THE THIRUARUTPA PART 2

Ramalinga Adigal's Nadesar Kummi is set to the tempo of the traditional folk tune and dance.

105. நடேசர் கொம்மி 

1. கொம்மிய டிப்பெண்கள் கொம்மி யடி - இரு 

கொங்கைகு லுங்கவே கொம்மி யடி. 

2. நம்மை யாளும்பொன் னம்பல வாணனை 

நாடிக் கொம்மிய டியுங்க டி - பதம் 

பாடிக் கொம்மிய டியுங்க டி. - கொம்மி 

3. காம மகற்றிய தூய னடி - சிவ 

காம சவுந்தரி நேய னடி 

மாமறை யோதுசெவ் வாய னடி - மணி 

மன்றெனு ஞானவா காய னடி. - கொம்மி 

4. ஆனந்தத் தாண்டவ ராஜ னடி - நமை 

ஆட்கொண் டருளிய தேஜ னடி 

வானந்த மாமலை மங்கை மகிழ் - வடி 

வாளன டிமண வாள னடி. - கொம்மி 

5. கல்லைக் கனிவிக்குஞ் சுத்த னடி - முடி 

கங்கைக் கருளிய கர்த்த னடி 

தில்லைச்சி தம்பர சித்த னடி - தேவ 

சிங்கம டியுயர் தங்க மடி. - கொம்மி 

6. பெண்ணொரு பால்வைத்த மத்த னடி - சிறு 

பிள்ளைக் கறிகொண்ட பித்த னடி 

நண்ணி நமக்கரு ளத்த னடி - மிக 

நல்லன டியெல்லாம் வல்ல னடி.. - கொம்மி 

7. அம்பலத் தாடல்செய் ஐய னடி - அன்பர் 

அன்புக் கெளிதரு மெய்ய னடி 

தும்பை முடிக்கணி தூய னடி - சுயஞ் 

சோதிய டிபரஞ் சோதி யடி. - கொம்மி 

8. கொம்மிய டிப்பெண்கள் கொம்மி யடி - இரு 

கொங்கைகு லுங்கவே கொம்மி யடி.

105. n-ateesar kommi 

1. kommiya tippeNkaL kommi yati - iru 

kongkaiku lungkavee kommi yati. 

2. n-ammai yaaLumpon nampala vaaNanai 

n-aatik kommiya tiyungka ti - patham 

paatik kommiya tiyungka ti. - kommi 

3. kaama makaRRiya thuuya nati - siva 

kaama savunthari n-eeya nati 

maamaRai yoothusev vaaya nati - maNi 

manRenu njaanavaa kaaya nati. - kommi 

4. aananthath thaaNtava raaja nati - n-amai 

aatkoN taruLiya theeja nati 

vaanantha maamalai mangkai makiz - vati 

vaaLana timaNa vaaLa nati. - kommi 

5. kallaik kanivikkunj suththa nati - muti 

kangkaik karuLiya karththa nati 

thillaissi thampara siththa nati - theeva 

singkama tiyuyar thangka mati. - kommi 

6. peNNoru paalvaiththa maththa nati - siRu 

piLLaik kaRikoNta piththa nati 

n-aNNi n-amakkaru Laththa nati - mika 

n-allana tiyellaam valla nati.. - kommi 

7. ampalath thaatalsey aiya nati - anpar 

anpuk keLitharu meyya nati 

thumpai mutikkaNi thuuya nati - suyanj 

soothiya tiparanj soothi yati. - kommi 

8. kommiya tippeNkaL kommi yati - iru 

kongkaiku lungkavee kommi yati.

Another song of Ramalinga Adigal that blends with the folk dance of India is Shanmugar Kummi.

055. சண்முகர் கொம்மி 

1. குறவர் குடிசை நுழைந்தாண்டி - அந்தக் 

கோமாட்டி எச்சில் விழைந்தாண்டி 

துறவர் வணங்கும் புகழாண்டி - அவன் 

தோற்றத்தைப் பாடி அடியுங்கடி. 

2. மாமயில் ஏறி வருவாண்டி - அன்பர் 

வாழ்த்த வரங்கள் தருவாண்டி 

தீமையி லாத புகழாண்டி - அவன் 

சீர்த்தியைப் பாடி அடியுங்கடி. 

3. பன்னிரு தோள்கள் உடையாண்டி - கொடும் 

பாவிகள் தம்மை அடையாண்டி 

என்னிரு கண்கள் அனையாண்டி - அவன் 

ஏற்றத்தைப் பாடி அடியுங்கடி. 

4. வேங்கை மரமாகி நின்றாண்டி - வந்த 

வேடர் தமைஎலாம் வென்றாண்டி 

தீங்குசெய் சூரனைக் கொன்றாண்டி - அந்தத் 

தீரனைப் பாடி அடியுங்கடி. 

5. சீர்திகழ் தோகை மயில்மேலே - இளஞ் 

செஞ்சுடர் தோன்றுந் திறம்போலே 

கூர்வடி வேல்கொண்டு நம்பெருமான் - வருங் 

கோலத்தைப் பாருங்கள் கோதையர்காள். 

6. ஆறு முகங்களில் புன்சிரிப்பும் - இரண் 

டாறு புயந்திகழ் அற்புதமும் 

வீறு பரஞ்சுடர் வண்ணமும்ஓர் - திரு 

மேனியும் பாருங்கள் வெள்வளைகாள். 

7. ஆனந்த மான அமுதனடி - பர 

மானந்த நாட்டுக் கரசனடி 

தானந்த மில்லாச் சதுரனடி - சிவ 

சண்முகன் நங்குரு சாமியடி. 

8. வேதமுடி சொல்லும் நாதனடி - சதுர் 

வேதமு டிதிகழ் பாதனடி 

நாத வடிவுகொள் நீதனடி - பர 

நாதங் கடந்த நலத்தனடி. 

9. தத்துவத் துள்ளே அடங்காண்டி - பர 

தத்துவம் அன்றித் துடங்காண்டி 

சத்துவ ஞான வடிவாண்டி - சிவ 

சண்முக நாதனைப் பாடுங்கடி. 

10. சச்சிதா னந்த உருவாண்டி - பர 

தற்பர போகந் தருவாண்டி 

உச்சிதாழ் அன்பர்க் குறவாண்டி - அந்த 

உத்தம தேவனைப் பாடுங்கடி. 

11. அற்புத மான அழகனடி - துதி 

அன்பர்க் கருள்செய் குழகனடி 

சிற்பர யோகத் திறத்தனடி-அந்தச் 

சேவகன் சீர்த்தியைப் பாடுங்கடி. 

12. சைவந் தழைக்கத் தழைத்தாண்டி -ஞான 

சம்பந்தப் பேர்கொண் டழைத்தாண்டி 

பொய்வந்த உள்ளத்தில் போகாண்டி - அந்தப் 

புண்ணியன் பொன்னடி போற்றுங்கடி. 

13. வாசி நடத்தித் தருவாண்டி - ஒரு 

வாசியில் இங்கே வருவாண்டி 

ஆசில் கருணை உருவாண்டி - அவன் 

அற்புதத் தாள்மலர் ஏத்துங்கடி. 

14. இராப்பகல் இல்லா இடத்தாண்டி - அன்பர் 

இன்ப உளங்கொள் நடத்தாண்டி 

அராப்பளி ஈந்த திடத்தாண்டி - அந்த 

அண்ணலைப் பாடி அடியுங்கடி. 

15. ஒன்றிரண் டான உளவாண்டி - அந்த 

ஒன்றிரண் டாகா அளவாண்டி 

மின்திரண் டன்ன வடிவாண்டி - அந்த 

மேலவன் சீர்த்தியைப் பாடுங்கடி.

055. saNmukar kommi 

1. kuRavar kutisai n-uzainthaaNti - anthak 

koomaatti essil vizainthaaNti 

thuRavar vaNangkum pukazaaNti - avan 

thooRRaththaip paati atiyungkati. 

