There are eight small treatises of pre MeykaNdaar early Saiva siddhanta in Sanskrit called Ashta pirakaraNa. Jaffna born Nallur Srila Sri Arumuga naavalar mentioned about them in his second book of Saiva Vina vidai Question and Answer [Saiva Prashnotthara} no.85. Among them Tatva Sangraga, Tatva thiraya nirNaya, Bhoga kaarika, Moksha kaarika and para moksha niraasa kaarika the five books were written by the Satyojothi Sivachchariya of Kashmir during 8th century AD. The other books are Tatva pirakaasika by Bhoja deva, Naatha Kaarika by Bhatta Ramakanda, Ratna Thiraya by Sri Kanda. All the eight manuals are written in very concise and complex argumentative verses called kaarika form. The collection was published as one book under the title of Ashtaprakarana with the commentary by the Pandita Srivrajavallabhadvivedi publications in Varanasi in 1988. Tamil translation of these eight treatises was published in two small volumes by the Sivaagama Siddhanda Paribalana Sangam of Thevakoddai in 1927. Tatva sangraha describes the Saivaite Cosmology while Tatva Thiraya nirnaya specifically discusses the relationship between the three basic Saivaite triad of God, bondage and the soul. Ratna thiraya talks about three gems namely bindu, sit-sakthi and sivam and establishes bindu is not the kriya sakthi of the Sivam or an evolutionary form of Sit-sakthi but a form of jada-sakthi from suddha maaya. They also talks about the four fold path to liberation Chariya, Kiriya, Yoga and Jnana. So the notion of Saiva metatheism and triadic ontology existed even many hundred years before MeykaNdaar of thirteenth centuary AD. Satyojothi Sivachchaariya of Kashmir is the recognized authoritative representative of this pre meykaNdaar era of Saiva Siddhanda. He has written commentaries to Raurava Aagama and Swayambhuva Aagama among them parts of Swayambhuva Aagama commentary only survived and preserved. Satyojothi himself says in the closing verse of his Tattuva Thiraya Nirnaya that he is the auther of the commentary on Swayambhuva Aagama. There is a manuscript of his commentary on Swayambhuva Aagama preserved in the GOML, Madras no: R 16797. There was one edition of this commentary which was published by Venkata subramanya saastri publications, Mysore in 1937. Satyajothis commentary on swayambhuva aagama was edited and translated in English by Dr. Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat the founder of French Indology Institute of Pondicheri the home for largest collection of Saiva Manuscripts in the world and published jointly by the Indra Gandhi National Centre for the arts New Delhi and Motilal Barnarsidass Publishers in 1994. He also edited and translated a French version of the same book. Satyajothis commentary on Raurava aagama has not recovered jet. It is feared that this is lost forever. Raamakaantha-ii of 10th century from Kashmir quotes extensively from Satyojothis Moksha kaarika and Paramoksha kaarika in his books. Akora Sivachchaarya a Tamil and Sanskrit Sholar of 12th century from Chidhamparam, Tamil Naadu quotes from Satyojothis Tatva Sangragha and Tatva thraya nirnaya. In addition he has written a commentary to Satyojothis Bhoga Karika. An English translation of this was done by W. A. Borody Associate Professor of philosophy, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada and published by the Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi in 2005. This translation has come under criticism from the academic scholars including Prof. Peter Bisschop of University of Edinburg. It is regrettable that no review or criticism came forward from the religious scholars so far for this book.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 06:17:02 +0000
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