Benefits of Neem- Agathiyar

Mostly many of us don’t know about the great qualities of neem. Even if it is known, that may be the general characteristics of the neem tree. In his book 'Thathuvam Munnooru', Agathiyar had explained about the benefits of neem in detail in third gnana kaandam.

“பாரப்பா வேம்பினூட பிறப்பைக் கேளு

paarappaa vaembinooda pirappai kaelu

பணியனையன் பாலாழி யமுர்தம் தனை

paniyanaiyan paalaazhi yamurtham thanai

நேரப்பா பெண்ணுருவாய் தேவர்க்குப் படைத்தார்

naerappaa pennuruvaai devarkku padaiththaar

நிகரில்லா ராட்சதர்கள் பெண்ணைப் பார்த்து

nigarillaa raatsatharkal pennai paarththu

சாரப்பா மயங்கி நின்ற ரசுரர்ககளி லொருவன்

saarappaa mayangi ninra rasurarkakali loruvan

தானவர்கள் பந்தியிலே வந் திருந்த தாலே

thaanavarkal panthiyilae van thiruntha thaalae

சேரப்பா தேவருடன் கலந்திருந்த தாலே

saerappaa Devarudan kalanthiruntha thaalae

திருமாலு மூன்றகப்பை படைத்தான் கேளே

Thirumaalu moonragappai padaiththaan kaelu.”

The above script says, “Listen. I will say about the birth of Neem. When Thirumal appeared as girl and shared the elixir to celestials using wooden ladle, demons fell in love with the beauty of that girl. But a demon sat in the middle of the celestial without the knowledge of others. Thirumaal without noticing gave three wooden ladles of elixir to the demon who sat among the celestials.

“படைத்திட்ட பெருமாலாம் பெண்ணி நோடு

padaiththitta perumaalaam penni noadu

பருதி மதி யசுரனவ ரென்ற போது

paruthi mathi yasuranava renra poathu

உடைத்திட்ட அசுரனவன் னமுர்த முண்ண

udaiththitta asuranavan namurtha munna

ஓரடியா யாகப்பையினால் வெட்டினார் மால்

oaradiyaa yaagappaiyinaal vettinaar maal

படைத்திட்ட யிரண்டாகி ரவி மதிக்கு

padaiththitta yirandaagi ravi mathikku

பகையாகி ராகுகே துக்களேன்றே சர்ப்பமானார்

pagaiyaaki raagukae thukkalaenrae sarppamaanaar

அடைத்திட்ட அகப்பையினால் வெட்டும் போது

adaiththitta agappaiyinaal vettum poathu

அவன்வா யாலமுர்த்த மாதைக் கக்கி னானே

avanvaa yaalamurththa maathai kakku naanae.”

The above script says, “Suryan (Sun) and Chandran (Moon), who were near to the Thirumal, showed a gesture to Thirumal that he was giving elixir to demon. Thirumal had cut off demon’s head from his body using the wooden ladle. Hence demon(s) Raagu(head) and Kaethu(body) had become enemies to Suryan and Chandran”.  Demon spitted the remaining elixie when he was cut by the wooden ladle.

“கக்கும்போ தமூர் தமது லிங்கம், போலக்

kakkumpoa thamoor thamathu lingam, poala

காசினியில் விழுந்ததுவே வேம்பு மாச்சு

kaasiniyil vizhunthathuvae vaembu maachchu

முக்கியமாய்க் கசப்பு வந்த தேதென்றாகால்

mukkiyamaai kasappu vanhtha thaethenraagaal

சக்கியமாய் வேம்பு தின்றால் சாவோ யில்லை

sakkiyamaai vaembu thinraal saavoa yillai

சனகாதி நால்வருடன் யானுந் தின்று

Sanakaathi naalvarudan yaanum thinru

அக்கண மேசித்திபெற் றவேம்பு நேர்மை

akkana maesiththipe travaembu naermai

ஆரறிவா ருலகத்தோ ரறியார் காணே

aararivaa rulakaththoa rariyaar kaanae.”

The above script says, “When demon spitted, the elixir fell on the Earth became neem tree. The reason why neem got bitter taste is because it has came from the demon’s (snake) poisonous mouth. If you eat neem regularly then there is no death for you. Like this I ate neem with four Sanakaathi’s (my masters) and attained kaaya siddhi*. Who in the World  knows such a great values of neem?”