2. maamayil eeRi varuvaaNti - anpar 

vaazththa varangkaL tharuvaaNti 

thiimaiyi laatha pukazaaNti - avan 

siirththiyaip paati atiyungkati. 

3. panniru thooLkaL utaiyaaNti - kotum 

paavikaL thammai ataiyaaNti 

enniru kaNkaL anaiyaaNti - avan 

eeRRaththaip paati atiyungkati. 

4. veengkai maramaaki n-inRaaNti - vantha 

veetar thamaielaam venRaaNti 

thiingkusey suuranaik konRaaNti - anthath 

thiiranaip paati atiyungkati. 

5. siirthikaz thookai mayilmeelee - iLanj 

senjsutar thoonRun- thiRampoolee 

kuurvati veelkoNtu n-amperumaan - varung 

koolaththaip paarungkaL koothaiyarkaaL. 

6. aaRu mukangkaLil punsirippum - iraN 

taaRu puyanthikaz aRputhamum 

viiRu paranjsutar vaNNamumoor - thiru 

meeniyum paarungkaL veLvaLaikaaL. 

7. aanantha maana amuthanati - para 

maanantha n-aattuk karasanati 

thaanantha millaas sathuranati - siva 

saNmukan n-angkuru saamiyati. 

8. veethamuti sollum n-aathanati - sathur 

veethamu tithikaz paathanati 

n-aatha vativukoL n-iithanati - para 

n-aathang katantha n-alaththanati. 

9. thaththuvath thuLLee atangkaaNti - para 

thaththuvam anRith thutangkaaNti 

saththuva njaana vativaaNti - siva 

saNmuka n-aathanaip paatungkati. 

10. sassithaa nantha uruvaaNti - para 

thaRpara pookan- tharuvaaNti 

ussithaaz anpark kuRavaaNti - antha 

uththama theevanaip paatungkati. 

11. aRputha maana azakanati - thuthi 

anpark karuLsey kuzakanati 

siRpara yookath thiRaththanati-anthas 

seevakan siirththiyaip paatungkati. 

12. saivan- thazaikkath thazaiththaaNti -njaana 

sampanthap peerkoN tazaiththaaNti 

poyvantha uLLaththil pookaaNti - anthap 

puNNiyan ponnati pooRRungkati. 

13. vaasi n-ataththith tharuvaaNti - oru 

vaasiyil ingkee varuvaaNti 

aasil karuNai uruvaaNti - avan 

aRputhath thaaLmalar eeththungkati. 

14. iraappakal illaa itaththaaNti - anpar 

inpa uLangkoL n-ataththaaNti 

araappaLi iintha thitaththaaNti - antha 

aNNalaip paati atiyungkati. 

15. onRiraN taana uLavaaNti - antha 

onRiraN taakaa aLavaaNti 

minthiraN tanna vativaaNti - antha 

meelavan siirththiyaip paatungkati.

According to wikipedia.org, in Kummi, the dancers gather in a circle and clap their hands as they dance while the Kolattam, an extension to this, is "where instead of clapping, the participants hold small wooden rods in their hands and strike these in rhythm as they dance."

From http://beautyspotsofindia.com/kummi-dance/, "the word ‘Kummi’ literally means dancing with clapping of hands to time and singing poems. Since the dance has originated without accompaniment of any musical beats, the dancers clap their hands to keep time." It also mentions that "Subramania Bharathiyar, a famous Tamil poet and social reformer who wrote Kummi Pattu employed the folk dance Kummi."

Source: http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T50/romanized1/sanmukar_kommi
http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T213/romanized1/n-ateesar_kommi

Listen to these songs at http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T50/romanized1/sanmukar_kommi and
http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T213/romanized1/n-ateesar_kommi

THE THIRUARUTPA PART 1

Ramalinga Adigal documented every single spiritual experience of his in the form of songs, the Thiruarutpa. But he had no intention to publicize them initially.

Dr MP Sivagnanam in his "Vallalar Kanda Orumaippadu", translated by Dr R Ganapathy, writes, "When followers wished to collect and publish his songs in book form, Ramalinga Vallalar did not give his consent"

Adigal's disciples Thozhuvor Velayudha Mudaliar and Irukkam Rathina Mudaliar wished to bring out "an anthology of Adigal's songs as a magnum opus" but were refused permission. Irukkam Rathina Mudaliar did not give up but instead went on a fast until Adigal consented and submitted.

According to Dr MP Sivagnanam, Adigal on hearing about Irukkam Rathina Mudaliar's fast wrote to him, "From the day I left the city of Madras and settled here, I had composed many verses. I did not aim to have all of them written down. They are scattered at random. But, they can be gathered in two months. I shall go over there in Panguni (March) and I shall bring them with me. This is a promise. I shall make them available to you at your place by all means ..." hence assuring Irukkam Rathina Mudaliar and bringing his fast to an end.

Thus the Arutpa came to be gathered, collected, compiled and published. Respecting the Adigal's wishes, Thozhuvor Velayudha Mudaliar only published the first four canons or Thirumuraigal in 1867. In 1880 the fifth canon was published by Irukkam Rathina Mudaliar. The devotees of the Universal, Pure and Righteous path movement in Madras published the sixth canon in 1885. 

Adigal's songs made its way into temples, schools and homes. Dr MP Sivagnanam writes, "After the publication of the volume of the songs of Divine Grace (Arutpa) they were recited in every nook and corner. The songs were widely and warmly received."

By composing several songs in the traditional folk metre, Adigal took his songs to the rural folks in the villages, thus bringing his highly esoteric songs to the masses. 

Following in the footsteps of Manickavasagar and his composition Thiru Unthiyar, Ramalinga Adigal composed his Thiru Unthiyar. It is interesting to note that many saints followed suite; the Upadesha Unthiyar of Sri Ramana Maharshi; the Tiru Unthiyar of Sri Muruganar; the Avirodha Unthiyar of Santalinga Swamigal and the Thiru Unthiyar of Uyyavantha Teva Nayanar.

The Thiru Unthiyar (திரு உந்தியார்), Kaliththaazisai (கலித்தாழிசை), is one of those songs that blends well with a local game or play. 

064. திரு உந்தியார்

1. இரவு விடிந்தது இணையடி வாய்த்த
பரவி மகிழ்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
பாலமுது உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

2. பொழுது விடிந்தது பொற்பதம் வாய்த்த
தொழுது மகிழ்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
தூயவன் ஆனேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

3. தூக்கம் தொலைந்தது சூரியன் தோன்றினன்
ஏக்கம் தவிர்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
இன்னமுது உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

4. துன்பம் தவிர்ந்தது தூக்கம் தொலைந்தது
இன்பம் கிடைத்ததென்று உந்தீபற
எண்ணம் பலித்ததென்று உந்தீபற.

5. ஞானம் உதித்தது நாதம் ஒலித்தது
தீனந் தவிர்ந்ததென்று உந்தீபற
சிற்சபை கண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

6. திரையற்று விட்டது செஞ்சுடர் தோன்றிற்று
பரைஒளி ஓங்கிற்றென்று உந்தீபற
பலித்தது பூசையென்று உந்தீபற.

7. உள்ளிருள் நீங்கிற்றுஎன் உள்ளொளி ஓங்கிற்றுத்
தெள்ளமுது உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற
தித்திக்க உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

8. எந்தையைக் கண்டேன் இடரெலாம் நீங்கினேன்
சிந்தை மகிழ்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
சித்திகள் பெற்றேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

9. தந்தையைக் கண்டேன்நான் சாகா வரம்பெற்றேன்
சிந்தை களித்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
சித்தெலாம் வல்லேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

10. முத்தியைப் பெற்றேன்அம் முத்தியினால் ஞான
சித்தியை உற்றேன்என்று உந்தீபற
சித்தனும் ஆனேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

064. thiru unthiyaar

1. iravu vitinthathu iNaiyati vaayththa
paravi makizntheenenRu unthiipaRa
paalamuthu uNteenenRu unthiipaRa.

2. pozuthu vitinthathu poRpatham vaayththa
thozuthu makizntheenenRu unthiipaRa
thuuyavan aaneenenRu unthiipaRa.

