LIGHTING THE SACRED FIRE 1

According to Siddha writings, Agathiyar was born in the Tamil month of Margazhi when Ahilya Natchathiram was in the 3rd quarter. Agathiyar reveals in the Jeeva Nadi the exact time of his birth as 27 ½ Naaligai or 10 hours 58 minutes after the commencement of Ahilya. Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal celebrates Agathiyar’s Jayanthi and Guru Puja annually to commemorate the birth (Jayanthi) of Agathiyar, with devotees at his hermitage or ashram in Kallar, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. The highlight of this two day celebration is the lighting of the sacrificial fire or Yagna (Yajna/ Yagam/Agnihotra/ Homam). The next Guru Puja is on 4 January 2018 and again on 18 December 2018.

Tavayogi started performing the Yagna or lighting the sacrificial fire on his ashram grounds some 15 years back, beginning on a small scale that soon led to five numbers of Yagna pits and expanding further to 108 on the directive of Agathiyar and later reverting back to the original number. Tavayogi told me he had embarked on performing the Yagna to calm down Mother Nature hence helping to lessen the natural calamities and as a result saving lives and properties, and healing Mother Earth. Over the years he began to recite mantras and submit various herbs into the fire pit that was to appease the Dosas and to bring fortune and good health upon the devotees.

Tavayogi asked me to conduct the Homam which is Yagna on a smaller scale in Malaysia. Since then I have been performing the Homam in my home with my AVM family and friends every Thursdays, Full Moon, New Moon nights and other auspicious days. I took to perform the Homam during Agathiyar’s Jayanthi and Guru Puja too, simultaneous with the event at Kallar. 

When Tavayogi initially mentioned that I do the Homam, I was reluctant as neither was I trained nor did I have the right knowledge to do rituals. He brushed my fear aside and gave me confidence. He told me it was a simple and easy task. As was usual of Tavayogi he did not elaborate much on the procedure and do's and don'ts. I began performing the Homam, accompanied with the chanting of the names of the Siddhas as he had directed. During one of his numerous visits to Malaysia, he stopped over at my home and prepared and conducted the Homam, leaving me to observe and learn the finer points in preparation and lighting the sacred fire. This led me to investigate the reasons for performing / conducting these rituals further.

After going through the books, blogs and websites, I realized the magnitude of the benefits derived in performing the Agnihotra/Yagna/Yagam/Homam. I compiled my findings into a book titled "FEEDING THE FLAME".

Feeding the Flame (English) by shanmugam avadaiyappa on Scribd

Agathiyar in a Nadi reading explained to me, confirming with Tavayogi the reason in conducting this ritual, telling me that it was done for the good of the Prapanjam and all in it. If Tavayogi had initiated me to start lighting the fire of sacrifice in my home, and ignited the fire of devotion in our hearts, taking away the fear of rituals, Agathiyar kept me going relieving me of my initial reluctance in engaging with rituals.

Over the years many devotees picked up this ritual by attending the puja at AVM and have since begun conducting this ritual in their homes too. I am happy that rather than gather weekly at a spot and depend on someone to lead the rituals, the AVM family has picked up enough courage to perform on their own with their family members in the confines and comfort of their homes. In short they have each brought the Siddha Marga into their homes. Tavayogi in his most recent visit to Malaysia last year too was deeply moved and touched by the faith and dedication of the AVM family in carrying out their daily worship independent of any anchorman or middleman.