I am glad Tavayogi asked me if that was what I wanted when I shared my desire to see Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal with him. They would have materialized before me as Tavayogi said and my journey would have stopped there. I would have accepted them with a form and figure and name and would not have seen their other dimensions. I would be arguing with others regarding their form stating that what I saw was the truth. I would have been condemned to living in that state.
I'm glad that Agathiyar like Tavayogi asked me if that was what I wanted when I replied to him that I would love to be born again and again and serve him as I did now when I was cornered by him asking what I desired and he kept waiting for an answer. He would have granted my wish and I would come back to repeat the same never seeing further progress. I would have held to worship as "The Way" and not see further the many paths that were out there. I would have been condemned to living in that state.
It is because I held on to what was told and instructed and was willing to let go when asked to do so that I could move up the ladder and discover the myriad possibilities and probabilities in reaching out to the Divine.
He asked that I let go of all my readings, understanding, home puja, and Yoga practice picked up from the books and came after 14 years to fill me in with his divine knowledge. He enlightened me on the reason for people's sufferings that I had questioned. He set me on worship to the Siddhas and other deities. He had me read his Kaanda Nadi initially and continue with his Aasi Nadi where he guided me on the path and phases of Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam, and Gnanam having me drop the former and move on to the next phase till he left me naked under the sky and connecting me with the Prapanjam, for all my further needs. It is so wonderful. It has indeed been a wonderful journey traveling with Agathiyar. One would be tempted to ask 'Who are you" as Gowri Arumugam and Tavayogi penned the lyrics of the song Karunai Vizhiyaal" and as I asked him too.
So who is he? Writing on Agathiyar's origin at https://holysageagathiyar.com/, Vashisht Vaid says that he was the very "Vital Radiant Consciousness of Adi Ganesha in a Human Form" that Adi Param Shiva desired.
In Ancient Vedic Times he is said to be the "Radiant Conscious Son of Celestial Nymph Urvashi".
During the Treta Yuga, he was said to be the "Radiant Conscious Son of Maharishi Pulatsya".
He is said to be "the Divine Embodiment of Mercury or Budhan Consciousness, vitally incarnated in a Human Form upon this planet to Enlighten the Human race".
Lord Muruga, on the other hand, is said to be the "Other Desire Mind Son of Param Shiva, Lord Kartikeya having the Mangal or Mars Consciousness of Mitra Avatar Narasimha".
"Lord Shiva himself appeared in the temporal form of a Supreme Teacher known as Lord Dakshina Murthi, giving discourses of Divine Celestial Wisdom to enhance the vital wisdom of Sage Agastya. The Embodied form of Param Shiva Consciousness manifested as the Supreme Teacher Lord Dakshina Murthi along with his consort named Shenbhaga, then addressed all the Seers and Sages who especially gathered for this Grand Occasion, who under the Guidance and Patronage of Sage Agathiyar formulated a Siddha Group named the Sangam, and since then the Great Sage Agathiyar is considered by all Seers and Sages as the founder establisher of the Tamil Shaiv Siddhanta Sangam upon this planet Earth."
Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar in his book, "POTRINAL UNATHU VINAI AGALUM APPA", explains the process through which Agathiyar attained the highest state, that of becoming one with Erai. This state was granted to Agathiyar by his Guru Supramaniar (Lord Muruga). Its translation from Tamil goes as follows.
"Agathiyar mentions that he learned the Siddha way from Supramaniar. Supramaniar granted Agathiyar the body of Light or Jhothi Nilai in the following birth as an appreciation for Agathiyar's service rendered to him and helping Supramaniar himself achieve his desire in attaining the Jhothi Nilai. All the knowledge to attain the state was made available to Agathiyar by Supramaniar because Agathiyar had provided the space, shelter, and all comforts for Supramaniar to carry on with his penances (tapas) and austerities (tavam) in a past birth.
Agathiyar was 60 years of age then when Supramaniar attained the body of Light through his tapas, thanks to Agathiyar looking after all of Supramaniar's needs. Supramaniar promised Agathiyar that they would meet in a subsequent birth and that he would return the favor. In the succeeding birth, Agathiyar traveled in vain in search of his ideal guru. He eventually met Supramaniar at Kodaikanal, where Supramaniar made him recall the past and as promised in return for all his services in the past birth, blessed Agathiyar and taught him secrets of attaining the state of Erai. Agathiyar began by performing puja to Supramaniar. By way of devotion to Supramaniar, he began to realize that he had had the greatest gift which was the human birth, which comes by very rarely. Through Supramaniar he came to know himself and the divinity that resided in the physical body. He understood the very Nature that brought him forth and resided within him. With Supramaniar's guidance and blessings, Agathiyar relished the ambrosia or nectar that came about through his tapas. This removed the seven veils to reveal the Jhothi in him, hence attaining the body of Light. With this came Bliss, Siddhis, and the state of Deathless-ness. Agathiyar attained the five tanmai of Erai namely Creation, Sustenance, Destruction, Veiling, and Showering Grace.
Supramaniar granted Agathiyar the titles of Gurumuni and Kumbamuni and sent him off to spread the Siddha way extensively all over the globe, bringing many into his fold. All the Siddhas soon looked upon Agathiyar as their Guru."
Today Agathiyar stands before us as Guru too.
