Friday 5 August 2022

SIDDHA WORSHIP

Armed with the painting of Agathiyar and the small booklet carrying the names of the Siddhas that I received after my first Nadi reading in 2002, I began to search for more information and guidelines on the worship of the Siddhas. My search took me to several organizations in the name of Agathiyar. My first stop was the Sri Agathiar Sanmarka Sanggam in Dengkil. I frequented their venue for the many materials, books, and VCDs that their parent movement in Ongakarakudil had published. I picked up many songs from these books and used them in my home prayer. My next stop was the Sri Agathiar Sanmarkam Gurukulam in Kampong Lakshamana, Batu Caves. If the former was focused on doing charity both here and in India, the latter I saw had moved on to the worship of Arutperunjothi and singing the songs of Ramalinga Adigal. I was puzzled. I did not patronize the place further. My search brought me to another movement in Rembau learning that Agathiyar was worshipped there. I did not get to meet anyone on the premises of the small temple that was undergoing some construction work then. I stopped my search and took to carrying out puja with whatever little I had on my hands. By the grace of Agathiyar he showed me to Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai and Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram in 2003 and 2005 respectively. Later I met a head of an organization from a neighboring state after the late Dr. Krishnan who knew I was worshipping Agathiyar thought that I might gain some insights from meeting him. He arranged for the meeting and insisted I meet him, at his office. But the meeting ended on a sour note as he bombarded my worship of Agathiyar who arrived at my home in the form of a bronze statue in 2010. He brought out Sivavakiyar's songs to emphasize that idol worship was wrong. But he was silenced by the Siddhas in an unexpected way.

But I stood the test of time. Today I can safely say that I have weaned out of it all. But I can always go back to these aids if the need arises. 

Agathiyar told us that they themselves took up the fire ritual to safe Tavayogi's life when he was hospitalized in 2017. It gave him sufficient time to settle the running of his ashram leaving it in the safe hands of his assistant Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar before he was placed in samadhi. When the pandemic reared its ugly head in 2019, Lord Shiva asked us to take up the Mrityunjaya Mantra and Dhavanthri Mantra to protect ourselves and our loved ones and pray for the well-being of others. These days we do carry out simple puja and homam for the sake of our grandchildren. They should know how a Siddha puja is. 

Just as the Nayanmars adored and worshiped each other and the servants of God, each Siddha looks up to the other with respect and adores and worships one another. Bhogar compares his guru Agathiyar's name to the Vedas in his குறுமுனி துதிமாலை.

அளவிலா அருள்நிறை ஆனந்த வடிவே ஐயா
அருள்வேண்டி தான் தொழுது உரைத்திடுவேன் போகன்யான்
குறித்திடவே குருநாதன் குறுமுனிவன் நாமம்தன்னை
தானதுவும் புவியினிலே நிகரில்லா வேதம் அப்பா

In this following collection of songs that I compiled we see how the Siddhas Kunangkudi Mastaan, Pulathiyar, Konganar, Thirumular, Pulipaani, and Yacoub regard him with reverence.


You are on the path only if you carry out the worship of the Siddhas, recite their names, perform the Yagam or its smaller version the Homam, and practice Yoga and charity. All these were given to us by the Siddhas to carry out for some time until they came to end them too. Many come by claiming that they are in the path of the Siddhas but upon questioning them they do not do puja, yoga, or charity. Agathiyar set us on this path by asking us to do these telling us that they are only telling us to do them since the Siddhas themselves have done them. They were teaching us from their experiences on the path.