Sunday 3 June 2018

CLIMBING THE SPIRITUAL LADDER

When Tavayogi came to Malaysia the first time he told us not to remain in the temple but to come out of it. Soon he realized we very much needed the temple. He built a temple in Kallar for us. Supramania Swami who wanted to build a temple was stopped midway by a "stranger" who confronted him asking why he was going back to the temple. I am now confronted with a directive to build a temple when that was the last thing on my mind. Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM), although informal and operating from a home, has been a candle that lit the lives of many just as Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal lit our lives. Although I had engaged in performing rituals at home, I never wanted to build a temple or form an organization. I was happy the way things were. 

Going back to 2005.....

When Agathiyar told me to come to the worship of Siddhas, "He" sent Tavayogi to Malaysia too. "He" through an organisation placed an advert in the local Tamil dailies regarding the officiating of the said organization by Tavayogi. "He" made my neighbor supply me with the Tamil daily each day throughout the stay of Tavayogi in Malaysia. When I came across the advert repeatedly each day, "He" moved me to give the organizers a call. Soon I was at their premises meeting up with Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of the Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedham in Kallar. Tavayogi replied that I had come to the right place when I pointed out that Agathiyar had asked me to come to the worship of the Siddhas in my Nadi reading some three years earlier. 

Going back three years to 2002....

Taking the advice of Agathiyar in my very first Nadi reading, I began puja to Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva. I had seeked out the organizations linked to Agathiyar in Malaysia hoping for some information and literature on Agathiyar and the Siddhas and some guidance on their worship. There were several organizations but each was involved in a specific aspect of life, with some solely collecting funds for charity, some holding talks and satsang, some promoting Siddha Vaidyam and sales of herbal medicines, and some just chanting the names of the Siddhas and Agaval. The organizations, once together, were divided then and had gone their separate ways taking some followers with them. I could not bring myself to frequent and follow them. I decided to take the names of the Siddhas as given to me by my Nadi reader Sentilkumar and included them in my daily home puja that I had revived only a year back then in 2001, after having dropped it for 14 long years.

Going back a year to 2001....

It was a Saturday when my nephew out of the blues dropped by at my home with a message asking me not to question its origin. As we both sat at the altar his body shook momentarily and "He" gave me a mantra to recite. On another day he dropped by with a picture of Lord Dhakshanamurthy asking me to worship him too, promising that I would meet my Guru in a years time. Then he called over the phone and guided me on puja to be conducted for Goddess during the Navarathri fests. These series of fortunate events broke the long 14 years of withdrawal from all forms of worship and devotion. I began to conduct myself as told.

The following year I read the Nadi for the very first time and in 2003, I made my maiden pilgrimage to India to pray at several temples as specified by Agathiyar, an act to appease the Gods and grant me release me from my past karma. On my last leg of the trip I met Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai who turned out to be the Guru referred by my nephew and in the Nadi earlier.

Supramania Swami gave all the merits of his 40 years tapas to me in a sudden gesture of gratitude as I revealed my selfish intention in wanting to help him build a temple that was abandoned after the aforementioned "divine intervention". He passed on to the samadhi state in 2006, as revealed by Agathiyar.

Tavayogi whom I met in 2005, decided to take me on a true journey of discovery to the places related to the Siddhas rather then confine ourselves to his ashram in discourse during my stay at Kallar the same year.

Tavayogi continued to guide me during his numerous visits to Malaysia subsequently. Agathiyar soon moved things very subtly.....

For want of a reference for those seeking direction to my home, I named my home Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM). Agathiyar too began to refer it as Vanam in his many Nadi readings. He sent wonderful souls to AVM to join us in our puja and rituals. These youngsters teamed up to form Thondu Seivom reaching out in service to the unfortunate.

Recently Thondu Seivom (TS) initiated and ventured with Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) and its charity wing, Amudha Surabhi (AS) to register a formal society known as Persatuan Teman Setia (PTS), with the Registrar of Societies. We continue with our usual public orientated activities. We distribute food and drinks, toiletries and blankets to the homeless in Kuala Lumpur (KL) city and provide the costs of medication during the Medical Camps carried out for these homeless. We contribute financially towards giving the homeless and abandoned a decent funeral, the noble task undertaken by another organization. We distribute food or annadhanam through Thedal Ulla Thenikal (TUT) in Chennai and Tavayogi at his Agathiyar Gnana Peedham at Kallar. We provide monthly groceries for an Old Folks home and a Sri Sai Centre. We occasionally  make small contributions to individuals who need immediate financial help for their unexpected and sudden medical expenses. We contribute in a small way to relieve two university students of their monthly expenses for food and accommodation. Teaming up with Pothigai Tharma Chakram (PTC), we engage in feeding the hungry and conduct rituals at temples.

These activities can be followed on http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/ and on fb at https://www.facebook.com/ThonduSeivom/

Although initially we stepped into this path without even an iota of where we were heading and what to expect, Agathiyar soon gave us a journey map to follow. We have now passed several milestones on this journey that was initiated and sustained by him. I began to realize that soon certain aspects and practices have to be dropped and others initiated, to keep them lively and relevant, rather than become stale and redundant.

When all I had was the Siddhar Potri during the time of my entry into this path, I soon began compiling hymns and songs in praise of Siddhas suitable for my home puja that I began to share online for others to use too. Upon receiving more songs this compilation became a compendium. Today all that has reduced to a few songs during puja and just sitting with him in silence at other times.

Tavayogi on his part, showed us the path and giving us the tools needed, stepped aside to allow us to discover both ourselves and the path anew, rather than walk on the trodden and worn out path. 

With both these Gurus accompanying us on this journey, we look forward to greater times ahead, more moments of discovery and preferably one day we shall arrive at the discovery of the self that is much spoken about, dropping external worship and rituals and looking within and with "His" grace, eventually merging with the source in Samadhi.