The following day they were blessed to hear the Jeeva Nadi revelations that brought cheer and joy to them. Agathiyar answered all the questions they put to him and guided them further. After the reading they headed for a tour of the rests of India and fulfilling the parikarams or atonement. They should be back in Malaysia on 21st November 2014. I shall share with readers of Siddha Heartbeat their journey once they are back.
Velayudham Karthikeyan Aiya has posted a beautiful story of how Siddhas appear to us and bring about a drastic change once the time was right for us to transform at http://siththanarul.blogspot.com/2014/11/199.html I have translated his post into English for the benefit of non-Tamil readers.
A Caucasian officer born in England, was promoted and transferred to India. As he had to travel a lot, he got to see much of India. He built a bungalow in the hills of Kollimalai to be used as a weekend and holiday retreat.
He was a compassionate person and willingly helped others. But his superior disagreed he mingle with the locals and aiding them. He fell into his superior's bad books for showing compassion towards the native Tamils.
Once a local man was sent to the gallows by the officer's superior. The officer knew the man to be innocent. The man was involved in petty thefts alright, but he did not deserve such a heavy penalty, thought the officer. The officer wrote a note to his superior in defense of the victim.
His note angered his superior further. His superior suspended him.
But the officer took things in his stride. He left for his bungalow in Kollimalai with his family. This was to be his turning point in life.
One day as he stood on a ridge, admiring the beauty of the Kolli hills, a Siddha appeared before him. Although the officer had some knowledge about Siddhas, he had not met one. He did not realize that he was talking to a Siddha, but went ahead and inquired who he was.
The Siddha replied that he was a nomad. "I saw you standing alone and came over", he continued.
The officer was astonished to hear the Siddha speak in fluent English.
Suddenly the Siddha told him not to worry about his suspension and said that the suspension order has been revoked. He added that the officer would be reinstated in his job soon and that he had been recommended for an even higher post.
The officer obviously surprised by the Siddhas statement asked him how the Siddha knew about his suspension.
To the officer's amazement the Siddha begins to reveal his (the officer's) past. The Siddha reveals that the officer had served him (the Siddha) in his (officer) past birth. The Siddha comforts the officer and says that it was a norm that one who fights for justice will face such difficulties and its resulting consequences. The Siddha tells him that he should receive a surprising news shortly and 'rides' the wind before disappearing out of sight.
The officer was stunned. He knew nothing about the man who stood before him. How did the stranger know his past? How did the stranger know about his present suspension? How does the stranger know about his future reinstatement? The stranger spoke as if he was with him all along? The officer could not comprehend anything. As he had not taken any food till then, and as the Siddha had appeared unexpectedly and surprised him with the revelations, he could not take the full impact of the divine darshan. He fainted. As the spot he stood on was a boulder on a ridge, he slides and falls into a depression on the ground, closely missing the ravine below.
Upon regaining consciousness the officer realizes he was lying on a patch of grass under a tree. He felt he had been caught and laid on the ground.
"What have you done Sir? You are lucky that I came to your aid. Otherwise you would have ended in the ravine", a voice breaks the silence. It was the Siddha whom he had met some moments ago.
The officer thanked the Siddha and the Lord. He attempted to get up but the Siddha cautioned him and ask that he rest further for a while. The Siddha caressed him before leaving again. The officer felt rejuvenated the moment the Siddha touched him. Within the next 5 minutes, the officer managed to climb up to the peak of the hills speedily and energetically.
Meanwhile, his family seeing that he had not returned home since early morning, with the aid of the locals, came in search of him. He shared what had taken place during the morning. They did not believe him.
At 11 am, a government vehicle arrived at the officer's bungalow. There alighted a high-ranking official from his office. The official brought him good news. The official told him that he was not at fault, and that he happened to save an innocent life from being sent to the gallows. "Your superior had made the decision hastily. We have sent him back to London", informed the official further. The official informed him that the suspension order had been revoked and offered him a higher post. He was asked to report for duty immediately. The official handed him the relevant papers and took leave.
The officer was in joy. Realizing everything had taken place according to what the Siddha had said, the officer had a statue of the Siddha made and spent the rest of his life worshiping the Siddha at his bungalow. Subsequently the Siddha frequented his bungalow and gave him darshan. The Siddha spoke to the officer. He passed a kayakalpa that made the officer live for 140 years.
The officer began doing charity and helped the sick. He has since passed away.
As my brother came out of the Ganges river and onto the bank and took a few steps up the stone steps on the bank of the Ganges at Kedara Ghat after having ‘lost himself’, he recalls a similar strange occurrence the last time he stepped into the Ganges 20 years back. Let us continue A.Kathirasen’s recollection of this mystical episode that was published in the New Straits Times back in 2012.
