If we saw the ongoing transformation within the body by the grace of the divine in the last post, we need to look back at what brought us to gain his grace. Calling me to his path in the Nadi in 2002 and besides regularly guiding me in the Nadi, Agathiyar sent Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal over to guide us beginning in 2005. This was akin to an online course as Tavayogi and I used to communicate through snail mail first and email later and through telephone calls. Tavayogi would come regularly to Malaysia and refine the practices that he had us start. When the day of graduation came in 2013, my family and I arrived at Tavayogi's Kallar ashram and carried out the Siddha puja. This was a big acknowledgment for us that boosted our spirits further. Then in December of 2016, traveling with the AVM family we were given the privilege to sing during the Yagam which was the highlight of the two-day annual event carried out on the grounds of the Kallar Ashram. Prior to this in June Tavayogi and Mataji had accompanied us on our rounds of conducting Siddhar puja in the homes of some ten devotees. We also carried out Yagam under the supervision of Tavayogi at the Eco City temple in Kuala Lumpur, the Jeganathar temple in Tapah, and the Waterfalls temple in Taiping. We knew that we had graduated cum laude when Tavayogi passed on a laurel of appreciation, gratitude, and praises at a small gathering of the AVM family at the devotee's home where he and Mataji pitched during their stay. These and the rest are best seen through videos as pictures are worth a thousand words.
In listening and following and practicing all that was said, shown, and given we arrived at the place where we then began to look within. BKS Iyengar in revealing Patanjali's "Yoga Sutras", says that sage Patanjali listed ways to attain Yoga or union, beginning with the control and mastery of external issues and finally bringing one within.
The eight aspects or limbs of Yoga of which the first five namely, Yama or restraints and ethics of behavior; Niyama or observances; Asana or physical postures; Praṇayama or control of the prana (breath); and Pratyahara or withdrawal of the senses, are known as a forward journey, says Iyengar. Then Patanjali takes us on a reverse path, or a return journey now moving inwards, from the body towards the soul, that is termed as the true renunciation, contrary to the common belief and understanding of renouncing the world, says Iyengar. Knowing the seed of consciousness and having realized it Patanjali shows the way to Dharaṇa or concentration; Dhyana or meditation; and Samadhi or absorption.
Similarly is it with temple worship. We lay our sights on the beauty of the deities before us. We take in the sounds of the temple bells ringing and the chanting of the mantras. We take in the myriad of aromas and scents prevailing on the temple grounds. Those who are receptive to subtle energies might sense the pull and power of these deities. Of course not forgetting the delicious yet simple prasad and dishes served here. These feed our senses and we return home delighted and happy. In coming to carry out home puja we engage in singing songs, reciting names of the Siddhas, and chanting mantras. If in the former we were witness to rituals carried out at temples, now we bring the rituals within the four walls of our homes and sit in prayer engaging the whole family. With the coming of the guru, we pick up Yoga and engage the body in a systematic manner that brings renewed energy. Eventually, we withdraw from all things external and go within, on a return journey moving inwards, from the body towards the soul, as Iyengar puts it. We become renunciates.