3. thuukkam tholainthathu suuriyan thoonRinan
eekkam thavirntheenenRu unthiipaRa
innamuthu uNteenenRu unthiipaRa.

4. thunpam thavirnthathu thuukkam tholainthathu
inpam kitaiththathenRu unthiipaRa
eNNam paliththathenRu unthiipaRa.

5. njaanam uthiththathu n-aatham oliththathu
thiinan- thavirnthathenRu unthiipaRa
siRsapai kaNteenenRu unthiipaRa.

6. thiraiyaRRu vittathu senjsutar thoonRiRRu
paraioLi oongkiRRenRu unthiipaRa
paliththathu puusaiyenRu unthiipaRa.

7. uLLiruL n-iingkiRRuen uLLoLi oongkiRRuth
theLLamuthu uNteenenRu unthiipaRa
thiththikka uNteenenRu unthiipaRa.

8. enthaiyaik kaNteen itarelaam n-iingkineen
sinthai makizntheenenRu unthiipaRa
siththikaL peRReenenRu unthiipaRa.

9. thanthaiyaik kaNteenn-aan saakaa varampeRReen
sinthai kaLiththeenenRu unthiipaRa
siththelaam valleenenRu unthiipaRa.

10. muththiyaip peRReenam muththiyinaal njaana
siththiyai uRReenenRu unthiipaRa
siththanum aaneenenRu unthiipaRa.

The game played by children

Ramalinga Adigal ends his Thiru Unthiyar with the refrain from a game played by girls in ancient times. 

Robert Butler in his "Unthiyar", writes, "The shout unthii para, sung originally as a refrain in a children's game, has been taken as a metaphor for the soaring of the human spirit in its quest for a spiritual knowledge which transcends the limitation of the time and space bound body, mind and senses."

Rakesh Krishna shares the following note.

உந்தீபற - உந்தி பறப்பாயாக. உந்தி-பறத்தல் தமிழக நாட்டுப்புறச் சிறுமியரின் விளையாட்டுகளில் ஒன்று. 

உந்தி என்பது வயிற்றுக் கொப்புள். கொப்புள் பறக்கும்படி சுழல்வது உந்தி பறத்தல். 

உந்தி-பறத்தல் விளையாட்டை எட்டாம் நூற்றாண்டில் வாழ்ந்த மாணிக்கவாசகர் தன் திருவாசகத்தில் குறிப்பிடுகிறார். 

பாடிக்கொண்டே பறப்பது உந்தி-பறத்தல். இரண்டு சிறுமியர் ஒருவர் கையை மற்றொருவர் பிடித்துக்கொண்டும், கால்களால் ஒருவரை ஒருவர் உதைந்துகொண்டும் சுற்றுவது உந்திப்பறத்தல். கைகளைப் பிடிக்கும்போது வலக்கையை வலக்கையாலும், இடக்கையை இடக்கையாலும் எதிரெதிர் நின்று பிடித்துக்கொள்வர். இதனால் கைகள் பின்னலிட்டது போல் இருக்கும். பின்னர் வலப்புறமாகச் சிறிது நேரமும், இடப்புறமாகச் சிறிது நேரமும் சுழல்வர். இப்படிச் சுழலும்போது பாட்டுப் பாடிக்கொண்டே சுழல்வர். 

எனக்கு தெரிந்து. பறத்தல் என்பது மிகவும் இனிய அனுபவும். யோசித்து பாருங்கள். மேலே ஆகாய மார்க்கத்தில் பறக்கும் போது, பூமியில் உள்ள படைப்புகள் அனைத்தும் பார்க்கும் போது, நமக்குள் ஒரு பரவசம் ஏற்படும். அது ஒரு ஆனந்த எல்லை என்றும் சொல்லலாம்.

ஆனால் திருவருட்பாவில் உள்ள உந்தீபற என்ற சொல்லின் பொருள் - ஒரு பேரானந்த பரவசம். அது பறத்தலை கடந்த நிலை. ஏனென்றால் அந்த நிலை அடையும் போது வள்ளலார் மேற்கோள் காட்டுவது. பாலமுது உண்டேன், தூயவன் ஆனேன், இன்னமுது உண்டேன், இன்பம் கிடைத்ததென்று, தெள்ளமுது உண்டேன், தித்திக்க உண்டேன், சிந்தை மகிழ்ந்தேன், சித்திகள் பெற்றேன், சித்தனும் ஆனேன் என்று. 

பாலமுது உண்டேன் என்று உந்தீபற.

தூயவன் ஆனேன் என்று உந்தீபற.

இன்னமுது உண்டேன் என்று உந்தீபற.

இன்பம் கிடைத்ததென்று உந்தீபற.

தீனந் தவிர்ந்ததென்று உந்தீபற.

இவையெல்லாம் நாம் கேட்கும் வார்த்தைகள் மட்டும் தான். ஆனால் இந்த நிலை நாம் அடையும் போது நாம் கண்டிப்பாக உந்தீபற என்ற நிலைக்கு செல்வோம்.

பறத்தல் - ஆனந்தம், அமைதி, இன்பம்

உந்தீபற - பேரானந்தம், பேரமைதி, பேரின்பம்

Another song that merges well with a game is Panthaadal

116. ஆடேடி பந்து 

1. ஆடேடி பந்து ஆடேடி பந்து 

ஆடேடி பந்து ஆடேடி பந்து. 

