From a recent video interview I saw I have come to understand how the many forms and images we took up in worshiping Gods came by. In telling the story of Karupanasamy we learn that he was born as one of the sons of King Rama. Pious and holy he was sent to the south to defeat the Asuras who were creating havoc. As such he had to become one of them to battle at par and defeat them. He began to consume meat and liquor. Upon defeating them he returned north and went back to his usual life. But people began to hold him in high esteem and reverence and worship him in the form or Avatar that he took to defeat their the Asuras. Hence we see Lord Siva, Lord Muruga, Goddess Ma, and other Gods take up arms. We see people worshipping Gods with arms holding arms.
Puranas, parables, and stories aside, the true story is one of reforming and transforming oneself into the image of these Gods. God is equated to love and compassion. This is what Ramalinga Adigal strived to inject into people. While he took these tools to the common man, the Siddhas groomed some to transform themselves into a state of a teacher or gurus and share their experiences and practices with others willing to change. The Siddhas in initiating us into rituals bring us to take the first step and step out of the customary form of worship adopted by the general public. In the Siddha path, one could do his own rituals to the Gods without a mediator. Undergoing the numerous processes required to bring these changes externally, one delves into bringing the required changes internally too. Soon they bring us to Yoga and its many facets. They have us acknowledge that the breath is like a wild horse and needs to be tame just as our desires, wishes, aspirations, appetite, perspectives, and understanding all need to be revolutionized. Eventually, the breath learns to settle down. It is tamed by doing Pranayama. It quietens down. We are asked to observe the silence that prevails in the breath. From engaging in activities of the world we travel inwards to experience the flowering that takes place. We begin to engage in the moment. We rest in peace. We remain still. We do not cause ripples. We become the Watcher and not the Doer. We remain as It Is. We are That before the evolution began. We are Param.