Sivan Sar, the Rig Vedic Yogi

Volumes can be written and talked about the amaranthine constitution of Sivan Sar, and it
will still be ever inconclusive. HIS is the denouement of an ongoing universal Yagna being
carried out by the Supreme Consciousness (Para Brahmam) from ages. Such divinities appear
from nowhere and come close to our discerning range, draw us into their magnetic ambit, do
certain reformation and improvements in our spiritual psyche and would voluntarily expunge
their physical presence one day.

Two significant aspects of their physical manifestation here need be enshrined in mind.

The very first one is that such Divine Masters consent to visit this world in physical form
purely out of their volition and they spend some more time before offering our access to them.
This they achieve by employing their own Yogic rubric so that we will notice their presence
and be influenced by their spell. The second thing is, of course, the perpetuity of the spiritual
institution which they would have set up, which would continue to function even after their
physical exit from this earth.

Each Yogi, Mahan, Avadhoota, Brahma Gnani, Siddha Purusha and Sage employs HIS own
version of the divine recipe to process the minds of their followers. The most striking feature
of such Masters is their usage of certain symbols and motif like their outwardly appearance,
hand symbols (Kara Mudras), symbolic accessories they choose to achieve this end.

In fact, such Yogis would be cooking the ambrosia within their minds and will be serving it to
the followers through their eye contacts, bewitching smiles, endearing talks, soothing touch
and of course, by waving their hands in a typical elliptical or circular pattern.

For brevity’s sake, we shall call all such great persons under the singular category of YOGIs.
All such Yogis invariably exhibit the active use of certain hand signals.

Even though we visit temples to have darshan of the deities there seeking refuge in their feet,
we end up looking at the Face and the Abhaya-Varada Mudra of their hands. Our refuge is in
their feet, which is assuredly gestured through their Abhaya Mudra as implying ‘mAm
Ekam charanam vrata’ (‘Take refuge in myself only’). There is an esoteric importance
given to the hands of the Yogis. It is this: 1. Their hands are their serving spoons. 2. Their
Hands are the manifestation of the Gods themselves. (The same symbolism is slightly
extendible to humans also. Don’t we know the popular saying in Tamil ‘tan kaiyE tanakku
udavi’ and in Hindi as ‘apnA hAth Jagannath’? If it is the case with ordinary mortals like
us, the hand movements of Yogis are more and more meaningfully mystic.)
We can witness for ourselves the varying hand movements of enlightened Masters like
Ramana Maharishi, Seshadri Swamigal, both the Babas, Tiruvannamalai Yogi and a host of
such Saintly Yogis in general and our Sivan Sar in particular. Once we reach the
Saannidhyam of these Yogis, we get this assurance that we are in safe hands. It is these holy
processors, the cordon bleus (exemplary chefs), who handle our bundle of sins and sorrows,
process them, convert into essential nectars and serve back in a palatable manner.

Okay, what are their cooking bowls? What kind of burner they use to cook it? What are the
ingredients they add to the dish? The Answer is: Their bodily frame will be their cauldron and
their Inner Self will be the burner, with their tapas (penance) being the fuel.

There is a mystic explanation available for all these questions in our Rig Veda. A crisp word
as ‘Keshini’ is mentioned in Rig Veda to describe about such Masters.

A reference to term ‘Kesini’ leads us to the citadel of ‘Vaasi Yoga’.

Lord Shiva was the first to practice Vaasi Yoga and He is called the Adhi Yogi, the First
Yogi.

The ‘Vaashi Yoga’ was the first system created by the Lord Shiva and His disciple Patanjali
developed the same into a relatively easy system Asthtanga Yoga afterwards.

Keshni Yogis are Realized Souls. They will be in ‘session’ even while their
outwardly presence is not visible or available to us. Their Yogic methods are NOT
as mundane as a few set of asanas and postures. There is more to them than what
meets the eye.

