Siddha Medicine School/Clinic

[Guest guest]

Shreeram Balijepalli:

 

I know from your posts that your in to the Siddhas.

I remember you mentioned one of the Siddha Medicinal clincs in one of

your posts. If I travel over there; I'd like to visit one. Do you

have a name and contact information for same?

 

Thanks!

 

dan

[Guest guest]

Dear Dan ji,

 

There is one Yoga Siddha Research Centre that I know of. I thourhgly

enjoyed reading the two volumes by T.N.Ganapathy on the YOGA of BHOGAR

SIDDHA.

 

Address: " Rajkamal, " 45 (21), IV Avenue, Ashok Nagar, Chennai - 600 083

Phone: 044-5202 9150 / 044- 2489 7396 " Email: tngana

 

The Yoga Siddha Research Project has been sponsored jointly by Babaji's

Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas Inc., Canada and Yoga Research and

Education Centre, Inc. California, USA since 2000. The aim of the

project is to undertake on a grand scale to locate all the unpublished

texts by the Tamil Yoga Siddhas and publish them with critical

annotations. Till now no serious study has been made about the Tamil

Siddhas in a systematic and scientific way. No serious attempt has been

made to work on or translate the Tamil Siddha poems. The Tamil Yoga

Siddha Research Project proposes to fill this long-felt gap. The

purpose of this project is to identify and preserve in computer

accessible format all of the manuscripts of the Tamil Siddhas related

to yoga in the various libraries and private collections.

 

This project had its origins nearly 50 years ago, Kriya Babaji Nagaraj

gave to Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah, the solemn task to gather the palm leaf

mansucripts of the 18 Tamil Yoga Siddhas, and to preserve, transcribe

and publish them. During the 1960's Yogi Ramaiah wandered all over

Tamil Nadu collecting and carefully preserving them against white ants.

In 1968 he published " Songs of the 18 Yoga Siddhas, " a small anthology

of these in their original Tamil language. From 1979 to 1982 he

published the collected works of Babaji's guru, the Siddhar Boganathar,

in their original Tamil, in three volumes, nearly 1,800 pages in

length. In 1999, his student of 18 years, M. Govindan Satchidananda,

the President of Babaji's Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas, and sponsor of

the Project developed a research plan in four parts:

 

Study number 1, " An Inventory and Preservation in Magnetic Format of

the Manuscripts Associated with Yoga contained in Libraries and Private

Collections of Tamil Nadu " , has resulted in the copying onto electronic

media, CD Roms, all of the the Siddha Manuscripts related to Yoga ( but

not on medicine) from the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library

(GOML), Chennai, the Adyar Library, Chennai, and the Kerala University

Mansucripts Library, Tiruvanathapuram. The number of works copied so

far from the GOML is 357, the number of folios: 11,212, the number of

verses: approximately 45,000. In the case of Adyar Library we have

gotten photocopies of 85 Siddha Yoga manuscripts including 1366 folios,

and 7,000 verses approximately. In Kerala University photocopies of

five Siddha Yoga manuscripts have been obtained. In Kerala University

we are fortunate to have a mutilated manuscript on the history of the

Siddhas called Jnana-bodagam. The collection of works in the GOML

started in the year 2000 with Dr. KR. Arumugam, who as a Research

Associate copied the manuscripts in CD Roms,. He was ably assisted by

Sri Senthil Vadivalagan, The manuscripts have subsequently been

transcribed into modern Tamil by Sri G. Uthiradam, M.A., M.Phil, Dip.

in Manuscriptology, and Dip. in Epigraphy, and the correctness of the

transcription has been scrutinized by the well-known scholar Sri. P.

Subramaniam, who is a Ph.D. in Manuscriptology, a rare scholarship

indeed.

 

The Centre is currently copying all of the manuscripts related to Yoga

written by the Siddhas, at the Saraswati Mahal Library, in Thanjavur,

Tamil Nadu, India. It has one of the largest collections of such works,

but until now, no researchers have been permitted to make copies of

such works. More Siddha works in other collections, both private and

institutional will be copied over the coming few years. With a

comprehensive collection of all of the Siddha manuscripts, we can

assure not only their future preservation, study and translation, by

future generations of scholars and yogis.

 

Study number 2, " Translation into English with Commentary and

Publication of Selected Manuscripts related to the Tamil Yoga Siddhas. "

This study has resulted in one of the publications today: " The Yoga of

Siddha Avvai. " Much more is expected from this study as we identify and

select the " gems " among the manuscripts copied and transcribed in Study

number 1.

