooth in Kandy was built using South Indian stone masons in the 1920s. Independence Square in Colombo 7 was built by Don Stephen Senanayake also using South Indian stone masons and craftsmen. The very construction of the modern Sinhalese Buddhist identity owes much to Tamil Hindu elements. This includes the celebration of the traditional new year in April, the draping of a Kandyan bride with her atikal and padakkam, the ceremony of the Aluth Sahal Mangalya which is akin to Thai Pongal, the wearing of the Arya Sinhala which is a version of the Tamil vetti and the architecture of modern buildings such as Independence Square. It is odd therefore when the Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists then proceed to dismiss the Tamil Hindu as an intruder into their sacred space!
The Natha devale in Kandy, next to the Temple of the Tooth, may be dedicated to Siva although latter day Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists now claim it as dedicated to the Bodhisattva Avalokiteswara venerated in Tibet and China.
The 10th century Bronze iconography posted in this article was excavated in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. There is a huge inheritance of Tamil Hindu sculpture that is indigenous to Sri Lanka.
Raja - April 26, 2013
8:31 am
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There is NOTHING in Sri Lanka without the Indian connection. Even Sigiriya was built by King KASYAPA 470-488 AD – son of King Dhatusena by a TAMIL Pallava woman using the South Indian labor. The hunchbacked, misshapen, top-heavy women of Sigiriya, about which so many misplaced raves have been written, but copies unworthy of the prototypes of the cave paintings of Ajanta, Elora, Pappadakkal, and Sittannavasal in Tamil Nadu, South India and from which they were drawn. The Sithannavasal cave contains earliest frescoes in South India. The paintings in Siththannavasal are of Pallava style of Tamil Nadu.
The earliest paintings of Sri Lanka are found in a cave atop the massive Sigiriya rock. The 5th century paintings, in their graceful lines and deeply thoughtful expressions, carry forward the traditions of art born at Ajanta. It is wonderful to see the close similarity of these with the contemporaneous Ajanta paintings. It appears as if the same hands could have made them.
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2124/stories/20041203000106500.htm
On closer inspection the frescoes, executed in tempera on the rock face, were adjudged to date from around the time of Kasyapa. Exquisitely painted in brilliant colours, they are strongly reminiscent of contemporaneous Gupta cave paintings at Ajanta near Bombay.
http://www.cpamedia.com/history/sigiriya_cloud_maiden/
Ravi - April 27, 2013
10:04 am
Reply
This why recently said that Sri Lanka is more Indian than India!
Dr.RN
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran - April 27, 2013
6:01 pm
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Totally agreed. I have visited all these places in connection with the printing of new stamps. There was cordial relationship between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. But it is sad that some mushroom politicians of extreme nature had taken measures to erase evidences of Hindu influence. Even the Archelogical Department couldn’t escape from the sight of these politicians.
Citizen - April 26, 2013
4:53 pm
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To the urbane and the learned Ananda Coomaraswamy, steeped in that exciting intellectual era of his times in Boston/New England, where intellectual giants of men and women were placing the cultures and religions of the world under microscopic scrutiny – that ancient Dance of Shiva and studies in Lord Shiva, brought in a new focus and respect for the religious reality of the Indian Sub-Continent. That speaks volumes of the validity of the subject Shri Romesh Jayaratnam describes in such great elegance and profundity.
Senguttuvan
Senguttuvan - April 26, 2013
8:48 pm
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Some interesting facts – please correct if otherwise
1. Pre-Buddhist Vedic religion did not consider Siva a major deity. In fact he was an ‘outsider’ as a native God
2. However after the Buddhist and Jain critiques of certain Vedic practices and reforms within Indian philosophical thought we find Siva making a spectacular return as a major God in the Hindu Trinity – not just as a God but as the greatest God or Mahadev.
3. He is the destroyer of evil just as much as Buddha overcame all defilements to attain enlightenment
4. As yogiraja he is the lord of all ascetics
Understanding how Buddhism and Hinduism influenced each other in the second half of the first millenium BC is a fascinating story.
In some ways Buddha embodies the concept that is Siva and Siva is the perfect conceptualization of enlightenment. Together they make a formidable pair. Siva is not worshipped as such because he is within you. Siva has to be experienced and realized in meditation
blind man - April 26, 2013
11:34 pm
Reply
From the caption, I thought this article was going to give a point-by-point rebuttal to Hoole’s article. But I don’t see anything like that.
