லிம்லயமாம் கம்முதயம் லிங்க சூக்கம்
லம் முதலா ஹம் வரையே பூத சூக்கம்
அம்மா மிம் மீமதுவே மிதுனத் தூக்கம்
உம் ஊ மெம் மேமதுவே யோனி யாக்கம்
ஐம்முடனொம் மோமதுவே வாக்கின் தூக்கம்
ஒளமஃக மதுஞானத் தமுதத் தேக்கம்
இம்மாந் தான் உயிரெழுத்தின் வர்க்கம்பொங்கும்
இதன்மேலே மெய்யெழுத்தின் இயல்பைச் சொல்வேன்
limlayamām kammudayam linga sūkkam
lam mudalā ham varaiyē pūta sūkkam
ammā mim mīmadhuvē mitunat tūkkam
um ū mem mēmadhuvē yōni yākkam
aimmudanoṃ mōmadhuvē vākkil tūkkam
oḷamaḥka maduñānat tamutat tēkkam
immān tān uyireḻuttin varkkampoṅkum
idanmēlē meyyeḻuttin iyalbai colvēn
“‘Lim’—dissolution (laya); the arising of ‘kamma/kāma’; the subtle (sūkṣma) liṅga.
‘Lam’, beginning from it up to ‘Ham’—the subtlety of the elements (bhūta-sūkṣma).
‘A–Ā’, ‘I–Ī’—that itself is the ‘sleep’ (inward-stilling) of coupling/union (mithuna).
‘U–Ū’, ‘E–Ē’—that itself is the formation/production of the yoni.
‘Ai’, together with ‘O–Ō’—that itself is the ‘sleep’ of speech (vāk).
‘Auṃ’ and ‘Aḥ’—the repository/store (tēkkam) of the nectar (amuta) of wisdom/gnosis (jñāna).
Thus the class (vargam) of the vowel-letters (uyir-eḻuttu) swells forth; upon this I will speak of the nature of the consonant-letters (mey-eḻuttu).”
The verse treats phonemes as a yogic map: certain seed-sounds indicate dissolution into the subtle liṅga; the sequence lam→ham intimates the subtle elemental principles; the paired vowels (short/long) are coded as stages of erotic-alchemical process—union (mithuna), wombing/gestation (yoni), and the withdrawal of articulated speech into its dormant source. The final sounds (auṃ, aḥ) point to a culminating “store” of amṛta-like gnosis. Having outlined the “vital” vowels, the author announces a further teaching on the “bodied” consonants.
1) Letters as ontology (śabda-tattva): In Siddhar and mantra traditions, phonemes are not mere linguistic units; they are subtle powers (śakti) that correspond to states of consciousness and layers of embodiment. Hence “uyir-eḻuttu” (vowels, literally “life-letters”) are treated as animating currents, while “mey-eḻuttu” (consonants, “body-letters”) are treated as structuring supports.
2) ‘Lim’ and the subtle liṅga: “Lim” is read as a laya-syllable—signaling dissolution/absorption—linked here to “liṅga sūkṣma,” the subtle liṅga (not merely anatomical, but the subtle sign/mark of consciousness, often paired with bindu–nāda symbolism). “kammudayam” may hint at the “arising” of karma or kāma (desire), i.e., the emergence of the generative impulse that must be sublimated.
3) lam→ham as elemental subtlety: The phrase “lam … ham … bhūta sūkṣma” strongly evokes the classic mantra-association of elemental bījas (lam/earth, vam/water, ram/fire, yam/air, ham/ether). The verse compresses this into a range (“from lam up to ham”), suggesting an internal ascent through elemental refinements rather than an external cosmology.
4) Sexual/alchemical coding (mithuna, yoni, liṅga): The verse then groups vowels in paired sets (short/long), assigning them cryptic functions: union (mithuna), yoni-formation (yoni yākkam), and speech-withdrawal. In Siddhar idiom, such sexual terms often function on multiple registers simultaneously: (a) literal sexuality, (b) internal alchemy—union of prāṇic currents (iḍā/piṅgalā; moon/sun), (c) bindu preservation and transmutation into ojas/tejas, and (d) non-dual integration (the “pair” resolving into one).
5) ‘Sleep of speech’ (vāk-in tūkkam): “Sleep” is likely not ordinary sleep but a quiescent/dormant condition: speech returning from vaikhari (spoken) toward madhyama/pashyanti/para (inner levels). This is consistent with yogic interiorization where articulation ceases and sound becomes subtle (nāda), culminating in silent gnosis.
6) Nectar of wisdom: “amuta” (amṛta) commonly names the subtle “nectar” associated with cranial centers and the maturation of meditative absorption. Calling auṃ/aḥ a “repository” suggests a terminal condensation or containment of realized knowledge—gnosis experienced as ambrosial sustenance.
7) Structural intent: The concluding line is overtly pedagogical: vowels are presented as a “class” with esoteric correspondences, and the author signals a continuation into consonants—implying a complete esoteric phonology where language, body, and realization mirror one another.