"Bring your family along when you come in the evening," said Tavayogi the day I met him for the first time. "It is not enough that you come to the path. You have to bring them too" he added. He initiated me and my wife with several others to the worship Agathiyar that evening.
This personal request of his made sure that the journey would sail smoothly. I engaged my family in puja at home. We would sing songs of praise to Agathiyar and the Siddhas. When Tavayogi asked us to light the sacred fire or Homam, my wife and children would conduct it while I sang songs. When Agathiyar came as a statue my wife and children would perform the ritual of bathing him or abhisegam and I would sing songs. When the family got together to worship, the seed was planted in the children too. Many years later in 2013 as my family and I visited Tavayogi at his Kallar Ashram, my second visit and the first for my family, he was delighted to hear that we performed puja without fail in our homes. He gave us the privilege to sing in front of Agathiyar at Kallar Ashram. We were honored. At the end of the puja that he led, he blessed us. He mentioned that he was contented that the seed he sowed had germinated well.
In 2013 Agathiyar sent several youths over to watch and learn his worship. The group began to grow and we formed a Whatsapp group Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia to share the happenings. We had active online participation from devotees in India, Singapore, and as far as South Africa. Later we started another group Amudha Surabhi that catered specifically to those in Malaysia as this was orientated around serving and carrying out charitable work within Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. The puja continued at my home and by Agathiyar's grace, in temples too. When Tavayogi and Mataji visited us in 2016, we extended invitations to fellow devotees in AVM to host puja in their homes. Both Tavayogi and Mataji attended and witnessed Siddha puja conducted by devotees and their family members. They were overjoyed. With Tavayogi and Mataji around we took the opportunity to conduct Yagam and puja in temples too. Tavayogi expressed his joy and satisfaction again mentioning that the seed he planted did not go to waste. That seed has been carried and planted in the minds and hearts of these devotees and the generations to come. The Siddha path shall flourish in Malaysia. As a token of appreciation, the AVM family was given the privilege to sing during the annual Agathiyar Jayanthi and Guru Puja Vizha at Kallar the same year.
Just as Tavayogi did not want us to remain in Bhakti forever, Agathiyar too had us move on. He surprised all of us when he broke the groups. He nipped the aspiration of devotees to see and achieve bigger things in the bud. He had a different agenda for us. Rather than show patronage to an institution that we were slowly turning into, he wanted us to walk the extra mile to discover the self. I was delighted in seeing his move. I was saved from falling for the lure of position, power, and authority that corrupts hence saved from falling into the trap. The devotees too were saved from being shackled to an organization forever. Rather than tie them with the organization, Agathiyar held them in his grip personally. Henceforth it was a solo journey traveling with him personally.
After dismantling the group, he had us move into Yoga. Hence we took the leap from Sariyai and Kriyai into Yoga. He silenced us and made us stay home. He asked that we go within. He guided us further in the absence of Tavayogi in physical form. He would rope in Ramalinga Adigal and other Siddhas occasionally to teach us further. Although we do not know exactly what is in store for us we abide by their decision. We shall wait and see.