I have been blessed to have some wonderful teachers around me.
I learnt from Supramania Swami of Thiruvannamalai that we have to work on our ideals in the spiritual world for one day it shall pay off. It paid off for Ramalinga Adigal, a century ago. Supramania Swami told me too that all our efforts never go to waste. We continue from where we left. His last message to me before his samadhi was that we cannot take anything with us, not even our tapas and without even a second thought, gave it all to me. When I told him that Agathiyar had mentioned Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigalar of Kallar Ashram as my guru in the Nadi and that I was to travel with him to places and abodes of Siddhas, Supramania Swami did not stop me instead he gave me thick blankets to keep me warm in the hills of Kallar and ceremoniously sent me off on my second leg of adventure, asking that I send Tavayogi his regards. They had not met each other yet upon my return from Kallar, he immediately enquired about Tavayogi. Never will I come across another Guru of such stature and humbleness as this.
Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal nurtured me further with the ideals of the Siddhas. He too told me that we shall attempt without seeking the results. If it was not achievable in this lifetime we shall come back and continue. Do not fret. Tavayogi taught me to drop my fears. Both Supramania Swami and he had lost their eyesight for various reasons as they walked their paths. Both of them regained their eyesight too, with the aid of modern medical means for Supramania Swami and by some divine interception for Tavayogi. Having taken much beating in life while on the path, Tavayogi tended to help us brush aside all our fears, telling us that Agathiyar was there for us.
When I met Tavayogi in Malaysia for the first time in 2005, I told him I had to see the Nadi again as the time Agathiyar mentioned for my second reading had arrived. But I did not know whom to seek then. Tavayogi pointed me to Nadi Nool Aasan T.Ramesh. Ramesh had patiently delivered fifty Nadi readings over the years. As I began to hold on to Agathiyar's feet firmly over the years, Tavayogi slowly made me drop our dependency on the Nadi, for solutions and answers. Although Tavayogi read the Jeeva Nadi for the public he never referred to Agathiyar in the Nadi for directions or solutions. That was the amount of faith he had on the divine and the extent of his surrender to Agathiyar.
Agathiyar taught us much through the Nadi summoning us for a reading when there was a need or when we had a life death situation on our hands or just to chat and reassure us that all was well.
He came as a teacher and introduced the subject about karma and its tremendous and severe impact and implications on humans. Anyone coming to Agathiyar is told about his past, not to burden him with guilt but to make him aware of all his actions and its results that are akin to a domino effect, so that we would stop starting certain actions and repeating others.
To counter the karma that keeps following us, to my surprise, over several births I am told, Agathiyar encouraged us to give rather than to hoard. From just living for ourselves he brought us to live for others too. Just as Buddha saw the sufferings of his subjects once he took his very first step outside his palace gates, Agathiyar opened up a whole wide new world out there that we were either not aware of or refused to see before. We began to see the sorrow of others as being greater than ours, thus pacifying ourselves and not complaining. We became grateful for the years of good life, peace and harmony he gave us instead of frowning and complaining about old age and the deterioration of the physical form that comes with it. When visiting elders or they come over, it is indeed very sad to see them talk about their illnesses and complaining about discomfort and comparing medicines just as we compare notes. I try to inculcate in them the understanding that all born would one day perish. We are all subject to the law of nature. Although this is the rule of the day, many Siddhas have taken steps and achieved a distinctive stature where rather then saying that they have overcome and broken the law of nature, I would chose to say that they learnt the secret in prolonging the breath and its accompanying body; they learnt the secret of living in harmony with nature, and as a result lived for ages. I ask the elders to be grateful that the divine has spared them and kept them well till the present moment.
When I was suffering from a horrible pain that extended from the middle of my back till the toes for 2 1/2 years, although having given a clean slate of health by both the alopathy and siddha doctors, on finally consulting the Nadi, Agathiyar brushed it aside, telling me it was related to Maya or illusion. Here was I in pain and the Maha Muni just brushed my misery aside! Today I understand him very well. He had asked me to ignore the pain and it shall go away, then and always.
Then again although I had taken good care of my body, I did succumb to the dengue fever and was warded the very first time in my life after 54 years, some six years ago. I understood that even with all the care taken, if I had to pay off my debt, suffering would still take place. But he was there for me looking over me. So did he and Thirumular come to the aid of my little daughter when she was hospitalized for dengue too. He stood over my wife when she had to go through surgery several times, to the extent of telling us the procedure that she would have to go through on the operating table. His revelation in the Nadi will always conform to what the doctors would later brief us. Agathiyar kept working on my elder daughter's leg, although she had non-union of her fibula and tibia bones. To our joy, the need for surgery did not arise although it was mentioned several times, as eventually there was new born growth and her bones mended, although we had to wait patiently for nine months. Agathiyar told us the exact procedure that she would have to go through even before the doctors recommended it to us.
Just as Bhagawan Ramana's, Osho's and Tavayogi's messages are customized for the individual, Agathiyar too spelts out advises for the particular seeker. In my wife's case he told her strictly that she would have to seek modern medicine and treatment for alternative medicine would not work on her. As for my daughters and me, we were referred to Medical Officers for some ailments and to Siddha practitioners for others. He gave us the best medical care from both worlds.
After forgiving me and since then Agathiyar had been telling us to learn to forgive what others have done to us and move on with life. Since then my daily prayer was: "Dear Lord, I forgive myself for all my shortcomings; I forgive others for all the harm that they had done to me; Let others forgive me for all the idiotic things I have said and done to them, including the harm and sufferings I had brought onto them and finally please Lord do forgive all of us for our ignorance and judgement of others." By forgiving others we learn to let go and do not carry the pain in us that can have devastating results on us, eating into us, bringing sleepless nights and creating nightmares. I chanced to watch a beautiful movie The Shack, that carried a similar message last evening at http://www.theshack.movie/#home
Agathiyar taught us not to fret, complain nor argue instead be patient, tolerant and accepting of all views and people. Agathiyar had on numerous occasions told us not to enter into a debate especially on spiritual and religious matters. He has pointed out many wrong notions and beliefs but quickly adds, telling us to let it be.
All was not dark and bleak though, since we began to see a much beautiful world too that nature had provided for. We began to see opportunities making their way to our door, a reversal of us having to seek them earlier. Many veils were drawn aside; the necessary knowledge to comprehend life was given; he gave us strength to fight our battles and our foes that came in myriad ways: as illnesses, sufferings, miseries, confusion, obstacles, enemies etc. He opened up new chapters of life that were absent or lacking in us such as love and a better understanding. A new dawn was born the moment Agathiyar entered our lives.
While Supramania Swami initiated me on bhakti or the path of devotion, leading me with chanting of his Guru's name or nama japa and bringing me to visit temples, both Agathiyar and Tavayogi brought me to worship his idol and perform rituals respectively. After putting in sixteen years of efforts towards bringing my senses to focus on the job on hand, the preparation and conducting of many rituals that needed our utmost attention at the most precised moments, and the concentration that was derived from these acts, thanks to these valuable and much needed training ground, the instruments and methods, now my mind tends to settle the very moment I sit at the altar in the company of Agathiyar, in the comfort of my home, at times dropping even the chanting of mantras, worship and all asking. I guess it is time to move within now as all my Gurus had wanted.