There are songs. Then there are the devotional songs. If these bring bhakti or devotion and tears to our eyes, some go some distance in kindling us to think and ponder about life, the soul, and our link with God. These are songs of Wisdom or Gnanam says Tavayogi, ஞானத்திற்கு உரிய பாடல். Ramalinga Adigal's songs shall bring one to attain Gnanam added Tavayogi as I played songs from his Tiruarutpa when I drove him to Bukit Rotan many years back. We were blessed to produce an album for Agathiyar titled "Agathiyar Geetham" in 2018. The producer, singer, and coordinator of this album Gowri Arumugam had received a request from Tavayogi to come up with an album for Agathiyar. He told us later in a video call that he had approached many artistes to bring out an album, but none took up the challenge. Gowri did.
This reminds me of Sivabalan telling me the same, that Agathiyar had asked fifty individuals who came for a Nadi reading to build him a temple, but none took up the tasks. When Agathiyar placed the requests to me too, Sivabalan told me to take up the tasks if I had the resources, finances, and know-how. I was very keen and scouted for a place in existing temples to house him, knowing that it would be difficult and costly to build an entirely new temple dedicated to Agathiyar. Sadly, none of the temple committees I approached were in favor of a Siddha taking residence in their temples. They came up with numerous excuses. I left it at that. Today Agathiyar and the Siddhas recognize my humble home as a temple and their residence.
Tavayogi added that this album was one of Gnanam too. On the day we launched the album, a veteran Nadi reader stepped up to me and told me in classical Indian prose that the songs from this album were those that depicted the state of Gnanam exactly what Tavayogi had told us. Lord Murugan came later and praised Mahindren in a Nadi reading, for his lyrics of the songs that were carried in Agathiyar Geetham.
Mahindren and I were reminiscing over the phone a couple of nights ago about how tough it was to come up with the right words to match the tune set by Music director Jey Raggaveindra. We were lucky to have Gowri Arumugam guide us, giving suggestions, singing the lyrics, correcting them, or finding other suitable words to replace them to suit the tune. We had to be true to the many episodes in Agathiyar's life too and had to research into his life story, the tapas he did, the miracles he performed, etc. Both Mahin and I had no prior knowledge and experience in songwriting. We took it as a challenge. Today, we agree that Agathiyar in wanting us to gain various experiences, he included that of songwriting too.
As we have had a little experience in songwriting, we just wonder how the poet Vairamuthu came up with the beautiful and meaningful lyrics to the song "Jenmam Nirainthathu"
Then I came across the following song too. It mentions that each time I came near you, you seem to go further away and out of reach. What am I to do the seeker questions God?
As Goddess Ma told us that the Siddha path was one of learning or ஒரு படிப்பினை Agathiyar has been giving us practical lessons just as Tavayogi did in bringing me to the sites of the Siddhas, bringing us into Yoga and into doing rituals, etc.
Looking at the astrologers squatting on the five-foot ways and dishing out our future, I questioned myself why their lives never changed for the better. My opinion of them changed the day I picked up the almanac and several books on astrology and drafted my horoscope. Only then did I realize the extent of science and mathematics that went into it. One could manage to draft the horoscope, but he needs to be well versed with telling the Gochara Palan or the results of the movements of the planets, for only then shall any reading of the horoscope be complete. One has to be a walking encyclopedia. Agathiyar gave me this experience too.
He had me go through severe back pain and educated me on the reasons behind it. Agathiyar spoke about the three dosas and started me reading about them. He spoke about the Tattvas that maketh man and asked me to read Tavayogi's book. Ramalinga Adigal came to ask if I was reading it too. In giving me the painful experience, they provoked me to gain knowledge about the body. We needed to know and understand how the "house", that sustains our life, spirit, and soul, was built. Knowing this shall facilitate the dismantling of these 96 tattvas, reversing, replacing, and transforming the "house".
As I chose to stay away out of fear from the worship of the lesser Gods that are prevalent in Malaysia too, Agathiyar bridged the gap between us sending devotees who were receptive and a receptacle of these energies. He drove away my fear towards them by showing me their other side, that of kindness, gentleness, and humbleness.
Srinatha Raghavan wrote about the need to have practical experiences in his Fb notes.
Sometimes you have to do the heartless job of breaking someone's bubble, because even that bubble could become a potential coffin for them, if not timely popped.
A Sadhaka or at least presumably, kept asking many questions about everything Spiritual, till it struck me that they ain't doing anything with it, but were simply collecting information as a slave of habit. So when they once again questioned what is this and that, the answer was silence.
