Sin

Sin - Avatar - Salvation

Saivism and Vaishnavism

Amongst the religions of India, the Six-fold religion, which is hidden under the name ‘Hindu religion’, is briefly analyzed here. The religious sects that are in the Six-fold religion are Saivism, Vaishnavaism, Saktham, Gowmaram, Kanapathyam and Sowram. Since these are the denominations of one religion, altogether these are known as ‘Six-fold religion’. This Six-fold religion is the development of two major sects viz. Saivism and Vaishnavism.

Though some form of worship existed during the pre-Christ era, Saivism and Vaishnavism developed into religions only in the post-Christ era. Doctrine of Trinity, Doctrine of Avatar and the Doctrine of Fulfillment of Sacrifice, Salvation by Faith are the basic doctrinal aspects of Saivism and Vaishnavism. Songs, which express these doctrines in Saivism and Vaishnavism, are briefly quoted here.

Trinity and Avatar:

In Saivism God is visualized in three forms as ‘Aruvam’ (God without form), ‘Uruvam’ (God with a form) and `Aruvuruvam’ (God with semiform). This is sung by Thirugnana sampanthar in Tevaram as follows:

‘The Triune Prime God’

(Thirugnana Sampantha Swamigak Devaram (Thalamurai), Sri Kasi Mutt, Thirupananthal 612 504, F.Ed.,1988, S.No.154 (1)

" The eternal God( Siva) and the Ornamented one (Vitnu).

And the eternal one on the Lotus (Brahma).

If examined are one and the same

But the ignored are confused"

(Thirumanthiram-52)

In Vaishnavism Trinity is expressed as follows:

‘Moovaraahiya Moorthiyai’ (Triune God)

(Nammalvar Thiruvoimoli 3-6-2 (2360)

‘Moovaraahiya Oruvanai’ (Triune person)

(PeriaThirumoli 3-1-10 (1157)

‘Udambu Uruvil Moonronroi’

(One in Trinity in the bodily appearence)(Peria Thirumoli 2-5-3)

The purpose of the avatar of God is explained in Saivism as follows:

"Iravaa inbaththu yemai iruththa vendip
piravaa muthalvan piranthaan"
(The unborn prime God was born to give us eternal pleasure.) (Poatrip Pakorodai 69)

Vaishnavism explains that God was born so He could deliver man from sinful nature and give a new life. This is being sung as follows:

"Poinninra gnanamum pollaa olukkum alukkudambhum
inninra neermai ini yaam vuraamai vuyir alippaan
ienninra yoniumaai piranthaai imaiyore thalaivaa"
(God was born from a noble woman in order to give us a new life so that deceptive knowledge, immorality and unclean body would not possess us) (Nammalvar Thiruviruthum 1 - 3580)

If it is said that God became an avatar so that man can be liberated from the bondage of sin to acquire eternal happiness, then a question arises here. When did man fall into evil?

Sin/Mala:

Sivagnanapotham, the theological foundation for Saivism says as follows,

"Avan aval athu yenum avai moovinaimayin
thotria thithiye odungi malaththulathaam
antham aathi yenmanaar pulavar"
(In the beginning God created man (avan-first man), woman (aval-first woman) and the world (athu) in three different actions and they were holy. But, later on they fell into the sin or malam, which ended the life of holiness and was the beginning of sin say the scholars.) (Sivagnanapotham - 1)

How did creation that was holy, fall into the sin? Saiva Siddhanta explains it as follows,

"Muththi mutharkodikkae mogak kodi padarnthu
aththi paluththathu yenru vunthee para
appalham vunnaathae vunthee para"
(Amongst the creatures which were holy, on the first creeper (first man), the creeper of sin crept over it and bore the fruit of evil. Speak this forth. Do not partake of that fruit. Speak this forth.) (Thiruvuntiyar 41)

When did this happen? According to the Bible, the first man Adam ate the fruit that he was forbidden to eat. Adam was given the commandment not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but when he disobeyed God, sin took dominion over him says the Bible. And the descendants of the first man, have fallen into sin. Hence the sinful nature that continuously passes through the generations, is known as ‘Sahasa Mala’ in Saivism, and ‘Janmabhandh’ in Vaishnavism.

Sacrifice / Thavam:

Saivism and Vaishnavism accept that all the people are born with a sinful nature. God alone is holy without sin. But Advaitists, whose doctrines are totally contrary to the doctrine of God, say that the concept of sin is ‘maya’ or illusion. Then each one can claim that ‘I am God’ and become equal with God. How can a man who is born with a sinful nature be liberated? It is explained in Saiva Siddhanta by the following illustration. If we want to make copper free from rust, gold, which is never affected by rust, should be melted together with it and mixed. Thereafter it will not be affected by rust. Likewise, God alone who is holy can liberate human beings that have a sinful nature by birth. In order to redeem man from sin and show him the path, God became a man with five senses.