*Kaaya Siddhi - 'Kaayam' means body. Siddhi means power that can be attained. Hence kaaya siddhi can be meant as the power of attaining immortal body.

The mantra- Agathiyar

"இன்றுநீ சுக்கிரன்தன் கட்டுக் கேளு

inrunee Sukkiranthan kattuk kaelu

இறீம் றீம் நசி மசி யென்று போடே

ireem reem nasi masi yenru poadae."

- அகத்தியர் (Agathiyar)

Agathiyar says that to get relieved from the control of the Venus, we should chant “Ereem Reem Nasi MasiI” for 1, 00,001 times.

The mantra related to the Saturn

"போடுவாய் சனிபகவான் கட்டுக்கேளு

poaduvaai sanibagavaan kattukkaelu

புகழான ஸ்ரீம் றூம் றூம் என்று சொல்லி

pugazhaana sreem room room enru solli

தேடுவாய் லட்சமுருப் போடு போடே

thaeduvaai latchamurup poadu poadae."

- அகத்தியர் (Agathiyar)

Agathiyar says that to get relieved from the control of the Saturn, we should chant “Sreem Room Room” for 1, 00,001 times.

The mantra related to the Raagu

"திறமான இராகுவுட கட்டுதீர

thiramaana iraaguvuda kattutheera

நாடுவாய் அரீம் ஸ்ரீம் நசி மசி என்றுலட்சம்

naaduvaai arIm sreem nasi masi enrulatcham

நலமாகச் செபித்துவரக் கட்டுத் தீரும்

nalamaagach sepiththuvarak kattuth theerum"

- அகத்தியர் (Agathiyar)

Agathiyar says that to get relieved from the control of the Raagu*, we should chant “Areem Sreem Nasi Masi” for 1, 00,001 times.

The mantra related to the Kaethu

"சாடுவாய் கேதுவுட கட்டு தீர

saaduvaai kaethuvuda kattu theera

சரியாக அங் சிங் நசிமசி யென்றுலட்சம் போடே

sariyaaga ang sing nasimasi yenrulatcham poadae"

- அகத்தியர் (Agathiyar)

Agathiyar says that to get relieved from the control of the Kethu*, we should chant “ANG NANG NASI MASI” for 1, 00,001 times.

Let us see about the mantras related to Kuligan who is considered as the son of the Saturn told by Agathiyar.

The mantra related to the Kuligan

"நீடுவாய் குளிகனுட கட்டுத்தீர்க்க

needuvaai kulikanuda kattuththeerkka

நிட்சமாய் ஓம் ஐயும் ஐயுமென லட்சம்

nitsamaai om aiyum aiyumena latcham

தீர்ந்துவிடும் நவக்கிரக உடல்கட்டப்பா

theernthuvidum navakkiraga udalkattappaa"

- அகத்தியர் (Agathiyar)

Agathiyar says that to get relieved from the control of the Kuligan, we should chant “Om Aiyum Aiyum” for 1, 00,001 times.

The mantra related to rulers of the eight directions

"பாரப்பா அட்டதிக்குப் பாலகர்க்குப்

paarappaa attathikkup paalakarkkup

பரிவான கட்டுப் பீஜத்தைக் கேளு

parivaana kattup peejaththaik kaelu

சீரப்பா வீட்சணிவா வா வீரா பார் பார் என்றும்

seerappaa veetsanivaa vaa veeraa paar paar enrum

சிறப்பாகப் புறோம் புறோம் றீங் கங் சிங் சிங் என்றும்

sirappaagap puroam puroam reeeng kang sing sing enrum

கூறப்பா மங் டங் றீங் வங் வங் பங் என்றும்

koorappaa mang tang reeng vang vang pang enrum

குணமுடனே றீ றீ றீ றீ கிறாங் என்றும்

gunamudane ree ree ree ree kiraang enrum

காரப்பா மங் ராங் ராங் வறீம் பம் வம் என்றும்

kaarappaa mang raang raang vareem pam vam enrum

கணக்குலட்ச முருச் செபித்துப் போடே

kanakkulatcha muruch sepiththup poadae."

- அகத்தியர் (Agathiyar)

Agathiyar says that to get relieved from the control of rulers of the eight directions, we should chant “Veetsanivaa Vaa Veera Paar Paar Puroam Puroam Reeng Kang Sing Sing Mang Tang Reeng Vang Vang Pang Ree Ree Ree Ree Kiraang Mang Raang Raang Vareem Bam Vam” for 1, 00,001 times.

