Today is Guru Purnima a day to show our respects, homage, and thanks to all the gurus and upagurus who came by in our lives and previous lives too and nourished our soul, taking us to greater heights. I was blessed to be shown my gurus instead of searching for one. Hence I was saved from going through dissatisfaction that some have had with their gurus during their search. I met someone who left to explore the Siddha path and search for his ideal guru at age 25. He was complaining about his previous experiences with his gurus and the establishment. He was then in his late fifties.
In fact, though I carried out puja at dawn and dusk in my home, I never actually went looking for any guru having settled for the pantheon of deities at my altar. I did have some photos and paintings of gurus that I recovered from devotional magazines pinned to the walls of my prayer room back then. That was as much as my devotion was in those days. In 2001 my nephew came by to deliver the Vasudeva mantra and later a painting of Lord Dhakshanamurthy to be worshipped telling me that I shall meet my guru soon. This message came through him an energy. I was asked not to question the source. Several years later he tells me that Agathiyar through his Paramaguru Gopal Pillai who had gone into samadhi had delivered the message.
A year later I had a calling to see the Nadi when my colleague spoke about his experience reading his Nadi in 2000. I soon stood at the door of Nadi Nool Aasan Sentilkumar. Agathiyar told me that he was my Moola guru. He also told me that I shall meet my guru unexpectedly. Fulfilling the calling to go to India to carry out several remedies for my past karma I stood at the door of Supramania Swami of Nachananthal village in Tiruvannamalai. I soon found out that he was the guru Agathiyar had mentioned. Several years later I stood at the door of a local affiliate in Batu Caves of Kallar Ashram in India, where its patron Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal had come to officiate. Tavayogi initiated me and my wife and officially took us into the Siddha path. Agathiyar told me that he had sent both my gurus to tutor and nurture me on different aspects of spiritualism.
Meanwhile I was blessed to have many upagurus come by and teach me a thing or two. I take this opportunity to list down and thank all of them on this auspicious day.
- My parents Avadaiyappa Chettiar and Valliammai. I pay homage to both paternal and maternal ancestors through whose grace I come to touch the path of the Siddhas.
- My siblings.
- My family.
- The years 1980 to 1988 - Sethu Madhavan, Sivaraman, and Kandiah, senior colleagues at our project site in Lumut, with whom I had many hours of discussion during my bachelor days.
- The many books and their authors that served to guide me in yoga and prayers.
- 1994 onwards - Sethu, a senior colleague in Kuala Lumpur who passed me audio cassettes of the Thiruarutpa that opened my heart to seek and know more about Ramalinga Adigal. He introduced me to Dr.Krishnan, an astrologer, and Siddha physician, rekindling my interest in astrology and Siddha medicine.
- 1994 - Segaran another colleague in my office who passed me a painting of Lord Shiva, Paramahansa Yogananda's "Autobiography of A Yogi" and a word of advice that brought me immense benefits, before his resignation and departure to India to become a monk at Ranchi Ashram. I learned from this wonderful book about the Guru Disciple relationship for the very first time.
- 1996 onwards - The late Dr.Krishnan guided me and my family in casting our horoscope and treating us. He was also the very first guru to initiate me into Agathiyar's mantra etching out a yantra too to go with it and passing me a rasamani to adorn. He was the first person to speak to me about the Siddhas and their Nadi.
- 2001 - My nephew Thayalan Arumugam who passed me the Vasudeva mantra and painting of Lord Dhakshanamurthy, and his Gurus Gopal Pillai and Swami Annamalai who were conduits for me to receive them from Agathiyar.
- 2002 - My colleague Muralitharan Saminathan and Sivabalan who made it possible for me to have a Nadi reading. Nadi Nool Aasan Senthilkumar who read my Nadi, and guided me on the worship of the Siddhas in a ritual called Naadikku Dhaanam or in paying homage to the Nadi and its authors.
- 2003 - My first guru Supramania Swami of Thiruvannamalai to whom I am indebted for life. He was the beacon that lit up my life.
- 2005 - Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal who came to nurture the flame further and Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar who was supportive of all our ventures.
- 2010 - Agathiyar who came in the form of a bronze statue and filled our home with his grace. The handful of devotees Thayalan, Surenthiran Selvaratnam, Maran, Ganesan, family, and friends who came by to pay homage to him and participate in the puja.
- 2013 - Thondu Seivom Bala Chandran Gunasegaran who came to witness the Pournami Puja at my home after his Nadi reading and who later brought his friends to read the Nadi and participate in our puja. Mahindren who I believe was sent over to dress up Agathiyar in grandeur after his libation or abhisegam.
- The Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) family that grew in size to a hundred who supported us in all our puja and charity activities. Masters Gowri Varadhan or Acharya Gurudasan, Uvaraj, Arunan who taught us yoga and treated us using Varmam and Energy Healing. Siddha physician and astrologer Arivananthan Aiya who has passed me numerous herbal preparations and is taking care of all of us well.
- Sri Krishna and his wife Sri Dewi of the Agathiyar Universal Mission (AUM) who were role models for us to follow in serving the hungry, poor, and unfortunate.