Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Anthropology. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Madras, 1974. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-264) and index.

Thesis (M. Litt.)--Madras University. / In Tamil. Includes bibliographical references (p. [93]-95).

The central term in Tamil Śaiva religious vocabulary is aruḷ, designating Śiva's fundamental principle. It is widely regarded that Śiva's aruḷ spawned the cosmos, and to a practicing Śaiva, only Śiva's aruḷ can free a soul from the cycle of samsāra or rebirth. In a Śaiva theological context, the term debuts in medieval bhakti (devotional) hymns of the nāyan̲mār (poet-saints); over the course of four centuries (ca. 6th - 9th cents CE) the theological nuances of the term became increasingly intricate. In the last major devotional work produced, the Tiruvācakam (ca. 9th cent CE), Māṇikkavācakar expanded the semantic latitude of aruḷ, using it in ways that the previous Śaiva poets had not. Māṇikkavācakar created a space for arul to become the Śaiva identity mark par excellence. He used the term to indicate an array of theological aspects--Śiva himself, Śiva's grace, any action that Śiva undertakes, the path of knowledge that assists devotees in understanding the nature of the soul, and the mercy and compassion that Śiva has for his servants. While this list is not exhaustive, it points to the semantic breadth of arul as a Śaiva theological concept. This dissertation is an analysis of the semantic evolution of the concept arul through three genres of Tamil literature: classical (caṅkam) heroic and love poetry, and medieval Śaiva devotional poetry. I utilize a variety of texts for the project. From the eight anthologies of cankam poetry, I translate and analyze poems from the Pur̲anān̲ūru, Aiṅkur̲un̲ūru, Kur̲untokai, Akanān̲ūr̲u (ca. 1st century BCE to 4th century CE). From Śaiva bhakti literature, I focus on Māṇikkavācakar's Tiruvācakam. In reading from these texts, I trace the semantic continuity and interruption between the classical secular poetry and the medieval devotional poetry. I argue, among other things, that the cultural underpinnings of the concept remain intact as the term becomes incorporated in the technical vocabulary of Tamil Śaivism. The Śaiva authors were thus able to develop a new and unique style of religious literature that resonated with the cultural and literary past. / text

This thesis is a Tamil to English translation of Tirukkaḷirruppaṭiyar (TKP), composed by Uyyavanta Tevanayanar toward the end of the twelfth century C.E. The work contains one hundred quatrains of Tamil poetry composed in veṇpa meter. It is a poetic expansion of Tiruvuntiyar (TU), an earlier composition likely by the author's teacher's teacher. The TKP is a transitional text between the devotional religious bhakti(patti -Tamil) hymns of the nayanmar, who lived between the sixth century and the twelfth, and the Saiva-Siddhanta (Caiva Cittantam-Tamil) Theo-philosophical system, which developed between the thirteenth and the fourteenth centuries. TKP is the second work in the canon of fourteen texts called the Meykaṇṭa Sastra (Meykaṇṭa Cattiraṅkaḷ -Tamil), TU being the first. The introduction in the thesis discusses the date of the author, his position in the lineage of teachers, major themes found in the work such as the importance of a teacher, types of worship, miracles of the Saiva saints and final release from the cycle of births and deaths. TKP's similarities and differences with the TU, and how the TKP provides a foundation for later Saiva Siddhanta thought are addressed. Besides translation, each verse has a gloss and there are several appendices, tables and charts with additional information.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. (Litt.)--Madras University. / In Tamil. Includes bibliographical references (p. 224-231).

Thesis (M. Litt.)--Madras University. / In Tamil. Includes bibliographical references (p. [93]-95).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Madras, 1974. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-264) and index.