The very first step starts below our feet and after all the pilgrimage, journey and travel it ends at the same place we started - below our feet. From inertia to activity and back to inertia, we come one full circle.
Donald S. Lopez, Jr. writes at https://tricycle.org/magazine/first-there-mountain-then-there-no-mountain/
During the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese Ch’an [Zen in Japanese] master Qingyuan Weixin famously wrote: “Before I had studied Ch’an for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and rivers as rivers. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and rivers are not rivers. But now that I have got its very substance, I am at rest. For it’s just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and rivers once again as rivers.” First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is.
As Pico Iyer mentions,
"... the injunction I see whenever I step into a temple in Kyoto, aimed at innocent seekers after truth: “Look Beneath Your Feet.”,
Paradise is not somewhere out there but right below your feet and bliss is within your reach, in you, and bliss is YOU.
As a bachelor, I had much time on my hands after work. I took up prayers to fill the time. The prayers at dusk were so satisfying that it drove me to wake up early in the morning the next day and perform them at dawn too.
I gathered all the songs I could lay my hands on. I picked up Shiva Sri Muthukumara Shivachariyar's "Ella Vazhipaadu" that served as a good guide to home prayers. I had a simple altar made by the carpenter at the construction site and arranged all the pictures of the Gods and Goddesses on it. I plucked the flowers that grew on the fringes of the adjacent estate grounds just outside the back door of my home. I picked them a day earlier in the evening for use at dawn, placing them in a tray of water.
I would invite the deity to the home as Shivachariyar mentions beginning with Avaahaanam, Aasanam, Paathyam, Arkyam, Aasamaniyam, Mathuparkam, Snanam, Aasamaniyam, Vastram, Ubaveetham, Aabaranam, Kantham, Atchathai, Pushpam, Archanai followed by Thupam, Theepam, Neivethiyam, Paaniyam, Aasamaniyam, Taampulam, Karpura Aaratthi, Mantrapuspam, and finally Thothiram, Nithya Paaraayanam, Japam, Dhiyaanam, Prathanai, Saanthi Matram, Karpura Aaratthi, Mangalam, Piraayasittham, Samarpanam, Yathaastthanama, and Aasamanama. The whole ritual was divine and sacred in nature holding the thought and envisioning the arrival of the deity and serving him/her as we would a visitor to the home. I would also visit the temples daily. This was in the eighties.
Lord Shiva came in a dream and asked that I take a break from asking all the questions and doubts that came up as a result of much reading of spiritual material, that did not reflect in real life. The nineties saw me stay away from all forms of worship, some 14 years.
All my home prayers and temple worship finally paid off, when into the new century, he felt the time was right and he sent his message through my nephew bringing me back on board his wagon. Equipped with Lord Vishnu's mantra AUM NAMO BHAGAVATHEY VASUDEVAYA NAMA and Dhakshanamurthy's picture, I was told to start the journey immediately and promised the arrival of a Guru in a year's time.
The turn of the century brought me to read the Nadi too, for the very first time, where Agathiyar told me to worship Lord Vinayagar. I did as told. I started chanting his mantra that I picked up from doing some search. It was AUM GAM GANAPATHEYE NAMAHA.
The turn of the century brought me to read the Nadi too, for the very first time, where Agathiyar told me to worship Lord Vinayagar. I did as told. I started chanting his mantra that I picked up from doing some search. It was AUM GAM GANAPATHEYE NAMAHA.
Lord Vinayaga who is invoked at the start of all tasks, is known to dispel darkness, remove obstacles, pave the way for a smooth transition in all our endeavors. He is said to reside in the Muladhara, the first chakra in the subtle plane. On the physical plane he is always found at the entrance to temples, sitting quietly in a corner almost oblivious to all passerby.
Place your asking with Lord Vinayagar. He shall open all subsequent doors, be it the darshan of the Gods and Goddesses or the hearts of humans.
காரிய சித்தி மாலை (காசிப முனிவர்)
பந்தம் அகற்றும் அநந்தகுணப் பரப்பும் எவன்பால் உதிக்குமோ
எந்த உலகும் எவனிடத்தில் ஈண்டி இருந்து கரக்குமோ
சந்தமறை ஆகமங் கலைகள் அனைத்தும் எவன்பால் தகவருமோ
அந்த இறையாம் கணபதியை அன்பு கூரத் தொழுகின்றோம்.
