In his Thirumandiram, Thirumoolar talks of the greatness of the Vedas, said R. Narayanan in a discourse. Thirumoolar says some talk of righteous things, not mentioned in the Vedas. But, according to Thirumoolar, there are no dharmas that are not spoken of in the Vedas. Good scholars shun debates, which do not refer to the Vedas, says Thirumoolar. The Supreme Brahman is shown by the Vedas. There are some who study the Vedas, but their focus is on the Karma Kanda portion, which deals with rituals. They learn the relevant mantras required for rituals, but ignore the Jnana Kanda. The Jnana Kanda shows us the Supreme One, who is the embodiment of jnana. He who does not study the Jnana Kanda section, but merely recites mantras, will never realise the nature of Brahman. His external appearance may suggest a life of piety and learning, but it will not take him close to Brahman. One should meditate on Lord Siva, and think beyond the world of cit (sentient) and acit (non sentient). One should immerse oneself in Siva bhakti. There are those who worship the devas seeking boons of various kinds. Seldom do they praise Siva. This is due to their karma.
Thirumoolar says the Vedas have six angas. These are — Siksa (phonetics); Vyakarana (grammar); Nirukta (etymology); Kalpa (rules regarding rituals); Chandas (prosody); Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology). Some study all these aspects of the Vedas well, and yet do not reap the benefits of such study, because they fail to worship Siva, says Thirumoolar. Literature, music and dance impart good qualities to people. But some people use their skills in the fine arts to make money. Similarly, some who study the Vedas use their knowledge to earn money. The purpose of Vedic study is the realisation of Siva, says Thirumoolar.