If these mantras are succeeded then our body will be relieved from the control of all the planets, the rulers of the eight directions and the panjapootham and can be controlled by you.

In the next post we shall see about the way of chanting these mantras.

*Panjapootham - the five elements viz., earth, air, fire, water and sky

*Raagu - the ascending node of the moon

*Kaethu - the descending node of the noon

Agathiyar

Among the eighteen Siththars, Agathiyar was the most renowned Siththar. He was known to have links with Gods and kings. He was also a legend in Sidha Maruthuvam.

Many references about Agathiyar can be seen in ancient Tamil songs, devotional literature like Devaram, and Vedas. He was also known as one of the seven rishis of Vedic period. Apart from this there are also several folk stories about him.

He managed to lead austere life inspite of being married. His wife name was Lobamuthirai and his son name was Sankaran.

In his book Samarasa Gnanam, he clearly explained about the important nerve knots of human body. Agathiyar ainthu saathiram, Agathiyar kiriyai nool, Agathiyar attamasithu, Agathiyar vaithiyarathna surukkam, Agathiyar vagada venba, Agathiyar vaithiya koumi, Vaithiya rathnakaram, Vaithiya kannadi, Vaithiyam 1500, Vaithiyam 4600, Senthooran 300, Mani 400, Vaithiya Sindhamani, Karisilpachyam, Naadi sasthira pasani, Pasmam 200 and medicinal books Perunthirattu, Sivasaalam, Dakthisaalam, Shanmugasaalam, Aarezhuthu andhadhi, Karmaviyaapagam, Vithi noon vagai kaandam, Agathiyar pooja vithi, Agathiyar soothiram 30, Agathiyar gnanam are some important books written by him.

Agathiyam, a book on Tamil grammar and Agathiya samhithai, a north Indian book was also said to be written by him.

Agathiyar’s sepulcher was said to be in Trivandrum.

Agastya Curses Indradyumna Maharaja

 SB 8.4.6: Because Gajendra, King of the elephants, had been touched directly by the hands of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he was immediately freed of all material ignorance and bondage. Thus he received the salvation of sārūpya-mukti, in which he achieved the same bodily features as the Lord, being dressed in yellow garments and possessing four hands.

SB 8.4.7: This Gajendra had formerly been a Vaiṣṇava and the king of the country known as Pāṇḍya, which is in the province of Draviḍa [South India]. In his previous life, he was known as Indradyumna Mahārāja.

SB 8.4.8: Indradyumna Mahārāja retired from family life and went to the Malaya Hills, where he had a small cottage for his āśrama. He wore matted locks on his head and always engaged in austerities. Once, while observing a vow of silence, he was fully engaged in the worship of the Lord and absorbed in the ecstasy of love of Godhead.

SB 8.4.9: While Indradyumna Mahārāja was engaged in ecstatic meditation, worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the great sage Agastya Muni arrived there, surrounded by his disciples. When the Muni saw that Mahārāja Indradyumna, who was sitting in a secluded place, remained silent and did not follow the etiquette of offering him a reception, he was very angry.

SB 8.4.10: Agastya Muni then spoke this curse against the King: This King Indradyumna is not at all gentle. Being low and uneducated, he has insulted a brāhmaṇa. May he therefore enter the region of darkness and receive the dull, dumb body of an elephant.

SB 8.4.11-12: Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, after Agastya Muni had thus cursed King Indradyumna, the Muni left that place along with his disciples. Since the King was a devotee, he accepted Agastya Muni's curse as welcome because it was the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, although in his next life he got the body of an elephant, because of devotional service he remembered how to worship and offer prayers to the Lord.

           SB 8.4.13: Upon delivering the King of the elephants from the clutches of the crocodile, and from material existence, which resembles a crocodile, the Lord awarded him the status of sārūpya-mukti. In the presence of the Gandharvas, the Siddhas and the other demigods, who were praising the Lord for His wonderful transcendental activities, the Lord, sitting on the back of His carrier, Garuḍa, returned to His all-wonderful abode and took Gajendra with Him.

gastya's Hermitage and references in Valmiki's Ramayana

                     Agastya is mentioned most among all the existing Hindu texts possibly in the Ramayana. He is mentioned in the oldest and most original existing versions of the Ramayana (those by Sage Valmiki), as having his abode in the form of a hermitage in the Malaya Mountains, at more than one place. His main hermitage is placed by the epic somewhere in the western half of the Indian Ocean, further south of the so-called Malaya Mountains, amongst a series or chain of large islands and submerged mountains. His hermitage building there is supposedly eighty miles in both length and breadth, and again an astounding eighty miles in height as well, and adorned with inestimable amounts of gold, diamonds, and all other kinds of precious metals and stones.

