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.