Interview with SIDDHA VAIDYA P.S. NARASIMHA SWAMY from Mysore

Narasimha Swamy has been engaged in promoting, propagating and preserving ancient Siddha wisdom for the past 20 years. He belongs to a hereditary Siddha family and his ancestors have alleviated many kinds of health problems through Siddha medicines, serving the needy poor for the past 14 generations.

Besides treating clients, he is also engaged in the translation of palm leaf manuscripts from various Indian languages into English. He has a charitable trust registered under the name "AGASTHYA SIDDHA CHARITABLE TRUST" through which he takes care of the medical (herbal) needs of the poor.

Over the next few months he will be publishing a magazine entitled Herbal Heritage, to be circulated widely among those who are interested in Siddha medicine.

If you are interested in learning more about his work and publications, please refer to the following website: http://agasthiaherbal.tripod.com

For more information please email: swamy_siddha@yahoo.com


This interview was conducted via email.

Jake: First, I would like to know about the way you pluck the plants – you mention saying a prayer to mother earth. How do you understand the relationship between humans and plants?

Narasimha Swamy: There are specific seasons to pluck the parts of specific plants. It is believed that during certain seasons the plant parts exhibit high potential to be used for various indications of human ailments. There was a specialized subject in the past known as “VRIKSHAYURVEDA,”dealing with the medicinal plants uses, the time for collecting the parts of the plant and the ‘MANTRA’S”(hymns and prayer and rituals through which the property of the herb is potentiated) to be chanted before plucking.

During the period of Siddhars there was not even a microscope, let alone a fully equipped laboratory. At that time Siddhars were able to identify as many as 6500 herbs, their properties, purification processes, with what kind of vehicle (anupanam) the drug should be administered and they documented all these things in the form of poems written in ancient scripts as jugglaries. They were able to achieve this only through their yogic expertise and intuitive intelligence.

Siddhars have also mentioned that plants were talking to them about their usage and also specify the time and day the particular patient comes to the Siddha to take treatment. Such was the dedication and selflessness of our Siddhars.

About the relationship between man and the plants it is a proven fact that humans can not survive without vegetation-the source of oxygen-photosynthesis. Believe it or not there are some facts even beyond this explanation.


J: A major global issue right now is deforestation and aforestation (the planting of only one type of species), especially in regard to medicinal plants. Have you noticed in your lifetime the loss of certain species of plants?

NS: As you have mentioned rightly the global issue right now is to preserve, promote and propagate about the endangered species. You will know the details of it when you receive my magazines.

I am now aged 53 and I have seen many plants extinct due to the negligence of society and also because of the government policy of making high statements and failing in the strict implementation of their plans. It is really a pity that neither the politicians nor the establishments recognize the right people for the right job.


J: What do you do when you cannot find a specific herb? Are there substitutes in Siddha medicine which you can use instead of herbs?

NS: In siddha literature there are some herbs used as an alternative to another according to the availability.


J: Do you only take plants for a specific patient or do you take larger quantities to make medicine in advance? For example, if you expect a number of patients with diabetes, do you take a large quantity of the plant you need to treat them, or only a small amount at a time? Do you also cultivate herbs?

NS: Regarding collection of herbs I collect only the required quantity and only when needed and no question of hoarding! This helps in conservation of bio-resources. When the bark of the tree is required only a little part of it is chipped to ensure that there is no permanent damage to the growth of the tree. If I find 5 plants of my requirement I pluck only 3 and leave the rest to grow there and multiply. I have also cultivated some herbs in the waste lands of many of my friends cultivation lands and farms.


J: How did you learn about the herbs/plants used in Siddha medicine? Your family lineage stretches back many generations – were you taught by your grandfather and father alike? Are the women in your family also involved in Siddha medicine?

NS: I am born and brought up by my great grandma who was 70 years when I was studying in 4th standard at the age of 7. I used to help her getting the leaves, fruits, berries, roots and root barks of many plants from the nearby forest. My actual schooling of siddha started from there. I learnt from her making decoctions, choornam, lehyam, various kinds of oils and many things related to the purification processes, the quantities of items etc. After my grandmother died I continued my studies and finished my graduation. As I completed my bachelor of science degree (B.Sc.,) I continued to prepare Siddha medicines and give them to the needy.

Then the actual form of livelihood question crept in, and by that time in India Allopathy had already made a very good impact. People were in need of immediate results with an injection rather going through the monotonous and tedious herbal medication. There were no takers of my Siddha experience.