Legends and beliefs about Agastya

Rama at the Hermatige of Sage Agastya

 

Oath of Agastya

 

                   Sage Agastya if often considered the father of traditional Indian Medicine among many other streams of knowledge. In his book, he is believed to have given the description of, and instructions for the creation of medicines for fever (it may be of any type), cancer, treatments for impotence, abdominal problems, brain and eye problems, bone problems, etc. Reputedly, his medicines gave quick results without any side effects.

                         Among the various legends associated with him is that of the Vindhya Mountains. According to a story in the Shri Rama-Charitra-Manasa, at one time, Mount Vindhyachal was continually growing in size due to taunting comments by the Sage Narada. So as to temper the vanity of the mountains, Sage Agastya and his family traveled to South India, via the Mount Vindhyachal. On their way, when the Vindhyas saw Sage Agastya, he bowed with respect and reverence, upon which Sage Agastya, jokingly asked if he would stay bowed and subdued with respect till the sage returned. The Vindhyas was truly benevolent and promised to not grow until the seer's return from the South. After passing through the mountain, sage Agastya told his wife, that they would never again cross over to the North side of mount Vindhyas.

                       Another reference is in the Mahabharata Book 10 in Sauptikaparva, section-12 as the sage who gave Drona, the greatest of weapons, Brahmastra (used by both Arjuna and Ashwatthama at the end of the war).

Agastya and Lopāmudrā

The left of these two statues represents Agastya as a Hindu sage. It is located in the archaeological museum at Prambanan, Java, Indonesia, and probably dates from the 9th century A.D. Agastya was one of the divinities worshipped at Candi Siva, the main temple at Prambanan.

Agastya and Lopāmudrā

 

                 Agastya needed to marry and sire a son, in order to fulfill his duties to the Manus. Once he resolved upon doing this, Agastya pursued an unusual course of action: by his yogic powers, he created a female infant who possessed all the special qualities of character and personality that would be appropriate in the wife of a renunciate. At this time, the noble and virtuous king of Vidarbha (an area in south-central India, just south of the Vindhya mountains), was childless and was undertaking penances and offering prayers to the divinities for the gift of a child. Having come to know the plight of the king, Agastya arranged for the transformation of the child he had created, to be born the daughter of that noble king of Vidarbha. The child thus born was named "Lopamudra" by her parents. Upon her attaining marriageable age, Agastya approached the king and sought the hand of his daughter. The king was initially chagrined to hear such a suggestion from a renunciate, but found that his daughter, who had already exhibited extraordinary standards of mind and character, was insistent that he should accept the proposal. She was utterly intent upon renouncing the royal palace of her father and set out to live in forest at the hermitage of Agastya. Lopamudra and Agastya were duly married and lived a life of extraordinary felicity and happiness. It is believed that they had two sons - Bhringi & Achutha. In Mahabharata (Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva), there is mention of his penance at Gangadwara (Haridwar),in Uttar Khand State in India, with the help of his wife, Lopamudra (the princess of Vidharba). Lopamudra attained the rank of one of Mahapativrathas in the world by her dedication to worship her husband Agastya, and remained with other Pathivrathas (Noble exalted wives),like Mandodari (Ravana's wife),etc.

Agasthiyar

Agastya/Agasthiyar.
Agastya depicted in a statue as a Hindu sage.
Sanskrit Transliteration	Agastya
Tamil script	அகத்தியர்
Kannada	ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ
Affiliation	Rishi (sage), Saptarshi (seven sages)
Consort	Lopamudra

Agastya Tamil:அகத்தியர்(Also known as Father of Tamil Literature and siddha ),( Telugu:అగస్త్య, Kannada:ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, Sanskrit:अगस्त्य,AGASTYA, Malay: Anggasta, Thai: Akkhot) is one of the Saptarishis (सप्तर्षि saptarṣi a meaning "seven sages") who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and a revered Vedic sage who is also the author of Agastya Samhita [ref: Dharma Bharathi]. Agastya is a name of Shiva too. The word is sometimes written as Agasti and Agathiyar. A-ga means a mountain, and Asti means thrower. Agastya the Muni, son of Urvashi was born of both Gods, Mitra and Varuna. Agastya is also the Indian astronomical name of the star of Canopus, is said to be the 'cleanser of waters', since its rising coincides with the calming of the waters of the Indian Ocean. He was son of Pulasthya, son of Brahma.

