THE MYSTERIOUS SIDDHAS & THEIR GRACE

There is a general rule for the commoner and an exception for those on the path. Many rules for the common man does not apply to one on the path. Although The Gods have laid the rules for the proper governance and administration of the world and all its laws both the Siddhas and the genuine gurus have the gift of changing man's fate, the nation's fate and the law of nature. 

The Ashtama Siddhis gained and exhibited by them never fail to first bewilder and later amaze us. The simple rituals that they introduce to us counter the elaborate agamas performed for ages in temples and elsewhere. The very nature of the body that is known to heal itself, is amplified and seen in those on the path. The notion that there is one world, one sun, and a moon is shattered by their revelations.

Coming to the path there is no template or an SOP for all to follow. Each move is customized for the client accordingly. Each experience is unique to the seeker. There is a myriad of ways, means, techniques and practices that can lead one to have a divine and earth-shaking experience. But it happens with the grace of Erai and the Siddhas rather than entirely on our effort. As Tavayogi says, "While the initial seeking, search, learning, practice, and effort is required on our path to transcend two stages that of Muladhara and Svadhisthana, the Siddhas come down your way to lead you on further on the path."

I was blessed to have several mystical and still incomprehensible experiences while traveling the path. Although Agathiyar did show me many miracles as promised in my very first Nadi reading in 2002 and later in 2005, I was then more of a witness, who stood looking in disbelief, to new magical things and mysterious happenings taking place on the very face of our earth, rather than in a state of dream or in another realm or space. It was then more of an amazement to me looking on as a spectator or a bewildered child, seeing a magic show or a circus for the very first time. The question of whether and how these miracles were possible, was and is always on my mind. 

Bringing me to perform remedies or parikaram after my very first Nadi reading, Agathiyar showed me my very first guru at the end of my last leg of my visit to India in 2003. I immersed in him, a solid five hours that remain till this day the most joyful moments of my life. The rare moments between the guru and the disciple (which I was unaware of till later) as exemplified in Nakiran's tribute song to Lord Vinayagar took place that evening.

மோனா ஞான முழுதும் அளித்து
சிற்பரிப் பூரண சிவத்தைக் காண
நற்சிவ நிட்கள நாட்டமுந் தந்து
குருவுஞ் சீடனுங் கூடிக் கலந்து
இருவரும் ஒரு தனியிடந் தனிற் சேர்ந்து
தானந்தமாகித் தற்பர வெளியில்
ஆனந்த போத அறிவைக் கலந்து
ஈசனிைணயடியிருத்தி
மனத்தே நீயே நானாய்
நானே நீயாய்க்
காயா புரியைக் கனவெனவுணா்ந்து
எல்லாமுன் செயலென்ேற உணர
நல்லா உன்னருள் நாட்டந் தருவாய்
காரண குருவே கற்பகத் களிேற
வாரணமுகத்து வள்ளலே போற்றி

Supramania Swami began to talk about himself, his gurus, all five, and go on to reveal about me and my reason to come to India. I sat before him in the small cottage that was his home in the village of Nachananthal some eight kilometers away from the Tiruvannamalai town. It was late afternoon when Deva brought me to Swami's home to have my daughter's horoscope chart and read. But instead, Swami revealed about me without even asking to look at my palm, asking for my birth details or drawing up my astrological chart. He was narrating about me and the events to come as if downloading from the Akashic records, with his eyes shut throughout the time. He spoke of matters, including those that were revealed in my Nadi reading, that only Agathiyar, the Nadi reader and I knew. As dusk began to bid farewell and the night began to envelop the small village, those were some lovely five hours I spent with him. Sending me back to my homeland Agathiyar told me he would show me many more miracles on my home ground which he is doing till this day. https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2013/07/supramania-swami-i-went-in-search-of.html

Similarly the few hours in 2002, I spent in the company of Nadi guru Senthilkumar who was a tool through whom Agathiyar revealed my past, present, and future were equally amazing moments. I sat spellbound and speechless as he deciphered, read and translated into modern day Tamil from the Nadi, matters that only I could have known.

Setting me off to India on a pilgrimage the second time in 2005 with Tavayogi, Agathiyar began to show numerous miracles as promised in the Nadi, read by T.Ramesh: Agathiyar opening his eyes as promised in a granite statue of his at Agasthiyampalli and hours later without forwarning, doing the same feat at Papanasam in 2003; The abhiseka milk that was given to me twice, in 2003 and 2005, to drink that made me go into a state of mindful levitation at Palani; The chanting of Yogi Ramsuratkumar's name that brought the saint from his samadhi to chant with Supramania Swami and me at his kudil in 2005; The sacred ash that materialized in Konganar's cave at Uthiyur that Tavayogi applied on my forehead and on himself; and many more.