Dr. Mandayam Kumar from the Siddha Medical Research Institute in Bangalore, "gives a short narrative about Sage Agastya at the beginning of the Kali era, since when our present civilization has its origin. Sage Agastya is stated to have been born nearly 5000 years before the commencement of Kali Yuga, at a place in Gujarat, as the son of Bhargava and Indumathi who followed the traditional Pasupatha cult which was widely prevalent at that time". Read further at http://www.tknsiddha.com/medicine/origin/
In another article of his, SIDDHA AGASTHYA – FOREMOST OF THE SIDDHAS, passed on to me by Nadi Nool Aasan T. Ramesh many years back, Dr. Mandayam gives more details. Read further at https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-many-origins-of-agathiyar.html
Pa. Kamalakannan in CITTAR URUVIL SHIVAPERUMAN, Vanathi Pathippakam, 2007 (Kamalakannan, 2007), says Agathiyar married Yasomadhi from Cambodia. Among his children who ruled the land, Yasovarma became a famous ruler.
P. Karthigayan in his HISTORY OF MEDICAL AND SPIRITUAL SCIENCES OF SIDDHAS OF TAMIL NADU, quotes Bhogar as having mentioned that Agathiyar was from a family of farmers. This little-known fact was mentioned by Agathiyar in the Nadi reading for AVM too.
M. Govindan in BABAJI AND THE 18 SIDDHA KRIYAYOGA TRADITION, Kriya Yoga Publications, Quebec, Canada, 1991, details Agathiyar's journey as starting at Agastya Ashram near Nasik (Pancavati in ancient times), marriage to Lobhamudra, king Vidarbha’s daughter (mentioned in the Mahabharata).
Pon. Govindaswamy in his book, SIRSABAIYUM PORSABAIYUM, Bharath Book Bureau, 1985, mentions that Agathiyar took birth as Valluvar and gave us the TIRUKURAL besides other texts. He mentions that Agathiyar took birth as Ramalinga Adigal in the 19th century and gave us the TIRUARUTPA.
For one who has seen Agathiyar in the form of light in the hills of Kallar and who comes to speak to him, what has Tavayogi to say about Agathiyar's origin?
Agathiyar fills Jnana Jothiamma with information about who the Siddhas are.
Wondering what could be his origin, Surendaran Selvaratnam agreed to ask Agathiyar himself for answers to his origin the next time he went for a Nadi reading. Agathiyar partially fulfilled our interest to know in 2017. Its translation from Tamil goes as follows.
"Agathiyar in his very first mortal birth, had the vision of Kailash at a very young age of 10. After the vision, he took up extreme tapas (tavam) including breath control. With the holy feet of the Sadguru forever in his thought, he reached a state of Nirmala at Kailash. Upon receiving theecha from Lord Kailai Esan, he was blessed to be born a Siddha. It was a mystical birth. Agathiyar adds that it was not necessary to dwell on the source and the details (Rishimulam Nadhimulam).
Born as a Siddha now and moving in the jungles, sustaining only on fruits, his thoughts fixed on Erai, having no attachment to the good or bad, he soon had the vision and grace of Goddess Vana Kali. Continuing with his seeking and search for realization, and further severe tavam, Lord Kailai Esan shows him his vision in Pothigai. Merging with Erai, Agathiyar stayed on at Pothigai upon Lord Kailai Esan's directive. While here he came to know about the medicinal benefits of various herbs and plants. Agathiyar received the names of Kudamuni, Kumbamuni, and other names from Lord Kailai Esan.
Going without food and remaining in silence, staying in the state of Vasi, adhering to the eight limbs of Asthanga Yoga and performing extreme tapas, for the rest of the Yuga, gaining the Siddhi to travel through air, yet Lord Kailai Esan told Agathiyar that there was something that he had failed to accomplish and do. When Agathiyar asked for further clarification, Lord Kailai Esan laughed and looked him straight into his eyes, "Although you are an embodiment of Gnana, and those who hold on to your feet shall never face any disappointments, Gurumuni you do not have a companion as I do."
Agathiyar was taken aback. He came to know that the Lord intended to get him engaged to the very representation of Mother Kaveri, and Kaberan's daughter, Lobamutrai. Hence in this Kali Yuga, his energy that was of Shiva Sakthi came to stay at Kalyana Theertam to bless all those who came seeking him and stood before him and Lobha Ma, seeing them as a personification of Shiva Sakthi."
Who is Agathiyar to us? If Dr. C. Srinivasan in retracing Ramalinga Adigal's footsteps, says that he had tasted the bliss of all the sixteen stages contemplated by the Vedas, by the permutation and combination of the four paths, such as Devotion (Sariyai), Action (Kriyai), Meditation (Yogam), and Wisdom (Gnanam), one after another. With the aid of the Supreme Grace, he attained the ultimate goal of all the six heavenly avenues including Vedantham and Siddhantham, leading to Divinity. "He had further given an exposition of his admittance into Sanmargam by the bounteous and boundless descent of the auspicious Supreme Being in him which has resulted in his immortality", similarly, unknowingly to us, Agathiyar had made us walk the path complying with the 5 tenets that he gave mankind. Living a life of ignorance in a world created by Shiva or Salokyam, he brought us away from Sariyai and came up close as in Sameepam, when we took up the tool of Kriyai. He stood in our thoughts in the moments of puja and stood in our actions when we did charity. He then had us take up Yogam having us attain the state of Sarupam, taking on his soul and form. Through His grace, we stand at the door to Gnanam and await the state of Sayujyam. These are the ways that Agathiyar has come to stay with us, leaving the pages of the sacred texts and volumes of books on him to stay in the homes and the hearts of his devotees. All these were possible by his grace and the grace and efforts of our gurus in physical form. We brought Agathiyar from the sacred texts and time immemorial to live with us in present times. He has adapted well to our present world too.