........ SIDDHAS ---- DIMENSIONS OF THE SIDDHAS

This ancient science stands greatly renowned for its versatility expressed through its several dimensions. The Siddha Tradition, through its manuscripts and palm leafs speaks of Yoga, Tantra, Astrology, Occult Science. Vastu, Martial Arts, Varma Science and the healing medicinal and therapeutic dimension. Here in this chapter we briefly touch upon the hallmark of the yogic and Tantric Dimensions as well as the spirit of the tradition distinctively carried by way of the Wandering Cults.

YOGA AND TANTRA

Yoga and Tantra, both these renowned dimensions have been made available to all of humanity by the ancient Siddhas to enable man to resonate deeply with themselves as well as with the world around. The ancient texts emphasize the importance of being well grounded in ones existential life before one can step into the subtler realms of Existence. Through these dimensions They provide clear guidance in colours that suit the different needs of man. Both Yoga and Tantra demand distinctive approaches on the part of the aspirant but more importantly the quest of the aspirant can flourish only after proper initiation received from a genuine Siddha Master, who is rare to find.

YOGA

Today the Yogic Path is commonly misunderstood to comprise of practices or techniques used to attain a higher state of consciousness, which is a rather isolated and dry approach to this dimension. The ancient Siddhas condemn such narrow perceptions and instead declare Yoga in the spirit of the Siddha Tradition as the, 'art of living an authentic life'... We have given below the various branches They have revealed under this vast system for the benefit of humanity.
The yogic dimension of the Siddha system is taken as the root system of all other yogic schools coming under later periods. Siddhas in their divine visions have revealed many types of Yogic systems through their manuscripts as follows:

Swara Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Mantra Yoga
Atchhi Yoga
Angi Yoga
Kapala Yoga
Amritha Yoga
Tantra Yoga
Lambika Yoga
Spanda Yoga
Raja Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga
Vaasi Yoga
Nada yoga
Kundalini Yoga etc.

There are extensive details of the available yogic practices pertaining to each Yogic dimension found in the age old Manuscripts. Even though they speak of many systems, the yogic path unique to the Siddha system is called Vaasi Yoga.

In the Tamil land, people used the word Vaasi in many different connotations such as 'chennai vaasi', Kasi Vaasi etc in regards to the person living in a place. They also used the same word when they referred to the status of a person such as Illara Vaasi (Illara means householder and vaasi means living). Likewise, the word Vaasi also speaks about the 'art of living an authentic life'.

Siddhas, in their songs condemn humans to be walking corpses, thereby indicating their 'limited conditioning'. To break this conditioning they devised various yogic methods to first destroy the conditioning and then for the revitalisation of the human spirit and getting grounded in an authentic life.

Their distinctive Vaasi yoga system comprises of secret primordial breathing techniques for the spiritual aspects and as for the mundane aspects of human life they refer to it as 'grounding'.

There are many levels in Vaasi yoga, which include primal cleansing methods, inner alchemical practices and finally finding ones spiritual immortality.

TANTRA

The ancient Tantric scriptures say, 'what we find as blocks can be the doors for realisation.' The word Tantra means the 'fabrication of a web'. Where Yoga insists on renunciation by way of cutting the baggage of human conditioning, Tantra uses the very same conditioning as stepping-stones for the unconditional or the non-dual state.

The classical Tantric system has two schools of thought - The left Hand Path called as the Vama Marga and the Right Hand Path called as the Dakshina Marga.

But, the Siddhas, the primitive Tantrics, never separated the two and instead use both for the simple reason that a human has both, an animalistic side as well as a puritan side. The left hand practice involves sexual yoga (Parianga Yoga), worshipping of the wrathful or ferocious Deities, Tantric rituals and living in the cremation ground and forests. When it transforms to the right hand mode it comes to the worship of the Mother Goddess and personal deity (Ishta Devata).

Unlike yogic practices, Tantra gives far more importance to the feminine aspect of Nature as well as of human beings. Siddhas call this the Sakthi cult. Depending on the personal deity of worship there are many branches of Tantra, in the Siddha path such as:

Bhairava Tantra
Aghora Tantra
Boga Tantra
Varahi Tantra
Kula Tantra etc.

An authentic Siddha Master can ascribe a particular path of Tantra to a particular person depending upon the person's Swabhava. The present day Tantric scholars who have written books on Tantra interpret the Tantric aspect into the Vedic aspect such as: When one scholar writes the commentary for a famous Tantric Treatise belonging to the Kashmir Saivism school, declares Bhairva to mean - awakened consciousness; whereas another scholar writes his interpretation for a Tantric Goddess Kali and declares Her as the destroyer of Maya.

These new age explanations neurotically convert everything into a fundamentalist approach to Vedantic insights. In truth, the authentic Tantrics belonging to the ancient oral lineage see Mother Kali as a deity and relate with Her as Her qualities - without any interpretation.

Siva who is the founder of the Tantric sect revealed his teachings to his consort Goddess Parvathi, not by making Her a disciple but as His intimate consort, but regrettably, this primitive Tantric aspect has lost its colour and now lies masqueraded by other schools of thought.