If reciting the names of the Siddhas brings their compassion and grace upon us that rids our karma, helps us overcome the struggles in life, and brings us to step into Kriya and Yoga, the recitation of the Thiruarutpa takes us into the state of Gnana. But one needs to go through all the earlier stages first to reach Gnana for all the experiences gained shall be the foundation of Gnana that is to come later. If in Sariyai, Kriyai, and Yoga the body becomes an instrument to connect with the divine, in Gnana it is soul-to-soul talk. It brings us to the state where we go beyond the care and discipline required in the recitation and pronunciation of mantras in Kriyai and the care and discipline that is needed in performing Yoga, to freeing our souls to sing and dance along with the divine in his inner chamber. That was what Lord Siva showed and did at AVM during the last Sivarathri.
A song by Andy Williams "Where Do I Begin (Love Theme from "Love Story") could not have described love any better. This applies to our love for God too. See the "she" that he mentions in this wonderful song as God and you will understand the amount of love god has upon us and vice versa.
Where do I begin To tell the story of how great a love can be
The sweet love story that is older than the sea The simple truth about the love she brings to me Where do I start With her first hello She gave new meaning to this empty world of mine There'd never be another love, another time She came into my life and made the living fine She fills my heart She fills my heart with very special things With angels' songs, with wild imaginings She fills my soul with so much love That anywhere I go I'm never lonely With her around, who could be lonely I reach for her hand, it's always there How long does it last Can love be measured by the hours in a day I have no answers now but this much I can say I know I'll need her 'til the stars all burn away And she'll be there
Ramalinga Adigal through his songs proudly announces the various states he was lifted to by the grace of the divine in traveling the path. He did not keep his joy under wraps. Reading or listening to these songs played we personally get to feel his joy and bliss too. He brings us to his state of ecstasy immediately.
I consider coming this far itself as a blessing of theirs. I do not think I would have ventured this far safely without their guidance all along the way. Agathiyar has given me an opportunity and chance to participate in the race against time to attain the state that many including the Siddhas, Tavayogi, and Jnana Jothiamma have attained. Giving us the necessary training through our predecessors, Agathiyar came to train us further molding us into a vessel capable to participate in the first place. Will it be a success story or yet another attempt having attempted many births before?
Meantime he has instructed me to turn each home his Vanam or garden such as my home has become.
Sending these messages to those in the worship, I had a conversation with someone who called to enquire further. I had not met her before. I received an answer to my question as to whose home shall go through this renovation. The message to her was a message for me too. A home shall be groomed to turn into Agathiyar Vanam if its tenants are already worshipping the Siddhas. In the event, they worship a statue of any deity or Siddha abhisegam can be done too. Otherwise, we shall stop short of reciting the names of the Siddhas. A simple Siddha puja would suffice as an intro for a start in new homes and they can continue to do it daily. So for someone new to the path, let them recite the names for a month or so and we can decide the next move. They must find time to do it daily though. The following book shall be of great help to these new kids on the block.
Those established in Siddha worship and rituals shall be given the honor to invite the Murthy or statue of Agathiyar over to their homes where they shall carry out the abhisegam and we shall just watch. They must be confident enough to carry out the ritual without any further guidance too. To those who want to venture further, they can include a homam that they shall carry out by themselves too. I was so glad that Agathiyar had put my confusion to rest. Let the Siddhas handle the rest or change our plans if need be.
