DOWN MEMORY LANE 2

I seem to have come one full cycle, coming back to where I started. Here I am sitting in my living room, watching the rain, sipping a cup of hot coffee, and listening to the songs that I hand-picked from the LPs at Janani Music Center in Kuala Lumpur and had converted to cassettes in the late 80s and 90s. These songs do sound very different when listening to them on my 7.1 sound system compared to the portable radio cassettes of the past. Come, let us enjoy together.

DOWN MEMORY LANE 1

I was crazy about songs and movies since day one, always arriving earlier to listen to the soundtracks played before the start of the show, sitting in the front row of the theatre, which cost 35 cents, for that was what I could afford as a kid back then. Growing up, I aspired to become a movie director, but good sense told me otherwise. Same goes with my desire to become an artist. 

When I was transferred and came to Kuala Lumpur in 1988, I had access to shops selling LP vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs. I would frequent these shops and list out songs from an LP and have them transferred to tape for a fee. These tapes, which were collecting dust, were given a new life when a Pakistani Christian friend of mine who repaired electronic equipments stopped me in front of his house as I passed by after my morning walk several weeks ago and passed me a used cassette player that he had made good, since I had mentioned to him of my large collection of tapes. Later, he came by my house to listen and told me to digitize these tapes in case I might not find spares if the player broke down. 

I had previously digitized some of my favourites and uploaded them to https://www.angelfire.com/art/indianheartbeat/index.html

Taking up his advice, I have digitized the first instalment of songs and uploaded them to YouTube. 

TIPS & MATERIALS

Many years back, a physiologist at a Medical center who followed my blog and used to email me walked up to me during an Agathiyar's puja that we carried out at a temple. I was surprised how he located me in the crowd. He immediately spoke about my experiences having conversations with Agathiyar and asked if I could be hallucinating. Since he had already determined the end result, I told him that I did not want to be his test model and asked him instead to walk the path and know for himself. 

To those keen on walking the path, I could share some tips and materials to begin with. 

1. Begin worship to the Siddhas to get their attention, gain their trust, and receive guidance. 
2. Once we come under their watchful eyes, they shall guide us by any means. Remember that there are no rigid and standard operating procedures, but instead all the tools and practices are catered and customized for each individual. 
3. Follow diligently what is told for the duration or given without question, for a start, for otherwise we would never get going. 
4. Do not desire the said results or compare with others' results. 
5. Be patient. Nothing shall happen overnight. 
6. We have to fortify our body and breathe through Yoga techniques that shall come to us with their grace. Have a guru in the physical form with you so that you can refer to her or him in the event of changes that begin to take place. In the absence of a guru, the Siddhas would guide and advise in some appropriate manner.
7. Coming into Kriyai (personally conducting rituals) from Sariyai (temple visits and pilgrimages), we take up Yogam (Asanas and Pranayama techniques). Henceforth, the Siddhas and the energies within would do their work.
   

A reader and author of several books messaged me her intent to write about the Siddha path and the methodology that they prescribe some time back. As she told me that she had no idea of the four divisions or phases mentioned above, I asked her to begin the worship of the Siddhas first, gain these experiences, and only later write about it for the following reasons.

• Tread the path first. Gain all these experiences. Then, when you write about the path, it would not be theoretical but one that you had walked. See if you can get hold of a guru on this path of the Siddhas in your place. I have written extensively about these on the blog. Look it up. Do a search on this in the blog, and the search results will bring you to the relevant posts and pages.
• I wrote as I traveled the path, seeing that there was a lack of information or reluctance on the part of many to share or reveal. All my writings were initially for my use, but I began to share with others too, seeing how difficult it was to lay my hands on them, especially when it was all in Tamil. To write about the Siddhas, you must have at least traveled with them. Tavayogi only wrote his books after some 45 years on this path.
• Then you need not look elsewhere. They shall fill you in. Be patient. Your book has to be authentic and not based on others' learning and understanding. Walk the path n then begin to write about the Siddhas. There is no hurry. Give it time. Experience them first. What you shall write on the Siddhas shall be what you have experienced. Then you can bring in the experiences of others to fortify your writing. This is what Tavayogi told me.
• Walk the path first. For when you release your book, someone is bound to ask if you have experienced all that is written. Why, Agathiyar himself shall put this question to you through someone. What are you going to say then?
• This is my humble opinion. 

All the materials for making this journey are in this blog. For those using handphones, go to "View Web Version" and find these links. I hope and pray that you, too, shall arrive at this state of bliss that I am in. 

AGATHIYAR

I am not a scholar. I am not well-read in the sacred texts of religions. Whatever little knowledge I have was picked up from books that I either bought, were given to me, or I borrowed from the libraries, and listening to elders. I believed in them until a series of tragedies that happened to relatives and friends shook my faith. I questioned if God was for real and whether he was indeed compassionate, kind, and loving. Lord Siva came in a timely manner to ask me to go on a break, from all the puja I did at home and the temple visits I carried out as a bachelor back then, between 1980 and 1988. After 13 years, Agathiyar decided to come into my life first by giving me the Vasudeva mantra in 2001, coming through my nephew to chant, and later reading out my Nadi when I went for my Nadi reading the following year. He had me drop in on Supramania Swami, my first guru in Tiruvannamalai, the following year, when, upon leaving him after spending some precious 5 hours with him, he gave me a Siva mantra to chant. Later in 2005, I met Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal on my shores, who officially initiated me into the Siddha path by giving me a mantra of Agathiyar to chant, and initiated me into Yoga on his next visit in 2007. There was no turning back after that. But still, I knew little of the immense religious knowledge out there. Instead of filling me up with bookish knowledge, Tavayogi took me on a journey of self-discovery, trekking into the jungles and staying in caves. It was an experience of a lifetime that reading books would not have given me. He had me begin doing rituals backed by Agathiyar, giving me first-hand experience with them, breaking the need for a middleman. My gurus stepped aside after showing me the way and the means to continue on the path. They made sure that I did not rely on them for all my spiritual seekings. I had to discover for myself. Agathiyar would come to confirm or correct my understanding that came through from the experiences gained from these practical lessons. This applied to both Kriya and Yoga. 

Today, though, I have yet to know Agathiyar, his origin, and his story, which I sought to know back then, and have yet to see him, which I desired much; I have come to accept and regard them as unimportant now. Instead, I feel his presence both around me and in me and others. My family and I get to hug him whenever he comes through another. We get to have a conversation with him. If initially, he spent brief moments with us, later he spent more time, and these days he is ever in our homes and our hearts. What else could we ask for? If someone were to contest and ask me to show evidence and proof or ask to bring him before them, I am at a loss. This is not a finding that we deduce from an experiment we carry out in a laboratory to show to others. It is not magic either. It has to be lived and seen by each individual. 

A SOLO JOURNEY

The daily routine of home puja that I did twice at dawn and dusk, and the daily temple visits, together with all the reading and debating with senior friends in my bachelor days beginning in 1980, was brought to an end by Lord Siva appearing in a dream back then in 1988. God, who resided in the skies, brought into the temples and homes, is now seen as the Prapanjam and realized within and in all of her creation.

Then, the many rituals I conducted after coming to worship the Siddhas in 2002, on full moon and new moon nights, as well as other auspicious days, together with the charity programs I participated in with Agathiyar bringing several other followers to my home in 2013, were brought to an end back then in 2019 by Agathiyar, who moved me to dissolve the group. For one who used to check the Hindu almanac, now needs to be told or reminded of auspicious days. 

When Agathiyar told me that I did right in seeing him and adorned him as Lord Ganapathy during his Sathurthi many years back, a reader commented in the comments section, saying that these deities are different and cannot be the same. Sharing a lengthy passage he quoted from the sacred texts and other sources. 

