The Psychology of the Serpent

A Short Study of Pampaatti Siddhar 

By Dr. K. Loganathan, 2002

Dear Friends, 

One of the most ubiquitous symbolic elements in dreams and mythologies is the Snake. In the Access Tests such as Baum Test in Agamic Psychology , this is also met with including the entirely non-natural five-hooded variety. Its occurrence  cuts across cultural religious and ethnic differences. It is also an important object of worship in many cultures especially the Indian and Chinese and their temples abound  with various kinds representations of snake.  In alchemy too we come across this symbolism.   In the high level archetypal representations in Hinduism such as that of icons of Siva and Vishnu we also see the snake in a variety of forms.  In ancient  Sumeria we learn the Large Snake -- usumgal-- was associated with Mother Goddess worship and there were temples especially for it. We should  also note that while in Sumeria, India and China the Snake is viewed positively, it is not so in the mythologies of Semitic faiths.

Among  Tamil Siddhas who developed  Depth Psychologies  of some kind in the period from about the  11th cent to about 17th cent. there was one Pampatti Sittar, the Snake-charmer who has written a marvelous book of 129 verses touching on this theme. As an attempt to renew the Hermeneutic Semiotics of these Tamil Siddhas I am providing here the translations with notes of the last few verses from 112 to 129 which appear to summarize the whole book.

Loga

112.

¬¸¡Ã ӾĢ§Ä À¡õÀ¾¡¸
    ¬Éó¾ ÅÂÄ¢§Ä À¼õ Ţâò§¾
°¸¡Ã ӾĢ§Ä ´ò¦¾¡Îí¸¢
    µÊ Ÿ¡Ãò¾¢ý ¿¡ì¨¸ ¿£ðÊî
º£¸¡Ãí ¸¢¼ó§¾¡÷ Áó¾¢Ãò¨¾î
    º¢ò¾ô À¢Ã¡¼É¡÷ §À¡¾î ¦ºöÂ
Á¡¸¡Ãô À¢Èô¨ÀÔõ §Å÷ «ÚòÐ
    Á¡Â Àó¾í ¸¼ó§¾¡¦ÁýÚ ¬¼¡ö À¡õ§À!

aakaara mutalilee paampataaka
    aananta vayalilee padam virittee
uukaara mutalilee ottodungki
    oodi vakaarattin naakkai niiddic
siikaarang kidantoor mantirattaic
    sittap piradanaar pootac ceyya
maakarap piRappaiyum veer aRuttu
    maaya pantang kadanttomenRu aadaay paambee!

Dance Dear Snake, Dance !
That having arisen as the primordial snake with the  mantra aakaaram,
     spreading the hood in the field that breeds bliss;
And having withdrawn into the uukaaram mantra
    with complete  agreement with itself
And having  extended the tongue
    in the form of the mantra vakaaram
And that point being blessed by BEING Himself  ,
    the Snake Charmer who charms the desires of the souls,
with a mantra  where lies the Supreme  Illumination,  the  siikaaram
    We have cut asunder the very roots of repeated births and deaths
through transcending all the worldly snares.

Notes:

The Snake is actually the Coiled Power, the Kundalini, that which is the source of all motivational dynamics. It initially arises as the Libido, that which seeks worldly pleasures especially the sexual kind which is described here as the Ananta Vayal, the Field  of Pleasure, an allusion to the sexual coitus that from ancient days was noted as similar to ploughing the filed. At this point the mantra that transmutes this blind libido into Id (to use a Freudian term) is the aakaram -type of mantra. But as one lives through this kind of life there  emerges the uukaaram, that which impels the soul towards the Light of Metaphysical Illumination and hence away from just simply seeking pleasures after pleasures of the worldly type.  There comes to be also  agreement with it only because the desire for Metaphysical Illumination  is STRONGER than that for worldly pleasures including the sexual.

At this point occurs the extending of the tongue, seeking after not worldly pleasures but deeper metaphysical experiences, plunging into metaphysical realms of the Mysterious and the Mystical, a psychodynamics installed by the mantra vakaaram. And it is only at this point BEING seeing the soul is really  earnest for true wisdom and is sufficiently ripe to be blessed  with the mantra Siikaaraam, that which nourishes Civanjaanam, tha Absolute Illumination, allows it emerge from the depths.

The KuNdalini now transmuted into this enjoys the Civanjaanam and slowly the total destruction of Metaphysical IGNORANCE, that cast by the mantra of the makaaram-type and because of which it also conquers Historicality, being thrown into the cycle of repeated births and deaths, a tireless existential repetition.

2.

