The Siddha masters or teachers use Shaktipat or the descent of Shakti to initiate neophytes into the tradition. Their main goal in such practices is to curb their egos, avoid public adulation, and cultivate dispassion and humility. In public, they may appear in fierce forms and display antisocial behavior to discourage people from worshipping them. In the past, they used to indulge in alchemy, use mercury to transform metals and their bodies, and become physically immortal. They worship Shiva and Shakti in their benign, ascetic, and severe forms. Siddha yogis practice extreme asceticism and magical rituals. His works occupy a prominent place in Hindu, Tamil, and Saiva literature. Thirumoolar, the author of Thirumanthiram, which describes Kundalini yoga and other tantric practices, is considered the first of the Siddhas. In southern India, the tradition of Siddhas emerged as Siddha tradition, which dates back to the 7th century, with the literature of its own.
They are believed to reside in a particular region in the Himalayas called Siddhashram, mentioned in some Puranas (sacred texts). It is believed that due to their supernatural abilities, some of the Siddhas are still alive and active on the Earth plane and have the power to manifest at will with their ethereal bodies in physical form. The nine masters may represent the nine energies or perfections (siddhis) of Shiva or Shakti or even Vishnu. This sect practiced severe austerities, a particular branch of yoga called hatha yoga, and several esoteric methods to perfect their minds and bodies. Prominent among them were Matsyendranath, believed to be the founder of Nath tradition, and Goraknath (aka Gorakshanath), believed to be the inspiration behind Gorakhnath Shaivism. Of the 84 Siddhas, nine are considered the highest and referred to as the nine Nathas (Navnath). The tradition recognizes 84 Siddhas of great prominence who belonged to the Tantra tradition of Shaivism. In Hinduism, the Siddhas represent a tradition (sampradaya) or a lineage of yogis, adepts, or perfect ones who have achieved liberation from the cycle of births and deaths and attained extraordinary mental and physical powers. The list includes clairvoyance, knowledge of the past and future, mind-reading, astral travel, flying in the air, supreme health, ability to enter other bodies, etc.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali provides a long list of 64 siddhis or supernatural powers attained by yogis as they master the eightfold (ashtanga) yoga.
A Siddha means ‘realized, perfected one,’ a term generally applied to a practitioner who has, through his practice, realized his dual goal of siddhis (superhuman powers and extraordinary perception) and bodily immortality.
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