I started this blog with an amazing story, that of Molly Menon, who came in search of Agathiyar and found him. That very first post was dated Sunday, 28 July 2013. Agathiyar personally gave her teecha in the confines of the Dhyana Kudil at the Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedham at Kallar. A few days later she was provided a Jeeva Nadi reading in which Agathiyar confirmed all that had taken place earlier. She went back home to the USA only to return after a year to participate in the Sarva Dosa Nivarana Maha Yagam held in conjunction with Agathiyar's Jayanthi and Guru Puja, conducted by Tavayogi Thangarsan Adigal at the ashram grounds at Kallar. Since then she had travelled many miles gaining insights and experiences, walking the path of the Siddhas, till Agathiyar finally asked her to stay away from the public's eye and continue her tavam. Agathiyar blessed her with a new name too. Henceforth she shall be known as Jnana Jyothiamma. She will emerge a saint in years to come, to lead others too on this magnificent path, the path of the Siddhas.
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I shall step aside and let KP personally take you on her magnificent journey of discovery.
My salutations to you. My name is KP. I hail from the southern most tip of Africa, namely South Africa. I got your personal email address off your blog when you kindly provided it to another devotee. I sincerely apologize in advance for using it, it is not my intention to invade your privacy in any way.
I am a frequent visitor on your blog and I thank you profusely for being the instrument which led me to Agathiyar. My story is extraordinary, having said that, I believe every person fortunate enough to experience Agathiyar, would have an extraordinary story.
Your writing is truly magnetic and the manner in which you selflessly share the personal experiences of your journey and your knowledge to educate us tiny atoms is sincerely admirable. The wise Agathiyar has certainly chosen an exceptional soul to impart the work of the siddhars.
The purpose of my email is to humbly seek your permission to share my story with you, on a private platform (perhaps on this email address), and given that you are so far travelled on your journey with the divine one, any insights or thoughts you may have, I would be most grateful to receive. Blessed Regards, KP
She wrote again later,
Thank you for your prompt reply. I have been documenting some of my experiences of late, in the form of a manuscript, like a story particularly for my kids because I want them to understand how rare and amazing these experiences are and for myself, so I can read it over and over to feed my soul. I attach it as a word document and I apologize in advance for it is a long read.Again, I must thank you for being instrumental in guiding me towards this path. I am aware that you have played this role in the lives of many and you may see this as part of the work during your journey. For me however, you will stand out as a flag, one that signalled the path ahead for a major life change, one I am immensely grateful for.I refer here not just to finding your blog and the connection to Kallar, but largely to the education I have gleaned from your writings. Warm Regards, KP.
Each time she wrote I was bewilded by the amazing feats Agathiyar was showing through her.
My apologies for the delay in replying. You are most welcome to post it on the blog. I am sure you will edit it as Agathiyar would have you do it. I am very social media shy so perhaps you could give me an alias.
Since finding the path in February, I have read many personal experiences shared by Agathiyar devotees and I longed to have an experience of my own. If sharing my experience with others all over the world results in them finding Agathiyar and the siddhas; we can all return to him (Agathiyar) in our next birth.
I would love to have shared photos or video footage but astonishingly I have none. This is another reason why I had to document it, it is almost as if I was meant to "feel" the experience and not rely on a visual memory of it.
However, having said that, something I did not mention in my previous email, Agathiyar, in the reading, bestowed upon me the responsibility of building the new ashram. After my reading Thavayogi Thangarasan Adigal asked me to "set foot" on the cleared piece of land where the new ashram is to be built, before I was to leave Kallar. This is the only picture I have. Perhaps I am supposed to look forward from here on or see the new ashram as the new beginning for me as well, I do not know, but this was the only visually captured memory I came away with (photo attached).
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| KP at the site of the new temple complex for Agathiyar |
I am aware that you were bestowed with the same calling when the present ashram was being built. If you do not mind, I would like to revert to this conversation to seek your divine advice and guidance.
To digress a little bit, I wanted to share another little miracle that has occurred since returning from India. My dear father in the reading asked me to read books by Yogi Ramiah.
A kind swami we met in Arunachala mentioned he would help me find the books in South Africa.
After returning home, in my prayers I asked Agathiyar why he had put me on a continent so far away from him and the people who knew him. It felt disconnected, distanced and lonely.
