COMING TOGETHER IN THE NAME OF AGATHIYAR

On 18 December 2016, Kallar Ashram became the venue where devotees of Agathiyar from all over met, introduced themselves and came to known more about each other. It became a melting pot for devotees from all languages, cultures and traditions, and across borders and continents. After the Vizha, these devotees of Agathiyar each took back an idea, a thought or a seed, that eventually germinated into a series of discussions and gatherings among them in their respective cities.

Suganthi originally from Coimbatore in India, started a Whatsapp group SG Agathiar Devotees once she returned to Singapore roping in other expatriates from India, Singaporeans and Malaysians from the southern tip of Malaysia; Sanjiv Malhotra started a Whatsapp group Agathiyar devotees in New Delhi roping in devotees from the north of India; Sivakavin from Chennai started a Whatsapp group Agathiyar Arul Alayam to bring together Chennaites faithful to Agathiyar and the Siddhas; and Nadi Nool Aasan Selvam with his newly formed group Sri Agastya Jeeva Nadi began to share rare and valuable information about the Siddhas and their Nadi.

SG Agathiar Devotees had their very first meet and satsangam yesterday, sharing Murugesan's recent trip to all the sacred places in India. 

Sivakavin met up with the members of his newly formed Agathiyar Arul Alayam and also met those he became acquainted with earlier at Kallar Ashram during the Agathiyar Vizha. They got together at a puja at the Sri Anandhavalli Sametha Agastheeswarar Temple at Pancheshti yesterday.

The Sri Anandhavalli Sametha Agastheeswarar Temple at Pancheshti. Photos courtesy of Srimathi Vijiyalakshmi.

Agathiyar Sannadhi

http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.my/2014/09/the-story-of-panchesti-temple.html

Agathiyar devotees had a field day discussing the mystery of the Nadi in the group. When I thought I had seen the Nadi the most number of times (54), Vivek tells me he has seen it 500 times! I felt like going into hiding. 

Nadi Nool Aasan Selvam through his Sri Agastya Jeeva Nadi shared wonderful, amazing and rare information regarding the Siddhas and their Nadi. I will post these in the days to come. 

Through associating with these great souls we begin to realize that what we really know is a teeny weeny bit only.

DEVOTEES OF AGATHIYAR PART 4

The year was 2002. I was the new kid on the block. I was asked to come to the path of the Siddhas. Nadi Nool Aasan Sentilkumar led me with my very first recitation of the names of the Siddhas or Siddhar Potri. The late Sivabalan gave me my very first picture of Agathiyar to worship. 

Even before I came to the Siddha path, there were numerous organizations and establishments affiliated to several religious institutions in India, already in existence in Malaysia. As a freshie, I looked towards these seniors for some guidelines on how to worship the Siddhas. But I got nowhere. Then I decided to work on my own. A year later, I met my very first guru Supramania Swami of Thiruvannamalai on the last leg of my maiden pilgrimage to India. Three years later I met Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram who was in Malaysia. When I enquired about how to worship the Siddhas, he told me that it was sufficient to just chant the names of the Siddhas.

Over the years I came across many versions of these Siddhar Potri Thoguppu, compiled by different organizations. I began to gather these extensive lists of names and several others that I came across in books regarding the Siddhas. This I used in my prayers. Soon I made it available on the net too.

The New Book of Praise to Siddhas by Shanmugam Avadaiyappa on Scribd

I was asked to pray by Dr Krishnan, astrologer, Siddha medicine practitioner, spiritual guide and friend in 1996. I was asked to come to his fold by Agathiyar in 2002. Sentilkumar led my on the chant of the names of the Siddhas. I was asked to light a lamp and pray by Supramania Swami in 2003. Tavayogi asked me to start lighting the sacrificial fire or flame or homam in 2005. What mantra should we chant to accompany the ritual, I asked? Chanting of the names of the Siddhas will do, he said. When I travelled to the Siddha temples, caves and samadhis with Tavayogi many miracles took place as we chanted these names. Tavayogi would always tell me that the Siddhas came, after each recitation was over. Finally Agathiyar asked me to install his moorthy or statue and pray to him in 2009 which we did on 3 January 2010. Since then lighting a lamp and chanting of the names of the Siddhas followed by showering flower petals to the feet of the Lord was always a major part of the ritual during our puja at AVM. 