                          Siddhar were spiritual adepts who possessed the ashta siddhis, or the eight supernatural powers. Sage Agathiyar is considered the guru of all Siddhars, and the Siddha medicine system is believed to have been handed over to him by Lord Muruga, son of the Hindu God Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi.Siddhars are the followers of Lord Shiva. Agathiyar is the first Siddhar. His disciples and other siddhars contributed thousands of texts on Siddhar litratures, including medicine and form the propounders of the system in this world. He is considered as the father of Tamil literature and compiled the first Tamil grammar called Agathiyam. It is believed that he has lived in the 6th or 7th century B.C and specialized in language, alchemy, medicine and spirituality (yogam and gnanam). There are 96 books in the name of Agathiyar. However, some Tamil researchers say that Agastya mentioned in Vedas and Agathiyar mentioned in Tamil texts could be two different characters. In Tamil language the term 'Agam' means inside and 'iyar' means belong. One who belong inside (soul) is the Tamil meaning for Agathiyar.

Metaphysics as grammatical motivation -Patanjali

               Unlike Pāṇini's objectives in the Ashtyadhyayi which is to distinguish correct forms and meanings from incorrect ones (shabdaunushasana), Patanjali's objectives are more metaphysical. These include the correct recitations of the scriptures (Agama), maintaining the purity of texts (raksha), clarifying ambiguity (asamdeha), and also the pedagogic goal of providing an easier learning mechanism (laghu). This stronger metaphysical bent has also been indicated by some as one of the unifying themes between the Yoga Sutras and the Mahābhāṣya.

               The text of the Mahābhāṣya had diversified somewhat in the late Sanskritic tradition, and the nineteenth-century orientalist Franz Kielhorn produced the first critical edition and developed philological criteria for distinguishing Kātyāyana's "voice" from Patañjali's. Subsequently a number of other texts have come out, the 1968 text by S.D. Joshi and J.H.F. Roodbergen often being considered definitive.

              Patanjali also writes with a light touch. For example, his comment on the conflicts between the orthodox Brahminic (Astika) groups, versus the heterodox, nAstika groups (Buddhism, Jainism, and atheists) seems relevant for religious conflict even today: the hostility between these groups was like that between a mongoose and a snake. He also sheds light on contemporary events, commenting on the recent Greek incursion, and also on several tribes that lived in the Northwest regions of the subcontinent.

Sphota -Patanjali

                     Patanjali also defines an early notion of sphota, which would be elaborated considerably by later Sanskrit linguists like Bhartrihari. In Patanjali, a sphoTa (from sphuT, burst) is the invariant quality of speech. The noisy element (dhvani, audible part) can be long or short, but the sphoTa remains unaffected by individual speaker differences. Thus, a single letter or 'sound' (varNa) such as k, p or a is an abstraction, distinct from variants produced in actual enunciation. This concept has been linked to the modern notion of phoneme, the minimum distinction that defines semantically distinct sounds. Thus a phoneme is an abstraction for a range of sounds. However, in later writings, especially in Bhartrihari (6th c. AD), the notion of sphoTa changes to become more of a mental state, preceding the actual utterance, akin to the lemma.

                       Patañjali's writings also elaborate some principles of morphology (prakriyā). In the context of elaborating on Pāṇini's aphorisms, he also discusses Kātyāyana's commentary, which are also aphoristic and sūtra-like; in the later tradition, these were transmitted as embedded in Patañjali's discussion. In general, he defends many positions of Pāṇini which were interpreted somewhat differently in Katyayana.

Mahābhāshya -Patañjali

            The Mahābhāṣya ("great commentary") of Patañjali on the Aṣṭādhyāyī of Pāṇini is a major early exposition on Pāṇini, along with the somewhat earlier Varttika by Katyayana. Here he raises the issue of whether meaning ascribes to a specific instance or to a category:

kim punar AkritiH padArthaH, Ahosvid dravyam.