Thank you for sharing this story. Amazing devotion. I just wanted to comment on your new Video. You show pictures of Aghastiyar worshipped as Ganesha. Ganesha and Aghastiyar are different living entities. The Mayavada theory that all is one and you can worship in whatever way you like is wrong, as will be proved from the Vedas and Vaishnava Acharyas:

"Just as the Gaṅgā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Śambhu [Śiva] the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas." [Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.16 https://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/12/13/16 ]

Translation:

“Śaṅkarācārya is not at fault, for it is under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that he has covered the real purport of the Vedas.

Purport:

[...]

“The Māyāvāda philosophy,” Lord Śiva informed his wife Pārvatī, “is impious [asac chāstra]. It is covered by Buddhism. My dear Pārvatī, in Kali-yuga, I assume the form of a brāhmaṇa and teach this imagined Māyāvāda philosophy. In order to cheat the atheists, I describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be without form and without qualities. Similarly, in explaining Vedānta, I describe the same Māyāvāda philosophy in order to mislead the entire population toward atheism by denying the personal form of the Lord.” In the Śiva Purāṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead told Lord Śiva:

dvāparādau yuge bhūtvā kalayā mānuṣādiṣu

svāgamaiḥ kalpitais tvaṁ ca janān mad-vimukhān kuru

“In Kali-yuga, mislead the people in general by propounding imaginary meanings for the Vedas to bewilder them.” These are the descriptions of the Purāṇas.

[...]

This is confirmed in the Padma Purāṇa, where Lord Śiva tells Pārvatī:

śṛṇu devi pravakṣyāmi tāmasāni yathā-kramam

yeṣāṁ śravaṇa-mātreṇa pātityaṁ jñāninām api

apārthaṁ śruti-vākyānāṁ darśayaḻ loka-garhitam

karma-svarūpa-tyājyatvam atra ca pratipādyate

sarva-karma-paribhraṁśān naiṣkarmyaṁ tatra cocyate

parātma-jīvayor aikyaṁ mayātra pratipadyate

“My dear wife, hear my explanations of how I have spread ignorance through Māyāvāda philosophy. Simply by hearing it, even an advanced scholar will fall down. In this philosophy, which is certainly very inauspicious for people in general, I have misrepresented the real meaning of the Vedas and recommended that one give up all activities in order to achieve freedom from karma. In this Māyāvāda philosophy, I have described the jīvātmā and Paramātmā to be one and the same.” How the Māyāvāda philosophy was condemned by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers is described in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, Second chapter, verses 94 through 99, where Svarūpa-dāmodara Gosvāmī says that anyone who is eager to understand the Māyāvāda philosophy must be considered insane. This especially applies to a Vaiṣṇava who reads the Śārīraka-bhāṣya and considers himself to be one with God. The Māyāvādī philosophers have presented their arguments in such attractive, flowery language that hearing Māyāvāda philosophy may sometimes change the mind of even a mahā-bhāgavata, or very advanced devotee. An actual Vaiṣṇava cannot tolerate any philosophy that claims God and the living being to be one and the same. [Chaitanya Charitamrita https://www.vedabase.com/en/cc/adi/7/110 ]

I told him that if he had so much bookish knowledge, he should start his own blog and educate others, and not comment on others' blogs. I deactivated the comments section since then. Today, Agathiyar shows us that he is the Prapanjam and all of it.

So too do many seekers join movements and societies only to become dissatisfied for various reasons and speak ill or write about them without addressing these issues. Instead, it would be noble to leave these movements to start one on their own, where they can do it the way they want. During my days of search to learn about the worship of the Siddhas, I never found any movement engaged in doing it. They only did charity. I opted to stop my search and stay home to carry out my own home puja to the Siddhas with whatever material I had gathered. Soon, Agathiyar sent me Tavayogi to officially guide me. Tavayogi introduced rituals and initiated me officially into Yoga. The Asanas and Pranayama techniques I adopted and practiced that Agathiyar refers to as a treasure have lifted me and given me immense bliss, though it was painful at the very same time. Since then, Agathiyar had me move into the next phase of abstaining from doing anything and instead do nothing. Internal changes began to take place, bringing on body aches and discomfort. Agathiyar consoled me, equating pain with bliss. These have disappeared just as mysteriously as they came on. I am at peace doing nothing. 

There are so many lies being told both in the material world and the spiritual. Everything gets adulterated over time. Just as the best recipes and tastes are lost over time, and in preparing and serving the masses, so too in the religious and spiritual field, sermons and rituals become less authentic, irrelevant, and pointless over time, and at times dangerous when given to the masses. Agathiyar tells us to carefully sieve through them, asking us to question them and not to accept blindly. 

Religion is personal. Spirituality is even more personal. One drops the association with others when he reaches the higher rungs of the ladder. Agathiyar told me it was now a solo journey, each man for himself, when he brought the shutters down on Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM). Be true to your soul. Let it dictate to you. 

MORE LEARNING

Man who marveled at nature and its creator soon began to idolize him in statues that soon became temples and places of worship. Man who connected directly with god soon began to depend on middlemen to reach god. Ancient cultures revered nature and worshipped it. Modern man thinks he is a superior race and trashes and tears down nature. He is so embroiled in enmity for all the wrong reasons that he never gives a moment towards nature. Man forgets easily that he needs other beings and nature to survive together. But there seems to be hope, and it is happening already. 

In "Changing Planet: River Restoration" on the BBC, we are told,

The whole ecosystem was damaged, and numbers of Chinook salmon fell by more than 90 per cent. This had a profound impact on members of the local indigenous tribes, such as the Yurok and the Karuk, who have lived alongside the 254 miles of the Klamath for thousands of years....Now, after decades of campaigning, the dams are being demolished. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/)

In the USA, they are bringing down four dams for the sake of the salmon. We are shown these moments where the dams are demolished, which will enable the salmon to reach their spawning grounds to breed.

Tavayogi obliged my wish to carry out my very first Annadhanam or serving free food at his Kallar Ashram when I was there the very first time in 2005 after seeing photos of children in the neighborhood being fed. Many years later, in 2013, Agathiyar brought several youths to my home, and we engaged in feeding the poor and hungry, first in the welfare homes, old folks homes, children homes, and later took this aid to the streets, feeding the homeless, subsequently branching into handing out groceries to those who had a roof over their heads but were poor and unfortunate. Then he had us stop this in 2019. This directive came in the wake of the pandemic. He asked me to go within. When Agathiyar asked us to stop, we did have the question crop up in our minds of what would happen to them and who would help them now. But Agathiyar asserted that somebody else shall continue the work. Many years later, my wife told me that we were getting "high" in doing this. This act though noble, was secretly working on building our egos, she felt. If allowed to continue, we would be caught in the vicious net of attachment. Hence it was halted we assumed. We began to ask ourselves, too, if we were making the recipients dependent on these handouts for life. 

My daughter shared a video of how damaging aid can be. The video at "PragerU" was both shocking and saddening. Senegalese entrepreneur Magatte Wade made it clear on the onset that,

"To be clear, I’m not speaking about aid in response to an emergency like a natural disaster. But these disasters are rare. “Development aid” is an ever-flowing river of money and goods, and it’s destroying a continent."

We, too, I guess, began to "measure success by money spent and goods distributed, not by actual economic development or the creation of profitable businesses", as she said further. 

"Even more frustrating is how this system creates a culture of dependency that diminishes their dignity." Indeed, we had contributed towards eroding their dignity further too. We carried videos of these handouts on YouTube and other social media.  Realizing this some time back, I have made these videos private since then.

Magatte Wade says it aptly, "Condescension cloaked in do-goodism." I guess we had joined the fold of the "misguided kindness of strangers," as she says. 

We have come to realize that Agathiyar had given us an experience through this, and that we had to move on to seek other experiences as well. Hence the reason for bringing the shutters down of charity.

