Golden Lay Verses

Verse 353 (மந்திர வைப்பு)

தமிழ் பாடல்

தாயாவாள் தந்தைசிவம் தனைக்காட்டி யவனுக்கே

சேயாவாள் சித்தத்தே தேவடியா ளாய்நிற்பாள்

ஏயாவாள் எனச்சவமா யேறியசைய் யோகத்தே

ஸ்ரீயாவாள் சிவன்சித்தன் தேவியடா சித்தினியே

Transliteration

thaayaavaaL thanthaisivam thanaikkaatti yavanukkE

sEyaavaaL siththaththE thEvadiyaa LaaynhiRpaaL

EyaavaaL enachchavamaa yERiyasaiy yOkaththE

sriyaavaaL sivansiththan thEviyadaa siththiniyE

Literal Translation

She is the Mother—revealing (or pointing out) Father Śiva, to him alone.

She is the Daughter—standing within the mind as the Devi, as the one who serves at the divine feet.

She is the fitting/true one—in that yoga where, “as a corpse,” one climbs/rises and moves.

She is Śrī—she is the goddess of Śivaṉ-siddhaṉ; O Siddhinī (O Lady of siddhi/attainment).

Interpretive Translation

The Siddhar speaks of one Shakti who takes many relational faces: as Mother she discloses Shiva-consciousness to the chosen seeker; as Daughter she becomes the intimate, inward deity established in the practitioner’s mind. In the yoga where the body is treated as a ‘corpse’ (inert without awakened power), she is the force that makes it rise/move—i.e., the animating ascent of yogic power. She is also Śrī, the auspicious siddhi-bestowing Goddess, addressed here as Siddhinī and as the consort/power of “Śivaṉ-siddhaṉ.”

Philosophical Explanation

This verse compresses a core Siddhar/Tantric metaphysics into paradoxical family-roles. The “Mother / Father Śiva / Daughter” triad is not ordinary genealogy but a way to say that the same ultimate Power appears as: 1) the source (Mother), 2) pure consciousness (Father Śiva), and 3) the immanent, approachable presence within the sādhaka (Daughter/Devi in the mind).

The line invoking “corpse” (savam) is a classic Śaiva-Shākta clue: Śiva without Śakti is often described as a śava—motionless, inert. In yogic terms, the unawakened body-mind is likewise ‘corpse-like’: alive biologically yet spiritually unaroused, not “moving upward.” The “yoga where the corpse rises/moves” can therefore indicate the awakening and ascent of inner power (often mapped to kuṇḍalinī or prāṇic ascent), which converts inertness into living realization.

“Devadiyāl” (“handmaid at the divine feet”) adds a devotional discipline inside an otherwise non-dual frame: the power that is ultimately identical with liberation is also approached through humility, service, and inner worship. “Śrī” signals auspicious fullness—prosperity, radiance, completion—suggesting that realization is not mere negation but a perfected state. Addressing her as “Siddhinī” keeps the Siddhar’s emphasis: the Goddess is not only an object of praise but the operative agency by which siddhi (attainment/realization) is achieved.

Key Concepts

  • Śiva–Śakti unity
  • Shakti as Mother/Father/Daughter symbolism
  • Inner deity established in the mind (citta)
  • Devotion and service at the divine feet (devadiyāl)
  • Śava (corpse) motif: inertia without Shakti
  • Yoga of ascent / awakening of inner power (often read as kuṇḍalinī)
  • Śrī (auspicious fullness, radiance)
  • Siddhinī / siddhi (attainment, perfected power)

Ambiguities or Multiple Readings

  • “அவனுக்கே” (“to him alone”) is unclear: the ‘he’ could be the disciple, a chosen adept, or Śiva himself (self-revelation within consciousness).
  • “தந்தைசிவம் தனைக்காட்டி” can mean “showing Father Śiva” (revealing Shiva to the seeker) or “showing herself as Father-Śiva” (non-dual identity where the Goddess reveals as Shiva).
  • “சேயாவாள்” (Daughter) may imply (a) the approachable, immanent form of the divine within the practitioner, or (b) the embodied form of Shakti as mantra/deity residing in the mind; it need not imply literal daughterhood.
  • “தேவடியாள்” can be read as “handmaid/servant of God” (devotional humility) or as one who stands ‘at the divine feet’ (a spatial/ritual image), and may also hint at the discipline of surrender within yogic practice.
  • “எனச்சவமா யேறியசைய் யோகத்தே” is syntactically cryptic: it can be read as (a) yoga where one ascends while being ‘like a corpse’ (egoless, motionless, detached), (b) yoga that makes the ‘corpse’ rise/move (Shakti animating inert Shiva/body), or (c) a śmaśāna/śava-sādhana (corpse-based tantric rite) allusion, without committing to only one.
  • “சிவன்சித்தன்” may be a proper name/title (Śivaṉ-siddhaṉ, an accomplished one) or a compound meaning “the siddha of Shiva-consciousness,” affecting whether the Goddess is a personal consort or the power inherent in realization.