Golden Lay Verses

Verse 330 (மந்திர வைப்பு)

தமிழ் பாடல்

ஓம் கம் கம் காளராத்ரீ யை நம ஓம் ஓம்

ஓம் கம் கம் கண்டிதா யை நம ஓம் ஓம்

ஓம் கம் கம் காயித்ரி யை நம ஓம் ஓம்

ஓம் கம் கம் கண்டதா ரிண்யை ஓம் ஓம்

ஓம் ஙம் ஙம் ஙார்ணா யை நம ஓம் ஓம் ஓம்

ஓம் சம் சம் சாமுண்டா யை நம ஓம்

ஓம் சம் சம் சத்ரிகா யை நம ஓம் ஓம்

ஓம் ஜம் ஜம் ஜய தாயை நம ஓம் ஓம்

Transliteration

Om kam kam kaalaraathriyai nama om om

Om kam kam kandithaayai nama om om

Om kam kam kaayithriyai nama om om

Om kam kam kandathaa riNyai om om

Om ngam ngam ngaarNaayai nama om om om

Om sam sam saamundaa yai nama om

Om sam sam sathrigaa yai nama om om

Om jam jam jaya thaayai nama om om

Literal Translation

“Om gam gam—salutations to Kālarātrī; Om, Om.

Om gam gam—salutations to Kaṇḍitā; Om, Om.

Om gam gam—salutations to Gāyatrī; Om, Om.

Om gam gam—to Kaṇṭatāriṇī; Om, Om.

Om ngam ngam—salutations to Ṅārṇā; Om, Om, Om.

Om sam sam—salutations to Cāmuṇḍā; Om.

Om sam sam—salutations to Satrikā; Om, Om.

Om jam jam—salutations to Jayadāyī; Om, Om.”

Interpretive Translation

A garland of mantra-invocations: by fastening seed-syllables (bīja) to successive names of the Goddess—Kālarātrī (Night-of-Time), Kaṇḍitā/Caṇḍikā-like fierce power, Gāyatrī (illumining mantra-power), Kaṇṭatāriṇī (the throat-saviour / the one who ferries across at the ‘throat’), Ṅārṇā (a cryptic name), Cāmuṇḍā (slayer of the ego-host), Satrikā (a cutting/protective form), and Jayadāyī (bestower of victory)—the text instructs japa that moves through fear, darkness, purification, and finally triumph. The repeated ‘Om’ frames each as an offering and a sealing of the rite, suggesting both outer deity-worship and inner yogic activation of śakti.

Philosophical Explanation

1) Mantra-structure and intent: Each line is a short nāma-mantra: “Om + bīja + deity-name + namaḥ + Om.” In Siddhar usage this can function simultaneously as (a) devotional praise, (b) a protective incantation, and (c) a yogic ‘key’ for stirring specific currents (vāyu/śakti) within the body.

2) The bīja syllables as “inner switches”: The recurring “gam/sam/jam/ngam” are not merely decorative; they act as sonic seals. Although “gaṃ” is widely known as Gaṇeśa-bīja in later tantra, Siddhar compilations often redeploy bīja-sounds more fluidly, using their phonetic force to “strike” (aṭi) particular inner knots (granthi) and affect the subtle body. The shift from ga/ṅa/sa/ja can be read as a progression of articulation points (throat–palate–teeth–lips) and thus a subtle mapping of vibration through the channel of speech (vāk) into prāṇa.

3) The names as stages of transformation: - Kālarātrī: the consuming darkness of time; psychologically, confrontation with fear/ignorance; alchemically, the ‘blackening’ phase where impurities surface. - (Kaṇḍitā / possibly Caṇḍikā): fierce discernment that cuts; the power that does not negotiate with toxin/ego. - Gāyatrī: solar intelligence and mantra-mother; the re-ordering of inner rhythm, breath, and cognition. - Kaṇṭatāriṇī: literally suggests “she who ferries across (tāriṇī) at/through the throat (kaṇṭa).” This can allude to the purification of speech, the unlocking of viśuddha-cakra themes, or mythically the ‘throat’ as the site where poison is held and transmuted (a classic yogic-alchemical motif: retaining and refining what would otherwise kill). - Ṅārṇā: an intentionally opaque appellation; in Siddhar texts such opacity often signals a private/lineage reading (a local deity-name, a coded sound-form, or a sandhi-corrupted Sanskrit epithet). - Cāmuṇḍā: the terrifying, protective mother who destroys the host of inner “demons” (anger, pride, delusion), i.e., a psycho-spiritual immune function. - Satrikā: likely a protective/cutting goddess-form (the name can imply “one related to enemies/foes” or “one who cuts/wardens”), supporting the sense of warding and inner fortification. - Jayadāyī: victory—not merely in worldly battle but as siddhi of steadied mind, breath, and will.

4) Siddhar-style double register (outer + inner): On the outer register, these are goddess-names for protective worship. On the inner register, the sequence can be read as a practical regimen: invoke fierce śakti to dissolve tamas (Kālarātrī), sharpen discriminative fire, illumine the mind (Gāyatrī), purify the throat/word-breath axis (Kaṇṭatāriṇī), and culminate in victory (Jayadāyī). The repeated “namaḥ” emphasizes surrender—an essential corrective to the siddhi-seeker’s ego.

Key Concepts

  • Mantra-japa
  • Bīja (seed syllables): gam/ngam/sam/jam
  • Śakti / Devi as multiple fierce and luminous forms
  • Kālarātrī (time-darkness; dissolution)
  • Gāyatrī (illumination; mantra-mother)
  • Kaṇṭatāriṇī (throat-related purification / crossing over)
  • Cāmuṇḍā (ego-demon slaying; protection)
  • Namaḥ (surrender/offerings as a sealing gesture)
  • Outer ritual and inner yogic reading

Ambiguities or Multiple Readings

  • “கண்டிதா (Kaṇḍitā)” may reflect a corrupted or locally pronounced form of “Caṇḍikā/Kaṇḍikā” (the fierce goddess); the intended Sanskrit original is uncertain.
  • “கண்டதா ரிண்யை” is read as “Kaṇṭatāriṇī,” but could also be interpreted as “Kaṇṭa-dhāriṇī” (she who bears the throat/neck) or another sandhi-variant; each shifts the mythic/yogic emphasis.
  • “ஙார்ணா (Ṅārṇā)” is opaque: it may be a regional goddess-name, a coded mantra-name, or a transcriptional distortion; retaining ambiguity is faithful to Siddhar cryptic style.
  • “சத்ரிகா (Satrikā)” is not a standard widely-fixed goddess-name; it may indicate a local epithet, a protector against enemies (śatru), or a phonetic variant of another name.
  • The bīja “gaṃ” is commonly linked to Gaṇeśa in later tantric conventions, but here it is yoked to Devi-names; it may function primarily as a sonic ‘lock’ rather than a strict deity-identifier.
  • Whether the verse invokes distinct goddesses or multiple aspects of one Śakti is left intentionally open; Siddhar litany often permits both readings.