WALKING TALL

What are stories but a moment in (his)tory. Similarly, what are images but snapshots from a timeline? We have captured, retained, and repeated these stories, some word-for-word and others altered. Norman Rockwell's graphic depiction of these misinterpretations through an illustration that appeared in "Reader's Digest" many years ago is a classic example of how much things can differ from the original. The story and message in this classic artwork changed along the way as it was retold when it came in a full circle and returned to the ears of the original source, distorted!

Much that we know has come by way of mouth, carried from generation to generation. Parts and bits of the stories might have been lost in translation or modified and manipulated, leaving us to either believe, doubt them, or totally reject them. I have had close, prominent people in several instances make a mistake in conveying a story that had me in the picture, too. One was uttered verbally in a gathering, and the other came out in print. But I chose not to correct them. I wonder now how much of what we hear and read is true? Is this the reason Agathiyar says that we have not truly understood our Puranas or Godly stories? If the mode of transmission was by way of mouth those days, now we have the net and social media. We have to verify what we download or share is true and not false. Similarly, aside from stories, we have taken these images from the past, reproduced them, and have been worshipping them to this day. But with AI assembling images, it might create and add to the already existing library.

Agathiyar, who has access to countless untold and unsolved mysteries, chooses to remain silent, though. I guess it is the will of Kala (Time) and the play of Maya (Illusion) that has veiled them. Reading his Agathiyar Gnanam disturbed me as to the authenticity of texts that we considered sacred. He has mentioned that much of history has been manipulated for personal gains by certain quarters or individuals. He even paints pictures of fraud gurus. Chitramuthu Adigal, too, I understand, has touched on false gurus and teachings. 

We often come across cases of the very fence eating into the crops, where people in authority, who are supposed to care and protect us, tend to carry out atrocities. We often come across even the spiritual gurus engaging in sexual misconduct. We are to blame. We are the reason for falling victim to such situations at times. With some care and thought, we could avoid tragedies. But as it is said that it was all a divine will, that is the will of the individual soul too; things happen as they do, for us to experience and learn. 

With dangers lurking out there even in the religious and spiritual path, the only way to gain authentic knowledge then is for the gurus to walk out of their Samadhis and come to verify the truth of their teachings and the authenticity of their works. All else is an interpretation of an individual. 

A true Gnani would have walked a similar path, but eventually, upon realizing that the divine is all-pervasive and around and in all of its creation and even beyond, would let go of all his hold, not only on property and assets, position and authority, but even his previous beliefs and practices. Just as we slowly chip the granite to reveal the image of God within it, we arrive at the state and being of the completely evolved soul, or rather, the unveiling of the true self happens. 

It is time we respected not only others but ourselves and being first. Is this the reason Agathiyar asked that I walk tall and with pride that we are all his children? Walk the path and walk tall to arrive at your story that your soul is waiting to tell. Yes, we tend to make a date and sit around talking about ourselves and listening to others' stories, but we fail to listen to our soul within that is waiting eagerly to share its story. Please do find some time to be with yourself and begin to listen to your soul speak instead. When asked, in the "Next Level Soul Podcast" of Neale Donald Walsch, author of "Conversations with God", how God came to him, he answered, "A voiceless voice". 

And I described it actually, in in the books, as a voiceless voice, like the sound of your own thoughts, ....That thought doesn't come to me with a sound of a male voice or a female voice or an older man's voice. I don't hear my own thoughts .... So the sound of my thoughts does not have any particular verbal characteristic or vocal characteristic....Actually, I describe it as a voiceless voice, much like the sound of one's own thoughts. That's how I experienced it. You know, I asked a question, and bingo, an answer came to me in a voiceless voice, but it was clear enough that I could take dictation and write down what I was hearing. And so I did. I did exactly that. I wrote down what I was hearing in my mind, Beautifully said.

Just as Surendran, who dropped by my home some days back, asked how I saw Agathiyar now, after traveling some 23 years with him, Neale too was asked the same: "Now, how, how has your understanding of God changed since that first book, or has it changed since that first book?"

It hasn't changed since the first book, but it changed dramatically from what I from the way I experienced God before the first book, but since the first book, which changed my experience of God. Dramatically, nothing has really changed. And of course, after the first book, there were eight other books, so there are 3000 pages of dialog in all and honestly, those pages simply advanced the dialog and advanced my understanding of who and what God is, who and what we are and why we're here on the planet.

But Neale was so humble to admit that, 

But in my understanding, you know, and I could be wrong. I why. I'll make this very clear in every interview I do, I could be wrong about all of that. It's simply my own understanding, just as the pope declares his understanding. ....But in my case, I could be wrong about all of it, it's just simply my understanding of what I was told. 

COMING TO A FURTHER UNDERSTANDING

Many answers dawn, and the reasons for Agathiyar to have me do a thing or otherwise be still became evident and obvious as I came across this video.

Ibn Arabi is said to have asked the following question.

"As time flows, you believe you exist. As you walk into the future, you think you are experiencing something new. That destiny awaits you like a blank page yet to be written. But what if everything has already happened? What if you're only living what has already been?"

Ibn Arabi asks this question from such a place that it shatters your entire perception of time because to him destiny is not written. Destiny is read. In other words, you're not creating your fate. You're witnessing what has already been written. You are in a state of witnessing. And life is like a book you're reading. But you are not the author of that book.

If destiny is read, is this not what the Siddhas do and reveal when we go for a Nadi reading? If we are witnessing what has already been written, is this why the sages tell us to do nothing and that all is well and going as it should? Are we then, or rather the Ego in us, trying to deceive ourselves into believing otherwise and outsmart or change what has been written? Is this why the wise ask us to just be a witness and do nothing further? Are we here, then, to play our assigned roles and leave?

If we generally believe that "Time flows linearly, that we come from the past, arrive at the present, and walk toward the future, but Ibn Arabi says time is circular. The beginning is in the end. The end is in the beginning. The secret of the universe is hidden in the circle, not in the line. Because the line gives you a direction, but the circle reveals wholeness. Everything is contained within. Everything happens at once. And the moment you realize this, you discover the freedom that exists within your destiny."

This is what Tavayogi said, or rather wrote, when I asked him to autograph my copy of his book "Andamum Pindamum" back then. He wrote, "God lives in your heart, from where the journey starts and ends, too."

For Ibn Arabi, destiny is not a script stolen from your hands. On the contrary, it is the plan that most perfectly fits your truth. Whatever your essence is, what befalls you reflects that the language of your soul shapes the story you live. And this story isn't written with ink. It is written with truth.

Is this the reason Agathiyar keeps telling me that he has something for me (to do), that he is not revealing for now, hence postponing complete solitute and passing on when I ask of him?

Allah knows your depths even before you do and places in your life the perfect mirrors for your becoming.

This is echoed by God and carried in Neale Donald Walsch's series of books, "Conversation with God". For instance, in the story of the Little Soul in Neale's parable, "The Little Soul and the Sun," he knows that he is light but wants to experience it. As in the world of the absolute, only knowing is, but there is no experience, and as Neale wrote, knowing who he was was not enough; he needed to become "it", the soul decides to come down to earth to experience itself as Light. From a list of many, he is given a choice to pick the desired action that he would like to do, once he is on earth. He chooses the act of forgiving. Another soul immediately steps up to join the Little Soul in fulfilling his wish by being the perpetrator so that the young soul can then forgive him. They both come down to earth to live out their desire.  This desire triggers a chain of events, a learning process takes place, and several experiences are recorded, whereby the soul becomes enriched through these experiences. 