As I ascended the steps of the Kedara Ghat to where my wife was waiting, my mind flew back to a time, 20 years ago, when I had a similar – but so much more intense – experience.
It also occurred in the River Ganga, but at Rishikesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas.
After sitting in silence in the cave known as Vasishtha’s cave, a little above the centre of Rishikesh, I walked to the magnificent looking Ganga. Wading into the water, I placed my spectacles on a high rock and sat cross-legged on a flatter rock next to it, the water just about touching my legs. In the serene, soothing atmosphere, I forgot myself. I disappeared.
A persistent, serious slap on my face forced my eyes open, water had reached up to my mouth. Strangely, I did not panic, although I could hardly swim. Wrapped in a cocoon of inexplicable peace, I instinctively knew I would be safe. I probably half-spalshed my way to some rocks by the shore. As I stood there, I sensed – no, felt – a deep difference.
The music of the water gleefully playing among the rocks as it laughed its way downstream was vibrating sharply in my ears, the bird-calls were ringing everywhere around me, and nearer, too. The forest was singing, the symphony floating around me, through me.
The trees were greener, brighter, and smiling. The water was clearer, fresher, and laughing, I could smell the earth. The sounds, colours, shapes and scents were refreshingly lucid, entering me directly, through my pores, unfiltered by thoughts. The inner commentary had stopped.
Kathirasen was no longer the observer. Kathirasen was the throbbing scenery.
I do not know how long I was in this flow. But, somewhere along linear time, my hands touched my face and found that my spectacles were not there. And thoughts returned, tumbling over each other.
“What is happening? How is it that I can see so clearly without my glasses? Where are my glasses anyway? The questions kept falling. After a search, I found my glasses on a rock, about 30 to 40 metres away. That set in motion another set of thoughts: How did I end up so far downstream? It must have been the current. How come I didn’t drown? Or did a mischievous someone place my glasses on that rock? Is this place filled with spirits? I hope not. What happened to me just now ? Perhaps it was an illusion. Could it be due to a surfeit of Thor and Swamp Thing comics? Nah! Was it one of those spiritual experiences I have read about. It’s probably my Hindu background colouring my perspective. But something did happen. Can what they say about the Ganga being holy be true?”
More importantly, I was unable to explain what happened to me between the time I sat on the rock and the time I was slapped into real-time awareness.
My brother comes back to 2012.
The peace, the clarity followed me as I stepped out of the ganges at Rishikesh. And I was experiencing that very same peace here in ancient Varanasi. Except, this time, the clarity was less sharp and the feeling of having disappeared, less lasting.
The Skanda Purana, an ancient Hindu text, elucidates the glories of the Ganga. In it, Skanda, also known as Lord Muruga, explains that the Ganga is the supreme Shakti (power) of Shiva taken shape, and that the water has been sent for the salvation of the world. Was it this power that caused my disappearence when I took a dip in her? I don’t know, but I like to to think that, having been cuddled by Mother Ganga, I have emerged a better person.
I came across an old newspaper that my wife had kept aside as it carried my brother's article on his pilgrimage to India. My brother was a journalist and upon his return from India he wrote a beautiful piece for his paper. I would like to share some portions, the amazing moments, of his four page writing with Siddha Heartbeat readers.
His wonderful experience was published on February 9, 2012 in the pull-out section LIFE & TIMES Travel of the New Straits Times daily.
It is evening by the time the Spice Jet airplane lands at Lal Bahadur Shastri airport in Varanasi, India. With expectant excitement, my wife and I reach Hotel India in the Cantonment area, not far from the Ganges river and its famous temples and ghats.
It is our first visit to what is considered the oldest living city in the world, going back more than 3,000 years. It is also called by other names, the chief of which are Kashi - its first and oldest name - and Banaras (also spelt Benares)
After a bath, we take a cycle rickshaw to the Dashashwamedh Ghat to see the daily evening aarti (prayer ritual) to Mother Ganga, as every Hindu here refers to the River Ganges, India's longest river. ........ Against the darkening sky and the river backdrop, the mesmerising well-choreographed ceremony is a sight to behold. ......
The following dawn, my wife and I are again at the Dashashwamedh Ghat, this time to take a boat ride. The view is spectacular, especially with the rising sun kissing the buildings and the river. We stop at the Kedara Ghat, where I take a bath, performing a ritual that millions of pilgrims have been doing for 3,000 years or more.
I disappeared. It was not just my body that disappeared from view, my thoughts too, vanished. I remember stepping into the cold water of the River Ganges at Varanasi, India. I remember the sudden cold that whipped my body as my legs touched the water. I remember taking the ritual three dips in India's longest and holiest river. That's when my mind went blank.
