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''Siddha'' ( Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in
Indian religions Indian religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions, which include Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism,Adams, C. J."Classification of ...
and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual perfection or
enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
. In Jainism, the term is used to refer to the liberated souls. ''Siddha'' may also refer to one who has attained a
siddhi In Indian religions, (Sanskrit: '; fulfillment, accomplishment) are material, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of yogic advancement through sādhanās such as meditation ...
, paranormal capabilities. Siddhas may broadly refer to siddhars, naths,
ascetics Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...
, sadhus, or yogis because they all practice sādhanā. The Svetasvatara (II.12) presupposes a siddha body.


Jainism

In Jainism, the term ''siddha'' is used to refer the liberated souls who have destroyed all
karmas Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
and have obtained moksha. They are free from the transmigratory cycle of birth and death (''
saṃsāra ''Saṃsāra'' (Devanagari: संसार) is a Pali/Sanskrit word that means "world". It is also the concept of rebirth and "cyclicality of all life, matter, existence", a fundamental belief of most Indian religions. Popularly, it is the c ...
'') and are above '' Arihantas'' (omniscient beings). Siddhas do not have a body; they are soul in its purest form. They reside in the ''Siddhashila'', which is situated at the top of the Universe. They are formless and have no passions and therefore are free from all temptations. They do not have any karmas and they do not collect any new karmas. According to Jains, siddhas have ''eight'' specific characteristics or qualities. Ancient
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
Jain Classic 'Choodamani Nigandu' describes the eight characteristics in a poem, which is given below. The following table summarizes the eight supreme qualities of a liberated soul. Because of the quality of ''Sūksmatva'', the liberated soul is beyond sense-perception and its knowledge of the substances is direct, without the use of the senses and the mind. The quality of ''avagāhan'' means that the liberated soul does not hinder the existence of other such souls in the same space. A soul after attaining siddhahood goes to the top of the loka (as per Jain cosmology) and stays there till infinity. Siddhas are formless and dwell in ''Siddhashila'' with the above-mentioned eight qualities. File:Siddha idol.jpg, Although the ''siddhas'' (the liberated beings) are formless and without a body, this is how the Jain temples often depict them. File:Siddha Shila.svg, Siddhashila (the realm of the liberated beings) according to Jain cosmology


Hinduism

In Hinduism, the first usage of the term siddha occurs in the ''Maitreya Upanishad'' in chapter Adhya III where the writer of the section declares "I am Siddha."


Siddha or siddhar (Tamil tradition)

In Tamil Nadu, South India, a siddha (see '' siddhar'') refers to a being who has achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual perfection or enlightenment. The ultimate demonstration of this is that siddhas allegedly attained
physical immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality. Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immorta ...
. Thus siddha, like siddhar, refers to a person who has realised the goal of a type of sadhana and become a perfected being. In Tamil Nadu, South India, where the siddha tradition is still practiced, special individuals are recognized as and called siddhas (or siddhars or cittars) who are on the path to that assumed perfection after they have taken special secret rasayanas to perfect their bodies, in order to be able to sustain prolonged meditation along with a form of pranayama which considerably reduces the number of breaths they take. Siddha were said to have special powers including flight. These eight powers are collectively known as attamasiddhigal (ashtasiddhi). In Hindu cosmology, ''Siddhaloka'' is a subtle world ('' loka'') where perfected beings (siddhas) take birth. They are endowed with the eight primary
siddhi In Indian religions, (Sanskrit: '; fulfillment, accomplishment) are material, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of yogic advancement through sādhanās such as meditation ...
s at birth. The 18 siddhars are listed below. # Agasthiyar # Bogar # Kamalamuni #
Thirumoolar Tirumular (also spelt Thirumoolar etc., originally known as Suntaranāthar) was a Tamil Shaivite mystic and writer, considered one of the sixty-three Nayanmars and one of the 18 Siddhars. His main work, the ''Tirumantiram'' (also sometimes wri ...
# Korakkar # Konganar # Sattaimuni # Machamuni # Sundaranandar # Vanmeegar # Ramadevar # Nandidevar # Edaikkadar # Karuvoorar # Pambatti Siddhar # Kuthambai # Dhanvanthri #
Patanjali Patanjali ( sa, पतञ्जलि, Patañjali), also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra, was a Hindu author, mystic and philosopher. Very little is known about him, and while no one knows exactly when he lived; from analysis of his works it i ...


