Sunday, 22 September 2024

RIDING THE WAVES

What is a sign of a good disciple? A good disciple understands and follows his or her master's teachings to its core. There are those who follow blindly as in the story of the disciples who would look for a cat to tie up to a post before carrying out the Yagam just because their master did, without knowing its reason. And there are those who tend to question every single thing said, at every juncture, wanting to know the reasons before even starting the venture. If the former surrenders to the guru blindly without understanding the guru, the latter might seem apprehensive and cautious and might seem not to have full faith in the master. 

So when I was called to the worship of the Siddhas in the Nadi, I went looking for someone to guide me further or something to grab onto and pursue the journey. I was totally blind and had to grab the hand of someone who had passed through the terrain before. Finding none, I began to gather the facts and information, practices and methods from whatever books and literature I could lay my hands on at that time. I began my home puja to the Siddhas. Agathiyar then sends Tavayogi to our shores and we meet. A wonderful relationship between a guru and a student evolved. I was one who followed the words of the guru as coming to the path of the Siddhas, I was treading on unknown territory. He taught me by carrying out Yagam and puja. He taught me by showing me Yoga Asanas and Pranayama. He taught me to drop everything. In having me drop all that I had carried with me before meeting him, he filled me up anew with Siddha's teachings and topped it up with his experiences. He then stepped back and left me to gain my own experiences, to be proud of. After Tavayogi's demise, Agathiyar continues to guide us. 


As I grew, my family who were with me on my journey, grew too. When I asked my wife to say something about the path and share her experiences, views, opinions, and understanding, she amazed me. I could see that she had understood the teachings of Tavayogi pretty well. She understood why Tavayogi and Agathiyar carried out certain measures as we traveled along. I am glad that the family is traveling together on the path of the Siddhas.