If an external pilgrimage to temples and sacred sites brings us awe and reinforces our faith and belief, internal travel does the same. Having these experiences, we come to have a better understanding of what was told to us or what we had read earlier. Whatever I read and shared in my earlier posts is clear now and makes sense. I have a better understanding now as I travelled the path and experienced them.
In "Secret of the Siddhas", a Siddha Yoga Publication, 1980, Swami Muktananda writes,
"Forgetfulness of one’s true nature is the moss of ignorance that muddies the experience of the self. The Guru is the means of removing it. The grace of a Siddha simply removes the veil of ignorance so that one realizes that one is already perfect. For this reason, all scriptures and Sadhana are simply means of washing away the filth of ignorance. They have no ability of their own to reveal the wisdom of the self because that principle is self-existent, perfect, and always manifest.”
This is what Agathiyar meant when he said that Gnanam was not gifted. With our initial efforts, practice and discipline, and from the experience gained, it shall dawn on us as we travel each chakra within us. Indeed, the grace of the Siddha removes the veil of ignorance, bringing us to realize that we are already perfect. Everything else is a tool to arrive at this realization.
I was overjoyed when Ramalinga Adigal sang us a song and told us,
திரை விலக உங்களில் இருக்கும் ஜோதி அதனைச் சுடர்விட செய்யுங்கள். என் அப்பன் அகத்தியன் உங்களுக்குள் வந்து அத்திரையை விலக்கிவிடுவார். அதுவே இப்பாடலின் பொருள். என் அப்பன் அகத்தியன் உங்களுக்குள் இருந்து வழி நடத்தி வருகிறார். அவன் வழியிலே நடந்து வாருங்கள். அத்திரை விலக்குவதற்க்கு அவன் அருள் புரிவான். அருட்ஜோதி உங்களை ஆசீர்வதித்தது. அருட்பெருஞ்சோதி ஆண்டவர் உங்களை ஆசீர்வதித்தார். செல்லும் வழி சரி. அகத்தியன் அருட்ஜோதியை நோக்கி அழைத்துச் செல்வான்.
"Our Father Agathiyan will come within you to draw the curtain aside. That is the meaning of the song. My Father Agathiyar is in all of you bidding his will. Follow in his path. He shall assist you in dropping the veil. Arutjhothi blesses you. Arutjothi Aandavar blesses you. You are on the right track. Agathiyan shall lead you to Arutjhothi."
Ramalinga Adigal asks that we continue to take the Holy Feet of Agathiyar, whom he addresses as "Appan Agathiyan", as Satguru, and that he would help remove the veil of ignorance in us and show us to Arutperunjhoti. His holy feet shall be salvation for you. He is all. Go deeper. He shall take care. He shall bring you to the light", he added. "Agathiyar shall set aside the veil that hides Arutperunjhoti from you", he promised. "Since you came to Agathiyar and his path, he will be the guiding light", he says. He asks that if we continue on his path, Agathiyar shall lead us to Arutperunjhoti. Agathiyar shall remain a guiding light for you, then, now, and forever."
He asked us to kindle the flame within to burn with such intensity that it shall draw aside the veil or curtain that stands between us and God. There is a need to shed the veil or curtain. The means is to light the Jothi or light or flame in us.
Similarly, one cannot deny the love and compassion of Ramalinga Adigal, too. TR Thulasiram wrote in his booklet "தெய்வீக மனித புது இன சிருஷ்டிக்கு அருட்பிரகாசரும் ஸ்ரீ அரவிந்தரும் அன்னையும்" that Ramalinga Adigal very much wanted others to realize his experience and state. He went further to bring the Jothi within these people and have him rule over them.
"தம்மை பொறுத்த மட்டில் அருட்பெருஞ்சோதி அனுபவத்தை பூரணமாக தம் ஆதாரத்தின் முழுவதிலும் மேலும் கீழும் உள்ளும் புறமும் சுற்றும் சூழ்வும் மனோபிராண இந்திரியங்கள் உள்பட உடலிலும் நிறைந்து விளங்கும் பேற்றை வள்ளல் பெருமான் பெற்ற இருந்தார். என்றாலும் ஜோதியை உலகிற்கு கொண்டு வரவும் இங்கு நில உலகில் நிலை நிறுத்தவும் கூட்டாக எல்லா மக்களிடை உள்ளும் புறமும் விளங்கி நேரடியான அரசாட்சி செய்யவும் வேண்டி அவர் எல்லா வழிகளிலும் முயன்று ஈடுபட்டு தவங் கிடந்தார்."
This is not a statement made in a book that we read, but became a reality in our lives too, when it took place whenever Ramalinga Adigal came. We saw his joy in seeing us gathered and began hugging us. He truly wants us to achieve his state too.