Soon afterwards the swami emailed details of the person I needed to contact to assist me with finding the books. I called the lovely lady and arranged to meet with her. I arrived at her place of work and was swept off my feet. The room was identical to the waiting room at the ashram in Kallar. Babaji, many siddhas, swamis and Agathiyar graced the walls of the room. The place looked like an ashram. She offered me her personal copy of a Yogi Ramiah book and went on to tell me about the yoga she teaches in that very room. It was not just yoga, she was a kriya yoga teacher. I knew exactly what was happening, there was no question about it. I knew I had to bring the yoga in at some point but it was arranged for me, my kriya yoga teacher was chosen. She amazingly was initiated by Yogi Ramiah himself.
I had been doing the yoga for a few weeks now. My dear yoga teacher invited me to a satsang which took yesterday. This was held at the yoga studio. I did not know what to expect. Again I was beyond surprise. Her guru from out of town was present, together with other devotees. I was to find out that they were devotees of the siddhas, they not only knew of Agathiyar but they had prepared to perform a homa for Agathiya and the other siddhas yesterday. I had been invited to a sacred prayer for the saints in my very town. I am still astonished. I was introduced to the warm and friendly guru who, unbelievably was initiated by Yogi Ramiah and Babaji. Needless to say I no longer feel disconnected, distanced and lonely. I was shown and taken directly to the place and people I am to walk with. My dear father …. Until the next time, have a great day further. KP.
And here is her beautiful journey of sheer astonishment and marvel.
Towards the end of February, 2015 I stumbled upon a blog, quite by accident, or so I thought. I subsequently learnt that there are no coincidences or chance experiences, as we often perceive them to be. The photos of the Agathiyar Gnana Peedam in Kallar caught my eye and from that very first visual, I experienced a physical energy vibration under my skin, which flowed through my body. This was accompanied with a spinning sensation at the top of my head (crown chakra). It felt strange at first.
For the days that followed I frequented the site with increased curiosity. Again, I followed the links and arrived at the ashram in Kallar. I viewed the prayers and visually absorbed the statues and the inside of the temple with piqued interest. Each time I indulged myself with these visits the vibrations I experienced became more intense. I remember little else other than the distinct knowing that I had to go there.
Now would be a good time to mention (again) that I live in South Africa, yet, it did not appear to be an irrational thought to go to Kallar at all. I did not dwell on this desire for long. I conferred with my husband about my experiences and an unexplainable feeling to go the ashram far across the world from us. My longing to go was not challenged. He immediately trusted my instincts and supported my mission.
By the 3rd of March (only a few days later), he had booked us two tickets to go to India. I promptly embarked on planning an itinerary with great zeal. On the 6th of March, upon checking, I discovered that our passports had just expired. The 9th of March (a Monday) we frantically applied for new passports. I did not panic and knew unexplainably all will be well, a reaction unfamiliar to me. The new passports were produced and ready for collection within a week (around the 16th - 17th of March). We fetched them without delay and applications for visas were submitted. Visas were granted (around the 24th - 25th of March) and all documents were in order by the 27th of March with only a weekend to spare before our flight to India, departing on the 30th of March. We managed to pull all of that off in less than a month.
The night of our impromptu journey arrived. We boarded our flight timeously, but had to sit through a one hour delay while baggage and other flight contents had to be re-loaded to apparently, balance the weight on the aircraft. I buffed off this technical hitch as a much bigger mission absorbed my attention. My husband however, was concerned that the delay may result in us missing a connecting flight from the UAE to India. The flight staff assured us this would not happen given their airline was delayed and our connecting flight was with their airline as well.
Our delayed arrival in the UAE however, did result in us, including many other passengers missing our ongoing flights. For us, missing this one flight resulted in missing another from Chennai to Coimbatore as well. The drama that usually follows when negotiating with airline personnel went into action. All other outgoing flights were fully booked and the next flight available to us was some time the next day. Our appointment and requirement was to not just be in Coimbatore, but in Kallar by 9h00 the following day, a Wednesday to have the Jeeva Naadi reading. I astonished myself once more and did not panic.
After much collaboration and negotiation the airline managed to accommodate us on an earlier daytime flight to Chennai to enable us to catch another flight with another airline to Coimbatore on the morning of the reading. (Our original plans were to arrive in Coimbatore the night before and take a leisurely drive to Kallar in the morning).
We arrived in Coimbatore on the Wednesday, 1st of April and departed from the airport a little after 8h10. There was no time for a hotel check in hence we headed straight to the ashram in Kallar. The driver had heard of the ashram but was not sure of its exact location. After driving for some time we decided to make a quick stop to buy garlands and fruit to take to the ashram. We stopped again several times during the drive to ask for directions and local people were happy to show us the way. We arrived at the steps of the Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedam and began our ascent to the ashram. I looked at my watch at this point and it was, miraculously, 9h00. There was no rational explanation as to how we surmounted the many obstacles to get there at 9h00…
We reached the ashram, washed our feet and stepped into Agathiya’s holy abode. We had come all the way from the very tip of Africa to a remote place we had not heard of a month ago. It felt surreal. Thavayogi Thangarasan Adigal had just begun his prayer. We participated and gratefully took his blessings at the end.
