The temples produce devotees or bhaktas. Gurus produce followers. The Siddha produces another Siddha. Time and again Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal tell us that our gurus in the Siddha lineage are trying their best to raise the understanding and stature of their devotees and followers to become like them, another Siddha.
Aasan Thamaraiselvan Ramaiya wrote in his Whatsapp group,
குரு மலை கழுகை ஒத்த குணமாக இருக்கவேண்டும். எல்லா வித்தைகளையும் கற்கும்வரை பாதுகாத்து கற்றதுபின் உலகஞானத்திர்க்காக தன்சீடனை குருநிலையை எட்ட தனித்து நிற்க செய்யவேண்டும்.
Just like an eagle protects its chick only to let it fly when ready, soaring in the skies akin to him, the guru should be like an eagle protecting his student while under his tutelage only to let him go so that he too can take on the role of a guru for the good of other seekers.
கடைசிவரை ஒருவனை சீடனாகவே வைத்திருப்பது குருவிர்க்கு தோல்வி.
தெள்ளற வித்தைகற்றான் சீடனும் குருவை தேடான்......மூதுரை.
A guru should make another guru out of his disciple. It is seen as a failure on the part of the guru if he keeps his disciples remaining a disciple till the end.
It is said that Guhai Namasivayar sent away his disciple Guru Namasivayamurthi to Chidambaram once he exhibited the ability to see the curtain at Chidambaram Temple burn in a vision in realtime. Guru Namasivayamurthi was serving his guru Guhai Namashivayar in Tiruvannamalai. When Guru Namasivayamurthi had strangely begun to brush his attire with his hands as if dozing a flame, Guhai Namashivayar asked him what was he doing? The disciple answered that a rat had run away with a burning wick from a lamp that in turn had ignited a fire, burning a curtain. He had smothered the fire, dozing it off. The guru was happy to see his disciple gain Siddhis. But as gaining Siddhis was not an indication of one having attained Gnana, the master tested his student further. Guhai Namasivayar tested the devotion of Guru Namasivayamurthi by asking him to dispose of his (Guhai Namasivayar) vomit in a secluded place where no one would step or trample on it. The student drank his guru's vomit instead. My guru Supramania Swami in having mentioned this incident to me, made me understand the inseparable bond between a disciple and his guru.
David Godman writes in his blog at http://davidgodman.org/asaints/gurunam1.shtml,
Seeing the powers his disciple was developing, and noting the extent of his devotion, Guhai Namasivaya thought to himself, "Day by day my disciple's knowledge is increasing. He should not be kept here any more. Let me test him one more time, and then I can send him to a place that will be appropriate for him."
Giving him the first two verses of a poem or venba, Guhai Namasivayar asked his disciple to complete it.
Guhai Namasivaya was delighted with the way that his disciple handled the test. Guhai Namasivaya, feeling that delay would serve no useful purpose, responded to the song by saying, 'You can start right now'.
Guru Namashivayar, wanting to stay forever with his master, protested aloud. But Guhai Namashivayar insisted that he go. Failing to convince his master, the junior Namashivayar finally gave in but not without stipulating a condition. He told his master that on his arrival at Chidambaram his master should be there to meet him; otherwise, he would return. And so the student took leave of his master rather reluctantly. On arrival at the abode of Lord Shiva at Chidambaram and heading straight for the inner sanctum, Guru Namashivayar had the darshan of his master and guru Guhai Namashivayar! The disciple never returned to Thiruvannamalai henceforth. Guhai Namasivayar sent him away to Chidambaram where he could dissipate his Gnana to others.
This is the true guru. A true guru would never want his followers to remain a follower forever. His achievement is in seeing his student rise to the level of a guru at par or even better than them. They rejoice in seeing their students rise up the ladder of spiritual advancement. They rejoice in seeing their students beat Maya at its game and come out a victor. Agathiyar tells us to walk tall so that he too could walk tall with pride at having produced a Siddha of equal caliber.
