Wednesday 18 July 2018

WALK WITH CAUTION

As I was leaving my home some days back for my hometown, two from a group of evangelist walked up to me. The senior among the two gave me greetings. I returned his greetings. I then asked if they had come out to preach and possibly convert others. He replied no. Then he reached into his carry bag for leaflets to give to me. I told him I too have literature on my faith and asked if he would accept them. He began to reply that yes, if he could obtain answers to his doubts, queries and questions. In reply I asked him if he had not found those answers in his faith as yet. He left me without replying but stood knocking on the neighbour's door. His comrades were banging on the gates of others homes in my neighbourhood.

Earlier on, a lady and a couple of ladies, on two separate occasions when my daughter and wife were warded,  came up to their hospital beds and asked if they could bless them. We accepted. When they began to preach about their faith, I turned them down telling them that we had faith in our worship. As I was leaving the hospital I chanced to see the ladies with others from their congregation comparing notes and statistics as to how many patients they managed to talk to about god that day. I was saddened while helping to alleviate the pain of others, they were giving undue importance to the number of people they could convert. Sadly people in the Siddha path too have begun pushing their ideas and interpretations of the Siddhas onto others. They take to private family functions to preach, which I strongly believe is inappropriate, as we should respect the occasion, the venue and the host. They take to the streets and deliver mantras that has to be given through a sacred initiation. Just as Dr Strange asked if the word written on a piece of paper handed to him was a secret mantra, but was told that it was the WiFi password instead, these sacred mantras have been degraded to a password.

It is said that the mantra given during an initiation when chanted will get us connected with the corresponding deity or energy and henceforth one shall summon the deity whenever he wants through the mere mention of the said mantra. In simple terms the mantra is the switch. When the mantra is chanted for a period of time the deity's energy sinks into the seeker and it builds up its energy level within over time. With prolong chanting the seeker becomes a vessel for that energy. He can then use it. This is tapping into the energy. This energy sustains, heals, cures and maintains the person and others in need. All that is required is effort and putting it into practice. Soon the practice itself stops, coming to a halt. But the chant goes on internally without our knowledge.  It is freely available to one and all irrespective of faith, belief, religion, culture, social standing etc. The initiation is only a spark placed in us. We need to put in the effort though to see the energy grow and experience it. Soon the effort too drops on its own accord. The mantra begins to reverberate within one on its own till the last breath.

I remember my initiation with Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal where he stressed strongly asking us not to reveal the mantra given - for our heads would explode. Not that it would explode literally but to imply the sacredness of the initiation and the mantra, the place and space it is to be delivered.

When Tavayogi told me to talk about Agathiyar during his later visits to Malaysia, I told him I did not have the necessary credentials to do so. When Acharya Gurudasan asked me why I was not teaching the yoga asanas and breathing techniques that Tavayogi had taught me many years ago, I replied that he only taught me and several others but did not ask me to teach others. The teachings were for me to put into practice and achieve the said results. Nothing further. I was not to turn into a guru or teacher to another. I believe in doing what is asked of me nothing more nothing less.

But when my nephew who learnt the practice together with me and others from Tavayogi, had stopped practicing the postures entirely, Agathiyar did asks him to come to me for a refresher course. We both did the practice, helping each other remember the postures and techniques.

It was not a matter of selfishness that I did not want to share. Besides that I feared that the technique could be wrongly conveyed by me, or wrongly perceived, understood or wrongly put into practiced by the other. In event something goes wrong, as we are talking about energies that are rekindled, I would not have any knowledge to help them come out of their sufferings and misery. As it is I had a seeker tell me that he was in extreme discomfort having certain energies moving in him, that made him even stop going to work for a year. When I told him to seek his guru, he replied that his guru too had gone cuckoo. Then I had an email from a person in India who had energy blockages and was seeking relief. He had engaged in all sorts of practices and techniques. None of his many masters could help him. After eight years I thought I should enquire if he had found some relief, but sad to say he was still suffering.

I too had succumb to extreme bodily pains that started in the lower back regions till my feet quite similar to the Sciatica pain. I suffered for close to 2 1/2 years, finally subsiding in 2011. All the medical test revealed that I was fine. Finally I consulted Agathiyar in the Nadi. He told me that my yogic practices had brought about certain internal heat and energies in my body and that had upset the ideal ratio of the three doshas in the body, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. He told me there was nothing to fear and brushed off the pain and discomfort that I had endured as related to Maya or illusion. He asked that I stop all practices immediately. Soon the pain vanished. It was then that I realized why Tavayogi thought over it for some time before submitting to our request to teach us.

I had the pain again in 2016 just days before my daughters wedding and Tavayogi arrival. I had both masters of varma and energy healing from AVM, Master Arunan and Master Uva treat me and had Tavayogi and Mataji pass me a "wonder pill" and at the same time learnt to ignore the pain as taught by Agathiyar. It went away soon. As I am writing this post, I am in pain again, that suddenly appeared some days back. I am ignoring it. It will soon go away as it always does.

Sadly every one wants to be a guru these days, and in a span of a short time, never wanting to be patient, sitting by, listening and learning besides serving the guru. Again everyone seems to be eager in handing out initiations without considering its implications on the receivers. When my brother told Supramania Swami he has had received many initiations from others, Swami apprehended him saying what was the use of it all, if it was not put into practice.

Then I began to wonder if I too had unknowingly began to preach the same through my blog. During one of my regular discussions with Surendran over the blog and its contents, I put this question to him. Surendaran who is an avid fan, critic and follower of Siddha Heartbeat told me that I had only been writing my experiences in seeking to know God and that there was no element of converting others to the Siddha path in my writings. Phew! That was a relief. As for this blog and my writings, Agathiyar has constantly encourage me to write. When I decide to call it a day, that is when I receive an email or a note from a reader telling me how my writings had helped him or her.

Agathiyar has shown me and taught me much through many incidences that took place in others lives. I do not go looking but when it reaches my ears I know that it carries a message for me, so that I do not emulate it, and am aware of the dangers and the consequences of others actions. I look at them, observe and learn from these happenings. I look for the lesson that is in store for me. Agathiyar has guided me well this far, saving me from many associations that could cause mischief and disruption. Many came to AVM thinking it was a peedham, an establishment or an organization but left disappointed seeing that it was merely an individuals home worship. I am contented with the way things are moving. Although Agathiyar and Muruga have big plans for AVM, I do not intend to pursue it as yet for I had seen enough problems that comes along with the running of these establishments. I came to the spiritual field seeking peace and contentment and I intend to remain so.

When Agathiyar brought many sincere seekers to AVM, I refrained from conditioning them to congregate at my home for the weekly worship as was the norm in other establishment that I encountered during my search. Instead I repeatedly told them to carry on the Siddha prayers in the comfort of their homes and at their own convenient time. When Tavayogi arrived in Malaysia in June of 2016, the AVM family invited him to their individual homes and led the Siddha prayers by performing the homam and conducting libation for Agathiyar. Tavayogi was happy to see us at AVM pick up the worship of the Siddhas, something he had sowed in this country following the footsteps of his Paramaguru Jeganatha Swamigal and Guru Chitramuthu Adigal. Tavayogi left Malaysia satisfied that what he had sowed on our shores had began to bore fruit.

It brings me joy too to see Agathiyar guide each AVM devotee accordingly, fulfilling both their material and spiritual needs. Agathiyar is now guru for us after the passing away of Tavayogi. We are in safe hands. We submit to Agathiyar to lead us on. For those just beginning, take on an initiation and be faithful to it. Take on a path and be faithful to it. Take a guru and be faithful to him.