Before you do anything drastic, just take a leap into the future, into your next birth and life. Imagine you are sitting with a nadi reader who is going to reveal what Agathiyar has written about you. Agathiyar would of course be speaking about this life of yours and what you are about to do. He might reprehend you for taking the particular course. So consider your actions very carefully. By being careful and aware of your actions you can avoid many pitfalls and sufferings in the future. This is where you realize that your life us indeed in your hands. Do something drastic and irrational, you end up having to answer for your actions later in life or in the next life.
I too have to remind myself often to take charge and control of the present moment and not to submit to the chaos brought on by others, the circumstances and surrounding. Rational thinking and alertness on our part can prevent lots of misfortunes and sufferings later. But it is tough as I experience too, not to be enveloped by our surrounding and people who can at times drive you mad, crazy and nuts. But we have all the time to perfect ourself, as Tavayogi says we shall come back. Ma too says life is a learning process, learning to be better at many things.
Forget the past for there is no way you can reverse those moments, except if you have joined the ranks of the siddhas, saints and nayanmars. But you can definitely begin building your life, beginning from this present moment in time, which would automatically take care of the future and other births too.
Many call me up or call on me to ask me to pray for them when they are going through difficult and trying times. I put forth their wishes to Erai. Some tell me further that they know my prayers will be answered. It is an honor to be regarded highly by others. I can only thank Agathiyar and Erai. But my wish is for all to engage with Erai and lose their dependency on mediums and middleman. Erai provides opportunities for all to come direct to him. It is just a matter of approach, seriousness and determination on our part.
Just as we chose and elect one from us to represent us in politics, to serve us and all in our constituency, similarly it is we who place others on a higher ranking, sometimes equating them to gurus and Erai. Others we hold on to as role models and mentors. But anyone in the physical form, be it a guru or mentor, might flaw. Our faith on them is then shattered. We lose our grounds. The whole fortress that we built upon them and their teachings crumbles to the ground. Would not it be wise to manage our own lifes and be responsible for our own actions, rather than lay all our hopes on others and regret later for following them when they shame us by their actions?
Erai is accessible to all. You just need to spend some quality time with him. Find a moment in your life to talk to him. Initially you would be driven to pour out your grievances to him. But later your would reckon that he knows all and you shall just sit and remain before him in silence, waiting to hear from him. When we stop talking, he starts talking. When our thoughts settle, his voice is heard. It is only when we are preoccupied with our thoughts and never stop talking that he evades us.
When you return from work this evening, go sit with him at his altar in your prayer room. Look at him. Speak to him. Put all the logical thoughts aside for once and become a child again, within. Just as a child makes believe with his toys, take a similar approach with Erai. You will be surprise that he will respond.
Do not tell your problems to others unless you know pretty well that he or she can help you. Otherwise they might listen and excuse themselves only to spread your story to others. Chose to sit before the paper print or granite sculpture of Erai and lament before him. He never speaks back and keeps a secret. But you return happy that you have relieved your burden at his feet. Erai starts the ball rolling to help you come out of your sufferings, for he is the most compassionate. Knowing that your sufferings are that of your past doings, but yet he extends his hand in changing your destiny. Let us believe in ourselves and Erai and work towards it positively.
Know that Erai is nobody's property to be patented and charged to view. Erai is open to all who seek, free of charge. It is only for purposes of governance that Erai takes form, otherwise he is within and without. As you travel with him you realize that he is within you and you within him, as Agathiyar mentioned earlier that the prapanjam is within him and he within it.
Know that there is no one way to reach Erai's kingdom. The paths can be many. Each brings you there, even if you have strayed away. Take any path and you shall find him there, waiting ahead of you for your arrival.
When Agathiyar ask me to worship the Siddhas, I seeked out established societies and movements to hinge on and learn about the Siddhas. Tavayogi too told me that I would learn all that there is to know from the affiliate Peedham of his that he had come to officiate in Malaysia. But the moment I took Tavayogi has my guru, all other avenues and doors shut. I made quick progress with Tavayogi. My sight was clear and unadulterated by other's teachings. His blessings helped me sail through my search and seeking without confusion and doubt. His personal touch in various matters that came as advises made me drop my existing thoughts and opinions and see things in a new perspective. Bringing me on a personal tour of the abodes of the Siddhas, exposed me to the world of the mystical and mysterious, a plane running parallel to ours, so close that we brush with them in many instances, sometimes knowingly but unknowingly most of the time. Traveling with Tavayogi, the Siddhas made their presence known. They showered miracles that before those moments I never dreamed of.
