Golden Lay Verses

Verse 234 (ஞான வைப்பு)

தமிழ் பாடல்

உச்சியிலே யுன்மணியா யுயர்ந்தா என்னை

உச்சிஷ்டக் கணபதியைக் களிப்பா என்னை

விச்சுவஜ்ர வேற்சுழுனை முனைமேல் வேலோன்

விறல்காட்டி யமுதத்தேன் தெளிப்பாளன்னை

Transliteration

ucciyilē yunmaṇiyā yuyarntā eṉṉai

ucciṣṭak kaṇapatiyaik kaḷippā eṉṉai

viccuvajra vēṟcuzuṉai muṉaimēl vēlōṉ

viṟalkāṭṭi yamutattēṉ teḷippāḷaṉṉai

Literal Translation

“In the crown (ucchi), you rose as the Unmani-jewel and lifted me.

You made me rejoice in Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati.

On the tip/peak of the ‘vichchu/vishva–vajra’ root-sushumnā, the Spear-bearer (Vēlon/Murukaṉ),

showing his might/pointing the sign, the Mother sprinkles nectar-honey (amṛta-tēṉ) upon me.”

Interpretive Translation

“When the ascent reaches the crown, the ‘Unmani’ (mind-transcending state, figured as a jewel) arises and elevates my awareness. The power of Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati—who presides over what is usually rejected or ‘left over’—turns my condition into joy. Through the adamantine (vajra) central channel from its root, the spear-like force (Vēl/Murukaṉ) stands at the summit and ‘shows the sign’ of accomplishment; then the Mother (Śakti/Guru-grace) pours the sweet nectar of immortality—amṛta like honey—into me.”

Philosophical Explanation

This verse is written in the Siddhar idiom where deity-names double as maps of inner yoga.

Literal layer: it sounds like praise/invocation—Unmani at the crown, Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati, Vēlon with the spear, and a Mother who sprinkles amṛta-honey.

Yogic-physiological layer: “ucchi” (crown) and “suzhunai” (suṣumnā) point to the spinal central channel and its summit. “Unmani” commonly denotes a mind-stilled absorption beyond ordinary mentation (often paired with sahajam/samādhi). “Vajra” suggests an indestructible, piercing, adamantine current—either the channel itself, or a mantra/energy with ‘thunderbolt’ force. The “vichchu” element can be read as “seed” (bīja) or “vishva” (cosmic), leaving open whether the verse stresses mantra-bīja power or a cosmic-vajra current.

Tantric-alchemical layer: “Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati” is a deliberately transgressive epithet (ucchiṣṭa = remnants/leftovers, also what is considered impure). In Siddhar/Tantra logic, this signals the conversion of the rejected/impure into fuel for realization—an alchemy of appetite, residue, and vital force, rather than mere social transgression. The “Mother” sprinkling “amṛta-tēṉ” (nectar-honey) aligns with a well-known yogic motif: when inner ascent stabilizes, a sweet ‘nectar’ is experienced (sometimes linked to bindu/secretions, sometimes to subtle bliss/ojas). The spear of Vēlon can be read as the penetrating discriminative force that pierces knots (granthis) at the summit; it can also remain a devotional reference to Murukaṉ’s vel as divine intervention.

Thus, the verse can be read as reporting an internal attainment: ascent through the central channel to the crown (Unmani), a transformation of residues/impurities (Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati), the piercing breakthrough at the summit (Vēlon’s vel), and the descent or infusion of amṛta (Mother’s sprinkling).

Key Concepts

  • Ucchi (crown)
  • Unmani (mind-transcending state; unmanī-bhāva)
  • Suṣumnā (suzhunai) central channel
  • Vajra (adamantine/thunderbolt force; indestructible channel)
  • Bīja/“vichchu” (seed mantra/seed essence) / Vishva (cosmic) as alternate reading
  • Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati (transgressive/transformative Gaṇeśa; alchemy of residue)
  • Vēlon/Murukaṉ and the Vēl (spear as piercing breakthrough)
  • Amṛta-tēṉ (nectar-honey; immortality elixir; bliss/ojas)
  • Śakti/Annai (Mother principle; grace; inner power)

Ambiguities or Multiple Readings

  • “Unmani” may be (a) an attained yogic state at the crown, (b) a goddess-like power/personification presiding there, or (c) a ‘jewel’ metaphor for stabilized awareness.
  • “Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati” can be read devotionally as a specific tantric form of Gaṇeśa, or technically as the principle that converts ‘impure residues’ (ucchiṣṭa) into spiritual potency (yogic/alchemical transmutation).
  • “விச்சுவஜ்ர” can be parsed as “vishva-vajra” (cosmic thunderbolt) or “vichchu-vajra” where vichchu = seed/bīja; the verse does not force a single philological choice.
  • “வேற்சுழுனை” (root-suzhunai) may mean the suṣumnā’s root at the base center, or the ‘root-channel’ itself contrasted with its ‘tip/peak’ (munai).
  • “விறல்காட்டி” may mean “showing valor/might” (vīral) or “showing/pointing (a sign)”—either heroic display by Vēlon or an instructive ‘indication’ of attainment.
  • The “Mother who sprinkles nectar-honey” may be (a) Śakti within, (b) the Guru’s grace, (c) a physiological ‘nectar’ experience, or (d) all of these simultaneously, as typical of Siddhar cryptic layering.