We learn from Neale Donald Walsch's "The Wisdom of the Universe" that for us to experience something, the exact opposite is created, we, being light in essence, for want of experiencing it, had darkness and all opposites created for us. As all the souls are perfect, many wanted and volunteered to come down to help us gain the experience. Thus, we had all known each other earlier. We had planned to be together here. Those who needed a particular experience chose to come early, while others remained behind to join later. As we are told that the souls have agreed upon to come along or later in our lives to help us experience what we sought to learn, they are mirrors that reflect us, too, since we are all souls from the one source. Thus, for instance, we find ourselves living with a spouse who is the exact opposite or forced to live in a condition that we despise. Though we cannot change much of what is inherent in another, or already there, we need to rejoice that we are different, or rather, in Neale's words, "that which we Really Are". 

We continue with Ibn Arabi's reasoning.

One of those mirrors is joy. Another is loss. Another is friendship. Another is betrayal. But all of them exist to show you yourself. This is what destiny is. Destiny is not what happens to you. It is the truth hidden within what happens.

Ibn Arabi now addresses the one question that is going on in all our minds.

But what about free will? If everything has already happened, then what am I choosing?

Here he introduces one of his most profound ideas. Will is an attribute of Allah that flows through you. You choose, but that choice aligns with Free will, your essence. You are choosing the person you were always meant to be. Wherever your essence pulls you, that is your destiny.

The Muslims are known to say, "If God wills." Is this the reason Agathiyar, in coming to us, addresses our souls instead of seeing us as a person? 

Once again, is this the reason Agathiyar keeps telling me that he has something for me (to do), that he is not revealing for now, hence postponing complete solitute and passing on when I ask of him? Do I need to carry out his last will before I am relieved of this body?

Agathiyar, through a memo to us, explained the mystery of the soul that is reflected by Ibn Arabi.

The Soul or Atma keeps both the body, or Udal, and Lifebreath, or Uyir, under its grip. But the Atma holding on to us between 1 and 5 Varahai, a time period used in the ancient days that I have yet to find an equivalent terminology or reference to present times, soon loses its grip on us as the individual Ego arises. 

"Nevertheless, the Atma that was veiled will return unto him depending on his actions. When the Atma in you pulls you to a path, and if you realize it, it appears as an Athirvu or vibration and disappears. If you practice extending this vibration in you, you shall merge in this vibration that is the Atma and arrive at  Erai/ Agathiyan."

ஆன்மா உடலையும் உயிரையும் தனது கட்டுப்பாட்டுக்குள் வைத்துக் கொள்ளும் ஒரு சூச்சமம். இந்தச் சூச்சமத்தை பிறந்த குழந்தைகள் 1  முதல் 5 வராகை வரையிலும் உடன் இருந்து மறையும். ஆனபோதிலும் ஆன்ம ஒருவரின் செயலைப் பொறுத்தே மீண்டும் அவனை வந்து சேரும். ஆன்மா உன்னோடு இருந்து உன்னை ஒரு பாதைக்கு இழுத்து செல்லும் அப்போது நீ அதனை உணர்ந்தாள், உன்னில் அதிர்வாய் தோன்றி மறையும். அந்த அதிர்வினை நீ உனக்குள் நீடிக்கப் பழகினால் உன்னால் ஆன்மா என்னும் உனது அதிர்வுகளில் ஊடுருவி என்னுள் (இறை / அகத்தியன்) வந்து சேர ஒரு வழி. 

Furthermore, coming through a devotee, Agathiyar, in telling us that time and tide do not wait for a man, asks us to make a decision on time and stick to it, to walk the journey we decide, for our decision is that of the Atma. That decision belongs to the Atma. That Atma belongs to him. He asked that we fear not the decision we made and walk the path.

காலம் உங்களை நிறுத்தி விடாது. புரண்டு ஓடும். காலத்தில் நிலையாய் ஒரு முடிவினை எடுத்து அதன் பின் செல்லுங்கள். இவ்விடத்தில் ஒரு முடிவு செய்து விட்டால் அதனோடு பயணிங்கள். தளர்ந்தால் குழப்பம் மட்டுமே மிஞ்சும். உங்களுடைய முடிவு உங்களின் ஆன்மாவையே சார்ந்தது. அந்த ஆன்மா என்னையே சார்ந்தது. யாருக்கும் எவருக்கும் பயமின்றி என் வழியில் வாருங்கள்.

Pon. Govindasamy, in his book "Vallalaarum Brahma Gnana Sangamum", Bharath Book Bureau, Chennai, draws a chain of evolution here. The souls that were once atoms took on the form of Bhuta Ganangal. Later, changing into minerals, took on the plant form. Taking the forms of animals, they were reborn as humans. Finally, they end the journey here as Jeevan Muktas. Thus, the journey is already charted for every one of us. It is just a matter of space-time before it is attained, or should I say reduced to its original form. 

அணுக்களாகயிருந்த ஆன்மாக்கள், பூதவர்க்கங்களாக உருவெடுத்துப் பின் தாது வர்க்கங்களாக மாறி, பின் தாவர வர்கத்தையடைந்து, பின் விலங்கு வர்க்கத்தில் புகுந்து, பின் மானிட வர்க்கத்தில் ஜனனம் எடுத்து, இறுதியில் ஜீவன் முக்தர் வர்க்கத்தில் பரிபூரண தசையையடைகின்றன.

Agathiyar, speaking about this human birth, which is considered rare by many saints, reminds us that we were not given this birth to live a mundane human life. We can only rid the karma that we had gathered throughout the numerous births by taking a human birth. We can never be assured that we shall take another human birth. Hence, having taken it, we are asked to fulfill its purpose. We are to seek Atma Vidutalai or Soul Liberation.

மனித பிறவி என்பது அபூர்வமானது. அது கிடைத்தது உங்களின் மனித வாழ்க்கையை வாழ்வதற்கு அல்ல. கோடான கோடி பிறவியில் நீங்கள் செய்த கர்மவினை மனிதபிறவி எடுக்கும்போது மட்டுமே கழிக்க முடியும். இப்பிறவியில் மனிதானாய் பிறந்தவன் மற்றொரு பிறவியில் மனிதனாய் பிறப்பான் என்பது ஊர்ஜிதமல்ல. எடுத்தபோதே அதனை நிறைவேற்றிக் கொள்ளுங்கள். ஆன்ம விடுதலை நோக்கிச் செல்லுங்கள் இல்லறவாழ்க்கை எப்போதுமே சுகமாய் இருக்கும். 

Agathiyar reveals that while the body or Udal that takes a form, which is a composite of the 5 tattvas, returns to these tattvas, the Lifebreath or Uyir merges with the Atma and reaches him as Jothi. When he says we shall reach him, it has to be taken that we come to a realization that he and we are one. Returning to the source is returning to Jothi.

உடல் என்பது பஞ்ச பூதங்களில் உரு பெற்று மீண்டும் பஞ்ச பூதங்களிடம் சென்று விட்டால் உயிராகியது ஆன்மா வோடு கலந்து ஜோதிநிலையில் எம்மை வந்து அடையும். 

Agathiyar reveals a misconception that many, including I, had and that I had carried in many of my earlier posts, that the Atma carries the imprints of karma. It is not so. I stand corrected. Agathiyar reveals that, contrary to this general understanding, the Atma does us a service in helping clear our karma by showing us the way. Once karma has cleared, the search to know the Atma intensifies. His search for his selfish gain loses its intensity. His seeking would be solely on knowing the Atma (Agathiyar) and reaching him. 

ஆன்மா உனது கர்ம வினை தாங்கி வருவது அல்ல, ஆனால் ஆன்மாவே உனது கர்ம வினையைச் சரிசெய்வதற்கு உதவி புரியும். கர்மவை சரி செய்த பின், ஆன்மாவின் தேடல் அதிகமாகி மனிதனின் அன்றாட தேடல் தீர்ந்து போகும். அவன் தேடல் முழுதாய் என்னையே தேடி வர முயற்சி செய்யும்.

Ibn Arabi sums up destiny beautifully.

