1. 📝 Original Tamil Verse
வாணி சதாசிவ பதத்தின் முன்னோர் காப்பு
மகத்தான முனிவோர்கள் பாதம் காப்பு
வேணியென்ற ஆதியந்தஞ் சோதி காப்பு
மேவுசுடர் சடாதார பீடம் காப்பு
யோனியென்ற நால்யோனி பிண்டம் காப்பு
உதித்த தத்துவஞ் ஞான மவுனம் காப்பு
பாணி என்ற தீவுசூழ் அண்டம் காப்பு
பஞ்சகாவியம் காப்பு சௌமியம் காப்பாமே.
2. 🔡 IAST Transliteration (ISO 15919)
Vāṇi sadāśiva padattiṉ muṉṉōr kāppu
Makatthāṉa muṉivōrkaḷ pātam kāppu
Vēṇiyēṉṟa ādiy antañ cōti kāppu
Mēvu-cuṭar caṭādhāra pīṭam kāppu
Yōṇiyēṉṟa nāl-yōṇi piṇḍam kāppu
Utitta tattuva-jñāṉam avuṉam kāppu
Pāṇiyēṉṟa tīvu sūḻ aṇḍam kāppu
Pañcakāviyyam kāppu, cauṁiyam kāppāmē.
3. 📘 Word-by-Word Meaning and Etymology Table
| Tamil Word | IAST Transliteration | Lexical Meaning (Tamil Lexicon) | Etymology / Sanskrit Root | Siddha/Tantric Connotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| வாணி | vāṇi | Sarasvatī, goddess of speech | Vāṇī (Skt: वाणी) | Śabda Brahman, vāgvibhūti |
| சதாசிவ பதம் | sadāśiva padam | The eternal Śiva-state | Sadā + Śiva (Skt: सदा + शिव) | Turīya–Turīyātīta state; pañcākṣara-siddhi level |
| முன்னோர் | muṉṉōr | Ancestors, forerunners | Tamil: “before ones” | Spiritual lineage (Ṛṣi-paramparā) |
| வேணி | vēṇi | Coiled lock; braid – also refers to Śiva’s jaṭā | Veni (Skt: वेणि) | Śiva in ascetic form; indicates Nāḍī binding |
| ஆதியந்தம் | ādi–anta | Beginning and end | Ādi + Anta (Skt) | That which is beyond both beginning and end – Brahman |
| சடாதாரம் | caṭādhāram | Base or pedestal of the hair-knot | Jaṭā + Ādhāra | Mūlādhāra Cakra; root of kuṇḍalinī |
| பீடம் | pīṭam | Seat, pedestal | Pīṭha (Skt: पीठ) | Mystical cakra seat; also refers to śakti-pīṭha |
| யோனி | yōṇi | Womb, generative source | Yoni (Skt: योनि) | Source of creation; cakra, bindu, and śakti symbolism |
| நால்யோனி | nāl-yōṇi | Four-fold yonis (classifications) | Chatur-yoni | Fourfold origins: Devic, Ṛṣi, Mānuṣa, Asura; or cakric types |
| தத்துவஞ் ஞானம் | tattuva-jñāṉam | Knowledge of tattvas | Tattva + Jñāna | Spiritual insight into 36 tattvas (Shaiva Siddhānta) |
| மவுனம் | avuṉam | Silence | Mauna (Skt: मौन) | Supreme silence; sahaja-samādhi |
| பாணி | pāṇi | Hand | Pāṇi (Skt: पाणि) | Divine gesture, mudrā, or mantra-shakti |
| தீவுசூழ் அண்டம் | tīvu-sūḻ aṇḍam | The island-surrounded cosmos | Tīvu (island) + Aṇḍa | Siddha alchemical symbol of energy condensing into world-body |
| பஞ்சகாவியம் | pañcakāviyyam | The five great poems (of Agastya) | Pañca + Kāvyam | The Fivefold Siddha revelations |
| சௌமியம் | cauṁiyam | Peaceful, blissful (possibly referring to Caumiyacākaram) | Saumya (Skt: सौम्य) | Gentle Śiva-Śakti union; moonlike peace of the Guru’s state |
4. 🔤 Line-by-Line Literal Translation
1. வாணி சதாசிவ பதத்தின் முன்னோர் காப்பு
Vāṇi sadāśiva padattiṉ muṉṉōr kāppu
Let the ancient seers of the Sadāśiva state and Vāṇī (goddess of speech) protect us.