It is not easy to come to the path of the Siddhas we are told. Many do so because of their previous involvement with the Siddhas in past lives. The Siddhas are said to be monitoring these candidates and finally come to sweep them off their feet when they are ready. As for other new souls, the Siddhas are constantly on the lookout for potential candidates whom they could bring to their fold and groom them to become their students and finally make a Siddha out of them too. They shall seek out potential candidates among the masses hoping to spot one soul whom they could groom and mold into an equally creditable Siddha. Only a Siddha can identify a potential Siddha. Saints, Mahans, Yogis, and Siddhas have been known to work endlessly in seeking at least an individual among the masses who might turn out to be the right candidate. Seeing their potential to become a Siddha, the master then works on him and brings the yogi out of him. He would groom his disciple into another Siddha and let him off to accomplish his mission. He would not have his disciples stand arms folded, waiting to serve him forever. Tavayogi refused all help from me while I was at his ashram telling me that each has to do his own chores. We washed the plates and clothes together. He refused to let me massage his feet upon retiring after those long walks tracking into the jungles and hills seeking the Siddha abodes. Bhagawan Ramana is known to be at his kitchen helping out. When I spoke my wish that I should be born again and again and serve him, Agathiyar asked me to reconsider my wish. Later when asking for Gnanam instead, he joyously explained the terms in achieving that state. The Siddhas want us to aim high and not to settle for the pleasures that come our way and that shall desert and leave us equally fast.
The Siddhas are never satisfied with their students remaining a student forever. They do their utmost best to raise their students to the level of a guru at par with them or even excel them. Ramalinga Adigal and Dhanvantri tell us that Tavayogi is still trying his best to raise our consciousness. We are blessed indeed.
Agathiyar tells a beautiful story that comes as a reminder to us not to forever be in the shadows of others and seek and depend on them for our spiritual needs, but instead, boldly take on the role of becoming the person whom we sought out earlier to fill the spiritual vacuum.
When his nation was facing severe drought and food shortage, a responsible king left the comfort of his palace to seek the advice of any wise man who could show him ways to overcome his nations’ problems. The king set out alone in search of such a man. In doing so he lost his way and found himself in the woods. Fearing for wild animals that might prowl the forest, he climbed a tree and perched on the tree branch waiting for dawn to break. He was awakened by voices below and on peering down from the tree he saw a Yogi and a young aid sitting below the tree engaged in a conversation. Hoping that these strangers might be of some help to him the king came down the tree to meet them. The king stretched himself before the Yogi as an act of respect. The king while doing so could not help hold back his tears and burst out crying. The Yogi came to know everything about the king the moment he laid eyes on the king. He addressed the king, “The past actions of ours, follow us just as the shadow does. Your ancestors’ past action, your past action, and those of your subjects have given rise to the present situation and sufferings. If you want your kingdom and your subjects to regain its lost happiness, look for one who is unselfish, who remains aloft, and does not succumb to greed and other evils. Have his feet washed and conduct rituals as he ordains. Some good might then happen."
The king immediately turns to the Yogi and pleads that he be the one to save him and his kingdom. But the Yogi mentions that he was there only to show the king the way and adds that he was not qualified to take the place of the said candidate and moves on. He turns back to the king and tells him to pray that the Lord shall show him the right candidate.
After on the move for some time, the king finds the young man who had accompanied the Yogi earlier sitting under a tree. The king now pleads with the youngster to accept the responsibility to save his kingdom since he (the youngster) had been with the Yogi all this while. The lad questions the king that since his master himself had admitted that he (the Yogi) was not qualified, how could he being his student undertake this massive responsibility? The lad too walks away, refusing to take up the task.
Night set in and the king climbed up a tree to spend the night as usual. He was awakened by voices again. He observes from atop the tree branch that a group of decoits had robbed his people and were sharing the loot among themselves. The king confronts the decoits. The king tries to talk them out of their thieving activities but they justify that they have to feed their families too. The decoits brief him on the sad state of his kingdom not realizing that they were addressing their king. The decoits seeing him clad in the best clothes mistake him for a merchant. They inform him that evil has taken an upper hand in the absence of the king and in the face of the calamities, hunger, and famine. Finally, they too had to resort to thieving means robbing others to keep themselves alive. They relieved the king of all his belongings and clothing too before leaving him with just his undergarment. This incident drove the king to think and ponder throughout the night.
When dawn broke he came across an abandoned temple. He took a dip in the temple tank and walked into the deserted Shiva temple. He cried his heart out to the Lord asking for guidance; to show him the savior of his kingdom that was promised by the Yogi; and to help his citizens who have slowly turned to become decoits, now looting their own kind. The king now entirely exhausted and drained of energy, and having reached a dead-end in his search for someone wise to guide him out of his predicament, surrenders himself to Shiva. He goes into a deep meditative state almost immediately.
