உலைதளர்ந்த தார்பூலி யோஷதிகள் தேடி
உலைதளர்ந் தாரெரியி லூதுவதை நாடி
நலைகுலைந் தார்தத்தம் நெறிகலைந் தாரே
கலையுணர்ந் தார்பாதம் கண்டுநில் லாரே
Ulaithalarndha thaarpooLi yOshathigaL thEdi
Ulaithalarn dhaareriya i loothuvathai naadi
Nalaikulain dhaarthaththam neRikalain dhaarE
KalaiyuNarn dhaarpaadham kaNdunil laarE.
“When the furnace has slackened, they go searching for ‘tār-puli’ medicines (oṣadhi/herbs).
When the furnace has slackened, they seek to blow (air) into the burning fire.
Their own inner principle (tattva) collapses; their path (neṟi) becomes scattered.
Even after seeing the feet of those who have understood the art (kalai), they do not remain (steadfast).”
When the inner ‘furnace’—vital heat, stamina, or the alchemical fire—weakens, some run after remedies and external techniques, trying to force the fire back by mere fanning. In doing so their grounding in first principles and right discipline breaks down. Even if they meet true adepts and stand before the master’s feet, they still cannot settle into commitment and practice.
This verse criticizes a particular kind of seeker (or practitioner) whose orientation is reactive and external: when decline sets in (“the furnace slackens”), they hunt for oṣadhi (medicines/herbs) and for ways to intensify heat (“blowing into the fire”). In Siddhar idiom, “furnace” (uḷai) can simultaneously indicate (1) a literal alchemical furnace used in rasavāda operations, (2) the body as a crucible where transformation occurs, and (3) the digestive/inner yogic fire (agni) that sustains health and yogic maturation.
The second line’s “blowing into the fire” can be read as a laboratory instruction (stoking a flame) and also as a yogic hint—forceful breath/effort used to stimulate inner heat. The poet’s point is not simply “medicine is wrong,” but that chasing interventions without stable foundation makes one lose “tattva” and “neṟi”: tattva here suggests the governing principles of practice (right understanding of the body-mind elements, method, and aim), while neṟi suggests the ethical and disciplined path/lineage-based regimen.
The closing accusation is sharp: even after seeing the feet of those who truly “know the kalai” (the inner science/arts—yoga, mantra, alchemy, and their correct integration), they “do not remain.” “Feet” (pādam) is a Siddhar shorthand for refuge, discipleship, and surrender to a living transmission; the failure is fickleness—incapacity to abide in one path long enough for genuine transformation. Thus the verse contrasts superficial technical seeking with the Siddhar demand for steadiness, correct guidance, and principled practice.