Facing death is a test of our faith. Facing suffering is a test of our faith. Facing an illness is a test of our faith too. Many are known to jump ship when they face these trying times. Our whole world seems to crumble in these moments. Even the saints and gurus go through trying times. But they stay strong. We too can remain strong holding the hands of our loved ones and the divine. All our prayers do pay off as Supramania Swami says that all our Tavam or austerities do not go to waste. When my brother-in-law passed away a couple of weeks ago, I could feel the energies envelop his home as he lay before us. The intensity of these energies was as strong as those that I had felt in the temples I visited. He was a staunch devotee of saint Raghavendra. He came to the path after watching the movie of this saint that was released in 1985. The movie changed his life dramatically. He has since then held on to the saint's feet. He envisioned and built the Mritiga Brindavanam in Ipoh for his beloved guru.
He was my guru too, a guide in many ways. Clueless as to what profession to pursue after my higher secondary schooling, I followed in his path taking up engineering. He used to have us wake up in the early hours of 4am and sing the glory of the Goddess for he was a devotee of hers before coming to his guru. He built temples in places where he was stationed when he was in the Public Works Department, namely the Machamuneeswarar temple in Simpang Empat, Semanggol, and Sri Rajarajeswari temple in Menglembu, Ipoh. I had the honor of painting murals on the walls of these temples then.
Looking into his past Agathiyar revealed that he was a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka in a past birth. In this birth he was Sri Raghavendra's beloved son.
SIDDHA HEARTBEAT: WHERE DOES THE GURU RESIDE? (agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com)
SIDDHA HEARTBEAT: NADI READING NO 9 (agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com)
SIDDHA HEARTBEAT: In Service to Sri Raghavendra (agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com)