Manikkavacakar
India (9th Century) Timeline
Yoga / Hindu : Shaivite (Shiva)


Poems by Manikkavacakar
Books

The name Manikkavacakar, sometimes written in English as Manikkavasagar, means "the one of ruby utterances." He is one of the most revered poet-saints of the Shiva tradition in southern India.

Manikkavacakar was the prime minister to the king of Madurai. Tradition says that, while on an errand for the king to buy horses, Manikkavacakar met the god Shiva. (A comparison can be drawn with Paul encountering the light of God on the road to Damascus and being utterly transformed.) Manikkavacakar was so overwhelmed by this encounter that instead of buying horses, he spent all the money given to him on building a temple dedicated to Shiva. Hearing of this, the king had Manikkavacakar imprisoned, but later released him.

Manikkavacakar wrote love poems to God, striving to render the experience of divine ecstasy into words.

Poems by Manikkavacakar


Recommended Books: Manikkavacakar

The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice



Manikkavacakar