Joseph Caezza has been a student of Yogi Ramaiah since 1986. He is a member
of the Philosophers of Nature and a registered Pharmacist practicing in
Rochester, New York. 201 Valley Road Rochester, NY 14618 716-424-1360
716-256-2662
Anyone seeking authentic information on the Tamil Siddhar
tradition should visit the Arizona Babaji Yoga Sangam, 5750 West Eighth Street,
Yuma, Arizona, 85364, tel. 602-783-7230.
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In the hungered New Age frenzy where the practice and principles of
Ayurveda, traditional Hindu medicine, have become so well known, the West still
remains largely ignorant of the South Indian Tamil Siddhar tradition. It
represents a wonderful parallel to that of the Rosicrucian Alchemists. Just as
the Rosicrucians claim lineage to the high culture of Ancient Egypt, itself only
an artifact of "Atlantis", so too do Tamil Siddhars trace their
original heritage to an advanced civilization destroyed by a great flood about
10,000 years ago. The lost continent supporting this heritage purportedly
stretched from Madagascar to Australia with Sri Lanka constituting its central
surviving land mass.
Ancient Egyptian High Culture appears suddenly, even from the earliest times at a very advanced level. Examples of its elegance include high yield strains of grain, a precise calendrical system, refined medicine even featuring neurosurgery, but above all its complete system of hieroglyphic language which seems to serve a higher state of consciousness. These advances emerge suddenly from Neolithic chaos. So too, from earliest recorded history Tamil language appears as one of the most sophisticated literary systems on the face of this planet. This lack of developmental period suggests that both Tamil and Egyptian cultures were surviving artifacts, preserved by the greatest sages of highly advanced civilizations destroyed by geological cataclysm.
The contemporary scholar, Kamil Zvelebil, in THE SMILE OF MURUGAN, explains the necessity of understanding the siddhars, the primordial Tamil sages, before any deeper appreciation of South Indian civilization becomes possible. These spiritual giants composed the foundations of literary and scientific development. Yet because they wrote in obscure style so reminiscent of western alchemy and often ridiculed the orthodox caste system with its over-emphasis on ritual worship, the Siddhars have always moved on the outer perimeter of social acceptability. Their chief artifacts aside from a complete medical system include a vast body of esoteric literature as well as ever popular rustic poems and bardic songs.
Zvelebil outlines the common features of siddhar poetry: "a protest, sometimes expressed in very strong terms, against the formalities of life and religion; rough handling of priests and Brahmins in general ; denial of the religious practices and beliefs of Brahmanism, and not only that: an opposition against the generally accepted pan Indian social doctrine and religious practice; protest against the abuses of temple rule; emphasis on the purity of character; claims made by the authors of these poems that they have achieved certain psychokinetic powers and other capabilities which belong to the sphere of parapsychological phenomena; use of imaginative and ambiguous language, rather puzzling though strongly colloquial; no systemic doctrinal exposition. Finally, all these poems are ascribed to a body of sages known as the siddhars (1)."
Does this description recall the mood of the Rosicrucian manifestoes and the Alchemical literature of 17th century Europe during the age of Reformation against the corruption in the Roman Catholic Church?
The Siddhars present themselves as the greatest masters of yoga, medicine and alchemy. Unlike their western counterparts who emphasized the transmutation of base metal into gold, the Tamil sages stressed the accomplishment of physical immortality or at least extended longevity as the ultimate token of self-realization Parallels exist in the western concept of the "glorified body". Just as in the west, these sages left a vast number of inscrutable texts accessible only to initiates. Their Hermetic emphasis on knowing reality directly by reading "the signatures of Nature", developing contemplative "seeing" as Castanada uses the term or cultivating, "the intelligence of the heart", as described by Schwaller de Lubicz, goes far beyond conventional understandings of Eastern meditation techniques. Such vision in ancient times served as the basis of a sacred science with bountiful practical applications.
Patanjali, one of the greatest Tamil siddhars who accomplished himself at Rameswaram, explicated the essentials of mystic discipline, in his well known YOGA SUTRAS. Although postures, breath and contemplative techniques play a major role this tradition also includes the practical science of Nature; Cosmology, Astrology, Herbalism, Chemistry Alchemy and Medicine. While Ayurvedic medicine concerns itself generally with herbs and organic treatments the siddhars add strong emphasis on use of inorganic salts, metals and mineral poisons.
Like the romantic notion of the Rosicrucians the siddhars are bound by an oath of secrecy. They wander anonymously practicing their yogic disciplines, doing service to their fellow men especially as dispensers of potent medicines. In the west sages such as Roger Bacon, Albertus Magnus and Basil Valantine acquired legendary status as alchemists. So too a rich tradition venerates the exploits of these Tamil mystics. Eighteen of the siddhars are venerated above others for accomplishing themselves to the highest level of perfection. The historic locations in India where they performed their penance today comprise spiritually charged centers of pilgrimage.