Destiny is not a script imposed from the outside. It is the voice of your inner being. But hearing that voice is not easy. The mind wants other roads. Ambition drags you elsewhere. Fear pushes you aside. But the heart always calls you home. Ibn Arabi says your path is your essence. To stray from it is to forget who you are. This is why destiny is not a chain. Destiny is harmony with essence. And time is merely the witnessing of this harmony.

Tavayogi did indeed echo these words that the heart always calls you home. Agathiyar, coming through the Nadi, asking me to come to the worship of the Siddhas, called me home. Tavayogi, upon arriving, called us to leave devotion and come home to Gnanam. Agathiyar later tells me that Gnanam shall dawn when we traverse the many chakras and arrive home at Sahasrara. Here, then, one shall see the clear picture as the veils have dropped one by one. This was symbolically shown by Ramalinga Adigal at his Satya Gnana Sabai in Vadalur. As Tavayogi says, our efforts and the guidance of an external guru are only needed as far as Svadishtana, and after that, the divine shall lead us on, Agathiyar too echoes the same, telling me that the energy that was released as a result of my practice of the Asanas and Pranayama techniques given as a treasure by him through Tavayogi shall do its work. He meant that it shall find its way home without my effort, hence asking me to do nothing henceforth. 

Ibn Arabi tells us that 

God gives you will. He gives you intellect. He gives you conscience and you walk with them. As you walk, you make choices. And as you make choices, you begin to decode your destiny. But that destiny is already written and the writing is carved into your being. So as you walk through the world, you are reading your own soul. You think you are observing the outside world, but that world is just a reflection of your inner state like a mirror. But that mirror doesn't show you who you are today. It shows you who you are meant to become.

Agathiyar too speaks about the invincible strength of man. That strength Agathiyar says is the Arivu, the ability to think clearly, that can bring down walls. Never submit to failure, he says.

ஈசனால் படைக்கப் பட்ட மனிதனுக்கு ஆற்றலாய் அறிவு இருக்கிறது. யாம் அதை எப்போதுமே ஆற்றல் என்று கூறுவோம். மனிதனின் ஆற்றலைக் கொண்டு எதையும் சாதிக்கலாம். துவண்டு பொய் அமர வேண்டாம். 

Ibn Arabi sums it up, telling us that 

Every experience you live is a teaching and that teaching becomes visible through the flow of time. But you think you are living it. In truth, everything already happened. You are only witnessing it. And as you witness, you understand. And as you understand, you return to yourself.

As Tavayogi autographed, Ibn Arabi says that,

Everything has been written but that writing is hidden in your heart. The insana kamill, the perfected human is the one who can read that writing, the one who knows their destiny and lives its depth. That knowledge comes through kash unveiling. An inner veil is lifted. You begin to see. And when you see, time breaks because the past, the present, and the future appear to you through the same window. The one who experiences this no longer rushes, no longer fears. They no longer cling to the future because they know everything has already happened.

As he says, only a perfected human, the Jeevan Muktan, and the Siddhas are privileged to know this secret that the past, present, and future are one. 

Ibn Arabi says of the final lap that of going within.

Destiny is fixed in Allah's knowledge, but it is revealed through your inner journey. Meaning as you walk, new paths do not appear in front of you. Those paths were always there. You are only beginning to see them. And with each vision, something inside you remembers.

Is this why J. Krishnamurti calls it the pathless path?

To sum it all up, we are to just live life to its fullest without any guilt, fear, apprehension, and to face and handle all that comes our way, as these episodes shall shape us, help rediscover our true Self. Knowing this, our Ego leaves us. We arrive at our destiny. This brings us to the state of acceptance and peace.

A feeling of this is it. A sense of this place is already familiar because truth is a part of you and every part longs to return to its whole. This return is what Ibn Arabi calls seer Isuluk, the spiritual journey within. It is a turning inward. 

MUSIC

I had written in an earlier post that "I have come to believe that what politicians and spiritual and religious leaders failed to do, music and musicians have. They have brought souls together, crossing the various and numerous divides that these leaders have created. While the political arena is tense with fiery words and the religious and spiritual discourses filled with fear and suppression, it is in music concerts that the soul sings and dances to the tune without fear or favor."

Joshua Bell says the same too, with a question and in a much beautiful manner and words.

Do we need classical music anymore? Is it is it relevant?..... I want you to imagine walking into your hometown concert hall. You're there to hear the symphony. So, what happens there? Okay, you take a seat and the musicians start filing onto the stage. Each one of those musicians has spent a lifetime, tens of thousands of hours mastering their craft. And each instrument in their hands is a self piece of history, a testament to human ingenuity and creativity. The conductor walks onto the stage and he gives a downbeat and the room comes alive with the sounds of the symphony.

Every note has a direction. Every harmony has a purpose. And you sit there in the audience being taken on a journey. Not just being entertained passively, but actively listening and using your imagination. And you're doing it alongside thousands of other people from different walks of life, different ages, races, religions, political persuasions. None of those differences at that moment mean anything because you're unified by the music and reminded of your shared humanity. So, don't you think we need that in today's world?

THE MANY CONDUITS

If my parents introduced me to temple worship and the Gods and Goddesses they and their ancestors worshipped, I took to reading about customs, tradition, and later religion out of curiosity. It was not until 43 years later, in 2002, that the Nadi connected me to Agathiyar. Agathiyar then connected me to Supramania Swami, who connected me to his guru lineage. Later, with the coming of Tavayogi, the latter connected me to my breath, giving me what Agathiyar describes as a treasure. He gave me a set of Asanas and Pranayama techniques that I diligently practiced. The Prana absorbed began to do wonders within, enhancing my senses at the same time. The rituals shown to me that I took up drew the bridge and brought down the Siddhas from their realms to mingle amongst us. Soon, the energy within began to connect with that of the Siddhas, whereby they came within and spoke too. Today, this energy transmission extends beyond me and connects me with people of all walks of life, with whom I come into contact, bringing chills and instant bliss within, what was first experienced in the temples. If initially my parents, siblings, relatives, and friends showered their love on me, then came the gurus who went beyond and showered me with their grace. Finally, the Siddhas, Gods and Goddesses, and Prapanjam have come to connect directly and shower their grace. What else does a man want?

Tracing back this journey of a mere 23 years, I could provide a preliminary overview and list a short timeline of events as follows.

• Coming to know why I took this body through the Nadi reading by the Siddhas. 2002
• Coming to worship the Siddhas. 2002
• Following a guru and finding my own path later. 2005 - 2018
• Knowing my "Self". 2024
• Connecting back to my source.
• Becoming the Watcher.

It is said that walking the spiritual path is akin to walking on a sharp razor. It will either make us or break us. Many have gone cuckoo or fallen from grace because of their actions. After much effort and divine grace arriving at and standing at the door to the Lord's kingdom, one has to be watchful of the trap door waiting to swallow us. Past desires, and vasanas, might surface then and bring us down. One has to be continuously watchful. In taking down these notes, it is more of a reminder for me rather than advice for my dear readers. I have to keep reminding myself of these dangers constantly lurking behind even the best of things, that trap and shackle us, bringing shame if we are not careful.

LETTING GO

Holding Agathiyar's hands and walking with him, for the past 23 years, or so I thought, I have come to realize and understand that everything was and is his doing, good or bad. Looking back now, I fully understand that he was in charge from day one. No wonder he told me some time back that we have known each other for several crores of years. So what is mine to claim then? What is mine to take credit for? The very breath is his. The soul, the JeevAtma, is his, a part of the ParamAtma. If he brought together my parents, my parents provided for the body, where elements from both my parents in specific proportions came together to become an embryo, fetus, and me. I submit to him and his will. A peace sets in when we arrive there. A completeness envelops us. Bliss overpowers us. Nature and Prapanjam take us into their arms, providing for us and our safety. We are in good hands. When Tavayogi told me to hold to Agathiyar and not him, he had handed me in marriage to the divine. I am betrothed to Agathiyar. I am his obedient servant. But recently, he indicated that he does not want us to serve him forever, but wants us to become one, from being Siva Sakthi to becoming Yegan. For that to happen, he wants me to let go of him, so that the individual identities dissolve, and as in osmosis, we merge, becoming one. 