Yoga, according to Patanjali, is the ‘Cessation of Modification of Chitta’

Yoga has, ‘Chittavrutthi Nirodhithaha’(Patanjali Yoga Sutra). The control and

regulations of the mind and through it reaching and dwelling in the Consciousness
is the goal of Yoga. This far has been our general discernment.

Vaasi Yoga is a little distinct. This is called Vaasi Yoga where, by breath control,
Consciousness is directly controlled.

If one repeats the word ‘Vaashi’ in the reverse, it becomes Shivaa.

And, we have had Siddhas who transcended time, and apart from Lord Shiva, the
early one was Thirumoolar, a Tamil Siddha, who had written a Shastra
‘Thirumandiram’ in Tamil. Thirumoolar is dated around 3000 BC. Due to the
compact structure of the Consonants typical of Tamil Language, we often mistake
the meaning of this ‘Tirumandiram’ as the ‘Sacred Chant’ (Thiru-Mantram),
whereas its real purport is ‘the Sacred Abbot’. The pointer is towards to one’s inner
Chitta. ‘uLLam perunkOyil, oonudambE Alayam. – Tirumandiram’. (Mandiram
means Temple).

When we desire to eat Idli or Dosa, we require the batter. This, we ourselves can
prepare by adding the necessary ingredients and by grinding it in grinder. Even
after that, it has to be stored for some time/overnight for fermenting. Salt will be
added while preparing the cooking process. This may be cumbersome for many of
us. To obviate this, nowadays, we get this ‘readymade wet batter’ from the shops.
It is precisely like this, that our great Masters are helping us.

The use of allegory of the word ‘cookery’ to the spiritual activities of our revered
Gurus might be taken with a pinch of salt. Aren’t they our Lords and Emperors?
Yes. They are our ‘Yogi Maharajas’. Incidentally, in Hindi, ‘Maharaj’ is the
appropriate word for the ‘Chief Cook’ too. Again, Mrs. Usha Ravichandran, one of
HIS ardent devotees has documented it that Sivan Sar used to instruct her as how
to prepare instant halwa with a very little maida, sugar and ghee.

It is the above ‘processes’ that the Kesini Yogis are constantly involved in, which
they used to call as ‘the Cosmic Work’.

What do the Vedas say of Yoga?

To common knowledge, there is no direct reference to Yoga in the Vedas, except a

description of a Yogi in the Rig Veda, which is dated around 25000 years ago.

Here is the Kesin Mantra of the Rig Veda which describes a Yogi.

kEshyagnim kEsee visham bibharti rOdasee |

kEshee vishvam svardrushE kEsheedam jyOtiruchyatE || 1 ||

munayO vAtarashnaha pishangA vasatE malA |

vAtasyAnu dhrAjim yanti yaddEvasO avikshata || 2 ||

unmaditA mounEyEna vAtAm tasthimA vayam |

shareerEdasmAkam yooyam martAsO abhi pashyatha || 3 ||
antarikshENa patati vishvA roopAvachAkashat |
munirdEvasya-dEvasya soukrutyAya sakhA hitah || 4 ||

vAtasyAshvO vAyO: sakhAthO dEvEshitO muni: |

ubhou samudrAvA kshEti yashya poorva utApara: || 5 ||

apsarasAm gandharvANAm mrugANAm charaNE charan |

kEshee kEtaSya vidvAnsakhA svAdurmadintama: || 6 ||

vAyurasmA upAmanthatpinashTi smA kunannamA |

kEshee viShasya pAtrENa yadrudrENA pibatsaha || 7 ||

(Rig Veda 10.136)

The closest possible translations of the above Mantras have been rendered by two
genuine Western Indologists as follows:-

Ralph Griffith translation:

He with the long loose locks supports Agni, and moisture, heaven, and earth.

He is all sky to look upon: he with long hair is called this light. The Munis, girdled
with the wind, wear garments soiled of yellow hue. They, following the wind's
swift course go where the Gods have gone before. Transported with our Munihood,
we have pressed on into the winds. You, therefore, mortal men, behold our natural
bodies and no more.

