ஆமப்பா காமத்தை யகற்றிப் போட்டே
ஆண்டவனை யேதொழுவார்க் கச்ச மில்லை
தாமப்பா கருத்தின்றிக் கடவுள் பாதம்
தான்பணிவான் கணவனிலாத் தவ்வை யொப்பான்
நாமப்பா மருக்கொழுந்து மணத்தைக் கட்ட
நவசிவய மாந்தொடர்தூற் றெட்டும் காணே
வாமப்பா வாமியபி ராம வல்லி
மர்மத்தே தர்மத்தை வளர்க்கின் றாளே
Aamappaa kaamaththai yagatrip pOttE
Aandavanai yEthozhuvaark kachcha millai
Thaamappaa karuththinRik kadavul paadham
ThaanpaNivaan kaNavanilaath thavvai yoppaan
Naamappaa marukkozundhu maNaththaik katta
Navachivaya maandodar thooR Rekkum kaaNE
Vaamappaa vaamiyabi raam valli
MarmaththE dharmaththai vaLarkkin RaaLE.
Yes, indeed: having cast away lust,
those who worship the Lord have no fear.
But he who—without inner understanding—bows at God’s feet,
he is like a woman without a husband.
Yes, indeed: bind the mind with the fragrance of marukkozhuṇḍu;
by continuously repeating “navaśivāya,” see the eight “tūṟṟu(s).”
Yes, indeed: Vāmiyapirāma-valli,
in the secret (marma), causes dharma to grow.
When desire (kāma) is expelled, worship becomes fearless and steady. But mere bodily prostration, if done without inner clarity or intent, is barren—like a wife without her lord, lacking the principle that makes union fruitful. The mind must be “bound” (disciplined) by a subtle lure—pictured as the aroma of a fragrant medicinal sprig (marukkozhuṇḍu)—and by unbroken mantra-recitation of “navaśivāya.” Through such continuous japa, one comes to perceive/overcome “the eight” (left intentionally cryptic): the eight directions, eight powers, eight impurities, or eight inner stations. Behind this work stands the feminine power, Vāmiyapirāma-valli (a name for Śakti), who secretly ripens righteousness within the vital hidden locus (marma) of the body-mind.
1) Kāma as obstacle and fuel: In Siddhar idiom, “kāma” is not only ordinary lust but the dissipative scattering of life-force (vital heat/ojas). Casting it off signals sublimation: desire-energy is turned inward, yielding “fearlessness” (abhaya) in devotion and practice.
2) Critique of empty ritual: The verse sharply separates external devotion from inner realization. Bowing at “God’s feet” without “karuttu” (inner thought, intent, discernment) is called sterile—compared to a woman without a husband. The metaphor targets fruitlessness: without the unitive principle (grace, true knowing, or the inner Lord), devotional action does not “conceive” transformation.
3) “Binding the mind” by fragrance: “Marukkozhuṇḍu” can be read literally as a fragrant herb used in traditional medicine/perfuming (suggesting sensory regulation, calming of vāyu/mental agitation), and also symbolically: the mind is captured not by force but by a refined attraction—subtle sweetness, sattvic tone, or the ‘scent’ of inner bliss arising in practice.
4) Mantra as alchemy: Continuous repetition of “navaśivāya” (a regional/variant form related to Śiva’s mantra tradition) is presented as a means to perception and purification. Siddhar texts often treat mantra as a technology acting on breath, nāḍī-flow, and the ‘inner ear’ (nāda), not merely as prayer.
5) The hidden Śakti who grows dharma: “Vāmiyapirāma-valli” points to the feminine power—possibly a local/lineage epithet—who operates in “marma” (a secret/vital spot: heart, bindu, suṣumṇā-junctions, or a veiled center of consciousness). “Growing dharma” here is the maturation of right order in the practitioner: ethics, steadiness, and inner alignment arising as a consequence of yogic integration rather than social prescription.