[Ifroham4]

paramanaip paaduvaar adiyaarkku adiyEn... (Sundaramoorthy Nayanaar)

You are au fait with Tamil bakti ilakkiyam as I notice from your partaking in other threads. No so, I am not so much into bakti. Just that I messed around too much with the Othuvars at Tank Road Temple here during my younger days - their singing keep ringing in me.

Would you consider Manickavasagar to be referring to Sivan, Brahman or just the supreme being at large? Manickavasagar - specifically? Thiruvasagam is classified "thOthiram" meaning 'devotional'. So you can see in it, concepts of supreme god Siva, attributes and description of Him, alongside praises filled with some episodes from puranas. More often Manickvasagar refer to Siva as the supreme being at large.

I will glance through my Thiruvasagam - perhaps the first three chapters and come up with quotes - we will see what Manickavagar says. Meanwhile two lines from him....

paraman kANka! pazhaiyOn kANka!
piramanmAl kANAp periyOn kANka!
---- thiruvandapaguthi - Thiruvasagam

Here piraman is lesser than paraman .....

back in a few hours with more lines