As Agathiyar told me, when the energy arose some time back, that there was nothing further to do and that she would do her work, so what is there further to do, unless he moves us to do a thing? We simply become the Watcher he wants us to be. Regarding the internal changes he tells me to watch, bear the pain and discomfort, comparing it to bliss, too, and when dealing with the outside world, he tells me to laugh it off. Now that we have arrived there, I understand why yogis are either stark naked or clad only in a loincloth, sit under a tree, and hardly talk. Some behave like madmen. And I also understand the downside of these energies, where sexual energy and ego peaks, prompting some to fall from grace.

BEWARE OF GODMEN

A reader from Delhi emailed me many years back asking if Tavayogi could heal him. He had taken up numerous practices and had to bear the pain as a result of energy blockages. Mailing him after 8 years, I was saddened to hear that he was still in pain. None of his masters could help him. 

A friend and devotee working abroad has had bodily pains for some time now as a result of learning certain Yoga techniques from an established spiritual movement back home. He had to leave his job abroad to seek appropriate alternative treatment closer to his home.

A devotee who frequented my home complained about energy surges within. When I asked him to return to his guru, he told me that his guru was roaming the streets and had gone mad.

A seeker went to look up a guru who was visiting Malaysia several years ago. The guru who was sitting on a bench in the park initiated him, placing his palm on the former's belly, which started a swirl and did something within. This seeker, who began his search at the age of 25, had previously been to numerous places and stayed at ashrams, learning and practicing techniques. He told me he had to escape from the last one he stayed in while overseas. Back home, he came under the tutorship of another, but the ties between them turned sour after it appeared that the guru had placed obstacles in his path. It pains me to hear that gurus could do such things. It pains me to see them all in pain. 

Many give initiation by touch in assemblies without taking into consideration the age, illnesses, and medication taken, if any. It frightens me to see these innocent seekers shake and roll and scream and cry during these moments of initiation. Then they all leave, going back to what they do best: the gurus returning to plan and chart another round of initiation, and the seekers returning to their daily chores. The mere attendance and presence of a devotee, after being coaxed to attend by a friend, at one of these assemblies, landed her in trouble.

Many pick up practices, some paying a hefty sum, and begin to teach others, too. When a friend and yoga master asked me why I did not teach others, I told him that the practice Tavayogi gave me was for me to practice and see results. He never told me to teach another. It would be akin to the blind leading the blind, for I would not know the full potential of what was given to me back then. In fact, I am still trying to reckon with this force and trying to figure out, understand, and manage it even now. 

Then many take to social media to share and teach without the element of direct contact. Most recently, a young girl who picked up such a practice from social media scared the wits of her family and me when I was told that she was contemplating suicide. 

If Tavayogi told me a student would be assessed and tested for some 12 years first before they would part with the knowledge, modern-day gurus rush into giving initiations, sharing their knowledge, and giving away practices as if passing on goodies without knowing what they are doing. Then some take to social media, taking on the role of a guru. Be careful out there, be it in establishments or on the net, where we have so much knowledge, practice, advice, and tutorials made available these days. A refresher course could be followed online, but not when you are new to it. Vet through and engage with the genuine ones that your soul will guide you to with the grace and blessings of the divine whom you follow. 

The genuine gurus like Tavayogi, Rengarajah Desigar, and Yogi Ramsuratkumar even hesitate to bless another, much less touch them. Tavayogi cites karma as a reason, while the Yogi did not want to disturb the energy and blessing a seeker had received from Mata Amritanandamayi before coming over. Rengarajah Desigar told me coming to his ashram, Ongkarakudil itself, was a blessing. He sent me away without his blessing, making me confused and angry. I only came to understand later that he must have known that I was fated to meet my very first guru in a couple of days, and respecting that, he gave way to the blessings that were to come my way.

It is indeed sad to see seekers, in genuinely wanting to deepen their spiritual knowledge and practice, fall into these pits and find it difficult to come out of them, some having to bear the cost of living with pain and discomfort for a very long time. Maybe that is the way it was meant to be, and that they needed those bad experiences, too. If the solace is that it might make some stronger, others might leave for good and never return.

I favor Bhagawan Ramana in this case, for he never would pass on a technique or practice but would have seekers carry on with what they were currently doing. Tavayogi, stepping onto our shores, initially lamented that we were still in devotion or Bhakti and would ask to come to Gnanam. Soon, he too let things be as he saw how steeped we were in the former. Agathiyar too asked me to tone down my writing, for otherwise I would scare away the seekers, he said.

MAKING SENSE OF LIFE & DEATH

If Agathiyar, Lord Siva, and Prapanjam herself, and Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal and Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar asked us to take up the tool that is lighting the sacred fire, the Yagna, or its smaller version, the Homam, for all our needs and that of the Prapanjam, giving us an escape route to safety, the gurus like Bhagawan Ramana and his disciple Sadhu Om, tell us that all is well and in its place, asking us to come to terms with and accept everything. Then, Shirdi Baba too, for instance, refused to revive a child when his mother pleaded for his life. Later, he tells his followers that the soul had already taken birth elsewhere. He did not want to jeopardise the situation. Both Bhagawan Ramana and Yogi Ramsuratkumar, taking the beating from intruders in his ashram and an angry mob in the streets, respectively, consoled their followers that they had come to do their work and told their followers, "Let us do our work." We simply marvel at these saints.

So what do we do? Do we abstain from getting involved or otherwise? If we do decide to move, execute, and help out, how far do we interfere if everything is God's play or Lila? 

We are told that as individual souls, we have made a truce with fellow soulmates to be together again, to help each other experience new things, as Neale Donald Walsch writes in his series on "Conversations with God". Then we are told that others, too, might desire us to be with them in their new birth, hence bringing us along, as did my daughters, according to Agathiyar. Some souls are bonded for life, not one but numerous, as Agathiyar told a couple of couples we know. Then we are told that our past Karma, desires, wishes, and unfulfilled wants determine or set the course for our lives here in this birth. We come to help each other out, to work things out, to settle scores, to iron out whatever issues we have had, and to mend relationships. Agathiyar surprises us by saying that at times he pushes us into a situation so that we, too, may have those experiences, as in my case. We cannot possibly list out all the reasons for taking birth. 

We now understand Lord Brahma lamenting to Agathiyar, who regularly brings to him case files of his devotees, asking Brahma to intervene and change their fate. Brahma in telling Agathiyar "You are asking me to go easy on these devotees. It would take not less than 10 years to seek out their Nadi or Olai Suvadi and make changes to their fate," implies that he has to sift through our files, not of one birth but crores, as Agathiyar says, to find where we erred and what harm or good we have done to arrive at where we are today. It is such a laborious task for our creator, though he has a task force comprising Chitragupta and a handful of others to assist him. So now we understand why it takes time to see the desired results for certain issues brought to their attention.

What if it is a life and death matter? Do we respond immediately or just watch? Agathiyar himself took to lighting the Yagna with his fellow Siddhas to buy some time for Tavayogi to return to his ashram and settle outstanding issues like passing on to Mataji the running of the ashram and teaching her to read the Jeeva Nadi, which is the only source of income. Lord Siva asked us to conduct a Homam to assist Prapanjam to combat the dreaded COVID-19 virus at the height of its siege. Later, foreseeing a revival, Prapanjam itself asked us to carry it out. Agathiyar came with Bhogar to light the Homam in Lord Muruga's presence in response to my wife's wish to end her ailing mother's suffering. But Lord Siva's hands were tied as he respected her soul's wishes. I have taken up lighting the Homam whenever someone in the family faced health issues. If I used to ask the Siddhas to intervene before, these days I carry out what needs to be done, like lighting the Homam, and leave it to the Siddhas to decide what is best for them. 

