Poornaprajna International Journal of Philosophy & Languages (PIJPL)
February 3, 2026
Ramanathan Srinivasan, P. S. Aithal
2 citations
Tiruvācakam, a 9th-century Tamil Śaiva text by Māṇikkavācakar, presents theology as lived experience through emotion, surrender, and mystical intimacy with Śiva, dissolving boundaries between devotee and deity. This exploratory qualitative study argues that the text functions as an experiential theology prioritizing inner transformation over metaphysical speculation, using motifs of tears, longing, divine grace, and ego-annihilation rooted in personal encounter rather than institutional dogma. By situating it within Tamil bhakti traditions and global mystical literature, the paper highlights its enduring relevance as a spiritual manual integrating ethics, aesthetics, and transcendence, articulating human-divine communion through lived emotional experience.
Poornaprajna International Journal of Philosophy & Languages (PIJPL)
March 10, 2026
Ramanathan Srinivasan, P. S. Aithal
1 citation
Tamil Bhakti literature, a major mystical tradition centered on devotion and inner realization, shares common themes—love, surrender, self-annihilation, and experiential knowledge of the Divine—with Sufi, Christian Mystical, and Zen Buddhist traditions. This paper uses an exploratory qualitative method, collecting data via keyword searches in Google, Google Scholar, and AI-driven GPTs, to compare Tamil Bhakti saints (Nāyaṉmār and Āḻvārs) with these global traditions. The analysis shows that Tamil Bhakti mysticism transcends South Indian religious theology, establishing a soteriological grammar of interiority. The paper places these saints within a contemporary global mystic community, highlighting their relevance to modern spirituality and peace.
Poornaprajna International Journal of Philosophy & Languages
May 31, 2026
Ramanathan Srinivasan, P. S. Aithal
The Ashtavakra Gita, an ancient Sanskrit dialogue between Sage Ashtavakra and King Janaka, presents a radical non-dual philosophy that insists the Self is already free, whole, and untouched by worldly experience, rejecting gradual spiritual paths. This exploratory qualitative paper examines its core doctrines—witness consciousness, non-doing, the illusory nature of bondage, and non-origination—within the Advaita Vedanta tradition. It argues that the text's rejection of the seeker-seeking paradigm and its claim that psychological suffering stems from mistaken identification with the mind-body complex anticipate and challenge modern cognitive psychology, contemplative neuroscience, and phenomenological philosophy. The paper proposes an integrative model positioning the text as a living epistemological framework for consciousness studies and East-West dialogue.