In my travels with Tavayogi, he never made a fuss even when a miracle took place, and neither did he allow me to stay long enough to investigate. He brushed it off and we moved on to our next destination. If it was us, we would reach for our smartphones and start clicking. We would gather many and talk about it for days on end. We would post our experiences on social media and make videos of them. These experienced old souls were humble to the core while we being the excited new kids on the block that we are, are forever eager to show and tell and share every single moment of our lives with others.
Reading Yogi Ramaiah's "Babaji Gita" I could see many similarities between these gurus.
Ramaiah writes that "Yogananda was meditating on the terrace of the Serampore ashram with Yukteshwar doing his evening walk on the terrace. Suddenly Swami Yukteshwar stopped and beckoned Yogananda to go over to him immediately. Yogananda did not move. Instead, he replied that he was meditating. When eventually he walked up to his guru, Yukteshwar tapped his forehead which awakened his Kundalini Sakthi to experience Vijnana Samadhi. When he came back to the ordinary level of consciousness his guru Yukteshwar was there watching him, remarked "Get the broom. Let us sweep the floor." The guru was teaching him to be humble and not be carried over by the lofty experience.
It reminds me of the miracle that Agathiyar promised me that he shall show at Agasthiyampalli in the Nadi reading. I was fortunate to be taken to this temple in 2005 by Tavayogi where Agathiyar performed the miracle of opening his left eye before me in this granite statue.
On 23 September 2005, as we set on this awesome journey Tavayogi turned around to me and said, “Only now our actual journey begins,” with a big grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, as if he knew beforehand or could foresee whatever was to take place on our journey. It was the second leg of our tour. Chauffeured by Prem, we were headed for Agasthiyampalli, Pothigai, Courtalam, and Palani as instructed in my Nadi. Tavayogi was just as excited as I was too. He tells me it has been ten years since he went to Agasthiyampalli.
We reached Agasthiyampalli, Vedaranyam at 10.30 am. A temple priest, who was sitting with two other locals at the entrance of the temple, on seeing us alight from the car, came forward to greet and usher us into the temple grounds. This unexpected gesture of his surprised us. He took us straight to Agathiyar’s temple which was on the left of the entrance and facing the main temple of Lord Shiva. The priest lighted the camphor and showed the flame (arati) to Agathiyar. Tavayogi and I then sat on the floor. Tavayogi began to sing the Siddha hymns and Potri as usual. The priest suddenly interrupted him. He asks that we circumambulate the temple first, giving instructions on how to do it the proper way. He insisted we pray at Lord Shiva’s shrine first as he was going away to another temple to conduct prayers. If my mind that was taught to think logically was asking, "It was almost noon and temples would be closed in the afternoons. So why was he in a hurry to go to another temple to conduct prayers", Tavayogi turned to me and said, "Let us oblige him."
Tavayogi and I came round the temple grounds as the priest had instructed. We stepped into Lord Shiva’s shrine where the priest was waiting for us. He lighted the camphor again and showed the flame. He led us to the open ground and touched a spot telling us that that was the very spot where Agathiyar had pressed his thumb into the ground to balance the earth that had tilted due to the Devas, Gods, and Goddesses converging in the Himalayas for Lord Shiva-Goddess Parvathy’s wedding. Tavayogi and I came back to Agathiyar’s shrine. Tavayogi picked up singing the hymns from where he had left. Since Agathiyar had promised to open his eyes and see me at Agasthiyampalli in the Nadi reading, I began observing him. He was carved in granite with both eyes shut. His image had been worn down, missing all the details, due to years of conducting libation or Abhisegam on him.
As Tavayogi ended his prayer with a couple of hymns, I continued with the Potri hymns as usual. As I started reciting the Pranavam - AUM, at Agathiyar’s shrine, I could hear and feel the Pranavam reverberate, and bounce off the granite walls. I felt a cool breeze sweep over me even as I was sweating away at the shrine. As I uttered the last line of the Potri hymn, Aum Maa Siddhargale Potri, I broke down in tears. I cried and cried. Sadly, he did not open his eyes even after all the praise to him. Agathiyar had yet to look at me. I begged Agathiyar to open his eyes and see me. However, he did not respond. I shut my eyes as I wept continuously. After some time, I opened my eyes. Tavayogi who was earlier seated opposite me was not there anymore. I turned towards the entrance. He had moved to the open air and was standing there observing from the outside.
As I joined Tavayogi where he was standing, just like Yukteswar ushered Yogananda, he ushered me to his side and whispered to me, “Agathiyar had opened his eyes twice. There is the aroma of sandalwood in the air too”. He asked that I stand at the same spot he had stood. “Concentrate now. Look at the Siddha’s eyes,” he said. I peered at the granite statue of Agathiyar but I could hardly make out his face much less see him open and close his eyes. The shrine was dark. I could sense Tavayogi’s disappointment that I could not see Agathiyar open his eyes. This I knew from the tone of his voice when he consoled me, “Never mind, son. Let’s snap some photographs, shall we?”
Agathiyar too in coming through a devotee tried to initiate something similar, the details of which I am not at liberty to share openly or disclose nor reveal as he had asked that it be kept within the four walls of our prayer room. Though he did try numerous times to show us out of love for us, both my wife and I failed to see. I guess we had not reached the state that Agathiyar aspired for us.