¾ó¾¢Ãï ¦º¡øÖÅ¡÷ ¾¨ÁÂȢ¡÷
    ¾É¢Áó¾¢Ãï ¦º¡øÖÅ¡÷ ¦À¡ÕÇȢ¡÷
Áó¾¢Ãï ¦ºÀ¢ôÀ¡÷¸û Åð¼Å£ðÊÛû
    Á¾¢Ä¢¨Éî ÍüÚÅ¡÷ š¢ø ¸¡½¡÷
«ó¾Ãï ¦ºýÚ§Á §Å÷À¢Îí¸¢
    «Õ¦ÇýÛõ »¡Éò¾¡ø ¯ñ¨¼ §º÷ò§¾
þó¾ ÁÕó¾¢¨É ¾¢ýÀ£Ã¡¸¢ø
    þÉ¢ôÀ¢ÈôÀ¢ø¨Ä ±ýÚ ¬¼¡ö  À¡õ§À!

tantiranj colluvaar tamaiyaRiyaar
    tanimantiranj colluvaar poruLaRiyaar
mantiranj cepippaarkaL vadda viiddinuL
    matilinaic cuRRuvaar vaayil kaaNaar
antaranj cenRumee veerbidungki
    aruLennum njaanattaal uNdai ceerttee
inta maruntinai tinpiiraakil
    inip piRappillai enRu aadaay paambee!

Dance dear Snake, Dance!

knowing that
unlike those who preach various kinds of ritual practices
    however without knowing about themselves and
unlike those who announce special mantras
    but  knowing NOT  their meanings and
round the walls of temples not entering the gates
     continuosly muttering the mantras mechanically
that we should   enter the mantra-world of the heavens
    and having pulled out the deep roots of karma
must eat the round pills of the GRACE of BEING that really illuminates
    in order to overcome being born again into the physical world.
 

Notes: The Coiled Power, that emerges as the sexual libido should  be transmuted into the divine gnosis, a possibility most often forgotten by the ordinary individuals. Such individuals get entangled with empty  RITUALS without knowing their meanings. The ritual acts unlike the general human praxis are designed to gain entry into the divine mantra-world which constitutes it meaning. But prior to that there must be self-understanding, the effecting of beta-type of learning and hence gaining an understanding of the UNCOSNCIOUS forces that effectively shape the psychodynamics of the individuals. The religious rituals, highly symbolic in nature,  are designed to bring about this beta-learning and hence psychoanalytic in essence.

Next comes the mantra-recitals which are designed not to understand self but rather BEING especially the various archetypal disclosures. The Vadda Viidu, the round house,  stands for Vintu or Yin, the Moon-House of alchemy. This world and the archetypes that are encountered there are capable of imprisoning  the mind with the world of archetypes and hence image worship of all kinds. Persisting in this mantra-recitations is analogous to moving around the walls of a temple not daring to enter inside by finding the right doors to it. It is still playing around with the peripherals without really daring to confront BEING-in-ITSELF.

However the genuine Siddha finds these doors and enters without any fear and anxiety the PURE of world of mantras where lurks no archetypes or definite forms of anything. One begins to live in this primordial formless fluidity but enjoying the pure engracing processes. This complete merger into the world of mantras and immersions into the depths there,  is compared to swallowing pills of ARUL, the Grace of BEING that increases Inner Radiance   and hence Metaphysical Illuminations, the Absolute Understanding, the Civanjanam that FOR WHICH historical existence is. Of course once this is attained -- the PURPOSE  for which worldly existence  is gifted as a blessing by BEING, that  is also accomplished. Then there is NO MORE ANY NECESSITY to be born again into the world.

3.

114.

¸Ç¢Áñ½¡ø ´Õ ¸ôÀø §º÷ò§¾
    ¸ÉÁ¡É À¡öÁÃí ¸¡½¿¡ðÊ
«Ç¢ÒÄó ¾ý¨É§Â Í측ɡ츢
    «È¢¦ÅÛõ ¬¾¡Ãî º£É¢ à츢
¦ÅÇ¢¦ÂýÛõ Åð¼ò§¾ ÔûǼ츢
    §Å¾¡ó¾ì ¸¼Ä¢§Ä ¦ÁøħšðÊò
¦¾Ç¢×Ú »¡É¢Â¡÷ µðÎí¸ôÀø
    º£÷À¡¾ï §º÷ó¾Ð ±ýÚ ¬¼¡ö À¡õ§À!

kaLimaNNaal oru kappal seerttee
    kanamaana paaymarang kaaNa naaddi
aLipulan tannaiyee sukkaanaakki
    aRivenum aataarac ciini tuukki
veLiyennum vaddattee  uLLadakki
    veetaaýtak kadalilee mellavooddi
theLivuRu njaananiyaar ooddung kappal
    ciirpathanj ceerntatu enRu aadaayp paambee!

