Verse 3 from Tantra (chapter) 1 of Thirumoolar’s work tells us:

3: Immortals Adore
He who stands the same to all,
The Pure One, whom immortal
Gods adore,
Whom, even they, that daily
stand beside, know not,
Him I seek, praise, and meditate.

According to essays on Thirumandiram by yogic scholars, philosophy aims to discover our true Realty, while religion aims to help souls become liberated by permanently releasing them. For Thirumoolar, both knowing the reality and realizing it were both necessary.

Worship is an element of bhakti. Thirumoolar said that bhakti and jnana are the 2 steps that lead to the ultimate goal of liberation. The Agamams (Vedic or astrological practices connected to spirituality) classified a four-fold path to achieve this spiritual goal: carya, kriya, yoga and jnana. Thirumoolar defined these as:

Knowing the Lord one with oneself is worship by jnana;
Seeing the Lord as Light of one’s life is worship by Yoga;
Invoking the Lord in an idol is worship by outward means kriya;
Collecting materials of worship with tender-heart is Siva-Puja- Carya.

(Quoted from: The Yoga of Siddha Tirumular by Ganapthy, Arumugam, Anand, page 143)

This is a translation from Tantra 5, Verse 1444 of the Tirumandiram:

1444: Jnana, Yoga, Kriya and
Chariya Defined
To be one, Life within Life-that the
luminous path of Jnana;
To seek the Light within Life-that
the mighty path of Yoga;
To invest idol with Life-that the
external way of Kriya
To adore Siva in love-that the
basic worship of Chariya

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