What would you want? To receive a book written by the guru, that is going to be kept tucked away neatly with your previous collections of books showcased in your personal library that gives an impression that you are learned in a myriad of subjects or to receive a single word that is going to change your life forever? I never received any books from Tavayogi but he spoke some words that though did not make much sense then were the gist or cream of his wanderings, searches, contemplation, and experiences. He condensed his knowledge, wisdom, and Gnanam in a nutshell and passed on this treasure chest in passing or in a quiet moment together. Though these moments were rare and apart, what with me living in Malaysia and he in India, those words spoken in those rare moments came back to me as I began to experience them too. His experiences and Gnanam became mine too. So is it with Agathiyar passing on his Gnanam and outlook and understanding of life to us coming through devotees after Tavayogi's samadhi.
It is always that one word that triggers things be it a fight and flight or enlightenment and renunciation.
Margaret Simpson in ‘A Perfect Life’, Siddha Yoga Publication, 1996, shares a moment from Swami Muktananda's life.
"That word (Guru Om), which I (Swami Muktananda) received after so many years, spread through my body from head to toe like wildfire carried by the wind. It produced in me both inner heat and the coolness of joy. Before meeting my guru I had practiced many different kinds of yoga, but it was I who had practiced them. However, that word activated a spontaneous yoga within me."
That one word ends the years of search and brings one to settle at the feet of his guru. Tavayogi whom I met in 2005 was not one to accept every Tom, Dick and Harry as a disciple. He never acknowledged any of us as his disciples until he visited Malaysia last in 2016. Seeing AVM flourish he acknowledged our work and was proud that the seed he had planted had grown and taken shape. But his dream was to have each home become AVM. This was also my dream and that of Agathiyar. Except for a handful it never took off with others. Just as he never wanted to create an attachment or draw attention to him, he had me drop all my hold on things then and even those desires that I might have carried in me but not seen the light of day. So it was pretty easy for me to let go of everything else thanks to his grooming. Just as I had written in an earlier post at https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2024/03/letting-go.html, letting go came easy to me after meeting him. The man was very simple just as Agathiyar now tells us that the path too was simple. Going over to see him after seeing his name published in adverts announcing the opening of a local peedham for Agathiyar in Batu Caves in 2005, he confirmed that the leaflet that I held in my hands given by the Nadi reader in 2002 after I read the Nadi for the very first time, and that I had kept with me was indeed his. This leaflet was the pigeon posts that brought me to him. Before this meeting, Agathiyar had told me that I would meet my guru unexpectedly. I met not one but two wonderful gurus, Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai and Tavayogi. I learned much from them. They nurtured and crafted me. They made me what I am today. I am indebted to them. Their experiences guided me in making decisions in my life. It meant I need not go through the same experiences for I had been passed the learnings and messages from them that resulted from their experiences. These were tokens given to me that fast-tracked my journey helping me skip various stages and proceed ahead without obstacles and hindrances. These tokens that were special passes too opened up numerous doors along the way that led to speedy progress. The biggest token was the merits of the 40 years of tavam that Supramania Swami gave away to me without a second thought skyrocketing me to where I am today. I too shall have to leave behind my merits, if there is any, to another before I leave. This is the cycle of life. Letting go right till the last breath. Yes, we have to let go of our hold on the last breath too.
Whether we shall gain all the kinds of stuff and stages that spiritual masters or the books, websites, and blogs promise is a question that only time can answer. But the guru certainly prepares us for death. The guru comes to prepare us for this. Though we all die in the end, the guru prepares us to leave peacefully, leaving behind our material belongings and relationships, pride and ego, anger and envy, desires and wishes, and those closest to us the body, breath, and soul. While others struggle to willingly let go of the gross, how are they going to let go of these more subtle attachments? If in the event we skip death due to the grace of the Divine and the Guru, we might live to see all the great stuff foretold and promised earlier. We might even be around to share them with others.