Dance Dear Snake Dance!

That only those who are wise
    who build a boat with clay and add
strong pillars and sails with the senses
      that provide empirical knowldege and
the stearing wheels and the understanding gained
    the only sure anchors;
and sail fearlessly  but steadily and surely
    in the sea of metaphysical wisdom
will finally reach the Divine Feet of BEING!

Notes:

The metaphysical journeys, the genuine intent of all religions is compared here to a voyage in the sea. The body,   that which is made of clay,  becomes the main bodywork of a boat. But senses and the knowledge out of them,  become the sails and pillars as well as the steering wheels. The reasons are obvious -- it is sensorial commerce with the physical world pushed by the winds of various inner and unconscious desires that makes one PROPEL and move ahead in the world. This is the existential dynamics.  The senses like the sails gather the information impinging on them  and pillars and steering wheels stand for  processing mechanisms where takes place rejecting some and accepting others  and assimilating the accepted into one's preexistent body of knowledge or understanding.

But genuine  understanding contains within itself the supreme RADIANCE, the Pure Light of Vintu, a form of KuNdalini, the Coiled Power which at metaphysical heights just simply become Pure Light , the experience of which makes one Vedantic i.e. one without any mundane desires. For the experience of this Pure Light not only burns off all worldly desires but also by facilitating the experiencing of Pure Nothingness, purifies the soul of all metaphysical attachments and hence personal identities. Man becomes genuinely FREE and AUTONOMOUS by Being neither this or that i.e.   Being Nothing as far as metaphysics is concerned.

It is said that it is only those enter into a voyage of this sort, i.e. towards self purification of all personal identities desiring without actually desiring but allowing without any resistance this inner dis-configurations  or ego destructions that disbands all identities, will finally attain the HOME, here the Divine Feet of BEING.

4.

115

¯ûÇòÐìÌû§Ç ¯½Ã§ÅñÎõ
    ¯ûÙõÒÈõ¨ÀÔõ «È¢Â§ÅñÎõ
¦ÁûÇì¸É¨Ä ±ØôÀ§ÅñÎõ
    Å¢¾¢ôÒÉÄ¢§Ä ¦ºÖò¾§ÅñÎõ
¸ûÇôÒɨÄì ¸ÊóÐÅ¢ðÎì
    ¸ñÏìÌ ãì̧Áü ¸¡½¿¢ýÚ
¦¾ûÙÀÃ狀¡¾¢ ¾ý¨Éò §¾Êî
    º£÷À¡¾í¸ñ§¼¡õ ±ýÚ ¬¼¡ö À¡õ§À!

uLLattukuLLee uNaraveeNdum
    uLLumpuRambum aRiyaveeNdum
meLLakkanalai ezuppaveeNdum
    vithip punalilee celutta veeNdum
kaLLappunalaik kadintuvidduk
    kaNNukku muukkumeeR kaaNaninRu
teLLuparanjcooti tannait teedic
    ciirpaatang kaNdoom enRu aadaay paambee!

Dance Dear Snake Dance!

That we finally attained the Divine feet of Being
    with the understanding that one should strive and do their best
to understand the Deeper Self of one self and in that
    one should understand  both the manifest and concealed and for this
one should arouse the libido initially as sexual passions and then
    re-channel towards the flow of eternal truths  and which can cognize  only if
one detaches oneself from the sensorial commerce  that hide the inner truths and
    having disengaged oneself from them one should  aspire
towards attaining transductive perceptions by assuming the Yoga posture of
    keeping the gaze beyond the nose with half closed eyes and seek earnestly
the vision of BEING as the Supreme Radiance that is absolutely transcendent.
 

Notes:

The KuNdalini as the Coiled Power makes itself manifest initially as the sexual libido which is called metaphorically here as the FIRE because the sexual passions generate desires for physical  coitus. But Moksa is NOT attainable if one fails to transmute this blind libido, the Id, into Njana Sakti, the Hermeneutic Competency that seeks to understand the  Mysterious, the Hidden Depths. One should move  archeoductively into the interiority or the hidden recesses of self, into the Unconscious of one's own  self  and gain an understanding of one's true self. Not only that -- the surface and deep structures of everything too must be UNDERSTOOD so that the world as a whole and existence along with it become TRANSPARENT as to its meaning.