Agnos - April 27, 2013
7:14 am
Reply
Dear Blind man,
Lord Shiva was not considered as an outsider. Though Rig Veda do not mention about Lord Shiva, there are references about Rudra. However, Yajur Veda (being one of the four Vedas) mentions about Mahadeva which is identified with Lord Shiva. It is not clear whether Lord Ganapathi was described as the son of Lord Rudra or Lord Mahadeva. But references of Lord Shiva being worshipped in the great epics Ramayana and Maha Bharatha, shows that Lord Ganapathi as the son of Lord Shiva. Perhaps since Rig Veda mentions ‘the Truth is One, but the wise call it by many names’, Rig Veda would have avoided the possibility of showing the relationship of Lord Rudra or Lord Mahadeva with Lord Ganapathi, in order to maintain that there is only one God (the Supreme Being), while others are manifestations of the Supreme Being.
Rig Veda was the original Hindu scripture during the period of the Indus Valley civilization. It is during the Vedic period that the great epic Ramayana was composed. In the Ramayana there is reference to King Ravana worshipping Lord Shiva. Similarly there is also reference to Rama, Sita & Laksmana worshipping Lord Shiva at Rameswaram, before crossing to Sri Lanka. Likewise in the great epic Maha Bharath there are numerous references of the worship of Lord Shiva.
Moreover, the predominant language during the Vedic period was Sanskrit. The words Himalaya, Kailasa, Saraswathi, Ganesha etc are of Sanskrit origin. The usage of these names continued to exist for the past 12,500 years or more, the worship of Lord Shiva was in practice for the last 12,500 years. Lord Shiva is considered as the Supreme Ascetic and portrayed in deep meditation in his usual abode in Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas. As such Lord Shiva remains as the God of Yogis and ascetics. Lord Shiva is the embodiment of serenity, renunciation and indifference to the world.
According to Hinduism, Yoga is considered as part and parcel of the religion. Yoga is a means through which a person can experience God. Yoga refers to the integration of a person’s own consciousness with the Supreme Reality. Yoga is a way to achieve this objective. The concept of Yoga began to surface with the excavation of stone seals from the archeological findings of the Indus Valley civilization and the Mohenjadero-Harappa civilization. In fact, Lord Shiva was mentioned as Harappan God in an ascetic position.
Lord Buddha was a Hindu prince, who began to meditate the truth after finding the sufferings of man. I think he chose a middle path, but proceeded on the lines of Lord Shiva.
Citizen - April 27, 2013
9:00 am
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The said Yoga Swami of Jaffna said ‘we do not know’
The subject is so complex, arguments are many ‘who knows the truth?’
My limited knowledge of Vedanta and other Hindu/Sivaite teaching is that the so called God is ‘That thing’ that with no shape or form.
One tend to believe that religion is the opium of the masses.
In the name of this shapeless, formless ‘Thing’humas have argued, manipulated and killed.
Janakan Srikhanta - April 27, 2013
2:41 pm
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Janakan Srikhanta,
Vedanta is a very wide topic. According to Vedanta the individual Soul is the focus of the infinite Brahman. Hinduism asserts that God created the universe. Before the creation of the Universe, no one knows the nature of the Universe or its energy. All what Hinduism says Lord Brahma created the Universe and the beings. Hindu scriptures assert that Universe precedes humanity. Hinduism arose from discoveries through revelations by way of deep meditation ascetic practices. But Science had not discovered the creation of Universe, but relied on theories which are still not conclusive. Hinduism relies on the concept of ‘Brahman’ as to the existence of the Universe. Brahman represents the Ultimate Reality. Further, as the language during Verdic period was Sanskrit, the word Brahman derived from Sanskrit root ‘brh’ leading to expansion., perhaps followed by an explosion. Brahman is described as impersonal absolute of pure timeless existence. Hence in the words of Swami Vivekananda Creation is beginnningless cycles of manifestation and non-manifestation of Brahman. Vedanta always describes Creation as the out-breathing and in-breathing of Brahman.
According to Hinduism God created the universe. Before the creation of the Universe, no one knows the nature of the Universe or its energy. All what Hinduism says Lord Brahma created the Universe and the beings. Hindu scriptures assert that Universe precedes humanity. Hinduism arose from discoveries through revelations by way of deep meditation ascetic practices. But Science had not discovered the creation of Universe, but relied on theories which are still not conclusive. Hinduism relies on the concept of ‘Brahman’ as to the existence of the Universe. Brahman represents the Ultimate Reality. Further, as the language during Verdic period was Sanskrit, the word Brahman derived from Sanskrit root ‘brh’ leading to expansion, perhaps followed by an explosion. Brahman is described as impersonal absolute of pure timeless existence.
