A week ago I had a sudden thought to travel to India. I began to contemplate on it. I told my wife that once we are allowed to travel I shall go stay at Kallar ashram for a start. I was not sure where I would go from there. But I was also thinking about visiting the many friends I had made in the past few years who have become an extended family of Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM). To my surprise, we read in the online news that India has opened up its borders to foreigners since 15 November. I began speaking about this to Suren who is a frequent traveler overseas. But today it dawned on me that the answers were with the guru. The answers were with Agathiyar. I am prompted to continue to sit at his feet till the answers dawn from within. My gurus in the physical form had led me to many places so that I could get the feel, vibration, and energy that prevailed in these energy vortexes which I did receive by the grace of my Gurus, Agathiyar, Lord Ganapathy, Lord Murugan, Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Goddess Ma. Now the search has to move within. I need to know my Atma. I told myself that I shall visit India again once I get the experience and the answers. Agathiyar never actually made me search high and low. As Tavayogi said to me Agathiyar came quite easily to us. Indeed everything came on a plate. I am blessed and grateful forever for his kindness. So if I did not search in the true sense of a search in the past, I shall not search further now. As Ananda says of the Buddha, he knows best.
My journey began with a Nadi reading. If the Kaanda Nadi is often said to have been written in the past, some dating it 2,000 to 3,000 years ago and that what we see are copies of the original made, the Aasi Kaandam I believe is a reading in real-time. How do you explain when Agathiyar at the onset of the Aasi reading tells me that I had garlanded him in a nearby temple before coming in for a reading? Then we have the Jeeva Nadi that is blank until the seeker comes before the Nadi. I never questioned or doubted the Nadi from day one. When the Siddhas ditched the Nadi to speak to us directly I was even more assured of their presence in real-time.
In Tamilnadu, we are told that King Serfoji had amassed a vast collection of these ancient Nadis. He had the Valluvar clan who were into astrology read and translate them. Soon the clans came to receive them from the king. Many such scrolls we are told had been taken abroad to be studied in the past too. As we made our way to several temples and abodes, samadhis, and caves of the Siddhas, I was surprised that Tavayogi decided to bring me to the king's palace in Tanjavur that is now a museum to view some of these scrolls. Later back at his ashram he dumped a large number of Nadis before me telling me that they had made their way to him either given or brought over as directed.
I was surprised that the ancient Chinese too, had a means of reading the future. Just like King Serfoji, this oracle was patronized by the kings too. Michael Wood discloses in the episode "Ancestors" in "The Story of China" on BBC Earth, that the ancient Chinese had a means of communication with their ancestors, making predictions through the Oracle Bones. It was patronized by the kings and royalty of the past seeking direction to move their dynasties in the right direction. Diviners asked for guidance and heavens judgment. The Oracle Bones were bones of dead ox and shells of dead turtles where holes are made with a heated tool. The holes were burnt into one side of the bone or shell and the cracks that appeared on the other side were translated as answers to the questions put forth. The ensuing cracks were read and interpreted.
In BBC's "Select" an episode on "An Ancient Divinity Practice", we learn about these Oracle Bones used to predict future happenings. Holes made in these bones result in small minute cracks appearing. These are interpreted as questions and answers by the ruling king during the Shang dynasty and he decides the next course of action.
"The ancestors who are living in the heavens were believed to know about human beings' future. The diviners were interpreting the cracks as the answers from the ancestors."
If Agathiyar had given much guidance and direction in the Nadi before, giving rituals and several yogic practices too, to know the Atma one has to look inside. We are told the answers shall arise in the silent hours of meditation. This is Gnana and as Agathiyar says it is not for him to gift but shall arise from our efforts. What we can give right now is our effort. But karma would not let us begin or pursue in this direction. Hence the importance is given by the Siddhas in revealing our karma first and foremost. Only then shall the path be clear to even have a further reading of the Nadi. Hence we are set off to carry out appeasement, remedies, correction, and atonement of our past sins. With some of the karma shed, we move on to receive further guidance. When another knot comes up in the string of life we are again given another set of remedies to do that unties the knot, hence clearing further delays and obstacles. Similarly, we are given yogic practices that remove the internal knots and clear the obstacles within. The Siddhas ensure a smooth journey for us so that we can fulfill our respective purposes in our coming and pursue the bigger mission that lays ahead once we have settled our worldly responsibilities, that of seeking to know the Atma. The Atma arises from behind the veil once it is time for its recognition. The day of reckoning is when the "I" that ruled us all our lives, like the camel that moved in into the tent and kicked out the owner, realizes that he is not the true owner and leaves.
With the karma settled, the Atma brings us on a journey on a path that shall bring us to realize that we never parted in the very first place. We see our "I" go into hiding now and be replaced by the Atma. The Atma takes its rightful stand and begins to reign. If we were initially at the mercy of the "I" now we are in safe hands as the Atma knows the journey having been with us in many births. It leads us back to the path from where we stopped abruptly or gave up in a previous birth. All recollections of the past come before us as we are shown the screen of our past lives. It is in one of these moments in meditation that Tavayogi saw his past. We shall recognize our guru of the past and rejoin with him. We shall travel on a subtle journey within.
As Ramana Maharishi says, "... the spiritual energy of a master transforms the consciousness of men", sitting in the guru's presence is sufficient. That is the reason so many just kept coming back to sit in his presence.
As Srinath Raghavan says "When with the touch of the Master from outside, the bubble breaks", his touch shall do wonders.
