Thirumoolar, also known as Thirumoolar Nayanar, is one of the sixty-three Nayanmars and one of the eighteen Siddhas. The Thirumantaram written by Thirumoolar is considered a blessing to Tamil and the first book of Tamil Saiva philosophy. “One clan, one God…” he beautifully explained in the Thirumantaram many centuries ago. Thirumoolar is considered the first Siddha in the Siddha tradition. His real name is Sundaranathan. It is stated in the book Bogar Ezhayiram that he was born in the Agrikulam in the month of Purattasi in the Avittam star of the Aquarius sign. It is said that he lived 5000 years ago BC and that he received teachings from Lord Shiva and Nandeesar.

Thirumurai is the 10th of the twelve Thirumurai. It consists of three thousand verses. It is a well-known fact that yogis live for many years. Thirumurai is a yogi. Therefore, he tells the world the trick he has learned. The body is different, the life is different. Thirumurai tells us that only if these two are together can we achieve the four certainties of virtue, wealth, pleasure and home. Thirumurai is divided into nine parts. Each part is called a tantra. These messages are relevant to understanding the situation of Saivism in Tamil Nadu during Thirumurai’s time.

Thirumanthiram encompasses the fields of spirituality, medicine, science, philosophy, and psychology. Thirumanthiram has nine subdivisions. Each is called a Tantra. It has 232 chapters and 3100 verses.

You may have heard of Parakaya Pravesam, which means to leave the nest and flow from one body to another. That is, a soul leaves the body it is living in, enters another body, and acts according to that body. We read stories of Vikramaditya, Adi Shankara, and Arunagirinathar who left the nest and flowed from one body to another. Similarly, Thirumoolar, one of the sixty-three Nayanmars, also entered the body of Moola and spoke the meaning of the Agamas. The process of leaving the nest and flowing from one body to another is an example of the philosophy that the soul is different, the body is different.

There was a yogi who received the teachings of Nandi Thevar on Mount Kailash and attained Attama Siddhi. He accompanied Agastya and came towards Pothiyamala in friendship. He reached Thiruvavatudhurai. He worshipped the Lord Ang. While leaving the monastery, he saw a herd of cows crying on the banks of the Kaveri River. A shepherd named Moolan, who grazed the cows, was lying dead. The yogi wanted to relieve the suffering of the cows. With the Siddhi he had learned, he infused his life into the body of a man named Ammoolan. The cows were happy. In the evening, Thirumoolar took the herd of cows to their places. They went to their homes as usual. Thirumoolar stood at one place. The wife of the shepherd named Moolan went in search of her husband, thinking that her husband had not yet arrived! She saw the yogi standing like her husband. Thinking that something had happened to him, she tried to take him to her house. She could not. So she returned home without any regret. That night passed. The next day she told many people about her husband’s condition. They went to Thirumoolar. Then, seeing that Thirumoolar was in a state of yoga, they told the Moolan’s wife that he could not be changed. She was very sad.

The yogi got up from yoga and searched for the body he had kept. He did not find it. Due to his yogic knowledge, he realized the soul of the Lord. It was the will of the Lord that the meaning of the Sivagama should be told through the voice of the Lord. Therefore, he knew that his body was hidden by the Lord. When the Lord left Sathanur, the shepherds followed him. He told him the truth, reached Thiruvavaduthurai and worshipped the Lord. Sitting in Sivaraja Yoga under the royal tree to the west of the temple, he composed three thousand poems in three thousand years. Then he reached the shadow of the Lord’s feet.