In recent months I have been having phelgm gather in my throat and the passage between the throat and the nostrils. I thought it could be remnants of the cold that came with my recent Covid infection. When my daughter asked me to accompany her to see Siddha Physician and friend Arivananthan Aiya, I asked him if my Dosas had gone haywire, resulting in excess phelm. He checked my pulse and beat and told me I was pretty fine and my Dosas were balanced. But he did pass me a herbal preparation that he had prepared for his father who faced the same problem. So why did I have an onslaught of phelgm that comes on the moment I retire to sleep and troubled me till 10am the next morning? I consulted the medical doctor and she told me it could most possibly be the backflow due to sinusitis. Fine I could accept that. The answer though came through Nithilan Dhandapani's narrative of Kagabujandar's text. It seems when the heat from the Tava Kanal or austerities and breathing practices rises to the crown of the head, phelgm that I never knew existed in the head drains down into the throat. There I had my answer. This accumulation of phelgm is said to be Yaman or Yama Dharmaraja who takes away lives when the moment of death arrives. Ramalinga Adigal too tells us that it is this phelgm that kills us.
Kagapujandar also speaks of extremes as in intense sorrow and extreme happiness as we begin to connect with the universe and all of creation. This Agathiyar had cautioned us too when we handed out aid and did charity. He told us not to pity others and stop short of serving them in whatever capacity possible and move on with our life's purpose and not indulge and get caught in others troubles.
The site http://www.thekundaliniyoga.org/siddha_yoga/experiences_stages_of_siddha_yoga.aspx gives a detailed account of the changes that take place within the sadhaka that we too can relate to.
"Depending on the accumulated impressions of his past Karma impressions and the diligence with which he practices meditation (Sadhana) he will likely have amazing spiritual experiences on his way to Self Realization."
Stage One (Arambha-avastha).
"He will feel Prana in everything he touches with his skin. He will get a whiff of Prana in everything he smells with his nose. He will sense Prana in everything he tastes with his tongue. And he will hear the sound of Prana in everything he hears with his ears. In other words, he will begin to sense the entire material universe as manifestations of Prana Shakti."
In short, his senses are enhanced.
Stage Two (Ghata-avastha).
"The aspirant gradually begins to lose interest in material desires and begins to develop a sense of detachment from worldly attractions. This does not mean that he has to, or will, give up on material things (Samsaric). He may continue to live in the material world if he so chooses, but he will begin to develop a sense of non-attachment to material things."
"While the First Stage results in the aspirant feeling Prana within himself, the Second Stage leads the aspirant to sense Prana in everything.... the aspirant will find himself sensing Prana within and outside himself, not just during Sadhan but at all times."
These are similarly explained by Nithilan reading Kagabunjandar's text.
We have yet to arrive at Stage Three (Parichaya-avastha).
"His perspective of the universe changes to where he constantly sees the universe as nothing but a manifestation of Prana. He sees that oneness in everyone and everything."
This is what Ramalinga Adigal meant when he told me I shall come to know if the Prana dwells, lives, and travels in me or if I live in the Prana. In other words, its akin to what Agathiyar told us that he was the Prapanjam and the Prapanjam was in him.
"At this stage not only does the aspirant experience the universality of Prana but he is also able to begin to exert control over it. He develops an ability to exhaust all the accumulated Karma of his previous lives without having the necessity to be reborn again and again. As a result he reaches the status of Siddha which enables him to gain extraordinary powers (Siddhis) including the ability to awaken the dormant Kundalini Shakti in others. He achieves his goal of Self-Realization, and having done so, can choose to continue to live in this world as long as he desires or to liberate himself from it at will. He is no longer an “aspirant” but is now a true “Yogi”. Some yogis choose to dwell in this state for extended periods with the goal of helping others achieve Self-Realization. Others move on to the next stage of Liberation (Mukti)."
Agathiyar recently in his second memo to us explained the same saying in attaining the state of Jeevan Mukta where the Individual Soul or Jeeva(Atma) attains Mukti or Salvation, we become Him.
There is yet another stage spoken of that of the Fourth which is Nishpatti-avastha.
"This is the forth and the final stage of siddha yoga, where the siddha yogi, having achieved Self-Realization liberates himself from the cycle of birth and death. He achieves a state of bliss (Samadhi) where he is completely beyond the physical confines of this universe. He feels neither hunger nor thirst, nor heat nor cold. His Awareness no longer dwells in the material, but constantly resides in Prana. When he chooses to depart from his body he does not need to be reborn and his Awareness stays merged with the Chaitanya forever. He rests in his own essential nature – Self (the Atma-swaroop)"
Mahindren yesterday shared his understanding traveling some 10 years with Agathiyar and listening to the revelation in the latest memo, that Agathiyar showed him God and his nature. We are to imitate God's nature and not adore him. We are to become Agathiyan himself as expressed in the memo.
"Throughout this journey, although the Siddha Guru will always be there for specific guidance, the initiate will be guided automatically by his own awakened Kundalini energy (kundalini is an intelligent cosmic energy that knows about the Siddha yoga sadhak more then the sadhak), especially during the conduct of his siddha sadhan."
When the energy began to rise in me unknowingly and its outcome was explained to me later by Agathiyar, he told me the same when I asked what I should do further and if there was any further practice to adhere to or carry out. He told me that there was none and that the energies will do their work. Today he has me do nothing. He has passed on to Mahindren the responsibility to carry the name Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia and do justice to it.
There is no stored memory or data these days. These days I cannot retain much for it seems I only have Random Access Memory (RAM) and no internal harddisk or SSD. I have to capture immediately the subject and the narrative that comes to mind. It fades away almost instantaneously unless I take notes immediately. I am lucky if I can recall the words and sentences that comes through.