After a while, we introduced ourselves to both Marthaji and Thavayogi Thangarasan Adigal, who were expecting us, as we had previously communicated telephonically and via email. Marthaji wrote down my husband’s name in a notebook. These would be the names of people who would have a reading on that day. She explained that he (my husband) could have the reading, which would benefit the family as a whole, and I would be called in when the reading was being explained/translated. I had no idea of how the process unfolded but I accepted this.
We sat and waited patiently, with others, in the comfortable waiting room. We were blessed that the waiting room was cool almost as if it had it’s own cooling system. It was incredibly hot, temperatures we were not used to. In our hurry to get to the ashram we did not take water or anything to drink and after some time, thirst began to knock.
During this waiting time I admired all the pictures and paintings of Agathiyar which graced the top end of the waiting room walls. I silently communicated to him that I was not exactly sure how this reading process goes. I expressed my confusion as well as my delight at being there. I reminded him that I had come all the way from South Africa because of some gut feel and some energy vibration and that I was beginning to see question marks relative to receiving the answers I sought or having a reading. I then firmly asserted that I was not leaving there that day without an audience with him.
My communiqué with the revered saint was put on pause when the lovely lady who cooks at the ashram brought out cups of a beverage for all the people in the waiting room. I am still unsure what the beverage was, it was like steaming hot tea; the most delicious hot drink that had the magnificence of having a refreshing and cooling effect. The welcome drink took care of thirst, hunger, heat etc. for the rest of the day. I marveled at how all our needs were being synchronistically accommodated.
Minutes before it was our turn for the reading, my husband turned to me and conferred, that the trip was about me and my experiences and that we had come all the way because of my instincts to be there hence I should have the reading, and that whatever came out of the reading would still be applicable to us as a family. I listened in silence. I did not oppose his view either, but wondered if such a change could be requested. I looked up at the picture of Agathiyar and controlled the urge to go “YES”.
When it was our turn, my husband went in and explained his decision to Thavayogi Thangarasan Adigal and Marthaji. I was readily invited to have the much awaited reading. I sat down beside Marthaji, in front of the highly respected Thavayogi Thangarasan Adigal. My emotions ran high. I did not know what to expect. Some knowledge of readings from internet postings was all I had, which did not serve me then. This was now the real thing. My mind began to run rampant about what was to come. I considered making a run for it but I could not find my legs.
Thavayogi Thangarasan Adigal smiled warmly, disarmingly, magnetically pulling my mind and thoughts back to a level of calm. He together with Marthaji began a casual conversation around my country of birth, the people, the culture, languages etc. quickly pulling my attention back to reality and a minimal level of composure. I could easily have a conversation around such areas of interest. I was still unaware of the magnitude with which the impending reading was to change my life, irreversibly.
The guru picked up the sacred instrument gifted to him by Agathiyar and began to read ….. Marthaji began to write….
The reading is in Tamil. Guruji reads a bit. This is followed by a disarming smile. He stops and enquires if I understand Tamil. I ashamedly confess that I do not. He comforted my anxiety saying that he would explain in English once the reading was done. He continued with the reading. There was that smile again. My confusion stepped up a notch. I beat myself emotionally for not being able to understand my ancestral language.
“You are kali from abroad”, he translates in English. (He probably recognized my restlessness and translated bits of the reading before the end).
I struggle to comprehend this, although he communicates this in English.
“Agathiyar says, he has been calling you from abroad”
My disorientation escalates, tears well up in my eyes and a mammoth lump takes hold of my throat.
“Agathiyar says he has been calling you from abroad for your future spiritual upliftment”.
Relief flooded over me. So there was a “calling”. I was responding to something, I thought hurriedly. We were barely two minutes into the reading when I received the biggest shock in my life. Actually this news could easily be the biggest shock in anyone’s life.
Agathiyar says “You are his daughter. He knows everything about you but you do not know about him”.
I am blindsided with guilt. This is true. I have only just discovered him, I thought sadly. I am unable to respond to this. I began to grapple with tears, confusion, disbelief, loss of words, incoherent thoughts and an undeniable sense that something mighty had brought me to Kallar.
The reading went on to reveal the following:
A bit about my work .... previous birth .... Agathiyar confirmed in the reading it is time for me to reconnect with my spirituality ..... A bit about my good husband .... I must pray to his statue. And he will save me .... I have a good spiritual line ...... I still have some karma to work through hence I was provided some remedies, temples I had to visit, the Kalyana Theertham being one of them, the Agathiyar Falls and a few others.
