the first seven books, Manickavasagar's Tirukovayar Thiruvasagam as the 8th book, the 28 hymns of nine other saints as the 9th book, the Tirumandiram of Tirumular as the 10th book, 40 hymns by 12 other poets as the 10th book, Tirutotanar Tiruvanthathi - the sacred anthathi of the labours of the 63 nayanar saints and added his own hymns as the 11th book. The first seven books were later called as Tevaram, and the whole Saiva canon, to which was added, as the 12th book, Sekkizhar's Periya Puranam (1135 CE) is wholly known as Tirumurai, the holy book. Translation works on Thiruvasagam There is a famous saying translating to "One who is not melted by Thiruvasagam cannot be melted by any vasagam (saying)". George Uglow Pope was born on 24 April 1820 on Prince Edward Island in Canada. He became interested in Tamil and learned the language during a six-month ship voyage to India. His magnum opus, an English translation of Thiruvasagam, appeared in 1900. Pope found a close affinity to the utterances of sincere devotion in such verses as 'Longing for devotion alone', 'Without thy presence I pine', 'Deadness of soul', 'God all in all', 'I am thine, save me', 'His love demands my all'. He also compared Manickavasgar to the likes of St. Paul and St. Francis of Assisi. G.U.Pope Translation G.U.Pope translated Thiruvasagam. Victory to the foot of the King, who soothed my soul's unrest and made me His ! Victory to the jewelled foot of Pinnagan, who severs continuity of birth ! Victory to the flower-foot of Him Who is far from those without ! Victory to the anklets of the King, rejoicing 'mid those that fold adoring hands ! Victory to the anklets of the glorious One, who uplifts those that bow the head ! (10) And in places G.U.Pope mentions the difficulty about translating these Tamil poems to the proper meaning in English.He states, "Lines 66-95 are well nigh untranslateable, for they contain a subtle and intricate allegory, by means of which the grace of the manifested Shivan, who is praised under the title of the 'Cloud' is set forth. The idea is that the Infinite sea of rapturous supreme felicity is Civan, but - as the Cloud in the monsoon season sucks up water from the sea, and rises in black masses that cover the sky, while all the phenomena of the wonderful