Book Review The Philosophy of the Tamil Siddhas by T.N.Ganapaty, Published by Indian council, of Philosophical research, New Delhi

By B.NARAYANA RAO

This is a very interesting well researched book. The author must be praised as he has taken very serious effort so as not to leave any stone unturned.Tirumular, Sivavakkiar, Pathinattar are famous saints among a very good number of siddhas from Tamilnadu.The siddhas do not adopt Bhakti as the method of liberation. They believe that realization (becoming a Siva yogi) is available by Jnana. They reject rituals and idol worship. Siddha says Idol worshipper commits three mistakes.1. He reduces the formless (god) by giving it many forms.2. He limits the limitless (god) by singing its praise in words of praise.3. He confines the infinite by thinking that it resides in certain places and temples. The siddhas do not consider the following as essential requisites of inner religious life.1. Worshipping god in temples.2. Singing his glory.3. Observance of certain rules and practices such as smearing the body with holy ash, wearing rudraksas etc. And also they do not follow any cult of local deity/god. They have no place of worship, any sacred city, river, no monastic organization. They severely criticize false gurus and pretenders. They reject rebirth, caste system, superstitions, exploitation, ceremonies, and religious scriptures. The siddhas disapprove of the ultra emotional type of bhakti towards a personal god. They are non-dualists. They look upon the universe not as a creation of divine reality, but equate it with divine reality itself. They belong to nirgrandha school of Hinduism.

They write a lot in the form of poems with easy to understand style (for all the members of society). But their poems contain some hidden meanings, which were meant for the sadhakas. Renunciation, detachment from the society and formal asceticism are not their ways. They are very much part of the society by practicing healing medicinal practices, correcting societal ills and they demand morality, scientific rational outlook. . People believe that the siddhas possess supernatural powers and can make gold out of base metals. Those who are familiar with Yogi Vemana of Andhra can find so many mystic references in his poems which number more than ten thousand. The siddhas are the followers of yoga particularly tantric kundalini yoga which can be a way towards liberation. The author says only rudiments of yoga are found in the Vedas.Patanjali calls yoga as Anusasana. This term suggests an earlier tradition of yoga, may be from pre-harappa period. Author quotes Mircea Eliade “Yoga represents living fossil”

Finally this book is a must for every one who wants to study many diverse traditions and plural trends of Indian thought systems. Those not only thrived and still living but also have huge following among all the sections of the society. Before ending let me quote one poem by Yogi Vemana “Why stealing from the houses of milk maids, while sleeping on the ocean of milk, because others property is always sweeter to taste.”