The topography of the place you live in, I realise, subtly influences your moods, determining if you are going to be happy or sad. In my travels around the sacred places/sited that Bharathavarsha has, two things stood out very clearly - one is the intrinsic topography, including the soil quality, ground levels etc. and the next, the kind of people who inhabited the place in the past.Some of the sites I got to visit in the recent past, "exploded" with spiritual energy, even after the ones who inhabited it, were long dead and gone. Their power of tapas had infused every rock and stone reverberating with silent spiritual vibrations. It's just that your awareness or consciousness also has to be in tune with that range to experience what they have to offer freely.What makes a vacation and a pilgrimage different is the kind of energy you are already vibrating to, that makes it either a pleasant experience or an inner experiment in awakening.
This truth comes from one who has realized the truth. It is for this purpose that we are asked to or moved to undertake pilgrimages. But sadly it has turned out to be like any other vacation. The conversation that rings in our minds is carried out with others the moment we board the bus and continue into the sacred spaces that we step in. People fail to respect the sanctity of these sacred abodes. It is time we began to observe ourselves and conduct ourselves appropriately. We need to be always aware of ourselves and not carried away by the drive to speak. At times others tend to start the conversation first in the wrong places. It is our duty to correct them and shut them up. Then there are others who look for rituals to perform in these sacred places. Only this shall satisfy them and bring completeness to their tour of the place they believe.
Agathiyar says that no rituals are needed in such places. All he asks us to do is to sit quietly and tap the existing energy that reverberates in these places. By shutting down our senses, we become a receptacle to receive these energies. It might not happen the first time around or at the first place we visit but we shall come to realize it as we pursue.
Our minds are filled with thoughts 24/7. To save us from going cuckoo we sleep it off. But then many sleep on it carrying the thoughts with them into their sleep. A classic example of how thoughts influence us is seen in the movie "Oh My Kadavule". I just finished watching it. I loved the movie. If God gives you a chance to relive your life what would you want to be or do with it? Would you opt for this life or choose another? If we follow our thoughts making calculated moves are we assured of success in all our ventures? At times we might have thought if life would have been better if we had made a different choice or decided otherwise. God creates that space for the lead character to revise and relive his life. I too had so many options in life. If I had opted for something else my whole life would have been different. I would have met different people. I would have lived in a different place. I would have had entirely different experiences. The "I" could have made me make decisions that could have ruined my life. Not that I did not make wrong decisions in this life. But I was saved in all these moments. I was spared disgrace and humility. I was spared my life. Who was behind me or rather stood in front of me shielding me if it was not Agathiyar and the lineage of gurus? If Supramania Swami was my left eye Tavayogi was my right. Agathiyar was the third eye. They gave me sight and vision. When they rule the thoughts all shall be well. Ramalinga Adigal sings in his Arutprakasa Maalai that Lord Nadarajar walked the distance till his foot was sore and placed something in his palms. I cannot recall but I came to know that it was Agathiyar who came to his humble home and gave him two sweets or laddu. This sweet denoted Gnanam. I too was given two gurus who in turn gave me all their prized possessions. What more could one ask for?