Let it happen and I shall believe says the man. Belief and it shall happen say the Siddhas. Man needs a miracle to convince him. The Siddhas ask us to believe in miracles and it shall materialize. The Siddhas do not perform miracles for show. Instead, deep faith brings forth miracles. The divide between God and man is broken with the coming of the Siddhas. They are the hand that raises us and prepares us to meet God. They bring God down to us. Their concern is for humanity to discover God. Hence they come as angels, guides, and gurus. They stand like beacons, lighthouses, libraries, and a place to turn to when all hell breaks loose. They come to support, give a shoulder, take on our pain, lift our burden off our shoulders and relieve us of its weight. Even before we come face to face with impending danger the Siddhas wait ahead of us ready to assist, save, comfort, and bring relieve us. Traveling their path and as they come down from their heavenly residence to join a sinner like us on our journey, the path of thorns disappears, and in its place roses bloom. These are words from someone who has seen their magical touch in every moment of his life.
And so it hurts when those who had been in the Siddha path for years turn against them to scorn and blame the Siddhas for their losses, failures, and suffering. The irony is that breaking their ties with the Siddhas, wondering in search of other paths and what it has to offer, they come back and knock on the door again. Those who have vouched their lives for the cause sadly are the ones to leave first. But the Siddhas are not the least disturbed for they know far too well that they shall come back one day. I guess Agathiyar is showing and teaching us a lesson by orchestrating all these happenings before our eyes.
There is always a lesson to be learned behind every encounter. If it is hurtful we are reminded not to repeat them. If it hurts to see another fall and hurt himself, we are reminded not to follow suit.
I use to wonder why should these great beings who are at par with God come to us meager humans who have so many flaws in us? Was it to give us riches that are perishable in a split of a second? What is their message for humans?
Trying to figure out our purpose in life on earth, we moved from one goal to another, realizing that that was not IT as we saw them brush each goal of ours aside. Finally, they revealed from within that to join their institution or assemblage is THE goal that we should strive for.
Along the way, we engaged in puja, what was solely done for the self and family, expanding to cover the wellness of all and for the good of prapanjam or the universe. In engaging in rituals too, we were in actuality praying for all the contributors whose produce came to be used in the sacrificial fire that reaches out bringing these offerings to the deities. We engaged in charity feeding the hungry and stocking their homes with sufficient groceries to sustain them for a period. In savoring good food we never failed to think of others who missed the meals that we enjoyed hence bringing the essence to them through our thoughts. Showing us the way to keep fit, they shared the ancient art of Yoga and correct diet and living. This soon expanded to others as it was passed on to them too. With the little understanding we had, partaking a drop from the vast ocean of divine knowledge that they sat upon, we shared them too to those keen to know, not wanting to dump this precious knowledge to those who window shop.
The Siddha institution or assemblage that has a large following however speaks about a small number of sages, Siddhas, rishis, munis, and saints. Why only some came into the limelight? For instance, while Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar lists the names of 131 Siddhas in his Siddhargal Potri Thoguppu, and Tavayogi lists out 207, it is common to mention only 18 Siddhas. My wife gave me the answer. She told me although there are many only a certain number will be shown to the outside. Many will not be shown to the public.
Becoming at par with them, as fellow Siddhas was their ideal dream for us too. Of course, this is only possible for those who equally cherish this dream too. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. One needs to have vairagya or determination. Otherwise, he needs to have self-discipline or be prepared to be disciplined. They then move us towards achieving it. Having either or both never then is a day where they let their guards down and let go of the noose, letting us loose. They watch over us, groom us, mold us, nurture us to shine just like them. All it takes on our part is a little bit of commitment to their cause. Soon their cause becomes ours too. We sail together bringing down barriers and erecting monuments that tell a tale to those yet to follow.
Let us not rest on our laurels, fame, and fortune but instead turn our sights on the ideals of the Siddhas. Let us strive to become Siddhas too.