உலகமுழுவதும் நீக்கமற ஒன்றாய் நிற்கும்பொருள் எவன்அவ்
உலகிற்பிறக்கும் விவகாரங்கள் உறாதமேலாம் ஒளியாவன்?
உலகம் புரியும் வினைப் பயனை ஊட்டும் களைகண் எவன் அந்த
உலக முதலைக் கணபதியை உவந்து சரணம் அடைகின்றோம்.
இடர்கள் முழுதும் எவனருளால் எரிவீழும் பஞ்சென மாயும்
தொடரும் உயிர்கள் எவனருளால் சுரர்வழ் பதியும் உறச்செய்யும்
கடவுள் முதலோர்க்கு ஊறின்றி கருமம் எவனால் முடிவுறும் அத்
தடவுமருப்புக் கணபதி பொன் சரணம் அடைகின்றோம்.
மூர்த்தியாகித் தலமாகி முந்நீர் கங்கை முதலான
தீர்த்தமாகி அறிந்தறியாத் திறத்தினாலும் உயிர்க்கு நலம்
ஆர்த்திநாளும் அறியாமை அகற்றி அறிவிப்பான் எவன் அப்
போர்த்த கருணைக் கணபதியைப் புகழ்ந்து சரணம் அடைகின்றோம்.
செய்யும் வினையின் முதல்யாவன் செய்யப்படும் அப்பொருள் யாவன்
ஐயமின்றி உளதாகும் அந்தக் கருமப் பயன் யாவன்
உய்யும் வினையின் பயன் விளைவில் ஊட்டி விடுப்பான் எவன் அந்தப்
பொய்யி இறையைக் கணபதியைப் புரிந்து சரணம் அடைகின்றோம்.
வேதம் அளந்தும் அறிவரிய விகிர்தன் யாவன் விழுத்தகைய
வேத முடிவில் நடம் நவிலும் விமலன் யாவன் விளங்குபர
நாதமுடிவில் வீற்றிருக்கும் நாதன்எவன் எண்குணன் எவன்அப்
போதமுதலைக் கணபதியைப் புகழ்ந்து சரணம் அடைகின்றோம்.
மண்ணின் ஓர் ஐங்குணமாகி வதிவான் எவன் நீரிடை நான்காய்
நண்ணி அமர்வான் எவன்தீயின் மூன்றாய் நவில்வான் எவன் வளியின்
எண்ணும் இரண்டு குணமாகி இயைவான் எவன் வானிடை ஒன்றாம்
அண்ணல் எவன் அக்கணபதியை அன்பிற் சரணம் அடைகின்றோம்.
பாச அறிவில் பசுஅறிவில் பற்றற்கரிய பரன்யாவன்
பாச அறிவும் பசுஅறிவும் பயிலப் பணிக்கும் அவன்யாவன்
பாச அறிவும் பசுஅறிவும் பாற்றி மேலாம் அறிவான
தேசன் எவன் அக்கணபதியைத் திகழச் சரணம் அடைகின்றோம்.
நூற்பயன்
இந்த நமது தோத்திரத்தை யாவன் மூன்று தினமும் உம்மைச்
சந்தி களில்தோத் திரஞ்செயினும் சகல கரும சித்திபெறும்
சிந்தை மகிழச் சுகம்பெறும்எண் தினம்உச் சரிக்கின் சதுர்த்தியிடைப்
பந்தம் அகல ஓர்எண்கால் படிக்கில் அட்ட சித்தியுறும்.
திங்கள் இரண்டு தினந்தோறும் திகழஒருபான் முறையோதில்
தங்கும் அரச வசியமாம் தயங்க இருபத் தொருமுறைமை
பொங்கும் உழுவ லால்கிளப்பின் பொருவின் மைந்தர் விழுக்கல்வி
துங்க வெறுக்கை முதற்பலவும் தோன்றும் எனச்செப் பினர் மறைந்தார்
He has paved the way to enlightenment for many a saint.
