Sri La Sri Siddhar Swamigal

Every mind has a potent energy hidden in it. This energy is indeed powerful. It has the ability to convert the mind with a hard core attitude to a soft and sublime one. One can thus see the divine light. It can give a delightful experience of the body blossoming with fragrance along with a distinct halo around it. Such a person is said to be in touch with Divinity. He can make others too experience this divinity. He is righteous and truthful throughout his life and experiences true happiness.

Where is this super energy in the mind situated? Who identifies it to be so? And who spots this energy in us? How can we be made to feel and experience this divinity? Who helps us achieve this? Is he divine? Is he God? The answer is simple. It is none other than the teacher or the Sathguru who can spot this divine energy within each one of us and help us channelise this energy thereby making us bloom and blossom into flowers that can never wither or fade away.

A Sathguru is sent by the Almighty. He is the guiding force on this earth. He is born from time to time. He is himself divine a creation. His duty is to nurture and look after the people who need help. He upholds Dharma, Truthfulness and Righteousness. He guides the people in the right path and helps them realise and see the Almighty. This is done through a set of carefully laid down guidelines, as prescribed by the Sathguru, of meditation and penance that will help achieve the goal of experiencing divinity. He helps to remove the restlessness in the minds of people and attain everlasting bliss instead.

He is quick in identifying a true and sincere disciple and guides him through the selected path to attain the state of tranquility, thereby leading him to the experience and feel of God. None other than the Sathguru can take up this stupendous task. It is a difficult task and he decides upon the different paths laid down for the different disciples. He does not propagate or make one practice a theoretical or mathematical formula to attain the ultimate. Instead, his is a meticulous approach framed after a careful understanding of his disciples, his abilities and his needs. He keeps observing, following and blessing his disciple with abundant love throughout his life span, protecting him and making him attain his main objective. He is selfless beyond comprehension.

Sri Dattareya, Sri Pathanjali, Sri Aadi Sankara, Sri Ramanuja Acharya, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Sri Gnanananda Swamigal, the Sixty four great Nayanmaars or the great seers who sang in praise of Lord Siva, the famous Vaishnavite saints who sang in praise of Lord Vishnu, each and everyone of them was born in this world during different eras and during difficult times, to help, teach, correct and guide people on the path of Truth. These teachers were revered then and were held in high esteem. They are revered and held in high esteem and worshipped even till date. Humanity acknowledges their knowledge and divinity. They are immortal.

One such divine soul who gave his all to mankind, to help them achieve and attain happiness is Mayiladuthurai Parabhrahma Sathguru Om Siddhar Swamigal .

Om Sri La Sri Siddhar Swamigal was born on the 18th of May, 1904. It was a new moon day and a Sunday. For the astrologically inclined, the star on the day he was born was Krithiga. Aries or Meesha was the rasi and Mithuna the lagna or the ascendant. He was born to Sri Rathnaswamy and Smt Dhana lakshmi Ammal at Srinivasanallur near the temple town of Kumbakonam. His parents christened him Narayanaswamy. But he was better known as Sattaampillai, which translated from the Tamil means group leader or monitor. His ancestors were all devout followers of Lord Siva.

Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal was married at a very young age to an even younger girl named Rajam. They were blessed with a daughter and a son. In an environment that abounded in spiritualism and divinity, it was only natural that both the children would choose the same path as was done by their ancestors . With the blessings of their father, grandfather and great grandfather well upon them, both the youngsters embarked on their path of truth and selflessness and surrendered themselves at the lotus feet of the divine and attained divinity.

Blessed are we for we have them in our midst to guide and help thousands of devotees far and wide, at home and abroad.

Sri Siddhar Swamigal's grandfather took to ascetic life at the age of 40. He would meditate for long hours in his little ashram, enclosed within the confines of his garden at home. He made it a habit to sit under the Vilva tree while meditating. He practiced meditation as a way of life and restricted food intake to once a day. This strict discipline with himself was a major influence in the life of the young Siddhar Swamigal during his formative years.

Sri Siddhar Swamigal’s father, Sri Ratnaswamy was a man with a frail body. A very pious man, he was a scholar well versed in the scriptures and the Upanishads. A landlord by birth, he looked after his day to day affairs. He was a much respected man in the village, and was sought after to settle any issues in the village. His decision was accepted without any comments as he always made it a point to settle things in an amicable manner. The sudden loss of his wife while he was just 38 left a void in his life. He took to an ascetic life and started wearing white clothes. A man of few words, he hardly ever showed his emotions to anybody and people hardly ever remembered seeing him laugh, cry or get angry with anyone. This greatly influenced Siddhar Swamigal and his sister.

Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal completed his schooling and decided to follow the footsteps of his grandfather. He was well versed in martial arts, especially so in “silambattam”, a sport or art where the stick of a particular length is used deftly and dexterously.

Fair of face, there was a golden glow about him. He had a majestic personality. He sported a pigtail. While at home he wore the minimum of clothes and when going out he resorted to wearing a white dhoti and white kurta. The local farmers sensed the divinity in him and made it a habit and a point to come to him and have the seeds blessed before sowing them so that they were assured of a bountiful harvest.

Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal was a deep thinker and spiritually inclined from a young age. He considered it to be a waste of time worrying about the materialistic world and its mundane happenings, as he considered them to be nothing more than dust.

He was deeply influenced by a number of his teachers. He learnt various mantras under the guidance of Modi Abdul Khader also known as Pattalathhu Vaidiyar. Kumbakonam Ucchipillaiyar Kovil Subramaniya Devar taught him how to deal with spirits and spiritual forces. The 18 seers of Tamil Nadu known as the “Padheenettu Siddhargal” have not only blessed him but have also graced him with their presence.

Three days prior to leaving the materialistic world, Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal’s grandfather gave him deeksha.


Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal had a clear mind. He was quiet and at peace with himself. He was endowed with spiritual powers which helped him know and ascertain happenings at far off places. With the help of his spiritual powers, he was able to cure diseases given up by the practitioners of medicine . He could read a person's mind with startling accuracy.

A well built, physically endowed man, with a gigantic appearance, he kept himself healthy. Like his grandfather, he had only one meal a day. His main diet consisted of milk and fruits that he took twice daily. Then again, there were days when he went into a strict and rigorous fast for days altogether. He constantly worked to keep his mind and body pure. He would always tell people how important it was for one to keep his body clean before seeking the Almighty.

He would meditate in the cremation ground, sitting before a burning pyre. He mastered the Thaithriya Upanishad. He knew many siddhis or super natural skills and came to be known as the Maha Siddhar. A siddhar is a person who has reached that mental stage that no ordinary human being can ever experience.

On the 19th of May, 1944, Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal had a magnificent experience of a light blue halo surrounding him. He reached the divine ecstatic state and experienced an uncontrollable, unexplainable joy and happiness. It was at that moment that Sri Siddhar Swamigal experienced the magnificence of the vast open space within him. His “sukhma body” or the subtle body that is immortal traveled in the vast, wonderful open space. It reached the “naada brahmam”. He experienced and discovered the divine sound of the “Omkaaram”. His soul was blessed and he became the “Sath Guru”.

From that day, the divine power in him started guiding him in all his activities and endeavours. He became quiet, calm, cool and still. Any encounter thereafter with the evil spirits in the bodies of the helpless humans, were quickly brought under his control.

Once, his own young son was almost on death bed. The doctors had given up all hopes of any cure as they could not understand the complexities of the deadly disease. Sri Siddhar administered a medicine to his child . The next day the child was up and about, hale and hearty much to the amazement of all present. The disease had vanished without a trace. Sri Siddhar Swamigal cured his son for he knew that his son would one day be able to do likewise for the countless devotees he would have.

Sri Siddhar Swamigal could turn anything to gold with his touch. This particular skill is referred to as “Rasa Vaadam”. He could also change the karma or fate or destiny of a person. But he did not indulge in doing so as he felt that Karma was not something to be meddled about with and thought it best to be left alone. After all , even fate had a predetermined path to be followed. It was not something to be altered at our will.

People turned to him for help and guidance. There were those times when 10 to 15 people would suddenly turn up at home to meet him. His generous nature would insist on making them stay and partake of the food. This, when there was not an extra morsel of food to be found at home! Not to be daunted, Sri Siddhar Swamigal would go to into a small room, spread a white cloth ad meditate. Within a few minutes the entire cloth would be covered with a delicious spread, enough for all who had assembled and more. Immediately after their impromptu meal, the vessels would disappear.

Sri Siddhar Swamigal had a strong following. He would tell his disciples during their initiation the number of births they would be taking to fulfill all their spiritual goals and attainments. He did not think much about people who were self centered and worked only for their own selfish ends. He advised his devotees to face any challenge in a straight forward manner and not show fear and run away. He asked his disciples to understand themselves and develop self consciousness. God loves us for what we are. Not our materialistic achievements.

Sri Siddhar Swamigal was an expert and master of the 8 siddhis. Yet he never allowed his disciples to practise or perform it. He felt that performance of a siddhi was nothing but a waste of one’s efforts and attainment. He used to tell his disciples not to believe in anything or anyone other than God.

Sri Siddhar Swamigal possessed super human powers which he never exhibited unless it was otherwise essential. He never used it for his personal gains or fame. He often allowed his sukhma body to travel long distances in the open space to help his friends and disciples. Till such time that Sri Siddhar Swamigal was alive and had not yet attained siddhi, within a radius of 21 feet around him, no body died. Such was his powress.

He was an authority on a number of skills and practices.

1. MOUNA VIDDHAI: (The power of Silence. A state of highest attainment with very high potent power.)
The power of silence produces stillness. This is a motionless state of the mind and the body. The motionless body allows the mind to concentrate. External disturbances fail to affect the concentration. The mind slowly gets into the state of “Mahamounam” where it becomes motionless and even the inner thoughts do not disturb the mind. It is during this state of motionless concentration that the divine sound of the “Omkaram” emerges from within and merges with the “Aadhi Andham” which is the manifestation of the Omkara in the vast open space. Thus the person experiences “Brahmanandam” or the eternal happiness. On attaining this stage once, a person can never feel unhappy as he is constantly in a state of happiness. Sri Siddhar Swamigal had mastered this viddhai.

