I used to wonder why Agathiyar called me to his worship and path through a Nadi reading. I had a habit of learning the subject, any subject for the matter that comes my way. This paved the way for me to appreciate whatever I was doing. Although the Nadi reader led me on a puja or worship of the Siddhas after the reading, introducing me to the numerous names of the Siddhas that made their way into the book of "Siddhar Potri Thoguppu", that was all I had to go with then. I began to search and research about the Siddhas. I did not cover much ground and became frustrated when I came back empty visiting the numerous establishments that carried Agathiyar's name. I then took up reading about them. When I read about the Siddhas, they seem mythical, legendary, and mystical. They seemed alien and out of reach of us. I knew they were revered and worshipped by many. They were generally associated with the ability to perform Siddhis or magic and were experts in the preparation of herbal medicines. This is how they were portrayed. So what was my role in all this? Should I just worship them just as we worship the Gods and Goddesses in the temples? With the coming of Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram and Agathiyar in the form of a bronze statue in 2005 and 2010 respectively, all these perceptions fell apart. Agathiyar came as a teacher in the form of Tavayogi. Agathiyar came to "life" in his metal statue. Soon he came to reside with us in our homes.
Agathiyar in coming into my life caused a great impact that resulted in ripples sent out in all directions. I had to share all the goodness that came my way after taking up his call, otherwise, it would be akin to doing injustice to him. That is the only way I could repay him for his kindness, compassion, love, and concern. Agathiyar was shown to me as God by Tavayogi initially in 2005 who proclaimed him as God in அருள் ஞான ஜோதியே அகத்தின் ஜோதி தனிப்பெரும் கடவுளே அகத்தீசர் ஆவார். Tavayogi placed Agathiyar's 6-foot fiber statue at his Ashram for seekers to worship. Tavayogi who took me along on his regular morning walk, the morning after I arrived at his Ashram, surprised me by telling me that Agathiyar came the night before and enquired what he was going to give me. I was perplexed and asked him how Agathiyar came to him. He revealed that Agathiyar came in the form of light when he gave him darshan in the Kallar hills behind his Ashram. Just before I left his Ashram to return to Malaysia he told me that Agathiyar was the breath or Vaasi and gave me a breathing technique to put into practice. Moving ahead to the year 2013, Tavayogi told me that Agathiyar was Shiva indeed. Later in 2016, we were told to look out for Agathiyar on our journey to India and identify and pay our obeisance to him. He came in the form of a lady in all the temples we visited. This was later confirmed by Agathiyar's messengers. Indeed the divine comes in numerous forms and names. Recently a devotee after seeing his numerous manifestations asked him what his true form was? He asked her back what was it that she experienced and felt in carrying out puja, charity, service, etc. She thought for a moment and replied அதிர்வு or a vibration. "I am that" replied Agathiyar.
Agathiyar in this journey has shown us that our findings and explorations shall never stand the test of time. Ramalinga Adigal standing on the 15th rung of the spiritual ladder describes the 23rd. He adds that there are many more levels that words cannot describe. All our problems and the tense states stem from holding on to the results and one's opinions as final. Once the earth was thought to be flat. Now it is exposed that it was propaganda conceived by a writer. Now we have proof that the world is round given the numerous space explorations that man has undertaken. What we need is a paradigm shift in our perspective. When we see them in a new light we tend to accept the change. We should be prepared to accept new findings, concepts, and understanding.
If all the above took place after I took up his call to come to his path, what happens when we let the Siddhas into our lives? Things change. For a start, our fate is rewritten bringing upon a new destiny. When the Siddhas come into our lives the planets shall turn favorable to us and shall form an alliance with us and becoming guru to some. The perspective and time-held fear that these planets when they come under a designated alignment shall bring forth unfavorable effects and results are only true till we step into the shadows of the Siddhas. Coming under their wings we learn to see the hardship and pain inflicted on us and the financial losses that come our way as lessons to enhance our learning while here.
We begin to see the divine hand of the Siddhas in all our undertakings. They either come to bar, stop, put on hold or delay certain things should they foresee the results of our venture to be unfavorable to us. At times they even stand apart and watch us go through the rapids in life but are ever ready to save us from drowning, the reason being that we have to live out our past karma or have to live through those essential and much-needed experiences. At other times, they push us into taking on jobs, tasks, and missions that bring on favorable results to oneself, the society, and all of the universe. We began to see their divine hand move the chess pieces in our favor once we surrendered to them in totality. In accommodating and going with the flow rather than standing our ground and battling it all alone, in surrender we saw him move us swiftly through the game, ending everything in our favor. Our purpose in taking birth and in life is then slowly revealed. Every detail in our life is then geared towards enhancing the soul to gain Soul Power or Atma Balam.