Among the many encounters with matters beyond our anticipation and control was when Tavayogi bursts into tears as he applied the sacred ash on my forehead as I kneeled before him following the others after he had spoken at a local chapter of his peedham in Sri Gombak. I did not know the reason then for him to exhibit that emotion in public. But the irony is no one really noticed this brief moment of silent communication, as they were all going about with their usual matters. Later as I drove him to my home I asked him what had transpired back there. He hushed me up by pointing to the rear seat where we had a devotee dosing off to dreamland. I understood that he did not wish to talk about it as we had company.

The next time I saw an outburst of cry come from him was when he fell to the floor in front of a huge portrait of his guru Chitramuthu Adigal and his Paramaguru Jeganatha Swamigal at the Malaysia Arul Oli Mandram in Ipoh. Although he rarely spoke about his gurus and worshipped them even less, I saw the amount of devotion and gratitude he had on them by his reaction in dropping to the ground in reverence that day. This incomprehensible experience happened to me too the day I was officially introduced to Agathiyar by Tavayogi. I came to worship Agathiyar after I was asked in my first Nadi reading. Having performed the ritual of paying homage to the Nadi that was made available by the Siddhas, and subsequently hearing the names of these Siddhas recited by Nadi guru Sentilkumar for the very first time, I continued the worship of Siddhas at my altar in the prayer room of my home daily. Subsequently I made my maiden journey to India to carry out my remedies or parikaram, where I was brought to meet Supramania Swami in India in 2003.

I met Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal in Malaysia in 2005. After introducing ourselves and after Tavayogi spoke about the many charitable deeds and activities he conducted back at his Kallar ashram in India, he invited me to his ashram at my leisure and my family to his talk later that evening. As I fell at his feet to bid farewell, he apprehended me for doing that and told me instead, that I should only fall at the feet of Agathiyar and pointed me to a pair of wooden sandals or pathugai place under the huge and majestic painting of Agathiyar. I turned towards the sandals and held them tight when a continuous stream of tears ran down my cheeks as I sat wailing like a child. Tavayogi remarked to Appana, "We too cried like this." From there on it was a frequent thing that took place at sacred spots where for some unknown reason something was triggered in me that opened the gates to the flood waters from the tear glands that flowed through a number of tear (lacrimal) ducts behind my upper eyelids and weld up in my eyes to the extent the eyes could not contain them and it has to flow down the cheeks. Was this the external showing of an internal connection of the soul with its source?

If the earlier happenings saw me stand witness to the marvels of the Siddhas, shown as miracles for my eyes alone, be it in the dense jungles and deep dark caves or in the midst of the large temple crowd or market place, soon he moved amongst us and brought many amazing experiences both internally and within and externally that was witnessed by my family first and later the AVM family. 

One such incident took place at the samadhi temple of Jaganatha Swamigal in Tapah. My family and I on our way back to our hometown had just arrived at the temple when I went into a different state of mind and my body moved on its own accord as if powered by something else. I began to make bodily gestures and sounds that were way beyond my control as my family, not comprehending what was taking place, stood motionless and watched. A group of devotees and followers of a local monk who had decided to camp at the temple and who started performing agamic rituals at the samadhi, surprisingly did not notice all that took place, although they were present together and attending to their matters. We suppose Jagannatha came to bless the family in person that day, drawing a curtain between us and others.

When the family and I had stepped out of the Nattukottai Chettiar’s Sri Thandayuthapani Temple some distance away from the foot of the Waterfall Hilltop Temple in Penang, I burst into loud laughter as I lifted my hands in prayer and salutation over my head, looking towards and beyond the hill temple. Someone walked up to my family and mentioned, "He is in great Bliss."

When the family and I were led on a tour of the Sri Shiva Shanmugar cave temple in Sungai Siput by the temple priest, an astounding thing happened. This temple was mentioned in the Nadi of a devotee. Since he was asked to visit but could not make it we took it as a cue for us to visit the place, as it had come to our attention. Once we arrived at the spot where we were told Chitramuthu Adigal had meditated, I went into a swift dance that ended with me landing into a pit on my back. Miraculously I came out unhurt nor unfarced to everyone's surprise.

Then at another time, I went into an uncontrollable state of expression of devotion at the Sri Siva Subramaniam Temple Kampong Kepayang Ipoh when the AVM family who was touring numerous temples stopped over to visit. I guess my gratefulness to the divine came out as a show of tears in their presence.

The AVM family was greeted by Agathiyar in the form of a granite statue in an estate temple built in 1938 on Carey Island. https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2018/02/agathiyar-in-carey-island.html Here too I and many others went into a state of bliss that the AVM family and the public stood witness too. Here we saw the expression of love and devotion unfold and many hearts open up that day to receive the grace of Erai.