2. BRAHMA VIDDHAI: (The power attained through development of the highest mental state.)
The infinite is Brahma. It is vast and limitless without boundary. To understand the magnificent state, one has to concentrate. Yogi and saints spent years together in forests and mountains to attain this level of concentration. “Brahmam” is that stage of everlasting happiness or bliss, a feeling that leads a person to ecstasy. Yogis call this blissful state a delightful experience of the ecstasy.

3. PARAKAAYA VIDDHAI: (The power to work with the subtle body).

Even though the outer body is said to be mortal, there lies within it, another “Sukhma Degam” or another body within the body. It has the ability to come out from within the mortal body, take any shape or form it so desires and travel infinite distances into the vast open space. Sri Siddhar Swamigal mastered this Viddhai and used it at times to understand and help any of his devotees who needed his help.

4. KAAYA VIDDHAI: (The power to work with the mortal body to generate superhuman deeds.)

Our mortal body has 96 systems that are working within it. They form a part of the working body system . Either genetically or over a period of time, these 96 systems do not work properly. They become defunct. As age progresses, for a normal person, only a certain percentage of the 96 body systems, namely 18, work effectively. However, strict measures to control the body systems can help in
making them work effectively at all times. Sri Siddhar Swamigal had total control over the 96 systems of his body.

5. VAASI VIDDHAI: (The control of “Pranan” or breath control to generate spiritual power thereof)

Our mind and body, are together controlled by the Pranan or breath or air that is inhaled and exhaled. A complete mastery of this breathing technique gives superhuman powers to the person. A person who has this mastery is closer to having a darshan of the aatma or his soul. He can control his fate as well.

Sri Siddhar Swamigal had mastered all these Viddhai and more. He could also change the direction of an approaching storm or violent cyclone. Such is the power of the Siddhar that he can control the universe at large.

Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal was a staunch devotee of Lord Anjaneya. Lord Anjaneya is the devout devotee of Sri Rama, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Lord Anjaneya possessed super human powers. Sri Siddhar Swamigal did severe penance, was a devout devotee and attained the powers from Lord Anjaneya. This helped him perform miracles when required to help some of his disciples in distress. One such instance is narrated here.

Sri Siddhar Swamigal would take a vessel and fill it to the brim with water. He would then drop a sharp writing instrument inside the vessel. To this would be added some flowers, a palm leaf, and a lime. The vessel would be covered with a plate smeared with holy ash. Placing a burning camphor in front of the vessel, he would seat himself at a distance and meditate. Soon the plate on top of the vessel would start vibrating. Sometimes it would jump up to a height of 5 feet and land with amazing accuracy on top of the vessel. After about an hour or so, on careful inspection of the palm leaf, one could see the engraving on it. The words would be the answer to a query posed to him or a message for someone.

One of the great scholars and teachers of those times was Sri Rajam Iyer. He was a close and personal friend of Sri Siddhar Swamigal. Sri Rajam Iyer had been suffering from a serious stomach ailment for quite a while and had consulted various doctors and consumed large quantities of all kinds of medication without any to little difference. All the while that he was sick and needed to visit the doctor, Sri Siddhar Swamigal used to bless him. Ultimately, fed up of the countless visits to the doctors, Sri Rajam Iyer turned to Sri Siddhar Swamigal and asked him to cure him of his ailment. Sri Siddhar Swamigal cupped a handful of soil from the roadside, made a globule out of it and asked Sri Rajam Iyer to swallow it. Sri Rajam fell into a deep slumber within minutes of swallowing the globule given by Sri Siddhar Swamigal. He woke up the next day without a trace of the stomach ache that had tortured him for so many months day in and day out. He never experienced any stomach ache after that.



In some cases, the evil spirits of a person dead would come back to haunt and trouble the next of kin. People would flock to him with their problems. Sri Siddhar Swamigal would first pour water on the face of the person troubled. Then he would ask for a plantain leaf and spread some flowers, a preparation of rice and jaggery, neem leaves and a lime on the leaf. He would then take the leaf in his hand and facing the sky, throw it upwards. The plaintain leaf would fall back to the ground but the rest would disappear miraculously. The person suffering would also be cured of his being possessed.

One very interesting and astounding experience that Sri Siddhar Swamigal had was when he witnessed his own end much before it was to happen. In the month of May 1964, he narrated what would happen on the morning of 31st August, 1964 at 07:28 hrs. He had also witnessed all his previous lives and deaths. Sri Siddhar Swamigal knew well in advance about the day he would leave the materialistic body. He predicted the day well in advance. He planned the proceedings carefully and meticulously. He prepared himself to welcome the day with love and respect. He would often tell his disciples to “love death