Alchemical Metaphors and their Yogic Interpretations in Selected Passages of the Tamil Siddha Literature

Abstract

In the Tamil siddha texts, the passages on yoga frequently interlace with teachings on alchemy. The texts on these domains of the traditional siddha knowledge are often composed in a deliberately ambiguous and obscure manner, which results from the use of various strategies, such as wordplay riddles, metaphors, ellipses and vague technical vocabulary. In this article, I examine ambiguous passages in the alchemical literature of the Siddhars which, apart from their literal, alchemical meaning, can be also interpreted as metaphorical allusions to yogic practices and concepts. I concentrate mostly on the literature ascribed to Siddhar Yakopu, tentatively dated to the seventeenth century. I analyse several instances of equivocal verses and consider the possible role of the obscure passages. I study the intertwined alchemical and yogic discourse and I reflect on the siddha understanding of matter.