Manickavasagar’s path of jnana and bhakti

Lanka Sri Jayaraj said in a discourse that there are two types of worship: devotion (bhakti) and knowledge (jnana). Our religion has traditionally accepted both forms of prayer. Saivite apostle Manickavasagar exemplifies this harmony, as his hymns reflect both intense devotion and profound spiritual knowledge. People who study the Tiruvachagam, composed by Manickavasagar, will come to understand the fundamental doctrines of our religion. For an ascetic life, untruthfulness must be wholly given up. Arrogance is the root cause of untruthfulness, and it causes one to drift away from God. When our inner conscience is purified and refined, God, out of His infinite grace, releases us from the cycle of rebirth and grants us immortality. Manickavasagar vividly expresses both the anguish of separation from God and the ineffable joy of divine experience. Lustful desires and anger arise naturally within us; they cannot be entirely eradicated, but they can be restrained and subdued. Such self-control helps refine and purify our inner being. There are three kinds of weariness or emaciation: physical deterioration, mental exhaustion, and the weariness of life itself. Manickavasagar refers to this third form - the fatigue caused by repeated births - and prays to be liberated from the tyranny of the cycle of rebirth. He poignantly expresses this state with the words, “ Pirandhu Ilaithen .” There are two lotuses within our body: the hands and the heart. They function in opposite ways. When we open and stretch out our hands before others, seeking help for worldly matters, the lotus of the heart contracts. Conversely, when we withdraw our hands and join them in prayer before God, the lotus of the heart blossoms, opening to receive divine grace and blessings. Manickavasagar stands as the pinnacle of both jnana (wisdom) and bhakti (devotion). By reciting and reflecting upon his sacred hymns, we open ourselves to his grace and are blessed with spiritual refinement and divine fulfillment. Published - December 24, 2025 04:45 am IST

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