MORE CLARIFICATIONS

If I carried out the Pranayama practices in the morning hours some two hours before sunrise, learning from the books initially in the eighties and later from Tavayogi in 2008, and from Agathiyar too who kept giving us regular updates like Microsoft's Patch Tuesday fixes, these days the breath determines when I should sit and contemplate. It drives me to sit whenever I have a sensation come on in the crown of my head. I realized that I could connect with the sensation in the crown of my head by merely bringing my thought to that spot. Besides this, it goes on as I move about doing my now limited chores during the day. Rather than me being aware of it, I feel that it is watching me continuously. For the past hour watching my breathing and taking long and deep breaths, while gently breathing in and out, the Shakti hijacked the moment. The breathing took a turn and became vigorous and spontaneous.

I had prepared a draft of my next posts and forwarded it to Mahindren last night for his perusal and opinion and if possible Agathiyar's views too for the memo clarifying the meaning of Udal, Uyir and Atma sometime back came through him. 

This was the draft.

On 30.1. 2020 Agathiyar told me that I had stagnated in my worldly affairs and told me that, "You cannot possibly break the shackle alone. Hence follow the practices that I am to give you." நீ உலக வாழ்க்கையில் நீர்தேங்கிறாய். இவ்கடிவாளத்தால் உம்மால் மீண்டு வர இயலாது. ஆகையால் யாம் சொல்லும் வழிமுறைகளைச் செய்து வா.

In July of 2022, he told me that "Currently your Muladhara and Svadhisthana are open. At present your breath is at the pond (lake). மான் மூச்சி குளத்தில் இருக்கிறது. The time of its opening is near. Now is the right time to start your practice. This would open up the chakra completely. இத்தருணம் உமக்கு மூலாதாரம் திறந்தது, ஸ்வாதிஸ்டானம் திறந்தது. இப்பொது மான் மூச்சி குளத்தில் இருக்கிறது. அவை திறக்கும் தருணம் வந்தது. இப்போதுதான் நீ உமது பயிற்சியினை தொடங்க வேண்டும். இந்த நிலையில் அச்சக்கரம் முற்றும் திறந்துவிடும். 

When he mentioned இப்பொது மான் மூச்சி குளத்தில் இருக்கிறது, I understood that the breath is currently lodged in Svadhisthana as water is linked to the Svadhisthana chakra. 

Shortly after on 22 August 2022, I felt a pull of a nerve and a tug right below the navel immediately upon waking up and stretching myself in bed at 6.40am. It brought on a swirling sensation followed by a chillness. My whole body became numb right to the tips. But it was blissful. Soon I felt nauseous and had the urge come on to pee and urine. I collapsed twice on the way to the toilet picking myself up each time. Back from the toilet, all was fine. 

The next day, I woke up at 7.20am, to go to the loo but I could not piss. I collapsed again. I called my wife asking her to bring the peacock feathers over. I picked myself up and climbed onto the bed. She stroked my body with it. My body became numb from the shoulders down. I lay like a dead log on my bed. Although I could not move even an inch of my torso I was able to see, hear and talk and was aware of what was happening to me. I asked myself if this was what a dead body would feel like. Soon it went away.

Seeking answers to what had taken place, Agathiyar cleared the air later. He told me not to worry and said that the ponded water was released. கவலை கொள்ள ஒன்றுமில்லை. தேங்கி இருந்த நீர் வெளி கொண்டது. Previously he had told me that energy had stagnated which I understood as at the Svathisthana. It was released now. 

Days later I came across a piece on the net that was interesting since it related to what Agathiyar had said about the ponding and stagnation. The writer BG Venkatesh referred to the verse எனது குளத்தினும் நிரம்பிய குரு சிவபதியே of Ramalinga Adigal from his Arutpa. The writer wrote, 

"Vallalar says "Enathu kulathinum nirambia guru sivapathiye" - here kulam (forehead - netri) means lake and also it means a water body same as river Yamuna also a water body. Hence, Kundalini is in the forehead, not at the base of the spine as the whole world is thinking and spiritual masters have been passing on this message down the ages. Kundalini activation can happen thru a technique called "chalana thanthiram" which has to be learned from a competent guru without which, kundalini can never be activated. Also, without the help of the sacred feet of the lord, kundalini cant be activated. No ascending and descending of it - it is stationary and dormant at a single point blocking our entry into cosmic space. It can be zeroed that kundalini is closing the tip of the suzhumunai with its poisonous mouth. Sadhaka, on reaching the kundalinis location, awakens it, keeps it aside off his way, and makes his way to the cosmic space and marches ahead. This is the small role, kundalini plays in our yoga system, whatever yoga we do or follow."

