In coming to the path first we are told of our past deeds, the present life, and what to expect in the future all written and documented by the ancient Siddhas which over time had come down to a particular clan in South India who kept these transcripts written on dried palm leaves for generations, replacing damaged ones with new ones, and reproducing them anew. These are the palm leaves or olai suvadi of present times.
Once the karma portion of our reading is revealed and appropriate action is taken on our part we can choose to proceed in the way of the Siddhas or their path if we chose to or if the Siddhas desire. If one chooses to travel further he is guided by more readings in the form of Aasi Nadi or Jeeva Nadi readings that are now real-time revelations. If we adhere sincerely to the directives the Siddhas begin to take our lives into their hands rather than have fate determine our destiny. We become their children and they begin to decide what is best for us.
A new journey begins with our life rewritten. Henceforth if one were to surrender his destiny to the Siddhas his fate changes. He now lives solely for the Siddhas awaiting the mission and purpose that is revealed in good time. But he does not desert his family and shed his responsibilities to them and to society. He learns to live apart from them engaging only if and when required. For the rest of the time he does God's work. Each individual's life then is tailored to suit his environment and the people he comes across. If the need arises a gathering of like-minded souls comes together to carry out God's work further.
When his time is up he leaves happily letting go of all his responsibilities, attachments, and even merits gained in doing God's work. He leaves without a trace. He does not leave behind a following. He does not leave behind an institution. He leaves behind only his name.
Today what we know of the Siddhas is their names. All the literature on Siddhas would list their names and some stories associated with them. As Carl Sagan describes of a book, Steve Fitz writes at https://baos.pub/
"The renowned scientist, astronomer, and author, Carl Sagan, certainly saw books as magic. In his television series called Cosmos, he makes us think about books in a new light with this poetical description:
“What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.”
Similarly, when we read their texts or sing their songs we enter the mind of the Siddhas who have merged in light. Across Yugas, the Siddha is now clearly speaking to us directly with us inside our heads. Their text and their songs bind us together with Siddhas we never knew who lived in distant epochs. As Carl Sagan says their works then break the shackle of time. Reading the Thiruarutpa of Ramalinga Adigal one is transported into the mind of the saint who lived some 200 years ago and begins to experience the very experience he went through. These Godly experiences are made available to us too easily. Rather than walking the physical path and reliving what is written, we gain the same through a reading of these texts and songs. Many have been drawn to live the lives of these saints after reading their works.
And so too in coming to the path of the Siddhas we are given a long list of names of the Siddhas. We get to know them first. We sing praises to them and cherish their achievements. Slowly we tune ourselves to the ways of the Siddhas. They then come in numerous forms and guide us further. Eventually, the need for such external stimuli or tools is dropped as they begin to come within us and inspire and drive us further. Their very energy lives in us and is shared with others who come into their space. The energies are brushed off onto them too, provided there are takers.