In "Jesus Revolution" the pastor extends an invitation to the broken, he invites the outcasts, those misunderstood and judged, who feel ashamed and trapped to walk through his church doors any time of the day. "This place is yours. You will find forgiveness and freedom right here. This is your home ", he says. I remember how Agathiyar had strangers arrive at my home, and he began to heal them both physically and mentally. I remember the time he opened my heart and the doors to my home that became AVM for the selected few whom he redirected to AVM after their Nadi readings to learn Siddha puja. These days he brings a select few together to heal their physique, impart divine knowledge or Gnanam, and empower their souls.
One of the congregants tells the pastor that he might need a bigger place. So too did Agathiyar tell me that as the number of devotees increased, my home was way bit too small to accommodate all of them. But I was not keen though to move. Later he suggested that I extend my house. I was pretty satisfied and happy with what I had on hand and was doing then. I never wanted to start a center or a congregation. Agathiyar, Lord Murugan, and even Lord Shiva agreed that I build a temple. Lord Muruga tried to convince me that I would show him in a different light, which puzzled me further. How was that to be? Did he have another form besides the six names and forms at his Arupadai Veedu or six abodes that stood on Indian soil? But going by seeing many things unfold before my eyes at times I feel that rather than complain that things are not done right, I should go ahead and build one and do it differently. Just the other day, after leaving my elder granddaughter at her class and walking over to a temple adjacent to the school with my second granddaughter, I was disturbed by the loud blare of the speakers playing devotional songs. Shouldn't we give some space for devotees to sit and contemplate in the presence of the Lord or sing their hearts out to him rather than play these songs? Similarly, in home puja, we think it is enough that we play, stream, or air songs in our home theatre, hi-fi player, or smartphone. It is not to be so. We have to read and sing these songs, chant these mantras, and recite these holy hymns to actually start a transformation in us. The idea of becoming holy is to start this transformation that turns the physical body, mind, and soul souring towards new heights unimaginable but possible as Ramalinga Adigal did show us just as recently as some 149 years back. None of the saints played someone else music, but instead shared their encounters and experiences by coming out with their own songs by the shower of the divine grace. Many saints of the past had the divine himself come as a guru to them and impart divine knowledge. Those who did have a guru in physical form were sent away to evangelize after they were seen to display divine powers, for there can never be two captains to a ship at any one time.
If it needed British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington, to bring Albert Einstein fame by experimentally proving the latter's ideas, Tavayogi during our gathering when he visited us in 2016 at the home of a devotee expressed his gratitude to me for bringing him to be known to many through my blog. I felt that that was the least I could do for my guru who kept his distance from money and fame. Later Agathiyar in listing all the fine Dharma beginning with feeding the hungry, and service to people and God, as purposes that are highly regarded in their circle, finally reveals that speaking about one's guru is the ultimate service that a disciple could possibly give of himself.
If I had shared the puja and events that we organized and hosted at AVM over the years on this blog and my YouTube channel, Agathiyar asked me to continue to write, telling me to share the changes taking place as they began to emerge with readers.
Agathiyar lamented to us that no one was adopting the ways of the Siddhas or Siddhar Vazhkai Neri Muraigal some time back. So what is the way of these Siddhas? Just as Agathiyar tells us that he is only sharing the ways, practices, and methods that the Siddhas had tried and lived up to, I can safely give a few tips that I learned from them and put into practice.