The Muni, made associate in the holy work of every God,

looking upon all varied forms flies through the region of the air. The Steed of Vāta,
Vāyu's friend, the Muni, by the Gods impelled,
in both the oceans hath his home, in eastern and in western sea.

Treading the path of sylvan beasts, Gandharvas, and Apsarases,

He with long locks, who knows the wish, is a sweet most delightful friend Vāyu
hath churned for him: for him he poundeth things most hard to bend,
When HE with long loose locks hath drunk, with Rudra, water from the cup.

(: Ralph T. H. Griffith (1897)
(Incidentally, the road adjoining the Krishna Gana Sabha in T.Nagar, Chennai had
earlier been named as ‘Griffith Road’ only in honour of this Sanskrit Scholar. Now
the road has been renamed as ‘Maharajapuram Santhanam Saalai’. The word
Griffith means ‘Chief/Lord/King’ almost near to the meaning of ‘Maharaja’. The
honour once bestowed never wanes.)

Karel Werner interpretation:

‘Carrying within oneself fire and poison, heaven and earth, ranging from
enthusiasm and creativity to depression and agony, from the heights of spiritual
bliss to the heaviness of earth-bound labor…’

This is true of man in general and the [Vedic] Keśin in particular, but the latter has
mastered and transformed these contrary forces and is a visible embodiment of
accomplished spirituality. He is said to be light and enlightenment itself.

The Keśin does not live a normal life of convention. His hair and beard grow
longer, he spends long periods of time in absorption, musing and meditating and
therefore he is called "sage" (muni). They wear clothes made of yellow rags
fluttering in the wind, or perhaps more likely, they go naked (Like Sadashiva
Brahmendral, the Avadhoota), clad only in the yellow dust of the Indian soil.

But their personalities are not bound to earth, for they follow the path of the
mysterious wind when the gods enter them. He is someone lost in thoughts: he is
miles away. [ Karel Werner (1977)]

(The Keshini Yogi/Sage will be very near to us and yet not easy for us to spot
Him).

The Keśin were long-haired ascetic wanderers with mystical powers described in

the Keśin Hymn (RV 10, 136) of the Rigveda (an ancient Indian sacred collection
of Vedic Sanskrithymns).The Keśin (“long-haired one”) are described as
homeless, traveling with the wind, clad only in dust or yellow tatters, and being
equally at home in the physical and the spiritual worlds. They are on friendly terms
with the natural elements, the gods, enlightened beings, wild beasts, and all
people. The Keśin Hymn also relates that the Keśin drink from the same magic
cup as Rudra, which is poisonous to mortals.
The Kesin hymn of the Rigveda is the earliest evidence of Munis (Sages) and their
spiritual tradition, states Karel Warner. The Hindu scripture Rigveda uses words of
admiration for Kesins.

We can understand that all the above features are strikingly descriptive of Sar in
particular and Yogis in general, loose locks, dirty clothes, cup and poison
inclusive.

What kind of poison both Ramana Maharishi and Sar were handling is left to our
obvious guess.

Keshini Yogis do not outwardly appear to be practicing any Yogic method at all.
Nor do they prescribe any rigorous yogic practice to their devotees too.

The same goes well with Sivan Sar too. All of HIS disciples, including you and me, are
nowhere capable of learning the art of Yoga and practice it in its entirety and in perfection.
Yoga is like the Cosmic Yagna. It is a collective exercise being carried out by an brigade of
Yogis since many Yugas. It is not a simple transaction as transforming the whole body as the
mind (Chittha). Our Yogic Masters have been continuously doing it for ages for our benefit
only. It is sufficient that we take shelter in their sacred proximity. Our nearness to their
Saannidhyam and principles alone could shower us with all the benefits of the Yogic
endeavour.

They would pick up a single idea or word and place it carefully (with Shraddhai) within their
mind (inside their Kapala, as per the word used in the above Hymn) and process and
attenuate the single object by teasing/chanting it millions of times and shape it into a powerful
piece of Yogic pearl. (May be, the computer savvy may prefer to refer it as Shell
Programming).

