21. Five and six become one

Verse 21

அஞ்சும் அஞ்சும் அஞ்சுமே அனாதியான தஞ்சுமே

பிஞ்சுபிஞ்ச தல்லவோ பித்தர்காள் பிதற்றுறீர்

நெஞ்சில் அஞ்சு கொண்டுநீர் நின்றுதொக்க வல்லிரேல்

அஞ்சும் இல்லை ஆறும் இல்லை அனாதியான தொன்றுமே!

Translation:

Five, five and five are the eternal five,

Youngest of the young, isn’t it? Ye Mad people!  You are blabbering!

Holding the five in the heart, if you are capable of contemplating it steadily,

There is no five or six, only the singlet remains.

Commentary:

            The use of numerals to denote facts or ideas or allusions is a favorite device of the Tamil Siddhas.  In the above verse the term ‘five’ añcu occurs five times, each having a different meaning. The different fives mentioned here may be

(1) five elements-space, air, water, fire and earth,

(2) five subtle qualities-sound, feeling, taste, form and smell,

(3)  five limitations-kalā, kāla, vidya, rāga and niyati, that result in the ultimate consciousness becoming limited consciousness. 

The five may also mean the

(1) five sheaths or koṣā,  and

(2) five prana

 All these are only manifestations of the five principles or tattvas-Śiva, Śakti, Sadāśiva, īśvara and sadvidya that are eternal. Civavākkiyar says that all these pentads are contained within the five letters of namacivaya, the youngest of the young, and the earliest of any manifestation.  It is the youngest of the young and the oldest of the old.  When this is realized, there is no differentiation as five or six only the universal consciousness, the single, unique Ultimate Reality remains.  Five is the namacivaya and six is aum-namacivaya and singlet is aum.  The six also represents the six loci or cakra through which the five prana ascend to realize the truth. The singlet may also be the letter ci which represents the Divine.