Patanjali advocates taking Satvic food and reducing processed food. Ramalinga Adigal who reveals that death in a healthy person is caused by the build-up of phlegm in the nasal passages and lungs, advocates the herb Karisalai. He asked that we use this herb to clear the throat upon awakening. The Siddhas ask us to gurgle our mouth with sesame oil commonly sold as Gingerly oil upon awakening, keeping it in the mouth for some 21 minutes. An oil bath twice a day brings health benefits. Make sure that we massage the oil moving towards and in the direction of the heart. Dissolving salt in a basin of lukewarm water and dipping the feet and palms before retiring for the day brings immense benefits according to Agathiyar who suggested it to my daughter. Palming the eyes and exercising them enhances one's vision. Yogi Ramsuratkumar asked an 80-year-old to take Amla for his failing eyesight. Agathiyar asked us to sprinkle water over our heads first before taking a shower. He asked to wet oneself starting from the feet and moving up. He recommends taking Agathiyar Kuzhambu to cleanse the alimentary tract. He recommended an 83-year-old to do Surya Namaskar. He tells us to leave a few leaves of Basil plant in water and drink it later daily. Ramalinga Adigal asks us to take coconut water for PMS-related pain. We are asked to take Tripala to bring a balance in the ratio of the three dosas keeping them in check.
If these are to keep in check the physical body, Nadi Sutti, alternate breathing, and other Pranayama techniques and Yoga Asanas are to keep our internals healthy besides bringing in an immense amount of life-energy or Prana within. Adopting Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is a good start. The guru in physical form shall come along to fine-tune the practice.
What about the soul then? How do we empower our souls? Through worship and carrying out rituals we cleanse the soul or rather remove the many veils that cover or cloud our soul which is pure by nature but over time is covered with a screen of dirt that prevents us from seeing clearly. All the karmic baggage and learning prevent us from seeing through these veils. These are burnt to ashes with the tool of experience. Experiencing hardship and pain burns away karma. Gaining new experiences overrides previous learning. Goddess Ma in coming to us says that the Siddha path is of learning anew from encountering new experiences that come our way by divine grace.
Agathiyar had offered me numerous carrots along the way, getting me to walk the path and preventing me from stepping off the path. I guess these were incentives handed out to deserving candidates as one travels the journey. But I never took them up, though I stayed on the path till now. Agathiyar asked that I go places and meet gurus and receive their blessings, but I turned it down, telling him that I had him and two wonderful gurus in physical form and that my search had ended. He had offered his Nadi to be read for myself and others, but I turned it down. In sending many over to my home, a center or organized movement or society or Sangam or Peedham could have mushroomed overnight. But I never intended nor wanted that. Asking me, again and again, to build a temple, seeing my refusal, they changed my home into a temple instead, crossing the bridge to arrive in hordes first and later taking time off to rest here and finally moving in with us. After having established a portal they moved and removed all the physical evidence that they were here in my home, leaving behind only their energies and subtle presence, bringing down the Prapanjam to serve us well.
When we are often told to surrender to God, it does not mean inaction but surrendering the outcome and results of our actions to him. The danger in surrendering to God is that man lets go of all his efforts, but instead begins to look forward for miracles to take place. Though Agathiyar says, "The Siddhas say belief, and it shall happen while man says let it happen, and I shall believe", though a miracle is needed initially to bring a nonbeliever to believe in the divine, its true essence is to bring one to gain strength and confidence to stand on his feet later and finally strengthen and empower his soul. God stands by all those who stand tall. Similarly, God can only help those whose souls are strong.
Telling me that I had gained sufficient soul empowerment, they sent over several new kids from the block to become disciples and upgraded me to the state of a guru. But as I never wanted that too, the kids left on their own. I am back at peace with myself just as Mother Prapanjam hushed me and promised that she shall take care of all her children, and Ma Lobhamitra asked that I let go of my worries about not being able to bring them to engage fully in the teachings and worship of the Siddhas.
If Tavayogi had taken me on a walk into their abodes and places of residence in nature, if I had walked into a space that I believe was a portal at Palani temple, and if the Siddhas and Gods and Goddesses had walked across from their worlds and realms through a similar portal into my home, if I had at one juncture thought that I should take numerous births and come back to serve Agathiyar as I did now, my last and only wish is to just walk into a portal and into their world and do their work and never return, just as Agathiyar told us that Tavayogi was with him doing his work, and just as Bhagawan Nithyananda and Yogi Ramsuratkumar told their subjects that they could do a better and bigger job in the other realm in subtle form.