If in the beginning we were shown God as living in the temples or in other places of worship, and we had an altar adorned with paintings of these gods at home, generations to come would follow the tradition just as we had followed our parents, and they followed their parents. Life went on for us without care. In event of troubles, we stood before the deities at home and in the temples asking for deliverance from illness, suffering, misery, and to overcome the problems. We show this path of Sariyai to our children and grandchildren too. It stops at that. Nobody tells us what is beyond bhakti, devotion, worship, and these rituals.
A Ceylonese teacher taught me and my neighborhood friends Saiva Siddhantham lessons that primarily focused on singing hymns to Lord Shiva written by Shaiva saints from the 5th to the 9th century, known in their collected form as Tirumurai in his home. An interest to know about Christianity had me enroll in a Bible correspondence course where lessons were mailed to me from Singapore while I attended the chapel services in my missionary school. Taking the bus daily to and fro to study at my college brought me to learn about Islam from the Pakistani gardener at the college who traveled with me.
Wanting to know more about the agamas and traditions and the customs that were closely related to them, I began to read about them and put them into practice. I took up home puja and temple worship. These books guided me. I used to worship the pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses at dawn and dusk. My housemate Francis Xavier Alexander would lie on his bed and enjoy my singing.
Then came a long break of 14 years where I dropped everything after I had a dream where Lord Shiva told me to cool it off. Transferred from the sleepy fishing village and the coastal town of Lumut to the busy city of Kuala Lumpur, I stayed with a Muslim colleague. I had time to cool off for some 10 months. After I married I only went to temples for the sake of my family. When my wife carried my second daughter we used to visit the temple in our neighborhood during the 48 days puja that followed the consecration of this new temple. When she was born I became a vegetarian for no particular reason. Bringing my children to the National Library my interest in reading was rekindled seeing the vast numbers of books in Tamil on all subjects.
Four years later Lord Shiva came through a painting of Lord Dhakshanamurthi that I was told to worship in preparation to meet my guru. This message mysteriously came through the masters in the lineage of my nephew's guru. Indeed the following year I read the Nadi and Agathiyar offered himself to be my guru. The following year he had me meet Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai and three years later Tavayogi of Kallar ashram. I had gurus in the physical form to guide me besides Agathiyar who came often in the Aasi Nadi readings.
God who was in the paintings at our altar in the past began to speak through others. God who was in the
form of statues at the temples began to reside in our homes. God who was a vibration in the temples and his abodes, in nature and in Prapanjam began to traverse within us bringing us to connect and experience his presence as a vibration. The pranayama practices we did further enhance the flow of prana within that brought us to a state of bliss. The ritual chanting and singing of the praises of God and the Siddhas charged the very surrounding making it conducive for the interaction between God and man to happen. If the pleasures of life appeased the senses and we derived joy and happiness, all the above brought us to an exalted state going beyond the body. The Atma in us, Jeevatma, connected us with God the Paramatma. The Jeevatma that pledged alliance with the body or Udal and the breath or Uyir led us to the Paramatma. The Jeevatma did not desert the Udal. Neither did it desert the Uyir. When the Paramatma comes within we break the norm and the accepted fact that death is inevitable. We attain deathlessness. The Atma brings lock, stock, and barrel, all of its company to meet the Param. Would the Paramatma come within? Do we deserve it? Are we ready? Is our body and mind ready for the avalanche?
It has been a long journey. But it only seems a long journey in our time-space. In reality, our lives pass by in a fraction of a second in the eyes of the divine. It is said that one complete day of Brahma is 8.64 billion human years. I can't even imagine the extent of that time period. Hence they do not seem perturbed by our sufferings and pain. If I had suffered and endured the excruciating pain in my lower back for some three years, Agathiyar brushed it off lightly. I understand now why he did that. Then again if all this was a play, even the pain shall come and go eventually just as actors come and go on the stage. Just as a play and the numerous acts and scenes entertain the spectators, this divine play is God's pastime. Do not fret for we had agreed to play it well. As we saw in the documentary "Inner Worlds & Outer Worlds" where we are told that, "It is as if there has been an invisible dancer, a shadow dancer hidden in the belly of the universe. All the other dancers have always danced around this hidden dancer" let us join hands with the divine in his play. This way we shall maintain calm and peace.
The ancient Indians not only calculated the complete day of Brahma but even his life span as 311.04 trillion years. Mind-boggling. This incidentally coincides with the life span of the universe. Wait we have more. This incidentally is the duration of one breath of Vishnu. We are told that Brahma came forth from Vishnu's belly. "When he exhales, thousands of universes emerge and one "Brahma" is born in each universe. When "Vishnu" inhales, all universes get sucked and Brahma dies." It is said that the first breath of creation started in the belly be it that of the Gods or humans. Read further at https://www.cs.ubc.ca/~goyal/age_of_universe.php. How did the ancients come to these findings? Tavayogi in his book, "Andamum Pindamum" says that they traced this time period beginning from what we have - the breath or Prana.
All these do not surprise us when we study the body that is closest to us and is a mirror of the universe. In the following video, a Dr explains what goes on in our lungs and body in that minute span of one inhalation and exhalation.
The breath traversing through us and the earth propelling it on its course are made possible only by the presence and existence of Prana. Man takes in 360 breaths in 1 Nazhigai (24 minutes). A day is equivalent to 60 Nazhigai. Hence he takes 21,600 breaths in a day. Of these, 14,400 return while 7,200 are wasted according to the following proportion. We spend 12 angulam of breath when we exhale. Of this 8 parts come within again. 4 parts are wasted. As man's stay on this earth is determined by the number of breaths that are given to him, now we realize the importance of pranayama that helps increase the prana within. It is a gift from the Rishis, and Siddhas to extend our lifespan which otherwise diminishes with time.
It is this Prana Vayu that drives all the activities within our body and also in the universe. It is divided into 10 according to its tasks and location. Tavayogi lists them in his book"Atma Gnanam". The Abanan aids in excretion. We feel the touch of the skin through Viyanan. Utanan induces hunger and later digests the food intake and ingests the elements that maintain the body in top form. Nagan is the reason we have hiccups. Kurman makes us wink. Girikaran causes a sneeze and makes us cry. Thevathan brings on all our desired movements. Thananjayan remains behind after all his friends have left the body. He is the last to leave the dead body after three days. Samanan keeps all these Vayus or Air in balance, in other words, keeps tabs on them.
The Prana Vayu moves and drives all the above residing in the Pranamaya Kosam. The other Kosas is Annamaya Kosam that is the physical body that is fed and sustained with food and water. Our thought generates and resides in the Manomaya Kosam. Budhi and Arivu or intelligence and wisdom that are the guardians that decide to either initiate or terminate the actions that are mooted by our thoughts, resides in the Vingnanamaya Kosam. The place where Prana Vayu and Suzhuti come together is Anandhamaya Kosam.
Besides these Kosas there are the energy vortexes or chakras within our body just as we have seen and experienced in sacred spots on earth.
Oh gosh, my head is spinning. There is so much to know. My family at times used to tease me asking whether I am studying for an exam. It looks like the learning shall never end.