Service ethics in Periya Puranam [பெரிய புராணத்தில் தொண்டு நெறி]

Abstract

The twelve holy books of ‘Thirumurai’ symbolise the Shaivism. From these twelve books, Sekhizhaar wrote about what he considers as the greatest book of all, which is ‘Periya Puranam’. This ‘Periya Puranam’ speaks about the history of Shivam worshippers who lived in Tamil Nadu. It tells the level of devotion and services done by the 63 ‘Nayanmars’. A service is an action that is done by someone voluntarily and selflessly in order to help others. Service among fellow human being is considered as something equal to a service towards God. ‘Nayanmars’ considered this service as representation of their service to God. They valued this actions as their service to their religion as well to the society. Even though they had to overcome many obstacles and difficulties, they did not allow themselves to be distracted from their main focus or objective in life. This selfless act of service is what gave them happiness and peacefulness on earth and hereafter.