Agathiyar in previously coming through the Nadi or coming before us through his devotees lately always gives us either a task, a practice, a teaching and an experience. He even speaks on the choice of a preferable diet and guided us on taking herbal preparations to bring some relieve whenever we are in pain or discomfort as a result of these practices. He had had at one time back then taken an hour in his Nadi asking me to manage my anger. We strongly belief they come to give us a hand in all the activities he asked to carry out as we never tire out during these moments. This is how he gave numerous Vaasi or breathing practices, and practices to help us stay focused on our meditation. So did he in bringing us to go within asked us to read up of Tavayogi's book "Andamum Pindamum" to understand the concept of the Tattvas. Ramalinga Adigal too comes along giving us reminders to read up. Lately Agathiyar asked me to research Ramalinga Adigal's amazing work that portrays his spiritual journey and his attainment in 1596 lines of the Thiru Arutpa Thiru Agaval. That is indeed a humongous task I understood. Ramalinga Adigal's works were nothing new to me as he had captured my heart and soul with his outpourings of bakti, yogam and gnanam in the nineties when a chief clerk at the office passed me several cassettes of his songs that someone had given him. I loved it the moment I heard those songs. As he had only passed a couple of cassettes from a collection, I looked for the rests of the collection at numerous music outlets. I found his collection at a music outlet in Kuala Lumpur. I purchased all that they carried. It was sheer bliss listening to Adigal's songs set to music.
Listening to this collection I was driven to know more about the saint and his works. I purchased the complete volume of Ramalinga Adigal's Thiru Arutpa, two large volumes chronologically compiled by Ooran Adigal for the Samarasa Sanmarga Aaraichi Nilaiyam in Vadalur. When Ooran Adigal was invited to co-officiate the opening of the First World Conference of Siddha Philosophy in Malaysia with Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal in 2007, I was blessed to be given the opportunity to take care of their needs. I took this rare opportunity to have him autograph my copy of the Thiru Arutpa.
Reading through it I realized the cassette that carried the Agaval was not complete. I looked up the company that marketed the cassettes. A salesperson told me "No Chance" that it was not complete as they had the master tape with them. I had the book to proof. He seemed puzzled but could not help me further. Disappointed, I searched the net, bookstores and frequented ashrams and peedhams wanting to know more about the saint. I was 'hungry' for information on Ramalinga Adigal. That is when I came across the site VallalarSpace that had a link to vallalar.org which carried most of the saints songs set to music and sang beautifully in a link ThiruArutpa.org. Coming to know the admin of the site Thiru Siva based in Singapore, who initiated the Isai Amudham project audio downloads, he sent me CDs of the saint's songs. The effort of Dharmalinga Swamigal and his team in bringing together a vast collection of Adigal's songs, composing, singing and recording them, and making them available online was a divine gift for us. Through this massive and costly effort of theirs today we get to enjoy every bit of Adigal's divine experience put in words and that has come to be known as the Arutpa. The wonderful venture of these souls to bring Ramalinga Adigal's songs to the masses is indeed a great act of Dharmam. Thank you very much. But Thiru Siva shared that organizations carrying the name of the saint had since then downloaded the songs from the site and marketed these songs to the public at a cost that defeated his idea of making these songs available free. Hence, he had no choice but to bring down the high-quality songs and replace them with compressed versions.
When Agathiyar asked me to research Ramalinga Adigal's Agaval, I was familiar with the song as it would take me and my family some two hours to sing it. But the essence of his experience that was shared in these lines were something beyond our reach and comprehension. So, when I mentioned to Agathiyar that only the saint can come to reveal what he actually meant in these lines, Agathiyar encouraged me to read telling me that I shall understand eventually. Playing the Agaval sang by Prabakar and Usha Raj, that was uploaded in numerous YouTube channels disappointed me. Again, the song was incomplete. They ended abruptly. I wonder if the admin even realized this. Going through my collection of audio cassettes, CDs and downloads I found a complete version of this song sang with passion, love and devotion. I told myself I was to upload this full version for the sincere and serious devotees of Ramalinga Adigal. Seeking to include visuals to accompany this wonderful song, I searched through my library of photos and videos. I came up with the theme lighting the flame externally that shall bring us to light it within enhancing the Self and the Soul. That was the intent of the saint too passing on the oil lamp that he had in his room at Siddhivalagam to his followers to worship. Ramalinga Adigal's last message to his devotees before he enters the room at Siddhivalagam at Metthukuppam was to assume the jhoti or light from the Agalvilakku (the light source from a lit earthen lamp) as Eraivan or God. He chose to call Him 'Arutperumjhoti'". Adigal worshipped God in the form of light and became light itself. Ramalinga Adigal showed us the way, in the simplest manner.
These footages were taken over three years beginning in 2015 when we set out to light oil lamps three years in a row in the temple grounds at Batu Caves and finally at the Sri Mayuranathar Srimath Pamban Swamigal Temple in Dengkil.
Initially I did not understand these songs and hence did not know the value of the saints works but later it dawned on me that what I had in my hands was a treasure house. From living in the world of Siva we are slowly brought to live with Siva and eventually arrive at realizing the state whereby Siva lives in us. This is merging with the Prapanjam or the source.
