Wednesday 3 April 2024

NEED FOR A TEMPLE

When I went for my very first Nadi reading in 2002, Agathiyar in calling me to the worship of the Siddhas, surprised me by asking me to build a temple. I was on cloud 9 then thinking I was the privileged one and selected for this humongous task. But Sivabalan who had brought in the Nadi reader from India following in the tradition of his father and uncle, burst the Merry Bubble telling me that I was the 5oth person Agathiyar had asked. Since no one had done it he asked me to look into it. I immediately got to the ground asking existing temple committees for a space in their temple grounds to house Agathiyar's shrine as building a new one on a new plot of land would be mighty costly. But none of them offered a space. I dropped the idea.

When Supramania Swami wanted to fulfill his 40-year dream of seeing a temple for Lord Murugan materialize, I worked with him. We had bought a piece of land in Tiruvannamalai and built a cottage or kudil for Swami when a stranger came along and asked him why he was taking a step back into Bakthi. Swami dropped the idea.

When Tavayogi wanted to build a bigger temple for Agathiyar I asked him why he was taking a step back into Bakthi when he had always pushed us to come out of it into Gnanam. He told me that it was for the people.

Today after having me start my solo puja to the Siddhas after the first Nadi reading in 2002 and bringing my family to join me after Tavayogi asked me to bring them too into the fold in 2005 and bringing many youths to join us after their individual Nadi readings in 2013, having us go through the phases of Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam and Gnanam I am made to realize that no one bothered to go beyond Sariyai except for a handful really close to Agathiyar and willing to listen. Everyone comes to the Siddha worship thinking it is a substitute for temple worship. They never want to take up Kriyai and rituals in their homes, never want to take up Yoga, and are not willing to listen and heed or do not understand the numerous discourses the Siddhas held or did not believe the Siddhas could come through their devotees. 

Now I pretty much understand the truth in Tavayogi telling me that it was for the people. They seem satisfied by going to a temple, lighting an oil lamp, putting forth their prayers, and asking God to clear their problems, misery, and suffering. People are not ready to make the move or step into the next phase or take the plunge. Maybe I should reconsider Agathiyar's wish to build a temple although I had made my stand clear that I was not going to do it. How else can we save these souls?