Uploaded April 2017 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Ilona Kędzia (Jagiellonian University, Poland):
"Mastering deathlessness - some remarks about immortality teachings from selected Tamil Siddha texts"
AyurYog Workshop: Rejuvenation, Longevity and Immortality
Perspectives on Rasāyana, Kāyakalpa and Bcud Len Practices
21 - 22 October 2016
University of Vienna, an ERC-funded Project.
Abstract:
My presentation will discuss practices, along with the underlying theory, aimed at achieving longevity and immortality described in Tamil Siddha literature, with special focus on the medical stream of the Tamil Siddha tradition. The lecture will be divided into three main parts. The first part will be devoted to the ideas described in the Tirumantiram of Tirumūlar (5-6 century C.E.), a generally acknowledged root text of the Tamil Siddha tradition, including the medical schools. The Tirumantiram contains passages that elaborately discuss theory and practices of yoga, which are viewed as a way to attain longevity and immortality. However, references to medical practices can also be found in the text. The second part will present the methods of achieving rejuvenation and immortality found in selected medical and alchemical texts of the tradition. Literature of the medical and alchemical lore of the Tamil Siddhas, roughly dated to the period between the 16th and 19th centuries, abounds in practical recipes for the kāyakaṟpam drugs for prolonging life. Medical therapies, substances and methods of preparation will be discussed. Items credited with extraordinary powers such as muppu (‘triple salt’), kuru (‘excellence’), racamaṇi (‘mercurial jewel’), special species of plants, etc. will be particularly referenced. Samples of some mineral and herbal substances used nowadays by the traditional Siddha doctors will be demonstrated along with the photos illustrating kāyakaṟpam drug processing. The last part of the presentation will concern ‘the art of deathlessness’ (cākākkalai) taught in the works of Vaḷḷalār, the poet-saint born in 1823, closely linked with the Siddha tradition. Vaḷḷalār is reported to have disappeared in 1874 and it is generally believed that he has attained the deathless state due to the transformation of the body. A cult of the poet is nowadays prevalent in Vadalur and nearby towns in Tamilnadu.
Ilona Kędzia (Jagiellonian University, Poland):
"Mastering deathlessness - some remarks about immortality teachings from selected Tamil Siddha texts"
AyurYog Workshop: Rejuvenation, Longevity and Immortality
Perspectives on Rasāyana, Kāyakalpa and Bcud Len Practices
21 - 22 October 2016
University of Vienna, an ERC-funded Project.
Abstract:
My presentation will discuss practices, along with the underlying theory, aimed at achieving longevity and immortality described in Tamil Siddha literature, with special focus on the medical stream of the Tamil Siddha tradition. The lecture will be divided into three main parts. The first part will be devoted to the ideas described in the Tirumantiram of Tirumūlar (5-6 century C.E.), a generally acknowledged root text of the Tamil Siddha tradition, including the medical schools. The Tirumantiram contains passages that elaborately discuss theory and practices of yoga, which are viewed as a way to attain longevity and immortality. However, references to medical practices can also be found in the text. The second part will present the methods of achieving rejuvenation and immortality found in selected medical and alchemical texts of the tradition. Literature of the medical and alchemical lore of the Tamil Siddhas, roughly dated to the period between the 16th and 19th centuries, abounds in practical recipes for the kāyakaṟpam drugs for prolonging life. Medical therapies, substances and methods of preparation will be discussed. Items credited with extraordinary powers such as muppu (‘triple salt’), kuru (‘excellence’), racamaṇi (‘mercurial jewel’), special species of plants, etc. will be particularly referenced. Samples of some mineral and herbal substances used nowadays by the traditional Siddha doctors will be demonstrated along with the photos illustrating kāyakaṟpam drug processing. The last part of the presentation will concern ‘the art of deathlessness’ (cākākkalai) taught in the works of Vaḷḷalār, the poet-saint born in 1823, closely linked with the Siddha tradition. Vaḷḷalār is reported to have disappeared in 1874 and it is generally believed that he has attained the deathless state due to the transformation of the body. A cult of the poet is nowadays prevalent in Vadalur and nearby towns in Tamilnadu.