Even before this spate of mysterious events took place I was drawn into a state of bliss and calm at the sannadhi of Lord Nadaraja at Ekambareswarar Temple in Kanchipuram. It was truly mystical and enchanting. I was led into the lord's huge chamber by a young priest who met me at the doorway. He began to chant holy hymns and mantras, showered flowers, showed arati and rang the bells, playing up all the components that created a conducive environment that made me go into an ecstatic state immediately. I stood fixed to the ground, my eyes transfixed on the overwhelming figure of the Lord who looked down on me with compassion and love. I was mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the massive and majestic Lord Nadaraja and stood in silence and with a great sense of gratitude for having given an audience with him for that few moments where time stood still. How could I repay him?

Another moment that will never be erased from my memory is both the time I stood before Lord Dakshina Murthy at Jambukeswarar Temple, Thiruvanaikaval, with a torrential outpour of tears, in 2003 and then again in 2013. The first time I never knew why I broke down and wept for hours seemingly oblivious to the train of devotees who walked by. The only witness to this moment was the old priest who opened the gates to the closed sannadhi and conducted the arati, upon insistence from the priest who we picked up from neighboring Utamar temple in Uthamarkoil earlier to help with the parikaram, the temple watchman, and Deva who drove me around. When the watchman coaxed me to stop crying the priest asks that he let me be. "Let him cry. He needs to cry!", he told him. True, actually I cried to my heart's content that day, for no reason. How do we explain these phenomena?

The second time I was at this venue I was accompanied by Jnana Jhothiamma and my family. This time after having shed tears again and having been coaxed by Jnana Jhotiamma, I had stopped crying and calmed down. She asked that I give a small token to the priest a well built fair and handsome young man who was in attendance. When I walked up to him and placed some rupee notes on the platter that he held, he asked me out of the blues if I saw it! The next moment I saw in a flash the form of Lord Dhandayutapani of Palani in flesh in him! I fell to the ground, prostrated before him, again in tears of joy and bliss, announcing to all like a mad man, that I had seen Lord Muruga. To our surprise again the public did not seem to notice whatever was taking place. It was as if a large curtain was drawn across keeping these intense moments private.

When the AVM family went on a pilgrimage before finally attending the inauguration of the new Kallar temple complex, we stopped by at the Mayuranathaswamy Temple, in Mayiladuthurai, where we were electrified by the divine presence at Kuthambai Siddhar's Jeeva samadhi. We were grounded, for some time as the whole body shook in ecstasy. https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/12/destination-india-day-2.html

Today we realize that above all the yearning to know them, dedication to the tasks given, discipline in conducting ourself, and devotion to Erai and the Siddhas, it is through their grace that all these transpired, coming together as a whole and bringing about fruition. Manickavasagar and Ramalinga Adigal have described these states of bliss and ecstasy in simple terms through the rendition of songs of praise that was an outcome of their spiritual discoveries and endeavors and their deep feelings of love for Erai. It brings us to an elated state knowing that we too have touched, although only the fringe of the spiritual sphere spoken off, but this itself is most satisfying and fulfilling to us as for now.

These were the many moments and instances of ecstasy and bliss we encountered while walking the path shown by the Siddhas. These miracles continue at ATM even today. The Siddhas began to use us as conduits or channels to pass on their blessings, grace and advise and also to reprehend us in some cases. It was all mind boggling and beyond logic and comprehension. We stood stupified not knowing what was happening most of the times. But as it was all well meant we took it in our stride and continued the journey without questioning the message nor the source.

As Ramalinga Adigal penned the following words for his அம்பலத்தரசே,

அம்பல வாணணை நாடின னே
அவனடி யாரொடும் கூடின னே.
தம்பத மாம்புகழ் பாடின னே
தந்தன என்றுகூத் தாடின னே.
நான்சொன்ன பாடலும் கேட்டா ரே
ஞான சிதம்பர நாட்டா ரே.
இனித்துயர் படமாட்டேன் விட்டே னே 
என்குரு மேல்ஆணை இட்டே னே. 
இனிப்பாடு படமாட்டேன் விட்டே னே 
என்னப்பன் மேல்ஆணை இட்டே னே. 
சன்மார்க்கம் நன்மார்க்கம் நன்மார்க்கம்
சகமார்க்கம் துன்மார்க்கம் துன்மார்க்கம்.
நாதாந்த நாட்டுக்கு நாயக ரே
நடராஜ ரேசபா நாயக ரே.
நான்சொல்லும் இதுகேளீர் சத்திய மே
நடராஜ எனில்வரும் நித்திய மே,

we will not worry no more, neither will we attempt to slog or work towards it no further. We shall withdraw within and wait for his grace to work its beauty in us.