They felt instantly offended and kept asking the reason for silence, when we said, "All the Mao you require for spiritual progress is already with you. But the problem is, you are more of an imaginary "Time Traveller" who loves to explore various themes sitting in the comfort of your own home, rather than hitting the road itself. So unless you drop all your curiosity of wanting to know, without having the will to put into action what you already know, your whole "I'm Serious" attempt is futile."
"Curiousity is good, but sitting home and being curious about exploring all the places far away is simply stupid. If you wish to experience the magic of these places, you gotta get you a*** off the couch and start walking on the direction shown."
If we only know the truth of any matter upon experiencing it, does that mean that we can only know death upon death and not a moment sooner? Is this what the saints are said to have experienced death சாகாமல் சாகும் வித்தை even as they walked the earth? This experience is said to have come spontaneously to Bhagawan Ramana one day. He was suddenly overcome by the fear of death. Ramana shares that experience carried at https://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/ramana-maharshi/death-experience/.
P.Karthigayan in his "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu", explains that generally, the 96 principles tattvas animate us on life's stage, and eventually end their act, leaving and going their way at the end of the divine play. The Siddhas, instead of returning to dust like everyone else, reincarnated their spirit with the soul within their own body, attaining death without dying, by means of the art of deathlessness or சாகாமல் சாகும் கலை. This was done by eliminating the worldly substances in it. What is retained then is the form of their profile. All else is replaced. Substances of perishable nature are replaced by substances of cosmic nature by altering the natural physical fabric through the science that was known to them - Kaaya Siddhi. On completion of the transformation, their body remains forever.
We understand the purpose in us taking birth is to gain the experiences that we had desired to have as a soul from the story of "The Little Soul and the Sun", a children's parable adapted from "Conversations with God", Hampton Roads Publishing Company Ins, 1998. Neale Donald Walsch walks us through a conversation between a Little Soul and God.
"The Little Soul knew itself to be the Light but it wanted to experience itself as Light. And God said that if it wanted to know the Light it must also know the Darkness. For how else can one know Up without Down, Hot without Cold, Fast without Slow? Then the Little Soul understood that in getting to know Who It Really Is, it would have to know the opposite. And so the Little Soul embarked upon an adventure very much like that we all share on Earth."
Knowing who it was, was not enough. The Little Soul wanted to be who it was. God asks him, "You mean you want to be Who You Already Are?" The Little Soul replies that it wanted to feel what it is like to be the Light. God goes on to explain. "Well, there is nothing else but the Light." But as the Little Soul wanted to know itself as the Light amidst the Light, God tells him, "Since you cannot see yourself as the Light when you are in the Light, we will surround you with darkness which is that which you are not." God explains that in order to experience anything at all, the exact opposite of it will appear, reminding the soul, for instance, not to shake his fist and raise his voice and curse the darkness when he is surrounded by it. "Rather be a Light unto the darkness and do not be mad about it. Let your Light so shine that everyone will know how special you are."
The story goes on to narrate how the young soul who knew he was Light but wanted to experience it, chose to pick the desired action that he would like to do, from a list of many, once he is on earth. He chooses the act of forgiving. Another soul immediately steps up to join the soul in fulfilling its wish by being the perpetrator so that the young soul can then forgive him. They both come down to earth to live out their desires. This desire triggers a chain of events, a learning process takes place and several experiences are recorded, whereby the soul becomes enriched through these experiences. We, being Light in essence, for want of experiencing it, had darkness and all opposites created for us. As all the souls are perfect, many wanted and volunteered to come down to help us gain the experience. Thus, we had all known each other earlier. We had planned to be together here. Those who needed a particular experience chose to come early, while others remained behind to join later. We have worked out all things at the level of the soul and wait for it to take shape and happen or act it out on the physical plane - earth. We create the situation and the scenario, allowing all our wishes to take shape. What we are going through is what we had asked for. We had asked for this experience and hence are enacting the role and taking on the experiences. Hence, when we begin to understand that everything comes to take its respective form and place according to the wishes of the souls and the divine law of nature (God), we can settle down and accept all that is seen.
Although Tavayogi, the moment he stepped on our shores, opened up about the need to move to Gnanam from Bakthi, Agathiyar, and later Tavayogi himself educated us on the other stages of spiritual growth on the path to Gnanam. We needed these experiences too. Taking over from where our parents left us at Sariyai, fearing that we shall forever be dependent on others even for our personal spiritual uplifting and evolution, Agathiyar in wanting us to learn the trade, handed me to Supramania Swami and later Tavayogi. Supramania Swami taught me bhakti or devotion to the Guru by example. Tavayogi led me to let go of my hold on the physical guru and to take up the hand of the Moola Guru or Primal Guru. He showed me to Agathiyar directly, just as Goddess Ma showed Ramalinga Adigal to Lord Nataraja. This way we were saved from attachment to all forms physical, be it even that of a guru.