Golden Lay Verses

Verse 241 (ஞான வைப்பு)

தமிழ் பாடல்

நினைத்ததெலாம் நினைத்தபடி பெறுவான் ப்ராப்தி

நெறிகண்டான் குறிகண்டான் நிறைவான் சித்தன்

நினைத்ததெலாம் நினைத்தபடி செயும்ப்ரா காம்ய

நிலைநின்றான் தலைநின்றா னவனே சித்தன்

நினைத்ததெலாம் நினைத்தபடி வசியஞ் செய்வான்

நினைவுநடத் தும்வ சித்வ நிலயங் கண்டான்

நினைத்ததெலாம் நினைத்தபடி படைப்பான் காப்பான்

நீக்கிமறைத் தேயருள்வா னீசத்வத்தால்

Transliteration

ninaiththathelaam ninaiththapadi peRuvaan praapthi

neRikandaan kuRikandaan niRaivaan siththan

ninaiththathelaam ninaiththapadi seyumpraa kaamya

nilaininRaan thalaininRaa navanE siththan

ninaiththathelaam ninaiththapadi vasiyanj seyvAan

ninaivunadath thumva sithva nilayang kandaan

ninaiththathelaam ninaiththapadi padaippaan kaappaan

neekkimaRaith thEyaruLvaa neesathvaththaal.

Literal Translation

He will obtain—exactly as he thinks—(the siddhi of) prāpti.

He who has seen the path, has seen the sign/aim, and has become complete—he is the Siddhan.

He will do—exactly as he thinks—(the siddhi of) prākāmya.

He who stands firm in the state, who stands at the head/top—he indeed is the Siddhan.

He will bring about vaśya/vasiyam—exactly as he thinks.

He who has seen the station/state of vaśitva that makes the mind (itself) move/obey.

He will create and protect—exactly as he thinks.

By īśatva (lordly sovereignty) he will remove, conceal, and bestow grace.

Interpretive Translation

A true Siddhar is one whose intention (thought, sankalpa) no longer wavers: what is willed is attained (prāpti), what is willed is accomplished (prākāmya), what is willed comes under mastery (vaśitva), and what is willed participates in sovereignty itself (īśitva/īśatva).

Such a one has discerned both the way and the goal; being established and unmoving, he “stands at the crown.” In that steadiness, the mind becomes an instrument rather than a ruler.

From that sovereignty arise the divine functions: to manifest and sustain, to withdraw and veil, and—beyond them—to let grace flow.

Philosophical Explanation

This verse strings together specific siddhi-names (Sanskrit technical terms) inside a repeated Tamil refrain: “whatever is thought, in the manner it is thought.” The repetition is deliberate: siddhi here is framed as the reliability of sankalpa—an intention issuing from a stabilized consciousness.

1) Siddhis explicitly invoked: - Prāpti: “attainment/reaching.” In yogic lists it includes obtaining objects, access, or effortless reaching—outerly (things) and innerly (states). - Prākāmya: “ability to do as desired,” often glossed as the fulfillment of will, freedom from obstruction. - Vaśitva (Tamil: vasi/vasiyam): “mastery, control, dominion.” This can mean influence over beings/elements, but also (and more classically yogic) mastery over one’s own mind, senses, and prāṇa. - Īśitva/Īśatva: “lordship/sovereignty.” The verse connects this with actions that resemble divine governance.

2) ‘Seeing the path’ and ‘seeing the sign/aim’: “Neṟi” (path, discipline, method) and “kuṟi” (mark, sign, target, aim) point to both means and end. A Siddhar is not merely one with powers but one who has understood the method and the telos, and is ‘niraivu’ (complete/fulfilled).

3) ‘Standing firm / standing at the head’: “Nilai niṉṟān; talai niṉṟān” can be read as steadiness in samādhi and also as ‘standing in the head/crown’—a possible hint at the culmination of kuṇḍalinī ascent (or the seat of command where mind becomes still and transparent). The text keeps this suggestive rather than explicit.

4) The mind as an instrument: “Ninaivu naṭattum” implies a reversal: ordinarily mind drives the person; here, the Siddhar has found the ‘station of vaśitva’ where mind is driven (made to move/obey) by the yogin’s stabilized awareness.

5) Divine functions embedded in siddhi-language: The final line links īśatva with “create, protect, remove, conceal, bestow grace.” This parallels the Śaiva pañcakṛtya (five acts): sṛṣṭi (creation), sthiti (maintenance), saṃhāra (withdrawal/destruction), tirobhāva (concealment/veiling), anugraha (grace). The verse thus elevates siddhi from “magic” to a participation in (or identity with) divine agency.

6) Caution preserved by Siddhar cryptic style: Siddhar texts often oscillate between literal claims of extraordinary capacity and a more interior reading where ‘attainment’ and ‘control’ refer to mastery of states, impulses, and karmic momentum. The verse does not explicitly settle the question; it asserts the principle of unerring will, then frames it in both yogic and theistic (Śaiva) terms.

Key Concepts

  • prāpti (attainment)
  • prākāmya (fulfillment of will / doing-as-desired)
  • vaśitva / vasiyam (mastery, dominion; control of mind/senses or influence)
  • īśitva / īśatva (sovereignty, lordship)
  • sankalpa (intention) and its efficacy
  • neṟi (path, discipline) and kuṟi (aim, sign, goal)
  • nilai (steadfast state; samādhi-like stability)
  • pañcakṛtya (creation, preservation, withdrawal/destruction, concealment, grace)
  • Siddhan (the accomplished one; completion/fulfillment—niraivu)

Ambiguities or Multiple Readings

  • “Ninaithathellām ninaithapadi” can be read as literal thought-manifestation (miraculous siddhi) or as the inevitability of a purified will aligned with Reality/Śiva (so that ‘what is thought’ is only what can be).
  • “Kuṟi” may mean goal/target, an inner sign, a yogic ‘mark’ (lakṣaṇa), or even a sacred emblem; the text leaves it open.
  • “Talai niṉṟān” can mean ‘stands foremost/at the top’ (preeminence) or ‘stands in the head/crown’ (a subtle-body/yogic allusion).
  • “Vasiyam/vaśitva” can imply control over others/nature (occult reading) or mastery over one’s own mind and senses (ethical-yogic reading).
  • “Neekki maraithu” (‘removing and concealing’) can be cosmic withdrawal/veiling (Śaiva pañcakṛtya), or an inner process of dissolving and hiding the egoic tendencies/vasanas.
  • The move from siddhi terms to divine acts invites two readings: the Siddhar as possessing god-like powers, or the Siddhar as functioning as an instrument of divine action rather than an individual agent.