I had asked a question in a recent post, "Where do we draw the line and determine whether to walk away or stop to help or interfere in the affairs of the world?" Many would consider this as meddling with the divine law of cause and effect, action and reaction, or Karma. Thiru Velayutham Karthikeyan Aiya who began the blog "Siththan Arul" which captivated my attention in the years of my search to know about the mysterious workings of the Siddhas, wrote a piece in Tamil on how the Siddhas help those who come seeking solutions. The gist of the matter is that the Siddhas, being compassionate and kind, put forward to God or Erai as they chose to address him, their wish that whoever seeks them for solutions to their problems and surrender, they shall be pardoned for their past deeds, however bad and evil they may be, and shall not be put through the trial and tribulations and made to face the consequences but instead be saved. God granted the Siddhas their wish. The next instant the Siddhas wrote down in Tamil prose on dried palm leaves; the reasons for each individual's sufferings; listed out solutions and remedies; and showed ways and means to overcome or end the seeker's problems, sins, diseases, illnesses, and sufferings. These writings came to be known as the Nadi.
I had a calling to see my Nadi in 2002 after a lengthy discourse on it given by my colleague who had seen his in 2000. He reminded me of my conversation in 1998, with a friend and Siddha practitioner who was my astrologer too since 1996. He had mentioned the possible reason why his predictions for me did not take off as having an element of a curse that forbade all the good things that I ought to have received. Sadly he told me that he could not look into the charts to determine these as only the Siddhas would know our past. But at that moment since the subject of Agathiyar and the Siddhas was alien to me and I did not know of anyone reading the Nadi in Malaysia and as I had no intent to travel to India, I let it lay to rest. Seeing the Nadi now in 2002, I was told the same, of the curses and the Karma and how they stood in my way, even stopping me from gaining the benefits of my worship of deities and gaining the benefits of Yoga practices both of which I picked up from books. I was asked to carry out remedies both locally and in India.
I guess this is the reason a total stranger asked me what was my problem when we met at the local Peedham that Tavayogi had come to officiate in 2005. I was taken aback as I was there for the sole purpose of learning further about the Siddhas. He continued that many came with problems. As I used to spend my time with Tavayogi during his brief stay there and listen to the many outpourings of those who came before him, Tavayogi later educated me on the difference between problems and suffering. A problem is one of our making and can be solved using our intelligence and some assistance. On the other hand, suffering is beyond our doing, often related to Vinai or Karma, and needs divine assistance. Even Tavayogi would stop short of listening, explaining the reason for their troubles, problems, sufferings, miseries, illnesses, and diseases as that of one's Vinai or Karma and proposing that the seekers take up the worship of the Siddhas for the Siddhas are known to show ways to rid one's Karma. Tavayogi who would stay away from healing or directly taking on another's Karma, made an exception in my daughter's case though, telling me that there was no need to carry out the long list of Parikarams given by Agathiyar in her Nadi reading. I knew then that he would speak to them as he had done on numerous occasions. When I was at his Ashram for the very first time in 2005, as he invited me along for his usual morning walk around the neighborhood the morning after my arrival, he told me that Agathiyar had come to him the night before and asked what he was going to give me. On another occasion, during his last visit to Malaysia in 2016, before he passed on, Agathiyar in a Nadi reading read by Tavayogi for a devotee, had a message for us at Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM), spelled out the wish of Tavayogi's guru Chitramuthu Adigal who had gone into Samadhi that we at AVM head for my hometown in Taiping and conduct a Siddha puja at the Taiping Thanneermalai Sri Thandayuthapani Alayam where Chitramuthu Adigal had lived, worked, and carried out Tapas or austerities in the past. As we were asked to go on a Thursday and since it was a working day and we had to travel some 266 km, hearing our difficulty, Tavayogi told us to go on a Sunday, when everyone was available, telling us that he would speak to his guru.
Though the Siddhas come to aid us through the Kaanda Nadi readings, Aasi Nadi readings, and Jeeva Nadi readings making known of our former blunders that gave rise to all these misgivings in the present life, and give us Parikarams or remedies to either erase these Karma in total or cushion their impact or soften their effects, there have been instances where they too backed off and stepped aside letting fate do its work, at times telling us the same. After coming to Agathiyar in 2002, he told me that he could not help my sister in distress for years. Recently he told my wife that he would take up her plea to Lord Siva and see what could be done for her ailing mother. Later Lord Murugan too came to assist but eventually, Agathiyar told us to leave it to fate and not discuss it any further. Agathiyar told my other daughter to light an oil lamp before Lord Ganapathy on nine consecutive Thursdays for her 4-year-old son, which she continues to do beyond the stipulated time making it a weekly routine. On the other hand, after gathering from a devotee who was asked to go to India to carry out a remedy, for her inability to leave for India then, Agathiyar replaced that particular remedy by asking her to feed the hungry for 8 Amavasai or the nights when the moon is not visible. They identified several unfortunate souls in a flat and saw through doing the remedy. As they stopped doing it after that, their act I understood was result-based. It was to appease their need of the moment. I am surprised that they did not continue beyond that time frame seeing these hungry and unfortunate souls struggling to survive among rising costs and inflation. Agathiyar identified this place to us later and had AVM continue to take up the cause. When we were asked to pull the brakes on doing charity and move within into the next phase, we were worried sick as to what was going to happen to this lot. Agathiyar consoled us that others would come to assist them. True enough Pothihai Tharma Chakram (PTC) continued where we left.
Agathiyar in coming as the bronze statue to my home in 2010 told me that all those who light a lamp before him shall see their plight dissolve. I would take up the many tools that we were given by the Siddhas whenever we needed assistance both through man and the divine and saw results in the form of miracles. All shall end well and to our relief. Many approached me in the past, sharing their plight and hoping that I pray for them. I used to do it until Agathiyar once told us and asked that we relay it to the devotee concerned, asking him to take up the tools for he was no stranger to the Siddha path, and conduct the worship and prayer for his dear ones in these moments of need. As we are known to always pass on our responsibilities to others in all matters, including in religious and spiritual matters, we tend to sublet even carrying out remedies, worship, rituals, pilgrimages, etc to priests, Nadi readers, astrologers, brokers, middlemen, or other devotees too. One has to travel the extra mile and carry them out. In going on pilgrimages to ancient temples built in high and difficult-to-reach terrains and places, one shall exhaust his Karma walking the distance. In personally submitting our prayer, one shall gain confidence to move into the next phase of Kriyai taking on rituals for himself rather than forever staying in the comfort zone of Sariyai, raising one's palms before statues of deities. In carrying out personal rituals the bridge bridging both worlds is drawn down and the deities come within our homes and hearts to stay. Otherwise, just as us reporting in for work, 9 to 5, they shall only shower their grace at specific times as many temples have made it be.