How long was I in the water? In chronological time, it could not have been more than 10 minutes, but Mother Ganga had reshaped my sense of time - it was expansive and deeper. And I was awash in a feeling of peace.
A flash of light in my face brought awareness back. A Caucasian woman in a boat a couple of metres away was taking pictures of me and others who were bathing.
As I ascended the steps of the Kedara Ghat to where my wife was waiting, my mind flew back to a time, 20 years ago, when I had had a similar - but so much more intense - experience. (I shall reproduce my brother's earlier experience in the next posting).
After the bath, we walk up to the Shiva temple at the top of the ghat, where a linga sprouts from the ground. We touch this representation of Lord Shiva, and pray, before returning to the boat.
After breakfast, we proceed to the main temple in Varanasi, the famous Kashi Visvanath temple. Later, we visit the Sankatmochan temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman before proceeding to the unique Bharat Mata or Mother India temple.
Wanting to see the riverfront again, we take another boat ride the following morning. At Manikarnika Ghat, we see a cremation taking place. After the boat ride, we go shoping for Banaras saris in an enclave of Muslim weavers in the suburbs.
The following day, as we board the Spice Jet aircraft to New Delhi, we leave Varanasi with a heavy heart, and a heavy bag.
Bala Chandran Gunasekaran returned from a visit to Sri Jeganatha Swamigal's temple in Tapah, Malaysia with his friends recently.
Sri Jeganatha Swamigal
Sri Jeganatha Swamigal's meditation spot
The original temple
Sri Jeganatha Swamigal in the early years
Sri Jeganatha Swamigal's disciple, Chitramuthu Adigal
Chitramuthu Adigal in later years
Another samadhi we are told of is that of Sanasi Andavar in Malacca, Malaysia. The temple was renovated and the consecration ceremony or Kumbhabhisegam was held recently. Nothing much is known about the samadhi though.
There is hope yet with many good souls and samaritans giving back to society. Radhanath Swami who traveled far to reach the borders of India was not allowed to enter the country for he did not have sufficient cash on him to upkeep himself. India did not want to add another beggar to its statistic. He pleaded and begged that he be allowed into the country and promised he will do something good for her people. He kept his promise. He has accomplished building an ashram, provides mid-day meals, a hospital that serves many, provides numerous other services and continues serving at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM5TFnxd0-A
Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar on his part has been feeding the poor and unfortunate at Ongkarakudil and through other branches of the Agathiyar Sanmarga Sangam with donations from Agathiyar's devotees at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm7ciDQXJQ4
Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal after years of austerities started an ashram the Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedham at Kallar where he feeds the native kids living in the vicinity and visitors to the ashram.
Ramana loved to work in the kitchen, preparing food for his visitors.
Ramalinga Adigal started the Dharma Salai at Vadalur more than a century ago, that still feeds the poor and hungry.
Through serving food he (Agathiyar) likes to spread himself into the people and thus to adjust any imbalances in the mental, emotional, and physical bodies. In his spiritual activities he never treads any trodden paths, but gives new trends and directions, being full of freshness. His live is always accompanied by will, spreading be-ness and presence. He is very humorous and his teachings are very powerful, but nevertheless humorous, thus uplifting the people.
An interesting episode from the scriptures is narrated in the blog,
In the scriptures there is the story that once a group of disciples in the Himalaya had the questions who is the one fasting most, and Maitreya told them, “It is Agastya, he never eats.” They wanted to see Agastya and went to him. Agastya said: "Observe me for three days.” They were very surprised to see him cooking, eating and serving. He was not missing any meal, and every meal was from our standpoint very excessive in its quantity. After three days the group asked: "We have not understood your way of fasting.” He answered: "Insofar as you don't feel that you are eating, it is fasting.” He does not think he is eating. He lives in tune with the universal consciousness and in such a tune-up the food is given to all the elementals around him with himself as the channel.
Sébastien who visited Tavayogi at his ashram at Kallar comments on the blog too.
"May be you remember that i visited a little Agasthya ashram down in the Nilgiris… it happens that the guru is on facebook… i spoke with him and he gave me 2 mantras. The second, as he said is the Moola mantra of the Seer… As The Nilgiri Ashrama is said to be working with Mooladhara and the form aspect…"
"It goes like this :OM SIM VUM AM UM MAM VAM agatheesayanamah" is moola mantra which is little special mantra, this is called theetcha mantra, in agathiar theetchavithi book written by agathiar”
Flowers on the Wayside has posted on the blog a couple of photos taken at a home of devotees in Malaysia where Agathiyar opens his eyes just as we finished prayers. We were all delighted and felt fortunate to receive Agathiyar's darshan and grace that day. Here are more photos taken on that auspicious day.
