Tavayogi told me once walking the path of a Siddha was not easy as one would have to take on the beatings and abuse hurled at the aspirant. Whether one understands or not the mysteries in this path, he has to be steadfast on this path. He has to walk a path of truth (sathyam) and dharma (charity). As one walks this life of truth and dharma, karma shall reduce. Hence man has to seek good merits rather than bad. Man has to live life accordingly so has to rid his karma vasanas. Tavayogi describes the nature of a mendicant. He says, "Koduthu koduthu, eni thurappatharku thannidam yenna baki erukkirathu yendru sinthipavanaeh, sinthitthu thurappavane unmai thuravi", which would mean, "Having given all else a mendicant will still want to give more and as such seeks to give more".
Agathiyar goes a step further and says, "Eruppathil koduppathu sirappu yendral; eruppathaiye koduppathu sirappilum sirappu" which means, "It is great to give a portion of what you have; but it would even be greater if your can part with all that you have".
Agathiyar goes a step further and says, "Eruppathil koduppathu sirappu yendral; eruppathaiye koduppathu sirappilum sirappu" which means, "It is great to give a portion of what you have; but it would even be greater if your can part with all that you have".
Agathiyar has been revealing through the Nadi several dictates so that man listens, gives it some thought, brings it into action and lives it out. God gave man freedom and thought to decide for the general good of mankind. If man cannot adopt and uphold the numerous virtues and disciplines, if he could at least feed another poor individual each day; perform devotion at a temple daily; or perform charity to one's ability - that is sufficient. Agathiyar reminds us to be grateful that God has provided an opportunity for us to help one another.
The most compassionate and gracious Agathiyar is known to accept rituals, prayers, charity, and tapas or austerities accordingly to the ability and capacity of the person. Agathiyar simplifies the mode of worship accordingly to the individual. For those who have the means and are fit to travel, he dictates them to make a pilgrimage. To others he ask them to visit any temple in the neighbourhood. For those who cannot leave their homes he asks them to perform prayers in the convenience of their homes.
Similarly Agathiyar designs directives and instructs according to one's nature and circumstances. For instance when my nephew was too tied up with his work and could not find time to conduct an extensive puja in his home, he was asked to participate in any puja in his vicinity on full moon days. Hence he joined us for kuttu vazhipadu or joint prayer.
For me who had all the time in the world, Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal and Agathiyar, respectively advocates I perform an elaborate ritual including lighting the sacrificial fire and performing libation on Agathiyar's statue.
When my sister was asked to perform parikaram or atonement at Lord Dhakshanamurthy's temple, she called me to say there was none near her home and the nearest was on Penang island, some 42 km. I told her if Agathiyar had specified a particular deity where you need to go to and worship he would definitely provide for the temple and the means too. True enough she comes back to me saying she had located Lord Dhakshanamurthy in a neighborhood temple!
A lady who was asked to feed the birds and monkeys headed for Batu Caves. She fed the pigeons there but could not see any monkeys that day. Disappointed that she could not fulfill her parikaram she left the food behind and returned home. On the next Nadi reading Agathiyar tells her that he had accepted her atonement!
When Agathiyar directed us to chant his Moola Mantra 100,000 times upon his arrival in the form of a bronze statue in 2010, I gathered family and friends around to start on this massive endeavour. After two hours of chanting we were drained out and exhausted. We only managed 45,000 chants that day. Later in the Nadi reading Agathiyar tells me he was pleased with the puja!
When Agathiyar ask to chant his mantra 100,000 times but accepted the mere 45,000 chants that we managed in 2 hours, I was taken aback and a bit puzzled. After almost 5 years he explains that the reason he asked to chant that number of times was in the hope that along the way there might be a miniscule moment where the mind blends and merges with the mantra.
The most compassionate father settles for whatever we can deliver. The most important thing is to take heed of his words and work towards it, giving our very best.
For those incapable to bring themselves to perform puja or do not even believe in God, Agathiyar recommends that they be of service to others and perform charity. Just as we saw in the last post that to gain the blessings of a saint one needs to have accumulated in him merits or punyam, Agathiyar tells us that the thought of doing charity only arises if one has sufficient merits too. The parents and his ancestors too need to have accumulated merits down their lineage, for their kin to have the thought to perform charity. Charitable thoughts do not come from reading books or hearing discourses. Agathiyar states that the amount of charity one does moulds his future.
Man needs to have faith and belief. Only then shall Agathiyar's dictates be fruitful. Instead man chooses not to take Agathiyar's advice, investigates if it really was Agathiyar's dictates (or something cooked up by the Nadi reader), decides not to believe, saying that his logical mind cannot accept what was revealed, questions if he was fated and destined why then the need to listen and take heed of Agathiyar's dictates, questions the need to light a lamp or to conduct prayers, questions the need to do charity, and refusing to accept it as karma.
Hence Agathiyar tells us, "Without any vested intentions, start giving. Give away all things precious to you. Whatever others have to say be firm in this generous act of giving. By giving God shall then give back to you."
"Do not be apprehensive that your resources might deplete or be emptied by giving. You do not lose anything by giving, rather you would be gaining", he adds.
Similarly Agathiyar ask us to have good thought, good speech and good deeds. Agathiyar ask that we love and respect the other. When good deeds are done and in due course multiplied to cover a larger range of beneficiaries, eventually a closely knit society will emerge. Agathiyar says take it upon yourself as your ambition to seek out and do dharma. He says begin your day by seeking ways and means to help another.Once love for fellow humans and other creations sets in, man dismisses all other thoughts and drops all forms of differentiation, only seeing the Atma in the other. That is Atma Darisanam, seeing the Atma in others. He then begins to accept another, honoring this Atma that has also taken birth just like us. We will then come to an understanding that this world was not created solely for us. Once we realize that this world is God's creation and all other beings too have taken birth to live a life of fulfillment just as we have, then none of the negativeness will arise in us. Respect for the other will arise. Compassion will arise in us.