As I sit and look out of my window into the garden and look back on life and the many options it gave me I realized that the divine had given us the free will and choice in making choices and decisions all life long. If I am here today it is because of the cumulative decisions I had made at each moment in my life. As I ponder on the many choices that I made and the consequences if I had decided otherwise, I realize that if we had made the right decisions it was because we had the divine standing by us. Our worship bore fruit as Ramalinga Adigal sings பலித்தது பூசையென்று உந்தீபற.
Ramalinga Adigal lists out the outcome and results of his puja finally concluding that he became a Siddha too in the song titled திரு உந்தியார் from his Thiru Arutpa. He reveals to us how we should worship too as in பரவி and தொழுது மகிழ்ந்தேன். There should be joy in sitting before one's choice of a deity. Worship should not be mechanical.
1. இரவு விடிந்தது இணையடி வாய்த்தபரவி மகிழ்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
பாலமுது உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.
2. பொழுது விடிந்தது பொற்பதம் வாய்த்த
தொழுது மகிழ்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
தூயவன் ஆனேன்என்று உந்தீபற.
3. தூக்கம் தொலைந்தது சூரியன் தோன்றினன்
ஏக்கம் தவிர்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
இன்னமுது உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.
4. துன்பம் தவிர்ந்தது தூக்கம் தொலைந்தது
இன்பம் கிடைத்ததென்று உந்தீபற
எண்ணம் பலித்ததென்று உந்தீபற.
5. ஞானம் உதித்தது நாதம் ஒலித்தது
தீனந் தவிர்ந்ததென்று உந்தீபற
சிற்சபை கண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.
6. திரையற்று விட்டது செஞ்சுடர் தோன்றிற்று
பரைஒளி ஓங்கிற்றென்று உந்தீபற
பலித்தது பூசையென்று உந்தீபற.
7. உள்ளிருள் நீங்கிற்றுஎன் உள்ளொளி ஓங்கிற்றுத்
தெள்ளமுது உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற
தித்திக்க உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.
8. எந்தையைக் கண்டேன் இடரெலாம் நீங்கினேன்
சிந்தை மகிழ்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
சித்திகள் பெற்றேன்என்று உந்தீபற.
9. தந்தையைக் கண்டேன்நான் சாகா வரம்பெற்றேன்
சிந்தை களித்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
சித்தெலாம் வல்லேன்என்று உந்தீபற.
10. முத்தியைப் பெற்றேன்அம் முத்தியினால் ஞான
சித்தியை உற்றேன்என்று உந்தீபற
சித்தனும் ஆனேன்என்று உந்தீபற.
Our prayer should then be to the divine to guide us the right way and to make the right decisions and not to ask for our wishes and desires to be fulfilled. Today I have come to realize that this is the arivu or good sense that Tavayogi always talks about. In days of the past, the elders spoke about and cautioned us to act right as they would remind us that we and our actions were being watched. They called it the silent witness our manasatchi or conscience. These days and in these dark times where it is every man for himself, it has become a forgotten word.
I was not one to order a cup of tea and sit and wait for others to turn up and pull up a chair and talk about everything under the sky. I wasn't keen on listening to others' personal problems. I was never into small talk. But it does find its way to my door occasionally. For instance, just a moment with my neighbor saw a conversation start when he pointed out to a neighbor who drove a new and different car each day. I knew from my daughter who went to service her car that he worked as a salesperson at the car sales and service outlet. Hence he gets to drive home the test driven cars. Even before I had finished pointing this fact to my neighbor he went on filling me about the salesperson. I had no need to know that. This is what many do, carry with them - trash, garbage, and rubbish. Already as it is we are carrying our baggage of karma and looking for someone who can help unload them. Why do we need to carry information, news, stories about others that do not matter in our lives?
Another instance of another person carrying trash and spilling it wherever he goes is when I encountered him as I took my car in to be serviced. The foreman who was attending to his car walked up to me ushering me and asking what was the problem with my car. He got on to attend my car immediately. The man joined us. He continued his talk with the foreman pulling me into his conversation. It was about politics. He did not have anything nice to say either. As I could not leave as yet and I knew that if I did not put the brake on his talk he would continue for hours on end, I had to stop him. I intruded. I pointed to him that he would have brought up the subject that morning as he had his morning tea; would have spoken to another the night before, and would have spilled it to others the past days and weeks. I told him it was enough and asked him to talk about his family. He had nothing to say. He remained quiet.
Other instances are, as at events and functions where someone would draw up a chair and break into an ongoing conversation that was going fine with people of the same frequency indulging on their favorite subject of sports, recreation, charity or worship. He would open up about politics or the sad state of affairs and hijack the conversation. Just like a pot of milk is ruined by a drop of poison, he ruins the day for us. As we have the choice in whom we want to associate with I leave the conversation.
