Review of “Mukti Tharum Mudukundram”
My school-time friend, Sri Meenakshi Sundaram, has authored a wonderful Sthala Puranam of Thiru Mudu Kundram, also known as Vrudhachalam. Being a native of this place, he has not only rendered a great service to future generations by documenting local and temple history in detail but has also provided a valuable resource for research on Mudukundram’s Sthala Purana and other temples in its vicinity. While drawing from old records and existing literature, he has added new insights previously overlooked and complemented the text with vivid visuals, including appropriate photographs under each heading.
This is the first Sthala Purana book I’ve read, and I find his approach of presenting fluent Tamil—neither overly classical nor colloquial but a blend of both—remarkable. It makes the text highly accessible. My own sister whose native place is Mudukundram also received a copy. After reading it she called and said that this book is written in a scholarly way. It’s hard to believe this is his debut book, and I hope and pray that his natural talent leads to many more such writings on various subjects in the future.
Though constrained by page limits, he could have included some key Tamil Saiva Saints who composed poems about this place. However, since all these songs are now available on the Saiva Siddhanta website, interested readers can access them easily with the provided website link and specific song numbers and volumes.
There is only one typing error in this entire book that could be corrected in the next edition:
1. On page 5, paragraph 3, it should be ‘கோயில்’ instead of ‘கொயில்’.
In addition to this, I have a question. On page 5, the author refers to the wife of Sri Sundaramurthi Nayanar as ‘Thunaiviyaar’. However, when mentioning the wife of Madurai Veeran, he uses ‘Manai’ for his wife. This inconsistency is noted in other places as well (see pages 32, 76). I am unsure which Tamil word is correct for ‘wife’: மனைவி (Manaivi) or துணைவி (Thunaivi). Of course Valluvar alternates between ‘Manaivi’ and ‘Thunaivi’ in other Kurals. As a Tamil student, I am interested in learning more about this.
Regarding this query, I consulted OpenAI’s ChatGPT and received the following response:
“In Tamil, the word ‘மனைவி’ (manaivi) is commonly used to refer to a wife. It is the standard and widely accepted term for ‘wife’ in the Tamil language. The term ‘துணைவி’ (thunaivi) is not typically used to mean ‘wife’ in Tamil; it generally means ‘companion’ or ‘partner’ in a broader sense, not specifically in the context of marriage. Therefore, ‘மனைவி’ (manaivi) is the correct and appropriate word for ‘wife’ in Tamil.” —accessed on 3-7-2024, 8:30 AM.
While both ‘Manaivi’ and ‘Thunaivi’ are alternately used in literature, in common usage, ‘Manaivi’ is the preferred term for ‘wife’. ‘Thunaivi’ is rarely used and generally means ‘companion’, which can extend beyond the context of marriage. Interestingly, while ‘Manaivi’ and ‘Thunaivi’ can both mean ‘wife’, the term for ‘husband’ is consistently ‘Kanavan’ [or Veetukkaarar viz., the owner of our home. But not the real owner of the building in which they live in a rented ‘house’ but to her ‘home’. ] and not ‘Thunaivan’, which could imply a ‘friend’ or someone a woman lives with without marriage.
Finally, I have a request. If possible, producing a video explaining each important location both inside and outside the temple would greatly benefit readers of this book, providing a better understanding through visual explanation. This would especially benefit those unable to visit the place, offering a visual darshan of the temple they may otherwise miss, particularly for those born or raised in this holy place, providing a sense of satisfaction.
The print quality is excellent, with the use of high-quality paper. It’s commendable. May God bless him and wish him success in all his future endeavors, particularly in his writing projects.
Meenakshi Sundaram has divided this book into 10 parts. For each chapter, he not only provides a title in Tamil that conveys the essence and narrative of the chapter, but also very attractive titles in Tamil that briefly summarize each chapter.
In Part One, he discusses the history of this place. Chapter 2 deals with various ‘theertam’ (holy water sources) in this city (5 in total). Chapter 3 explores the presiding deities in Vrudhachalam, covering other important temples where the same deity is enshrined in surrounding areas, as well as festivals in the main temple. Chapter 4 delves into the temple structure, from the Sanctum (Garbhagaha) to all the epigraphic records within the temple. Chapter 5 presents additional information from other Puranas and details about saints associated with this temple and place. Chapter 6 provides the bibliography, and Chapter 7 includes copies of government records. Chapter 8 acknowledges all sponsors and supporters of the work. Chapters 9 and 10 provide more autobiographical information about Meenakshi Sundaram.
One aspect remains clear in his presentation: despite offering authentic information from hagiographic and epigraphic evidence, he does not include the myriad folklore stories associated with this temple, which are common to many temples.
With this inaugural book, he sets a new trend in writing ‘Thalapuranam’ (local history) of important pilgrimage sites in India. Alongside many other writers, he will serve as an inspiration for future generations to learn from his work.
May God bless him to continue producing such valuable contributions.
Krupavan Gurukulam Maruppalli,
Krishnagiri district (near Thally)
3-7-2024
After this review I wrote a song about this work
முக்திக்கு வித்தான
முதுகுன்ற நாதா
எத்திக்கும் உன்னருள்
இன்னும் பரவிட 1
இத்தலம் பிறந்த
உன்னிய தொண்டர்
உன்தல வரலாறை
சிறப்பாகத் தொகுத்து 2
உன்னருள் கொண்டு
உலகிற்கு அளிக்க
எத்திக்கும் வாழும்
உன்மெய் அடியார்கள் 3
இத்தலம் வர
இயலாது போனாலும்
இந்நூல் படித்து
உன்னடி பணிந்து 4
மாறாத நின்னருளை
நாள்தோறும் பெற்று
பேரானந்த சிவகதியை
தவறாது எய்வரே 5
தயானந்த பாரதி,
குருகுலம்
24-06-2024
After this review, I wrote a song about this work. I have written a long poem in my own style to present another ‘Thala Purana’ in Tamil. However, I used some imagination and folklore, particularly the story about Sundarar refusing to sing until Shiva changed the elderly appearance of his wife. There is no hagiographic or epigraphic evidence for this. I also included the contemporary condition of this place, highlighting the environmental crisis. I will share this as a separate article. See: The Story of Mudukundram [Vrudhachalam]
Lord of Mudukundram
Oh Lord of Mudukundram,
Who is the source of salvation,
For your glory to spread
In every direction.
Your devotee,
Born in this holy city,
Compiled the history
Of your sacred place.
As he shared it
With the world by your grace,
All your devotees,
Living everywhere,
Though unable
To visit and see you,
Bow at your holy feet
By reading this book.
Always thinking about
Your constant grace,
And receiving it each day,
Will reach the blissful state of ‘Shivahood’.
Gurukulam.
24-06-2024
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