H.W.Schomerus' Der Saiva
Siddhanta
Translation by Dr. Fritz
Edited by S. Ambikaipakan
(Rev. H.W.Schomerus had translated into German the entire Tiruvachakam, portions of Periya Puranam, Tiruvilayaadal Puraanam etc. A detailed review of his work on Saiva Siddhantam is printed in this volume. According to Dr. Glenn E. Yocum, "the need to assert the superiority of Christianity, sometimes in rather dogmatic, abrasive fashion, is an unfortunate characteristic of much of Schomerus' work on Tamil religion". Editor.)
1. Anava Mala
The word Anava comes from the root Anu. Anu means the very subtle, the atom, and is used for the soul, so far as it is limited in space on account of the evil adhering to it, although it is omnipresent according to its innermost nature. Anava Mala therefore, means the evil which makes the soul an Anu, a specially limited entity. In non-philosophical usage anava means pride, arrogance, self-conceit.
It seems that the word anava as a metaphysical conception is only to be found in the Saivaitic writings. For anava is often used Avidya(ignorance) or Irul i.e. darkness which must be removed by arul (grace) revealing enlightenment. Why the conception of Anava has been introduced, I could not ascertain. Dr.Pope supposes that this conception has been introduced by the influence of the anu doctrine of the Jains. He writes about it in his English translation of the Tiruvachakam, P.Lxxxvi;(English). In Siddhiar II, 80 we find the following definition of Anava Mala. "Anava Mala with its many Saktis, is one pervading through the numberless Jivas as the dirt in copper and having no beginning, hides their Gnana and Kriya. It also affords them the capacity for experience, and ever the source of ignorance".
These statements show that anava mala exists since eternity without beginning. It is one in its nature but is equipped with a number of powers by virtue of which it is present in all souls. This presence however has not set in during any time, but it is without beginning. (Umapathi, Payan III 8 Tamil)
There has never been a time in which the souls were without anava mala, and there is no time in which anava mala exists disengaged from the souls. Anava Mala and the souls are co-existent like the grain of rice and the husk or like copper and verdigris or like sea water and its content of salt. (Bodha II,2,3, Ex p12-Tamil).
Although anava mala is matter in its nature, it is formless and invisible. One cannot see it in the souls just as one cannot see the fire in a piece of firewood.
The connection between anava mala and the souls is so close that one can call it an attribute of the soul (Siddhiar II.84). But in reality this does not come through; (Tamil Siddhiar II 85 p.187)
Also Umapathi rejects the assumption that the relation between the soul and anava mala is a relation between substance and attribute. (Payan III.7).
Even if Anava Mala is not a quality whose existence is essential for the souls, it is in fact present in the souls and is just as closely connected with the souls as Shakti with Shiva i.e., it stands to them in advaita relation. For what reason Siddhanta assumes an advaita relation between Anava mala and the soul, becomes obvious from Irupa 4.
The bondage did not originate but is eternal just as the connection between the husk and the rice grain, between verdigris and copper. It can neither be reduced to the activity of the soul nor to the activity of God.
That the Anava mala is present in the souls is shown by its effects. The effect of Anava mala upon the souls is being paralleled by the effect of darkness upon the eyes (Payan III 2 and 3 Tamil).
Darkness veils everything so that the objects are not visible, yet it does not veil itself and therefore it is possible to avoid the evil consequences of its darkening activity. Anava mala however does not only veil other objects but also itself and thus coaxes the souls into its pernicious nets; it entices them to activity in spite of their ignorance which only leads to catastrophes.
Umapathi brings home to us the whole tragic nature of the bondage of the soul through Anava mala showing that it is nearly impossible to shun its influences. (Payan III,5,6)
Anava Mala is here compared to an insolent harlot who always deceives her husband, but who adorns herself with a cloak of chastity. The husband knows nothing of the life of his wife. He believes in her chastity and therefore keeps a relation which can only bring him disgrace. The soul, too, does not guess how it is being deceived by Anava mala, lives in ignorance of the disaster which this relation is about to bring and therefore does not feel itself compelled to abolish it. But there is no means for the soul to see through the tricks of Anava Mala.
Although Anava Mala can never perish as it is eternal, its activity can cease. This can be concluded from the knowledge which the souls with the help of the organs can acquire during their presence in the body. (Tamil -Payan III).
As Maya through its products, the organs of senses, can diminish ignorance, there is hope that ignorance can be entirely removed at some time. The possibility of this removal results from the advaita relation. As the soul and Anava mala are in the advaita relation, the former can be liberated from the latter without impairing its innermost nature, just as the nature of the rice grain is not changed when the husk is removed or the copper when the verdigris has been taken away.
