Golden Lay Verses

Verse 98 (மணி வைப்பு)

தமிழ் பாடல்

குரு வரக் கூடயிருந்து தருவது பெரிய மருந்து

குரு பரன் நாடும் விருந்து குளிர் குகை யமுத மருந்து

குரு பதிக் கோணம் வரைந்து குரு நிலை தன்னை யறிந்து

குரு பதம் குறைவிலா விந்து குண விதம் சொல்லல் மிகுந்தே

Transliteration

kuru varak koodayirundu tharuvathu periya marundu

kuru paran naadum virundu kulir kugai yamudha marundu

kuru padhik konam varainthu kuru nilai thannai yarinthu

kuru padham kuraivilaa vindhu guna vidham sollal migundhe.

Literal Translation

“To remain together when the Guru comes—what (he) gives is a great medicine.

The feast that the Supreme Guru seeks: in the cool cave (is) the ambrosial medicine.

Drawing the Guru’s seat/abode as a triangle, and knowing the Guru-state itself,

The Guru’s ‘foot/step’ is the faultless bindu; the telling of its qualities and method is abundant.”

Interpretive Translation

The Siddhar says: when one abides in the Guru’s presence (outer or inner), what is received is not ordinary advice but a ‘great medicine’—an initiatory remedy that heals the root condition of bondage. The Supreme Guru longs for (or reveals) an inner “feast”: within the cool, hidden cave of yogic interiority there is an amṛta-like elixir. By contemplating/inscribing the Guru’s “seat” as a triangle (a yantric sign of power, union, or the threefold channels), and by discerning the Guru’s true state, one reaches the “Guru’s foot”—the stable foundation—identified with an undiminishing bindu/essence. Its qualities and the way of working with it are said to be vast, even beyond full telling.

Philosophical Explanation

1) “Great medicine” (பெரிய மருந்து): In Siddhar idiom, “medicine” can mean (a) an actual herbal/mineral/alchemical preparation, (b) mantra-dīkṣā and a corrective yogic regimen, and (c) the transformative “kāyakalpa” principle—rejuvenation through transmutation of bodily and mental essences. Calling it “great” implies a root-level remedy rather than symptomatic relief.

2) “Feast” (விருந்து) and “cool cave” (குளிர் குகை): The “feast” can be read as inner nourishment—amṛta/nectar, bliss, or the subtle satisfaction of the Supreme principle. The “cave” is a standard image for an interior locus: commonly the heart-cave (hṛdaya-guha), the cranial vault where nectar is said to drip, or the sealed interior of suṣumṇā. “Coolness” suggests pacification of heat (tāpam), calming of passions, or the cooling/soma aspect of yogic alchemy.

3) “Drawing the triangle” (கோணம் வரைந்து): Siddhar texts often encode practice through geometry. A triangle can signify: - a yantra of Śakti (downward triangle) or Śiva-Śakti conjunction (interlocking triangles), - the triad of iḍā–piṅgalā–suṣumṇā, - the three guṇas, or a threefold discipline (body–breath–mind). “Drawing” may be literal (diagram/yantra) or contemplative (placing the mind into a triangular configuration/seat).

4) “Guru’s foot/step” as bindu (குரு பதம் … விந்து): “Padam” can be ‘foot’ (foundation, refuge) and also ‘state/plane’ (a realized station). “Bindu” can be semen/seed-essence, a luminous point, or a drop of nectar. Siddhar physiology frequently links conserved and transmuted bindu to ojas/tejas and to amṛta production—hence “undiminishing” (குறைவிலா). The verse leaves open whether this is a sexual-physical doctrine (retention/transmutation), a purely yogic symbol (one-pointed consciousness), or both simultaneously—as is typical in Siddhar cryptic style.

5) “Its qualities and method are abundant”: The closing suggests that the bindu/doctrine is vast and traditionally taught through guarded instruction, not fully exhausted by words. It also hints at a lineage-context: what is “given” is transmitted in proximity (“remaining together”) and through lived practice, not merely explanation.

Key Concepts

  • Guru as outer teacher and inner principle
  • Periya maruntu (great medicine): mantra/discipline/kāyakalpa/elixir
  • Amṛta (nectar) and soma imagery
  • Kulir guhai (cool cave): heart-cave, cranial cave, suṣumṇā interior
  • Yantra/geometry: koṇam (triangle)
  • Guru padam: foot/refuge or realized state/station
  • Bindu (vിന്ദu): seed-essence, point, drop; conservation and transmutation
  • Esoteric transmission and guarded instruction

Ambiguities or Multiple Readings

  • குரு வரக் கூடயிருந்து: can mean ‘when the guru comes, remain together (in attendance)’ OR ‘abide so that the (inner) guru may come/manifest’—a shift from social instruction to inner yogic invocation.
  • விருந்து (feast): could be literal hospitality to the guru, or metaphorical ‘inner nourishment/bliss,’ or the ‘offering’ that the Supreme principle ‘seeks’ (i.e., the aspirant’s purified attention/breath).
  • குளிர் குகை (cool cave): may indicate the heart (hṛdaya), the cranial region (nectar-dripping locus), the suṣumṇā interior, or simply the hidden recess of awareness; the text does not force one localization.
  • குரு பதிக் கோணம்: ‘guru’s abode/seat (pati) as a triangle’ can be read as a literal yantra, a meditational placement, or a coded reference to the tri-nāḍī system (iḍā–piṅgalā–suṣumṇā).
  • குரு பதம்: can mean ‘guru’s feet’ (refuge, devotion, grounding) OR ‘guru-state/plane’ (a level of realization). Both fit Siddhar diction.
  • விந்தु (bindu): can mean semen/seed-essence (physical-alchemical), a luminous point of concentration (psychic), or a drop of amṛta (nectar). ‘Undiminishing’ supports multiple readings: physical conservation, uninterrupted awareness, or inexhaustible nectar.
  • சொல்லல் மிகுந்தே: can mean ‘much can be said (it is extensive)’ OR ‘it exceeds speech’—a deliberate tension between instruction and ineffability.