As I was having a sensation of grittiness in my left eye the past week I saw the eye doctor. The last time I felt it two years ago the doctor discovered that I had cataracts and operated on both my eyes. Agathiyar then tells me that he had sent me there.
This time around though I had the discomfort in my left he discovered that my optic nerves had thinned out or broken in the right eye. I understood later from surfing the net that it could cause a loss of vision. Though he did not say it, it was pretty obvious that irreversible damage had been done and that he was very concerned about it. He asked that I protect my eyes from the extreme heat and the sun's rays. He prescribed suitable eyeglasses.
The last time I saw the look and worry and concern in him was when he discovered that my daughter had a retina detachment. He immediately referred her to his friends at the General Hospital who immediately attended to her. After two years she is going about her work as usual. Again Agathiyar told us that he had sent her there. Read about it at https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2021/04/amazing-stories.html. My daughter carried her story on video too at https://youtu.be/P3vlCux0Rug
Chitramuthu Adigal and Tavayogi had lost their eyesight at one point in their lives.
Muthu met Jeganatha Swamigal in Malaya and Jeganatha Swamigal took him as his disciple and gave him a new name - Chitramuthu. Jeganatha Swamigal helped Chitramuthu realize his true self, his full potential, and his mission in life. Chitramuthu left for India where he had another child whom he named after Jeganatha Swamigal. Losing his eyesight and unable to bear it anymore, he decided to end his life. That is when he had a vision where an old man handed him a lime. Chitramuthu abandoned the thought of taking his own life. He left for Ramanathapuram hoping to get treatment at the government hospital. At the railway station, one Suppiah Pillai came to his aid and took Chitramuthu to his home. Asking Chitramuthu to wait outside, Suppiah went into his home but never returned. Chitramuthu moved on. A government official took him to a Siddha physician who treated him. After two years in Alagan Kulam, he regained his sight. He left for Malaya again in 1940. This time he came to spread his teachings. He wore the ochre robes and took on the role of a spiritual teacher. He became known as Chitramuthu Adigal.
Thangarasan was brought to a temple in Methupalaiyam by his mother and spent a year with many others who were blind often conducting "pattimandrams" within this circle. The Goddess in this temple was famed and said to heal the blind. When I was journeying with Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal in 2005, he brought me here. After a year had lapsed and there was no sign of recovery Thangarasan decided to end his life falling into the path of a train. That is when he heard a voice say "I am here." Thangarasan dropped his intent and moved on. Eventually, he gained his eyesight and went back to his family and business promising to become a mendicant when he attained fifty. He came to be known as Thaai Veedu Thangarasan and later Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal.
Supramania Swami too was blind at one time in his life. Supramanian used to follow his father to the woods to chop down the Leafy Milk Hedge or Naga-Kalli. That is when the sap of the tree blinded him. A partially blind Supramanian made his way to Madras hoping to receive treatment at the government hospital. A police officer seeing him struggle alone on the streets of Madras called for an ambulance that took him to the hospital. One of the doctors sent for an American doctor to get a second opinion. The American doctor said he could save Supramanian’s eyesight and he subsequently performed six operations on Supramanian. The politician MU Karunanidhi who was undergoing treatment for his illness at the hospital took up the cost of operating on Supramanian. He came to be known as Supramania Swami.
My eyesight had improved tremendously over the years. In the eighties, the lens power required to correct your vision was -4.75 and -5.25. I saw a drastic improvement in my eyesight when after joining my first job in 1980 at the age of 20, I had to survive on raw vegetables and fresh fruits that replaced my midday meal as the eateries were closed to observe the Muslim fasting month. I continued the practice of supplementing my meals with a diet of fruits which saw further improvement and reduction of power. In 2011 it dropped to -3.25 and -4.00. The following year it was -3.00 and -3.75. In 2014, it was -2.75 and - 3.75 respectively. In 2020, it came down to -1.50 and -1.75. Last Wednesday, at 64, it stood at -0.50 and -0.75. Aint this a miracle?
Me and my daughter too would need another miracle if we were to lose our eyesight.