This is explained in Vaishnavism as follows.

‘Pavam aruppaar’
(God who takes away our sin) (Sadagopar Anthaathi – 8)

"Avan kandaai nannenjae aararulum kedum
avan kandaai aimpulanaai ninraan avan kandaai..."
(You with a pure heart, know him who is with five senses, and who is having grace, and who is the destroyer of sin) (Nalaryira Divya Prabhandam- Eyarpa erandam Thiruvanthaathi-(24)-3307)

The above-mentioned songs show that God became a man with five senses and destroyed the power of sin. Thus, God became a man with five senses - a Guru, and observed the penance of the suffering of death in order to redeem man. It is explained in Saivism as follows,

"Aimpula vaedarin ayarnthanai valarnthena
thammuthal guruvumoi dhavaththinil vunarththa vittu
anniyam inmaiyin aran kalhal selumae"
(God who came into this world as a Guru on seeing the souls who are living in worldly pleasure by enjoying the pleasures of the five senses, made them to feel through his penance of suffering of death that they have forgotten their creator and are living in sin. Once the soul is enlightened through his suffering, it repents of its sins, and the separation with God is removed and it reaches the feet of God) (Sivagnanapotham - 8)

This is explained in Saiva Siddhanta by the following illustration. A son of a king was lost and he was living as a hunter with the hunters, and he did not know that he was the son of a king. One day, when the king came to know that his son was living as a hunter, he wanted to see him immediately. It occurred to him that if he were to go as a king his son might be afraid of him and run away. So, he disguised himself as a hunter and went to meet him and talked with him. He explained to his son that he was not a hunter but a son of a king and took him back to his palace. Likewise, God took the form of a man to redeem mankind who were enslaved by the pleasures of this world and had forgotten their God. Also, he made them to realize who they are through his penance of the suffering of death.

‘Penance’ doesn’t refer to the penance that is being observed by a hermit in a forest. Thiruvalluvar says that real penance is sacrificing ones own life for others.

‘Thannuir thaanarap peruthal’ (Thirukurral 268)

Hence God is described in Saivism as

‘Meydhavan kaan’
(Look at the one who has done true penance) (Thirunavukkarasar 265-8)

‘Perundhavaththu yem pingnagan kaan’
(Look at our Lord of great penance) (Appar – Pa. A. 278 – 5)

The same concept is explained in Vaishnavism as follows.

‘Thaanae dhava vuruvum’
(He is the embodiment of penance) (Nalaryira Divya Prabhandam-
Iyarpa mundram Thiruvanthaathi-38-4321)

‘Sinthanaiyai dhavaneriyai thirumaalai’
(He is our thought who is a path through his penance of sacrifice and is Thirumal) (Periya Thirumolhi 6-3-7 (1404))

‘Pinakkara aruvagai samayamum neriyulli vuraiththa
kanakkaru nalaththan; anthamil aathiam pagavan
vanakkudai dhavaneri valininru’
(The consistent central theme revealed by the Six-fold religion is that God is the one who is the source of all blessings and is the one who has neither beginning nor end, and is the one who showed the path through his great penance of suffering) (Numalvar Thiruvaimolhi 1-3-5 (2108))

Hence, the God who accepted the penance of the suffering of death and offered himself as a sacrifice is being sung in the following Saivite songs.

‘Aviyumaagi’
(One who became the sacrifice) (Appar 307-8)

‘Aviyaai aviyumaagi arukkamaai perukkamaagi
paaviyar paavam theerkum paramanoi Brahmanaagi’
(The supreme God became Brahma and he is the sacrifice and sacrificed himself in order to redeem sinners) (Thirunavukkarasar Devaram – pa. a. 320)

The songs mentioned above explain that God became man and sacrificed himself in order to redeem the sinners. Hence God sacrificed his five senses, he is known as

‘Ainthaviththaan’
(One who sacrificed his five senses) (Thirukkural – 25)

and it is being explained in Thirukkural as follows:

"Pori vaayil ainthaviththaan poitheer olhukka
neri ninraar needu vaalhvaar"
(Those who follow the one, who sacrificed his five senses on an instrument and showed the way and who is the life and truth, will have eternal life) (Thirukkural – 6)

The term ‘Ainthaviththaan’ can be seen only in two places in Thirukkural and it does not refer to a hermit who controls his five senses. Also this term is not seen in any song on sanyasins, but this term exclusively refers to God who sacrificed his five senses. Since it refers to God who took the form of a man it is seen in an invocation of God that is in the first and third chapters which is praising God the Father (Kadavul vaalhththu) and God the Son (Neeththaar perumai).

Redemption:

‘I will deliver thee from all sins’ (Bhagavadgita-18.66)

says Bhagavad – Gita.