2. வாழிஎன் தோழிஎன் வார்த்தைகேள் என்றும் 

மரணமில் லாவரம் நான்பெற்றுக் கொண்டேன் 

சூழியற் செஞ்சுடர் தோற்றுறு கீழ்பால் 

தூய்த்திசை நோக்கினேன் சீர்த்திகழ் சித்தி 

ஊழிதோ றூழிநின் றாடுவன் நீயும் 

உன்னுதி யேல்இங்கே மன்னரு ளாணை 

ஆழி கரத்தணிந் தாடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

3. இசையாமல் போனவர் எல்லாரும் நாண 

இறவாப் பெருவரம் யான்பெற்றுக் கொண்டேன் 

வசையாதும் இல்லாத மேற்றிசை நோக்கி 

வந்தேன்என் தோழிநீ வாழிகாண் வேறு 

நசையாதே என்னுடை நண்பது வேண்டில் 

நன்மார்க்க மாம்சுத்த சன்மார்க்கம் தன்னில் 

அசையாமல் நின்றங்கே ஆடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

4. இன்பாலே உலகத்தார் எல்லாரும் காண 

இறவாப் பெருவரம் யான்பெற்றுக் கொண்டேன் 

தென்பாலே நோக்கினேன் சித்தாடு கின்ற 

திருநாள் இதுதொட்டுச் சேர்ந்தது தோழி 

துன்பாலே அசைந்தது நீக்கிஎன் னோடே 

சுத்தசன் மார்க்கத்தில் ஒத்தவ ளாகி 

அன்பாலே அறிவாலே ஆடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

5. சதுமறை ஆகம சாத்திரம் எல்லாம் 

சந்தைப் படிப்புநம் சொந்தப் படிப்போ 

விதுநெறி சுத்தசன் மார்க்கத்தில் சாகா 

வித்தையைக் கற்றனன் உத்தரம் எனுமோர் 

பொதுவளர் திசைநோக்கி வந்தனன் என்றும் 

பொன்றாமை வேண்டிடில் என்தோழி நீதான் 

அதுஇது என்னாமல் ஆடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

6. தப்பாலே சகத்தவர் சாவே துணிந்தார் 

தாமுளம் நாணநான் சாதலைத் தவிர்த்தே 

எப்பாலும் எக்காலும் இருத்தலே பெற்றேன் 

என்தோழி வாழிநீ என்னொடு கூடி 

துப்பாலே விளங்கிய சுத்தசன் மார்க்கச் 

சோதிஎன் றோதிய வீதியை விட்டே 

அப்பாலே போகாமல் ஆடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

7. வெங்கேத மரணத்தை விடுவித்து விட்டேன் 

விச்சைஎ லாம்கற்றென் இச்சையின் வண்ணம் 

எங்கேயும் ஆடுதற் கெய்தினேன் தோழி 

என்மொழி சத்தியம் என்னோடும் கூடி 

இங்கே களிப்பது நன்றிந்த உலகோ 

ஏதக் குழியில் இழுக்கும் அதனால் 

அங்கேபா ராதேநீ ஆடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

8. சிவமே பொருள்என் றறிவால் அறிந்தேன் 

செத்தாரை மீட்கின்ற திண்மையைப் பெற்றேன் 

உவமேயம் இல்லாத ஒருநிலை தன்னில் 

ஒன்றிரண் டென்னாத உண்மையில் நின்றேன் 

தவமே புரிகின்றார் எல்லாரும் காணத் 

தயவால் அழைக்கின்றேன் கயவாதே தோழி 

அவமேபோ காதென்னோ டாடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

9. துஞ்சாத நிலைஒன்று சுத்தசன் மார்க்கச் 

சூழலில் உண்டது சொல்லள வன்றே 

எஞ்சாத அருளாலே யான்பெற்றுக் கொண்டேன் 

இறந்தாரை எல்லாம் எழுப்புதல் வல்லேன் 

விஞ்சாத அறிவாலே தோழிநீ இங்கே 

வேதுசெய் மரணத்துக் கெதுசெய்வோ மென்றே 

அஞ்சாமல் என்னோடே ஆடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

10. ஈரமும் அன்பும்கொண் டின்னருள் பெற்றேன் 

என்மார்க்கம் இறவாத சன்மார்க்கம் தோழி 

காரமும் மிகுபுளிச் சாரமும் துவர்ப்பும் 

கைப்போடே உப்போடே கசப்போடே கூட்டி 

ஊரமு துண்டுநீ ஒழியாதே அந்தோ 

ஊழிதோ றூழியும் உலவாமை நல்கும் 

ஆரமு துண்டென்னோ டாடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

11. துதிசெயும் முத்தரும் சித்தரும் காணச் 

சுத்தசன் மார்க்கத்தில் உத்தம ஞானப் 

பதிசெயும் சித்திகள் பற்பல வாகப் 

பாரிடை வானிடைப் பற்பல காலம் 

விதிசெயப் பெற்றனன் இன்றுதொட் டென்றும் 

மெய்யருட் சோதியால் விளைவிப்பன் நீஅவ் 

அதிசயம் பார்க்கலாம் ஆடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. ஆடேடி 

ஆடேடி பந்து ஆடேடி பந்து 

அருட்பெருஞ் சோதிகண் டாடேடி பந்து. 

12. பூவாம லேநிதம் காய்த்த இடத்தும் 

பூவார் மலர்கொண்டு பந்தாடா நின்றேன் 

சாவா வரம்தந்து வாழ்வாயோ பந்தே 

சாவாமல் என்னொடு வீழ்வாயோ பந்தே.

116. aateeti panthu 

1. aateeti panthu aateeti panthu 

aateeti panthu aateeti panthu. 

2. vaazien thoozien vaarththaikeeL enRum 

maraNamil laavaram n-aanpeRRuk koNteen 

suuziyaR senjsutar thooRRuRu kiizpaal 

thuuyththisai n-ookkineen siirththikaz siththi 

uuzithoo Ruuzin-in Raatuvan n-iiyum 

unnuthi yeelingkee mannaru LaaNai 

aazi karaththaNin- thaateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

3. isaiyaamal poonavar ellaarum n-aaNa 

iRavaap peruvaram yaanpeRRuk koNteen 

vasaiyaathum illaatha meeRRisai n-ookki 

vantheenen thoozin-ii vaazikaaN veeRu 

n-asaiyaathee ennutai n-aNpathu veeNtil 

n-anmaarkka maamsuththa sanmaarkkam thannil 

asaiyaamal n-inRangkee aateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

4. inpaalee ulakaththaar ellaarum kaaNa 

iRavaap peruvaram yaanpeRRuk koNteen 

thenpaalee n-ookkineen siththaatu kinRa 

thirun-aaL ithuthottus seernthathu thoozi 

thunpaalee asainthathu n-iikkien nootee 

suththasan maarkkaththil oththava Laaki 

anpaalee aRivaalee aateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

5. sathumaRai335 aakama saaththiram ellaam 

santhaip patippun-am sonthap patippoo 

vithun-eRi suththasan maarkkaththil saakaa 

viththaiyaik kaRRanan uththaram enumoor 

pothuvaLar thisain-ookki vanthanan enRum 

ponRaamai veeNtitil enthoozi n-iithaan 

athuithu ennaamal aateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

6. thappaalee sakaththavar saavee thuNinthaar 

thaamuLam n-aaNan-aan saathalaith thavirththee 

eppaalum ekkaalum iruththalee peRReen 

enthoozi vaazin-ii ennotu kuuti 

thuppaalee viLangkiya suththasan maarkkas 

soothien Roothiya viithiyai vittee 

appaalee pookaamal aateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

7. vengkeetha maraNaththai vituviththu vitteen 

vissaie laamkaRRen issaiyin vaNNam 

engkeeyum aatuthaR keythineen thoozi 

enmozi saththiyam ennootum kuuti 

ingkee kaLippathu n-anRintha ulakoo 

eethak kuziyil izukkum athanaal 

angkeepaa raatheen-ii aateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

8. sivamee poruLen RaRivaal aRintheen 

seththaarai miitkinRa thiNmaiyaip peRReen 

uvameeyam illaatha orun-ilai thannil 

onRiraN tennaatha uNmaiyil n-inReen 

thavamee purikinRaar ellaarum kaaNath 

thayavaal azaikkinReen kayavaathee thoozi 

avameepoo kaathennoo taateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

9. thunjsaatha n-ilaionRu suththasan maarkkas 

suuzalil uNtathu sollaLa vanRee 

enjsaatha aruLaalee yaanpeRRuk koNteen 

iRanthaarai ellaam ezupputhal valleen 

vinjsaatha aRivaalee thoozin-ii ingkee 

veethusey maraNaththuk kethuseyvoo menRee 

anjsaamal ennootee aateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

10. iiramum anpumkoN tinnaruL peRReen 

enmaarkkam iRavaatha sanmaarkkam thoozi 

kaaramum mikupuLis saaramum thuvarppum 

kaippootee uppootee kasappootee kuutti 

uuramu thuNtun-ii oziyaathee anthoo 

uuzithoo Ruuziyum ulavaamai n-alkum 

aaramu thuNtennoo taateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

11. thuthiseyum muththarum siththarum kaaNas 

suththasan maarkkaththil uththama njaanap 

pathiseyum siththikaL paRpala vaakap 

paaritai vaanitaip paRpala kaalam 

vithiseyap peRRanan inRuthot tenRum 

meyyarut soothiyaal viLaivippan n-iiav 

athisayam paarkkalaam aateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. aateeti 

aateeti panthu aateeti panthu 

arutperunj soothikaN taateeti panthu. 

kaliviruththam 

12. puuvaama leen-itham kaayththa itaththum 

puuvaar malarkoNtu panthaataa n-inReen 

saavaa varamthanthu vaazvaayoo panthee 

saavaamal ennotu viizvaayoo panthee. 

Source: http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T342/romanized1/thiru_unthiyaar, 
http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T342/tm/thiru_unthiyaar, http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T346/romanized1/aateeti_panthu, http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T346/tm/aateeti_panthu
http://www.vallalarorphanage.org.my/SaintRamalinga.pdf


Listen to these beautiful compositions set to music at http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T342/tm/thiru_unthiyaar and
http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T346/tm/aateeti_panthu

THE NEW KALLAR ASHRAM GOES SOLAR

Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar addressed devotees at Kallar ashram recently. As posted earlier the ashram is moving to a new site. Work has started at the site of the new ashram. See http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.my/2015/08/the-new-kallar-ashram-makes-progress.html

The cost of all 18 statues of Siddhas to be placed at the ashram have been taken up by devotees. Kallar ashram is now seeking funds from the generous public to install solar panels at the new ashram.

