Sivayoga and Overcoming Sexual Morbidity
Saivism posses within itself a very deep analysis of human psychodynamics and in this, in some ways anticipating the important features of Freudian Psychoanalysis.
It is not an accident that C.G Jung has subjected Yoga to an in-depth analysis along psychoanalytical lines in many of his writings. In the studies of Tamil Siddhas from Tirumoolar to recent times we also find very deep analysis of this and the identification of psychosis, neurosis and so forth and prescription of rituals and yoga practices by way of curing them and which constitutes the central impulse in Siddha medical system though only the herbal and pharmacological aspects are widely known.
One of the fundamental contributions coming from the Tamil Siddhas is the concept Naadi , which over and above the meaning of pulse beat also has the meaning that "which establishes naaddam", the seeking out something, desires that is stubborn. They classify them into Pingkalai, Idakali, Suzimunai and finally Guru Naadi. The word 'guru' , here has the meaning "large, enormous, foundational" and so forth. The Guru Naadi is the PULL unto BEING Himself and as constituted by ParaNatam and ParaBindu. The rest are constituted by Apara Natam (idakalai) Apara Bintu (pingkalai) and both together ( suzimunai)
When the nadies are constituted by the Apara Natam and Bintu, they establish inner pressures for worldly enjoyments especially the sexual in a wide sense of the word. When the psychic entity escapes these pulls and aligns itself with the founding Guru Naadi, it becomes essentially a mumuksu i.e. that which is concerned with attaining and enjoying Mukti. The Tamil Saivites call this Sivayoga and link it up with the visions of the Third Eye, the eye of transductive perceptions, vinjnjana kaadsi , as Arunandi would say.
It would appear that there is already an intrinsic PULL of all anmas towards BEING but only by a transmutation of the primordial sexuality into Bakthi, the transmutation of sexual love into divine love that being in the presence of BEING ( sanniti) that one can enjoy it genuinely. However sexual morbidity can arise on the way if the sexual is NOT enjoyed in the way it should be. And the right way appears to be as that under romantic and aesthetical and as constituted by Thirumal ( Vishnu ) and Brahma but more directly by Manmatan, the Hindu Cupid who has as his weapons (kaNai) Sugarcane, a soft bed, flower garden, breeze and love songs.
The Third Eye that every human being is capable of and Sivayoga, the discipline that keeps this eye open is said to be by Appar in this verse as that which will avoid the transformation of the sexual desires aroused by Manmatan into something morbid and hence destructive. The sexually morbid individuals may be, in addition to being psychotic also a killer, hence a dangerous kind of individual especially when he is also politically very powerful
142
kazai padu kaadu tenRal kuyil kuuval anjcu
kaNaiyoon aNaintu pukalum
mazaivadi vaNNan eNNi makavoonaividda
malaraana thodda matanan
ezilpodi ventu viiza imaiyoor kaNangkaL
eri enri iRainjci akalat
tazalipadu neRRi oRRai nayananj civanta
tazalvaNNan entai caraNee
Meaning:
Manmatan, the archetype of sexual desires has as his weapons : the sugar-cane that installs the desire for enjoying the pleasant, a bed suitable for the conjugal act, the garden that provides the mood, the breeze and pleasant music such as that of Kuyil that arouse sexual desires. When once Civa isolated Himself from Parvathy and concentrated as Makayogi in Kailash, there was a lack of happiness and enthusiasm to live among the living things all over the world. Seeing this Brahma and the Dark-hued Thirumal and Indra implored Manmatan to aim his weapons at Civa, arouse sexual desires in Him and make Him unite with Parvathy.
However when Manmatan attempted this, he and his weapons were singed to ashes by Civa when he opened His Third Eye, the Eye of Fire. ( Then Civa, on the pleading of Rati, the consort of Manmatan, restored life to him but only to be visible to Rati). The celestial beings realizing now that BEING can be FIRE ran way in fear pleading for grace. This BEING who appears with the Single Eye on the Forehead and in the form of FIRE, is my Father and recluse.
Commentary:
This mythical theme also well known, brings out another aspect of the Third Eye normally associated with BEING-as-Civa but not so far as as know, with Brahma or Thirumal (Vishnu). The close linkages this Eye has with the Form of Fire, BEING assumes and these forms in order to burn off sexual desires, the root cause of all desires is being brought out in this verse. And for obvious reasons: even tyranny and terrorism are products of desires probably twisted and misdirected forms of the sexual and hence once if this desires is eliminated from the interiority of the psyche, real freedom and humanity can be enjoyed and anma also rescued from becoming a tyrant.
The Third Eye is the metaphysical eye and when that eye alone is open we have BEING as Makayogi, BEING as Cattan (derived from' 'cat", the Absolute)) , BEING as totally withdrawn unto Himself. There is SELF-CLOSURE and because of which he becomes forgetful of Parvathy, which literally means the Woman of the World. The Manifest World becomes forgotten, to speak metaphorically here and hence the world made insipid and lacking in every motivational dynamics much to the disappointment of Vishnu, the BEING of the Manifest World, the Purusha. All the living creatures languish and and suffer without any interest in whatever.
It is realized now that it is sexual desire that is the ROOT CAUSE of it all and that all living things derive their motivation or energia from this desire. So the archetypes of the worldly pleasures Brahma, Vishnu, Indra and so forth, to restore this primordial impulses to act, implore Manmatan to aim his weapons at Civa as Makayogi but who gets burnt to ashes along with his weapons when HE opens the Third Eye, the Eye on the Forehead that always emits Fire of intense heat. This simply means that when the anma is imbued with the intense desire for metaphysical illuminations, the desire to unravel and become clear about the hidden mysteries of Existence and which are beyond the physical and available only in the metaphysical realms is or can be so consuming that all the worldly desires .including the sexual, the most primordial of all, can be burnt off and singed to ashes.
This myth discloses a hidden aspect of BEING, that He can assume forms that would kill even the very obstinate and difficult to overcome sexual desires; that man and woman can attain real freedom , the freedom from desires by the Grace of BEING when he bestows the vision of the Third Eye for the creatures. This also means rescuing the anmas from becoming tyrants of a sort because of twisted nature of the sexual libido, it becoming morbid and thereby immensely destructive.
Civayoga understood here as the discipline that is concerned with opening the Metaphysical Eye and seeing everything with that Eye appears to be the solution Appar offers to prevent the emergence of the morbid individuals, somewhat psychotic and tyrannical, individuals who would never hesitate to kill even innocents to achieve their own desires . Morbidity of the mind is perhaps a product of sexual libido twisted and corrupted for lack of proper channels of discharge which consists in enjoying it within LOVE, that weapons that Manmatan installs and that too with the blessings of Thirumal etc.
ULLAGANAR.
( Editing and re-paragraphing by his student, Ari Marappan )