This was interesting. If the pond or lake was at the forehead, it would mean that I had traversed far over the years and stagnated at the forehead and not the Svathisthana that I understood. When Agathiyar said I had seen Sadasiva does that mean I had arrived at the Ajna chakra since Sadasiva is the lord of this chakra?

Swami Muktananda in his, "Secret of the Siddhas", a Siddha Yoga Publication, 1980, writes, "Kundalini has three specific locations at the base of the spine in the heart and at the crown of the head."

Looking for this verse I found it in Ramalinga Adigal's Agaval. It was the 1038 verse.

உளத்தினும் கண்ணினும் உயிரினும் எனது குளத்தினும் நிரம்பிய குருசிவ பதியே 

There was an explanation given too. Ramalinga Adigal sings that his guru Sivam gives his darshan at 4 places. Manam, Kan, Uyir and Netri.

உரை : எனது மனத்தினும், கண்ணினும், உயிரிலும், நெற்றியிலும் நிறைவுடன் தோன்றுவது ஞான குருவாகிய சிவம். எ.று. குளம் - நெற்றி; கழுத்துமாம். (Source: திருவருட்பா மூலமும் - உரையும், உரைவேந்தர் ஒளவை சு.துரைசாமிப்பிள்ளை உரை)

When I searched for the said technique called "chalana thanthiram" mentioned by the writer, it brought me to another interesting article of his Parkadal kadaithal - Churning the milky ocean, at https://groups.google.com/g/vallalargroups/c/S7I2Kyh6KbQ?pli=1

"There's a mythological story that once the milky ocean was churned using the Pranava mountain with a  divine serpent Vasuki by devas and demons on either side. Initially, came poison was consumed by Lord Shiva, and then came many virtuous things like Goddess Laxmi and other things, etc."

Does this ring a bell? Swami Muktananda in another of his work, "Kundalini - The Secret of Life", a Siddha Yoga Publication, published by the SYDA foundation, 1994, wrote,

"It is only after the body has been purified that the shakti can work with full force. The basis of all disease and pain is the impurities that block the flow of prana in the nadis. These blockages are caused by imbalances and disorders in the three bodily humors - wind, bile, and phlegm. She (kundalini) penetrates all 720 million nadis consumes all the old decaying fluids, then releases vital energy into them all. The nadis become filled with prana."

Swami Muktananda writes "In order to experience kundalini shakti one must use the instrument of the human body. The records of all the karmas of countless lifetimes are stored in the Sushumna Nadi which extends from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Shakti dwells at the base of the spine in the spiritual center called the Muladhara and Shiva at the crown of the head in the center called Sahasrara. The awakened Shakti rises from the base of the spine and unites with Shiva. This union brings perfection. One needs the grace of the guru and the compassion of kundalini." (Swami Muktananda, "Secret of the Siddhas", a Siddha Yoga Publication, 1980)

Agathiyar too has mentioned that shakti brings one to a state of perfection. We learn that the word Siddha in Sanskrit means the Perfected Ones. Hence we need to care for it and prepare it to receive the awakening of this shakti. For this purpose, we need a true guru who has seen her activated and alive in his body and has managed her. 

I have the answer as to why I missed the awakening said to have taken place many years back after reading Swami Muktananda's book. 

"Because the Shakti is subtler than the subtlest some people may not be aware of it during the initial stages of practice."

I guess I already was seeing it in action but did not realize it. 

"A seeker experiences the fact that the Shakti can be drawn into the body from different sources such as the sun, clouds, fire, lightning, air, and ether. All objects are suffused with God's power. "The Shakti works in all 4 bodies: physical, subtle, causal, and supra causal."

I guess Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal and even Supramania Swami knowing that I could never meditate chose to be lenient on me.