Swami Muktananda in "Secret of the Siddhas" says further that,
“Without the Guru’s company, it is difficult to contemplate the self. Without the Guru’s teaching, there is no discipline in one’s life. Without the Guru’s blessing, there is no love. Without the Guru’s knowledge, there is no end to desire, the intellect does not receive the light of wisdom, and the delusion and pain created by duality are not eradicated, nor are doubts dispelled."
If my gurus in physical form laid the foundation and threw in their merits for my quick progress, Agathiyar finally came to drive the nail in that we were one. Since I carried no desires, wishes, or wants, and after tempting me to take up offers and gifts, which I refused, he had me let go of what remained of my position, authority, recognition, and fame; he finally asked that I let go of him, too, for how else can we become one, he asked. If Tavayogi from day one reminded us not to overstay in the phase called Bakti and Sariyai, but to move on to another phase, that of Gnanam, Agathiyar, having given me those experiences, eventually brought me out of Dvaita into Advaita.
Swami Muktananda explains why one needs a master in his book "Kundalini - The Secret of Life", Siddha Yoga Publication, 1994.
“The Guru has found everything you are seeking; that which you want has become the Guru’s wealth. The difference between you and the Guru is that you are the seed and the Guru is the full-grown tree; you are the beginning, and he is the end. If he tries to discover a path by himself, he will simply go around in circles, walking for a long time but never reaching his goal.”
Indeed, the guru who has been there can show us the path and the way and save us from wasting time going in circles. Agathiyar told me that if I went in search of Supramania Swami, he sent Tavayogi over to me. Just before I left for the airport to take my maiden flight to India in 2003, my wife came out of the blue, asking me to chart my second daughter's horoscope while in India. After my last leg of my pilgrimage, having circumbulated the Holy Hill Arunachala, mentioning my wife's wish to Devaindran, my chauffeur, brought me to his uncle, Supramania Swami, just some 8 kilometers away. If that is not enough to convince us of this miracle, Devaindran was not scheduled to pick me up at Chennai airport, but as Rajji, who was tasked, mysteriously fell "ill," Devaindran came by.
Ramalinga Adigal, too, speaks of my gurus with high regard.
"Supramania Swami was the guru who led you to the path of worship of the guru. He taught you guru bakti or devotion to the guru. You received the merits from his tapas."
சுப்ரமணியன் உனக்கு வழிநடுத்திய குரு. குருவைத் தொடர்ந்திருக்கும் ஒரு சீடன் அக்குருவை எவ்வாறு நடத்த வேண்டும் என்று கல்வியை சுப்ரமணியன் உனக்குப் போதித்தான். அவன் தவ வலிமையை நீ பெற்றாய்.
"Tavayogi, too, in his light form, is trying to bring salvation to you. He is traveling with you. You traveled in his way and followed his teachings. You spread his fame and helped him attain the state of Jothi. He who is currently with you shall continue to travel with you."
தவயோகி ஆத்ம ஜோதியாய் உங்களை கரை தேர்த இன்னமும் முயற்சிக்கிறான். உங்களோடே பயணிக்கிறான். அவன் வழி நடந்து முழுமையாக கடைபிடித்து வரும் ஒரு சீடன் நீ. அவன் புகழை பரப்பிய உன் தவ வலிமையால் அவன் ஜோதி நிலை தொட்டு விட்டான். தற்பொழுது அவன் உங்களை வழி நடுத்த உங்கள் அருகில்தான் இருக்கிறான். இன்னும் இன்றும் உங்களோடு பயணிக்கிறான்.
If Supramania Swami brought his guru, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, from his samadhi to join us in chanting his name when I was with him a second time in 2005, the Yogi brought Supramania Swami to my home during a Sivarathri night. Well, ain't that a miracle too.
Swami Muktananda himself traveled all over India seeking a Guru. He became a monk at the ashram of Siddharuda Swami. After almost twenty-five years, he met Bhagawan Nithyananda. “In a flash of self-understanding, he knew that he had found his other half; that now he was whole again.”
The guru is indeed our other half. He indeed makes us whole again.
Swami Muktananda writes, in "Where Are You Going? A Guide To The Spiritual Journey," published by Syda Foundation, 1989,
Meeting the Siddha Guru, we receive the blessings of all the perfected ones.
I am blessed to become a student of Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai. Swami was himself a student of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Through his connection with his masters, I guess I have come to receive the blessings of Ramana, Aurobindo, and Ramdas, too. Coming to Tavayogi, I guess I have the blessings of his guru Chitramuthu Adigal too, and that of Jeganatha Swamigal and Ramalinga Adigal besides Agathiyar.
Ram Dass in "Paths to God – Living the Bhagavadgita", Harmony Books, 2004, (Das R., 2004) writes,
“A Satguru is the one who is the doorway. Along the way, however, there are the Upagurus. They are teachings for us; they are like marker stones along the road – teaching rather than teachers.”
He writes further that,
We are surrounded by a web of well-wishers, all wanting to help us get free.”
Indeed, I cannot deny the many Upagurus who came along to share their experiences as I traveled this path. I have come to understand that even those who harm us bring us a teaching or mold us further.
