Besides visiting the temples in the vicinity, I took up prayers in my bachelor home back in 1980. I used to invite the divine at dawn and dusk. I used to sing all the songs that I knew from the many books in my collection. These included songs from a wonderful compendium of songs that protected us from harm titled "Kavasa Kottu" (கவசக்கொத்து) by Sri CN. Nachiappan, 1977. It included Vinayagar Kavasam, Siva Kavasam, Thiruneeru Pathigam, Sakti Kavasam, the Kandhar Sasthi Kavasam that number 6, Idumban Kavasam, Kadamban Kavasam, Skanda Guru Kavasam, Kandhar Kavasam, Karthigai Kavasam, Kumarastavam, Pagaikadithal, Shanmuga Kavasam, Sri Deva Senapathy Kavasam, Aiyappan Kavasam, Sri Hari Kavasam, Sri Krishna Kavasam, Sani Bhagawan Kavasam, Sri Hanumath Kavasam, and Sri Anjaneya Kavasam among many others. My housemate Francis Xavier Alexander would enjoy listening to my recitals from his bedroom.
Though the divine did not appear before me, I later realized that they were there. Just that I was not aware of their presence during puja. I was surprised to hear from my neighbor some years later after I visited them, after having transferred out from the coastal town to the capital city, that the tenant after me who were of a different faith had evacuated the home shortly after moving in, as they saw divine beings in the house. I guess these energies stay behind even when we move out.
The first year in the city deprived me of home prayers as I was couped up in a flat that had 5 others of a different faith with me. But at the same time, I was told in a dream before I moved to the city to cool off on all my regimes. I heeded the directive. After my marriage, for the next 5 years, I only occasionally visited the temples with my wife and child for their sake.
When my wife was carrying our second daughter we frequented daily the Sri Balasubramaniar temple in our neighborhood that saw its first kumbhahisegam done followed by the 48-day puja. I soon collected paintings and pictures of Gurus from publications and pinned them on the 4 walls of my puja room. I started reading again investing in religious and spiritual books besides those on culture and tradition. Seven years later my nephew passes me the Vasudeva mantra and a painting of Lord Dhakshanamurty to worship. I read the Nadi the following year and saw myself set foot in the worship of Siddhas.
Laying my hands on whatever material I got get on the Siddhas, I compiled a compendium of songs in praise of the Siddhas to be used during my puja. The following year saw me make my maiden journey to India taking up the directive from Agathiyar to visit numerous temples and carry out my remedies. I meet my first guru Supramania Swami in Tiruvannamalai on the last leg of my travel. He initiated me into the worship of gurus officially. Three years on in 2005, I met Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal who was visiting Malaysia then. He initiates me officially into the worship of the Siddhas. The rest is history and has been carried in the pages of this blog.
But I have an obligation to continue for the new readers who happen to drop in on this particular page. From an individual's personal puja it became my family puja with the inclusion of my wife and children. With the coming together of a handful of seekers, who were followers and devotees, and the coming of Agathiyar in the form of a bronze statue my home took on a new role. We did Kuutu Prathanai or joint prayers in my home. With Agathiyar sending several youths to my home after their Nadi reading, we soon became Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia in 2013. Lord Murugan gave a name for our home too later in 2018. It was Agathiyar Tapovanam. We are truly blessed to be taken through these numerous transitions. From Sariyai we step into Kriyai and Yogam with the coming of our gurus in physical form. Agathiyar refers to his Vanam as Gnana Kottam too where he dispenses Gnana these days.
After Agathiyar asked me to commission his statue to be made in the image of his granite statue at Agasthiyampalli and told me the start date and the place it was to be made, and upon his arrival he asked those who were gathered that day to chant 100,000 times his name, hence giving life and energy to the metal image. As Agathiyar has gone on a short break visiting the homes of devotees who invite him over, Suren asked me if I missed him. "I do not", I replied since his energy is felt though he is not in the physical form of a statue. Ramalinga Adigal comes often to help us tap into the cosmic energy that is prevalent all around us by raising our hands and striking a chord with this divine energy by reciting the Maha Mantra Arutperunjothi.
Likewise, the samadhis of these Siddhas are energy vortexes. Agathiyar tells us that there is no need for any kind of ritual to be done in these places. Instead, he asks us to tap into these energies by just sitting quietly and taking in the vibes. We are allowed to recite the names of the Siddhas though at these samadhis.
If Agathiyar gave the calling to come to his worship and that of other Siddhas through the Nadi reading, many have had a calling of a different kind where the Siddhas and deities have literally knocked on their doors. A devotee of Goddess Kali who had a fallout with her guru fell ill later. After consultation with several others, a puja was done for Ma Kali including a Yagam at her family home. The statue of Lord Ganesha too was placed in her garden. Besides that, she was told that a Siddha was waiting to be invited into her home. As she knew that I was in the way of Agathiyar she called me up and asked to know how she was to worship Agathiyar. The description of the Siddha was that of Agathiyar.
Someone who had worshipped a statue of Goddess Ma in her past life found the statue return to her home in this life.
My wife used to dream of numerous gurus when I was obsessed with the Siddha puja. I thought it was not fair that she gets to see the gurus while I put in the work. Relating this jokingly to Tavayogi once, he told her that they wanted her to come into the fold too hence the reason for these dreams. Since then she has been the pillar behind Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia.
This is how the Atma in us comes reminding us of our obligation towards them and society. As Agathiyar told us that "the Atma will return unto him depending on his actions, and when the Atma in you pulls you to a path and if you realize it, it appears as an Athirvu or vibration and disappears, if you practice extending this vibration in you, you shall merge in this vibration that is the Atma and arrive at Erai/ Agathiyan", when we get to engage with him in the temples that are a storehouse of energies, tap into this power source at their samadhis, and imbibe the energy here that is an intense vibration, though these moments are brief and momentary, know that we have built a connecting bridge. What is required next is to extend this engagement with the divine, this courtship, and the relationship with the divine. We need to invite him over to our homes for tea and a chat. Hence the reason we have altars in our homes too, a miniature powerhouse, a substation. The next course of action is home prayers with family and friends. When these homes are energized they become their homes too.