Now what is 'meaning' (artha) [of a word]? Is it a particular instance (dravya) or a general shape (Akriti)?

             This discussion arises in Patanjali in connection with a sutra  that states that a plural form may be used in the sense of the singular when designating a species.

              Another aspect dealt with by Patanjali relates to how words and meanings are associated - Patanjali claims shabdapramâNaH - that the evidentiary value of words is inherent in them, and not derived externally - the word-meaning association is natural. The argument he gives is that people do not make an effort to manufacture words. When we need a pot, we ask the potter to make a pot for us. The same is not true of words - we do not usually approach grammarians and ask them to manufacture words for our use. This is similar to the argument in the early part of Plato's Cratylus, where morphemes are described as natural, e.g. the sound 'l' is associated with softness.

                   These issues in the word-meaning relation (symbol) would elaborated in the Sanskrit linguistic tradition, in debates between the Mimamsa, Nyaya and Buddhist schools over the next fifteen centuries.

science of yoga- Patañjali

Relevance of his contribution to the science of yoga

                      Patañjali defended in his yoga-treatise several ideas that are not mainstream of either Sankhya or Yoga. He, according to the Iyengar adept, biographer and scholar Kofi Busia, acknowledges the ego not as a separate entity. The subtle body linga sarira he would not regard as permanent and he would deny it a direct control over external matters. This is not in accord with classical Sankhya and Yoga.

                   Although much of the aphorisms in the Yoga Sutra possibly pre-dates Patanjali, it is clear that much is original and it is more than a mere compilation. The clarity and unity he brought to divergent views prevalent till then has inspired a long line of teachers and practitioners up to the present day in which B.K.S. Iyengar is a known defender. With some translators he seems to be a dry and technical propounder of the philosophy, but with others he is an empathic and humorous witty friend and spiritual guide.

Yoga Sūtras - Patanjali

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Pada (Chapter)	English meaning	Sutras
Samadhi Pada	On being absorbed in spirit	51
Sadhana Pada	On being immersed in spirit	55
Vibhuti Pada	On supernatural abilities and gifts	56
Kaivalya Pada	On absolute freedom	34

                   The Yoga tradition is much older, there are references in the Mahābhārata, and the Gitā identifies three kinds of yoga. The Yoga Sūtras codifies the royal or best (rāja) yoga practices, presenting these as an eight-limbed system (ashtānga). The philosophic tradition is related to the Sankhya school. The focus is on the mind; the second sutra defines Yoga - it is the cessation of all mental fluctuations, all wandering thoughts cease and the mind is focused on a single thought

                   In contrast to the focus on the mind in the Yoga sutras, later traditions of Yoga such as the Hatha yoga focus on more complex asanas or body postures.

Patanjali Samadhi

                The Jeeva Samadhi of Patanjali Maharishi is believed to be in Tirupattur Brahmapureeswarar Temple (30 km from Trichy), where Lord Brahma installed 12 Shiva Lingams and worshipped Lord Shiva to get back his Tejas.

                Shankaracharya's guru had told Shankaracharya that Patanjali was reincarnated as Govinda Bhagavatpada and was meditating in a cave somewhere in the state of samadhi.

Tamil Shaivite legend

The tiger-footed Vyaghrapada and snake-footed Patanjali salute Nataraja.

 

                   Regarding his early years, a Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta tradition from around 10th Cent. AD holds that Patañjali learned Yoga along with seven other disciples from the great Yogic Guru Nandhi Deva, as stated in Tirumular's Tirumandiram (Tantra 1).

Nandhi arulPetra Nadharai Naadinom Nandhigal Nalvar Siva Yoga MaaMuni Mandru thozhuda Patañjali Vyakramar Endrivar Ennodu (Thirumoolar) Enmarumaame

Translation

We sought the feet of the Lord who graced Nandikesvara
The Four Nandhis,
Sivayoga Muni, Patañjali, Vyaghrapada and I (Thirumoolar)
We were these eight.

                       The ancient Kali Kautuvam also describes how Patañjali and Vyagrapada gathered along with the gods in Thillai near Chidambaram to watch Shiva and Kali dance and perform the 108 mystic Karanas, which formed the foundation for the system of Natya Yoga. He has also written Charana Shrungarahita Stotram on Nataraja.

