Traveling deeper into the wilderness now, I came to a point where the path split into two. There was a sign post "Piravamai" written on it placed on one path; and another sign post "Iravaamai" written on it and pointing the other way. This sign posts reminded me of the countless saints who must have come by, yearning to know the ancient secrets and to meet their creator; took up a path and locating the key that opens the door to the secret, deciphered the secret, realized for themselves certain truths and locked it up to be kept hidden again from the masses.
But they left a note behind.
"One should be gifted not to be born again. In event he takes birth again, he should wish for the elixir of life that keeps death away. Either way, this verse reminds one not to forget the Holy feet of Tillai Ambalar for that is itself a good elixir."
"One should be gifted not to be born again. In event he takes birth again, he should wish for the elixir of life that keeps death away. Either way, this verse reminds one not to forget the Holy feet of Tillai Ambalar for that is itself a good elixir."
பிறவா திருக்க வரம் பெறல் வேண்டும்
பிறந்து விட்டால் இறவா திருக்க மருந்துண்டு காண்
இது வெப்படியோ அறமார் புகழ் தில்லை அம்பலவாணர் அடிக்கமலம்
மறவாதிரு மனமே அது காண் நன் மருந்துனக்கே
And they left behind two sign posts for those who risked the journey and came this far. Now faced with a choice of either taking the path of the rightist or opting for the leftist, I decided to take a moment to investigate both paths. Reading P. Karthigayan's "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu", Notion Press, 2016 threw some light and helped put things into its correct perspective. Going with the flow and read, I could piece together the puzzles that had failed to come together earlier. I began to understand and gained clarity on all the confusion that arised previously.
His distinct classification and separation of immortality into two perspectives saved the day. His classification of one path as seeking spiritual immortally, and the other as seeking physical immortality, laid the ground for me to work and investigate further.
His distinction of the soul and spirit, which I and others had all these while thought to be the same and interchangeable, further clarified these issues.
I understood from Andraz of Slovenia who was a close friend of P.Karthigayan, that he has passed away since. But his book remains to serve as a guide and an eye opener to me revealing more and more secrets at each reading. I thank Srimathi Santhi Balachander for taking the trouble to locate and purchase a copy of this wonderful book while in Chennai.
Taking the first path, we work to exhaust all the karma that we had brought with us from the past and added onto us in the present birth. For one seeking spiritual immortality, the sole thought is to elevate the soul and spirit, hence neglecting the body. Everything else is not important too. All else is regarded as an illusion or Maya. Only the soul and spirit are real.
He lives through his karma; does not create any new karma be it good or bad. He isolates himself and works on his soul and spirit. Spending years in isolation, no new karma is acquired; and the existing exhausted by submission.
He lives through his karma; does not create any new karma be it good or bad. He isolates himself and works on his soul and spirit. Spending years in isolation, no new karma is acquired; and the existing exhausted by submission.
He who chooses the first path, works out his karma voluntarily submitting to it. Life will beat the hell out of him, yet he would not lift a finger to stop, change or modify the effects of his karma. He accepts it as it comes. As karma is the reason to be reborn again, when he has exhausted it, living it out, there is no reason for him to come back again. The SIM is erased. The soul is cleansed of all memories. The soul does not carry any data anymore. It perishes.
For the seeker of spiritual mortality, the soul perishes taking with it all the records of the lives and experience lived. The server @soul that carries the data itself is destroyed. There is no birth. The spirit merges with the source. This is Piravamai.
For the seeker of spiritual mortality, the soul perishes taking with it all the records of the lives and experience lived. The server @soul that carries the data itself is destroyed. There is no birth. The spirit merges with the source. This is Piravamai.
Taking the second path we live to transform the karma instead, taking real care of the body, soul and spirit. The body is kept alive so that death is postponed indefinitely. One works to transform his physical body, and at the same time elevates his soul and spirit. He transforms his karma, through conducting rituals and serving humanity and other noble activities. He stays in the society serving those who seek guidance, and spreads the word of Erai, in some cases opting to heal the sick.
He who chooses the second, seeks to know about his past lives and the karma done. He carries out all the remedies needed to exhaust it or transform it. Engaging in activities that benefit others and that brings positive merits, and with its accumulation he offsets the negative. By active participation in helping society's outcast, the karma is reduced till it is exhausted.
But these noble actions accumulated will bring about new and positive karma that will need to be harnessed too yet in another birth! By continuous monitoring of the balance sheet and with immediate measures taken to distribute and giving away these merits laying no claim to it, this will ensure a zero balance in our account. Meanwhile work is done to sustain the body to deliver peak performance. The body is at its peak of health. By monitoring his health well, he keeps illness and disease at bay.