I was left trembling, tearful, choked, disoriented and still confused. I struggled to comprehend any of it. Although I had heard it, I still had a desperate need for it to be true. I wondered if I was asleep. I needed time to digest it. I was relieved that my instincts and experiences were indeed that of a “calling”. I was expecting to be told of a “calling” on some level but I never dreamed of having known the dear saint in a previous life, moreover as an adopted daughter. It left me reeling in bewilderment, amazement and wonder. The revelation felt like an electrical reboot to my system. To say this was a “life changing” experience is perhaps an understatement.
A few days into our journey, we made our way to Agathiyar Falls, the Kalyana Theertham and one of Agathiyar’s caves. Our driver approached the town, fetched his elderly uncle who lived in the area, and drove on towards one of Agathiyar’s mystical wonder abodes.
On arrival we noticed the clear sky, the large shade providing trees, the clean fresh air and the surrounding mountain terrain which were breathtaking. The water spilled over the fall with absolute glory, drenching and splashing devotees below with it’s energizing prowess. I wondered in disbelief how the drop of the fall and the speed at which the water gushed over, did not present any danger to the believers below. The devotees below were not only safe but were having the time of their lives. My husband showed me to the side of the fall for woman and went off to the opposite side for men, to have a massage under the falling water. I treaded over the rocks carefully, gingerly making my way towards the water. At first I stood at a far end where I was able to get drenched but little water splashed over me.
A lady passing me advised warmly, “Go and stand over there ma, you not getting the real water to fall over you”. Someone had noticed. I moved cautiously further on until I was directly under a full flow of water. (It is interesting to note here that Manju Harsha Vardhan of Bangalore was guided by a similar lady to another spot away from where she was taking a bath. Surprisingly she spoke Hindi to Manju, which she understood - Editor).
It felt invigorating, and …… quite safe. I closed my eyes and gave myself to the restorative, calming, karma releasing therapy I perceived it to be. The water flowed over with the gentleness and affection a parent gives a child. It felt as if someone standing at the top of the fall was tipping a vessel of healing energy over. It was mesmerizing. When I felt ready I stepped back a few steps from the fall, to behold it’s beauty. I absorbed it’s sheer magnificence. It filled my eyes with it’s majestic, divine beauty. I was in awe and grateful that I was given the opportunity to experience it’s blessings.
My thoughts moved to noticing a beautiful yellow butterfly flying towards me. I followed it’s movement with keen curiosity. It flew towards me, circled the top of my head and flew off downstream. I mentally communicated my gratitude and delight at being there and asked for guidance for the rest of our travels.
After a quick change of clothes we made our way up the long, welcoming steps (I am told 100 steps), to visit the Shiva Temple, Mother Krishnaveni’s home and the Kalyana Theertham. Midway up the steps, I began to feel muscles in my legs I did not know I had. The fierce India sun was grinning with all it’s might. Again, these were temperatures unfamiliar to us, but I was acutely aware that this too was part of the karmic penance to accept. I acknowledged the sun’s strength and accepted it’s challenge.
We arrived at the top after the arduous climb and paid our respects to all the deities. The Kalyana Theertham disseminated a celestial, powerful spiritual energy, which I had recently read. Being there radiated an energy within me on a deeply personal level. This view all around was breathtaking. There was the sweet sound of flowing water in the stream below the Theertham, the glorious mountain terrain extended far into the distance, the beauty of the surrounding trees and greenery, the brilliant blue sky on that day and the magnificent sun giving life and energizing everything below. Who would not want to live here? (The same thing Jnana Jyothiamma said too - Editor)
During this time, we realized we were alone. We were told one of Agathiyar’s caves was in that vicinity but we were unable to find it. After much searching we gave up on finding the cave and made our way back down the gruelling 100 steps.
Back at the waterfall, all the way down the steps, we are informed by a Park official that the cave is “up there” however we would need to take a guide to go up with us. We were exhausted and silently wondered how we would manage another round up. The enthusiastic guide was ready to go convincing us that we had to see the footprints of Agathiyar in the cave.
We were back on the steps. I chose to ignore the sun’s effort to beat me again. I continued to focus on the reward, the cave. We arrived at the top once more, the guide moved towards the stream and pointing across the stream briefly explained the route. It sounded dangerous, scary, and almost impossible. We were already beyond exhaustion and close to dehydration. The driver backed away declaring that he would not be joining us. My husband and I looked at each other, our analytical minds racing to establish a logical, rational decision. It was not the time for a logical, rational decision. We had decided. We motioned the guide to continue and we followed.
