Coming with a fund of experience, as Swami Vivekananda says, we are lead to follow a path that would further enhance our soul's development. The soul picks a family into which it comes to live out its aspirations and desires and gain further experiences that become knowledge that is accumulated. Our presence here is not to feed this body and its ravaging appetite for food and pleasures but to go through an internal transmutation or alchemy.
Swami Vivekananda in his "Raja Yoga - Conquering the Internal nature", Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1998, writes,
The science of Raja Yoga, in the first place, proposes to give us such a means of observing the internal states. The instrument is the mind itself. the power of attention, when properly guided, and directed towards the internal world, will analyse the mind, and illuminate facts for us. The powers of the mind are like rays of light dissipated; when they are concentrated, they illumine. This is our only means of knowledge."
Hence the need to sit in silence for this illumination to take place. There are spiritual masters who encourage us to ask for all our needs, ask the divine they say and it shall provide. Knock and the door shall open.
"Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7:
“Knock, And He'll open the door
Vanish, And He'll make you shine like the sun
Fall, And He'll raise you to the heavens
Become nothing, And He'll turn you into everything.” - Rumi
“Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.” - Rumi
Swami Vivekananda too says, "The world is ready to give up its secrets if we only know how to knock." Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar tells us to ask the divine for all our needs. Ramalinga Adigal kept knocking on Siva's door and finally was given permission to enter the Lord's chamber or Thiruambalam. He kept knocking, pleading that the Lord should open the door to his secret chamber from whence oozes the nectar of ambrosia that he calls மதிமண்ட லத்தமுதம், அருளமுதம், சாகா அருளமுதம், அருளோங்கு தண்ணமுதம், ஞானோ தயஅமுதம், நல்லார் அமுதம், தண்ணமுதம், and finally
pleading for his சோதிமலை மேல்வீட்டில் தூய திருவமுதம் மேதினிமேல் நானுண்ண வேண்டினேன். In his later songs, he sings of his achievement in transcending the various states of illumination, of course with his grace. His song "Mathimandalathu Amudham Vaayaara Unde" from the Thiruarutpa, "Sivayoga Nilai", can serve us well too in asking the Lord to shower his grace onto us too.
மதிமண்ட லத்தமுதம் வாயார உண்டே
பதிமண்ட லத்தரசு பண்ண - நிதிய
நவநேய மாக்கும் நடராஜ னேயெஞ்
சிவனே கதவைத் திற.
இந்தார் அருளமுதம் யானருந்தல் வேண்டுமிங்கே
நந்தா மணிவிளக்கே ஞானசபை - எந்தாயே
கோவே எனது குருவே எனையாண்ட
தேவே கதவைத் திற.
சாகா அருளமுதம் தானருந்தி நான்களிக்க
நாகா திபர்சூழ் நடராஜா - ஏகா
பவனே பரனே பராபரனே எங்கள்
சிவனே கதவைத் திற.
அருளோங்கு தண்ணமுதம் அன்பால் அருந்தி
மருள்நீங்கி நான்களித்து வாழப் - பொருளாந்
தவநேயர் போற்றும் தயாநிதியே எங்கள்
சிவனே கதவைத் திற.
வானோர்க் கரிதெனவே மாமறைகள் சாற்றுகின்ற
ஞானோ தயஅமுதம் நானருந்த - ஆனாத்
திறப்பா வலர்போற்றும் சிற்றம் பலவா
சிறப்பா கதவைத் திற.
எல்லாமும் வல்லசித்தென் றெல்லா மறைகளுஞ்சொல்
நல்லார் அமுதமது நானருந்த - நல்லார்க்கு
நல்வாழ் வளிக்கும் நடராயா மன்றோங்கு
செல்வா கதவைத் திற.
ஏழ்நிலைக்கும் மேற்பால் இருக்கின்ற தண்ணமுதம்
வாழ்நிலைக்க நானுண்டு மாண்புறவே - கேழ்நிலைக்க
ஆவாஎன் றென்னைஉவந் தாண்டதிரு அம்பலமா
தேவா கதவைத் திற.
ஈன உலகத் திடர்நீங்கி இன்புறவே
ஞான அமுதமது நானருந்த - ஞான
உருவே உணர்வே ஒளியே வெளியே
திருவே கதவைத் திற.
திரையோ தசத்தே திகழ்கின்ற என்றே
வரையோது தண்ணமுதம் வாய்ப்ப - உரைஓது
வானேஎம் மானேபெம் மானே மணிமன்றில்
தேனே கதவைத் திற.
சோதிமலை மேல்வீட்டில் தூய திருவமுதம்
மேதினிமேல் நானுண்ண வேண்டினேன் - ஓதரிய
ஏகா அனேகா எழிற்பொதுவில் வாழ்ஞான
தேகா கதவைத் திற.
