அப்பாலே லாலனாப் பிறையைப் பற்றே
அதற்கப்பால் சதுரஸ்த்ர திடையே விந்தாம்
முப்பாலே முக்கூடத் துள்ளே நாதம்
மூர்ச்சனையாம் ரோதினியைப் பற்றிக் கொள்ளே
உப்பாலே ஸாஹினியாம் ரோபம் ரேபம்
உயரத்தி லேசூன்யம் பௌத்த தர்ஸம்
மெப்பாலே ஸ்ருங்கடமாங் கைலா சந்தான்
மின்னான என்வாலைப் பொன்னாம்வீடே
appālē lālanāb piṟaiyaip paṟṟē
ataṟkappāl caturastra tiṭaiyē vintām
muppālē mukkūṭat tuḷḷē nātam
mūrccanaiyām rōtiniyaip paṟṟik koḷḷē
uppālē sāhiniyām rōpam rēpam
uyaratti lēcūṉyam pautta tarsam
meppālē sruṅgaṭamāṅ kailā cantān
miṉṉāṉa envālaip poṉnāmvīṭē
Beyond—hold on to the crescent of Lalanā.
Beyond that, in the middle of the firm quadrangle, there is “vintam/bindu.”
In the threefold—within the triple-hall/three-chambered place—(there is) nāda.
Cling to/hold the Rodhinī, which is the swooning absorption (mūrccanai).
On the upper side—appearing as Sāhinī—(there is) “rōpam, rēpam.”
At the height is laya-śūnya, the Buddhist vision (bauddha darśam).
Further on is the linked chain called the Kailāsa connection (Kailā sandān).
My sword-like word flashes: it is the golden home (the golden abode of release).
The verse sketches an inner ascent: begin by “catching” the Lalanā point (often placed at/near the palate, associated with the lunar ‘crescent’ and the downward-dripping nectar). Then move past it to the square seat (the quadrangular yantra region, commonly read as a lower bodily center) where the bindu/seed-essence is stabilized.
From there, enter a ‘threefold’ interior—three peaks, three chambers, or three knots—where the inner sound (nāda) is heard. By seizing Rodhinī (a subtle constricting/retaining channel or a ‘stopping’ function), one falls into mūrccanā: a trance-like swoon that is not mere fainting but an absorption where ordinary breath-mind continuity is suspended.
Higher still, a form called Sāhinī appears, accompanied by cryptic phonemes/sounds (“rōpam, rēpam”)—possibly mantra-bīja fragments or a coded sonic sign. At the summit comes laya-śūnya: dissolution into a void that is nonetheless lucid—named here as ‘Buddhist vision,’ i.e., a direct seeing of emptiness/non-grasping.
Beyond even that void-state is the ‘Kailāsa connection’: a final linkage with the Śivaic summit (Kailāsa) or an unbroken chain of realization. The poet’s ‘sword-word’ flashes as the concluding claim: this path yields the ‘golden home’—either liberation itself or the perfected, deathless, alchemically transmuted state.
1) Vertical interior cartography (yogic anatomy): The poem proceeds as a sequence of “beyond… beyond…” implying staged penetration through subtle loci rather than travel in outer space. “Lalanā” is a known yogic locus/nāḍī-region near the palate, tied to the moon imagery (pirai, crescent). In many haṭha/tantric models, lunar coolness and nectar (amṛta) are connected with the upper palate/head region; “holding” Lalanā can imply khecarī-like stabilization of nectar and mind.
2) Yantra geometry as physiology: “Caturastra” (quadrangle) is classical yantric language; in many South Asian yogic mappings, a square corresponds to the earth element seat (often linked with the base center). “Vintam” likely points to bindu (Tamil usage often renders bindu as vintu/vindam): seed-point, essence, or the subtle causal drop. In Siddhar discourse, bindu can simultaneously mean sexual essence, the causal point of mantra, and the alchemical ‘seed’ to be refined—ambiguity is likely intentional.
3) Nāda and the ‘triple’ interior: “Muppāl / mukkūṭam” (“threefold / triple-hall”) can be read multiple ways: three nāḍīs (iḍā–piṅgalā–suṣumṇā), three granthis (knots), three peaks, or three enclosures within the head. The locating of nāda “within” suggests the classic nāda-yoga move: when the prāṇa is gathered, inner sound becomes the guide.
4) Rodhinī and mūrccanā (absorption): “Rodhinī” is cryptic but etymologically relates to ‘blocking/holding back’ (rodha). In yogic technique, “rodha” is the restraint that collapses discursivity; mūrccanā is a known prāṇāyāma/absorption term (a ‘swooning’ where awareness may become subtle). The verse treats mūrccanā as a yogic event produced by grasping/activating Rodhinī—suggesting a deliberate arresting mechanism (breath, channel, or mudrā) rather than accidental fainting.
5) Sonic code (“rōpam rēpam”): Siddhar verses frequently encode mantric syllables, phonetic hints of internal sounds, or swara-like markers. Here, the pair is not explained; it may indicate (a) bīja/phonemes encountered as nāda refines, (b) musical swara/scale hints (given the presence of mūrccanā, also a music-theory term), or (c) a coded instruction for tongue/breath placement.
6) Laya-śūnya and ‘Buddhist vision’: “Laya” is dissolution/absorption; “śūnya” is voidness. Calling it “bauddha darśam” does not necessarily declare sectarian Buddhism; it can name a mode of seeing where phenomena are empty of graspable essence. Siddhar literature often borrows across traditions: Śaiva summit imagery (Kailāsa) can coexist with a ‘Buddhist’ vocabulary of emptiness to mark a non-dual cognition.
7) Kailāsa ‘connection’ and the golden home: “Sandān” can be a chain, linkage, continuation, or connecting track—here implying either the final ascent to Śiva’s abode (Kailāsa as symbol of the crown-summit) or the continuity of realized transmission. The ending “golden home” (ponnām vīḍu) can mean liberation, but in Siddhar idiom it can also hint at alchemical perfection—‘gold’ as the incorruptible body/state, not merely metaphorical wealth.