P Karthigayan - History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu

P KARTHIGAYAN

Notion Press

Old No. 38, New No. 6

McNichols Road, Chetpet

Chennai - 600 031

First Published by Notion Press 2016

Copyright P Karthigayan 2016

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 978-93-5206-552-3

This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

No part of this book may be used, reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

If someone asks, Who is your Guru?

Tell them it is I, Romarishi!

Romarishi

Dedication

Dedicated to the ever lasting memory of my parents

Mrs. P. Selvanayaki and Dr. Parthasarathi Aurea

who imbued mythic ideologies and mystic beliefs from my childhood.

Also, I wish to register my inexplicable thankfulness to my wife

Mrs. K. Graha Lakshmi and son Mr. K. Parthasarathy,

who allowed me to spend the time for thought and reflection indebted to be dedicated to enrich their happiness.

To Siddhas who ask in the higher world,

I will announce you, as Romans son.

Romarishi

Preface

Siddhas, the immortals of the ancient Tamil land, belong to a mysterious cult that was presumed to be religious, propagating principles related to the physical, spiritual, intellectual elevation of individuals and their societies at large. Their presence and role in ancient Tamil history was as legendary as those of mysterious cults of immortals present in many of the worlds ancient civilizations; and therefore the historic legends of Tamil Siddhas too, are often considered as products of vivid imagination of ancient dream makers.

In the beginning, Siddhas were fascinated by the human body; they believed that the body is ruled by something inside, which commands the body to fulfill its wishes as long as it dwells within the body which is commonly referred to as the Spirit in body.

Their quest in understanding the mysteries of body enabled them to understand that the body is composed of Physical and Spiritual Matters sandwiched by a bridging factor known as Soul.

Siddhas believed that the Body is a functional machine driven by Spirit, operated through the components in the bridging network of Soul. They believed that the decay of the Body is, in fact, the developmental sign of the decay in the Soul. Their spiritual teachings inculcate a hidden fact that while the body is nourished by food, the soul, on the other hand, is nourished by practices triggered by thoughts emanating from our mind.

Siddhas believed that human beings are created for excelling in knowledge, understanding the nature, and helping their fellowmen to form a divine civilization on earth. They needed to live longer and even become immortal, to achieve this goal.

Spiritual purification seems to be the first known path for salvation in ancient world. Since purification of spirit is important for their cult, the Siddhas adapted the ancient practices to suit their ideals to better achieve the goal of salvation sought by them. What they perfected may be called as Immortality of the Soul or Aathma Siddhi.

All civilizations have mysterious records of their observation on cosmos. Siddhas also observed cosmos and defined its role on earth in a logical order of sky, air, fire, water and earth. Their observation concluded with certain cosmic secrets that led them to adapt those secrets to attain mythic longevity. What they discovered may be called as Physical immortality or Kaaya Siddhi. This status is attained by altering the natural physical fabric through a secret science that prevailed in the ancient Tamil land and spread elsewhere later.

It is an epic belief that immortality is closely related to spiritual salvation, later date explained as a cherished spiritual status attained by staunch religious practice. Hence, immortality was invariably believed to be a spiritual acquisition by religious saints of Tamil Nadu. But, Siddhas were very clear in their assertion that immortality is of dual nature, namely, Athma Siddhi (spiritual immortality) and Kaaya Siddhi (physical immortality).

The Siddha cult was a path of freedom in every respect. Each one took some theme of research and passed on his findings to the society through his disciples and literary records. The main focus of their research was body and the cosmos. Followers of Siddha cult were considered mysterious because their quest is towards a little understood sphere of understanding that is neither mundane, nor religious, or priestly. In western civilizations they were referred to as Philosophers. Siddhas speak about spirit, soul and body in their scripts. They compare cosmos, nature and earth in their science. They synchronize knowledge, wisdom, intuitions in understanding their art. From them originated, unusual schools of thought that are different from the regular streams of spirituality known to ancient civilizations and hence referred to in later years as mythology.