[Solved] Tirumurai: The Fifth Veda of Tamil Shaivism | Concept & Explanation

The collection of the writings of the Saivite saints is considered as Fifth Veda. What is the name of the above collection?

[Jharkhand P.C.S. (Pre.) 2021]

Detailed Solution & Historical Context

Concept

The Bhakti movement in South India led to the creation of vast devotional corpora that were elevated to the status of Vedic scripture.

Authentic Source Evidence

Tirumurai is a 12-volume collection of hymns by the 63 Nayanars. It is revered as the 'Tamil Veda' or the 'Panchama Veda' (Fifth Veda).

Analytical Breakdown

Option D is Correct: Tirumurai contains the Thevaram and the Thiruvasagam, which are core to Shaiva Siddhanta philosophy.

Logic: By calling it the Fifth Veda, the Tamil people asserted that vernacular devotion was equal in spiritual potency to Sanskrit ritual.

Conceptual Deep Dive & Logic

"Who are the primary contributors to the Thevaram part of Tirumurai?"

Appar, Sambandar, and Sundarar are the three prominent saints of the Thevaram.

Examiner's Mindset & Pro-Tip

"Tirumurai represents the institutionalization of the Bhakti experience into a formal liturgical canon."

Topic Clusters (click to see related topic questions)

Nayanars 2 Shaivism 5

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