The feet of God look like a red flower since he shed his blood for the redemption of mankind. It is sung in Saiva Siddhanta as follows,

‘Semmalar nonthaalh seral ottaa
ammalam kaliee anbar’
(His feet are like a red flower since he observed nonbu or sacrificed himself to redeem the people from their sins). (Sivagnanapotham - 12)

Once the soul is cleansed from its sin through the sacrifice of God, it is freed from sin and it becomes a temple of God. This is sung as follows,

"Semmalar nonthaal seral ottaa
ammalam kaliee anbarodu mariyee
maalara neyam malinthavar vaedamum
aalayam thaanum aran yena tholumae"
(Once God cleanses a soul which is separated by sin from the feet of God which looks like a red flower because of its sacrifice (nonbu), it becomes one with God and it is freed from confusion and it overflows with love of God and it reaches the feet of God and become a temple of God.) (Sivagnanapotham - 12)

Thirumular says

‘Ullam perungovil voon udambu aalayam’
(Our soul is a great temple and also our body is a temple) (Thirumular Thirumundiram 1792)

Vaishnavism denotes this as ‘Shethram’ or ‘Shethranggnan’.

The songs mentioned above belong to the post-Christ era. The theme of the songs mentioned above is that God became an avatar, and sacrificed himself in order to liberate the sinners who are entangled with their sins.

Saivism and Vaishnavism developed into religions only in the post-Christ era. Doctrine of Trinity, Doctrine of Avatar, Doctrine of fulfillment of sacrifice and Doctrine of salvation by faith became the fundamental principles for these religions These doctrines cannot be seen in the Indian worships that were prevalent in the pre-Christ era. Viz., Indus Valley worship, other ancient Dravidian worship and Aryan worship since they were worships and had not developed as religions. Regarding the Vedas, it is generally thought that they are the basis for the development of Saivism and Vaishnavism.

Before 2nd c. B.C. there is no historical evidence for the prevalence of Vedic worship in India. The Vedas are in Sanskrit and Sanskrit inscriptions are seen only in 2nd c. A.D. and thereafter. In the Vedas, Rudra, is portrayed as one of the minor deities, and it is the god of storms. But it is nothing to do with Siva of Saivism. In Saivism, Siva is a Supreme loving God who took the form of a man and suffered to save the human beings. Likewise Vaishnavite Vishnu is sun, a creature whereas Vishnu is the Prime God in Vaishnavism. The names of Saivite and Vaishnavite Gods Viz.Siva, Sakthi,Muruga,Ganapathy,Aiyappa….do not occur in the Vedas.

The doctrines mentioned above cannot be seen in the atheistic religion and agnostic religions (Jainism and Buddhism) that were prevalent in the pre-Christ era since there was no room for the concept of God in those religions.

The trade relationship between India and other countries like Sumeria, Babylonia, Greek, Syria etc., has led to religious and cultural contributions. Since this relationship leads to cultural and religious contribution, the Indian beliefs and religious thoughts are seen in the Yavana beliefs and literature and vice versa. For e.g. On seeing a blind by birth, Disciples asking Jesus, why was he born as a blind? Was it because of his sin or of his forefathers? The second question shows their traditional belief, but the first question has to be deeply analysed. Since he was blind by birth itself, the question, whether it is because of his sin means was he sinned in his previous birth. It shows the influence of karma theory. Hence this thought shows the influence of Karma theory of Jainism and Buddhism..

Like this, the Christian doctrines such as trinity, avatar, and fulfillment of sacrifice.... are also absorbed in the Indian religions. History of religions reveals that the doctrine of God taking the form of man, coming into this world and sacrificing himself are the basic doctrines of Christianity. Christianity that developed in India from the early centuries of Christian era (say from 1st c.A.D.) in the Indian soil, Indian culture and Indian language is Early Indian Christianity and it’s development in the Indian language and culture actualized a great way for the development of Saivism and Vaishnavism i.e.,Bhakthi Movement in India. The period of Bhakthi Movement is after the 5th c.A.D.

· God becoming man is totally different from man elevated to the status of God. In the term ‘Avatar’ the syllable ‘ava’ means ‘below’ and ‘tar’ means coming down. Hence, the word signifys God coming down as a man. Those who are born from an earthly father and whose father’s names are mentioned are not avatars but devotees. The religions that existed in the pre-Christ era in India are Jainism and Buddhism. Both these religions do not contain any concept of God and are called agnostic religions. Apart from these religions, there were worships in India (Dravidian and Aryan worship), but there were no theistic religions in the pre-Christ era.

· The period of Bhakthi Movement is after the 5th c.A.D.

· Recent research reveals that Sanskrit was formed after 1st c. A.D. Hence, the doctrines such as the avatar of God, the incarnation and others found in Sanskrit literature belong to the post - Christ era