When I was going to college back then in 1977, since I had to wait long hours for the bus to take me home, I used to kill time by window shopping at Belfield street in Ipoh, known as Little India, for the streets were lined with Indian merchants. Each day I would enter this particular shop selling gemstones that was owned by a very old Indian Muslim man. I would look over and over the gems especially the gold ring studded in nine precious gems or Navaratna. One day the owner chased me out of his shop telling me that I could not afford to buy that particular piece. Off course he had a point there as it was very obvious to him that I was a student then. I made a resolve to buy and wear one that moment. But gold and these genuine precious stones were costly those days. Soon I forgot about that incident and the desire to own one.
When I was with Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai in 2003, Swami told me out of the blues that I should wear a Navaratna ring for it will do me good. That surprised me as I had wanted one back then. Soon upon my arrival back in Malaysia I went around looking for one. I did lots of reading on the gems, its nature and qualities. I finally had these stones set in a gold ring made to fit my finger. It was pretty costly even then, but I could afford it now as I was working. Anyway it was Supramania Swami's directive too.
When I dropped in on Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal at Kallar Ashram in 2005, one Suresh who was at the ashram for the Pournami Puja, brought out a Rudraksha bead and enquired about its benefits and asked if he should wear it. Tavayogi explained the sacredness of the bead and cautioned him about upholding good thoughts and actions if one was to wear it, and touched on the the do's and don'ts. After Suresh left, Tavayogi turned to me and said, "Namakku ithu yellaam thevai ellai Magane", meaning, "We don't need that, my son." Then he took notice of the Navaratna ring I was wearing and commented, "I see that you are wearing a Navaratna ring." I replied that Supramania Swami asked me to wear. He smile and told me, "We don't need that, my son."
My ego than told him boastfully that I was wearing a solidified mercury or Rasamani on me too. He gave a surprised look raising his eyebrows, smiled and told me the same, that, "We don't need that, my son."
Since my arrival at Kallar ashram, Tavayogi had asked that I place my passport, travel documents, cash and valuables in his locker for safekeeping. I had my Navaratna ring placed in a sachet and locked away before we went for our bath in the stream that flowed nearby. On the day of the start of our pilgrimage to the Siddha caves and temples, I realized the ring was missing. Both Tavayogi and I searched his locker. Tavayogi was visibly saddened that it went missing under his care, lest I should suspect him of taking it. I was sad too because it was something Supramania Swami had directed me and because it was costly to replace another. I told him so too. It was puzzling.
Tavayogi, not happy that it went missing, then ran his fingers in the space between the frames of the cabinet. As it was a steel cabinet and had angle irons for its frame, the ring somehow dropped out of the sachet and got lodged in the space in the frame. We were both relieved on finding the ring.
Soon I returned to Tiruvannamalai to bid farewell to Supramania Swami before returning to Malaysia. Swami suddenly wanted to chart my horoscope saying that he had charted for many who seek him and that had not drawn up mine. As we both sat in the thatched shed outside his village home in the heat of the day while his family were busy preparing a feast in conjunction with my visit, I ran my fingers over my Navaratna ring and realized one of the stones was loosened and on the verge of falling off. I removed it and kept it away. I stopped wearing the ring that day.
One might question why then is Tavayogi wearing rudraksham and other talisman if he had advised me not to do so. One might wonder why he approved of Suresh to wear the rudraksham but told me it was not necessary. An episode from Bhagawan Ramana's life explains pretty well the later while an episode from Sankarar's life explains the former.
TPR wrote in "The Approach Through Song" in "FRAGRANT PETALS", Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 2005, Bhagawan went on praising Kannappa, a disciple of Vallimalai Swami once. For an hour all those gathered sat spellbound listening to the divine songs emanating from Kannappa that filled the hall. When they took a break for lunch, Bhagawan turned to TPR and shocked him, "All this is unnecessary. If you give your mind to it it will lead you astray - no use." TPR wrote, "I said nothing in reply but took it to mean that he did not want me to follow this path."
Then TPR wrote of another occasion where a famous singer approached Bhagawan after delighting all gathered at the hall for days. He told Bhagawan, " I know not meditation or samadhi and no sadhana to attain it. I follow the devotional approach of bhakti. I worship god through my songs. By crying to him I seek to attain him. Is this right? Please guide me master." Bhagawan replied to him, "Yes what you are doing is just what you have to do. Carry on and it will certainly lead you to your goal. Through devotion to god we discharge our emotions and that is a sure way to reach him."
Again they stopped for lunch and Bhagawan turned to TPR and said, "Our Tamil saints have said that bhakti is the mother of jnana. So bhakti marga is supreme. The essence of bhakti is in merging with the Universal Being through emotional devotion."
TPR was puzzled. Then it dawned on him that, "Bhagawan praised Kannappa who was already following it under instructions from his guru but cautioned me against it and the cautioned applied to only me personally and he alone can judge what path is right for me. And to the later singer, he commended the bhakti path as supreme because it was supreme for him."
As to why it was alright for Tavayogi to wear the rudraksha and not me, Om Swami explains through an episode from Sankara's life.
I understood that the vasana or desire of owning a Navaratna studded ring that lay dormant in me had to come to fruition. The desire had to crop up again thanks to Supramania Swami. Then that pattru or attachment had to be broken thanks to Tavayogi.
I soon learnt that every word said by saints is meant only for that individual and only for him alone. It might be good for another but not necessary for you. Follow only the path dictated to you to avoid confusion.