When Agathiyar comes, he addresses the souls in us, asking "us", "the ego", and "false identity" to step aside. He speaks to the soul, giving it an option either to live longer (but suffer) or leave (bringing an end to the suffering). The soul decides then. For the soul that wants to stay on, the person is asked to not give up then. Agathiyar then recommends ways to confront and diminish the assault and barrage of troubles. It could be as in asking them to carry out rituals that work subtly, or he might point them to those who might bring some relief and perhaps a cure or a solution. For those who see these troubles as a burden that they can no longer carry, death relieves them of it. 

Many years back, a deity told a staunch devotee that another fellow deity was giving them these sufferings. A Malay shaman or Bomoh tells us the same, that our deity was doing these mischiefs. This and many other episodes made me confused and doubt if God was truly loving, compassionate, and merciful. Lord Siva, coming in a dream, put a stay on all my questions for the next 13 years. Lord Muruga revealed to me some time ago that Agathiyar and Lord Siva, in playing their divine game, had engaged Indra to cause chaos and confusion, conflict and misunderstanding. But despite the confusion, suffering, hurt, and disappointments, it is all for the good, bringing us to understand Maya and its hand in all things. He helped me identify his devotees, too. The Gods themselves have not been spared in this game, as we come to learn from the Puranas, with Narada and Indran doing mischief.

Even Yogi Ramsuratkumar says that, although he is in a state of continuous bliss, he also confronts ups and downs. Similarly, if Adi Sankara says that, “Only through God’s grace may we obtain the three rarest gifts: Human birth; the longing for liberation; and discipleship to an illumined teacher,” and Avvai speaks of human birth as, “Rare indeed is to take a human birth, rarer than that is to be born with a perfect human form, sight, hearing and speech. Amongst them, it is rare to see one who does austerities and charity”, Ramalinga Adigal, I suppose, in one of his lowest points in his life, laments and cries out asking what sin had he done to have taken this body, listing a long list.

The body and the breath are the tools for spiritual advancement. In "Anaivarukkum Uganda Pranayama Payirchigal" by Sri Sri Yogi Shivananda Paramahamsa, published by Viswa Yoga Kendra Trust, 2001, which I had posted in the past, but have only begun to understand better after having these experiences, he writes on birth.

The Causal Prana residing in the sperm of the male and the ovum in the female, respectively, paves the way for the development of an embryo according to its baggage of karma. The subtle Prana then transcends from the crown to the forehead and initiates the first breath in the fetus that was formed in the womb upon delivery. The child then takes in the Prana from the air around us. Thenceforth, it begins to depend on the air around it to survive.

காரண பிராணன் ஆண் பெண்ணின் சுக்கில சுரோணிதத்தில் இருந்து கொண்டு கர்ப்பத்தில் ஜீவனின் கர்ம வினைக்கேற்ப கருவின் வளர்ச்சிக்கு வழி காட்டுகிறது. கர்ப்பத்தில் உருப்பெற்று குழந்தையாக வெளிவரும் ஜீவனின் உடலில் தலையின் உச்சியிலிருந்து நெற்றி வரை சூட்சம பிராணன் சஞ்சரித்து கொண்டு சுவாச இயக்கத்தை தூண்டுகிறது. சூட்சம பிராணனின் துண்டு தலினால் நமது உடல் சுவாசிப்பதன் மூலம் புற உலக காற்றில் கலந்திருக்கும் ஸ்தூல பிராணன் கிரகிப்பதன் மூலம் உயிர் வாழ்க்கையை நடத்துகிறது. 

Agathiyar tells us that the pindam or embryo is made in her mother's womb, taking one element each from both parents. This grows into a fetus and a child. Life is given to an otherwise motionless matter through the breath. This breath determines our life span, hence the reason the Siddhas and Yogis pay special attention to it. 

Shivananda Paramahamsa writes further that the chakras in the causal body that are subtle access the Prana from the Pranamaya Kosa and deliver it through their massive network of 72,000 Nadis to the physical body. It is akin to the transformers in the substations delivering electricity coming from the main transformers through electric lines to light up our homes. When the chakra's efficiency is disrupted, the physical body and its components are affected too.  

புரக் கண்களுக்குப் புலப்படாத காரண சூட்சும உடலைச் சார்ந்த சக்கரங்கள் ஸ்தூல உடலின் முக்கிய நரம்பு மையங்களோடு நாளமில்லாச் சுரப்பிகளோடும் உறுப்புகளோடும் தொடர்பு கொண்டுள்ளது. இயற்க்கையோடு நேரடி யாகத் தொடர்புடைய இச்சக்கரங்களின் வழியாகவே ஜீவ சக்தியான பிராணன் பிராணமய கோசத்தில் அமைந்துள்ள 72000 நாடிகளின் வழியாகப் புற உடலின் அணைத்து பாகத்திற்கும் அனுப்ப படுகிறது. சக்கரங்களின் இயக்கத்தில் பாதிப்பு உண்டாகும்போது அவைகள் தொடர்புடைய நாடிகளும் சுரப்பிகளும் உறுப்புகளும் பாதிக்கப் படுகிறது.

He writes further,

Generally, in man, the Ida and Pingala work in tandem. Shushumna is dormant. Through the advanced stages of Pranayama, the Shushumna gives way and opens. Kundalini arises from the Muladhara and makes its way to Sahasrara. He then transcends the Physical, Subtle, and Causal bodies and comes to know his Atma. Prana that shadows the Atma works in all three bodies. 

மனித வாழ்க்கையில் ஒவொருவருக்கும் இடா பிங்களா நாடி மட்டும் செயல்பட்டு கொண்டிருக்கும். சுஷும்னா நாடி செயலாற்றிக்கும். பிராணாயாமத்தின் முதிர் நிலை பயிற்சிகளை பயின்று வருவோருக்கு சுஷும்னா நாடி வழி திறக்கப்பட்டு மூலாதார சக்கரத்தில் இருந்து குண்டலினி சக்தியை மேலெழுப்பி சஹஸ்ரார சக்கரதிற்கு கொண்டு போகும் போது யோக சாதகன் தான் ஸ்தூல, சூக்ஷ்ம, காரண சரீரத்தை கடந்து ஆன்மா என்பதை அறிகிறான். பிராணன் ஸ்தூல, சூக்ஷ்ம, காரண என மூன்று நிலைகளில் செயல்படுகிறது. ஆத்மவின் நிழல்போல அமைந்துள்ள. 

As a means of thanksgiving, the Siddhas devised temples for each element that sustains us, bringing the goodness of Prapanjam within the reach of all. While many venture into the jungles and hills to connect with her, the saints connect with her from where they are, bringing changes and good in subtle ways, without any confrontation or without others' knowledge. Indeed, we need this body and air to survive. Let us not ignore this fact. 

LOOKING UP & LOOKING WITHIN

I used to look towards the skies, look at the moon if it was visible, and peer into the night sky trying to locate stars. I would stand outside my home and take in the breeze that invigorates and replenishes both body and soul. But sadly, looking around, I do not see anyone else gazing at the skies or outdoors. They are all indoors. I realize that it needs an extraordinary phenomenon like last night's lunar eclipse to take place to have people actually look at the moon. It made me realize how we have taken nature and life for granted. So too Agathiyar told me that it looks like he has to do miracles or Siddhis to get people to adopt the ways of the Siddhas. But Agathiyar does not expect us to live as he did in his days of roaming. Both Agathiyar and Tavayogi tell me that I have not even been through a fraction of what they went through to attain their state. Agathiyar has simplified the way and its means for us living in the present times. In a Nadi reading many years back, giving me practices, he pointed out that he was only giving those that they did and which worked out for them. At times, he tells me, seeing the condition of my body, to only do some workouts that Tavayogi gave and not the full set. Yet many stay away. I guess the path has been made to look difficult by its pioneers and followers before us vomiting the same throughout the ages, years, and decades. 

