The difference between religion and spiritualism is that we picked up the former from our parents and learn to memorize, conform and follow certain regimes and doctrines till our last days and hand them to our children. Spiritualism on the other hand is discovering for ourselves a path. The Siddhas moved away from religion and its grip on man and began to discover the self. These they documented extensively for others to serve only as a guide. Though the truth was stashed within the lines of their songs they told us to experience and find out these truths for ourselfs and acknowledge them later from the readings. Never a second sooner. If we were to read all the Siddha text it would make us a great orator but none of it we can claim as our personal experience on the journey. It would make us well-read and knowledgeable but it ends there. The Siddhas never threw the book in our face to muck up and recite by hard. They had us walk the practical path reciting their names to bring on their attention and grace. They then come as gurus in physical form or upagurus taking our hand on the journey, pointing to things along the way, bringing our attention to them. They set us on certain practices to adopt only to have us throw them away or leave them behind once we have grasped the substance and essence of it. They never carried the tools with them but created anew whenever there was a need for them to be used again.
As I am retired and often spend my time alone, I have much time to reflect on the past and the path that fell on my lap. I understand now both the key to unlocking the door and the key that locks another door at the end of the journey were provided at the start of the game. The venue was God's ground. I was playing a Role Playing Game (RPG), this time assuming the name Shanmugam Avadaiyappa.
I was given the key that came in the form of the Vasudeva mantra in 2001, which I came to know later pierces the Vishnu granthi clearing the obstructions that keeps the sadhaka under the wraps of attachment and bondage. From Awakening State at http://www.awakeningstate.com/spiritual-awakening/om-namo-bhagavate-vasudevaya/ we learn that,
This Sanskrit mantra can be practiced to attain freedom (moksha) from Samsara – the “Karmic Wheel” that keeps us bound to cycle after cycle of incarnations. This liberation mantra is a karmic eraser.
A year later Agathiyar tells me the same in a Nadi reading that my karma had stood in my way of benefitting and seeing the results of my yoga practice, puja, and other sadhanas.
I called up my nephew and thanked him for passing the mantra. He very humbly told me that he was just a tool to deliver it. But behind that episode, I saw the number of saints who came together and used their network to deliver both the message and the mantra that day. I am happy that I did not brush the whole thing aside as hocus-pocus and took it up after the long 14 years of break in puja, reading, and Satsang.
My nephew came by again the next few days to deliver the key to lock the room too, which came in the form of a painting of Lord Dhakshanamurti to be worshipped. He said I shall meet my guru. True I met Agathiyar in a Nadi reading the following year and my first guru Supramania Swami after that in 2003. In 2005 I met Tavayogi and in 2010 Agathiyar came into my home as a bronze statue. In 2019 at the height of all the pomp and ceremony he had us let go of all and go within to sit alone with the guru, who was Agathiyar, and who was Lord Dhakshanamurti. He had me close and lock the door.
When I sit alone now and look back at these events, I cannot but appreciate the precision with which Agathiyar played the game, and the right times and moments, bringing so many together, lighting the fire in them and letting them go so that the fire shall continue to burn in their homes too. And so does Agathiyar expect us to do the right things at the right time when the planets and people are in the right places to see through our venture.
Though it seems that I had taken on one of many a role in the RPG, it is the program that determines what shall fall on my path. If I have several options thrown in and each takes me to another place and another venture so too is it in God's Lila.
When Dr.Krishnan told me about the Nadi for the first time in 1996, it was news to me. I knew neither those who read the Nadi nor had had a reading. It was only in 2002 that my colleague opened up about his experience in reading his Nadi. Thus began my journey with the Siddhas. Agathiyar in the reading told me that I was fated only to see it then and no second sooner. So when I opened up to Tavayogi that I regretted coming late, he told me to appreciate that I did make it to the path though late. I understood that many have yet to arrive.
So I got to work to popularize the path and the Siddhas through YouTube and the many websites I created for Tavayogi and his Kallar ashram. Many turned up at his doorstep having read them and the current blog. I was pleased when he told me that they turned up reading and watching the ashram activities online. That was the least I could do I told myself in helping with the humongous task he had on hand to bring as many people to the path. We loved to share the joy and bliss that we derived from walking the path. Bliss is in sharing.
