Golden Lay Verses

Verse 373 (சித்த வைப்பு)

தமிழ் பாடல்

சித்தம தேதான் சித்தியுற

சித்தப்போக்கே சிவன் போக்காம்

பித்தமெ லாந்தான் தீர்ந்திடுமே

பேரின் பந்தான் சார்ந்திடுமே

Transliteration

siththama thēthān siththiyuRa

siththappōkkē sivan pōkkām

piththame lānthān thīrndhidumē

pērin panthān sārndhidumē

Literal Translation

When the mind itself comes to fruition as siddhi,

The mind’s course becomes Shiva’s course.

All pitta (bile/fiery disturbance) will be dissolved,

And one will come to abide in the bond of the ‘Per’ (the Great/Name).

Interpretive Translation

When chitta is perfected (steadied into yogic accomplishment), the individual’s inner movement no longer runs on personal habit but follows the movement of Shiva (the Divine order). With that alignment, the hot disorders—both bodily pitta and the mind’s feverish agitation—subside. Then one ‘joins’ what is ultimate: either union with the Supreme, or steadfast anchoring in the Great Name/mantric principle.

Philosophical Explanation

The verse compresses a Siddhar teaching: liberation is not achieved by changing external circumstances but by transforming the very ‘going’ (போக்கு) of the mind. ‘Chittam’ here is the field of attention/mind-stuff that normally wanders by habit (vasana). When it ‘attains siddhi’ (சித்தியுற), it can mean (a) mastery/perfection of the mind leading to samadhi, and/or (b) the arising of yogic capacities. Yet the next line qualifies the aim: the mature mind does not merely acquire powers; it moves in accord with Shiva—suggesting a non-dual consonance where personal will and divine will are no longer two.

The third line introduces an explicitly medical-yogic register. ‘Pitta’ is an Ayurvedic doṣa (fiery bile), associated with heat, inflammation, acidity, and sharp irritability. Siddhar usage often lets pitta carry a double sense: physiological imbalance and psychological ‘heat’—anger, restlessness, compulsive intensity. When the mind’s movement becomes Shiva’s movement, that heat ‘dissolves’: passions cool, and bodily humors normalize. In yogic physiology this can also imply that inner fire is no longer chaotic (disease-producing) but becomes regulated (supporting clarity).

The final line is intentionally cryptic: ‘பேரின் பந்தான்’ can be heard as ‘the bond of the Great’ (Shiva as the Supreme), or ‘the bond of the Name’ (பேர் as sacred Name/mantra). Either way, the point is not worldly attachment but a binding/anchoring to what transcends the ego—union, steady reliance, or absorption. The Siddhar ambiguity keeps both bhakti (holding to the Name) and jñāna (union with the Supreme) in play, treating them as converging outcomes of a mind made siddha.

Key Concepts

  • சித்தம் (chitta/mind-field)
  • சித்தி (siddhi: perfection and/or yogic attainments)
  • சித்தப்போக்கு (the mind’s movement/trajectory)
  • சிவன் போக்கு (Shiva’s movement: divine order/nondual alignment)
  • பித்தம் (pitta: bile, heat, fiery passion; Ayurvedic doṣa)
  • பந்தம்/பந்து (bond, binding, attachment; also anchoring/union)
  • பேர் (the Great / the Name—possibly mantra)

Ambiguities or Multiple Readings

  • ‘சித்தியுற’ can mean attaining yogic powers (siddhis) or the deeper sense of the mind reaching perfection/steadiness (samadhi); the following line suggests the latter is primary.
  • ‘சித்தப்போக்கு’ may denote the literal motion of thought, the practitioner’s overall conduct/path, or the subtle ‘current’ of awareness in yogic physiology.
  • ‘சிவன் போக்காம்’ can be read devotionally (one follows Shiva’s way) or non-dually (the mind’s movement is recognized as Shiva’s movement).
  • ‘பித்தமெல்லாம்’ can indicate bodily pitta disorders (heat/inflammation) and simultaneously mental ‘heat’ such as anger, impatience, and agitated intensity; it may also hint at regulated inner fire rather than mere suppression.
  • ‘பேரின் பந்தான்’ is unclear: it may mean ‘bond with the Great (Supreme Shiva)’, or ‘bond with the Great Name (mantra/holy name)’, and the verse preserves this double path (jñāna and bhakti).
  • ‘சார்ந்திடுமே’ can mean ‘will join/merge with’ (union) or ‘will take refuge in/lean upon’ (steadfast dependence), leaving the final attainment deliberately open.