Ramalinga Adigal's prayer was Tavayogi's prayer too. Tavayogi sought the space where there is only the bliss of non-participation (summa eru).
இன்று வருமோ நாளைக்கே வருமோ
அல்லது மற்றென்று வருமோ
அறியேன் எங்கோவே
துன்று மல வெம்மாயை அற்று
வெளிக்குள் வெளி கடந்து
சும்மா இருக்கும் சுகம்
That was the message to Arunagiri too by Lord Murugan, "Summa eru Sol Are." Tayumanavar too was asked to remain such by his guru Mauna Guru, "Be silent. Rest in peace. Keep quiet (Summa Eru). Have faith. You will reach the supreme state of Bliss".
Saint Nakkirar too prayed to Lord Vinayagar to create that space where the guru and disciple are absorbed in silent knowledge that reveals that both are one.
மோனா ஞான முழுதும் அளித்து
சிற்பரிப் பூரண சிவத்தைக் காண
நற்சிவ நிட்கள நாட்டமுந் தந்து
குருவுஞ் சீடனுங் கூடிக் கலந்து
இருவரும் ஒரு தனியிடந் தனிற் சேர்ந்து
தானந்தமாகித் தற்பர வெளியில்
ஆனந்த போத அறிவைக் கலந்து
ஈசனிைணயடியிருத்தி
மனத்தே நீயே நானாய்
நானே நீயாய்க்
காயா புரியைக் கனவெனவுணா்ந்து
எல்லாமுன் செயலென்ேற உணர
நல்லா உன்னருள் நாட்டந் தருவாய்
காரண குருவே கற்பகத் களிேற
வாரணமுகத்து வள்ளலே போற்றி
Agathiyar who called me to worship the Siddhas in the Nadi in 2002, set me and others carry on a hive of activity beginning 2013 sending youths to reach out to the hungry, and bringing the home worship into the temples. He then disbanded the team in the fall of 2019 having us go our own ways carrying the tools and the method and in anticipation of the coming of the pandemic, he had us stay indoors and carry on with the worship in own homes. As for me he had me take up the Vaasi or breathing practice again. He had me let go of all my attachments too during the two years of the alternate partial and full lockdown just like the fourteen years he had me let go of all that I had read and discussed before taking up the call to come to the worship of the Siddhas through my very first Nadi reading in 2002. Now after my partial solitude in keeping to myself those two years he wants me to stop speaking too, leading I guess to a total shutdown. If there was anything to be said, he said, let it be through these writings. Just as there were obvious signs of the eventual closure of the AVM WhatsApp group, I guess these are signs of an eventual closure of AVM too. Just as a plant or a tree leaves behind its seeds to germinate elsewhere Agathiyar and Tavayogi want us to turn each home into an Agathiyar Vanam.
Agathiyar in the form of the bronze statue at AVM shall be leaving for Mahindren's home soon. As for me and my wife Agathiyar says we have to move on. He asked me to close the room then. Henceforth only those who chose to meditate shall enter his room, he pronounced. This reminds me of the room at the old Kallar ashram that was out of bounds to the general public except selected ones permitted to enter by Tavayogi. It housed the Aaru Aathaara Peedham or a six-tiered granite structure that had a lighted oil lamp on its summit. So did Ramalinga Adigal as he spoke his last words, on January 30th, 1874 at the age of 50, reveal "I am in the body now and after a while; I shall enter into all the bodies of his creation." He instructed further to "Close the door and lock it from outside. The room, if ordered to be opened, will only be void." That was true Samadhi indeed, merging with the Prapanjam or source.
In having us go within both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal had us reach out to the Prapanjam. Often Agathiyar tells us that he was in the Prapanjam and that the Prapanjam was in him, and he was the Prapanjam. He revealed that only after bringing the Prapanjam down in its full stream and force shall he leave AVM for his new home. We are truly gifted and are speechless. But he has to prepare us further first to take the next leap he adds. Similarly, he has to prepare Mahindren too to receive him.
When I took possession of his bronze statue on 2nd January 2010, Agathiyar directed us to recite his Nama Japam or name 100,000 times. My family and the handful of seekers only managed 45,000. But the most compassionate father accepted our effort. Over the weekend when a handful of us were gathered in the home of the lovely couple Sri Krishna and Sri Deviy, Agathiyar handed over a miniature bronze statue of his to another lovely couple and their children to be worshiped in their home. Agathiyar spared them the lengthy chanting as he asked of us at AVM back then but instead performed the libation or abhisegam to the statue himself and passed it to them, energizing it. Blessed are they. Another Agathiyar Vanam has sprouted.
Just a little update on what is happening in me as Agathiyar had asked to share with readers. After a couple of days of constipation, and stomachache, the twist and the turns in my big and small intestines finally forced the trash out and is emptying the recycle bin, having me visit the toilet numerous times. The phlegm, wind and bile too are being rid off especially when I hit the sack. The coolness in my head is ongoing with a feeling of my head being drenched and wet. I guess I have made contact with the Prapanjam or rather by his grace the Prapanjam has slowly started to come within for at these moments it is sheer bliss that cannot be described except by the tears that well in my eyes.