                        This Tamil tradition also gives his birthplace in South Kailash - Koneswaram temple, Trincomalee. Some other traditions feel that his being born in Bharatavarsha - the part of the ancient world corresponding to South Asia - is beneath his godlike status, and that he must have been born in the Jambudvipa, the mythical center of the universe.

Patañjali as Siddha is also mentioned by the goldsmith-sage Bogar:

It was why my Grandfather who said, "Climb and see."
But it was Kalangi Nathar who gave me birth.
Patañjali,Viyagiramar,and Sivayogi Muni all so rightly said,
"Look! This is the path!" - Bhogar 7000 (translation by Layne Little)

This tradition also holds that Patañjali was a master of dance.

Hagiography -Patañjali

                     In the Yoga tradition, Patañjali is a revered name and has been deified by many groups, especially in the Shaivite bhakti tradition. It is claimed that Patañjali is an incarnation of Ādi Śeṣa, who is the first ego-expansion of Viṣṇu, Sankarshana. Sankarshana is part of the so-called caturvyūha, the fourfold manifestation of Vishnu. Patañjali is considered an incarnation of God defending the yoga. He is called Maharshi.

                           In one popular legend, Patañjali was born to Atri and his wife Anasuya (this would make him go back to the time of the creation by Brahma). According to this tradition, Anasuya had to go through a stern test of her chastity when the Trimurti themselves came as Bhikshuks and asked her for Bhiksha. She passed their test by accepting them as her children and fed them. She got the boon where all the three Murtis will be born to them. They were Soma Skandan or Patañjali, Dattatreya, and Durvasa.

Patanjali - Authorship

Patañjali - Modern art rendering in Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar

 

 

                       Whether the two works, the Yoga Sutras and the Mahābhāṣya, are by the same author has been the subject of considerable debate. The authorship of the two is first attributed to the same person in Bhojadeva's Rajamartanda, a relatively late (10th Cent.) commentary on the Yoga Sutras, as well as several subsequent texts. As for the texts themselves, the Yoga Sutra iii.44 cites a sutra as that from Patanjali by name, but this line itself is not from the Mahābhāṣya. This 10th Century legend of single-authorship is doubtful. The literary styles and contents of the Yogasūtras and the Mahābhāṣya are entirely different, and the only work on medicine attributed to Patañjali is lost. Sources of doubt include the lack of cross-references between the texts, and no mutual awareness of each other, unlike other cases of multiple works by (later) Sanskrit authors. Also, some elements in the Yoga Sutras may date from as late as the 4th Cent. AD, but such changes may be due to divergent authorship, or due to later additions which are not atypical in the oral tradition. Most scholars refer to both works as "by Patanjali", without meaning that they are by the same author.

                       In addition to the Mahābhāṣya and Yoga Sūtras, the 11th Century commentary on Charaka by the Bengali scholar Cakrapāṇidatta, and the 16th Cent. text Patanjalicarita ascribes to Patañjali a medical text called the Carakapratisaṃskṛtaḥ (now lost) which is apparently a revision (pratisaṃskṛtaḥ) of the medical treatise by Caraka. While there is a short treatise on yoga in the medical work called the Carakasaṃhitā (by Caraka), towards the end of the chapter called śārīrasthāna, it is notable for not bearing much resemblance to the Yoga Sūtras, and in fact presenting a form of eightfold yoga that is completely different from that laid out by Patañjali in the Yoga Sūtras and the commentary Yogasūtrabhāṣya.

The tradition that holds that all three works are by the same author is summed up in this verse from the beginning of Bhoja's Rājamārttanda commentary on the Yoga Sūtras:

yogena cittasya, padena vācāṃ, malaṃ śarīrasya ca vaidyakena ।
yo'pākarot taṃ pravaraṃ munīnāṃ patañjaliṃ prāñjalir ānato'smi ॥

पतञ्जलिप्रार्थनं॥ योगेन चित्तस्य पदेन वाचां मलं शरीरस्य च वैदिकेन । योपाकरोत्तं प्रवरं मुनीनां पतञ्जलिं प्राञ्जलिरानतोस्मि॥

English translation: I bow with my hands together to the eminent sage Patañjali, who removed the impurities of the mind through yoga, of speech through grammar, and of the body through medicine.

