temple ritual). Because of its sacredness, Tiruva-
cakam has no traditional commentaries attached
to it.
Manikkavacakar’s most important theme is
the shadow of KARMA, which hovers over all as
a specter. The poet calls to God to remove the
bonds of karma and free him. He also speaks of
impurity that takes him on the long road; when
impurity has been removed, he becomes a slave to
Lord SHIVA. (For both Shaivites and Vaishnavites,
the truest devotee is often called a “slave to the
feet” of the divinity.) Most importantly he asks
for Shiva’s grace to escape the hold of the senses,
which lead one to impurity and destruction. Man-
ikkavacakar is not, in the end, antisensual, but is
wary, as many renunciants are, of the pull of the
unrestrained senses.
Further reading: Ratna Navaratnam, A New Approach to
Tiruvacagam, 2d ed. (Annamalainagar: Annamalai Uni-
versity, 1971); Radha Thiagarajan, A Study of Mysticism
in the Tiruvacakam (Madurai: Madurai Kamaraj Univer-
sity, 1983); Glenn Yocum, Hymns to the Dancing Siva:
A Study of Manikkavacakar’s Tiruvacakam (Columbia,
Mo.: South Asia Books, 1982).
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Mediation (T.M.) is a meditation
practice taught first in the 1940s by Maharishi
MAHESH YOGI, a disciple of Swami Brahmananda
Saraswati (1869–1953), affectionately known as
Guru Dev.
Maharishi has refused to discuss his early life
and little has been discovered. It is known that
he was born Mahesh Prasad Varma and that he
graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Allahabad
University. Beginning in the 1940s, he spent 13
years in silent retreat with Guru Dev. After the
death of Guru Dev in 1958, Maharishi started
teaching publicly and began to gather disciples.
He taught what he had learned from Guru Dev
and added some of his own ideas to strengthen
the work. His movement began to attract global
attention when celebrities such as Mia Farrow,
Jane Fonda, and the Beatles became involved.
In T.M., each student is given a private, indi-
vidual MANTRA or sound for silent repetition. The
overall strategy of Maharishi is revealed in his
book The Science of Being and Art of Living, in
which he spells out the groundwork for creating
worlds of unmanifest being, with the goal of real-
izing God.
The theoretical base on which T.M. operates
is termed the Science of Creative Intelligence
(SCI); practitioners maintain that their objective
is scientific and not religious; the basic technique
for SELF-REALIZATION is derived from VEDIC science
and technology. T.M. claims that its effective-
ness has been scientifically proved in therapeutic
settings involving criminals, drug abusers, and
alcoholics.
The technique is described as a simple mental
exercise that initiates deep relaxation and rest. It
is generally practiced for 15 to 20 minutes in both
the morning and evening. Although the technique
was inspired by Vedic practices, instructors in
T.M. and the Maharishi do not consider the prac-
tice to be specifically Hindu, as it does not require
either belief in or devotion to a deity. The ben-
efits of this practice (lowering of blood pressure,
decreased effects of stress, and rehabilitation from
dysfunctional habits) are said to have been veri-
fied by more than 500 scientific studies conducted
at 214 independent universities and research
institutes in over 27 countries. The research has
been published in scientific journals in India,
Europe, Canada, and the United States.
Transcendental Meditation has received
acclaim for improving physiological functioning,
developing mental potential, improving concen-
tration, improving health, preventing disease, and
bringing about positive effects on social behavior.
In 1977, T.M. announced its SIDDHA program
to help initiates achieve paranormal abilities,
including levitation of the body. A former teacher
of the Siddha program eventually sued the coun-
cil, claiming that these manifestations of unusualTranscendental Meditation 451 J