When we went to Sri Jeganathar samadhi temple in Tapah last Saturday, both my granddaughter and Mahin-Manimala's daughter were running around the newly renovated temple. There was no one else but us and our Paramaguru there. The grills to the inner sanctum and the other sannadhis or shrines were shut. No one came to check on us though we heard the conversation, movement, and activity in the priest's quarters. I guess if someone were to come over and hush the children Jeganathar would have come and told them to let it be. Their cries of happiness chasing each other and having fun are music to his ears and a divine mantra. Indeed he did come and hugged the couple and these innocent and pure and divine children, welcoming them to his temple, adding that he had waited for their arrival. He was glad that they had followed Agathiyar's directive to come over. Agathiyar had also asked them to visit Goddess Thaiyal Nayagi and Dhavantri too. Agathiyar had asked Manimala to go over to Jeganathar's temple and that he shall heal her. But Jeganathar who came to bless them did not seem to do any physical healing. When Manimala voiced this later, I told her that they need not come in physical form to heal. Just by stepping in his place, the energy could do wonders in her without her knowledge.
While traveling to Tapah Mahin mentioned that he knew Dhanvantri's temple in Serdang but could not locate that of Thaiyal Nayagi. When we went over to another spot in the town of Tapah taking the cue from Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar who was brought there where Jeganathar had spent the early days upon arriving at Tapah, Mahin was surprised to find the sannadhi of Goddess Thaiyal Nayagi there. Thinking that now he had to seek Dhanvantri in Serdang, we were made to realize again by Mataji whom I called to update her about our visit, that Lord Vaidheeswaran is the other half of Goddess Thaiyal Nayagi. Then we realized that if Vaidheeswaran was there Dhanvantri too must be present as in India. Although there was no physical shrine for him he most probably was there in a subtle form. So it looks like Agathiyar had sent this loving couple to a one-stop center rather than have them go many places. They are truly blessed.
Goddess Ma came to ask us to cherish the pranks of these children some time back. Agathiyar says it's a joy to be with them. Henry Wei in his book “The Guiding Light of Lao Tzu”, Synergy Books International, writes that both Lao Tzu and Jesus consider reversion to the state of a child as necessary for salvation for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. In the eyes of Lao Tzu, “the infant with its pristine purity and innocence is the perfect symbol of Tao itself.” He goes on to say that one needs to bring tenderness in him.
Imagine being like a little child again and believing everything you hear. There is something so wonderful about that trusting, open-hearted naivete that God loves. The more I have grown up, the more I realize that maturity in Christ is all about “growing down.” It is about becoming a child again. Not being childish but being childlike in our ways and our thinking. (Source: http://www1.cbn.com/Devotions/being-a-child)
Pattinathar is said to have played hide and seek with some children on a beach before disappearing. Each time the children covered him with a huge basket he reappeared elsewhere when finally he vanished.
Ervin Laszlo in bringing us an insight into the mind of the child tells us, "Young children up to the age of 4 or 5 are permanently in the open region of activity, alpha region or theta region. Children are in that region until they are 8 or 9 years old."
"These are the slowest recorded brain waves in human beings. They are found most often in infants as well as young children."(From https://mentalhealthdaily.com/ we learn of delta waves.)
I guess then that there is no need to train a child to sit and meditate. External worship serves to train and discipline, at the same time bringing a child to the path of worship or sariyai. The concept of God is explained in simple terms and they are shown that God is the statue. Seeing us carry out the rituals at ATM our grandchild who was then 1 1/2 years old anticipates what comes next and shows and instructs us accordingly. Even before we begin, she is already helping us by telling us the placement of the stuff for the puja and helping carry the light things. Children love to help out and can be given simple tasks to carry out. She would come for the Arathi or flame and vibhuti or sacred ash and point out to others around her to be given too, making sure everyone got the prasad.
Now in her 6th year, she guides her little sister in doing libation and homam.
Kids are taught virtues that they take on with them throughout their lifetime. Sariyai and Kriyai are the initial two steps designed by the Siddhas that include participation from children where they tend to follow and learn to do all that we do. A parent who frequents the temple or spends time doing puja at home will initiate the child to do the same. Kids who follow their parents during the annadhanam will learn to continue the act of giving and feeding later in their life too.
I am glad my grandchildren head for the puja room in my home and ask to do libation and homam each time they visit us. It is said that singing aloud can help increase the breathing capacity of children. Going around and round like a top spinning is something children including my granddaughters do. It is supposed to activate and keep the chakras functioning at optimum. Let them hang out with God at the temples, and outdoors with nature. Let them explore God's creations. Join them during these explorations and tell them it is all possible because of God. Instill God in them early. Instill faith and belief. Give them hope and be the strength behind them. Instill bhakti or devotion in them. Later they can be initiated into Yoga and Gnana. Older children can then be taught Yoga and Gnana.
We are told of couples desiring to have a child, engaging purohit or priests to perform rituals, and Yagnas to please the Gods and the planets in present times. We have also read of such Yagnas and prayers conducted on much bigger scales in the days of yore. God has given us the gift of birth that is much awaited by souls, standing in line to come down and serve a purpose. The gift of a child is every married couple's dream too. When their desires match, a child comes into the world. Contrary to the common belief that two individuals are brought together through arranged marriage or through love and romance for each other, it is the child that is waiting to be born, that brings the couple together. My wife and I were brought together - again, by Agathiyar after considering my daughter's desire to be together - again.
