A TRUE GURU

I was spared the time and money and the hassle of seeking a guru and learning from him. The most compassionate Agathiyar took me into his folds and his arms the moment I surrendered to him. When he told me to come to his path in a Nadi reading, I had no idea who the Siddhas were. I began my worship of Agathiyar and the Siddhas with a thanksgiving ritual to the Siddhas, Nadiku Dhanam, for revealing about us through their Nadi. The need to know about the Siddhas arised after that. I went to several establishments that we connected with Agathiyar in Malaysia. They did not satisfy my search, my hunger for information and my needs. I decided to embark on my own. Getting my hands on whatever little literature that was available then, I continued my prayers to Agathiyar and the Siddhas at home. Agathiyar brought me to my first guru Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai the following year in 2003 and my present Guru Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar ashram in 2005. Supramania Swami took me as his disciple the very first day we met when he passed me a teecha mantra at the end of a wonderful and enlightening 5 hour mystical revelation. Tavayogi too the very same day we met, decided to give me and my wife a mantra teecha when I told him Agathiyar wanted me to come to his path in the Nadi, and when my wife mentioned to him about the numerous dreams she had.

Both these masters made miracles happen. Supramania Swami had brought his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar to join me and him in chanting his name (the Yogi) in the confines of his prayer room even after his guru had gone into samadhi on 20 February 2001; and showed his presence in our living room in Malaysia after he too had gone into samadhi at Tiruvannamalai on 7 February 2007. 

Tavayogi brought the Siddhas down to earth wherever we went: at Agasthiyampalli and Agathiyar's sannadhi, Agathiyar opens his eye in his granite statue; at Palani and Bhogar's sannadhi, he takes me to a state of bliss; at Uthiyur and Konganar's cave, he brings to materialize the sacred ash; and at Pavanasam and Kutralanathar, Agathiyar opens his eyes again in his granite statue, both eyes this time.

When I was in his old ashram the very first time, Tavayogi brought out all the Nadis that he had and placed them in front of me. He took several of them and showed them to me. He also showed me the Nadi transcripts from several notebooks. He told me that people he knew and strangers likewise gave him these Nadis saying his name appeared in them or after instructed to do so. But he never divulged the contents of it. When Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar who was a housewife then, read a few lines from them to me, Tavayogi immediately stopped her. Later when I asked her to continue about Tavayogi, he stopped her again. 

Over the years Agathiyar revealed to me who Supramania Swami and Tavayogi were in his Nadi. Agathiyar mentions that Supramania Swami was a true guru and that he had attained Samadhi; Agathiyar mentions Tavayogi as Kallar Siddhan and a true guru. Lord Muruga in his Nadi mentions Tavayogi as Kallar Munivan. In the face of all the praise and honor placed on him, Tavayogi just brushes them aside and moves on with his daily chores never for a moment becoming a slave to fame.

Supramania Swami a householder, did not have a following. I can safely say I was the only student of his. Tavayogi a turavi or ascetic or recluse, was not keen on having disciples and followers as he arrived at Kallar with the desire and intention of going into samadhi. Agathiyar instead had him go all around including Malaysia and Singapore to preach the Siddha path. Although he had officiated many peedhams in the name of Agathiyar in these places he never was keen or encouraged a following. Instead he directed one and all to Agathiyar.

It was only in 2013 that Tavayogi acknowledged after a prayer at his ashram that the seed of faith and devotion on the Siddhas that he planted in Malaysia had germinated. Last June when he was in Malaysia, he announced that the fruits of his labour in bringing the Siddha teachings to our shores has seen the light of the day. He endorsed the contribution of Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) in bringing the Siddha path to the attention of many. AVM is a small congregation of devotees of Agathiyar who share the same outlook, thoughts and aspirations. Agathiyar tells us of our congregation that the Siddhas are not interested in the quantity but the quality of their devotees. Agathiyar has directed and guided each and every one in AVM through the Nadi readings instructing them and giving them tasks and mission that are varied but that complement each other. Recently through a Nadi reading Agathiyar brought all of us at AVM a step further into the worship of Valaithaai. The beautiful thing is that he has lifted all of us at the same time to the next stage. 

