When I saw my Nadi the first time, Agathiyar told me to recite Lord Ganesha's Moola Mantra besides worshiping Lord Shiva, the Siddhas and him. I did as told.
Later when Agathiyar came in the form of a bronze idol, I worshiped Agathiyar as Lord Ganesha during his Chaturthi days, decorating him in his form. I did that for all the religious occasions seeing all the Gods, Goddesses and Deities as Agathiyar. Soon he revealed in the Nadi that that was the truth and I had done right.
As Tavayogi, Mataji and me and my family came down the steps of the Nattadreeswarar Temple near Erode, Tavayogi turned around to me and said Agathiyar and Siva are one.
Later Agathiyar tells me that he is in the prapanjam and that the prapanjam is in him.
As Tavayogi, Mataji and me and my family came down the steps of the Nattadreeswarar Temple near Erode, Tavayogi turned around to me and said Agathiyar and Siva are one.
Later Agathiyar tells me that he is in the prapanjam and that the prapanjam is in him.
When devotees wanted to bring his idol over to their homes and temples for puja, I obliged them. Then one day Agathiyar told me not to take him anywhere anymore. "Let them come to me" he said.
When Jnana Jhotiamma spent three days at AVM in 2013 and 2014, she mentioned that she saw Siddhas coming over. To confirm his presence here, he chose to open his eyes during libation or abhisegam. That photo snap has gone viral and has made its rounds in all medias and mediums. He confirmed this miracle in the Nadi later.
A long time devotee of Agathiyar was told to print and distribute this photo to all, and the rests of the world, in a Nadi reading some time back. Not having any idea of what Agathiyar had asked of him, he mentioned it casually to Sri Krishna. Krishna who was with AVM immediately showed him the photo in his handphone.
A long time devotee of Agathiyar was told to print and distribute this photo to all, and the rests of the world, in a Nadi reading some time back. Not having any idea of what Agathiyar had asked of him, he mentioned it casually to Sri Krishna. Krishna who was with AVM immediately showed him the photo in his handphone.
Soon we saw deities making their presence and paying their respects to him. Later he mentioned these too in the Nadi.
He has now asked us to celebrate his Jayanthi, big time, on 4th January 2018 as a fest.
He has now asked us to celebrate his Jayanthi, big time, on 4th January 2018 as a fest.
How is it a mere metal has become an object of admiration for many?
When I took up his directive to worship him; seeking information on the Siddhas from various quarters; visiting centres that were run using his name; and having failed miserably in getting information and knowledge, and positive assistance and help, I settled to go alone, praying that he would lead me personally. True enough he told me to have his statue commissioned, made and brought over. He instructed us to give life to the idol through chanting his name some 100,000 times. I gathered family and friends but we only managed a count of 45,000 that took us 2 hours to complete. But the most understanding and compassionate father accepted our efforts. He soon came to settle in this image. He asked that we light an oil lamp and put forth our wishes, desires and prayers and he shall look into it. Many have seen results while some have been told to be patient and wait a little longer.
As I was basking in the bliss that me and my family derived from his worship, many masters who were pioneers of many years, having ventured into spiritualism much much earlier, confronted me and ridiculed me for my worship of an idol, quoting the songs and sayings of great masters and Siddhas.
A head of an ashram quoted several verses from Siddhar Sivavakiyar's songs condemning rituals and idol worship. I told him it was not my desire but a directive from Agathiyar to worship him in the form, shape and size that he had clearly stipulated and defined too. He refused to listen and went on and on. I finally told him that I needed that as I was new to the path, my fifth year, and that he might not need it for he had thirty odd years behind him and some thirty students with him.
When another master began preaching asking devotees to come out of temple worship during their talks at the temples, I advised him against it saying that we were very much steeped into temple worship for it was also an identity for us just as the language is in a multi racial society. These were the two very eyes of us, that once removed will erase us too. This fact was surprisingly made by a monk of a spiritual establishment that was very much into Yoga and Jnana.
When a priest quizzed a family for placing their altar in the living room, he failed to find out the reason for the family to do so first. As the elders found it difficult to climb the stairs they decided to bring the altar down. Many families do not have the luxury to house the altar in a separate room too.
They fail to analyze the situation and conditions if they were favorable and fail to advise appropriately on the needs of the moment.
The bronze idol of Agathiyar at AVM has become alive today, with years of worship and libation done. That bronze statue opened its eyes and startled us and the rests of the world. That bronze image has granted many devotees wishes. So is it with the rests of the statues in the temples. We at AVM had never dictated or encouraged devotees to gather weekly as is done elsewhere, but rather prefer that they carry out these prayers in their homes bringing their family into the worship too.
Today I realize many tend to assume the other as less devoted or less religious. Now tell me what or who would you use as a yardstick to measure the state of advancement in spiritualism? Most probably and possibly they compare with themselves. Isn't that being egoist then?
God experience is gained by dissolving in it. That's why saints have sang anubhutis, personal spiritual experiences of delight, joy and bliss that breaks spontaneously in the form of words from their lips at that very instant and spur of the moment of contact with Erai.