A word and a gaze too could transform a disciple. Swami Muktananda mentions in his book ‘Secret of the Siddhas’, Siddha Yoga Publication, 1980, that his master gave him one word, “Take these sandals, put them on.” Then at that very moment, he saw a ray of light coming from Bhagawan Nithyananda’s eyes and it went straight into him. He could feel it too. This completely transformed him.
The fruits of one's efforts are not seen immediately but in good time. An exemplary disciple is seen in Ananda. When Buddha asked for a trustworthy and reliable attendant everyone gathered raised their hands except Ananda.
When he was asked why he was the only one who had not offered his services, he replied that the Buddha knew best who was suitable to be his attendant. He had so much confidence in the Blessed One that it did not occur to him to express his own wishes. Then the Buddha declared that Ananda would be pleasing to him and would be the best choice for the post. Ananda was in no way proud that the Master had preferred him to the other disciples, but instead asked for eight favors.
The first four were negative in character: First, the master should never pass a gift of robes on to him; second, he should never give him any alms food which he himself had received; third, having received a dwelling place, he should never give it to him; fourth, he should never include him in any personal invitations (such as an occasion for teaching where a meal would be offered).
The other four were positive: If he was invited to a meal, he asked for the right to transfer this invitation to the Buddha; if people came from outlying areas, he asked for the privilege of leading them to the Buddha; if he had any doubts or inquiries about the Dhamma, he asked for the right to have them cleared up at any time; and if the Buddha gave a discourse during his absence, he asked for the privilege of having it repeated to him privately.
Ananda explained that if he did not pose the first four conditions, then people would say that he had accepted the post of attendant only with an eye on the material gains he would enjoy by living so close to the Master. But if he did not express the other four conditions, then it could rightly be said that he fulfilled the duties of his post without being mindful of his own advancement on the noble path.
The Buddha granted him these very reasonable requests, which were quite in accordance with the Dhamma. From then on Ananda was the constant companion, attendant, and helper of the Blessed One for twenty-five years. (Source: https://tricycle.org/magazine/life-ananda-guardian-dhamma/)
Ananda entered the order of monks in the second year of the Buddha’s ministry and in the 25th year was appointed his personal attendant. Of the Buddha’s intimate disciples, Ananda alone had not attained enlightenment when the Buddha died. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ananda-Buddhist-monk)
Twenty years in the Buddha's ministry, Ananda became the attendant of the Buddha, when the Buddha selected him for this task. Ananda performed his duties with great devotion and care, and acted as an intermediary between the Buddha and the laypeople, as well as the sangha (Sanskrit: samgha, lit. 'monastic community'). He accompanied the Buddha for the rest of his life, acting not only as an assistant, but also a secretary and a mouthpiece. The final period of the Buddha's life also shows that Ānanda was very much attached to the Buddha's person, and he saw the Buddha's passing with great sorrow. Shortly after the Buddha's death, the First Council was convened, and Ānanda managed to attain enlightenment just before the council started, which was a requirement. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/)
When Ananda was 120 years old, he felt that his end was near. He went from Rajagaha on a journey to Vesali, just as his Master had done. When the king of Magadha and the princes of Vesali heard that Ananda would soon attain final Nibbana, they hurried to him from both directions to bid him farewell. In order to do justice to both sides, Ananda chose a way to die in keeping with his gentle nature: he raised himself into the air through his supernormal powers and let his body be consumed by the fire element. (Source: https://tricycle.org/magazine/life-ananda-guardian-dhamma/)
Paul Zweig in the introduction to Swami Muktananda’s ‘The Perfect Relationship’, SYDA Foundation, 1985, writes about the moment the master came into Muktananda's life.
"After almost twenty-five years he met Bhagawan Nithyananda who became his guru. In a flash of self understanding he knew that he had found his other half; that now he was whole again."
And Muktananda mentions he had to spend such a long time with Bhagawan Nithyananda to receive it.
The Guru makes us whole and complete, something that Agathiyar describes too as gaining Paripuranam or completeness. Hence it is enough that we sit at the feet of the guru and we shall get to perceive and know everything. This is not knowledge that is learned but made known to us as Gnana. Let the guru take his time for he knows best as we learn from Ananda about the Buddha. Let us put a stop to all searches. Gnana shall dawn from within with his grace.
We are so used to wanting to see instant results. We want to see objective results that are obvious to others too. But this is one area where it is all shrouded in mystery. It happens mysteriously. Often even the aspirant does not realize his inner state and the changes until the Siddhas reveal. Then he begins to join the dots. He begins to appreciate the divine play. The Lord's play is very subtle and hardly noticeable. Neither is it apparent to others. It happens within. Agathiyar says the same.
Have faith in the guru. When Agathiyar gave a remedy to a couple who sought his help to fulfill their long-standing desire they followed. When he gave another they did it too. And so it went. It seemed like Agathiyar was buying time. Finally, when he asked their blood relations to carry out a remedy they began to question the logic, as to why should another do a remedy when it was solely an issue pertaining to the couple? They questioned the wisdom of the sages? We can never comprehend the play of the divine. If I was them I would keep on carrying on all the things told till one day the last strand breaks and we see results. They could be this close to seeing the results but when a question and doubts are raised, it puts a halt to the process. I guess this is where we should adopt Lao Tzu's words as to "Go with the flow."
These days I constantly contemplate on my gurus. This blog is full of their stories. Their thought is in me 24/7. I was blessed indeed to stand before them knowing the amount of sin I have done. I am glad they accepted a sinner into their fold. I am glad they nurtured and groomed me. I am glad they are there for me even today.