The Poets of the Powers: Magic, Freedom, and Renewal [Paperback]

Kamil V. Zvelebil (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1993

This reprint of the classic work first published in 1973 is largely based upon interviews with Yogi Ramaiah, a direct disciple of Babaji. It was the first academic study of the culture of the 18 Siddhas of South India and presents many fascinating details which will be of great interest to the student of Babaji's Kriya Yoga.

The Siddhas or "Accomplished Ones" were masters of yoga, spiritual heroes, miracle workers and ministrels in ancient times. Their poetry refflects their deep spiritual yearning, insight and experience. It also reveals that they were outspoken critics of conventional religion and morality.

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About the Author

About the author: Kamil Zvelebil, Ph.D., is a world renowned authority on Tamil language and culture, and pioneer of Tamil studies and university professor in the Netherlands.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Integral Publishing (February 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941255328
• ISBN-13: 978-0941255325
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,177,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good starter on Tamil Siddha poetry., May 22, 2001

By 

Roy "Roy" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Poets of the Powers: Magic, Freedom, and Renewal (Paperback)

This is one of the very few works on the subject of the Tamil Siddha teachings and poetry. Prof. Zvelebil was (before his retirement) Europe's top researcher and author on this subject. He, by his own admission, does not have the knowledge of medicine (thousands of pages were devoted to medicines and diagnosis - many of the chief Siddha sages were physicians of legendary status) to interpret the poems from that angle. There is a tremendous amount of Yoga teaching in the poetry of the siddhas, but this text did not delve deeply into the Yoga and Alchemy methods of Boghar and certain other sages, preferring to stick closer to the more common Kundalini system. This is probably due to the lineage of his "informant", with whom he credits much of his knowledge of the subject. He mentions that there is not much alchemy at all in the poems of the Siddhas, but nothing could be further than the truth. This may also be due to not having proper guidance from someone learned in the "Twilight Language" that encodes the medical, yogic and alchemical systems in order to protect them from the uninitiated.

The author concentrates on the political and social aspects of the poets, which is a very good thing, because the professor makes sure to let readers know that the Siddha literature has been destroyed, supressed or ignored by the orthodox Hindus of past ages. Many of the Siddhas of the past put down the practices of the orthodoxy, taking a more direct and experiential view of metaphysics, cosmology and theology - and much in the way of early Zen practitioners, were considered heretics because of the way they used "colorful metaphors" in the attempt to engage the reader (or listner) in direct experience of the teaching. Many of the poems he presents in this small work have a flavor of the poetry of an oppressed minority clothed in the language of oriental mysticism. This is a book that could be very entertaining on a long flight, and is a good beginning for anyone interested in getting a start with the Tamil Siddha poets.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very good, February 22, 2006

By 

Alina Repede - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Poets of the Powers: Magic, Freedom, and Renewal (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. The reader feels at each page that the author is not only a scholar, but also a pasionnate man who can very well communicate his expertise.

Un livre fort bien écrit, nourri de nombreux détails, dans lequel on ressent tout le respect de l'auteur pour la mystérieuse tradition des Cittars ou Siddhas tamouls.