After several miscarriages, Agathiyar asked a couple whether they wanted a child as a product of an act of lust or a child that was divine in nature. The former comes and just fulfills and realizes its past vasanas or desires while the latter comes with a divine purpose. This explains why the devotee lost "her bundle of joy to be" each time she conceived as they were a result of kaamam or lust. Since they have come to his fold, he asked them to bring divine thoughts within in those moments of intimacy and wait patiently for the miracle of life to unfold. The couple now has a beautiful baby girl and another boy. Hence it answers the delay too.
As Neale Donald Walsch wrote in "Conversation with God", "Each element of life down to the tiniest sub-molecular particle is a part of the mind of God, the thought has pullover elements bringing it into alignment", this reminds us of the many stories told of how couples meditated on the divine to issue them a child prodigy or divine child. The divine would then give them an option and asked to consider if they were prepared to accept a short-lived divine child or a normal child that lives long. We have heard of stories where parents undertook tapas, went on pilgrimages, and conducted Havas or yagam, with the intention of wanting to have the boon of a child. These children later became saints, gurus, or spiritual leaders. A friend wrote to me the following some time back, Krishnaveni Amma in his meditation revealed that "She had to search for a suitable womb for souls to get embodied. That is the way of the Masters. They are with us from time immemorial, and, once having accepted us, their care for us extends beyond the many embodiments." In mentioning the way of the masters, we become aware that the divine looks for a suitable womb for a soul to be born. Hence we understand the reason many are asked to wait at times for years by Agathiyar to be blessed with healthy and good children. As God is love or Anbe Shivam, the child carries the seeds of love in them. There are Atmas waiting in line to come in, given the very first chance. Then some Atmas make a calculated move taking much time, while others are kicked into taking an immediate birth.
Paramahansa Yogananda in giving us a detailed account of the miracle of birth, wrote in "Man's Greatest Adventure", published by Yogoda Satsanga Society of India, Kolkata, 1970,
The adventure begins with the struggle the soul goes through to enter a womb at the time of conception. In the astral world there are millions of souls struggling to return to earth, to enter the mated sperm and ovum cells at the time of conception. At the time of conception there is a flash in the ether and one soul enters as the sperm and ovum cells unite.
He says we had to compete with other souls in fighting to get into the womb. Once inside there the soul regrets as it realizes that it is once again caught in the web of birth and pleads to return where it tends to struggle inside the womb, asking to be let out. Inside the womb it has occasional memories of the past coming in. Paramahansa Yogananda says, "The child's will to move is a memory coming from the soul's past. So he stirs restlessly in the mother's womb until he tires and goes to sleep. When the will becomes very strong the baby is born. Though "The baby's first cry is an effort to activate the lungs and start the breath of life", it is also true that it cries for being born again. "His prenatal resistance to birth ends with his first breath when Maya comes over him" he explains. He adds that "The soul's memory of the past is always there. He feels once more attracted to the physical."
Everyone is a Buddha. Everyone has a Buddha nature. It is just that most do not realize their state as they are veiled in illusion and Maya. In actuality, it is all there hidden by our fears, jealousy, enmity, and all other negative traits. Once the veil drops we see our true self which is pure and innocent as a child.
A journalist friend of mine from Kerala hit the nail on the head when she shared her understanding.
I've done absolutely nothing to earn this. No yoga, not even pranayama ,no worships, no nothing. Remembrance _ maybe was there. Maybe.. Now I want to tell the whole _ god seeking_ world " stop everything and cleanse yourself" . Appa led me in such a simple way that now I know, every body, anybody can go forward in this path. I've not reached anywhere but still I want to tell them so . Now I know what appa likes the most.. it's not hardwork externally. Internal cleaning is what he want from us. It's so simple. Isn't??? Anybody can do it.
Maya gave us body. The eyes. It sees the world. It can see everything except us. In spirituality whenever we tell people to look into ourselves they ( for their own sake too) simply put it away as something lofty, spiritual, some special interest of a set of boring dull people. Actually we shall tell them / ourselves to look into our BRAIN . Isn't? in this Kaliyuga it's almost impossible to make people question themselves.. it's the first step we should take. It's only when we start to question our intentions, shall we need the book of rights and wrongs. I say " they, them .." only for the sake of communicating. It includes me too. Me today. More of me from yesterday. I was always there in the worst shape.
Do we actually know ourselves? Have we actually seen ourselves in totality? Can we possibly see within the body with naked eyes? Everything we know about us comes from another source. Otherwise, how would we know what we look like? We can only see all our body parts except for our faces and our backs. If it was not for the mirror that shows our image and the reflection of our face in still waters, we would not even know what we look like. We need the aid of medical equipment to look within the body too. Although man is said to have the capacity to become God, we are so limited when confined to the body and its senses. The actual journey then I suppose is waiting for us beyond this body. Both Bhagawan Nithyananda and Yogi Ramsuratkumar told their devotees at their deathbed that they could do much leaving their body. Agathiyar told us that Tavayogi is now busy with other task in the Siddha realm.