Fifth World Sekkilar Conference to bring peace and unity

BY "KALABHOOSHANAM" Chelvatamby, Maniccavasagar

THE fifth world Sekkilar conference organised by the Ministry of Hindu Religious Affairs and the Department of Cultural Affairs will be held at New Kathiresan hall Bambalapitiya, Colombo - 4 commencing at 5 p.m. on September 9th and going on until September 11.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse will be the chief guest while the High Commissioner for India in Lanka Nirupama Rao will be the special guest.

Thirugn anasam bantha Moorthy Nayanar Thirunavu kkarasu Nayanar   Sunthara moorthy Nayanar   Manicca vasaga Swam igal

The keynote address will be delivered by the Minister of Hindu Religious Affairs K.N. Douglas Devananda and the welcome speech will be by Maheswary Velantham (Advisor) Ministry of Hindu Religious Affairs.

On the second day Prof. C. Pathmanathan, Vasantha Vaidyanathan, Kambavaruthy E. Jeyaraj, "Thamilaruvi" T. Sivakumaran, M.S. Sri Thayalan, Assistant Director, Department of Cultural Affairs and several others will address the conference.

The "world revolveth not round the inventors of new noises, but it revolveth inaudibly round the inventors of values," thus said a German Poet. In the history of the world every nation has stood for a particular idea which it has sought to weave into the fabric of the lives of the people.

Thus, the Greeks made the concept of beauty essentially their own, the Spartans exalted in strength and the commitment to Rule of Law moulded the pattern of the British.

Likewise, long before the Greeks and Romans the Hindus were told to govern their lives by the norms of Dharma, which comprehends all the excellences which make for an ideal humanity.

That was the reason the great Swami Vivekananda once said that before flooding Indian with socialistic ideas and political ideas first deluge the land with religious and cultural ideas.

Sekkilar who was the author of Periya Puranam" which describes the life and work of 63 Nayanman was born at Kunraththur in Thandai Nadu in Andrapradesh in the 11th century. He was a Minister in the royal court of the Chola king.

Though he was born in a Saivite farmer family of Sekkilar tradition, the Chola king Kulothungan made him his Prime Minister on account of his intelligence, honesty and excellence. Besides, he knighted him "Uththama Chola Pallavar Sekkilar".

Sekkilar was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva at Thirunageswaram and did lot of service to that temple.

The Chola king who was much interested in the arts was mostly appreciating 'Chivakachinthaman'. Sekkilas, as a dedicated and devoted Minister wanted to guide the king in the proper way. Sekkilar advised the king that looks like 'Chivakachinthaman' will do good neither for living nor for liberation. He requested the king to read the book on 'Thiruthondar Puram' which later named as 'Periyapuranam'.

Inspired by the lives and works of these Nayanman, the king wanted Sekkilar to sing in detail the lives of these devotees as an epic.

Sekkilar agreed and worshipped Lord Shiva and He gave him the first word to start the epic as "Ulakelam". Thereafter Sekkilar wrote the entire "Periyapuranam" and was made public in Chithambaram in the presence of intellectuals, saints and others.

After the Arangetram of this great epic 'Periyapuranam', the Chola king took Sekkilar around the town on the royal elephant and he himself fanned Sekkilar during the procession.

The king made the 'Periyapuranam' the twelfth 'Thirumarai'.

Sekkilar's absolute devotion to Lord Shiva and the humble manner in which he pleads for His grace are described through the prayers of 'Karaikal Ammaiyas'.

"I pray for the infinite happiness of your love; I do not want to be born again, if I do, I do not want to forget you forever; if I do I want to be happily singing in your praise under your feet as you are dancing".

In the 'Periyapuranam' Sekkilar has given the life history of the 63 Nayanmas. He has particularly maintained Sundaramoorthy Nayanar, Thirugnana Sambantha Moorthy Nayanar, Thirunavukkarasu Nayanar, Thirukurippu Thonda Nayanar and Maniccavasagar Swamigal, who have done tremendous series in the sphere of spiritualism.

Undoubtedly, the fifth World Sekkilar Conference will redeem thousands and thousands of young men and women who have been precariously and perilously pushing themselves into the vortex of moral and spiritual degeneration, degradation and violence of an unprecedented nature.