Radhanath Swami in telling the story of Narada and his disciple in his book "The Journey Within", Mandala Publishing, 2016, writes, "Narada loved his disciple but sometimes love requires firm action."
The story is an interesting read. It goes as follows.
Narada had a disciple named Kailash. When he told him to take his spiritual life more seriously as time was passing quickly, the latter replied, "Sure, once I am finished with my studies first." Narada left. Several years later, he returned and reminded him again. His disciple replied that as he had just got married and started a business, he needed some time. Narada left. A few years later he replied he had children to care for. On his next visit, Narada was told that there were his grandchildren that he had to care for too. When Narada returned later the news of the death of Kailash awaited him. As Narada walked away disappointed that he had failed to help his disciple, a dog barked at him. It was Kailash. Narada tells him though he was a dog now that it was not too late. Kailash replies that he had to guard the family estates. When Narada returns later to find that the dog has died, he hears his disciple's voice in the tall grass. He was now a snake. He tells Narada that he has to protect the crops from predators. As they say, there is always the last straw that breaks the camel's back, Narada knocked on the door of the family home and told them there was a snake in the grass. The villagers gathered around and beat it up. Kailash cries out that he will come.
Radhanath Swami writes, "Death doesn't care if you have finished everything. When your times up, you have to move on."
There is a similar story told by Dharmalinga Swami of Kollimalai who moved to Tiruvannamalai later, in an audio of his, of a potential, soon-to-be disciple, identified and approached by a Siddha asking if he was ready to leave all behind and follow him. He gave the reason that his mother wished to see him married. The Siddha left. Once married he told the Siddha that his mother wanted to see her grandchild. The Siddha left. The Siddha came again to the man in his mid-life. The man told the Siddha that he had a responsibility to get his child married off. The Siddha left to return many years later. This time before the man could give more reasons not to follow him, the Siddha asked for some fresh coconut to quench his thirst. When the man was up the tree the Siddha shouted out "Stop!" and asked him whether he was holding on to the branch or the branch was holding on to him? Immediately the man realized the truth of the statement and how foolishly he had held on to the material world. He left with the Siddha that instant.
Just to make this point clear Agathiyar had us carry out our 6oth wedding telling us later that it was to acknowledge that we had to move on to another phase, and to the children he asked that they let us go.
Just as the Siddha comes by to remind us of our responsibility to their cause too, and lead us on various practices, techniques, mantras, meditation, etc, the Siddhas could come along in many forms to stop, halt, or divert us to another platform as they see deemed fit for our soul to progress. Supramania Swami, who had just begun the groundwork to start a temple was stopped by a stranger questioning him why he took a step back into Bhakti? If Tavayogi started me on the practice of Asanas and Pranayama, praised by Agathiyar as a treasure and equating it to a treasure-house, Agathiyar came later to stop me from furthering the practice. When it was seen and deemed to have served its purpose, in opening the chakras and energizing them he made known that further practice would only accentuate the pain I was undergoing then. The masters come along to break our dependence on things too. They come along to break a routine for spiritual evolvement means moving on to new frontiers. Hence the need to move away from tried methods and procedures that were initiated in the very first place, even if it was by the Siddhas.
A story is told in "I Am That", Syda Foundation, 1978 by Swami Muktananda of how Ashtavakra helped King Janaka drop a practice. Janaka who was initiated into mantra Japa or repetition of a mantra used to practice it on a nearby riverbank daily. As Ashtavakra came along one day, he could not help but notice the king chant the mantra at the top of his voice. Ashtavakra who knew that King Janaka, who was known as "a Videhi Janaka, the one who had gone beyond body consciousness, and who ruled his kingdom from the state beyond identification with the body, wondered why Janaka was repeating the mantra in this manner. Ashtavakra watched Janaka for a while, wondering how he should instruct him."
He sat beside the king with his water bowl and Yoga Danda and began to chant loudly, "This is my water bowl, this is my Yoga Danda", repeating it loudly to the annoyance of the king. The king chanted his mantra even louder. Now Ashtavakra raised his voice further. After a while, the king opened his eyes and looked towards Ashtavakra asking him angrily what he was doing? Ashtavakra asked him in return, "What are you doing?" The king replied that he was repeating a mantra. Ashtavakra said he was repeating a mantra too. The king apprehended him asking, "Are you mad. Who told you the bowl and Yoga Danda were not yours? Why do you need to keep shouting that it belongs to you?
Ashtavakra replied to the king, "It seems to me that you are the one who lacks understanding. Who told you that you are not That? Why do you have to go on shouting that you are That?
We too tend to carry on doing what was given throughout our lives not realizing that these methods and techniques are mere tools given to practice and benefit at that moment in time, or at that phase, stage, or state. Hence we understand the reasons Agathiyar and Tavayogi have us move on to the next phase after completing the previous one. Indeed Agathiyar too has been harsh and came down hard on us several times for stalling away and delaying the tasks given, all because he loves us. When Maya envelops us we fail to see our true Self. When are we going to wake up from this deep slumber that has come over us as a dark cloud that envelops our consciousness and prevents us from seeing the light beyond?