Saiva Sidhantham

Some of the seilient points of Saiva Sidhantham are

1.  No one knows the genesis of  those 3 things that were the only things that existed at the start of the universe. They are as follows

      

     A) Pathi

     B) Pasu

     C) Pasam

     Pathi (the almighty) is knowledgable and is the one that knows all by itself.

     Pasu (the athma) is knowledgable but only if the almighty (pathi) helps.

     Pasam (desire) is not knowledgable at all. It is inanimate. 

2.  After seeing the sufferings of atma (due to its preoccupation with desire), pathi decides to help atma realize the truth, so that atma can come out of its sufferings and attain blissful state. In order to educate and make atma realize the truth, pathi decides to provide atma with necessary engines, so that atma uses these engines to realize the highest truth, that being in unison with pathi is the one and only salvation, to tide over the sufferings and ultimately come out of the birth cycle and attain mukthi.

3. There are 36 thatvas (engines) that pathi provides athma to experience the truth.

4. The 36 thatvas, bottom up are as follows

    1 - 5 - the punja boothas 

         1. Earth, 2. Water, 3. Fire, 4. Air, 5. Space

    6 - 10 - thanmathirai

          1. Smell, 2. Taste, 3. Sight, 4. Sense of touch, 5. Sound

    11 - 15 - gnanenthrium

          1. Nose, 2. Tounge, 3. Eyes, 4. Skin, 5. Ears

     16 - 20 - karmenthrium

          1. Hands, 2. Legs, 3. Ability to speak, 4. Excretion outlet, 5. Reproductive outlet.

      21 Manasu

      22 Budhi

      23 Ahankaram

      24 Sitham

      The above 24 thatvams of overall 36 thatvams is called / are from prakritimayay.

      The 7 asudhamayay thatvams are as follows

       

       0. Mayay

       1. Kalai (gnanam)

       2. Vithai (kriyay)

       3. Passion (itchai)

       4. Time (neeram)

       5. Space (neyathi)

       6. Purudan (above 1-5 is called panjakanjugam ( dress ) for athma, panjakanjugam + athma is called purudan.

         The 5 Sudha thatvams are as follows top down

       1. Sadhasivan

       2. Maheswaran

       3. Ruthiran

       4. Vishnu

       5. Brahma

       All the above 5 are all various status of atma, but due to their mastery / control over the prakritimayay & Asudhamayay have entered into Sudhamayay. Every Atma has the potential to raise upto Sudha thatvas.

Some exponents have included 2 more elements to 5 Sudha thatvam    1. Parasivam(Natham), 2. Parasakthi(Vinthu).

5. Above all 36 thatvam is Paraparasivam in Paraveli 

6. How to cross all the 36 thatvams and attain mukthi ?

    By having control over the 24 prakritimayay one enters the Asudhamayay. -Read Seekazhi Sitrambalanadigal's "Thugalaru Bodham" vurai for more details

    One's gnana guru appears when one crosses prakritimayay and one enters Asudhamayay, to redeem the athma from Karma and ego(anavam).

7. As one crosses each thatvam the atma attains (super)natural powers. Saivam insists not to get diverted when attaining such powers as they might delay the attainment of Mukthi. During the exercise (Sadhana) to help cross the thatvas, There are stages when ones ego might make one feel he/she is the god. One need to be cautious of the same and should always have in mind that atma has no knowledge unless the knower lets the atma know and realise truth.

8. Even after attaining mukthi atma should realise that it is because of the knower that the atma is enjoying the bliss.

As you can see from the above that Saivam is in support of duality unlike Advaitam that proposes atma  when refined it becomes paramatma or the god. But Saivam always says that the atma can only reach to the Knower(god) and can never become God.