Their presence is seen in our everyday affairs. For instance just as my wife was about to sign up for a seven-day course in treatment for her frozen shoulder at an Ayurvedic center over the past weekend, I received a call from the management of the center telling me that I was late for my appointment. I explained that I was already there consulting their physician. On further enquiring, I came to know that I had brought my wife to another branch of theirs that was a stone's throw away. I had no idea that I had registered an appointment with them and had stepped into another. But that should not be a problem though as they came under one umbrella, right? When I replied that their branch had accepted my wife and was counseling her on the treatment, the caller insisted that I come over for treatment to the other center as they were waiting to treat my wife. I was puzzled as to how the treatment was pending and waiting when we were currently engaged in and in the midst of consulting the physician about her treatment. We excused ourselves and headed to the main center. Amongst this confusion as to which branch was to treat her, the appointment and her scheduled consultation and treatment were delayed by an hour and a half. We were well received at the main center and shown another physician. What surprised us was that this physician prescribed an entirely different treatment. As they had a tight schedule the physician told us that her treatment could only start earliest in April. Accepting the reality that many were in line to receive treatment and as we prepared to leave, we were surprised when my wife was invited to start the treatment immediately. She spent another hour having the masseuse work on her arm and shoulder. What exactly took place is still a question that was not answered? My wife has had her appointment to undergo surgery postponed at times or hastened and quickened many a time in the past, by the divine hand of Agathiyar. We took it in our stride as we knew that Agathiyar knows best. Although we are still puzzled and in a daze as to what took place and the turn of events in favor of us that day, we are sure that he had a hand in this too as usual. My wife as usual turned to me and said he (Agathiyar) said reveal in the near future. Who can fathom their play?
When my daughter broke her leg in a road accident, seeing our concern that she attend and complete her internship, the doctor at the emergency ward suggested the Ilizarov apparatus, a type of external fixation used in orthopedic surgery to treat open bone fractures, be fixed on her limb. "That should enable her to walk in a month's time and see through her internship too", said the doctor. She was cast in back slab or half-cast and sent to the wards while waiting for the operation theatre to be available. The next morning the visiting senior doctor who made his rounds at the wards questioned us the need for the Ilizarov apparatus telling us that as she was only twenty her bones should mend in three months. We took his advice. Her leg was cast in full and sent home. Unfortunately, after four months her broken bone did not mend as expected. She fell within the 5 percent of patients who end up in the category of nonunion. The attending doctor now had no choice but to place a titanium plate in her leg. He showed us the long rod and began to describe the procedure. We were close to tears. Strangely though after going through the procedure with us the good doctor suggested an alternative where we would have to bear the cost of bringing in a machine over, though he would be attending to the procedure. We agreed to take up this option as long as she is not operated on. He went on to explain the procedure that he intended to carry out. It was called ACP or platelet-rich plasma therapy used extensively in treating sports injuries in the USA. It is "a form of regenerative medicine that can harness those abilities and amplify the natural growth factors our body uses to heal tissue taking after studies in recent years, where doctors have learned that the body has the ability to heal itself." (Source: https://www.hss.edu/condition-list_prp-injections.asp) We saw positive results - new bone growth within days. She walks normally today minus the metal thanks to Agathiyar and his timely intervention through the doctors. Who can fathom their play?
In the Nadi reading that followed after my initiation into the path of the Siddhas with several others from Tavayogi, Agathiyar told me to get initiated again. Both Tavayogi and I were surprised on hearing the order from Agathiyar. He initiated me though. Surprisingly the Nadi reading too was erased mysteriously after the second initiation. Agathiyar who had previously referred me to the local affiliate of Tavayogi's peedham in Malaysia switched me to come directly under the tutorship of Tavayogi in a subsequent re-reading. Who can fathom their play?
When my wrought iron window frames began to crumble and fall apart I knew it was time to replace them in my home of 27 years. As I drove by my neighbor's house I happen to see a worker mix concrete. I asked him if he could replace my windows. He told me that he would get back to me. But instead of him, my neighbor turned up at my door telling me that he shall do it. He did a fine job. He offered to do up my kitchen counter too and added a bonus. He painted my kitchen for no fee. Seeing his workmanship I introduced him to another neighbor. Another dropped by and asked him over to replace his windows too. Another neighbor opposite him pointed out a few more jobs at his home too. Surprisingly to this day he never turned up at their homes to carry out these jobs till this day. One would think that no one in his sensible mind would let go of job opportunities, right? After completing his work at my home he surprised me by telling me that he was only doing the work and for the price he quoted "because of your tokong" which means "because of your God." Who can fathom their play?
Suren's journey to several places in India that was carefully planned and laid out was hijacked by Agathiyar too. Agathiyar later told him later in the Jeeva Nadi read at Kallar Ashram by Tavayogi that he had halted Suren's plans to go on a tour of temples and had instead brought him to his peak at Pothigai. Who can fathom their play?
These days even before we verbalize our thoughts he answers us. That is how a question as to what one should ask of God as an ultimate wish was answered even before it was put into words and spoken.
This is how Agathiyar once he comes into our lives decides what is best for us. Bharathi knew the power of surrender for he sang the following verses to God,
தன்செய லெண்ணித் தவிப்பது தீர்ந்திங்கு
நின்செயல் செய்து நிறைவு பெறும்வண்ணம்
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்
from the song
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்
பொன்னை, உயர்வை, புகழை விரும்பிடும்
என்னை கவலைகள் தின்ன தகாதென..
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்
மிடிமையும் அச்சமும் மேவி என் நெஞ்சில்
குடிமை புகுந்தன, கொன்று அவை போக்கின
தன்செய லெண்ணித் தவிப்பது தீர்ந்திங்கு
நின்செயல் செய்து நிறைவு பெறும்வண்ணம்
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்
துன்பம் இனி இல்லை, சோர்வில்லை
சோர்வில்லை, தோற்பில்லை
நல்லது தீயது நாமறியோம்
நாமறியோம் நாமறியோம்
அன்பு நெறியில் அறங்கள் வளர்த்திட
நல்லது நாட்டுக! தீமையை ஓட்டுக
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா
நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்