Golden Lay Verses

Verse 357 (சித்த வைப்பு)

தமிழ் பாடல்

சாற்றுவேன் சாரவேதம் சத்யசற் குருவைப்போற்றி

ஏற்றுவேன் நித்யஜோதி யிடையிலாப் பூரணத்தைப்

போற்றுவேன் வாலைபாதப் போதமாஞ் சித்தர்பாதம்

சாற்றுவேன் வேதைவாதம் சாந்தமெய்ஞ் ஞானநாதம்

Transliteration

SaatturuvEn saaravEdham sathyasaR guruvai pORRi

EtRuvEn nithyajOthi yidaiyilaap pUraNaththaip

pORRuvEn vaalaipaathap pOdhamaañ chiththarpaadham

SaatturuvEn vEthaivaadham saanthameyñ ñaananaadham

Literal Translation

I shall proclaim the Veda that is the support/essence, praising the true Satguru.

I shall raise/receive the eternal Light, the Perfect Whole that has no interval (no “in‑between”).

I shall revere the Siddhar’s Feet—(they are) the teaching called “vālai-pādam”.

I shall proclaim the Vedic doctrine/disputation: the tranquil, true Lord of Wisdom (mey‑jñāna‑nātha).

Interpretive Translation

What I will declare as “Veda’s core” is praise of the true Satguru.

What I will cultivate is the unceasing inner luminosity, and the realization of a wholeness that admits no gap—no split, no second.

My refuge and compass are the Siddhar’s feet: the living transmission that teaches the hidden method (hinted by the cryptic “vālai‑pādam”).

And what finally deserves to be called “Vedic reasoning” is not argument for its own sake, but the settling into peace and the dawn of authentic gnosis—the Lordliness of true knowing.

Philosophical Explanation

The verse is a sequence of vows (“I shall proclaim / I shall raise / I shall revere”), binding scripture, practice, lineage, and realization into one path.

1) Satguru as the “essence/support of the Veda”: In Siddhar idiom, the Satguru is not merely a teacher who explains texts; the guru is the living key by which “Veda” becomes experiential truth. Thus “Veda” is treated as something to be “proclaimed” rightly only when grounded in the Satguru.

2) “Nitya-jyoti” (eternal light) and “idaiyilā-pūraṇam” (gapless fullness): “Eternal light” can indicate the steady inner awareness (not intermittent states), and also the yogic/alchemical sense of an inner fire or luminosity awakened and maintained. “Gapless fullness” aligns with a non-dual completion (pūrṇatā): consciousness not fractured into observer/observed, sacred/worldly, or waking/dreaming. The phrase also invites a yogic reading where transcendence is beyond the dual channels (iḍā and piṅgalā), culminating in a continuous state.

3) Feet of the Siddhar as “teaching”: “Feet” (pāda) commonly signifies refuge, initiation, lineage, and the concrete method (not merely doctrine). Revering the Siddhar’s feet is simultaneously devotional (bhakti) and technical: submission to the discipline that the Siddhar embodies.

4) “Veda-vādam” culminating in peace: “Vāda” can mean doctrinal exposition or debate. The Siddhar reframes it: the true endpoint of scriptural reasoning is “śānti” (settledness) and “mey-jñānam” (truth-gnosis), personified as “jñāna-nātha” (Lord of wisdom). The implication is that argument becomes authentic only when it resolves into transformative stillness and direct knowing.

Key Concepts

  • Satguru (சத்ய சற் குரு)
  • Sāra/essence of Veda (சாரவேதம்)
  • Nitya-jyoti / eternal inner light (நித்யஜோதி)
  • Pūrṇam / wholeness-completeness (பூரணம்)
  • Gapless / non-dual continuity (இடையிலாப்)
  • Siddhar feet / pāda as refuge and method (சித்தர்பாதம்)
  • Veda-vāda: doctrine/exposition/debate (வேதைவாதம்)
  • Śānti / peace (சாந்தம்)
  • Mey-jñānam / true gnosis (மெய்ஞ்ஞானம்)
  • Jñāna-nātha / Lord of wisdom (ஞானநாதம்)

Ambiguities or Multiple Readings

  • “சாரவேதம்” can mean “the essence of the Vedas,” “that which supports the Veda,” or “the Veda as refuge,” shifting emphasis between doctrine and lived ground.
  • “ஏற்றுவேன்” may be read as “I will raise/kindle” (active yogic effort: elevating inner light) or “I will accept/enthrone” (devotional assent: receiving grace).
  • “இடையிலாப் பூரணம்” literally means “fullness without an interval,” but can also suggest “beyond iḍā (இடா) and dual channels,” i.e., beyond left-right polarity into a central, continuous state.
  • “வாலைபாதம்” is cryptic: it may denote a named instruction/section, a coded reference to the ‘lower end/base’ (tail/root) from which energy is raised, or another technical ‘pāda’ term in a specific Siddhar lineage; the verse preserves this coded quality.
  • “வேதைவாதம்” can be “Vedic doctrine/exposition” (positive teaching) or “Vedic disputation” (argument), with the line implying that its true fulfillment is peace and realized wisdom rather than mere debate.