There was a call to come to the path. It was through the Nadi. The first lesson from the Siddhas was that on karma and its effects. After having been threshed and strangled by the effects of our past karma, Agathiyar restored our faith and belief in the divine law and its system. Besides having us experience life as it showers on us the good, bad and ugly, Agathiyar then brought us to rediscover his 5 tenets which he proposed at the Tamil Sangam that serve as the core purpose of human birth.
1. He says that man has to first and foremost understand his purpose in taking birth. The Nadi comes to a layman, seeker or aspirant to reveal his purpose. The Guru comes to the disciple to reveal his purpose. The sadhaka in going within learns his true purpose in taking birth. These are the means man comes to realize the cause of his birth and his mission. To a layman, he is told he took birth because of past karma. To a disciple, he is told that he has come for a mission to undertake for the good of society and mankind. To a Gnani, he realizes that he has come to merge with the divine.
This reminds me of Dr. Bhani, a Siddha physician and devotee of Agathiyar, who gave a talk in one of the gatherings at a local Peedham many years back. He told us that songs of the saints can carry an inner meaning. They could be seen in an entirely different perspective by people of different standings in life too. For instance the popular song of praise to Lord Ganapathy by Avvai that goes as follows,
வாக்குண்டாம் நல்ல மனமுண்டாம் மாமலராள்நோக்குண்டாம் மேனி நுடங்காது - பூக்கொண்டு
துப்பார் திருமேனித் தும்பிக்கையான் பாதம்
தப்பாமல் சார்வார் தமக்கு.
"அவ்வையார் தந்த பாட்டு.
திரு.....திருநீற்று பச்சிலை
மேனி......குப்பைமேனி
தும்பி.....தும்பை
கையான்.... கரிசலாங்கண்ணி
பாதம்.... சிறுசெருப்பாடை
கற்ப மூலிகைகள். பாதம் கிடைக்கவில்லைThe ratio is 1/4:1/2:3/4:1:1&1/4. It is to be taken twice a day, half hour after breakfast and half hour after dinner. For the first 12 days, with honey. For the next 12 days with ghee. Then, a break. Can be taken in 3-monthly intervals."
Traveling in a car, we cannot foresee what is beyond the turn or corner until we traverse the bend. One who flies in a light aircraft or helicopter sees a larger picture. To an astronaut, he sees the whole world. Just as our view expands as we change our mode of travel the Siddha who are in an elevated plane and are spiritually elevated see far and beyond. If man has conquered space the Siddhas who have conquered both space and time could look into the past, present, and future.
2. With his purpose known then, he should come to thank the divine creator or energy that brought forth his birth (through consultation with the lunar forefathers and their angelic hierarchies that co-exist with us down here). Living a purposeful, meaningful, and fruitful life, coupled with a sense of gratefulness will then bring forth the showering of his blessings. These blessings and the efforts in carrying out his dictates results in the soul gaining strength or Soul Power or Atma Balam. He asked that we show appreciation to the divine that gave us an opportunity to take this birth again to come to terms with it and sort out our lives.
3. He asks that we then thank all the caretakers both seen and unseen, in the present and the past.
4. There arises then an obligation on our part to "dutifully aid and help, the ongoing evolution of all co-existing human beings."
5. The final task is to extend this aid and help, towards "the ongoing evolution of all co-existing beings and entities, existing upon the lower levels of the evolutionary ladder, dutifully supporting the manifested matrix or prapanjam." (Summarized from Vashisht Vaid's post on his blog https://holysageagathiyar.com/ )
Having introduced us to his 5 tenets, Agathiyar provides all the tools that serve to enhance and enrich our purpose in taking birth. The mission and tasks and their accompanying techniques, methods, and tools work further in strengthening our body, soul, and spirit. To aid in seeing through these 5 tenets in life the Siddhas drew up a concise plan dividing it into four stages namely Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam, and Gnanam. After following in the footsteps of our parents and ancestors engaging in Sariyai all life long, we are introduced to Kriyai with the coming of a guru. Following in the footsteps of the guru for several more years, we are brought to the next stage that of Yogam, or the science of restoring the health of the physical body and that of the soul. Eventually, Gnanam shall dawn on its own.
If Agathiyar in his 5 tenets for mankind spelled out the above five responsibilities of man thus fulfilling his purpose in taking a human birth that is considered precious and that is to be treasured, Bhogar shows us the way to rise from man to Siddha. What Bhogar says tallies with the messages given earlier by Agathiyar and Pathanjali too. The 5 Tenets of Bhogar help us to reach midway on the journey or path of the Siddha, attaining at least the state of partial Siddhahood.
1. Purging the body of toxins accumulated over the years.
Agathiyar Kuzhambu is one such concoction that Agathiyar told us to take for the purpose of cleansing first and later strengthening the physical form. Agathiyar Kuzhambu is said to be one among the 32 Siddha medicines taken internally listed in the "Gunapadam Siddha" text literature, which covers a vast area of indications. It contains 11 ingredients which are mentioned in the Siddha formulary of India - part -1, that when combined act as a purgative. Besides being a purgative it is said to cure many diseases too. The major ingredients of this drug are Perungayam, Kadugu, Induppu, Rasam, Vengaram, Naabi, Manosilai, Omam, Aritharam, Karunjeerakam, Nervalam. (Source: Muralidass SD and Shree-Devi MS: “Agathiyar kuzhambu”- not only a purgative- an overview. Int J Pharm Sci & Res 2019; 10(5): 2156-63. doi: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.10(5).2156-63. and http://ijpsr.com/bft-article/agathiyar-kuzhambu-not-only-a-purgative-an-overview/?view=fulltext)
2. To substitute or replace Rajasic or Tamasic food with Satvic food that includes lots of greens, and fruits.
Before beginning Yoga, Patanjali had stipulated that we adopt a similar diet to facilitate the body to conform to the demanding needs of Yoga.
3. To learn to breathe properly by adopting breathing techniques as taught by the Siddhas.
Tavayogi who officially initiated me into the path of the Siddhas after taking up the call of Agathiyar in the Nadi, initiated and taught us Yoga Asanas and Pranayama techniques, bringing us to have a new insight on the subject and bringing us into the next stage that was Yogam. Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal came frequently to fine-tune and assist further.
4. Bathing the right way so that we do not surprise, jolt or freeze the body and to prevent slag in the nerves in old age as a result of this.
Agathiyar asks that we sprinkle water thrice over the top of the head and then go on to wet our feet. Then we pour water over our limbs beginning with the legs, moving to the torso and abdomen till the shoulder. Then wash the face thrice and only then pour water over the head. If we are dipping in the stream, river, or ocean we do accordingly too. We are told to retain water in our mouths too while bathing, elsewhere.
5. Finally Bhogar asks us to appreciate and acknowledge nature and learn to love all of nature and live with it.
This is the first step in linking with the prapanjam.