CITTER TIRUMULAR

 

TYOGA Educational Trust 

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Citter Tirumular was Sundara Naadar. He was a pioneer in that school of thought, and had the cult name of Tirumular. The word ‘Tiru’ which means ‘The Nature’ is a sacred word for Citters, since it refers not only to riches but the root cause of all the riches, the nature and its cosmic root. Citters believed that this cosmic root, the secret message that was conferred from mentors to disciples was the basis which in the course of time expanded into all facets of creation including body alchemy and immortality. Being the first to know and to benefit from this cosmic secret, Tirumular was conferred with this cult name and thereafter, by his statement, he lived countless years.

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In the Citter cult, disciples were considered as children of Citters.

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Beginning with Civa, all Citters were considered accordingly. This tradition of passing the wisdom to successive generations of disciples is attested in the writings of all Citters. A study of Citter’s scripts reveals one vital fact, that, their cult began as a redefined ideology of an ancient yogic cult often referred to as Tantric cult. Yoga, a meditative practice, seems to be the first form of self-analysis and spiritual elevation.

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In ancient times, the human life expectancy was unbelievably long; the needs were very minimal; education was not defined and streamlined; mind cult was not widespread; as such, self-cultivation of wisdom and acquisition of the same when so opportune, seemed to be the only possibilities. Civa the supreme mentor along with his followers seemed to have felt the need of time to formulate the forerunners of human societies and as such a strategy devised for the renaissance of mankind at large.

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Eventually, as presumable through the scripts of Tirumular and his successors, Tirumular was assigned with the task of streamlining the yogic cult and making it available to those who are desirous to follow the Citter cult. The Tirumantiram lauded to be the greatest work of Tirumular, explaining the supreme secret of ‘Tiru,’ an esoteric term with a contextual reference to the cosmos, the nature, the spirit, the earth, the provider of wealth and wealth itself, and so on, and prescribing a methodology to adapt it to the betterment of the human race. Though, all Citters have written their Tirumantiram, the term is commonly used to refer to the one written by Tirumular. In order to share his joy of spiritual freedom, he wrote his scripts and gave rise to a school often referred to as ‘Tirumula Vargam.’ Tirumular was one of the eight Citters who learnt the Citter cult under Civa. It will not be a flattery to say that, it was only after Tirumular, the Citter cult started to take a proper shape.

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Citter Tirumular is a towering personality in the Tamil Caiva Tradition. He is hailed as an ancient mystic from the ancient Tamil heart land.

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As a Citter, he used methods by using the body and the mind as a tool to go beyond the limitations of time, space, and causation. He placed great emphasis on the role of body and mind to reach supreme states of consciousness.

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Citter Tirumular indicates that knowledge of life and long life are essential, to attain spiritual knowledge. He explains “The body needs to be protected as it is perishable; there is something very important inside it, and that something is the all-pervading entity, as though my body, is its temple. After finding that truth I have taken a vow to protect and preserve my body - the temple and keep it perfect.”

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Thus, the practice and teachings of Civa Yogam.

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In verse 122 of the Tirumantiram, a compilation of his teachings and experiences, he says that Civa yogam is the method by which the soul identifies itself with Civa. Tirumular indicated that this type of Yoga was not in vogue before him.  It is for the first time that this Yogam is explicitly explained and discussed in the Tirumantiram.

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Tirumular teachings go beyond yoga, where he deals with the complete human being, life and the cosmos.

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Tirumular, during his fabled span of life, wrote numerous poems. The more important one was his Tirumantiram-8000 of whose abridged form is presently available as Thirumandhiram-3000.

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