Agathiyar has led many faithful souls in AVM to his abode; trained them in the many techniques to keep the body fit; enlightened them on the mysteries of birth; and prapanjam or the universe and mind; and fed their soul; quenching each person's thirst and search.

If all these years we at AVM have been staying awake, performing homam and conducting libation for Lord Shiva during Shivarathri, just days ago Agathiyar delivered a message through the Nadi asking us to drop the rituals, but instead to sit upright and meditate on Siva and recite hymns from the Thevaram, the Sivapuranam, Ramalinga Adigalar's Mahadeva Maalai, Parasiva Vilakam, and Thiruvadi Pugalchi. I guess he is taking us to the next level, from rituals to meditation.

http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.my/2017/02/sivarathri.html

Aasan TR wrote in his Whatsapp group just moments ago,

குரு மலை கழுகை ஒத்த குணமாக இருக்கவேண்டும். எல்லா வித்தைகளையும் கற்கும்வரை பாதுகாத்து கற்றதுபின் உலகஞானத்திர்க்காக தன்சீடனை குருநிலையை எட்ட தனித்து நிற்க செய்யவேண்டும். 

Just like an eagle protects its chick only to let it fly when ready, soaring in the skies akin to him, the guru should be like an eagle protecting his student while under his tutelage only to let him go so that he too can take on the role of a guru for the good of other seekers.

கடைசிவரை ஒருவனை சீடனாகவே வைத்திருப்பது குருவிர்க்கு தோல்வி.

தெள்ளற வித்தைகற்றான் சீடனும் குருவை தேடான்......மூதுரை. 

A guru should make another guru out of his disciple. It is seen as a failure on the part of the guru if he keeps his disciples remaining a disciple till the end. 

It is said that Guhai Namasivayar sent away his disciple Guru Namasivayamurthi to Chidambaram once he exhibited the ability to see the curtain at Chidambaram Temple burn. Guru Namasivayamurthi was serving his guru Guhai Namashivayar in Tiruvannamalai. Guru Namasivayamurthi had strangely began to brush his attire with his hands as if dozing a flame. Guhai Namashivayar asked what he was doing? The disciple answered that a rat had taken away a burning wick from a lamp that accidently ignited a fire in a curtain. He had smothered the fire dozing it off.

At another moment, Guru Namasivayamurthi suddenly laughed aloud. The senior Namasivayar enquired why he had laughed. Guru Namasivayamurthi narrated that he had seen a lady stumble and fall while dancing at a procession for the lord at Thiruvarur.

Happy to see his disciple gain siddhis, but as gaining siddhis is not an indication of one attaining jnana, the master tested his student further. Guhai Namasivayar tested the devotion of Guru Namasivayamurthi by asking him to dispose his (Guhai Namasivayar) vomit in a place where no one would step on it. The student drank his guru's vomit. My guru Supramania Swami had mentioned this incident to me. 

David Godman writes in his blog, http://davidgodman.org/asaints/gurunam1.shtml, 

Seeing the powers his disciple was developing, and noting the extent of his devotion, Guhai Namasivaya thought to himself, 'Day by day my disciple's knowledge is increasing. He should not be kept here any more. Let me test him one more time, and then I can send him to a place that will be appropriate for him.' 

Giving him the first two verses of a poem or venba Guhai Namasivayar asked his disciple to complete it.

Guhai Namasivaya was delighted with the way that his disciple handled the test.

Guhai Namasivaya, feeling that delay would serve no useful purpose, responded to the song by saying, 'You can start right now'.

Guhai Namasivayar decided to send him away to Chidambaram where he too would be of use to other seekers. 

This is the true guru. A true guru would never want his followers to remain a follower forever. His achievement is in seeing his student rise to the level of a guru at par or even better then them. They rejoice in seeing their students rise up the ladder of spiritual advancement. 

Agathiyar tells me to walk tall so that he too could walk tall. The pride of the Siddhas lay in the hands of their followers. It is not easy to come to the path of the Siddhas we are told. Many do so because of their previous involvement with the Siddhas in past lives. The Siddhas are said to be on the lookout for potential candidates whom they could bring to their fold and groom them to become their students and finally make them a Siddha too. They are never satisfied with their students remaining a student forever. They do their utmost best to raise their students to the level of a guru at par with them. All we need to do is pay heed to their instructions.