We hopped over rocks bare footed which felt to the feet like a griddle. I imagined the sun laughing with glee in response to me accepting it’s challenge. The terrain became more mountainous and the rocks became more difficult to scale. The guide picked up his pace being familiar with this trek. The climb demanded the use of hands, feet, legs, knees, using one’s buttocks, stomach etc. sliding, climbing, jumping, crawling etc. After approximately 20 minutes on the trail, I could not feel my lower body. The perspiration melted off my face. I struggled to move forward. Each time we enquired, the guide responded that we were almost there. This was his response around five times.
As we continued, we caught sight of the driver. He had unbelievably changed his mind, and decided to follow us. He made good progress, got ahead of us and caught up with the guide. My husband was closely ahead of me. By this time he had already had a few slips, slides, cuts and bruises. I was taking strain. I began to question my decision to embark on the quest, which now appeared beyond my physical and mental capability. My thoughts became scrambled. I had started to lose focus on my goal, reaching the cave. I constantly thought about the return journey which hampered my mental stamina to move forward. I felt delirious. The guide saw me falling behind. He threaded backwards towards us. He got to my side and began to guide me through every step forward, literally. He told me where to step, where to slide, where to grab hold of a branch, where to jump, where to crawl etc. He encouraged and motivated me with every step I took forward. From this point on, all I could hear was his voice. I did not know it at the time but a divine intervention was in place to get me to the cave.
While this went on, the driver Ramesh miraculously finds a little packet with camphor and match in it somewhere on his path, in between rocks. Again we do not realize the significance of this extraordinary find until much later. A few meters away from the cave, the guide left, got into the cave and used the match to light up the camphor to illuminate the cave.
By this time, I had again slipped into despair. Both my feet were in a narrow ravine and both my hands clung onto a branch just above my head. I was in a physically safe place, where I unintentionally chose to break down. I cried hopelessly clinging onto the branch, although there was no risk of falling. I told my husband that I had given up and would not get any further. I asked him to go on without me. I had literally given up. I was disappointed and angry with myself for failing to make it to the cave. I felt weak and disempowered. I was pushed to a point of near collapse. My thinking and brain functioning appeared to have shut down. My thoughts were few and muddled. My helpless weeping went on.
My husband tried hopelessly to get me to let go of the tree and drag myself forward. He tried to take hold of my hands. I still clung to the tree. He asserted that the cave was really just a few meters away this time. I did not believe it. He tried desperately to get my attention. “You can do this”, he stressed. He tried to point out how close we were to the cave. He reminded me that this was just a physical hurdle, and I had succeeded with more complex hurdles before. I continued to weep.
My husband relented, turned around on the rock and asked me to get onto his back. He was going to carry me to the cave. I comprehended his intention and was astonished. I thought it was ridiculous. He was as exhausted and beat as I was but he was willing to carry me to the cave. I am unreservedly grateful to have a husband who would offer to do this for me.
I paused the weeping. A feeling of physical and mental strength rose within my body. I looked ahead and could see more rocks and greenery as opposed to doom. I took my husband’s hand and dragged myself forward. There were a few dragged steps, a few climbs before we joined the guide and the driver who were already at the cave.
I put my arms around the rock outside the cave placing my head on it. Perspiration melted off my face, which I have never experienced in my life. I was completely overwhelmed. I got to the cave but there was a force, a power, and an unquestionable energy, which carried me there.
The cave was illuminated. The guide pointed to the footprints inside the cave. They were distinctly visible and of a small footed person. I was awe struck. I peered in and around the cave and could not believe being there. It felt like a fantasy. There was ash around the footprints. The guide pulled some of it towards him together with some dried flowers and handed it to me. Writing this today, some days later, I still wonder if I had really been there. Although I felt emotionally and physically exhausted I distinctly remember the feeling of bliss, peace, tranquillity, contentment, serenity …… a sensation of being far removed from the trials of the earthly plane and human birth…..
It was a taste of something, dreamlike, intangible….
It was hard to believe such a place could exist on earth.
The journey back to the Theertham and to the bottom of the steps was astonishingly, “a hop, skip and a jump”. I needed absolutely no assistance and it took less than half the time than getting to the cave.
Going to the cave tested my mettle on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to burn, perspire, crawl, weep, struggle, suffer etc. to atone for my karma. It was by far the most invaluable lesson in my life, guided by the divine wisdom and compassion of some extraordinary souls who walked beside me selflessly on my journey of karmic penance.
Before leaving I acknowledged the mighty sun for showing me some grace and relief without which I surely would not have succeeded.