Abstract
In the Tamil siddha texts, the passages on yoga frequently interlace with teachings on alchemy. The texts on these domains of the traditional siddha knowledge are often composed in a deliberately ambiguous and obscure manner, which results from the use of various strategies, such as wordplay riddles, metaphors, ellipses and vague technical vocabulary. In this article, I examine ambiguous passages in the alchemical literature of the Siddhars which, apart from their literal, alchemical meaning, can be also interpreted as metaphorical allusions to yogic practices and concepts. I concentrate mostly on the literature ascribed to Siddhar Yakopu, tentatively dated to the seventeenth century. I analyse several instances of equivocal verses and consider the possible role of the obscure passages. I study the intertwined alchemical and yogic discourse and I reflect on the siddha understanding of matter.
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