Faith and adoration are sufficient to gain the grace (arul) and glance (parvai) of Agathiyar. It is said that at the mere mention of his name all the Siddhas will turn to look towards us, asking who is calling out the name of Agathiyar. Coming down the steps of the Nattadreeswar temple in Kangayapalaiyam, Erode, Tavayogi who had sat throughout our visit to the temple in silence, turned to me and told me "Agathiyar and Siva are one!"
The name Agathi itself means the indwelling fire. Agatheesa would mean Siva who has come within. When we worshipped him with faith and adored him, he came to us. Today he stands as Muruga (Gnana Panditha), as a beacon of knowledge to us. Today he stands as the warrior Kumaran, as a force field and a shield ever protecting us from harm's way. Today he hugs us in his arms as Mother Bhuvaneswari, caring for all our needs as a mother would. Today he sits as Dhakshanamurthy, bringing us to sit in silence at his feet too, imparting all his knowledge to us directly. It is the same flame that has taken the form of sparks in all the souls. The soul is one whether it is that of Siva or the ant. It is just that it has its limitations in each physical form. Man is gifted since he can work towards making this small spark from his flame even bigger, gaining Atma Balam.
Faith in him moved us to have his bronze statue commissioned according to his specifications. Faith in him moved us to adore his image, bath him, dress him and sing his praises. Today he sits majestically in a state of extreme bliss at ATM, having seen the darshan of Lord Siva and Parvathi appear especially before him, in the deep woods of the south at Thirumaraikaadu (Agasthiyampalli), after their matrimony in Kailash. He sits as Siva and Parvathi blessing those who seek him at ATM. He appears as Lord Ganapathy, Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, Narashimha, Rama, Ambal, Dhanvantri, Nandhi Devar, Kaala Bhairava and as guru Raghavendra, Ramalinga Adigal and all the Gods and Goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. "Who would you like to see, I shall appear thus!', he once said. And thus, as he said he has appeared to us in all forms, culminating in the opening of both his eyes to see and bless us. To those who ask if the stone can speak, he has shown us that the metal can see.
He sits like a mountain, tranquil and peaceful, in a state of extreme bliss. Just sitting in his presence brings us to his meditative state of tavam these days; bringing peace within us; with the breath having settled, the thoughts too had settled; no asking; no expectations; no deals; no worries; just watching the breath and losing it too, just watching the thoughts, letting it go without observing them, till there is emptiness. Sitting in silence we get connected to the cosmos that is constantly energizing mother earth and its inhabitants. Sitting in silence the divine cosmic energies begin to work in us, healing us, healing our pain, healing our illness, healing our worries and sufferings. The divine gives us inspiration, strength, courage, motivation to drive this vehicle through the obstacles and ammunition thrown at us as we journey along this rough terrain called life.
 |
| Courtesy of Sivakavin |
 |
| Courtesy of Sivakavin |
 |
| Courtesy of Sivakavin |
