I had a young couple drop by my home last afternoon. He used to read the blog. He had been doing some meditation practice handed over by a well-known guru from a well-known lineage of past gurus that leads to Agathiyar and Bhogar. He told me that he was contemplating taking up an initiation from another. His question was how do we know who is our guru?
I told him that Dattatreya was said to have 24 gurus. Though he said that "the Atman alone was his Guru, yet, he had learned wisdom from 24 individuals, who were, therefore, his Gurus too. They were namely: 1. Earth, 2. Water, 3. Air, 4. Fire, 5. Sky, 6. Moon, 7. Sun, 8. Pigeon, 9. Python, 10. Ocean, 11. Moth, 12. Bee, 13. Honey-gatherer, 14. Elephant, 15. Deer, 16. Fish, 17. Dancing-girl Pingala, 18. Raven, 19. Child, 20. Maiden, 21.Serpent, 22. An arrow-maker, 23. Spider and 24. Beetle." (Source: https://sivanandayogafarm.org/)
But unlike Dattatreya, we might settle for one or two as I did. I believe there was a call from Agathiyar for me to see my Nadi in 2002. He initiated the conversation I had with my colleague as my colleague started sharing his experience reading the Nadi two years earlier. I had heard about the Nadi mentioned earlier in 1996 when I frequented Dr. Krishnan, a Siddha physician, and Astrologer. The Dr. had asked me to see mine since I wanted to know if I was cursed in some past birth. The Dr. had mentioned that a curse might stand in our way to reap and attain the good that was to come our way as predicted in our horoscopes. Only the Siddhas and their Nadi could reveal if we were cursed he added. True to what he said Agathiyar spoke about my past karma and curses that deprived me of the benefits of all my attempts and efforts in life and career, religious and spiritual ventures, and yogic practices too. They were a stumbling block and I was told to carry out remedies to overcome them. After I carried them out as dictated, and was about to leave India back to Malaysia, the door opened mysteriously. I was brought to meet my first guru Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai. Although Agathiyar had revealed that he was my Moola Guru in my Nadi reading, he told that I would meet my physical guru soon too. He brought me to Supramania Swami in the flesh because I believe I had to meet him, again in this birth, to fulfill his forty-year desire to see a temple built. As we set upon carrying out the venture a Siddha came around to stop him from continuing.
Three years on Agathiyar initiates me mysteriously to call and enquire about a visiting swami who had come to officiate an affiliate branch of his Kallar Ashram in India. I brought a leaflet seeking donations to build a temple for Agathiyar in Kallar that was passed to me during my Nadi reading in 2002 to Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal asking if he was the one in the leaflet. And so the bond was rekindled between guru and disciple. Agathiyar again showed me, my guru.
Prior to these two meetings, I had never been in search of masters or gurus though I would stand in line with others to receive blessings from visiting saints and sadhus who dropped by at the local temples in places I stayed in. Even after coming to accept Supramania Swami and Tavayogi as my physical gurus, Agathiyar kept asking me to visit other holy men and gurus and places of importance to them, but I put my feet down and told him that I was not going anywhere anymore. I told him that I had Supramania Swami, Tavayogi, and him. That was enough. If at all he wanted to give me something let that happen within the four walls of my home. He stopped speaking about it further.
Today I believe that they have settled in comfortably in my heart and home. I believe that I too have settled in comfortably with them and I believe that I have a place in their hearts as well. Agathiyar revealed that just as we sat and spoke about them all the time they too used to speak about us. We are deeply indebted for their love and care. I am grateful that Agathiyar initiated me to see his Nadi that had come to reveal my gurus and him.
But what about those who had not seen their Nadi or it is not mentioned? Where do they go for guidance? Before I could answer his question his fiance told me that he was in a hurry. I told him that that was the divine's answer that was relayed through here. I too told him to be patient and that the divine will show the way and the path and lead them to their guru. I believe that the divine will show them the way just as they where brought to AVM after reading this blog.