For further details contact:

• Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedam, 2/464, Agathiyar Nagar, Thoorippalam, Kallar - 641 305, Mettupalayam, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India 
• Cell No : Tavayogi +91 98420 27383 Mataji +91 98425 50987 or
• thangarasanadigalar@gmail.com

GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY PART 2

Uvaraj speaks affectionately of Agathiyar. He has had been in the Siddha Margam for some time now. Each time he is in India he picks up a statue of Agathiyar to be placed at his altar. He has traveled to India numerous times and has met with many masters, gurus and saints. Uvaraj was interviewed for Siddha Heartbeat earlier at http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.my/2015/06/varma-kalai-gift-from-siddhas-part-1.html, http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.my/2015/07/coming-to-agathiyar-devotees-experience.html and http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.my/2015/06/in-search-of-mystics.html

Agathiyar who initially directed Palanisamy Aiya through one of the numerous Nadi readings, to worship him in the form of a granite statue, listened to the aging Palanisamy Aiya's prayers and decided to move from his home in Klang after 7 years. Agathiyar picked Uvaraj for the new task. Agathiyar mentioned his intent in both Palanisamy Aiya's Nadi and Uvaraj. Uvaraj was assigned to receive his statue and continue the worship. 

We had just completed the Pournami Puja at AVM when Saravanan Palanisamy, Bala Chandran and Uvaraj extended an invitation to join them at the the Sri Agasthiyar Sakthi Nyaanaalayam in Taman Petaling, Kepong. Palanisamy Aiya conducted the prayers assisted by Mataji, Uvaraj and others. View photos at http://arulgnanajyothi.blogspot.com/2015/05/03052015-03052015-full-moon-prayers.html. 

Agathiyar is temporarily housed here while Uvaraj is scouting for a more suitable premise to house Agathiyar and the 18 Siddhas. 

Uvaraj who recently returned from hiking up to Pothigai peak with Master Arunan, Bala Chandran Gunasekaran, Dyalen Muniandi and several others, told me recently that it was time to give back to society.

He sent in a mail.

Om Agatheesaya Nama!

Dear Sri Agasthiyar Sakthi Nyanaallayam Family and Friends.

This is to let everyone know that from now on we will be accepting special prayer request from anyone and from anywhere with any life issues or problems and in need of Agasthiyar & Siddhar blessings and grace.

Those who can't come to the Allayam or in need of blessings can write their prayer request in a yellow piece of paper (enveloped) directed to Agasthiyar and pass it to me or Mataji amma at the Allayam. Whatever your prayer needs are, finding peace of mind, seeking answers or solutions to any problems, needing strength to face any situation just send in the prayer request to Sri Sakhti Agasthiyar to take care of it. The Prayer request must come with the person's name, rasi & nakshatras and request to Agasthiyar. All prayer requests will be kept at the Guru Patham. Mataji Amma will take your prayer request and will do individual prayers on your behalf to Mahamuni Agasthiyar. Mataji Amma will do the prayers and will light up a Oil lamp composed of 5 different sacred oils specifically for this purpose on every Thursday evening Guru days, Ammavasai and Pornami Days as these are the days the vibrations of the siddhas and gurus are strongly felt. Those who can tap these vibrations can reap many siddha divine blessings and grace into their lives. When blessed spiritual gurus pray on our behalf the prayers will be empowered many fold and will be answered in utmost priority.

Please use the this opportunity and share with your friends and family. Your request is a sacred trust and is kept confidential. There is never a charge for this prayer service as all expenses of such prayers will be taken cared by the Allayam.

May Agasthiyar and Siddhars Bless you always. Thank you and many blessings.

Om Agathisaya Nama! Gurumuni Thunai! Sathiyame Agathiyam Agathiyame Jayam!

Uvaraj with Master Arunan conducting the homam at the temple

GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY PART 1

In the last post we saw how the trio K.Thamboosamy Pillay, Loke Yew and Yap Kwan Seng had given back to society. Pillay who was into mining, coffee planting, real estate and construction, having constructed part of the main road from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Kubu, gave back to society by building places of worship namely the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur and the Murugan temple in Batu Caves; and donated towards the building fund of St. Mary's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur. 

Loke Yew started his first job at a provision store Kwong Man General Store, in Market Street, earning $20 a month. After 4 years of hard work and a saving of $99, he started his own provision store called Tong Hing Loong. After his business picked up, Loke left his staff in charge of the store and traveled to North Malaya to explore the possibilities of venturing into the tin mining business. Although he lost $60,000 in his first four years, his persistence in seeking new rich tin deposits landed him in Kelian Bahru in Perak. He made it rich and started acquiring more tin mines. He acquired rubber and coconut plantations too besides supplying provisions to British troops during the Perak War. He diversified into other trades like pawnbroking business. He purchased assets in Singapore, Hong Kong and in his homeland China too. Loke Yew was a shareholder in Pahang Motor Car Service, the Raub Straits Trading Company, Straits Steamship and Federal Engineers. He partly owned Burmah Rice Mill. He with his grand-nephews established the Kwong Yik Bank. Together with his son and wife he established Associated Theatres Ltd which was renamed Cathay Organisation later. 

Loke Yew's "many contributions to education and the growth of Kuala Lumpur earned him many honors." He who believed in the importance of education, together with Thamboosamy Pillai, and others, established the Victoria Institution and donated a large sum towards building a field at the Methodist Boys' School in Kuala Lumpur. Because of his compassionate nature, he contributed to many charitable causes including the establishment of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. Loke Yew also collected $55,000 for the endowment fund for The University of Hong Kong and made available an interest free loan of $500,000 to the university.

Loke Yew also went into partnership with Thamboosamy Pillai in managing the New Tin Mining Company in Rawang.

Meanwhile Yap Kwan Seng, started his career as a tin miner in Seremban and moved to Selangor later where he made his fortune in tin-mining. He later "had a workforce of 7,000 and soon owned more tin mines than any of his contemporaries." Yap helped introduced the Chinese system of mining in West Africa. Besides holding several appointments with the British Malayan government,  he ventured into making bricks at a kiln located at a place that contributed to the present day name for Brickfields. 

According to https://en.wikipedia.org, Kapitan Yap who was also a firm believer in education, co-founded the Victoria Institution with K.Thamboosamy Pillay and others "to whose funds he liberally subscribed". 

His contributions included $10,000 towards the Transvaal War Fund and a handsome donation towards the St. Mary's Church building fund.

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes18991226.2.38.aspx

The compassionate Yap, was always at hand to help his unfortunate and poor countrymen, for whom he established a free dispensary, the most significant being the founding of Pooi Shin Thong that later became the Tung Shin Hospital. Yap co-founded the Tai Wah Ward of the Pauper’s Hospital that later came to be the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital.

Yap's philanthropic deeds extended beyond Malaya when he donated a princely sum towards famine relief in India.

When Narendren Panirselvam was diagnose as having Scoliosis, or abnormal curvature of the spine and required to undergo corrective surgery and an operation that would cost RM21,000, his case was reported in the local English daily, the New Straits Times. A good Samaritan, only known as Pushpa called Naren up and agreed to sponsor the entire costs of the operation.  He was successfully operated on two years back. She chose to remain anonymous, having called twice, once before the operation and again after the operation. As we sent Naren back to his home in Kajang last Sunday, he recalled his dilemma and shared with gratefulness how a total stranger Pushpa came to his aid.

See http://www.medtronic.com/patients/scoliosis/device/our-spinal-system/cd-horizon-legacy-system/index.htm, http://www.viralnova.com/scoliosis-surgery/

My late father was a very generous man. He hailed from a small village Kilsevalpatti in Sivagangai but traveled far to Burma, Ceylon, Singapore and finally settled in Malaya. He was a banker  or popularly known as money-lender, providing soft loans to individuals and enterprising businessmen in British Malaya. From "End of Empire and the Making of Malaya" by TN Harper, "..the 1950's saw the flowering of the comprader system within British banks in Malaya, where Chinese chief cashiers would introduce Asian business to the bank, taking a commission on loan and foreign exchange dealings. Chinese-owned banks also began to spread their branch networks through the peninsula (including the Kwong Yik Bank started by Loke Yew). For the rural majority, however, gaps in the credit structure were filled by Chettiars (like my late father) and pawnbrokers (Loke Yew).

