The Tamil Devotional Classic Periya Puranam or “The Great Epic” by Sekkizhaar is the saga of the sixty-three Nayanmars or servitors of the Lord who not only lived for Him, on the other hand, adored Him in delightfully distinct ways. Lord Shiva whom these Saiva-Siddhantins worshiped is not a sectarian deity but the supreme creator preserver and destroyer of the Universe who comes in human form from time to time and ‘plays’ with these servitors when their devotion gets incandescent. These Nayanmars consists of devoted men and women of all ages and range from tribal hunters to emperors of vast domains. Caste, community, wealth, and status do not count with them even as they do not with the Lord. The trials and tribulations they cheerfully undergo and the incredible sacrifices they make for the Lord’s sake take our breath away. To pursue their stories is to inhale the air of sanctity and blessedness. Sri G.Vanmikanathan who has rendered the highlights of the original epic from Tamil to English with a racy running commentary is an experienced litterateur who has a number of other devotional works to his credit.

Sekkilar's Periya Puranam deals with the lives and times of 63 Naayanmaars who dedicated their lives in the service of alord Shiva and His devotees. The trials and tribulations faced by these saints leaves us wonder-struck. These tales also shows that the Lord is beyong the clutches of caste and creed as these Naayanmaars belonged to various castes and a few were even women. This makes the Puranam's appeal universal. This is rendered in a simple readable English prose form by an engineer turned scholar, Sri. S. Ponnuswamy. This work is sure to introduce the epic to and enthuse the readers of the present day generation to learn more about it.

Tamil classic on the great 63 Saiva saints of South India.

Translation of Tamil Saivite hagiography.

This book is a translation of the Tamil sthala Purana of Tiruvannamalai composed in the 17th century by Saiva Ellappa Navalar, with special reference to the Arunachala Mahatmya, a section of the Sanskrit Skanda Purana, which is one of its major sources.

This book offers an interpretive history of bhakti, an influential religious perspective in Hinduism. Prentiss argues that although bhakti is mentioned in every contemporary sourcebook on Indian religions, it still lacks an agreed-upon definition. "Devotion" is found to be the most commonly used synonym. Prentiss seeks a new perspective on this elusive concept. Her analysis of Tamil (south Indian) materials leads her to suggest that bhakti be understood as a doctrine of embodiment. Bhakti, she says, urges people towards active engagement in the worship of God. She proposes that the term "devotion" be replaced by "participation," emphasizing bhakti's call for engagement in worship and the necessity of embodiment to fulfill that obligation.

Verse work in praise of Murugan, Hindu deity; retold.

The Hindu sacred order is guarded by the very gods who violate it and the demons who oppose it. This book is a who's who of such transgressive figures, both familiar and unfamiliar, showing their place within the Hindu order that they violate. It is also a reflection of the serious scholarly debate over the nature and composition of this Hindu order. The chapters range from pan-Hindu deities such as Bhairava and Virabhadra to guardian gods of specific regions and lineages and of different goddess cults. Chapters cover violent themes in SAaivite hagiography, the position of Brahmans in relation to cultic carnivorism, guardian heroes in folk epic, the deified dead, the royal mythology of a "criminal caste," and a wide-ranging overview of transgressive sacrality.