When I sought to learn more about the Siddhas after reading the Nadi, I came across fellow aspirants who drew a grim picture of the Siddhas, where some accused them of breaking up families, while others concluded that the Siddhas would confuse us and chose to stay away. I wanted to prove them wrong. I understand that most misunderstood the Siddhas and their actions. The Siddhas only meant well. Throughout the years of worship to the Siddhas, my love for them only increased, never diminishing. I saw them in action at every moment in our lives, and those who chose to believe them. The Siddhas never let us down, though it might seem so at that moment. The Siddhas never condoned confrontation. They had their ways of accomplishing things. One needs to understand a Siddha.
I did not know gurus existed until I read Paramahansa Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi". I never went looking for a guru or master, though I would wait in line like many others to meet the many visiting Swamis to get their blessings when they made their rounds to the temples to give talks, as my worship was centered around temples and home puja then.
When Agathiyar invited me to come to the worship of the Siddhas, I did just that. I was blessed that in the years of my search, to learn how to worship the Siddhas, since Agathiyar had told me to do so, and since nobody could fill me in locally, I took up Thavathiru Rengarajah Desigar of Ongarakudil publications and the small booklet I received from the Nadi reader who read my Nadi. To fill this wide gap that existed, I began to compile and customize to my needs songs in praise of the Siddhas for my personal home puja, and also published them online. Moving on, I was brought to the right people and places without having to fall for false gurus, losing my way, money, and time. I never went in search, though I read a lot and tried to implement or put into practice what I read, be it the foods recommended or Yoga, or the methods of puja and the songs of praise. Traveling their path, I never had a goal, ambition, or a deadline. I continued with whatever Yoga I learned from the books, and later, when Tavayogi and Agathiyar began to give me techniques and practices to follow. Agathiyar tells me that what Tavayogi gave was a treasure. True to what he had said, I did not realize that these practices had opened up my Muladhara Chakra in 2007 until Agathiyar told me. Agathiyar continued to give me more Pranayama techniques in the Nadi, and Patanjali guided me on the diet to follow. In late 2019, Agathiyar brought all our activities of puja and charity to a halt and asked us to go within. In 2020, he told me that both my Muladhara and Svadhistana Chakras were opened. The next phase was to take place.
He said, "All this while you saw to your needs in this world. Now you shall undertake an internal journey. I shall relate what needs to be done to realize your purpose in coming here." He started me doing the Yoga practices Tavayogi showed, which he had me stop doing when I had pain in my back in 2010. He said I had stagnated in worldly affairs. He continued, "You cannot possibly break the shackle alone. Hence, follow the practices that I am going to give you. Reduce your involvement in outside activities. Sit before me and meditate. During this moment, carry out the cleansing breath as taught by your guru. Just the important ones. You shall sense a coolness within. Remain silent in these moments. Focus on your breath. Your breath shall touch the Suzhimunai and swirl. Travel along your seven chakras. That journey shall awaken your chakras. After traversing these chakras, when it touches the seventh, you shall know your purpose here. This is the right time to start this practice."
Ramalinga Adigal, coming to us on 14.5.2020, gave me more techniques. He asked me, "Have you understood the purpose of asking to go within? Does your experience change within your body? This is only the start. Effort is needed. You shall lay the stepping stones and progress at your pace." He continued, "What you are doing currently is wonderful. Continue with it. Watching your breath is right. You are changing its flow correctly. Continue with it. You are on the first step. Prana moving in you is itself Pranava Degam. When you sense the Pranavam, you shall question yourself if the Pranam is traveling in you or if you are hitching on it and traveling in it. When you reach that state, you shall have the answer. That moment shall be one of extreme bliss. Go deep within this bliss. There is more. There is much to learn. You have my blessings. I shall travel with you till you reach the destination. I shall accompany those who go deep within. Follow your breath. Place the effort and you shall reach the destination."
The treasures that many seek were brought and placed at my doorstep. I never went in search of a path. The path came to my door through the Nadi reading. I did not venture into the jungles and stay in the caves. I did not dig a hole and meditate in it. I did not hold my breath in Kumbhaka. I have never fasted in my life. I never did any penance. But yet it all came to me, fell on my lap. I guess I was gifted it. It shows the love and compassion of my gurus and the Siddhas. It reminds me of Ramalinga Adigal's song "Arutprakasa Maalai," where he sings that his guru walked up to his door and gave him treasures. I was blessed to have Supramania Swami pass me all of the merits of his 40 years of austerities, the immense treasure that came to me in the form of Asanas and Pranayama techniques that Tavayogi passed on to me, and, of course, the constant and close supervision of Agathiyar, Ramalinga Adigal, and the other Siddhas too. I am blessed that I have been given another chance to attempt to get it right, at least this time around, and board the right bus back to his kingdom. I am blessed that he wants me to share my story and my experiences with others. What could one ask for further?