Source: http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T270/tm/sivayooka_n-ilai
Having gone through the process that brings transmutation and changes within, initially painful but later blissful, it led to stillness in Ramalinga. Eventually, he dropped all worries, efforts and the asking too.
இனித்துயர் படமாட்டேன் விட்டே னே
என்குரு மேல்ஆணை இட்டே னே.
இனிப்பாடு படமாட்டேன் விட்டே னே
என்னப்பன் மேல்ஆணை இட்டே னே.
Ruzbeh Bharucha writes at https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/the-ether-element-divine-silence.
Once you are in tune with Divine Silence, all knowledge, power, radiance, goodness, the very essence of Oneness begins to fill the individual and it is through Divine Silence that the Masters know the past, present and the future. "This happens once and only comes through The One. The divinity of the Ultimate Father and Mother comes through the way S(H)e imparts Knowledge. S(H)e gives us the Knowledge of the New World. We have come from Amar Lok or from immortality to Mrutyu Lok, which is the land of death. How was the world created? Where are the Deities? How was our soul created? All these answers one can get via dhyān or meditation." Informed Bapuji. I believe that the one who goes deep within, meditates, becomes one with his or her breath, merges with his or her breath, thus becoming one with the Source and through the Source, the individual taps into the universal grid of Knowledge.
The outcome of this silence for Ramalinga Adigal was the marvelous rendition in 1596 lines of the Agaval.
Whatever is thought or idealized in the subtle or astral plane takes form or shape in the gross or physical plane. Ruzbeh Bharucha speaks of the elements that we feed with food, prana, and energy that eventually moves us into action.
Sankalpas or Intentions and Desires says Ruzbeh lead to the creation of the elements. The body that is made of these elements provides a home for the soul to nestle in helping the soul continue its journey, taking birth in numerous bodies over time and space. First, it starts with the Divine Elements which manifest Themselves as Subtle Elements which then manifest as Gross Elements. For instance, first comes the thought, which gives rise to intent or feelings or desires, which gets converted into effort, which turns into one's attitude, which comes out into action, which then leads to a pattern of habit and eventually that becomes one's personality. So then gradually as all elements came into being.
Swami Vivekananda in his "Raja Yoga - Conquering the Internal Nature", Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1998, says "there are in nature, gross manifestations and subtle manifestations. The subtle are the causes, the gross the effects."
Ruzbeh describes the process the soul goes through after departing from the source.
Initially, how were the Elements created? They were created because of Sañkalps (intentions and desires) which had begun to germinate. As Sañkalps started, first came Paṛam Ākash or Divine Ether from which came Paṛam Vāyu or Divine Wind or Air from which came Paṛam Agni or Divine Fire. (For the record, now we have just Ether, Air, Fire, being a part of the five-elemental world, ‘Divine’ or Paṛam, is no longer present in the Elements). Water and Fire are both in the Air Element which in turn is present in the Element of Ether or Space. Mother Earth is the combination of All Elements.
One must understand that when an individual soul moves forth from The Divine Source, the individual soul is first filled or made up of only one element which is the element of Divinity or Prime Ether. .. thus the invisible element of Space or Ether, is the first Element that was created by The Boss Man and thus is the closest to represent His or Her Form and Individuality and thus Divine Ether is considered to be the closest to Godhood, which an individual, in the body or soul, can ever get to.
So when we begin to reverse the process, the most difficult and painful transformation is from the element of earth to water followed by fire to air and finally ether. The physical body is renewed to that of the golden hue that Lord Muruga carries. Ramalinga Adigal is said to have achieved this body.
"The process of purification by eliminating the earth related properties of the flesh is a painful experience," says P. Karthigayan in his "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu." It was seen in the transformation that Jnana Jhotiamma went through too. She used to share her painful experiences as she went through this phase, with me. Agathiyar told her that it would have been easier on her if she had been a vegetarian. But the most compassionate father monitored her during this period of the expulsion of all the elements that fed on meat and fish that she had consumed in her earlier years.
Lord Siva himself is said to have written the sciences pertaining to the spirit, body, and nature that then served as the blueprint for man and Siddhas to follow, hence regarding him as Paramaguru. He stood as a mentor and guru for later followers of the Siddha path, bringing the experience of renewed life by observing certain yogic practices. "Rejuvenation was originally achieved by Lord Siva," continues Karthigayan, besides yogic methods, consuming herbs and ambrosia that oozes from within helped achieve the state. The Siddhas held the view that "if one "ate" the cosmic substance for immortality, the body will slowly acquire similar cosmic qualities and their mere touch can turn on miracles." The Siddhas worked on the resurrection of life, renewing life itself and brought renaissance, renewing society with their radical views that changed the thought of the people, the perspective on life, and their lifestyle.