Since there was a need for me to learn more about Siddha, I joined a multinational pharmaceutical company as an executive and requested them to post me at Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, so that I can have interaction and collection of materials from the hereditary Siddha practitioners who were only available in these two states at that time.

After 5 years of search I have done my livelihood and have also contacted many proficient people in Siddha in Tamil Nadu. In that time I did a formal course in Siddha medicine after learning the Tamil language. Unfortunately I had to return back to my place (Mysore) after my father expired. Ours was a big family at that time and I was the only earning member in our family of 6 brothers and two sisters all younger to me.

I continue here at Mysore to work again for the same company and whenever possible giving Siddha medical treatment to those who visit me. In the part where I am living there are hardly people who know about Siddha or Siddhars.

This shifted when a senior correspondent of a news paper-“THE HINDU” (which is the largest circulated news paper in India) came to me asking relief for his health problem which could not be solved by many eminent physicians. He was suffering from “ameobic colitis” and “irritable bowel syndrome.” He was shown the way out by telling that there is no permanent cure for this ailment in Allopathy. The person become totally disease free in just 3 months of Siddha treatment and the same correspondent wrote an article about me and Siddha which circulated and then people started getting curious about Siddha in our area. Many more newspapers and magazines conducted interviews with me about Siddha wisdom. From then I left the job and started full time practice and more than that started write ups to magazines which made me little more popular and I still give preference for writing and doing charity since I had to suffer a lot and to undergo lot of humiliations for many reasons during the past so many years.


J: Do you work with bio-medical doctors at the government hospitals and clinics? How do you view Western medicine in general? What do you think of doing clinical research on Siddha medicine? Have you met with any people who represent Siddha at the governmental level – i.e. AYUSH or Siddha medical college practitioners.

NS: Regarding western medicine, in spite of many inventions, breakthroughs, major medical institutions in India and the West are integrating holistic techniques into their course work and practical experiences. They include relaxation, diet and nutrition, exercises, herbal medicine, homeopathy, yoga and support groups. This clearly proves that even developed countries with high tech medicinal weapons in their armory, sincerely accept that no single system of medicine offers comprehensive treatment to certain chronic diseases. Multiple approaches, including those of Indian systems of medicine, offer better management.

I have contacts with most of the Siddha doctors attached to hospitals in Tamil Nadu. While all appreciate my efforts nothing concrete has been done by anyone to continue my academic and further research work. I am all alone doing everything without anybody’s help in any of its kind since it is destined for me to carry on with this saga. Siddhars have given me enough strength to carry on propagating their message globally.


J: Is the knowledge in the Siddha medical texts applicable to our current lifestyle and illnesses that are in society these days such as cancer, AIDS and so on?

NS: There is mention of AIDS and CANCER-like symptoms of diseases in the ancient literature written thousands of year back which are relevant even in today’s context.


J: What is the relationship between Ayurveda and Siddha?

NS: Regarding the relationship between Ayurveda and Siddha, Siddha predates Ayurveda. Siddhars mainly originated in South India and metallurgy and alchemy came into existence during the time of the Siddhars. After some years this materia medica of the Siddha pharmacopoeia was included in the Ayurvedic materia medica. Siddhars specialized in the transmutation of metallic preparations into ash to form medicinal products known as “parpam”.


J: Who are your clients? How do they hear about you? Do you collaborate with other Vaidyas or do you work independently? Do you treat the clients directly with the medicines or does someone help you prepare the bhasmas, leghyams, etc.?

NS: I have clients all over the world. They know about me through my articles, publications and magazines and through my website. I treat my patients alone and do not take anyone’s help either preparing or for collection of herbs. Mine is purely a one man show and I am quite comfortable and happy with what I am doing, with the Siddhars blessings.


J: Are there any Siddhars who are alive today? What is your connection to the Siddhars? What is your family’s connection to the Siddhars?

NS: Siddha-literally means conquering death. Siddhars are still alive and bless those who wholeheartedly have belief in them. Siddhars still live in their place where they have gone to “samadhi” and attained “perpetual consciousness.” The preparations of ‘NAVAPASHANALOHA’ (An idol of Lord Muruga at Palani in taminadu is done by the alloyed compound of nine heavy metals, which also acts as a potent medication for many chronic ailments). Siddha system was developed by 18 Siddhars who have contributed at different times and different places. There are different schools of thought about the time when they lived. But it should be around 400-300 B.C.

My family has no connection with any of those great Siddha souls or probably I may not be able to trace it. But what I have experienced personally while at thick wild infested forests can not be explained in words. In some places I had even gone to my previous birth place and fainted.