The object may be a stray and nondescript one for us, the commoners. For the Keshini Yogis,
it would have been their conscious choice. One secret here it that such an object chosen by
Them might be a negative element, harmful to the world or just any discardable object.
However, these Distinct Sages would pick it up and keep it quarantined within their Head
(Kapala) and treat it with their established Potent Chant.

May be it is just a grain of sand found on the sea shore, or the peel of the banana fruit
found discarded on the road. They would pick it up and convert it into a powerful medicinal
and spiritual object and serve the same to their disciples in bits and pieces. The reference to
the ‘cup’ in Rig Veda may be in any form, including the Bhiksha Pataram. As far as Sar is
concerned, HIS right hand palm itself was the magic cup.
Yes, they can transform ashes into aishwaryam and harrowing agonies into heavenly bliss.

As prescribed in Brahma Samhita, Yogis and Siddha Purushas, like the Lord Krishna
Himself, eat with their eyes and breathe through their legs. (‘angAni yasya sakalEndriya
vritti manti:’ Brahma Samhita 5.32). That is the secret of offering ‘naivEdyam’ to Gods and
it remains as it is, even after our God has ‘eaten’ it. Likewise, Brahmagnanis do not need
material food. Yogis are often denoted as ‘krAtakAs’ (‘Hunters’). They hunt down us and
devour our negative karma with their divine drishti.

There is an indirect purport attached to the reference of ‘magic cup’ (bhiksha paatram,
coconut shell, palm of the hand or even the seemingly simple hand mudra). It is said that the
ascetics who wander all over would partake water or any liquid items or even food items only
after it is poured into the above ‘shell’. Sivan Sar would receive ‘rasam’ in his palm and sip
it. The Shell would undo all the germs, negative aspects, impurities, contaminations and
poison that might be pre-existing in such substances.

A unique substance is always secreted from the inner part of the ‘shell’ which does the magic.
Even in Keshni/Keshari Yoga mudra, it is taught to touch the upper palate of our mouth with
the tip of our tongue where the perennial stream of Amrita will be flowing, by sipping which
even mortals can attain long lasting memory, longevity and various unprecedented powers.

Why do we take up the case the coconut shell to relate it as the symbol of Keshni with
reference to Rig Veda? It is very simple. Before being transformed into ‘Sirattai’, the gross
coconut would be found surrounded by a lot of fibre (Kesha) , and it need be thoroughly
scraped off. If we talk of ‘kapala’ or ‘chin’, it is also surrounded by a thatch of hair.

The power of the ‘shell’ (the secret of Keshni yoga) is further demonstrated as follows.

It is worth noting here that this was what the Aadhi Yogi Paramashiva did during the
churning of the Ocean of Milk seeking Amrita, the nectar. What first surfaced was the
Haalakaala Poison, which Paramashiva partook, and contained it in his throat. The final part
of the episode is never overtly revealed in any of the scriptures. The secret is that what the
Devas and asuras later devoured in the form of Nectar was nothing but the ‘poison’ which
Paramashiva had neutralized and converted into nectar with his unique Kesin Yoga Culture.

The rest of the things fit to the persona of Paramashiva word to word. He was having long
locks of hair. He held a Kapala shell (Brahma kapala) as his alms seeking bowl. He wore
dirty, filthy and disgusting hides of tiger and elephant as his cloth. By way of ornaments, he
had snakes all over his body. Thus, Paramashiva’s complete posture explains the Kesin Yogi
perfectly.

Even though Kesini yoga has been hinted in Rig Veda, Lord Paramashiva, the Kesini Yogi
has nowhere been described in the same Veda explicitly. Because, to mention his name
explicitly would amount to exposing the first layer of mystery kept so intentionally. If kept
unlocked, the holy ideas might be hijacked and misused by the ignorant lot and abused by the
unscrupulous elements of the world.

