Golden Lay Verses

Verse 316 (மந்திர வைப்பு)

தமிழ் பாடல்

சித்தர்பல ரிருந்திட்டா ரின்றுமுள்ளார்

சித்திமிகப் பலசெப்பிச் சேர்ந்தார் நின்றார்

சித்தரிலே கடைச்சித்தன் யானும் வந்தேன்

சித்தாந்த மணிமுடியின் சிரத்தே நின்றேன்

அத்தனைக்கும் தாயாவா ளெவைக்கு மன்னை

அடியேனை யாட்கொண்டா ளனைத்து மானாள்

சித்தினியைச் சிவன் முதலாச் சித்தரெல்லாம்

சேவித்த மறையாவுஞ் செப்புவேனே

Transliteration

chiththarpala rirunthittaa rinrumullaar

chiththimigap palaseppich sernthaar ninraar

chiththarilE kadaichchiththan yaanum vanthEn

chiththaantha maNimudiyin siraththE ninrEn

aththanaikkum thaayaavaa levaikku mannai

adiyEnai yaatkoNdaa lanaiththu maanaal

chiththiniyaich sivan mudhalaas chiththarellaaam

sEviththa maRaiyaavu~nj seppuvEnE

Literal Translation

Many Siddhars have lived (here) and (many) still exist today.

Having spoken of many great siddhis (powers), they joined (together) and remained firm.

Among the Siddhars, I too—the last Siddhar—have come.

I stood upon the head (i.e., at the summit) of the jewel-crown of Siddhānta.

She is the Mother for all; for everything, she is the Queen.

She took me as her own servant; she became the One who is everything.

That ‘Siddhini’—served/worshipped by all Siddhars beginning with Śiva—

I will speak of that “Marai” (Veda/secret doctrine) as well.

Interpretive Translation

The speaker places himself within an ongoing lineage of realized Siddhars—some of the past, some still living—who may display or speak of “siddhis,” yet remain established in a shared attainment.

Claiming to be the “last Siddhar” (possibly in humility, or as one who comes at the end of a cycle), he says he has reached the crown-point of Siddhānta: the apex of the path where doctrine becomes direct realization.

At that summit he encounters (or is claimed by) the supreme Mother/Queen—understood as Śakti, the source and ruler of all categories of existence—who makes him her own.

He then promises to disclose the ‘Marai’—a Veda that is also a “secret”—concerning “Siddhini,” the feminine principle or power revered even by Śiva and by all Siddhars, suggesting that the ultimate refuge is not mere display of powers but the worship/realization of the hidden Mother-principle that grants them.

Philosophical Explanation

1) Siddhar lineage and living presence: The opening asserts continuity—Siddhars are not only historical but “still exist today.” This is typical of Siddhar rhetoric that treats realization as a present, verifiable state rather than a closed past.

2) Siddhis versus Siddhānta: “Speaking many siddhis” can be read as either (a) genuine cataloguing of yogic attainments (aṣṭa-siddhis and more), or (b) a subtle downgrading of fascination with powers. The next claim—standing on the “jewel-crown of Siddhānta”—implies a hierarchy: siddhis may accompany the path, but the crown is stable realization/true doctrine (siddhānta as settled conclusion).

3) The jewel-crown and the head: “Mani-muḍi” (jewel-crown) and “standing on the head” allow a yogic reading: the ‘crown’ suggests the cranial summit (sahasrāra / brahmarandhra), the locus of amṛta/bindu imagery in yoga and Siddhar traditions. To “stand” there implies establishment (niṣṭhā) rather than a fleeting experience.

4) The Mother-Queen as ultimate principle: The verse turns explicitly Śākta: the Mother is “for everything” and “queen of all.” Philosophically, this can mean (a) the immanent power that pervades all tattvas, (b) the sovereign Consciousness-Power (Śiva–Śakti unity with emphasis on Śakti), or (c) a personal goddess form used as a gateway to the formless.

5) Grace and servitude: “She took me as her own servant” frames realization as grace-initiated belonging, not self-achievement. In Siddhar idiom, being ‘taken’ (āṭkoḷ) often marks irreversible transformation—discipleship that is also ontological capture by the Divine.

6) ‘Siddhini’ and the “Marai” (secret Veda): “Marai” simultaneously means Veda and concealment/secret. The promise to “speak” it is therefore paradoxical: he will disclose a teaching that is, by nature, veiled—hinting that it can be stated, but only realized inwardly. “Siddhini” can denote the goddess/power who grants siddhis, but also the inner activating intelligence (caitanya-śakti) that makes siddhi possible. Naming Śiva as first among her worshippers inverts simple hierarchies and emphasizes that even Śiva honors the feminine source/power.

Key Concepts

  • Siddhar paramparai (lineage) and living Siddhars
  • Siddhi (yogic powers) and their secondary status
  • Siddhānta (settled conclusion/true doctrine) as the ‘crown’
  • Mani-muḍi (jewel-crown) and cranial summit symbolism
  • Śakti as Mother (tāy) and Queen (mannai)
  • Grace: āṭkoḷ (being claimed/taken by the Divine)
  • Siddhini (feminine power/goddess/inner potency)
  • Marai (Veda/secret doctrine; the hidden teaching)

Ambiguities or Multiple Readings

  • “கடைச்சித்தன்” (last Siddhar) can be humility (“I am the least”), a chronological claim (end of an era), or a cryptic marker of completion (the ‘final’ stage of the path).
  • “சித்திமிகப் பலசெப்பி” may praise abundant siddhis, or subtly critique the tendency to ‘talk’ about powers rather than abide in truth.
  • “சித்தாந்த மணிமுடியின் சிரத்தே நின்றேன்” can mean (a) ‘I stood at the pinnacle of Siddhānta’ (doctrinal summit), (b) ‘I stood at the crown of the head’ (yogic sahasrāra/brahmarandhra), or (c) both at once (doctrine and inner physiology mirroring each other).
  • “அத்தனைக்கும் தாயாவாள்… மன்னை” may indicate a specific goddess figure, the universal Śakti principle, or the guru-power experienced as Mother.
  • “சித்தினி” can be read as a named deity (Siddhini), a title for Śakti who grants siddhis, or an inner consciousness-power that ‘accomplishes’ (siddhi) realization.
  • “மறை” simultaneously means ‘Veda’ and ‘that which is hidden’; the claim to ‘speak the Marai’ can imply partial disclosure, coded teaching, or instruction that becomes meaningful only through practice/experience.
  • “சிவன் முதலா” (beginning with Śiva) can be taken literally (Śiva worships her), or as a non-dual claim that even the principle of Śiva acknowledges/depends on Śakti for manifestation and attainment.