The first and foremost of the siddhars, Agastyar, fits the image of his western counterpart, Toth-Hermes. Considered the founder of Tamil language and grammar, he presided over the first two sangams, ancient literary academies located on the now submerged continent south of Sri Lanka. He also appears as the primordial giver of arts and sciences. Innumerable classic works ascribe themselves to his authorship. Contemporary Tamil scholars assert that at least 26 classic authors wrote under this name. Who were they all aspiring to imitate? Folk tales abound in accounts of Agastyar's constant battles with local demons. He pops into the story line of classic epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, to bestow blessing and guidance. Tradition has it that Agastyar still lives in the Pothigai Hills below the Western Ghats, occasionally appearing to the sincere aspirant (2).
Thirumoolar, another of the most renowned Tamil masters, accomplished his magnum opus of yogic reintegration at Chidambaram, the sacred spot where Shiva performs his cosmic dance. The chief contribution of Thirmoolar, the THIRMANDIRAM, an esoteric masterpiece of 3000 verses explains man's yogic path to immortal divinity, referring metaphorically to the philosopher's stone that transmutes base metal into gold. Here is the essential classic text of siddhar wisdom. Only in the recent past has this work been made available to the English reading public.
Karuvoorar, an architect as well as a yogin-alchemist, played a major role in the design and construction of the Brihadeshwara Temple at Thanjavur. The feats involved in this task recall not only the emergence of the Gothic cathedrals which occurred at about the same time but also the construction of the pyramids. A popular tour guide describes this as one of India's greatest temples:
"This superb and fascinating monument is one of only a handful in India with World Heritage listing and is worth a couple of visits. On top of the apex of the 63 meter high temple, a dome encloses an enormous Shiva Lingam. Constructed from a single piece of granite weighing an estimated 81 tonnes, the dome was hauled into place along a six-km earth work ramp in a manner similar to that used for the Egyptian Pyramids (3)."
From a western perspective Bogar might be the most intriguing of the siddhars. Born into a family of gold smiths in central South-India, Bogar received initiation from the illustrious Natha Yogi, Kalangi. Contemplative insight allegedly guided Bogar to construct a primitive form of aircraft that he used in a journey to China. He is also credited with inventing a sea-going craft using a stream engine, preparing an indestructible statue of the god, Muruga, using nine poisonous herbs and minerals and making a major contribution to the siddhar medicine system which boasts possession of fabulous remedies that heal presently incurable diseases and make possible an extreme longevity. Bogar achieved the ultimate state of perfection at the hill top shrine of Palani where the statue he fabricated is still in use. Elaborate temple murals here chronicle his wondrous exploits.
These claims seem somewhat reminiscent of the achievements of the contemporary western Hermetic master Schwaller de Lubicz, who in an attempt to free France from imported energy invented an engine fueled by vegetable oil. He designed following principles of number and harmonic proportion imbibed from contemplative vision a ship which possessed innovative properties of speed and balance in the roughest waters. He developed an airplane motor still used in France today. He also prepared Homeopathic medicines from plants and rediscovered the medieval alchemical procedure for producing the brilliant red and blue stained glass found in the windows of the Gothic Cathedrals. Evidence suggests that Scwaller was the original genius behind the Fulcanelli material, perhaps the most significant alchemical literature of the century. (see GNOSIS No. 7)
A popular legend describes how Bogar made several missionary excursions into China. A master of astral projection and soul transmigration, Bogar entered the body of a recently deceased Chinese youth, revived it and grew to become the Chinese sage, Lao Tzu, author of the TAO TE CHING and founder of Taoism. Taoism has a rich alchemical faction devoted to physical longevity that lends credit to this bizarre tale. The TAO TE CHING embodies the same esoteric style that haunts the obscure language of the Tamil siddhars and echoes ideas from western alchemy. Any student of Taoist Yoga is shocked by the similarity of its techniques to those of the Tamil siddhars.
Initially I could not accept the possibility that Bogar was Lao Tzu. During an extensive pilgrimage to the shrines of the siddhars in 1989 I encountered well educated residents of Palani who took it for granted that Bogar was indeed Tao Tzu. Finally, I found a pilgrimage guide book written in English, a rare commodity indeed in this off-the-beaten-track location. It described Palani's Hill temple to Lord Muruga and contained a brief monograph on Bogar identifying him as the Chinese sage, Lao Tzu.
