Kevalaodhi Buddhist And Jaina History Of Deccan Vol 2

Author(s): Aloka Parasher Sen, B Subrahmanyam, E Siva Nagi Reddy
Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan

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Syncritism, Tamil forms of Woship and Jaina Influence
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epigraphic references speak of grants made for maintaining dancers". This could reach a wider audience. and also pander to the senses. There are references to women who made a lot of noise in a playful and vibrant atmosphere while swimming in the tanks. Mention is made of the sufferings of the love lorn lady and her yearning for her beloved in vain. Cuntarar had two wives Paravaiyar and Sangiliyār. Tirunilakanta Nayanar's lustful enjoyment with a courtesan was pardoned, as it was perceived as an act of worship to Siva".
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Here one notes that sanctioning of emotional ways of seeking god led to instinctive modes of worship. This served as an outlet for realizing latent energy. It is strongly noticed in singing where bhaktas break into raptures and are taken to a point of ecstasy. As David Kinsley points out in the context of bhakti, the creation of the world, its preservation, destruction etc would be viewed as a play of god" and this aspect of bhakti was started by the Alvārs who portrayed the Līlas of Kṛṣṇa, his amorous exploits. This emotional bhakti of the Alvars was in fact original to Krsnaism and is found in facets in Śaivism, particularly among the Nayanmars. The Saiva saints led groups of devotees and went on long pilgrimages singing of the Lord and thus were born the concept of pilgrimage. There are many references in the Tēvāram to singing and also musical instruments that are described in detail. There is a reference to music and dance with the Yal and also to the rhythm of the mulavu that accompanied these songs There are also very many grants for the singers of the Tiruppadiyam under the early Colas. The popularity and indispensability of singing the Tiruppadiyam can be gauged from the fact that the singers of Tiruppadiyam were paid more than the temple priests".
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The institution of the Devaradiyärs and the dancing girls of whom we get references in the epigraphs added color and life to religious narrations by propagating religion in the form of an art which was also an entertainment and which like the literature drew on folk themes. Thus the popularity of bhakti among the masses was due to its rejection of ritual formalization.
The period immediately preceding the Saiva bhakti movement was dominated by the Jaina writers (the Lokavibhaga was composed in Cuddalore in the 5th century AD) and the Saiva saints took off from this base and re-articulated the style. Lucidity of thought and ease of expression characterized the style and was therefore well received by the masses, a point appropriated by the Saivaites. Thus the Saivaites produced a great mass of literature (Tēvaram etc.) that was devotional in character and set to music, an innovation, which symbolized the ecstatic nature of bhakti. Significantly, the language that the bhakti poets used created an emotional impact and bound the worshipper top the deity. One of the major features of the bhakti movements in India is the concept of a personal god to whom the devotees could address all his yearnings and problems. It is in this context that the relation of the personal god with the devotee is examined to understanding the prevailing power relations in society. God is addressed to as Peruman, Talaivan, Älvän, all of which are used to indicate positions of power and authority". The devotee has to just surrender to the lord and his grace will save him. Usually Śiva is portrayed as merciful and forgiving. This concept of god enabled the devotee to visualize god as someone who was very near and who would lend an ear to his or her problems. The poetry of the period (7th-9th centuries AD) brings this out very clearly. We have seen one segment of the poetic literature, i.e. the intense psychological and emotional state of the poet saint." The other segment is that of a devotee praying to the all powerful Siva or Visnu asking for gifts and deliverance"
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