Once as my father was on his way out of a bank with cash in both his hands, the siren was engaged warning of a impending air raid, and followed by firing shots from Japanese planes that hit the ground just inches away from my father's head as he lay on the earth, made him realize that all the cash in hand could not save his life, if he had been hit.

My father began to give away his riches and properties. My father left for India shortly and had a stint in an ashram where he served the guru. Later the guru sent him away back to his home and family to fulfill his responsibilities towards the family.

It is said that "Dharmam Talai Kaakum", loosely translated as "the good shall return to one', my father died peacefully in 1991. It was a pretty normal day where he woke up and towards the late morning took his bath and prayed as usual.  Surprisingly he wanted his cloths to be ironed that morning. Towards the evening after he had watched a Tamil movie he asked for coffee. Again this was surprising as he usually makes his own. Just as my mother brought him the coffee, he had already sat in  a corner of the living hall, legs folded in Padmasana pose, the pupils looking up, and sweating profusely. When my mother tried to move his legs, he toppled over, his head landing on my mother's lap. He had passed away.

THAMBOOSAMY PILLAY IN MALAYA

In a Jeeva Nadi reading at Kallar Ashram, Agathiyar addressed five questions put forward by Surendaran Selvaratnam. Besides his career and personal life, Surendaran had asked to know about the history of the mysterious samadhi at the foothills of Batu Caves in Malaysia purportedly said to be that of one Mauna Guru Siddhar. Agathiyar explained that the saint in samadhi, was a devout devotee or bakta of Lord Murugan and had traveled to Batu Caves going into samadhi at the present spot. People used to call him Mauna Samy.

Agathiyar says, "Having performed tavam or austerities in the Himalayan range, a saint traveled through Burma to the limestone hills of Malaya. He installed my Guru (Lord Muruga), performed further austerities or tavam and gained Mukthi. He maintained silence for years and attained Siddhi. The locals called him Mauna Samy". Watch the video and audio recording of the reading at http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.my/2015/03/satsang-with-siddha-heartbeat.html

Saravanan Palanisamy too did some research regarding Mauna Samy and his samadhi. See Saravanan's post at http://arulgnanajyothi.blogspot.com/2015/01/mouna-guru-sitthar-of-batu-caves.html

The Batu Caves is now a famous tourist attraction in Malaysia, with travel agencies bringing in busloads of tourist to the venue. The locals keep fit by running up the 272 steps that lead to the cave temple while devotees come out in droves to pay their homage and respect to Lord Muruga to witness and celebrate the annual Thaipusam festival held here.  

In 1878 an American zoologist by the name of William Temple Hornaday while collecting specimens in the limestone hills in the vicinity of Batu Caves, discovered this particular cave and came out in public to reveal about its existence. Batu Caves became popular after then. 14 years after its discovery, Kayaroganam Thamboosamy Pillay built a temple at the spot, in 1891. Pillai was captivated by the existence of a spear or vel-shaped entrance to the cave. He had a statue of Lord Muruga installed then. The Thaipusam festival was started the following year in 1892, and has since then become an annual event.

Pillay was a man of great stature who went all the way out to serve the Indians in the region. He was both a philanthropists, and a guardian of the Indian culture and language. He was soon to become a leader among the Indians in British Malaya.

Many years ago the English daily The Star carried a center spread on the monetary, structural and cultural contributions of K Thamboosamy Pillay, Loke Yew (a Chinese-born, business magnate, and philanthropist, regarded as the richest man in British Malaya during his time and who played a significant role in the growth of Kuala Lumpur) and Yap Kwan Seng (the last Chinese kapitan or appointed chiefs or headmen of the various ethnic communities during the British colonial rule in Kuala Lumpur) that left me stunned and amazed.

Pillay who lived from 1850 to 1902, although was born in Singapore spent most of his years in Malaya (present day Malaysia). His parents had migrated from Tamilnadu. Pillay studied at the Raffles Institution, the oldest center of learning in Singapore, founded in 1823 by Sir Stamford Raffles. After his studies he joined the famed law firm Woods and Davidson as an interpreter. Slowly he rose to the level of an assistant to James Guthrie Davidson. Pillay gained Davidson's trust and confidence.  In 1872, Davidson consented to taking up the position of the first British Resident to Selangor in Malaya where trouble in the form of Klang war was brewing. In 1875, Davidson invited along Pillay, now 25 years of age. Pillay was appointed the chief accountant (or clerk) at the treasury in Kuala Lumpur. 

When their was a shortage of manual workers to work on the Malayan railways and public works sector, Pillai was sent to India by the British government in Malaya to source immigrants to work in these fields. Noticing the convergence of hundreds of Indians from India at Kuala Lumpur, Pillay wanted to initiate a place of worship for them. He then built a temple for them beside a river, at the site of the present day Bangunan Pertanian, according to Malaysia Nanban. Pillay had to relocate the temple when the railway authorities wanted the land for their railway shed, promising to provide an alternative site for the temple. According to http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws, its stated that "originally situated near the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, the temple was moved to its present site in 1885." 

With the consent of the then His Highness the Sultan of Selangor, the temple was relocated to Jalan Bandar, (present day Jalan Tun HS Lee). The Sultan laid the foundation stone for the temple at the same time declaring it as land allocated for the Indian community. In 1888 the thatched roof temple was replaced with one in stone. Pillay became the very first chairperson of the Devastanam. 

According to wikipedia.org, "The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, was founded by Thamboosamy in 1873 and was initially used as a private shrine by the Pillai family. The family threw open the temple doors to the public in the late 1920s and eventually handed the management of the temple over to a board of trustees."

Besides building the said Sri Maha Mariamman temple, and taking its realm, Pillay added credit or punya balam by allowing a Shiva temple to be built on his land in Klang. Later he handed over the land to the temple trustees.

Wikipedia.org mentions that he together with Yap Kwan Seng contributed "a sizable amount of money to the building fund of St. Mary's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur in 1893." Yap Kwan Seng's contribution and "his philanthropic deeds extended beyond Malaya and it is said that a year before he died in 1901, he donated the princely sum of ten thousand dollars towards famine relief in India, a gesture which surely qualifies as Malaysia’s first-ever effort at international humanitarian aid."

It is interesting to note that Yap Kwan Seng contributed towards the name of a place now popularly called Little India in Kuala Lumpur. Wikipedia.org states "As a businessman, he (Yap Kwan Seng) foresaw an increased demand for bricks in fast-growing Kuala Lumpur and established a kiln in a district which came to be called Brickfields, a name by which it is still known today."

In 1880 Pillai left the government sector to venture into his private businesses.  Pillay became a very successful industrialist. When dredging of tin ore was a lucrative business in Malaya, Pillay went into partnership with Loke Yew, another Chinese industrialist, to become the first Indian miner. He started the New Tin Mining company in Rawang in collaboration with Loke Yew. 

Pillay was also a government contractor. He was appointed as a justice of peace by the Malayan government, the first indian to have been honoured with such a prestigious title.

Pillay was one of those who instituted the famed Victoria Institution, having roped in Loke Yew and Yap Kwan Seng along. The Sultan of Selangor and the then British Resident WH Treacher donated towards their cause. According to https://en.wikipedia.org, "The school is named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and was established by the British to commemorate her golden jubilee."

"In the 1880s, Raffles Institution (RI) in Singapore flourished as an outstanding school. Some prominent community leaders, including the Sultan Abdul Samad, Kapitan Cina (Chinese Captain) of Kuala Lumpur, Yap Kwan Seng, towkay (or business magnate) Loke Yew, and Thamboosamy Pillay proposed to set up a similar school modeled after RI to provide a premier English-medium education for boys in Kuala Lumpur. With the support of the British Resident of Selangor, the foundation stone of the Victoria Institution was laid in 1893. The school opened in July 1894." 