What is there with these names then?

In a song by a Siddha, he expounds the greatness of calling out the name of Agathiyar. The Siddha says all his fellow man (the Siddhas) shall turn to look and enquire who was the soul that had just called out Agathiyar's name. The moola mantra of a deity or Siddha, given by a guru to a student during teecha or initiation, when recited by the student informs them of the students readiness to connect with them. The mantra or name becomes the link between the inhabitants of this two worlds or planes. Through lighting the lamp, the light becomes the portal for this travel to take place.

Lately when I travelled to India with my AVM family, many miracles took place as we recited the names of the Siddhas at every temple we visited. Besides these miracles we sensed their presence too. We have seen for ourselves and could now vouch the efficacy of chanting their names. With their coming, there is bliss!

Agathiyar had extolled the benefits of prayers and puja in a Nadi reading very much earlier on 12.7.2010 (See page 21 of the above compilation)

But the one miracle that stood out and made the world take notice is Agathiyar opening his eyes , a miracle that was caught on camera by my daughter. We were blessed to have Jnana Jyothiamma of India with us. Agathiyar later confirms the miracle in a Nadi reading.

A couple of days ago Thiru Kalaichelvan, a long time devotee of Agathiyar, calls me to say that he had had a Nadi reading and Agathiyar had asked that he print and distribute the photo of him opening his eyes to his devotees. Kalai had told this to Sri Krishna and Krishna immediately showed him this photo. Kalai called to seek permission and inform me of his intent in using the photo. I told him that I shall pass him a copy of the original rather than he download a compressed version from the net and I asked him for some time. Meanwhile I mentioned this to Bala Chandran of AVM. The next day Bala forwards to me a wonderful composition of AVM Agathiyar, and Lord Muruga's vel!

BOOKS

“What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."

[Cosmos, Part 11: The Persistence of Memory (1980)]”

― Carl Sagan, Cosmos

So did the Siddhas document their findings in the form of Olai Suvadi or writings on dried palm leaves.

When I searched the net for authentic material on Agathiyar and the Siddhas after Agathiyar asked me to come to this path in 2002 through a Nadi reading, there was hardly any. If at all there was something it would only be a repost from somewhere else. Many administrators of sites did not acknowledge its sources. Seeking out the numerous establishments related to Agathiyar did not satisfy my needs neither. When I frequented the handful of bookshops dealing in Tamil books, though they had only a limited collection, I discovered some rare gems among them. Then I engaged myself to gather whatever hymns I found into a small booklet that I could use to follow during my home puja. This slowly grew into a compendium of Siddha hymns over the years with the discovery of many new songs.

After returning from my maiden pilgrimage to India in 2003, I posted my travel jounal of all the places I went and all the exciting experiences gained during the tour on my first website, indian heartbeat. Later I recollected all the wonderful moments with Agathiyar and the Siddhas, and my masters and their teachings into several online digital books posted at Scribd. Whatever video footages were uploaded to YouTube too. Then one fine day I terminated these sites and deactivated others. When I informed Tavayogi of my actions he asked that I maintain them. And so I had to upload all those files again. Some I managed to salvage, the files still intact; some I lost - when my hard disk crashed and existing recovery programs at that time did not quite help salvage these files.

https://www.scribd.com/collections/3677520/Agathiyan-Production-House

Today, Agathiyar has moved us one step higher in our spiritual ladder asking us to include the worship of Vaalai Thaai. So my search has started again for any authentic material on Vaalai. I shall share it once I compile them too.

Some books that I picked up, purchased or received as gifts during my search to know about Siddhas.

I take this opportunity to thank Mylon Trading, Manonmani Book Depo, Janani Book Store, Krishna Book Store, Sivaguru Book Store, Sri Vidhya Book Stores, Jaya Bakthi Book distributors, and Uma Publications for bringing in these valuable books to Malaysia.