The secret of Kesini Yoga has been housed in the inner most layer, protected and surrounded
by layer after layer. It is the Yogis and Brahma Jnanis like Ramana Maharishi, Sadashiva
Brahmendral, BodendraL, Pappa Ramdas, Seshadri Swamigal and Sivan Sar who
have unlocked the secret of this Rig Vedic Keshni yoga and served its fruits for us in an easy
digestible manner.

It is noteworthy here that the Sanskrit word ‘Keshni’ implies the Lion or the Horse also
because of the typical mane-hair running at their neck/back. There are the other names for
Lion in Sanskrit (Panchana:, Panchasya, Fire) which indicate the names of Deities also
(Like Shiva, Maha Vishnu, Narasimha, Krishna-the Keshava and Rudra). Interestingly, the
attribute ‘Panchanana’ means both the Paramashiva with his name having Five letters
(‘Na,ma,shi,va,ya’) as well as the Lord Narasimha who is of the form of the Lion whose
palm has Five Hoods.

Further interestingly, even the number name ‘Five’ is born of the word ‘Fire’ which in our
religion refers to the Panchagni (Five types of Agni). This is what the Chaandogya
Upanishad teaches us in the form ‘Panchagni Vidya’ (To Live even after Death, or attaining
the ‘Pugazh Udal, Pon Udal’)

Talking about attaining the stage of ‘Pon Udal’ (Golden Body), we are reminded of the
popular Gujarati Devotional Song (‘Vaishnava Janato’) liked by Gandhiji and further
popularized with musical rendition by the divine M.S. Subbulakshmi.

There is this stanza in the song:

‘Moha Maaya Vyaapi Nahi Jene Dhruda Vairaagya Jenaa Man,

Raam Naam shun Taali Rey
Laagi, Sakala Teerath,
Tena tana-mana Rey’.
It can be translated as ‘The One who becomes ecstatic on hearing the holy Name of
Rama and becomes in himself the Golden Body, the Holy rivers and the Sacred
Kshetra, is the true Vaishnava, the devotee of Maha Vishnu’.

Chanting of ‘Rama Naama’ has been propagated by Sadashiva Brahmendral, Saint

BodendraaL, Pappa Ramdas, Sivan Sar and other few notable Yogis.

There is this general perception that a Keshini Yogi could not be ordinarily spotted
by the casual view. One has to seek HIM incessantly and relentlessly for days
together even in the remotest possible places in and around us. To see HIM with
our naked eyes face to face in itself is a rare providential boon. This phenomenon
is typical of Avadhootas, obscurely practising the Rig Vedic way.

We are all fortunate enough to be living in this holy land of the Avadhoota
Parabrahmam like Sasadashiva Brahmendral, who was also engulfed in the
chanting of Rama Naama, the Bodhendral in whose Adhisthanam where we can
still hear HIS reverberating chanting of ‘Ram, Ram, Ram’ and of course the
Walking God, that is Maha Periyava. This spiritual land is further embellished with
the advent of Sivan Sar, who has been the personification of the primal/primeval
Rig Veda.

It is not just a coincidence that all the Great Masters had formed what can be
termed in a laymen’s parlance as ‘The Agni Club’. South Eastern direction is
identified as ‘Agni Moolai’. It is quite naturally divine that the Ashrams of the
Great Masters (Seshadri Swamigal and Ramana Maharishi) are located on the same
Chengam Road in Tiruvannamalai, near Agni Lingam. And, Sar also used to be
identify HIMSELF as ‘Tiruvannamalai tEyu’ (Fire of Tiruvannamalai). Thus,
HIS subtlety can be felt pervading there also.

[Courtesy:-
1. Shri Ramananji. [Retired Senior Management Professional, His Lectures on Indian
Philosophy, Hinduism, Comparative Religions, Reasearching Philosophy, Religion,
Freelance writer and Blogger].
https://ramanan50.wordpress.com/2018/03/30/first-only-description-of-yogi- in-rig-
veda-kesin/ ]

2. [Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1896], at sacred-texts.com at http://www.sacred-

texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv10136.htm]

3. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keśin)]
*