Tirumoolar is a visionary for his songs are relevant even today. His profound sayings are couched in the simplest of words.
The idea of oneness in creation is captured in the cryptic phrase “Onre Kulam, Onre deivam,” ( ‘only one race and only one God) .’ ‘Anbe Sivam,’ expresses the truth that God is synonymous with love and compassion. Another popular verse which runs thus, “May the world gain the bliss that I have gained,” states the unique and noble purpose of his songs, to enable people discover the same bliss of God realisation that he had experienced. He goes on to explain that this bliss is via atma jnana that reveals the relationship of the individual soul and of the Paramatma, pointed out Dr. Sudha Seshaiyan in a discourse.
But this jnana is not easily gained, and even if one catches it in glimpses, the individual is restrained by subtle bonds, namely the anava mala, primordial ignorance, or Avidya, the karma mala or the effects of good and bad deeds, and the maya mala, the taint arising from association with the world.
Through references to the Vedic tenets, yoga sastra and through allusions from purana stories, it is shown that the grace of God alone can help one to conquer the malas. For instance, in the Gaja Samhara episode, the elephant is symbolic of the ‘I’ consciousness in human beings, the source of all ignorance.
The jivatma has ahamkara and mamakara because of the association with the body. It is present whenever the soul takes a body and takes deep root in its consciousness. Only the Lord can achieve the feat of subduing the strong forces of Ahamkara and mamakara and liberate the soul.