Wednesday 22 February 2017

DO NOT BE DISILLUSIONED

Scene 1
A man minds his business in this world, caring for himself and his family. After years of working towards chasing his dreams soon he finds that he does not have peace or contentment in this material world. He is disillusioned. 

He turns to religion for answers as to why he was lacking peace and contentment even after fulfilling his dreams. In religion too he sees the diversity and competition as to whose religion is superior. He is disgusted and disillusioned. 

His gaze then falls on the spiritual world. He now becomes a seeker. He looks for peace and contentment in the spiritual world. He seeks out a guru who has answers to his query. He arrives at an ashram. He confesses to the guru that he was not at peace and not contented with his achievements this far. The guru invites him to stay with the hope that he would gain peace and contentment while there. The seeker is given chores to do. He listens to the discourses given by the guru to those who gather at the ashram. Slowly he is given several responsibilities. Along the way he understands that there is indeed a place where he could find peace and contentment. The guru points it to him. The seeker sets a new goal now. He wants to reach that destination. He works towards it with guidance from the guru. Along the way he discovers certain discrepancies in the running of the ashram. His attention now turns towards finding faults with the guru. He makes an enemy of the guru and leaves the ashram. He tarnishes the guru and the ashram. He is disillusioned. He loses sight of his destination and goal. 

Scene 2
He now arrives at another ashram. He declares that this is the place for him and that that guru was the true guru. He ridicules and bad mouths the earlier guru and his ashram.

Scene 3
In the face of an internal crises he leaves this ashram too. He seeks another ashram and another and another. This goes on like a rolling stone that gathers no moss.

It is indeed sad to see seekers deviate from their goal, falling for the numerous traps on their path to realization. Seekers start off on their spiritual journey to achieve a state of peace and contentment with a genuine yearning. But along the way they get embroiled and caught up and entangled with the internal politics at the ashram. They become disillusioned and lose sight of their goal. 

An ideal seeker would set out to achieve what he wanted in the spiritual world using the guru, the ashram, and all other help that comes along, to facilitate his yearning and seeking and move on. Immaterial of whatever happens around him, he does not lose sight of his destination. Then there comes a stage where there is no need for a middleman or guru in the physical form but the transmission is direct. He has reached his destination. Erai works on him directly. The curtain of illusion is removed for good. He merges with Erai.

Reading Yogananda Paramahansa's "An Autobiography of a Yogi" I became mesmerized with the stories of the saints described by Yogananda. It was like reading a fairy tale. Then in 2001 my nephew passes me a mantra of Lord Vishnu. Later he passes me a picture of Lord Dakshinamurthy and tells me that I should pray to him in preparation of meeting my guru. In 2002, Agathiyar tells me that I shall meet my guru. In 2003 I meet my very first guru Supramania Swami in Thiruvannamalai. In 2005 I meet my present guru Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram in Malaysia. I was blessed to have two wonderful gurus. I did not anticipate that I will meet a guru. Supramania Swami ignited the fire in me and Tavayogi nurtured it.

I stopped my seeking and my search after coming to Agathiyar. He has led me on a beautiful journey since then. He asked me to come to his path and he showed me his prayers through the Nadi reader. He showed me the ideal guru-disciple relationship through Supramania Swami. He brought me to perform rituals something alien to me till then, through Tavayogi. When Tavayogi was in Malaysia last June, I asked him for guidance and direction and he passed the buck to Agathiyar saying that he shall direct me. I have since then surrendered to Agathiyar for guidance and direction.