வேரறியா விளைவறியும் விஞ்ஞானந்தான்
வேரறிந்தே விளையாடும் மெய்ஞ்ஞானந்தான்
சார்பறியுஞ் செயலறியும் விஞ்ஞானந்தான்
சார்புதருஞ் சாரமதே மெய்ஞ்ஞானந்தான்
ஈரறியு மீர்மையெலாம் விஞ்ஞானந்தான்
இருமையெலா மொருமையுறல் மெய்ஞ்ஞானந்தான்
பாரறியும் பேதநெறி விஞ்ஞானந்தான்
பரமறியும் போதநெறி மெய்ஞ்ஞானந்தான்
Vērariyā viḷaivariyum viññānaṉtāṉ
Vērariṉtē viḷaiyāḍum meyññānaṉtāṉ
Sārpariyuñ ceyalariyum viññānaṉtāṉ
Sārputaruñ sāramatē meyññānaṉtāṉ
Īrariyu mīrmaiyelām viññānaṉtāṉ
Irumaiyelā morumaiyuṟal meyññānaṉtāṉ
Pārariyum pētaṉeṟi viññānaṉtāṉ
Paramariyum pōtaṉeṟi meyññānaṉtāṉ.
It is ‘vijñāna’ (analytic/scientific knowledge) that knows the fruit (result) without knowing the root.
It is ‘mey-jñāna’ (true knowledge) that plays, having known the root itself.
It is ‘vijñāna’ that knows the connection (dependence/association) and knows the workings (actions).
It is ‘mey-jñāna’ that is the very essence that gives/holds the connection.
It is ‘vijñāna’ that knows the “two-ness” and all matters of duality.
It is ‘mey-jñāna’ that makes all duality enter into oneness.
It is ‘vijñāna’ that knows the path of differentiation (pēdha-neṟi).
It is ‘mey-jñāna’ that knows the path of awakening (bōdha-neṟi) that knows the Supreme (param).
Ordinary learned knowledge can describe outcomes while remaining ignorant of the originating source. True gnosis knows the source directly and moves freely from that knowing.
Discursive knowledge maps relations and mechanisms; true gnosis is the living essence by which relations arise and are sustained.
Discursive knowledge recognizes dualities and classifies them; true gnosis resolves duality into a single, undivided reality.
Discursive knowledge walks the road of difference; true gnosis walks the road of awakening that realizes the Absolute.
The verse sets up a strict parallelism between two modes of knowing:
1) Vijñāna (விஞ்ஞானம்): knowledge of objects, effects, mechanisms, classifications—competent in explaining “how things work” in the domain of names, forms, and relations. It “knows the fruit” (விளைவு) but not the “root” (வேர்): i.e., it can track results, symptoms, consequences, and observable patterns while missing the first principle, source, or ground.
2) Mey-jñāna (மெய்ஞ்ஞானம்): “true knowledge,” not merely correct information but direct realization. It “knows the root” and therefore can “play” (விளையாடும்): a Siddhar idiom implying effortless mastery, freedom from anxiety, and spontaneous action rooted in realization rather than calculation.
The stanza then refines the contrast through paired terms: - “Connection/support/attachment” (சார்பு) and “action/function” (செயல்) belong to vijñāna: it operates within relational networks—cause/effect chains, dependencies, social or conceptual supports. - “Essence” (சாரம்) belongs to mey-jñāna: it is not merely another link in the chain but the underlying ‘sap/essence’ by which the chain is possible. In Siddhar usage, “சாரம்” can carry metaphysical force (essence/inner pith) and may also resonate with yogic/medical language (vital essence), without the verse forcing a single reading.
The duality theme (ஈர்/ஈர்மை/இருமை) is pivotal: vijñāna distinguishes—self/other, subject/object, body/mind, pure/impure, this/that—whereas mey-jñāna is the nondual resolution where such pairs are seen as expressions of one reality. Thus, “pēdha-neṟi” (path of difference) denotes the epistemic road of discrimination that multiplies categories; “bōdha-neṟi” (path of awakening) denotes liberating insight culminating in “param” (பரம்), the Supreme/Absolute. The verse does not deny the utility of vijñāna; it limits its reach: it is powerful within dualistic domains but incomplete regarding ultimate reality.