Necessity of five-fold functions

Umapati Shivam then asks the question of necessity of these functions and their metaphysical significance. He explains that these activities of God are with unlimited mercy and compassion towards bound selves in its real sense. They are motiveless and free without any expectations in return, just like any sport is motiveless. Saint Manikavasagar speaks of sporting in performing the various cosmic functions. Kambar also mentions that these are all sports of God.^[1]

God-head has no purpose for Himself and He is ever-sufficient paripurna which remains wholly complete even when knowledge and power are constantly emanating from Him. So He performs these activities only out of His compassion and grace towards the individual selves. Hence this sport is effortless for Him.It also implies freedom of act. So the positive significance is ‘Gracious self giving’ by the Lord. Divine activity reclaims the selves immersed in the ocean of pain and suffering. He makes it possible for getting them blessed from within.^[2]

Hence the individual selves are, by His compassionate gracious function, made to realize from ‘within’ as to what they are, and why they suffer, and then blessedor liberated from within. The interior light of knowledge is manifested as a means of knowing God. Similarly the ensuing experience of bliss is of the nature of manifestation of Divinity (Shivatva [shivatvam]) with which the self is always inalienably one.

All cosmic functions including destruction are expressions of Grace. How can destruction or death be considered a gracious act? Death is normally viewed that the self is deprived of its life. It is considered as a merciless and cruel act of God. But the view of Shaiva Siddhanta is that the individual self is going on its developmental progress of wiping out its internal impurities and attaining the blessings from within. In a span of birth and death events, the self attains the spiritual fatigue and becomes tired of living anymore. God helps the self by giving the body to go through the process initially. Later He deprives the self by taking away the body and giving it some rest. Sambandar says that He takes away the body from the individual self and another body is given so that the individual self is liberated from the defilement.^[3] This is similar to a hard working person taking rest during sleep and starting work after rest. Kural also expresses the same view:^[4] “Death is like a long sleep and birth is like waking up after a refreshing sleep”.

How is the destruction viewed as a spiritual rest or refreshment of life? According to Shaiva Siddhanta the native existence of the finite self is not only not being infinite, but also in beginningless association with the evil of ignorance. So resolution is technically nothing but the self being restored to its primordial condition of isolation just like the one preceding the life of empirical enjoyment and suffering.Hence it is as good as its native existence.^[5]

So the individual self is provided with a body to enjoy the twin fruits of karma . When it gets fatigue, it is restored to its native state intermittently and the cycle continues as per the operation of the law of karma . Consequences of deeds accumulate because of pre-existence and become fit for removal by experiencing the fruits of the deeds. Therefore as a kind of rest and preparation to experience the new one, a transformation of body is necessary. This is a gracious act of the Lord from a cosmic and individual point of view.

Just like destruction, creation after dissolution is to be considered as an act of Grace. The function of protection is also because of the Grace of the Lord. Maya stimulates and galvanizes the self by evolving the body, senses etc. The self gets vested with these evolutes and enjoys the experiences by which its originally impure condition shall cease to remain constant and solid, but it ripens and eventually deceases.^[6]

In this process it is again to be observed that re-creation means one more embodiment of self by maya . Again protection means keeping the self bonded to maya . This in a real sense is a blessing since the self gets engaged in successive experiences of joy and sorrow. It stimulates the respective bonds to their fruition; but view from the angle of the self is generalized as concealment and veiling. It should be understood that what is concealed or veiled is Reality of God in the self by the pasha . The action and knowledge of self due to its anavamala leads to the concealment of its knowledge wherein the concealing power of Grace abets the bonds. The dormant bonds are stimulated so that 102 they cease to be potent. So concealment forms part of actions of Grace, though Grace appears to be playing the opposite form of Grace paradoxically.

Finally the impurity of defilement is brought to a condition of ripeness by the preceding functions, and the actual removal of impurity takes place by the function of bestowal of Grace. The final function of an unhidden bestowal of Grace is a co-event to that of liberation of the self.^[7]

From the perspective of what is accomplished to the individual self, from its native existence with impurities, to that of the liberated stage free from impurities, all the five functions—creation, protection, destruction, concealment and Gracing—are continuous and continuing acts by Grace of God.^[8]

This chapter is, in short, a brief study of the concept of God as per the doctrine of Shaiva Siddhanta, and the necessity of the concept of Shakti descending as His Grace. The relation between God and the self, cosmic function of God and the necessity of performance of these functions have been discussed here.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Aran arulin dhiruvilaiyattu—Sivaprakasam 18.
Katthum padaitthum karandhum vilaiyadi—Tiruvacakam
Ulagam yavaiyum thamulavakkalum nilaiperutthalum
Nikkalum ningala alagila vilaiyattudaiyar .—Kamba Ramayanam, invocation.

[2]:

Anukkal idarkkadal endrum edutthe uttra
Miga arul puridhal .—Sivaprakasam 18.
implies yield from within.

[3]:

Sediyaya udal tirppan tivinaikkor marundhavan .—Sambandar, Thevaram.

[4]:

Uranguvadhu polum sakkadu urangi
Vizhippadhu polum pirappu .—Kural.339.

[5]:

Thanunmai .—Sivaprakasam 51.
The individual self is in association with evil of ignorance and defilement in its native state.

[6]:

Odukkam ilaippu olitthal mattraith
Thottram mala bagamvarak,
katthal bhogam Thuippitthal—Sivaprakasam 18.

[7]:

Thirodayi nirutthal agum pottralarum Arul arule .–ibid.

[8]:

mattrup Pugandravaiyum arul ozhiyap pugal onadhe .—ibid.