But these noble actions accumulated will bring about new and positive karma that will need to be harnessed too yet in another birth! By continuous monitoring of the balance sheet and with immediate measures taken to distribute and giving away these merits laying no claim to it, this will ensure a zero balance in our account. Meanwhile work is done to sustain the body to deliver peak performance. The body is at its peak of health. By monitoring his health well, he keeps illness and disease at bay.
One on the second path, loves his body. He loves life. He loves nature. He loves all of creation. He sees Erai in all of his creation. With further moderate yogic practices and austerities or tavam, his body is prepared to become a receptacle for Erai to enter and reside. Once Erai comes within the physical body, it takes on the nature of Erai and all its impurities or malam clears just as darkness disappears the moment light is brought in. He becomes an apostle, a savior, and a light for others to follow. He preaches and teaches the path. For the seeker of physical mortality the server or soul is kept upgraded and expands taking on the data and spiritual experiences and sharing it with those who come seeking.
Manikavasagar describes how Erai came with his entourage and brought him to his fold through a metaphor.
"Residing in a dwelling made of meat walls and with numerous openings, and a false roof, with worms crawling within, when damaged, fluids begin to flow, whence I am tossed about in an endless whirlpool of suffering; when such a dwelling is regarded as real and turned towards the sparkle of the gem studded Erai, he brings me into his fold and company of his servants."
Most of us who have taken another birth to live out our desires, would be ignorant of the gift of this birth and the miracle that is the body and not have the slightest thought of taking care of it. Besides the ravages of time that the body goes through, we push it to its maximum limits, exhausting it, stressing it, exposing it to the dangers of illness, disease and inviting premature death.
The Siddhas though, are known to take measures and extreme care to upkeep their body. They knew of an anti-aging therapy, the ancient rejuvenation practice of Kaya Kalpa. Through the secret science of immortality, they keep their body intact without having it go through the process of aging. They attain immortality with the physical body still intact. They live forever as Siranjeevi.
The Siddhas who took elixir or karpam and regained youthfulness, putting a full stop to future birth. As P.Karthigayan wrote, they broke the cycle of death and birth by avoiding the causes of death, hence stopping death in its track and thus preventing a recurrence of birth. But this process of transforming the physical body into an apt vessel and container for the Divine to take up as his abode is a painful one. Ramalinga Adigal mentions the initial 12 years that he had to bear the anguish and pain in his song.
Manikavasagar describes how Erai came with his entourage and brought him to his fold through a metaphor.
"Residing in a dwelling made of meat walls and with numerous openings, and a false roof, with worms crawling within, when damaged, fluids begin to flow, whence I am tossed about in an endless whirlpool of suffering; when such a dwelling is regarded as real and turned towards the sparkle of the gem studded Erai, he brings me into his fold and company of his servants."
பொத்தை ஊன் சுவர் புழுப்பொதிந்து உளுத்து அசும்பு ஒழுகிய பொய்க்கூரை
இத்தை மெய்யெனக் கருதி நின்று இடர்க் கடல் சுழித்தலைப் படுவேனை
முத்து மாமணி மாணிக்க வயிரத்த பவளத்தின் முழுச் சோதி
அத்தன் ஆண்டு தன் அடியரில் கூட்டிய அதிசயம் கண்டோமே
Initially regarding the body as a impermanent shelter, he too saw the divine in it later. The body that exhibited emotions and sufferings and took on pain now takes on bliss. Manikavasagar upon meeting Erai and attaining bliss could not live another moment separate from Erai. Not knowing the means to permanently unite with Erai, he laments, "I tried to severe this body that has sinned, by all possible means and failed. Neither does the soul free itself on its own. I cannot live another moment without you."
He then comes to a sudden realization that this body was not his to take. He begins to plead for Paramukthi, gaining Siddhi with the body intact. He prays that Erai take him to his abode with the physical body intact. He brings Erai within so that the physical body does not perish and merges with Tillai Ambalar still retaining his body.
He then comes to a sudden realization that this body was not his to take. He begins to plead for Paramukthi, gaining Siddhi with the body intact. He prays that Erai take him to his abode with the physical body intact. He brings Erai within so that the physical body does not perish and merges with Tillai Ambalar still retaining his body.
The young Thirugnanasambandhar took the hands of his wife in marriage and led all those who came to witness his marriage into the Jhoti and merged with it at Nallur.
Similarly the elder Thirunavukarasar held on to the feet of Erai and burst into combustion, and merged with Erai at Thirupugalur, just as the camphor burns and vanishes into thin air.
Sundarar mounted an elephant that was sent by Lord Shiva while his friend Cheraman Perumal followed closely behind on a horse at Thiruvanjai. Both reached Erai's kingdom in the physical form.