Pillay past away in 1902 in Singapore while attending the board meeting of the Selangor (Singapore) Turf Club. His body was brought to the port at Klang by ship.

Several roads in British Malaya where named after him, including a Tamil school in Jalan Ipoh in Kuala Lumpur.

This article is based on and inspired by Tamil Daily Malaysia Nanban's edition of Gnayiru Nanban, on 27 September 2015 and the said Star Publications article.

For a more personal recollection of Pillay read http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2013/11/29/Shedding-more-light-on-Thamboosamys-legacy/

Other Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Thamboosamy_Pillay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Temple_Hornaday
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/stweekly18910211.2.49.aspx
http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws/attractions/sri-mahamariamman-temple.htm#
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loke_Yew
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yap_Kwan_Seng
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hood_Treacher

A bust erected to commemorate and remember Pillay who built the temple at Batu Caves. In the background is the more recent statue of Lord Muruga. Photo courtesy of http://borneotip.blogspot.my/2011/05/batu-caves.html

SEVA FOR AGATHIYAR

Readers of Siddha Heartbeat would have been engaged in admiring the many posters posted regularly informing of the live streams from AVM. A dear soul took it upon himself to create these wonderful posters as a means of service or seva to Agathiyar. A medical student in Russia, with his tight schedules, yet he does it without fail. Siddha Heartbeat takes this opportunity to thank Stalin for his immense contribution and beautiful digital renderings.

Agathiyar Arul Kavasam

GRATITUDE

Nalini from Chennai has composed her expression of love and gratitude towards Agathiyar in the following wonderful poem pieces, with Poster Bala doing what best comes to him - create posters.

RISHIS & THEIR INDONESIAN COUNTERPARTS

Following the link that Uvaraj gave earlier, http://www.lersi.net/108-ruesi/, we come across an article when there is mention of Indonesian Rishis too. Comparison is made between the Thai Rishis and their Indonesian counterparts at http://www.lersi.net/2013/06/the-thai-lersi-and-the-indonesian-resi/

The article lays the groundwork by defining the terms first. 

The Thai word ‘lersi’ (or ‘ruesi’) and the Indonesian equivalent ‘resi’, are both derived from the Indian ‘ṛṣi’, or ‘rishi’. Originally it is a term used to define a seer. But since the seers spent most of their time in seclusion, society labelled them as reclusive, i.e. a hermit. The traditional hermit, then, is someone who stands outside of society, and devotes himself to the practice of world renunciation. He thus strives to attain liberation through performing ascetic practices, such as fasting, self-denial, yoga, meditation.

 Read further the said article that is both amusing and informative. 

INTRODUCTION TO TRADITIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF YOGA & KRIYA YOGA

Gowri R Varadhan, our guest writer, has graciously submitted to write a series on Yoga for Siddha Heartbeat. Gowri, a Yoga practitioner, having trained under the famed master Marshall Govindan, himself a student and disciple of Yogi Ramaiah, begins the series with an introduction to this science.

A short write up I came up with, on Yoga and its traditional classification. This is quite short and may not have sufficient information to interest the advanced souls. This was written mainly targeting people totally new to the fold of spirituality and Yoga, to give some basic idea. The ideas shared on Kriya yoga are mostly taken from Babaji's Kriya Yoga website as I didn't want to re-invent the wheel. The rest have been written based on my current understanding.

Introduction:

The term Yoga is quite commonly used these days across the world, and in many cases, used quite loosely. In the West, a common man understands Yoga as a system of physical exercises which involves stretching that originated from the East. Some associate Yoga with Hinduism and consider it a religious practice. But, this cannot be farther from truth. India being a land of multiple belief systems saw many of them incorporate some form of yoga as the means to reach the ultimate. This includes Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Buddhism, Jainism and Shaiva Siddhanta. 

In this article, I am attempting to give a simple overview of what is Yoga, what are the different types of yoga and what are its benefits beyond the physical aspect.

The Word:

The word Yoga comes from Sanskrit root ‘yog’ meaning to unite. To cut the long story short, we can consider that the term Yoga may refer to any practice that helps us to unite the mind, body and soul (atman). And it goes without saying that for this union to happen, the body-mind personality (ahamkara also known as ego) must be completely subdued. Here, the word ‘ego’ should not be read with the traditional meaning of a person’s self-worth, self-esteem or self-importance. Rather, the very identification of a person with his/her mind and body. Paramahamsa Yogananda, the author of Autobiography of a Yogi, defines ego as the delusion of identifying oneself with the mind and body.

So, essentially, all the different forms of yoga available must, by definition, help one to come out of such delusion to realize the divinity within. When this mistaken identity with the mind-body personality ends, one will realize that along with that ends all suffering and the person remains in a truly blissful state of joy. This clearly shows that Yoga is much more than mere stretching exercises done in a hot room with tight clothes. Its purpose is to ultimately drive the practitioner towards the ultimate goal of Self-Realization.

Various types of Yoga:

Although, in current times there are 1000s of various forms of Yoga, only the traditional categorization is considered for the purpose of this article. In the past, the paths taken to realize God/Self, (i.e. to shake-off the limited identity of body-mind consciousness and merge with the infinite, all-blissful cosmic consciousness), were divided into four major categories.

1. Karma Yoga
2. Bhakti Yoga
3. Raja Yoga
4. Gnana/Jnana Yoga

All these different types had one single motive: to eliminate ego-consciousness and to allow divine consciousness to descend. However, the means to achieving that varied as explained below. It cannot be emphasized enough that, among these, there is no single ‘Yoga’ better than the other. Depending on the maturity of the seeker, the path most suited for him would vary. In many cases, we would need a combination of two or more of these practices to progress in our search for Truth.

Also, these paths may look completely different to each other, seemingly having nothing in common. But that’s only at the surface level. In reality, they all lead us to the same Truth and meet at the point of Gnana where the seeker loses his ego-self and identifies with the universal Brahman. Nothing summarizes this better than Swami Vivekananda’s words:

“As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea, so different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God.”

Karma Yoga – The path of Action:

‘Karma’ here refers simply to action or disciplined action. Karma yoga emphasizes the idea that one must perform his duties with utmost sincerity without being attached to the fruits of their actions. By performing one’s duties in this way, one can gradually develop a sense of detachment and thus eliminate ego-consciousness. This is exactly what Lord Krishna preached Arjuna in Bhagwad Gita. 

The word ‘Karma’ can represent selfless service to fellow beings. And in such service, we lose ourselves, our sense of ego and the sense of “I am the doer”.

Swami Vivekananda is a great example of Karma Yoga. Although he could have easily renounced and become a hermit, he chose to carry his Master’s message to every corner of the world. He dedicated his entire life for this purpose. And nothing signifies this better than his statement “I shall take 1000 rebirths to help a single man educated/enlightened.” This clearly shows that his own enlightenment was secondary to him.

Bhakti Yoga – The path of Devotion:

“Bhakti” is the path of devotion. It is much more than performing rituals and visiting temples/churches on auspicious days. In Bhakti, a devotee is emotionally longing for the divine. This is a yearning that is far more superior to any of their daily life needs. This is complete surrender. The devotee surrenders everything including their desires, fears, and life’s needs to the divine and do not want anything for themselves other than the divine. It can be noted that most Bhakts may not even have the desire to get enlightened and all they need is to be one with their object of devotion. Examples are Bhakt Meera, Alwars and Nayanmars of the south, Ram Das etc. In contemporary times, ISKCON is known to promote Bhakti Yoga. Nevertheless, it can be practiced by everyone by slowly cultivating such intense fervor towards one’s favorite deity.

A devotee would have one God/deity and would be deeply in love with that deity. It could be Krishna, Jesus, Rama, Shiva, Ganesha or Shakti or any others. In thought, word and deed, the devotee sees nothing but their God. Their emotional body is overflowing with the love for the divine. When they hear the name of their deity, they could burst into tears. They enjoy Bhajans or singing the praise of God. At the pinnacle, they no longer have a sense of themselves and their mind becomes completely absorbed in the divine, leading them to experience complete bliss and realize that their deity and their ‘Self’ are one and the same.