A few days went by. When he came around he decided that he would not return to his kingdom but instead stay at the temple. He started to clean up the run-down temple making it his new home now. He took the sole brass lamp to the lake and gave it a good wash and brush. He spotted a “sikkimukki kal”, a stone used to ignite a fire in those days and located a worn-out cotton wick. But there was no oil to feed the flame. He gathered leaves and plants and extracted their juices to feed the flame but the flame died down. Thinking that he could use the fat and oil extracted from the meat of dead animals he looked around but was disappointed again. He tried water but failed to sustain the flame. Several days had passed by with the king attempting all possible means to keep the flame burning. Determined to light up and keep the flame going, he headed for the nearest rock formation and rubbed his hands on its rough surface until his palms started to bleed profusely. He collected his blood and fed the flame. To his surprise, the flame kept burning! He danced in joy. He then took a vow not to leave the temple and to keep the flame burning forever with his blood. When the flame died down he collected more blood even as the action hurt him. Although he fainted on many occasions due to extreme pain and torture, he pursued. As days went by his worship and prayer which initially was centered on the welfare of his state and his people expanded to include all of God’s creation too.
One fine day, upon waking up, the king was surprised to see people gathered around him. They told him, that they are from the neighboring kingdom (his kingdom) and related to him what had taken place, not realizing that he was their sovereign. The king came to know from his subjects that his kingdom was in a very sorry state of affairs in his absence and was in need of dire and immediate assistance. They told the king that they were directed to seek him out at this temple by a Yogi. The Yogi had asked that they convince and bring him to their homeland and engage in some rituals that will reverse all the atrocities committed, promising that rain will fall and their land will become fertile again. They told him further that the Yogi had referred to him as a Maha Yogi. His citizens pleaded that he follow them, bless their homeland, and bring the much-needed change to their homeland and also to inform them of the whereabouts of their long lost ruler.
The king could not comprehend the Yogi’s words and directive to his people. He replied to his people that there was no Yogi or Mahan at the temple. He told them that he was the only soul around for miles. But his people insisted that he was the one indicated by the Yogi. The Yogi had told them that the person whom they should seek for help would not have any attire on him except for his undergarment. He would be lean and undernourished and would have wounds on his palms. They had been searching in the direction indicated by the Yogi and found him at the temple. Not willing to listen to him any further, they picked him up and headed for their homeland. The moment they entered the outskirts of their homeland it began to rain cats and dogs. They headed straight for the palace and sat him on the king’s throne. The people come out of their homes and dance in joy.
At that moment the Yogi who showed the people to their king arrived at the assembly. The people fell at his feet. So did the king. The king recognized the Yogi as the sadhu whom he had met in the forest. The Yogi "introduced" the king to his people and reiterated again that the king was now a Maha Yogi. The king was all the more disturbed when his subjects started to fall at his feet on hearing the Yogi proclaim him as a Maha Yogi. The Yogi went on to explain why he considered the king a Maha Yogi. When he felt compassion towards his subjects and went in search of a remedy and a solution; when he pleaded to the Lord to guide and show him the right man to bring cheer into his life and his subjects; and when he tried to convince his citizens who had turned into decoits due to prevailing circumstances not to sacrifice their good tendencies in the face of calamities, the king had won the battle and was halfway becoming a Yogi. Next, when he admitted that he was not fit to lead his people not knowing of a way to bring them out of their miseries, he had moved another step up the ladder in becoming a full-fledged Yogi. Later by bringing life into the abandoned temple and feeding the flame with his blood, he had proved beyond doubt that he had attained the state of a Maha Yogi. Finally, the Yogi said that one who was satisfied in his life is a Yogi and a Gnani. This is the identity of a true Gnani.
The Yogi explained that a sole flame that is lighted is not an extraordinary feat, burning by itself, but to light up the next lamp beside it, is something to be looked upon with high regard. Similarly, a true Gnani will want to ignite the spark of devotion and Gnanam in his disciple so that he too could glow with all the luminosity. Just as a miner shifts through the earth in the hope of seeing a tiny sparkle in the soil that would be of value, the Gnani seek the face of the earth vetting through the millions of people looking for a potential candidate who will listen to them and uphold their teachings, eventually becoming one of them. The Siddhas mention this lineage as "வாழையடி வாழை என வந்த திருக்கூட்டம்", "Valaiyadi Valaiyaaga Vantha Thiru Kuttam".