The beginningless close connection between Anava mala and the souls raises the question whether it does not exclude the likewise eternal connection of the souls with Shiva. Umapathi answers this question in Tiruarut payan III,4.
Notwithstanding the connection with Anava mala, the connection with Shiva remains. Just as the fact that the rice grain from the beginning is connected with the husk, does not exclude the other fact that the rice-grain contains from the beginning a living germ, so also does the presence of Anava Mala in the souls not exclude the presence of pure intelligence of Shiva. This common presence of Anava mala and Shiva in the souls does however not affect Shiva. Anava Mala has no power over Shiva. It is said that Anava Mala veils Shiva; but this does not mean that Shiva is in anyway affected by the presence of Anava Mala. Shiva is changeless intelligence which can neither be diminished nor increased. Shiva remains just as unaffected by Anava Mala as the sun is not affected by our sunshade. The sun-shade veils us and not the sun. Anava Mala does not veil Shiva but the faculty of knowledge of the Souls. (Tamil Kodikavi 1)
Anava Mala does not condition Shiva in anyway, but Shiva conditions Anava Mala. He is also master of Anava Mala, first because he has power to liberate the souls and then because Anava Mala cannot operate without them.(Tamil Bodha, II,2).
Part II, 2 says that Anava mala operates with the help of the Shakti of Shiva. Like wise Siddhiar II, 87.
Unfortunately this dependence of Anava mala upon Shiva is nowhere fully described. Probably it is to be compared to the dependence of the growth of the plants upon rain and sunlight which develop the seed, but do not condition its quality. The influence of the Tirodhana Shakti upon Anava mala produces desire or according to the commentary on Bodha II, 2, confusion, pride, sorrow, grief, weariness, curiosity, which bring the souls under the law of Karma and subject them to transmigration.
We just heard Anava mala conditions Shiva in no way. It is another question whether Shiva is not somehow conditioned in activity. In the first sutra of the Bodha we read that the Universe is subject to the process of arising, existing and perishing on account of mala i.e., in order to abolish Anava Mala. It is therefore Anava Mala which includes Shiva to activity. But one need not see it in a dependence of Shiva on Anava Mala, as we can assume that Shiva wills the removal of Anava Mala, by his own resolution. Tracing back the activity of Shiva is not necessarily a limitation of the latter, as the assumption of the sleeping period of the world during which Shiva does not affect Anava Mala makes it possible to think that the influence of Shiva is only conditioned by his free resolution. He need not stir; but he does it in favour of the souls.
Once set moving, Anava mala produces confusion, pride, desire etc. Does Shiva stir Anava mala in order to produce these evil things, does he aim at them? The answer is He does not (Tamil Tirup 4).
Those evil products are therefore not to be put to the account of Shiva but to the account of Anava mala. Although Shiva who sets Anava Mala moving, does not aim at those products it still produces them. How is that to be explained? The answer is because Anava mala bears in itself the tendency to produce those things. In the face of this tendency Shiva is powerless [Inspite of his deep study of the Saiva Siddhanta Sastras, Schomerus has tripped in writing about Anava Mala. He says Shiva is powerless in preventing Anava Mala from producing evil things. Shavities consider Shiva as all powerful(±øÄ¡õ ÅøÄÅ÷)and it is sacreligious to use the word powerless in connection with Shiva. It cuts at the root of the Saiva Siddhanta concept of God Ed.]He cannot influence Anava mala in a manner that it produces better things. Just as it is not in the power of the sun to determine the species of the plants which grow by means of his co-operation, also Shiva cannot determine the quality of the products which arise from Anava mala under his co-operation. He is bound to let Anava mala which he himself has set moving develop itself according to inherent tendencies. The only thing he can do is to hunt. Anava mala till its powers are exhausted. (see part VI).
In closing this section we have to draw the attention to the fact that the soul cannot be made responsible for Anava mala adhering to it and for the evil qualities resulting from it. The primary evil and the resulting tendency to do evil is not a guilt bu only a disaster; strictly speaking the evil is not ethical but intellectual.
Now coming to the subject matter under discussion Anava Mala left to itself would like to keep souls dormant, but Shiva because of his concern for the souls uses his power to activate Anava Mala. When Anava Mala is stirred, naturally all the evil things inherent in it are also stirred. To counteract their influence, Shiva activates Karma and Maya Malas. Anava Mala hides the Gnana and Kriya Saktis of the souls but Maya Mala activates them. As a result of Maya Mala becoming active, souls perform Karma which purifies them gradually. To work out their Karma fully souls go through the cycle of births and deaths. They continue in this state till they reach the state of Mala-paripakam and Iruvinaioppu.
Courtesy: Saiva Siddhanta, Vol.11, No. 2, April-June 1976.