In recent times we know of Ramalinga Adigal who transformed his body to merge with Erai and all of creation.
Agathiyar told Tavayogi that Lord Shiva and Parvathi will come on a Puspa Vimanam to bring his soul back with him.
Agathiyar told Tavayogi that Lord Shiva and Parvathi will come on a Puspa Vimanam to bring his soul back with him.
Most of us who have taken another birth to live out our desires, would be ignorant of the gift of this birth and the miracle that is the body and not have the slightest thought of taking care of it. Besides the ravages of time that the body goes through, we push it to its maximum limits, exhausting it, stressing it, exposing it to the dangers of illness, disease and inviting premature death.
The Siddhas who took elixir or karpam and regained youthfulness, putting a full stop to future birth. As P.Karthigayan wrote, they broke the cycle of death and birth by avoiding the causes of death, hence stopping death in its track and thus preventing a recurrence of birth. But this process of transforming the physical body into an apt vessel and container for the Divine to take up as his abode is a painful one. Ramalinga Adigal mentions the initial 12 years that he had to bear the anguish and pain in his song.
Turning to the Siddha path we are told of the greatness of taking birth and that it is a gift. Lord Muruga has warned me of the need to take care of the body to attain Gnanam. There is a need to stay strong and healthy for the soul to realize its purpose and accomplish its mission. Any effort by the soul towards realizing its goal is only possible with the aid of the body that is both a tool and a vehicle.
Summarizing these paths, we can safely deduce that while the Vedanti exhaust his karma without interfering, the Siddhanti transforms it. The Vedanti does not have a reason to take birth; the Siddhanti does not have a reason to die. The Vedanti merges or unites with the source upon dropping the body while the Siddhanti brings the source within his body to work within him for the well being of its creations.
Summarizing these paths, we can safely deduce that while the Vedanti exhaust his karma without interfering, the Siddhanti transforms it. The Vedanti does not have a reason to take birth; the Siddhanti does not have a reason to die. The Vedanti merges or unites with the source upon dropping the body while the Siddhanti brings the source within his body to work within him for the well being of its creations.
Now standing at the crossroads, I guess my destiny has been decided by the Siddhas. It is Siddhantham. When Lord Muruga warns me to not to willingly seek out death I am grateful that he is ever watchful over me. I understand that he wants me to take extreme care of my body now that I have stepped into my sixties. With efforts on my part to stay healthy and an equal effort on their part to keep me alive, I belief I shall live for some years to come.
Rather then read scriptures and learn techniques and expecting that all that is read shall take place, and feeling disappointed if it does not materialize or show the expected results, I prefer to refer to them only after I have started and engaged in a practice or technique; only to verify the signs and results and confirm that I am on the right track. This way I could relate my experiences with that of others when I went through these texts. What brings joy is when our thoughts coincide with the written texts and scriptures. It brings us new assurance that our thoughts are right.
From the blog "An End to Suffering" at http://end-to-suffering.blogspot.com/2006/04/ribhu-gita-essence.html is written how Bhagawan Ramana found out certain resemblances of what he had gone through carried in the Ribhu Gita.
Bhagavan's first attendant, Palaniswami, brought a copy to Bhagavan's attention while he was residing at the mango grove near Gurumurtham in 1898. Later in life Bhagavan related how surprised he was at the time to hear an exact description of his own state recited in the Ribhu Gita and that it had been experienced by others and was the bliss of the Self sought after by all true seekers.
The blogger quotes Ramana's reaction to the numerous texts that was read to him, from B.V.Narasimha Swami's "Self-Realization. The Life and Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi", Sri Ramanasramam, 1985.
"I had read no books other than Periapuranam, my Bible lessons and bits of Tayumanavar or Tevaram. My notion of God (or Isvara as I called the Infinite but Personal Diety) was similar to that found in the Puranas. I had not heard then of Brahman, samsara, etc. I had no idea that there was an Essence or Impersonal Real underlying everything, and that myself and Isvara were both identical with it. At Tiruvannamalai, as I listened to Ribhu Gita and other works, I picked up these facts and discovered that these books were analysing and naming what I had previously felt intuitively without analysis and name. In the language of the books, I could describe my mental or spiritual condition after awakening, as suddha manas or vijnana, i.e., the Intuition of the Illumined."
References:
- P. Karthigayan's "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu, Notion Press, 2016.
- சித்தர்களின் சாகாக்கலை, சி எஸ் முருகேசன், அழகு பதிப்பகம், 1998.
- திருவாசகம், கங்கை வெளியீடு, 1998.
- காய சித்தி, மா இரத்தினசபாபதி பிள்ளை, சைவ சித்தாந்தப் பெருமன்றம், 2005.