Why do we need to put another devotee down or expect him to change his way of worship, when even we are not sure if we are already there, if we have reached the ultimate. Ramalinga Adigal mentions 16 stages of spiritual experiences and notes that there are still higher stages that he himself hesitates to express.
| Various states of the soul. | The 16 stages and above of spiritual experiences. | Experiences (Nilai). | Stages. | Paths. |
| Human beings leading a mundane life without even a thought of its transient nature. | 1. Jeeva Sakiram. Normal wakefulness. | 1st stage. | ||
| 2. Jeeva Sorpanam. Normal dreaming. | 2nd stage. | |||
| 3. Jeeva Suluthi. Normal ignorance. | 3rd stage. | |||
| Spiritualist aware of momentary nature of life; conscious of the world and external objects; enjoys gross things. | 4. Sutha Sakiram. Perfect wakefulness. 1st state of the soul. | 1st stage. | Sariyai. | |
| Seeking to see the Lord and feels inseparable; untiring search for God; enjoys subtle things. | 5. Sutha Sorpanam. Perfect dream. 2nd state of the soul. | 2nd stage. | Kriyai. | |
| Only God; neither dreams nor desires; soul temporarily one with Brahman enjoys bliss. | 6. Sudha Suluthi. Perfect ignorance or sound sleep or dreamless state. 3rd state of the soul. | 3rd stage. | Yogam. | |
| Lust & veil covering the soul for generations are shed one after the other; soul cleanse by Arutperunjhoti; spontaneous impulse of love for God; absolute union with Brahman. | 7. Sudha Turiyam. Perfect experience. Supra-mental awareness. 4th stage of the soul. | Supreme grace. Arul Oliyal. | 4th stage. | Shiva Jnana Nilai. |
| 8. Para Sakiram. Higher wakefulness. | ||||
| Enjoys grace of Lord and ecstasy. | 9. Para Sorpanam. Higher dream. Supra mental dream. | |||
| Shackles removed by Arutperunjhoti; heavenly experiences. Above this stage, God is un-manifested. | 10. Para Suluthi. Higher ignorance. Supra mental unknowing. | 1st stage. | 1st divine path. Sithantham. Sutha Sithantham. | |
| Tasting God; glory of Arutperunjhoti; self-realization on the soul as an atom brilliant as the sun; soul charged with divine grace; aspirant realizes the greatness of God grace and his smallness; self-realization or Atma Tarisanam. | 11. Para Turiyam. Atma Tarisanam. Supra-mental perfection. | Ananda Nilai. | 2nd stage. |
2nd divine path.
Vethantham. Sutha Vethantham. |
| Perceive God in the form of light; soul is saturated with compassion & love; experience of divine life (Uyir Anubhavam); attains purified body or golden body (Sutha Degam); the extent of achievement is dependent on the grace of Arutperunjhoti; sees divinity in all creatures; sees God in the form the aspirant is ready to receive; enjoys supreme grace (Arul Anubhavam); higher stages are heavenly stages and beyond human perception where the mind fails to conceive and all senses cease to function; Uyir Anubavam in Sudha Degam; transformation to pure body; love incarnate; universality of love in all fellow beings; oneness in life; sees the divine in all life forms; sees smallness of one and greatness of God; spontaneous flow of God in him. | 12. Guru Sakiram or Shiva Sakiram. | 3rd stage. | 3rd divine path. Sutha Nathantham. | |
| Descent of divinity in the individual. | 13. Guru Sorpanam or Shiva Sorpanam. Supreme dream. | 4th stage. | 4th divine path. Sutha Kalantham. | |
| Supreme grace flows and prepares aspirant for the next stage. | 14. Guru Suluthi or Shiva Suzhuthi. Supreme tranquility. | 5th stage. | 5th divine path. Sutha Bothantham. | |
| Body transforms into Pranava Deham or body of grace; merges with Arutperunjhoti; deathlessness or conquest of death. Ramalinga Adigal mentions Muthuthandavar & Tathuvarayar as had attained this state. | 15. Guru Turiyam or ShivaTuriyam. | Anandha Nilai. Periya Shiva Anubhavam. | 6th stage. | 6th divine path. Samarasa Sutha Sanmaarga. |
| There are still higher stages that Ramalinga Adigal hesitates to express. | 16. Sudha Shiva Sakiram. Absolute supreme consciousness. | |||
| Sudha Shiva Sorpanam. | ||||
| Sudha Shiva Suluthi. | ||||
| Sudha Shiva Turiyam. | ||||
| Sudha Shiva Turiyateetam. |
(Source: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF RAMALINGA SWAMI by Dr C Srinivasan, published by Ilakkia Nilayam, Tiruchi, 1968 (Srinivasan).
We are often told the story of Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu competing to see the crown and feet of Lord Siva respectively, both failing miserably, and we are reminded too that it will be in vain.
When my wife, my children and I were admitted in the hospital for various ailments, volunteers from religious movements came along asking if they should pray for us. We allowed them for we always believed in the more the merry, the more prayers sent out the move effective the prayer would be. They should have stopped at that and moved on; but instead they stayed to distribute pamphlets and began to preach and invite us to their places of worship. At one instance I saw a group of them sharing notes and comparing statistics as to how many patients that they had managed to meet and talk to about their faith. Their motive in holding a prayer for the ill has failed for there was an intention in it - to convert another. Similarly many walk into our homes preaching their path. I ask them what or who was keeping me alive till that moment? Why should I convert now, if I am very much alive till then and speaking to them - a result of my present faith, belief and prayers.
It is not wrong to worship idols. Idol worship still leads us to the kingdom of Erai. Let us allow others to walk their path at their own pace, at their own time and not push them or hurry them along. We need not convert another to our path. Each path leads to the kingdom of Erai in due course and time. Each stage leads to another in due course and time too. We need to understand that he/she has to gain an experience treading that path too.