ஆதாரம் பலகாட்டும் விஞ்ஞா னந்தான்
ஆதார மூலத்தைக் கண்ட தில்லை
ஆதார மானநிரா தார மொன்றே
அதையறிவா னவனேதான் சித்தன் சித்தன்
ஆதார மூலத்தை யறுகோ ணத்தை
அப்பாலைக் கப்பாலாம் லிங்கந் தன்னை
மீதார சூக்கத்தை மின்னல் மேனி
வெட்டவெளிக் குமரிதனை மேவி னானே?
Aathaaram palakaattum vignyaa nanthaan
Aathaara moolaththaik kanda thillai
Aathaara maananniraa thaara mondre
Athaiyarivaa navanethaan siththan siththan
Aathaara moolaththai yaruko naththai
Appaalaik kappaalaam lingan thannai
Meethaara sookkaththai minnal meni
Vettaveli kumarithanai mevi naane?
“The one (who speaks of) ‘vijñāna-ānanda’ points out many ‘ādhāras’ (bases/centers),
(but) he has not seen the root of the ādhāra.
The ādhāra—indeed—is only the one ‘nirādhāra’ (the supportless).
He who knows that—he alone is a Siddha, a Siddha.
(The) root of the ādhāra, the hexagon (aṟukoṇam),
that Liṅga which is beyond even the ‘beyond’—
(the) subtlety above; the lightning-bodied one—
has he merged with the ‘Kumari’ of the open/empty expanse (veṭṭaveḷi)?”
“One may parade knowledge by naming many inner ‘supports’ (ādhāras, yogic stations), yet miss the Source of all supports. The true foundation is the ‘supportless’ Reality itself. Whoever directly knows that paradox—support as the Supportless—is the Siddha.
Knowing the root-center and its yantric geometry (the ‘six-angled’ figure), passing beyond even what is called ‘beyond’ to the Liṅga (pure, signless Consciousness), attaining the ‘subtle above’ and a lightning-like body—has such a one united with the Void’s Maiden (Kumari), i.e., the interior Śakti that dwells in vast open space?”
1) Critique of merely conceptual yoga: The verse contrasts showing/teaching “many ādhāras” (often read as chakra-loci or bodily supports used in yogic ascent) with actually “seeing the root of the ādhāra.” It warns that enumerating inner centers (a map) is not the same as realizing the source (the territory).
2) ‘Ādhāra’ and ‘nirādhāra’ as a deliberate paradox: ‘Ādhāra’ means support, base, substrate, or a bodily/psychic station. ‘Nirādhāra’ is the unsupported—classically the absolute (Śiva, Brahman) that requires no ground. Saying “the ādhāra is only the nirādhāra One” collapses the ladder: what you seek as the ultimate support is precisely that which cannot be supported. This fits Siddhar idiom: the Real is not another rung but the cessation of dependence.
3) Siddha identity as gnosis, not status: “He who knows that is the Siddha” makes realization (knowing the supportless as the real support) the criterion, rather than lineage, scholarship, or technique.
4) ‘Root of ādhāra’ and ‘hexagon’ (aṟukoṇam): The “root” naturally evokes mūlādhāra (root-support), but Siddhar usage can also mean the fundamental origin-point from which all supports arise. The “hexagon/six-angled figure” can point to yantric anatomy—often a shatkona (interpenetrating triangles, Śiva–Śakti union) or a sixfold configuration within a chakra-field. The verse keeps it cryptic: it may indicate a precise inner diagram known to practitioners, or a symbolic marker for the union of polarities.
5) ‘Beyond the beyond’ and the Liṅga: “Appālai-k-appāl” (beyond-beyond) suggests surpassing even subtle transcendence-concepts (gross → subtle → causal → the ‘beyond’ of mind). The Liṅga here can be read as the signless Absolute (Śiva as pure consciousness) rather than an external icon.
6) ‘Subtle above’ and ‘lightning-bodied’: “Sūkṣma” (subtle) “above” implies a higher, finer state—often associated with ascent of prāṇa/kuṇḍalinī and refinement of consciousness. “Lightning-bodied” (miṉṉal mēṉi) can indicate (a) radiant yogic physiology (tejas), (b) the Siddhar ideal of a transformed body (divya-deha / siddha-kāya), or (c) a poetic index of sudden illumination.
7) ‘Veṭṭaveḷi Kumari’ (the Maiden of open space): “Veṭṭaveḷi” (vast empty expanse / open void) is a Siddhar term for the unbounded space of awareness (sometimes aligned with cid-ākāśa). “Kumari” (virgin/maiden) can signify the interior Śakti (kuṇḍalinī in her unspent, pure form), or a deity-form of the void-space itself. “Merging” (mevi) then becomes the nondual consummation of Śiva–Śakti, consciousness–power, or knower–known.
8) The closing question: The final line is phrased as a question, which preserves the Siddhar’s intent: it can be rhetorical (such a knower surely has merged), or challenging (have you truly reached this, or only spoken of ādhāras?).