Kashmir Shaivism

In the Hindu philosophy (of
Kashmir Shaivism Kashmir Shaivism or Trika Shaivism, is a nondualist tradition of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra which originated sometime after 850 CE. Since this tradition originated in Kashmir it is often called "Kashmiri Shaivism". It later went on to become a pan ...
), ''siddha'' refers to a ''siddha guru'' who can by way of shaktipat initiate disciples into yoga. A siddha, in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
siddhar or chitthar (see ''
cit CIT or cit may refer to: Organizations * CIT Group, an American banking and financial services company * CIT Bank, a subsidiary of CIT Group * Center for Information Technology, of the US government * Compagnia Italiana Turismo, an Italian travel ...
''), means "one who is accomplished" and refers to perfected masters who, according to
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
belief, have transcended the
ahamkara Ahaṁkāra (Sanskrit: अहंकार), 'I-making' is a Sanskrit term in Saṃkhyā philosophy that refers to the identification of Self or Being with 'Nature' or any impermanent 'thing'. Reference in Bhagavad Gita Ahaṁkāra is one of t ...
(ego or I-maker), have subdued their minds to be subservient to their Awareness, and have transformed their bodies (composed mainly of dense Rajotama gunas) into a different kind of body dominated by sattva. This is usually accomplished only by persistent meditation.


Siddhashrama

In Hindu theology,
Siddhashrama Siddhashrama (; Devanagari:सिद्धाश्रम), popularly called Gyangunj, is considered as a mystical hermitage, which according to a tradition, is located in a secret land deep in the Himalayas, where great yogis, sadhus, and sa ...
is a secret land deep in the Himalayas, where great yogis, sadhus and
sages A sage ( grc, σοφός, ''sophos''), in classical philosophy, is someone who has attained wisdom. The term has also been used interchangeably with a 'good person' ( grc, ἀγαθός, ''agathos''), and a 'virtuous person' ( grc, σπουδα ...
who are siddhas live. The concept is similar to Tibetan mystical land of Shambhala. Siddhashrama is referred in many Indian epics and Puranas including Ramayana and Mahabharata. In Valmiki's Ramayana it is said that Viswamitra had his hermitage in Siddhashrama, the erstwhile hermitage of Vishnu, when he appeared as the Vamana avatar. He takes Rama and Lakshmana to Siddhashrama to exterminate the rakshasas who are disturbing his religious sacrifices (i.28.1-20).


Siddha sampradaya

Whenever siddha is mentioned, the 84 siddhas and 9 nathas are remembered, and it is this tradition of siddha which is known as the Nath tradition. Siddha is a term used for both mahasiddhas and Naths So a siddha may mean a siddha, a mahasiddha or a nath. The three words are used interchangeably.


The eighty-four siddhas in the Varna(na)ratnakara

A list of eighty-four siddhas is found in a manuscript (manuscript no 48/34 of the Asiatic Society of Bengal) dated Lakshmana Samvat 388 (1506) of a medieval Maithili work, the ''Varna(na)ratnākara'' written by
Jyotirishwar Thakur Jyotirishwar Thakur or (1290–1350) was a Maithili poet, playwright, musician and an early Maithili and Sanskrit writer, known for the '' Varṇa Ratnākara'', his encyclopedic work in Maithili. Life Jyotirishwar was son of Rāmeśva ...
, the court poet of King Harisimhadeva of Mithila (reigned 1300–1321). An interesting feature of this list is that the names of the most revered naths are incorporated in this list along with Buddhist siddhācāryas. The names of the siddhas found in this list are:


Siddhas in the ''Hatha Yoga Pradipika''

In the first ''upadeśa'' (chapter) of the ''
Hatha Yoga Pradipika The ''Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā'' ( or Light on Hatha Yoga) is a classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on haṭha yoga, written by Svātmārāma, who connects the teaching's lineage to Matsyendranath of the Nathas. It is among the most inf ...
'', a 15th-century text, a list of yogis is found, who are described as the Mahasiddhas. This list has a number of names common with those found in the list of the ''Varna(na)ratnākara'':


See also


Notes


References

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External links


Details of 18 siddhas

Tamil siddha tradition
{{Yoga Shaivism Titles and occupations in Hinduism