Where do you draw the line between the past, present, and future? Which is the moment of transition into the present from the past and the present into the future? When I raise my fingers to tap the keyboard I am already creating my future. I am writing my own future right this moment in engaging in an activity or moving. Stop all activity of body and mind and there is then only mere existence in the now that will swiftly become the past. There is then only mere existence in the future that has become the now and the present which will shortly be pushed to the past. The future is now. Right now. Right under our feet. We are disillusioned thinking the future is tomorrow, next month, a few months from now, or a few years from now. The future has already arrived at our door waiting for us to let it in. We are currently manifesting in the future.
Times are flying. Now we know the urgency shown by the Siddhas to ride the wind and crest the waves.
When you have a guru for God's sake, for heaven's sake, for goodness sake, and for Pete's sake do not go anywhere else. Someone insisted that I follow him for a Nadi reading. He thought I would be the best person to translate the Nadi into English. I had to oblige him though I had always kept away from sitting at these sessions and listening to others' personal affairs revealed. Surprisingly although he had seen the Nadi previously at other venues, he was asked to give his thumbprint again. We started from scratch answering Yes or No to the brief introductions that appeared in every Nadi leaf reading. Finally, he settled for one that he thought described him well. But the reading disappointed him I could see. I too was disappointed for I had envisioned more for him. Many years later he tells me that he has a guru abroad. It saddened me to know that he had put aside his guru and went for the reading.
When someone asked to know something I referred him to another person well-versed in it providing the telephone number too. But he chose to Google and find out about the person. Finally, he told me that he would ask his guru in meditation if he should contact the person.
I know of some who went all the way to a village to find out about a Nadi reader who was in town in Malaysia. They missed the message in the Nadi but were more concerned about the authenticity of the reader. Once back from their research they got a good scolding from Agathiyar in another Nadi reading elsewhere.
A devotee rushed in as we were in the midst of celebrating Agathiyar's annual fest, handed me garlands, and left telling me that there was a visiting Swamiji in town and that he had to rush to meet him. If he had adopted Agathiyar as his guru he would have given priority to his event rather than go after a visiting Swamiji.
If we have a guru either living or in the subtle form do not seek elsewhere. Reach out to the guru. This is a test of our faith in our guru. Many seek elsewhere while professing that they have a guru. If you have a guru stick to him at least till his demise. Go looking for another if you feel a void in his absence. But if you had been a faithful student you shall never miss your guru even if he is no more in the physical form. The guru-disciple relationship goes beyond time and space. We saw how a guru from a past birth pleaded to Agathiyar for him to save his disciple who sat before Agathiyar as Tavayogi read the Jeeva Nadi for her.
As Guru Purnima starts tomorrow we could do justice to our gurus by remembering them forever and not switching camps. The guru never dumped us. Please do not dump the guru or his path for another. Srinatha Raghavan says it beautifully.
Never entice/encourage anyone to leave their own path to follow yours, because not everyone can find your path acceptable, the way you have accepted it.
A few Sadhakas, associated with a well established Paramparas, expressed a keen desire to follow the Tantra path which was recently introduced. Their desire was genuine and strong, yet there was something that prevented me from obliging their request.
We clarified, "This path was conceived for Spiritual Orphans like myself who don't have any support of any Paramparas. But as you are already associated with a beautiful path and parampara, I urge you not to abandon it for another, no matter how enticing or exciting it looks to be. Ultimately we all are walking towards the same destination, but the path we choose may be different. As you are already walking the path since many years now, it is unwise to ask you to retrace your steps, so you can choose another path. I suggest you to continue walking your existing path, as your Gurus and Paramagurus have invested a lot in it. Abandoning now will be a grave disrespect to them and to the path."
Thankfully the Sadhaka understood my intent and humbly agreed to do so to the best of their ability. We also felt good as tradition wasn't broken.
Never break what can continue to be unbroken...Traditions included.
When I suggested to a visiting head of an ashram and Mataji too to shorten his puja and to shorten her duration of the annual festival for Agathiyar respectively, the former told me that it was a 300-year-old tradition that he did not want to break while the latter told me that she did not want to change whatever Tavayogi had started. I understood from Srinatha "Never break what can continue to be unbroken...Traditions included." But we were given leeway in all our outings. I guess the approach varies although we all worship Agathiyar and the Siddhas.