The Vedanta teaches five principles of Hinduism.
Existence of one God. Manifestations of many forms apart from Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.
God dwells in every being. Hence all human beings are divine.
Religious harmony. It accommodates the principles of all religions.
Asserts Unity of existence through love and compassion.
Bhagavad Gita is a central text of Hinduism for Knowledge and Gayatri (sacred mantra)
Citizen - April 28, 2013
1:06 am
Reply
This article mixes up historical evidence with popular beliefs(yarns). It avoids reference to what the celebrated Portuguese chronicler, Queyroz, recorded in the 17th century that the three ‘pagodes’ on the Trincomalee rock were owned by Ma[h]aterunnanse (Chief Prelate) of Arakan and was administered by a [local] Therunnanase and the Ganzes (white robed members of Sanagha (Gana)of the Sect of Budum.which is the most followed in Ceylon and that Francis Xavier came there and converted the Therunnanse and some Ganzes.(Queyroz: Bk 2,pp.236-237). The information is repeated in Bk2 ,p256-257 where Q confirms that “the state of Trincomalee belonged to the Ganzes and the surrounding of the pagodas partly to the Vanea who received the holy faith. (Bk 2 p245. (See Journal of Royal Asiatic Society of Ceylon, New Series, Vol LII)- Trincomalee-Arakan connection.
He refers to the temples as ‘pagodes’ without any Hindu identifiers such as he uses for Ramancior,(Rama nagar or Mussesarm)near Chilaw, and Jaganath in Orissa whose Hindu connection cannot be missed. But he is keen to mention that the Trincomalee pagodes were under the Materunnanse/ Ganzes of the Sect of Budum.
All Tamil commentators, including that in the Wikepedia enterd recently, however,have avoided this important observation by Queyroz which he has repeated. Why has this important historical evidence been suppressed?
They only quote that Trincomalee pagodes were “the Rome ofthe Gentiles of the Orient, and more frequented …. ” It is following that Q says the place was frequented by many Ganzes of the Sect of Budum.
There is clearly no reference to Brahamins, Yogis or Hindus.
K Indrapala,the Tamil historian, writes in his new book, “Evolution of an Ethnic Identity…” that there are no ancient temples even in Jaffna peninsula except perhaps Nakulesvaram. But even this temple appears to be an ancient Yakkha temple dedicated to the Yakkha Jambala (Kuvera)whose emblem was a mongoose (Nakuala).The Mongoose- faced rhisi who was cured by the waters of the Kirimalai Pond, is certainly a later popular yarn, like the Buddha’s visit to the island among the Buddhists. The reference in Hindu texts are usually brought up and have no historical value. The only earliest valuable historical record is Mahavamsa which referes to King Mahasena destroying ‘Devalayas’. The se need not be Siva Devalayas. They could be Yakkha temples like later Nakuleswaram.Even Mirisa- wetiya Dagoba semms to have been built on the site of an ancient Yakkha temple, dedicated to Yakkha Marichi. The yarn of the King Dutugemunu buildng it because he had forgotten to offer a parcel of Capsicums (Miris) is a big yarn like the one concocted about Trincomaleeby Tamils.
An inscription nearby is quoted (Gunasingham)of a donation to a temple of Macchesvara which is but taken as reference to a Vishnu temple.But the nomenclature Macchesvara was used in Tibet to refer to Avalokitesvara.The entire belt north of Trincomalee including Tiriyaya and Kuchchiveli, and the interior was the Mahayana belt of Sri Lanka.So, it is probably, Avalokitesvara who was the Bodhisatva of sea farers who was worshipped at Trincomalee till the Portuguese destroyed the place.
Whether there is any evidence of syncreticism can be suggested using the evidence of forms of worship at Trincomalee as present in south East Asia, has not been studied so far.
How does one know if the Gokkana where Devalayas were the same spot as where the pagodas destiryed by the Portuguese Captains were? King Rajasimha II built a Hindu temple at Tampalagama. That seems to be the one recorded in Dutch accounts. the evidence in Mahavamsa Tika (11th /12th century) is sometims brought up to show that Mahasena destroyed siva temples. But the account does not say where such Siva temples were.Besides, the Tika was compiled after the trauma of Chola invasion in 10th/11th centuries.So it is not surprising that he refers to the destruction of Siva lingas.
Like at Kataragama, Devinuwara, Munnesaram, Turuketisvaram and other places,both Buddhist and Hindu places could have existed side by side.
The evidence has to be examined judiciously and not to perpetuate yarns
Hoole's article of March 30, 2013 is at http://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/arumuka-navalar-fake-images-and-histories/