THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE TIRUMANDIRAM (KR. Arumugam) Introduction. To know a system of philosophy is to understand its ideas on God, soul & the world & to comprehend how system reasons them out. It is an attempt to know which one of the three occupies the prime place, which one is the ultimate reality according to that system. The epistemological aspects in the Tirumandiram:- Epistemology or theory of knowledge, a branch of philosophy, is concerned with the relation between subject & object in the process of cognitive activity, the relation of knowledge to reality, the possibility of man’s cognition of the world, the criteria of the truth & the authenticity of knowledge. SAIVISM AS CONCEIVED IN THE TIRUMANDIRAM:- Introduction:- Defining religion precisely is an impossible task. Each one will have one’s answer for the question what religion is. “Belief in God,’’ “the art of living in perfection,”1 “an internal experience”—may be the answers. Kant defines religion as “accepting our duties as divine commands;” according to Schleirmacher religion is “our dependence on something which is beyond our control but which controls us;” according to Hegal religion is “the bound soul realizing itself unbound.” Mathew Arnold defines religion as “morality touched with emotion.”2 Realising reality as it is, is religion according to the Indian point of view.3