செந்தமிழின் சித்தர்கணம் செப்பப் போமோ
சிவனுமையாள் கந்தனுடன் சேர்ந்தார் சித்தர்
அந்தமிலாக் கும்பமுனி யகத்தி யன்தாள்
அருமையுள்ள கருவூரா ரவர்தான் போற்றி
விந்தையுள புலத்தியரின் பாதம் போற்றி
வித்தைமிகும் வள்ளுவனார் பாதம் போற்றி
கந்தர்பிரான் கொங்கணவர் பாதம் போற்றி
கனமான ஜெயகண்டி பாதம் போற்றி
senthamizhin siththargaNam seppap pOmoo
sivanumaiyaaL kanthanudan sErnthaar siththar
anthamilaa kumbamuni yakaththi yanthaaL
arumaiyuLLa karuvooraa ravarthaan potri
vinthaiyuLa pulaththiyarin paatham potri
viththaimeekum vaLLuvanaar paatham potri
kantharapiraan kongkaNavar paatham potri
kanamaana jeyakaNDi paatham potri
Shall we proceed to speak of the assembly of Siddhars in refined Tamil?
Siddhars—those who have joined with Śiva, Umā, and Kandan.
Praise the feet of Agastya, the Kumbha-sage without end.
Praise that Karuvūrar, of rare worth.
Praise the feet of Pulattiyar, wondrous one.
Praise the feet of Valluvar, rich in learning.
Praise the feet of Kandarpirān and of Konganar.
Praise the feet of the weighty (grave/solid) Jayakandi.
Can the Siddhar lineage be adequately set into words—even in pure Tamil?
These are the Siddhars who have ‘joined’ the divine family of Śiva–Śakti and Skanda (Kandan): i.e., merged in realization, or moved under that triple current of grace.
The speaker begins by taking refuge at the “feet” of named masters—Agastya (Kumbhamuni), Karuvūrar, Pulattiyar, Valluvar, Kandarpirān, Konganar, and Jayakandi—invoking their authority and blessing before any further teaching.
This stanza functions as a lineage-invocation (guru-vandanai) rather than as doctrinal instruction. In Siddhar idiom, “praising the feet” is not mere reverence; it signals submission of ego and the receiving of transmission (upadēśa) through the guru-principle. The rhetorical opening (“shall we even speak…?”) implies that the Siddhars’ scope exceeds language; yet the poet proceeds, acknowledging the inadequacy of speech while still using it as a vehicle.
The phrase “joined with Śiva, Umā, and Kandan” can be read in two interlinked ways that Siddhar texts often keep deliberately overlapping: 1) devotional-theistic: these Siddhars belong to, and are guided by, the Śaiva–Śākta–Kaumāra divine field; 2) yogic-nondual: they have ‘joined’ (merged) into the realization symbolized by Śiva (pure consciousness), Umā/Śakti (power/manifesting force), and Kandan/Murugan (the dynamic, piercing intelligence often linked with inner fire and yogic conquest).
The list of names blends pan-Indic ṛṣi figures (Agastya; possibly Pulastya) with Tamil Siddhar/cultural authorities (Karuvūrar, Konganar, and Valluvar), suggesting that the Siddha way claims both Vedic-ṛṣi legitimacy and Tamil experiential authority. “Agastya the Kumbhamuni” especially points to a foundational southern transmission: the ‘pot-born’ sage associated with Tamil grammar, medicine, and yogic lore. The final epithet “kanamāna” (heavy/weighty) for Jayakandi underscores not physical heaviness but gravity—steadfastness, authority, and the ‘weight’ of realized speech.