 

Study number 3, " Translation with Commentary of an Anthology of

Selected Works of the 18 Siddhas, " began in the year 2000, and with the

collaboration of several scholars and yogis, it has been completed with

the release of " The Yoga of the 18 Siddhas: An Anthology. "

 

Study number 4, " Translation with Commentary of Selected Poems on Yoga

by Siddhar Boganathar, " resulted in the publication, in July 2003, of

volume 1 of " The Yoga of Siddha Boganathar, " and today, with the

publication of volume 2. It is based upon entirely upon the mammoth

work of Yogi Ramaiah, cited above, " Bogar Kanda Yoga. " At a later date,

we hope to publish Boganathar's poem of 7,000 verses, and other works

by this Siddha, in subsequent volumes.

 

See the article " Welcome Address from M. Govindan Satchidananda " and

the article " Biography of Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah, " in the " Articles "

section of this website for further details on the purpose and history

of the above cited undertakings.

 

Inception of the Centre and future plans:

 

With the completion of the above cited items, at a formal book launch

on January 9, 2005, and the invitation by the Vice Chacellor of the

University of Madras to become affiliated with the University, the

sponsor and the Research director decided to establish " The Yoga Siddha

Research Centre, " with a new budget, research plan, and advisory

committee of scholars. The current plan for 2005 includes completion of

the book, " The Yoga of Tirumular: Essays on the Tirumandiram, " which

will be published in 2005 by Babaji's Kriya Yoga and Publications, Inc.

of Canada.

 

Beginning in April 2005, the Centre is also undertaking a new

translation of the " Tirumandiram, " which is probably the most important

work by a Yoga Siddha, written, in the 4th century A.D. This will be

done by: Sri T.V. Venkatraman, former Chief Secretary of the Government

of Tamil Nadu, Sri T.N. Ramachandran, Professor T.N. Ganapathy, and Dr.

KR Arumugam, all scholars of this great work.

 

The Chairman of our Advisory Committee is Professor R. Balasubramanian,

Former Chairman, the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New

Delhi, former Director, the Dr. Radhakrishnan Institute for Advanced

Study in Philosophy, University of Madras, Emeritus Professor of the

Sri Aurobindo School of Philosophy, Central University, Pondicherry. He

is an outstanding scholar in the field of Vedanta.

 

----------------------------

 

If you are looking into th clinical/medical siddha hospitals....

 

You can try this one.

 

NAVODHAYA SIDDHA HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CENTRE

No.20, Arcot Road,

Kodambakkam,

Chennai - 600 024.

Phone: 24810752 / 24727396

E-mail: navodhaya2000

 

You might also try Marmachikitsa of the Kerala Siddha Ayurvedam...

 

Marma Chikitzalayam,

Kochupally Road,

Thoppumpday, Kochi 682005,

India.

 

Siddha medicine is the oldest medical system in the world. Siddha is a

Tamil word derived from siddhi-one who has attained perfection in life

or heavenly bliss. Practitioners of this system were called siddhars.

Wise men who meditated, wrote poems and had healing powers, siddhars

were originally devotees of Lord Shiva. In ancient India, 18 important

siddhars developed the system, which is why it's called Siddha medicine.

 

The Siddha system is based on the principle that the macrocosm (the

universe) and the microcosm (man) are similar. Man is made up of five

fundamental elements: earth (solid matter), water (liquid matter), fire

(energy), air (gaseous matter) and ethereal space between the other

four elements.

 

Reflecting this theory of cosmic oneness, the five senses of man are

said to correspond with the five elements. Ether (akasam) is

responsible for hearing; fire (theyu) for sight; air (vayu) for smell;

water (appu) for taste; and earth (prithvi) for the sense of touch.

 

Traditionally, Siddha has used oral treatment (including powders and

herbal juices) and massage with medicated oils to cure ailments. Two

ancient practices no longer in vogue are bloodletting and the use of

heavy metals in medical concoctions. Recognizing the inherent toxicity

of some metals, the Siddha texts insisted on purifying such ingredients

before use in medications.

 

Siddha medicine was in vogue in South India much before the Aryan

period, but gradually fell into disuse. Written on leaves, most Siddha

works were either destroyed or lost over time due to ignorance and lack

of proper care.

 

With the advent of the East India Company, Indian chemical factories

were closed down, ostensibly because the preparations were crude and

dangerous. The real agenda, however, was to promote western medicine.

 

The passing of the Poisons Act was the most lethal blow since the

Siddha system dealt with medicines prepared from metals and metallic

poisons.

 

The system is slowly regaining some of its lost glory with certain

medications said to be effective in controlling AIDS.

 

Yours yogically,

 

Shreeram Balijepalli

 

Rajarajeshwari_Kalpataru , " Dan " <dhkerrmail

wrote:

>

> Shreeram Balijepalli:

>

> I know from your posts that your in to the Siddhas.

> I remember you mentioned one of the Siddha Medicinal clincs in one of

> your posts. If I travel over there; I'd like to visit one. Do you

> have a name and contact information for same?

>

> Thanks!

>

> dan

>