Raja Yoga – The Royal Path:

Raja yoga is considered as the royal path to realization. It is very systematic and requires continuous and dedicated effort by the sadhak. Raja Yoga, in some traditions simply called as Yoga is well explained by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. The 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga namely, Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi could be considered as the sequence of progression for a sadhak following the path of Raja Yoga. Here, the sadhak attempts to eliminate ego-consciousness by directly controlling that entity which gives raise to it – The Mind. The sadhak performs a number of activities such as Pranayama, Asana, meditation etc. and directly studies the nature of the mind, its roots, the 5 senses and their impact on the mind and how to stop their activity consciously. 

Patanjali defines Yoga as ‘Yoga chitta vritti nirodaha’. It means ‘Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations arising within the sub-conscious’ (Source: Kriya Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Siddhas by Marshal Govindan). Hence, all the practices of Raja Yoga are aimed at the goal of disciplining the mind, quietening it and completely stopping its activities consciously and to be absorbed completely in the Self. Such a state is called Samadhi which is the goal of Raja Yoga. In Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the sadhak is in a state of complete cognitive absorption where he has totally lost the sense of personal ‘I’ and the body and is completely merged with the super conscious. This is the highest level of Samadhi where the sadhak transcends the time-space dimension and identifies completely with the para-brahman or the universal self or the super consciousness. When they bring such a state of continuous cognitive absorption to their daily lives, then it is known as Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi in which the person is able to perform his day-to-day activities even when his mind is completely absorbed in the Heart.

A special form of Raja Yoga is called Kriya Kundalini Yoga about which we will see in detail in a separate section.

Gnana Yoga – The path of Wisdom:

“Control of mind by the control of breath is Yoga (Raja Yoga or Kriya yoga);
Control of breath by the control of mind is Gnana” – Sri Ramana Maharshi

In Gnana yoga, the term ‘Gnana’ itself signifies the goal. Gnana is the knowledge of Brahman or the universal self or Super Consciousness. According to Mandukya Upanishad, “Brahmavit Brahmaiva bhavati – The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman”

Thus, this appears to be a direct method to realize Para-brahman by diving straight into the nature of the self. The most common practice is self-enquiry, known in Sanskrit as atma-vichara. Here, the practitioner keeps asking the seemingly simple question, ‘Who am I?’ until he discerns and eliminates everything that is not the self, such as “I am not this body, I am not the 5 senses, I am not the mind etc.” It is not merely a mental exercise to keep repeating such statements or to repeat the mahavakyas such as ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ and ‘Tat tvam Asi’, but to consciously plunge deeper and deeper in to the source of awareness from which the very thought of ‘I’ emerges. When the mind is thus focused upon its own source, it gets absorbed and what remains is pure existence, pure awareness. That is when one becomes aware of being aware and the difference between the object known, the act of knowing and the knower ceases to exist. The practitioner remains as Sat-chit-ananda, in a state of pure bliss transcending subject- object relationship. In other words, the practitioner remains as the Universal self or Para-brahman.

The most well-known Gnana yogis are Adi Shankara in olden days and Sri Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj of contemporary times. 

This is the most direct method. Sri Ramana Maharshi says, the path a person takes to realize the self may vary according to his maturity and fitness of mind, but one has to come to atma-vichara as the final step. He also re-iterates that although Gnana yoga might seem dry and abstract to a beginner, it is not so. As the soul ripens, the other aspects of yoga such as Bhakti and self-less service will come into the practitioner’s nature automatically.

Babaji’s Kriya Yoga

Babaji’s Kriya Yoga, as mentioned before, is a special form of Raja Yoga. It also includes aspects of other forms of yoga such as devotion as in bhakti, discipline of action as in Karma Yoga and focus on being with the Self/pure awareness as in Gnana. It is a scientific art of perfect God -Truth union and self-realization. It is an ancient form of practice preached to Arjuna by Lord Krishna and was lost over time. In the late 19th century, Mahavatar Babaji revived it as a synthesis of Patanjali`s yoga sutras and the practice of Kundalini yoga by the yoga Siddhars. Thus, he cleverly combined both the aspects of consciousness (Shiva) as in Patanjali`s Sutras and that of energy (Shakti) as in the practice of siddhas.

The word `Kriya` comes from the root word ‘kri’ meaning action. In this context, ‘Kriya’ refers to action with awareness. It is emphasized that all the practices in Babaji’s Kriya Yoga are performed with utmost awareness. The sadhana of BKY is a collection of 144 exercises and spiritual practices for Self realization and transformation in all of our five bodies: physical, vital, mental, intellectual and spiritual. Kriya Yoga is a 5 phased integral approach to attain God-realization. Each of them addresses one or more of the koshas. Koshas are the 5 sheaths or bodies of our existence. It is best explained in Vivekachoodamani written by Adi Shankara. 

The 5 bodies are as follows:

· Annamaya kosha - physical body
· Pranamaya Kosha - Vital/energy body (emotions)
· Manomaya Kosha - mental body (mind and thoughts)
· Vigyanamaya Kosha - intellectual body (abstract intellect)
· Anandamaya Kosha - spiritual body

The 5 phases of Kriya Yoga are as follows:

1. Kriya Hatha Yoga
2. Kriya Kundalini Pranayama
3. Kriya Dhyana Yoga
4. Kriya Mantra Yoga
5. Kriya Bhakti Yoga

Kriya Hatha Yoga: includes asanas, bandahs, and mudras, psycho-physical gestures, all of which bring about greater health, peace and the awakening the nadis or the energy channels, the chakras. Babaji has selected a particularly effective series of 18 postures, which are taught in stages and in pairs. The first objective of Kriya Hatha Yoga is deep physical and mental relaxation. The variety of asana grants flexibility, lightness and buoyancy in the body relieving us of many disorders. The practice of the 18 asana series awakens the energy centers along the spine and kundalini, our potential power and consciousness.

Kriya Kundalini Pranayama: is a powerful breathing technique to awaken one’s potential power and consciousness and to circulate it through the seven principal chakras between the base of the spine and the crown of the head. It deals more directly with the subtler vital parts of the nervous system. Ultimately these pranayama will awaken the sushumna and direct kundalini upward through it.

Kriya Dhyana Yoga: is a progressive series of meditation techniques to learn the scientific art of mastering the mind - to cleanse the subconscious, to develop concentration, mental clarity and vision, to awaken the intellectual, intuitive and creative faculties, and to bring about the breathless state of communion with God, "Samadhi" and Self-Realization. It aims to bring the truth realized in our inner consciousness into our waking consciousness and become effective there. The level of our consciousness determines the nature and quality of the life we live. So, rather than trying to stop thoughts and drop into a void, our meditations focus on dynamic methods of strengthening the power of the mind, the power of visualization and stimulate a ready flow of intuition and inspiration, which can be used in our life.

Kriya Mantra Yoga: The word Mantra comes from ‘man’ + ‘tra’, meaning to protect the mind. The silent mental repetition of subtle sounds becomes a substitute for the "I" - centered mental chatter and facilitates the accumulation of great amounts of energy. The mantra also cleanses habitual subconscious tendencies. These are powerful seed syllables to awaken the intuition, the intellect and the chakras. They mantras also serve as a direct means of establishing communication with higher beings such as Babaji and the 18 Siddhas. 

Kriya Bhakti Yoga: the cultivation of the soul’s aspiration for the Divine. It includes devotional activities and service to awaken unconditional love and spiritual bliss; it includes chanting and singing, ceremonies, pilgrimages, and worship. Gradually, all of one's activities become soaked with sweetness, as the "Beloved" is perceived in all.

Babaji's Kriya Yoga is a spiritual tradition, wherein one “wakes up” from “dreaming with one’s eyes open.”. Babaji's Kriya Yoga is a path of Self-realization which is comprehensive, as it integrates all of the dimensions of our life. It is a path of self discipline which enables one to live in the world with open-hearted compassion.