Patanjali

                  Patañjali (Tamil: பதஞ்ஜலி, Sanskrit: पतञ्जलि) is the compiler of the Yoga Sūtras, an important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice. According to tradition, the same Patañjali was also the author of the Mahābhāṣya, a commentary on Kātyāyana's vārttikas (short comments) on Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī and of an unspecified work of medicine (āyurveda). Patanjali's place of birth is held to be "Gonarda" (Thiru-Gona-Malai), a "country in the east" and he described himself as a "Gonardiya" throughout his life. This corroborates Tirumular's Tirumandhiram, which describes him as hailing from Then Kailasam (Koneswaram temple, Trincomalee), and he famously visited the Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram, where he wrote the Charana Shrungarahita Stotram on Nataraja. In recent decades, the Yoga Sutra has become quite popular worldwide for the precepts regarding practice of Raja Yoga and its philosophical basis. "Yoga" in traditional Hinduism involves inner contemplation, a system of meditation practice and ethics.

The 18 siddhars

There are 18 siddhars in the Tamil siddha tradition. They are

1. Sri Patanjali Siddhar
2. Sri Agastya Siddhar
3. Sri Kamalamuni Siddhar
4. Sri Thirumoolar Siddhar
5. Sri Kuthambai Siddhar
6. Sri Korakkar Siddhar
7. Sri Thanvandri Siddhar
8. Sri Konganar Siddhar
9. Sri Sattamuni Siddhar
10. Sri Vanmeegar Siddhar
11. Sri Ramadevar Siddhar
12. Sri Nandeeswarar (Nandidevar) Siddhar
13. Sri Edaikkadar Siddhar
14. Sri Machamuni Siddhar
15. Sri Karuvoorar Siddhar
16. Sri Bogar Siddhar
17. Pambatti Siddhar
18. Sundarandandar

All Siddhars were among the highest disciples of God Shiva, and are considered equal in their powers and devotion to the supreme God.

Siddhars (Tamil: சித்தர்)

              Siddhars (Tamil: சித்தர்) are saints in India, mostly of the Saivaite denomination in Tamil Nadu, who professed and practised an unorthodox type of Sadhana, or spiritual practice, to attain liberation. Yogic powers called Siddhis are acquired by constant practice of certain yogic disciplines. Those who acquire these Siddhis are called Siddhas. These sidhars can be compared to Mystics of the western civilization. Siddhars are people who are believed to control and transcend the barriers of time and space by meditation (Yoga), after the use of substances called Rasayanas that transform the body to make it potentially deathless, and a particular breathing-practice, a type of Pranayama. Through their practices they are believed to have reached stages of insight which enabled them to tune into the powers hidden in various material substances and practices, useful for suffering and ignorant mankind. Typically Siddhars were saints, doctors, alchemists and mysticists all at once. They wrote their findings, in the form of poems in Tamil language, on palm leaves which are collected and stored in what are known today as Palm leaf manuscript, today still owned by private families in Tamil Nadu and handed down through the generations, as well as public institutions such as Universities all over the world .

            In this way Siddhars developed, among other branches of a vast knowledge-system, what is now known as Siddha medicine, practised mainly in Tamil Nadu as Traditional native medicine. A rustic form of healing that is similar to Siddha medicine has since been practised by experienced elderly in the villages of Tamil Nadu. (This has been misunderstood as Paatti Vaitthiyam, Naattu marunthu and Mooligai marutthuvam. While paati vaitthiyam or naatu marunthu is traditional Tamil medicine and mooligai marutthuvam is ayurvedic medicine.) They are also founders of Varmam - a martial art for self-defence and medical treatment at the same time. Varmam are specific points located in the human body which when pressed in different ways can give various results, such as disabling an attacker in self-defence, or balancing a physical condition as an easy first-aid medical treatment.

                 Tamil Siddhars were the first to develop pulse-reading ("naadi paarththal" in Tamil) to identify the origin of diseases. This method was later copied and used in ayurvedha.

                  Siddhars have also written many religious poems. It is believed that most of them have lived for ages, in a mystic mountain called Sathuragiri, near Thanipparai village in Tamil Nadu.

                   One of the best-known Siddhars was Agasthyar or Agasthya, who is believed to be the founding father of Siddha culture.

                    Abithana Chintamani states Siddhars are either of the 9 or 18 persons enlisted, but sage Agastyar states that there are many who precede these and follow 9 or 18 persons. Many of the great Siddhars are regarded to have powers magical and spiritual.