The first encounters of disciples with their masters had always amazed me. These precious and prized moments where the guru identifies the disciple and the disciple makes the decision of accepting the teachings of the guru is always exciting to read again and again. Sitting under the feet of these great souls is many a man's wish but only selected ones make it. Many seekers come and leave on their own accord. Some are chased away only to return again and again seeking admittance by the Guru. There are a myriad of experiences revealed when we listen to these God men speak. It is simply amazing. The spiritual journeys of masters are laced in mystery and often mystical, with many miracles taking place. Their journeys carry many hidden messages.
Here are some beautiful videos of experiences of seekers who later themselves became masters in their own spheres.
Stalin messaged me a moment ago with a request as follows:
"Aiya can you make arrangement to see Appas pooja live during important days..(for All).."
Stalin mooted me with the idea to go live. I got working on it immediately and did a trial broadcast a moment ago. It turned out to be a success. I shall try to stream live the puja conducted at Agathiyar Vanam every Thursdays, on Full Moon and New Moon days too. Please bookmark this page http://www.ustream.tv/channel/siddha-heartbeat and come check it out on these days. The puja usually starts at 7 pm Malaysian time, 8 hours east of Greenwich.
We shall be broadcasting in three portions, with a break in transmission in between each portion. We shall start with the Homam. There will be a break in transmission to give us time to clear up and prepare for the next stage, the Abhisegam. We shall take another break to clear up and prepare for the final stage, the Bhajans. So please stay with us. If it is necessary, please refresh the page after every break.
I have provided the Siddha hymns too, so that you could follow singing the praise of the Siddhas in the comfort of your homes. The Siddhargal Potri is substituted with Swaha during the lighting of the sacrificial fire or homam.
SCHEDULE OF BROADCAST
The first transmission was held on Thursday, 13.11.2014 minus the audio. The problem has been corrected since then.
The next transmission was done successfully on Thursday, 20.11.2014.
A transmission will be streamed on Saturday, 22.11.2014 at 6.30 pm MST, in conjunction with Amavasai.
There won't be a transmission on Thursday, 27.11.2014 since I shall be going outstation.
There will be a transmission on Thursday 4.12.2014 at 7.00 pm MST, 4.30 IST.
There was a transmission on Saturday 6.12.2014 at 6.30 pm MST in conjunction with Karthigai Deepam.
There will be a transmission on Thursday 11.12.2014 at 7.00 pm MST. The young kids of Mr & Mrs Rajah who participated during the Karthigai Deepam puja will join us again bringing us to another level of bliss.
There will be a telecast on Thursday 18.12.2014 at 7.00 pm MST.
The Agaval was recited on Sunday 21.12.2014 at 6.30 pm.
There will be a transmission on Thursday 25.12.2014 at 6.00 pm
Friends of Bala Chandran Gunasekaran are heading for Kallar on 14th November 2014. Besides visiting Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal, they will also be performing their parikaram in several temples in India, according to their respective Nadi readings. They have also made an appointment to see the Jeeva Nadi at Kallar.
They have made arrangements with Deva who runs a travel agency in Chennai to take them around. Deva chauffeured me around on two of my three trips to India. I have published his name card below, thought that that is the least I could do for him for safely driving me and my family around and taking good care of us while in India. Another reason Deva is close to my heart is because he was the one who took me to my first guru Supramania Swami of Thiruvannamalai. The third reason is because he and his family together with Jnana Jyothiamma spearheading the team, took all the trouble to organize, cook and distribute the food and drinks for the massive annadhanam done in Thiruvannamalai the day I arrived with my family in India in October of 2013.
Deva (2nd from right) with Jnana Jyothiamma (4th from right) at the Girivalam route in Thiruvannamalai
Supramania Swami with his wife, son Ramajayam and grandchild at Nacha Ananthal, Thiruvannamalai
It is very heartening to see young men and women seek Agathiyar and the Siddhas. Many young men and women have joined the prayers in Malaysia too over the time. Agathiyar has issued a call to us to take hold of his hands where he promises to lead us to greener pastures.
Young devotees with Nadi Guru Ramesh (3rd from left) & Nadi Guru Selvam (2nd from left) at AgathiyarVanam
Agathiyar as he gave his darshan yesterday at Agathiyar Vanam
Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal and Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyaar with devotees in Malaysia
Suren Selvaratnam & Bala Chandran Gunasekaran
Jnana Jyothiamma & Balajothi Gunasekaran in Malaysia
Devotees in Malaysia
More devotees at Agathiyar Vanam. (From left) Bala Chandran Gunasekaran, Dyalen Muniandi, Mahindran, Sahalini and Sugu Maran
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