Agathiyar, in coming to us in February of 2024, over two consecutive days, sitting around a table having lunch with my family, shared his deepest feelings, concerns, and fears with us. He parted with us, much Gnanam too, enlightening us for the better.

Siddha Heartbeat: AVM

Siddha Heartbeat: A THANK YOU NOTE

Siddha Heartbeat: MORE LESSONS

Siddha Heartbeat: THE REBIRTH OF AGATHIYAR VANAM MALAYSIA

Siddha Heartbeat: A SURPRISE SUGGESTION

Siddha Heartbeat: REASONING OUT

Siddha Heartbeat: SOME RADICAL MOVES

Siddha Heartbeat: A NEW JOURNEY STARTS

Siddha Heartbeat: FREED AT LAST

Siddha Heartbeat: LESSONS ON DEVOTION, THE DISCIPLE, THE FAMILY & THE GURU

Siddha Heartbeat: A LESSON ON PUJA

Siddha Heartbeat: A LESSON IN UDAL, UYIR & ATMA

Siddha Heartbeat: A LESSON IN DHARMA OR ARAM

Such is their love towards humanity and to see man achieve what they did and attained. Velayutham Karthikeyan Aiya, who was the admin and author behind the blog "Siththan Arul", reveals this in his blog. Karthikeyan Aiya’s blog entry brings us back to time immemorial when the Siddhas, being compassionate and kind, put forward to God or Erai as Agathiyar wishes to address, their wishes for humanity. The Siddhas had wished that whoever seeks them out for solutions to their problems and surrenders to them, 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. Agathiyar humbly requests that Brahma change the karma of all those who came seeking him (Agathiyar), as he had given his word to them. As Agathiyar did not give up on his devotees and insisted that Lord Brahma change their fate, it is written that Brahma asked him, 

"You are asking me to go easy on too many devotees. It would take not less than 10 years to seek out their Nadi or Olai Suvadi and make changes to their fate."

Though I had read and shared this many years ago, in reposting this today, I have the answer as to why many things said by Agathiyar for devotees have not been answered. My wife and I had discussed this. I had voiced out my sadness, fearing that those who came to him for solutions might think that he lied or simply said things to please them, when she asked me back, like Agathiyar and Tavayogi usually do, "Did he mention when it shall take place?" She was right. Indeed, never did Agathiyar give the exact date of their wishes materializing. With us, although Agathiyar appears immediately upon hearing our cries and calls, he is always straightforward and tells us whether what we wish for is possible or otherwise. For instance, he came with Lord Muruga and Bhogar to conduct a Homam in the home of her ailing mother. After consultation with Lord Siva, he tells my wife he cannot grant her wish for reasons only known to the divine, but would be overlooking her state continuously. She is in her eighties. Similarly, he told me the same about my sister's state many years back. She is in her seventies now, but she is a happy child. So too in some cases, Agathiyar buys time by asking seekers to come later for a Nadi reading. Obviously, he needs time to look through the Akashic records, sifting through not one but thousands of our births. And we tend to blame Agathiyar for not responding and helping out. It is sad that nobody truly understands Agathiyar. 

THE BOAT RIDE

In moving away from the material world into the religious and spiritual world, we tend to bring the former traits along with us instead of leaving them behind or exhausting them. We tend to run a movement, an organization, a temple management, or a political party, for that matter, following tradition closely. If a former guru got his followers to tie up a cat that was bothering the ritual taking place, that very act is carried out in the years to come without enquiring why it was done in the very first place. I am glad  I did not fall for the numerous traps on the spiritual path that called for loyalty. Tavayogi taught me well. I am glad  I did not fall for the numerous traps on the spiritual path that unknowingly strengthen the ego or desires. Agathiyar taught me well, as well. I realize that not many can commit to a task, whether it be a ritual practice, yoga practice, or study. It is short-lived. They give in to the pressures of the numerous other tasks on hand and sideline what would pave the way for them to move up the ladder and share with others, as Agathiyar has told me to. We surrender and give up. What we should do instead is surrender unto the divine and give up whatever is holding us back. 

If Jnana Jothiamma told me she vomited as many as 32 times a day, I have been spared the intense pain and agony. If phlegm came to the forefront the moment I hit the sack back then, these days the phlegm that is slimy is expelled throughout the day and night. Figuratively speaking, tons of it are expelled. I am kept awake, spitting out phlegm. Stools are gritty and stink. Body aches come and go and traverse the whole body, at times remaining longer than usual at a particular spot. Limbs go numb at times. Sexual urges surge at times. An obvious renewal has taken place, where my hair has turned black again. One has to face and manage all these when we arrive at the place where internal transformation is taking place. 

I can no longer conform to the rule of thumb, as nothing interests me anymore. I seem to have become an outlaw. Many have asked when I am going to India, as Malaysians are exempt from paying for the Visa now. As they say, the dust has settled, everything has settled down, and I have no desire to do so. I make no plans anymore, either. Agathiyar drives me around to do things if required of me. I am happy, satisfied, and contented. I spend time with my grandchildren either in the field, or park, or in the toy shops buying them toys, or at the malls to chill out, buying them food. I live for the day. I am unattached. I have no property except for my home, a roof over my head, and a car, wheels to travel, both necessities. I have no friends or relatives coming around except for one or two who still remember me. 

Do not look down on yourself. You are special. You are here to receive your award - Mukti or liberation. Mukti is of four kinds, I was told when I had a chat with Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar of Kallar Ashram a couple of days ago. I could then relate this to all that I had read earlier. I understood that we all shall attain Mukti and that it is not a privilege offered to only some, but, on the contrary, the birthright of each individual. What varies is the form of Mukti. For one who comes to the path, though we haven't attained the status of a Siddha, we are allowed into their home and grounds to run around. This is similar to living in the world of Siva or Salogam. This is akin to a child living in the world of adults. When we come of "age", we take up upon ourselves to clean the home, pick up the toys lying around, play with them, analyze them, and learn a thing or two during play, as in Sariyai. We are then given the responsibility to carry out the rituals that the Siddhas did. We pick up the method and the practice of carrying out Kriyas. We become curious to know more and hungry for details and information regarding these practices. The hidden wealth that comes through these practices is now passed on to us. We rub shoulders with them, bringing us to Sameebam. We are then led into Yogam, and taught the Asana or physical postures, and the practice of Praṇayama or nurturing the Prana (breath) within us, which brings on an internal transformation in us. We turn into young adults, taking charge of our lives and shaping our bodies and minds. We take the form of Siva or Saarupam. As age catches up with us and after settling our responsibilities, we then settle down in  Pratyahara, or the withdrawal of the senses. We go within to unearth the hidden treasures and gifts - Quietitude, Contentment, and Peace - that are to be treasured more than the earlier gifts that were laid before us for the taking. We dissipate the knowledge and experience, learned and earned, to others so that "consciousness may dissolve in the light of the soul of every being." It is only after reaching the state of satisfaction and completeness, where we do not seek anything further, that we can serve others fully. We are tasked by the Siddhas to do their work, carry out their mission, and bring others to the fold. Still, we are not Siddhas as yet but only their emissaries. We have only arrived at the door to the merger or union or betrothal or the Final Summation that is Saayutcham. The door opens up to the ocean, where Lord Siva awaits to ferry us across to his land of paradise, as he did Tavayogi. Supramania Swami had to close up the window to this land and mountain beyond the ocean, as it was fiery, and his eyes could not look at it anymore.