"Even if one cannot meditate deeply on one's own by receiving Shakti from the guru one will automatically experience all yogic kriyas. 

Then there is another song of Sivavakiyar that BG Venkatesh hints on, 

மூலமாம் குளத்திலே முளைத்தெழுந்த கோரையை
காலமே எழுந்திருந்து நாலுகட்ட றுப்பிரேல்
பாலனாகி வாழலாம் பரப்பிரமம் ஆகலாம்
ஆலமுண்ட கண்டர்பாதம் அம்மைபாதம் உண்மையே.

We shall wait for Agathiyar or Ramalinga Adigal to clarify further.

This was the draft that I forwarded to Mahindren. As I type these posts it is half past three in the morning and I am beginning to get hunger pangs. Mahindren is corresponding with me on the other side through Whatsapp. He sends me Agathiyar's clarification on this post.

The meaning of this Song Anna,

“மூலமாம் குளத்திலே முளைத்தெழுந்த கோரையை

காலமே எழுந்திருந்து நாலுகட்ட றுப்பிரேல்

பாலனாகி வாழலாம் பரப்பிரமம் ஆகலாம்

ஆலமுண்ட கண்டர்பாதம் அம்மைபாதம் உண்மையே.”

மனிதனின் முறை அற்ற வாழ்வியல் முறையால் முடக்க பட்டுக் கிடக்கும் மூலாதார சக்ரம் (இங்குக் குளம் என்பது சக்கரத்தைக் குறிப்பதாகும்)
காலத்தினால் மேட்கொள்ளும் மூச்சி பயிற்சியினால் சக்கரம் சக்திகொள்ளும்
அப்படி செய்து வரவே ஒளியாகி வாழலாம் பரவெளியில் பிரமம் ஆகலாம் விஷம் குடித்த அந்தச் சிவனின் பாதம் அடையலாம்

Manithanin Muraiyadra Vazhviyal Muraiyaal 

Mudakapaddu Kidakum Muladhara Sakkaram 

(Ingu Kulam Enbathu Sakkarathai Kuripathaagum), 

Kaalathinaal Medkolum Muchi Payirchinaal Sakkaram Sakthikolum,

Appadi Seithu Varave Oliyaagi Vazhalaam 

Paravezhiyile Brahmam Aagalaam,

Vizham Kuditha Antha Sivanin Paathai Adaiyalaam

Due to man's inappropriate lifestyle, the Muladhara chakra or Kulam (pond or lake) has been dammed and prevented from flowing. With continuous practice of breathing techniques over time, the chakras gain power or energy or Shakti. By continuing this one can become light and continue living as light, can become Brahmam in the Paraveli and reach the Holy Feet of Sivan who drank the poison.

இத்தருணம் உமக்கு மூலாதாரம் திறந்தது, ஸ்வாதிஸ்டானம் திறந்தது. இப்பொது மான் மூச்சி குளத்தில் இருக்கிறது. அவை திறக்கும் தருணம் வந்தது. இப்போதுதான் நீ உமது பயிற்சியினை தொடங்க வேண்டும். இந்த நிலையில் அச்சக்கரம் முற்றும் திறந்துவிடும். 

During this time Anna stagnated at Manipura Chakra. That’s why Appa asked to do Breathing Exercises to make the flow easier.

R Venugopal writes in his "Soul Searchers - The Art of Breathing", Health Harmony, New Delhi, 2000, "The Svadishtana is regarded as a blockage to the awakening of the kundalini. He says the actual awakening starts from the Manipura chakra only. Till the time Manipura chakra does not get purified and awakened the kundalini cannot rise fully."

எனது குளத்தினும் நிரம்பிய குரு சிவபதியே

Vallalar solliyathu Thannudaiya Chakrangal Elumbave Tannul Jothiyaai Iruntha Sivathai Arithen வள்ளலார் சொல்லியது தன்னுடைய சக்கரங்கள் எழும்பவே தன்னுள் ஜோதியாய் இருந்த சிவத்தை அறிந்தேன். 

From here what I can understand is that normal human who doesn’t follow any practice for breathing and doing all kind of activities is what makes them lock their chakras and have issues. If it was learned from Guru and practiced in daily life the Chakra activation will be smoother.