I am glad I began to worship Lord Vinayagar as requested by Agathiyar for he showed me my Guru - Agathiyar. Today both the guru and disciple spend many sacred, intimate and precious moments in the comfort and prestigious space of the home - the Guru expounding, and the student understanding and comprehending the wisdom, experiencing and absorbing the bliss and hopefully one day with his grace merge with the other, just as implored by Saint Nakirar in his Vinayagar Thiruagaval. Indeed bliss is at the feet of the Guru.
மோனா ஞான முழுதும் அளித்து
சிற்பரிப் பூரண சிவத்தைக் காண
நற்சிவ நிட்கள நாட்டமுந் தந்து
குருவுஞ் சீடனுங் கூடிக் கலந்து
இருவரும் ஒரு தனியிடந் தனிற் சேர்ந்து
தானந்தமாகித் தற்பர வெளியில்
ஆனந்த போத அறிவைக் கலந்து
ஈசனிைணயடியிருத்தி
மனத்தே நீயே நானாய்
நானே நீயாய்க்
காயா புரியைக் கனவெனவுணா்ந்து
எல்லாமுன் செயலென்ேற உணர
நல்லா உன்னருள் நாட்டந் தருவாய்
காரண குருவே கற்பகத் களிேற
வாரணமுகத்து வள்ளலே போற்றி
Beginning with the worship of Lord Vinayagar, Agathiyar threw in the worship of Lord Shiva and the Siddhas too. I picked up all available literature by Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar of Thuraiyur from the local chapter of his mission and started chanting the names of the Siddhas. I had the rare opportunity to come upon Supramania Swami of Thiruvannamalai, my very first Guru in the physical form, who was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. Those were some wonderful five years we communicated before he went into samadhi. Tavayogi from Kallar Ashram came along to guide me further on Siddha worship.
From the moment the Guru arrives, the path is cleared and made clearly visible to the disciple. Whether you are vegetarian or not, whether you frequent temples or not, whether your are religious or otherwise, whether you are spiritual or otherwise, nothing is permanent that the Guru cannot mend or change. The disciple would not have to drop anything, it all drops on its own when the Guru arrives.
As Balamurugan says we are conducting prayers in conducive surroundings, in the comfort of our homes and temples, he invites us to the outbound rocky mountainous and snow-clad terrains of Kailash, where we see the locals travel long distances taking a few steps, falling on their knees and laying down in salutation to the mighty mountain, get up on their feet, take another step forward and are back on their knees laying flat on the ground again before repeating the cycle. Watch from 55.26.
True. I don't think I could perform this feat in the wilderness. Similarly I don't think I could perform or go through what Tavayogi had gone through to attain his present state.
The divine has chose to come to us easily in the comfort of our homes, so do not look away. Let him in. Let him into your homes. Let him into your hearts. Allow the change to take place. See the change happen. Thiruvarul Kudinaal Arputhangal Nadakkum. When his grace befalls us all things are possible. Even the impossible become possible. That is the might of Guru Seva.
From the moment the Guru arrives, the path is cleared and made clearly visible to the disciple. Whether you are vegetarian or not, whether you frequent temples or not, whether your are religious or otherwise, whether you are spiritual or otherwise, nothing is permanent that the Guru cannot mend or change. The disciple would not have to drop anything, it all drops on its own when the Guru arrives.
As Balamurugan says we are conducting prayers in conducive surroundings, in the comfort of our homes and temples, he invites us to the outbound rocky mountainous and snow-clad terrains of Kailash, where we see the locals travel long distances taking a few steps, falling on their knees and laying down in salutation to the mighty mountain, get up on their feet, take another step forward and are back on their knees laying flat on the ground again before repeating the cycle. Watch from 55.26.
True. I don't think I could perform this feat in the wilderness. Similarly I don't think I could perform or go through what Tavayogi had gone through to attain his present state.
The divine has chose to come to us easily in the comfort of our homes, so do not look away. Let him in. Let him into your homes. Let him into your hearts. Allow the change to take place. See the change happen. Thiruvarul Kudinaal Arputhangal Nadakkum. When his grace befalls us all things are possible. Even the impossible become possible. That is the might of Guru Seva.