Bogar's monumental work of 7000 verses has recently been edited in Tamil by one of the great living apostles of this tradition, Yogi S.A. Ramaiah of Madras. Since 1954, Yogi Ramaiah has traveled the world, giving lectures, initiating students and building temples. An American center at Yuma, Arizona features a temple containing eighteen granite images dedicated to the greatest siddhars. He does not offer the customary guru-disciple relationship but rather teaches postures, breathing and contemplative techniques geared to give access to what Anthony Rooley described so wonderfully in the third issue of ALEXANDRIA as "The Invisible College", a higher inspired state of mind. Jean Dubuis, the contemporary French alchemist describes a vaguely similar practice as "night school". These concepts might be related to the medieval notion of "the communion of saints" not as blind faith but as actual guiding contemplative experience. Although mantras do play a role the actual advanced techniques taught by Yogi Ramaiah seem more in tune with the methods of western alchemy.
Yogi Ramaiah has so far avoided becoming a personality cult by shifting attention to his own guru, "Babaji", the immortal Yogin made famous in Yogananda's AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI . This shadowy character remains a premier figure among that semi-mythical category of perfected immortal saints which include personages like Harikhan Baba and Bagwan Lakulisa. These beings allegedly inhabit remote regions of the Himalayas, emerging on rare occasion to reveal the more esoteric levels of yogic attainment.
In recent times "Babaji" has become a New Age band wagon that everyone delights to jump on, from Sondra Ray and Leonard Orr, the father of the rebirthing movement to Nina Hagen, the German Rock singer. Babaji's picture even appears on the album jacket of the Beatles, SERGENT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. In the vast realm of human imagination, what myth could possibly be more attractive to the ego than that of physical immortality?
Yogi Ramaiah offers the world a unique biography of this immortal saint. Babaji was born in 203 A.D. near the sanctuary of Chidambaram. At an early age he was kidnapped, sold into slavery and then purchased by a wealthy man who freed him. Babaji was thus absolved from the responsibilities of caste and family. He soon fell in with a group of advanced wandering sages who trained him in contemplative methods of self-realization. In his wanderings Babaji studied with Bogar at Katirgama in Sri Lanka and at Courtrallam with Agastyar. He finally achieved the highest yogic realization at Badrinath near the Himalayan boarder. Is there an echo here of the story of Christian Rosenkreutz who sets off as an orphaned youth on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and falls into the company of mysterious adepts who train him in ultimate wisdom?
A most intriguing enigma might arise from consideration of Babaji's yantra, a geometric device used along with mantra for invoking the master's grace and guidance. This yantra consists of a triangle situated in a square in turn circumscribed by a circle. It calls to mind a number of 17th century western alchemical diagrams. Notable examples include the final engraving from Heinrich Khunrath's AMPHITHEATRUM SAPIENTIAE AETERNAE (4), the seventh key of Basil Valantine's TWELVE KEYS and the Rosicrucian seal on the diploma presented to Dr. Bacstrom by a mysterious adept in 1794, published in Manly Hall's, ORDERS OF THE GREAT WORK-ALCHEMY(5). Stanislas Klassowski de Rolla explicates the meaning of Khunrath's emblem:
"Syzygy or conjunction of the macrocosmic Unity with the microcosmic triunity. The entire process of the elaboration of the Philosopher's Stone is symbolized here ...(4)."
The history of the Tamil siddhars has yet to be written. Their writings remain scattered waiting for the scholarly treatment they deserve. The task of separating the complex mythic and actual historic biographies of these sages recalls the difficulty associated with penetrating the wisdom of the western alchemical tradition. Scholars can argue even against the historical Jesus but in the end a good dream is more powerful than any historical reality. The perennial wisdom at the root of Rosicrucian alchemy or the Tamil siddhar tradition transcends time and space. It is an ever present guide leading any sincere aspirant into the immortal realm of imagination and its central diadem of self-luminous Gnosis. In the light of Gnosis all sages from every continent throughout history are forever united.
1. Kamil Zvelebil, "The Cittar: An Enigma", chapter 14 of THE
SMILE OF MURUGAN on TAMIL LITERATURE OF SOUTH INDIA (Leiden, Brill, 1973) p. 218
2. Thiru N Kandaswamy Pillai, HISTORY OF SIDDHAR MEDICINE, (Madras,
Manorama Press, Gov. of Tamil Nadu, 1979), p 254
3. Hugh Finlay, editor
INDIA, A TRAVEL SURVIVAL KIT (5th edition, Hong Kong, Lonely Planet, 1993), p.
1011
4. Stanislas Klassowski de Rolla, THE GOLDEN GAME: ALCHEMICAL
ENGRAVINGS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, (New York, Braziller, 1988), p. 41
5. Manly P. Hall, ORDERS OF THE GREAT WORK- ALCHEMY (Los Angeles, P.R.S., 1940)
p. 34.
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