Paper short abstract:

Focusing on the earliest texts of the Tamiḻ Śaiva philosophical tradition—the twelfth-century Tiruvuntiyār and Tirukkaḷiṟṟuppaṭiyār—this paper examines the conceptual and poetic shift in speaking about Śiva from the first text to the second in light of the evolving practices of temple Śaivism.

Paper long abstract:

Focusing on the two earliest texts of the Tamiḻ philosophical tradition known as the Śaiva Siddhānta (Tamiḻ caivacittāntam)—the twelfth-century Tiruvuntiyār and Tirukkaḷiṟṟuppaṭiyār—this paper examines the profound conceptual and poetic shift in ways of speaking about Śiva from the first text to the second, particularly in light of the evolving practices of temple Śaivism during this period. While the Tiruvuntiyār poetically frames its theology by envisioning Śiva playing a game akin to badminton with his devotees—the second and third line of each stanza end with the joyful refrain to the shuttlecock and devotee to "rise up and fly" (untī paṟa)—the later Tirukkaḷiṟṟuppaṭiyār appears to retreat altogether from further consideration of Śiva's divine play or līlā (Tamiḻ viḷaiyātal). Rather, the text envisions its lord as ultimate teacher or guru: beyond play, beyond words, beyond any human conceptualization. Philosophical speculation in the Tiruvuntiyār presents itself as an emotion-laden, experiential exercise, a discourse not of truth-statements but of imperatives to think, to see, to engage in the game of the lord and thus fly upward to his heaven. In the Tirukkaḷiṟṟuppaṭiyār, the call is instead to sober reflection on the distance between devotee and lord, and the critical role of the teacher in bridging that distance. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which these two texts—and the theological distance between them—shed new light on the development of ritual practices, institutions, and patterns of patronage in the twelfth-century Tamiḻ-speaking region.