In my days of working, there would be a crowd gathered at a table at the only stall across my office building where I get to have a decent vegetarian meal. But I could not savor the meal due to the din and noise and loud conversation that they make. And these are adults mind you. Someone would open up the day's newspaper and read aloud while the others listen on. Then begins the round of condemnation and accusations. Never was there a good word or an appreciation said or put across. When we have a choice even in what we want to read they choose to see the dark news among all the news carried in the papers. I would sit at the far end of the stall, hurriedly finish my meal and leave. Five years later I came back to my HQ ending my short stint of working at a development project in the suburbs of the city, the same crowd was there minus a few whom I presumed had kicked the bucket or transferred out. There were some new faces recruited too. But the scenario never changed. The daily newspaper was spread out and the comments went around. I walked up to them and asked the lot when are they going to change? Five years is a long time and ample time for a soul to evolve to higher planes of consciousness. These people seemed to be caught in the web forever. I left in disgust.
Only recently did I come to know that these are the sector of society that are classified as Rogis who are either bent to do harm to others or unknowingly bring it upon others.
The Bhogis are focus on living a good life and never disturb others. They are those who have made great strides and advancements in their respective fields and often successful in life. It would need an appointment to meet them. We need to pay to hear them talk. Their opinions have a price. They are not into small talk with the commoners.
The Yogis on the other extreme end of human evolution are one with the divine and never bother others too. They are those who have made great strides and advancements in evolving their souls to higher levels of spirituality. They are not sought out as we often fail to recognize them. They are never engaged in talk. If at all they talk it is a priced word. Just as Goddess Ma told us that she only comes when a good soul steps into her temple, they only speak to souls whom they relate to. They dwell in the serenity, peace, and bliss that their seclusion gives them.
It is the Rogis who are between the two extremes who have all the time to engage in all matters of the world that are not beneficial to them nor the society. On the contrary, they do more harm than good.
And so there came a time when I could not associate with others anymore. We did not have a common topic to talk about. All I knew and spoke about was Agathiyar. I felt zapped off my energy each time I was out in the public and in crowded places. As I had a choice I opted to stay indoors and to myself. I soon built a fortress around me to save my sanity and peace. I fully understand now that is what Agathiyar has done too after my retirement in 2015 and continues to do till this day. I realize that Agathiyar is helping me stay focused and achieve what I came to do with minimal intrusion. I had no colleagues call me up after I retired. Agathiyar made sure that nothing of unimportance reached my ears. He made sure that I was not bothered by the happenings in my family circle, keeping them under wraps from me.
He had me go within that is not easy as I came to realize and as acknowledged by him too. I kept away from following the news on television and the online papers, relying on my wife to inform me of any important news if I needed to know. If he had physically shut me up in my home the past year and a half just months before the discovery of the Coronavirus, the several partial and full lockdown had us stay indoors further. Then with the pandemic raring its ugly hood, I had to know what was happening. The news disturbed me. We pleaded to the divine to show his mercy. Lord Shiva listened to our prayer. Just as we have to pay the price of our past deeds and karma, he tells us that there is nothing much the divine can do as we have brought it on ourselves. Yet the most compassionate father did not abandon his children. He has asked us to recite his Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra that removes fear. He has asked us to recite the Dhanvantri mantra that acts as a force field and shields us from harm's way. Agathiyar told us to adhere to the advice and follow all the rules set by the authorities. Just as we carry out remedies for our past karma, by adopting all these measures we can save ourselves and our loved ones. The onus is on us to take all the necessary precautions.
Those on the path of the Siddhas have been given an additional task and a huge responsibility too, that of assisting the Prapanjam in its time of need. If we had tapped into the Prapanjam that kept us alive all this while, we are asked to cleanse and heal her now. Is the Prapanjam sick then? Have we made her sick throwing toxic and material wastes, hurling words of abuse and anger, and taking from her but never replenishing her or giving back? Lord Shiva has asked us to conduct the ritual of lighting the sacrificial fire or Homam in our individual homes once a week. This will do some good as revealed by Tavayogi in his speeches.
Prior to that, Agathiyar asked me to take up from where I left my practice of Yoga Asanas and Pranayama after he put them on hold for my lower back to heal. This was taught to Mahindren who brought it to those who were keen to learn. Later both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal came to keep a tab on them reminding and asking them to do it in their presence. Ramalinga Adigal came to teach us to connect with the Prapanjam. We never knew that these would come in handy in these times of the pandemic where we struggle to breathe.
Although there is uncertainty as to when the pandemic that came to hover over our heads in December of 2019 and is seen to move into full gear will end, the divine is working through the scientist, researchers, and the medical profession to bring us out of these dark times. All we need to do on our part is listen to them. Just as it is a known fact that the body heals itself, the Siddhas too who are the Prapanjam, part of it and in it, are in tapas or tavam seeking to cleanse and heal it. Let us work in unison towards bringing an end to this pandemic.