Tayumanavar’s Songs to Siva
The Devotional Poems Of a Tamil Mystic
A richly illustrated Tamil and English rendering of the hymns of the Saivite poet Tayumanavar, with the story of his remarkable life and his realizations of silence, religious harmony and union with Siva.
In the luminous canon of Tamil spiritual literature, few voices resound with the power, depth and inner clarity of Tayumanavar—an 18th-century mystic, poet and visionary sage. His 1,452 devotional hymns are piercing revelations of the soul s struggle, longing and ultimate surrender to the Divine. Written in exquisite Tamil, these verses form one of the crown jewels of Saiva Siddhanta—a tradition that blends heartfelt bhakti with profound metaphysical insight. For centuries, his verses have inspired saints, scholars and seekers alike, offering direct, experiential truths spoken from the silence of Self. The art above illustrates one of Tayumanavar songs: It is easy to tame beasts, perform miracles, walk on water and through fire, and master alchemical wonders—but rare and difficult is the conquest of the mind and the stillness of Being.