Walking the path made me realize that the Siddhas are very much alive and with us. I presume that just as we say that there is a thin thread so too there is a thin layer separating both worlds, a possible portal that I think I experienced at Palani back then. Supramania Swami told me the visitations happen through the flame we light in our homes. The Siddhas to upon arrival ask us to kindle the flame so that it burns large. Later they told us to kindle the effulgence within to burn bright.
So do we worship the fire then? If God is Light is he in the fire we light up in the oil lamps at home? Is he in the lamps that burn in the temples? Is he then in the campfire we light up in the jungles? Is he in the fire that cooks the food grilled and roasted over these campfires? Is he in the fire in our stoves? Or is he in the open fires lit at rubbish dumps or the funeral pyres or the fire that destroys homes and forests?
I guess Tavayogi must have sensed all these questions in me for once he took me into my prayer room and asked that I off the fluorescent light that lit the room bright. He told me the Light that was spoken about was not the flame from the burning oil wick. It was neither the blue zone, the dark zone, the luminous zone nor the non-luminous zone of the flame. It was the aura created by the flame that engulfs the room in a certain redness. Later he wrote about this in his book "Andamum Pindamum".
இன்று பெரும்பாலோர் ஜோதி வழிபாடு என்று சொல்லி விளக்கில் என்னை ஊற்றி நெருப்பு பற்றவைத்து திரியில் எரியும் நெருப்பை வழிபடுகிற காட்சியை காண்கிறோம். விளக்கிலே எரிகிற நெருப்புக்கு சுடர் என்று பெயர். அதாவது ஒளியின் திரட்சி நிலைக்கு சுடர் என்று பெயர். ஒளியின் படர்ந்த நிலைக்கு ஜோதி என்பது பெயர். உதாரணமாக இருட்டறையில் விளக்கு ஏற்றி வைக்கிறோம். விளக்கு திரியில் எரியும் நெருப்பு சுடர். அறையில் உள்ள பிரகாசமே ஜோதி. அதுபோல் ஆதியிலே வெட்டவெளியிலே தோன்றிய பிரகாசமே ஜோதி. எங்கும் வியாபித்து இருக்கக்கூடிய ஜோதியே சிவன். அந்த சிவன் என்ற ஜோதியிலே இருந்து சிவம் என்கிற ஆற்றல் உண்டானது.
Tavayogi in explaining the origin of creation, says that in the beginning, there was the Vettaveli. I do not wish to translate the words that he used into English for fear of misleading readers. These words were neither coined by him but appear in the numerous Siddha text.
Marshall Govindan has detailed the word at http://www.sutrajournal.com/vettaveli-vast-luminous-space-by-marshall-govindan as,
"Vettaveli represents the blissful samadhi state, the space of consciousness, of transcendental awareness, the awareness of Being itself."
“The uncreated space” refers to vettaveli, the Siddhas’ favorite metaphor to describe the indescribable Absolute: vast, luminous space."
He refers to Boganathar telling us that "ultimately there is nothing but formless, blissful Consciousness – vettaveli."
Tavayogi continues. The vettaveli is known by another name too - Param. He goes on to say that in that vettaveli a color was seen. It was known as Shiva Rupam. It was seen as a Jothi. It was known as Shivan. From that Shivan came forth a sound known as Shivam that gave rise to an energy Shakti. These gave rise to further energy forms namely Sadasivam, Maheswaran, Uruthiran, Tirumaal, and Ayan. These constituted the very first vibrations. The force that moved these seven to merge was known as Paramashivam. From this Akaayam or space came forth. Akaayam split into two halves. The first half became the Atma. And so the rest of the 95 tattvas came to be. If there is any flaw in the writing it is entirely my flaw in reading and understanding his work and not that of Tavayogi's.
To think that we are in charge and in control is the greatest flaw. We need to realign with God and his creations. The only way is to look up to him to throw a starter kit from where we can begin the journey of transformation in all ways. The starter kit given to me was a book of the names of all the Siddhas to recite. As we progress we shall receive "more books" to help us on our journey.