After taking me into his arms and delivering me, Tavayogi did the most respectable thing to do. He stepped aside and let me grow, without dictating nor moulding me. Having brought me to the path, he let me discover it for myself. I began to have my very own experiences that moulded me and made me. I was not to be a clone of Tavayogi, my guru but Shanmugam Avadaiyappa, a unique individual who only carried the seed. Given our environment in Malaysia that differs from that of India, I began to devise a mode of worship that I was comfortable with. Soon it applied to others too as it was apt to our society and its needs of the time. I began researching and experimenting further. The documentation of my experiences became a guide for others, as I came to realize after receiving mails, comments and feedback from readers. I am glad that I could contribute something, give back to my fellow friends.
As Srinatha Raghavan shared a beautiful piece of advice on fb,
Know that there is no one way to reach Erai's kingdom. The paths can be many. Each brings you there, even if you have strayed away. Take any path and you shall find him there, waiting ahead of you for your arrival.
When Agathiyar ask me to worship the Siddhas, I seeked out established societies and movements to hinge on and learn about the Siddhas. Tavayogi too told me that I would learn all that there is to know from the affiliate Peedham of his that he had come to officiate in Malaysia. But the moment I took Tavayogi has my guru, all other avenues and doors shut. I made quick progress with Tavayogi. My sight was clear and unadulterated by other's teachings. His blessings helped me sail through my search and seeking without confusion and doubt. His personal touch in various matters that came as advises made me drop my existing thoughts and opinions and see things in a new perspective. Bringing me on a personal tour of the abodes of the Siddhas, exposed me to the world of the mystical and mysterious, a plane running parallel to ours, so close that we brush with them in many instances, sometimes knowingly but unknowingly most of the time. Traveling with Tavayogi, the Siddhas made their presence known. They showered miracles that before those moments I never dreamed of.
After taking me into his arms and delivering me, Tavayogi did the most respectable thing to do. He stepped aside and let me grow, without dictating nor moulding me. Having brought me to the path, he let me discover it for myself. I began to have my very own experiences that moulded me and made me. I was not to be a clone of Tavayogi, my guru but Shanmugam Avadaiyappa, a unique individual who only carried the seed. Given our environment in Malaysia that differs from that of India, I began to devise a mode of worship that I was comfortable with. Soon it applied to others too as it was apt to our society and its needs of the time. I began researching and experimenting further. The documentation of my experiences became a guide for others, as I came to realize after receiving mails, comments and feedback from readers. I am glad that I could contribute something, give back to my fellow friends.
As Srinatha Raghavan shared a beautiful piece of advice on fb,
Stick to one Practice, one Guru and one Path, no matter how "tempting" the other Practice, Guru or the Path is.
We often get carried away spiritually, by the various Spiritual Personalities, because of the way they (and their followers) share with us their Spiritual stories and experiences. We secretly begin to believe, that by following them, we too shall experience the same grace, which is an utter fallacy.
The whole of Sri Ramakrishna Community celebrates 1st January as Kalpataru Day, when the Master had blessed around 30 odd followers who were fortunate to be present there, with spontaneous spiritual transmission and awakening. Those who received it, received the same energy in different ways, some went silent for long periods while some jumped and hopped in ecstasy behaving like lunatics. However, as hard it may sound, the Master refused to give this gift to a few present there, saying plainly, "Your time hasn't come!"
I would always be vexed reading this part of the story, because of the selectivity shown by the otherwise all inclusive Master, and so I once got it clarified through a Senior Monk of the Sri Ramakrishna Order. The venerable Monk beautifully put, "It wasn't that Thakur wasn't willing to give, but the few who were asked to wait, weren't ready to receive."
My next question was, "Why so?"
So the Monk said, "In all probability, they hadn't accepted Thakur fully as their Master or Beloved."
He went on to explain, "When you walk the Spiritual path as shown by your Guru, you need to be intensely loyal to it and walk on it till the end. There will come many on the path, offering you a deviation or a different version, but your faith in your own Guru, should be strong enough to not get distracted by anyone or anything..not even God!"
Ah! That was an eye (and heart) opener. These are the days where we get to choose, change or drop one Guru/Path for the other, but there were those days, where the Guru chose you after much deliberation and you stayed true for life. That's the difference between now and then.
Even today after Tavayogi's samadhi, our journey did not stop abruptly for absence of a guru, but continues with him guiding us in the subtle form. We did not need to seek another guru in the physical form and begin all over again. Today, we follow certain ideals at ATM. We welcome anyone interested to know the way of the worship of the Siddhas. But bear in mind that this formula has been specifically brought together to serve our needs of the present moment, to compete attention from the hectic and buzzing world of ours, that continuously depletes our energy and attention. Although applicable to our needs, it might not conform to the traditional schools of worship. We are delighted that it works for us, and brings fast progress to us. Rather then having to follow the orthodox and complex ways that no one actually comprehends but adheres and practices from memory, we would rather adopt a means of worship that is alive and changing with times. The external rituals are only a means to go within. We are prepared to let go of them if required and when we are ready to move on. We are adaptable to all future possibilities.There is only one Mother, one Father and one Guru, stay loyal to them till the end.