2. மகத்தான முனிவோர்கள் பாதம் காப்பு
Makatthāṉa muṉivōrkaḷ pātam kāppu
Let the feet of the great sages offer their protection.
3. வேணியென்ற ஆதியந்தஞ் சோதி காப்பு
Vēṇiyēṉṟa ādi–antañ cōti kāppu
May the radiant Śiva with coiled hair, the light beyond beginning and end, protect us.
4. மேவுசுடர் சடாதார பீடம் காப்பு
Mēvu-cuṭar caṭādhāra pīṭam kāppu
May the luminous and ever-shining base pedestal (Mūlādhāra) offer protection.
5. யோனியென்ற நால்யோனி பிண்டம் காப்பு
Yōṇiyēṉṟa nāl-yōṇi piṇḍam kāppu
Let the fourfold generative yoni-forms (symbolic body types) be guarded.
6. உதித்த தத்துவ ஞான மவுனம் காப்பு
Utitta tattuva-jñāṉam avuṉam kāppu
Let the silence born of tattva-realization protect us.
7. பாணியென்ற தீவுசூழ் அண்டம் காப்பு
Pāṇiyēṉṟa tīvu-sūḻ aṇḍam kāppu
Let the cosmic island-orb held in the divine hand protect us.
8. பஞ்சகாவியம் காப்பு சௌமியம் காப்பாமே
Pañcakāviyyam kāppu, cauṁiyam kāppāmē
Let the Fivefold Kāvyam protect us, let the Peaceful Ocean (Caumiyacākaram) protect us.
5. 🌌 Metaphoric or Hidden Meaning (Paripāṣai / குறிக்கோள்)
This verse is a poetic invocation of yogic, alchemical, and cosmic protection flowing from the Sadāśiva padam, the supreme state of consciousness. It traces protection from the ṛṣi lineage, cosmic bodies (macro/micro), to mauna, the culmination of inner realization.
The phrase “pañcakāviyyam kāppu” invokes textual self-awareness, acknowledging the five sacred Siddha texts as not just poetry but as living mantras. Caumiyam (peaceful ocean) refers to Caumiyacākaram, which metaphorically represents the bindu, the oceanic source of all manifestations—Śakti herself.
6. 🧘🏽 Philosophical, Yogic, or Alchemical Significance
| Concept | Integration in Verse |
|---|---|
| Kuṇḍalinī | Coiled hair (vēṇi) and Mūlādhāra pīṭha denote kuṇḍalinī’s base and ascent. |
| Nāḍī | Speech (Vāṇī) and coiled currents (vēṇi) suggest nāḍī pathways. |
| Cakra | Reference to pīṭham (base) and yoni (creative seat) reflects cakra-based anatomy. |
| Pañcakōśa | Merged via reference to tattva-jñāna and piṇḍa (body), touching all five sheaths. |
| Vāyu | Coiled vāyu rising through cakras implied via metaphors. |
| Tapas | Achieved through mauna – the fireless fire; deep interiorized tapas. |
| Jñāna | Tattva-jñāna is explicitly mentioned—realization of ultimate truth. |
| Siddhi | Śānti and Cauṁiyam reflect highest siddhi: abiding in peaceful stillness. |
| Rasavāda | Union of piṇḍa-yoni and tattva-realization reflects rasa-siddhi, transmutation. |
7. ✍🏽 Literary Features and Poetic Devices
- Self-Referentiality: Mentions of “pañcakāvyam” and “cauṁiyam” invoke the very text in which the verse occurs.
- Alliteration: “காப்பு” repeats at the end of every line, forming a mantraic rhythm.
- Symbolic Pairs: Vāṇi–Sadāśiva, Tattva–Mauna, Pīṭham–Yoni; dualistic energies merging into unity.
- Mytho-poetic Imagery: Island-enclosed orb (tīvu-sūḻ aṇḍam) conjures alchemical cosmograms.
8. 🪔 Overall Summary and Core Teaching
This verse is a protective mantric kavaca built on the scaffolding of Siddha metaphysics. It fuses the ancient lineage (mūla-guru-paramparā) with transcendental states (Sadāśiva), and spans the full spectrum from the generative yoni to mauna, the silence of liberation. By invoking the pañcakāvyam itself as a source of protection, the poet declares that the sacred word is both the path and the protection, and that true safety lies in the peace of divine consciousness (cauṁiyam). It is a shield for the sādhaka walking the subtle path of siddhi.