Yogi Ramaiah narrates a similar incident. When Yukteshwar went to Kasi to see Lahiri Mahasaya, he "pointed to the bright sunlight near his room and remarked look but Yukteshwar could not see anything special. Lahiri Mahasaya tapped his forehead pulled up his kundalini shakti and saw in the bright sunlight the immortal Paramaguru Babaji." Ramaiah writes that unless the Kundalini Sakti is raised to the level of the 6th Anjana chakram one could not see the Siddha Kriya Babaji Nagaraj."
Tavayogi too would look towards the skies and point out to me that the Siddhas were ushering and showering us with flower petals. I would look up into the sky and look back at him with bewildered eyes, yet I choose to believe and we moved on.
I entered Agathiyar’s shrine again and was about to sit at the same spot when Tavayogi motioned me to sit with Agathiyar in the inner sanctum. “Go in and sit at Agathiyar’s feet in the inner sanctum. He is our father. Who dares object?” That is when Tavayogi throws his shawl over to me asking me to lay it on the floor to sit on as the floor had oil spills and grime.
Swami Muktananda in his KUNDALINI - THE SECRET OF LIFE, Siddha Yoga Publication, 1994, (Muktananda, Kundalini - The Secret of Life, 1994) describes a true guru as follows,
“The Guru is the grace bestowing power of God. The entire body of such a Guru has become permeated with Sakti. In fact, the Guru becomes the embodiment of Sakti to such an extent that the hat he wears, his clothes, and the mat on which he sits become permeated with it, and just by touching them, a disciple can receive Sakti.”
Often Jeganatha Swamigal used to be seen in a loincloth and people made fun of him calling him a lunatic. At other times he dressed in white like Ramalinga Adigal. It is said that he never took a bath but there was always a sweet aroma emitting from him. It is said that Jeganatha Swamigal in passing to one Gurusamy Pillai his loincloth told him that he would not know the auspiciousness of that piece of cloth then but asked that he keep it with him.
As I laid his shawl and sat, I glanced at Agathiyar’s face and what do I see? The Siddha is observing me with an eye open. I looked hard in disbelief. I was sure they were engraved “closed” as I entered his shrine this morning. I was overcome with joy seeing Agathiyar look at me and I called out to Tavayogi, “Swami…” Even before I could complete my sentence, Tavayogi understood and told me, “Right! He has seen you, has he, come! They will show (themselves) you only for a moment.” Tavayogi hurried me from the spot. Even as I came out from his shrine, the Siddha was looking at me with one eye open, grinning away.
Agathiyar decided to perform the same feat and miracle that he did at Agasthiyampalli shortly after at his shrine at Papanasam. This time he opened both his eyes and saw us. Again Tavayogi herded me and this time my brother too who had joined us at Trichy out of the temple grounds.
As we alighted from the ambassador at the entrance to Breehadeshwarar temple, a peddler approached Tavayogi and asked how is it he (Tavayogi) was there at Breehadeshwarar temple again? He mentioned that Tavayogi was there the day before too. Tavayogi turned around to me and gave me a puzzled look. How could Tavayogi be there when he was traveling with me? He made no fuss about it.
While at Konganar's cave at Uthiyur, Kangayam, an old man who followed us from Kallar, and I was blessed to receive the sacred ash or vibhuti that appeared mysteriously. After entering the cave, as usual, we each picked a spot on the ground and started chanting the Siddhas' names. As I was not proficient in chanting the Siddha names then, and as I could not keep up with the speed the old man was chanting the names, I chose to just close my eyes and listen. Upon opening my eyes I saw Tavayogi holding out the sacred ash or vibhuti in his hand. He applied it on my forehead and the old man too. He gave me some to take back. As we were about to leave the cave, I asked Tavayogi why he left behind the rest of the vibhuthi. Only then did he realize there was vibhuti on a piece of newspaper. He turned to me and asked whether I had brought the sacred ash. I shook my head, "No". He asked the old man. He too replied he had not brought any along. Tavayogi gave a puzzled look and told us to let it be (the ash). He made no fuss about it.
As we stood in line for the gates to Lord Murugan's chambers at Palani to be opened for the day I felt elated that I was seeing Lord Muruga again after 2003, accompanied by my guru Tavayogi this time. As the senior priest began explaining to Tavayogi and my brother the origin of the temple, I walked across the room to the exit door and sat down again. Again a young priest was in attendance. As we stepped out of the chambers into the corridor the young priest reappeared in the corridor. Again he had a tumbler in his hands. He passed it to Tavayogi who was in front. Tavayogi took a gulp and passed the tumbler to my brother who was behind him. He took a gulp too and passed it to me. I emptied the milk down my throat and passed the tumbler back to the priest with a nod of thanks. I hurried behind Tavayogi and my brother who had already moved out into the open. That is when it happened again. I was in a state of bliss exactly as I had experienced on my first trip. I began to lag behind as Tavayogi and my brother walked ahead having a conversation. Suddenly Tavayogi stopped and looked at me asking, "What Son?" I was literally walking on air! That moment I knew that he knew! He knew what was happening. There was a sparkle in his eyes as he turned towards me and asked the question with a grin. I just walked right up to him and laid my head on his chest. After a moment he turned around and continued walking.
I guess these gurus have seen much in their lifetimes and as such witnessing or performing miracles are very much part of their daily lives.
Returning from my pilgrimage to India, Agathiyar in a reading on 20 December 2005, mentions the reason he hurried me to leave for India a month after Tavayogi's departure and the numerous Siddha spots, samadhis, and caves, he brought me to. He confirms how he appeared at Papanasam, Courtallam, and Agathiyampalli. Just as he had performed miracles in India, Agathiyar promised to perform the same in Malaysia. And he kept his word till this very day.