THE SIDDHAS & SOCIETY 1

Take a book about Siddhas it carries the run of the mill stories of them performing Siddhis. Listening to talks, the speaker always arrives at and projects the Siddhis that Siddhas performed. The most often listed and spoken about eight classical siddhis are:

• Aṇimā: the ability to become smaller than the smallest, reducing one's body to the size of an atom or even become invisible.

• Mahimā: the ability to become infinitely large, expanding one's body to an infinitely large size.

• Laghimā: the ability to become weightless or lighter than air.

• Prāpti: the ability to instantaneously travel or be anywhere at will.

• Prākāmya: the ability to achieve or realize whatever one desires.

• Īśiṭva: the ability to control nature, individuals, organisms, etc. Supremacy over nature and ability to force influence upon anyone.

• Vaśiṭva: the ability to control all material elements or natural forces.

• The eighth is given as either: Kāma-avasayitva (per Kṣemarāja and Vyasa): satisfaction, suppression of desire, or (as Yatrakāmāvasāyitva) wishes coming true. Garimā (per the Rāmānanda Sampradāya): the ability to become infinitely heavy and be immovable by anyone or anything.

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/)

Take a book on Yoga, it immediately zooms in into the mysteries of Kundalini. A seeker once questioned Tavayogi while he was in Malaysia in 2016, about the Kundalini. Tavayogi's answer was not to dwell on it for now. The reason being all those gathered including me were new to the path. Books and speeches reach out to the general public. We ought to ask ourselves if the readers and audience are well prepared to explore both these subjects that if handled differently could do more harm than good? Then again of what use are these Siddhis and Kundalini to a common man who is struggling hard trying to make ends meet? These Siddhis in the wrong hands could bring on terror to others. As for the rising of the Kundalini, Pandit Gopi Krishna has had hands-on experience in the sudden awakening of his kundalini that are not entirely blissful at times. 

By his own account, Gopi Krishna's initial experience triggered a transformative process that lasted for twelve years. During this time, the sensations of light, splendor and joy alternated with – and were often completely overshadowed by – sensations of fire, unbearable heat and bleak depression. In the introduction to Krishna's book, Frederic Spiegelberg writes: Lacking the guiding hand of a master, it is Gopi Krishna's fate to be thrown from one despair into another, hectic ups-and-downs, the daily bread of this sensational experience. Like Faust, Na Ro Pa and many others, he finds a solution several times in his life only at the point of death. Even commonplace events take on an enormous character and lead him into depressions and dangers almost to the point of ruination. His own analysis of that situation is that the awakened Kundalini went up into the Pingala nadi instead of into the Sushumna nadi where it rightfully belongs. Where does all this lead him? To constant light-awareness, shimmering halo-consciousness but interrupted repeatedly by years of relapse and illness.

(Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopi_Krishna_(yogi))

Hence we understand the reason Tavayogi refused to indulge in the subject with us beginners. Tavayogi never displayed any Siddhis. Knowing the Siddhas to have the tendency to cause and leave an impact on us, we should instead look at how they changed the society of their time. No writer gives an account of how society was at that time? Nobody does give us a picture of life during the era of Siddhas of the past? What was the nature of people then? What teachings did they uphold? These were the questions I had. 

Everything about the Siddhas is shrouded in mystery. It has been kept that way too, for far too long. Those who are in the know-how of how the Siddhas lived should come forward to enlighten us. Would not it be nice to have Agathiyar sit before us and narrate to us? As if answering our prayer, Agathiyar shared a moment with Gnana Jothiamma through the Nadi in which he tells us about themselves.

Agathiyar in a Nadi revelation reveals a teeny-weeny bit of history after much coaxing from Suren, that he was born in the farming community and fell in favor with the Gods. He took rebirth in a mystical way and walked the earth as the Agathiyar we all know him to be today. 

Agathiyar had passed to Dr. VN Jayapalan some leads to his history and origin of his first temple in Kali Yuga during the Dr's meditation. 

Then I came across or perhaps these books came my way to appease my hunger for answers to these questions. In "Tamil Mannin Thantai", Gnana Bharathi has attempted to give us a concise history of India and its society during the times of Ramalinga Adigal. This was based on personal interviews by the author of the remaining few relatives of the saint and folk who heard about the saint. Another outstanding book would be P.Karthigayan's "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu", Notion Press, 2016. Karthigayan attempts to piece together the history of the era of the traditional Siddhas in his own words, by "cross verifying their authenticity, wherever feasible through available relics and records in ancient Tamil literature."

I guess my purpose in life currently is to write this blog. I am used as a pen while Agathiyar drives the hand. Just as Agathiyar told us that they only shared with us whatever that worked out for them, I too only intend to share what I have experienced. This is then verified with other's personal experiences for Tavayogi always says that whatever said or written should have references. Tavayogi has tried to educate us on living a life in accordance to the Siddha teachings in all his talks. He took up Agathiyar's calling to spread the word and show the way to those who came along and crossed his path. I guess only a few adopted the way for Agathiyar lamented to us that no one including us, adopts and lives the way of the Siddhas "சித்தர் வழக்கை முறை" these days.