But this is possible only if one gains also capacities for transductive perceptions, visages similar to dreams lucid dreams etc  but even deeper. For it is such visions that would disclose the MYSTICAL or the mysterious which are understood initially only as the metaphorical or even archetypal. The gaining of the capacities for such transductive perceptions is the real Goal of KuNdalini Yoga that transmutes the libidinal energy into psychic energy that would facilitate such deep perceptions that requires tremendous psychic energy.

It is in the course of transductive perceptions, going deeper and deeper into the Mystical or metaphysical, that one encounters the presentation of BEING as Supreme Radiance, as Pure Light, the common experience of all genuine mystics throughout the world. This experience is in a sense the  ULTIMATE for it is that which  provides the FINAL and Conclusive understanding of BEING which constitutes simultaneously the attaining of the Divine Feet, the source of  all that transpires as World Play

5.

116

´í¸¡Ãì ¸õÀò¾¢ý ¯îº¢§Á§Ä
    ¯ûÙõ ÒÈõ¨ÀÔõ «È¢Â§ÅñÎõ
¬í¸¡Ãì §¸¡Àò¨¾ «ÚòÐÅ¢ð§¼
    ¬Éó¾¦ÅûÇò¨¾ò ¾¡ì¸¢ì¦¸¡ñ§¼
º¡í¸¡Äõ øÄ¡Áø ¾¡Ï×¼§É
    ºð¼¾¢ð¼Á¡¸î §º÷óÐ º¡ó¾Á¡¸§Å
àí¸¡Áø àí¸¢§Â ͸Á¨¼óÐ
    ¦¾¡ó§¾¡õ ¦¾¡ó§¾¡õ ±ýÚ ¬¼¡öô À¡õ§À

oongkaarak kampattin uccimeelee
    uLLum puRampaiyum aRiyaveeNdum
aangkaarak koopattai aRuttuviddee
    aanantaveLLattai taakkik koNdee
saangkaalam illaamal taaNuvudanee
    saddatiddamaakas seerntu saantamaakavee
tuungkaamal tuungkiyee cukanadaintu
    tontoom tontoom enRu aadaayp paambee!

Dance! Dear Snake Dance! to the rhythm tontoom, tontoom!

that one should,  having reached the peak of ongkaaram,
    the primordial mantra and with that informing understanding,
 seek to comprehend both the manifest and concealed
    having dislodged and transcended the egotistic anger and
always enjoying the bliss-flood of KuNdalini so
    there is no submitting to death and conjoined with the Pillar of Natham and
without deviating from the ethical principles it installs and in  a sanguine mood
    attain all the happiness sleeping without really sleeping.

Notes:

The Siddhas, right  from the ancient days . i.e. from the Sumerian times, have been concerned both with mental and physical health. They believed that unless  both the mind and body are kept in excellent condition, the enjoying of Metaphysical Pleasure that saturates the soul completely,  will not be possible. And since the excellent condition of both the mind and body is impossible without securing the continuous flow of KuNdalini, the Coiled Power or libido, the search for ways and means for establishing thus. has continued for millenniums. It is in the course of such metaphysical investigations that they hit upon the notion of Hermeneutics-- that it is the faultless UNDERSTANDING that secures the endless flow of KuNdalini.

The metaphysical journey  with this orientation towards Hermeneutics naturally lead them to the discovery of the Mantra World, the realm of the cognitive demons where are fabricated all those that are experienced as elements of the phenomenal world,  as aspects of the forever changing historical existence. Among these mantras there are different LAYERS too, the deepest being the Ongkaram, the primordial Logos. Understanding becomes authentic and faultless only when this Primordial Logos is allowed to form it. Both the manifest and hidden, both the conscious and unconscious MUST be UNDERSTOOD for the attainment of the Supreme state of Boundless Bliss.

However this reaching the end of the hermeneutic-metaphysical journey is NOT possible unless the EGO that continuously interferes with its OWN ideas is subdued so that the hidden is allowed to emerge into consciousness without being censored on the way. The mind must be  OPEN and genuinely OBJECTIVE for accessing the hidden and subterranean as it is in itself.

But once one attains this,  one installs firmly the LINGA, the Pillar of Natham , that prevents the coming of premature death by providing the necessary biological strength by maintaining in excellent condition the inhaling and exhaling biological mechanism. When these breathing processes are made to function effectively, the death bringing decay processes are overcome.

This Natham,  in addition to establishing OPENNESS and OBJECTIVITY also installs ETHICS as central to psychic functioning  so that the immoral and morbid do not assail the soul and take it the wrong way. The enjoyment of genuine Bliss , including the sexual , can only become true within ETHICS that imposes its own regulatory principles  upon  behaviour.

Source : http://ulagank.tripod.com/pampatti.htm