Some years back Nathan who was staying in the southern tip of Malaysia was told to visit a Siddha cave in Sungai Siput, Perak. When he mentioned the Nadi reading to me I was surprised for my wife was from that small town and no one had mentioned to us about the cave's existence. My wife and I enquired about the cave from her father. That is when as if by coincidence (or was it), the chairman of the temple committee that oversees the daily running of the cave temple walked into the restaurant where we were dining. We are introduced and next we know, we were already heading to the cave temple chauffeured by the chairman himself. The priest took us on a guided tour of the cave explaining the significance of the cave, temple, murthi or statues and the numerous sacred spots within it. Organizations that placed additional objects of worship here as time went by.
We were informed: that the cave was submerged under the sea during times immemorial and was only exposed once the sea waters resided. There were visible remains of seashells, corals and fossils to substantiate this claim; that Agathiyar and the Siddhas were present in this spot; that there were documentation at Kumbakonam in India, dating thousands of years back, about Agathiyar mentioning this cave as Guhan Alayam; and mention of Siddhas ever present and living here including Chitramuthu Adigal having meditated here on the Suyambu Atmalingam and the five faced Nagam that stood guard. Incidentally, Chitramuthu Adigal is the guru of Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal. We were blessed to be shown the spot where Chitramuthu Adigal had sat in meditation. We included the cave temple in our subsequent tours of temples in Malaysia, bringing devotees there.
I suppose I had a hand in publicizing the place through this blog and posting the above video on YouTube for the chairman tells me that the public is frequenting the place now. I thought to myself if I had done wrong in publicising the place and bringing in the busloads of curious onlookers. I was saddened to see their disrespect for the place. As we were making our way out, in came another busload of tourist. They were chatting aloud as if picnicking as they stepped into the confines of the cave temple. Agathiyar has said that the Siddhas were still in tapas or meditation in the cave. As such should not we maintain some level of silence and respect them. No wonder the Siddhas have begun to move further and further into the dense virgin jungles away from society, in present times. The society of old revered the Siddhas highly equating them to the Gods and hence were respectful and never intruded into their space unnecessarily, lest they are cursed for disturbing the Siddha's tapas. They provided for the Siddhas their daily needs so that the Siddhas could continue their meditation without any hindrance.
Today's man views all these sacred places as an arena, coming in droves to view as would a spectator, leaving behind trash and graffiti. They deface the cave walls with writings, throw rubbish all over, and talk loudly. Coming to the samadhis of the Siddhas they perform all forms of rituals and leave behind more trash. They consume food and leave behind the remains inviting the rodents and vermins.
Travelling with Tavayogi to the Siddha shrines, caves and samadhis, he voiced out his concern at the existing conditions in these sacred places and the crowd that made a din disrespectful of other worshippers who are steeped in prayers or meditation. The original names to the caves have been changed. Additional objects of worship were brought in while original pieces were removed. Caves that became stores. Graffiti on its walls. Litter all over.
Entering these places Tavayogi would take a sit, close his eyes and remain silent. We did not perform any rituals. Just to keep us occupied while he meditated, he would ask us to chant the names of the Siddhas. At the end of the session, the Siddhas would show us a miracle.
Agathiyar in a Nadi reading for Surendaran tells us the proper thing to do at a samadhi is to just sit still and take in the radiant cosmic energy that flows abundantly and fills these spaces. The Siddha in samadhi is continuously tapping into the cosmos and giving it out. There is no need to perform any form of rituals at these energy spots. Neither is there any need to engage in any form of activity with the intention to help further energize an already charged space. No amount of ritual is going to add on to an already energize samadhi. The rituals are only required initially to connect with the divine forces. Once the divine is connected the place is energized by their mere presence. Worshipping over long periods transforms the place into a portal for the divine to engage with the common man. No further rituals are required at this stage. What we need to do is begin to tap into these energies that help strengthen our causal bodies, by merely sitting in silence. The charged causal body heals us, while burning past karmas. By strengthening the causal body with cosmic energy we return healthier and energized, from these sacred spots.
Similarly, an Indian citizen working in Singapore was asked to visit a samadhi at the base of Batu Caves Murugan temple. It was that of Mauna Siddhar. Coming to know of this revelation we too made our way to the shrine. It was sad to see that it had become partly a store too. Organizations had put up posters on its walls. Today the place has been given its due respect and we see a decent crowd that comes to meditate here.
Bala Aiya and Shanti ma were invited to join a friend visit a cave in Cambodia over the weekend. Having visited Cambodia earlier his contact brought them into the dense jungles of the Siem Reap District. There was a statue of Agathiyar installed in a cave.
It is interesting to note that a local of Phenom Pehn, having seen the Nadi, a canto that took from 12 noon till 9pm, in Pondicherry, was directed to install the statue of Agathiyar. He was henceforth called Soma Agathiyar. Lord Shiva in the Nadi did reveal that the Ganga was flowing through this spot. He narrated that Agathiyar was married to a local princess here.
The entourage carried water and other prayer items in their van until the cave that was accessible by a dirt track. They cleaned up the statues and the place before bathing the deities and conducting a Homa. Siddha related songs were sung by them, witnessed for the very first time by the locals.
Similarly, an Indian citizen working in Singapore was asked to visit a samadhi at the base of Batu Caves Murugan temple. It was that of Mauna Siddhar. Coming to know of this revelation we too made our way to the shrine. It was sad to see that it had become partly a store too. Organizations had put up posters on its walls. Today the place has been given its due respect and we see a decent crowd that comes to meditate here.
Bala Aiya and Shanti ma were invited to join a friend visit a cave in Cambodia over the weekend. Having visited Cambodia earlier his contact brought them into the dense jungles of the Siem Reap District. There was a statue of Agathiyar installed in a cave.
It is interesting to note that a local of Phenom Pehn, having seen the Nadi, a canto that took from 12 noon till 9pm, in Pondicherry, was directed to install the statue of Agathiyar. He was henceforth called Soma Agathiyar. Lord Shiva in the Nadi did reveal that the Ganga was flowing through this spot. He narrated that Agathiyar was married to a local princess here.
The entourage carried water and other prayer items in their van until the cave that was accessible by a dirt track. They cleaned up the statues and the place before bathing the deities and conducting a Homa. Siddha related songs were sung by them, witnessed for the very first time by the locals.