A head of an organization for Agathiyar took me to task for worshiping Agathiyar as an idol by quoting lines from Sivavakiyar's songs many years back. He churned out the popular verse, "Nattakalum pesumoh" and many others.
நட்ட கல்லைச் சுற்றி வந்து நாலு புஷ்பம் சாற்றியே; சுற்றி சுற்றி வந்து முணு, முணுக்க சொல்லும் மந்திரம் ஏதடா! சுட்ட சட்டி சட்டுவம் கறிச்சுவை அறியுமோ! நட்டகல்லும் பேசுமோ; நாதன் உள்ளிருக்கையில்.
I replied that I just followed the dictates of Agathiyar who had instructed me to do so. Not satisfied he continued to ridicule me and my worship. I told him that he might not need idol worship as he has been on the path for some 35 years but I was still new entering my fifth year then. He would not end the debate but continued. I realized that I was talking to a wall and chose to shut my eyes and ears and began to be indifferent to his views. I do not remember how long I sat quiet but on opening my eyes later I realized that he had left the place. He was nowhere to be seen.
I was surprised to hear that come from one who was running an ashram in the name of Agathiyar and who had some 30 students under him. Why do people like to ridicule others' faith? Why do people quickly put others down in public? Agathiyar who tells us that people have held on to many wrong perceptions; believing them to be true; and have upheld the false for ages, also tells us, "Let it be." What a stand! The Divine in this instance becomes truly the watcher. He does not change the flow of events nor interfere with it.
I always look for a reason for any event to take place. Nothing is a coincidence. When two people meet there is something that each will learn from the outcome of that meeting, provided they are both aware. This episode took place at the time when I had decided that I was not seeing anyone. I did not want to meet him or anybody else for that matter in the first place. I had told Agathiyar I was not seeing any guru, master, or teacher after I came to him and my lovely gurus Supramania Swami and Tavayogi. But Dr. Krishnan, a dear friend, and also a Siddha practitioner and medical astrologer, asked that I meet the head of the ashram as he was into the worship of Agathiyar too. I was obliged to the Dr and made myself present at his office where the head was staying temporarily. After the showdown, I came back angry with myself for not putting my foot down and upholding my stand on not meeting them. The meeting had turned sour that day for both of us.
As soon as I reached home I picked up my book, a collection of Siddha songs that had begun to collect dust. I ran through the 551 songs of Sivavakiyar that same night. Thanks to the head, I had the need to go through Sivavakiyar's collection of songs, to verify what he had said to me was true. At the onset, it seemed that he was right about Sivavakiyar and his stand on idol worship. There were the verses he had mentioned to me and many more, ridiculing external worship in the book.
செங்கலும் கருங்கலும் சிவந்த சாதி லிங்கமும்
செம்பிலும் தராவிலும் சிவன் இருப்பன் என்கிறீர்
உம்மதம் அறிந்து நீர் உம்மை நீர் அறிந்த பின்
அம்பலம் நிறைந்த நாதர் ஆடல் பாடல் ஆகுமே!
ஓசை உள்ள கல்லை நீர் உடைத்திரண்டாய் செய்துமே
வாசலில் பதித்த கல்லை மழுங்கவே மிதிக்கிறீர்
பூசைக்கு வைத்த கல்லில் பூவும் நீரும் சாத்துறீர்
ஈசனுக்கு உகந்த கல் எந்தக்கல்லு சொல்லமே.
What was the lesson for me? That night, I came to read a book that I had with me for a long time. I came to know and understand Sivavakiyar, or so I thought.
What was the lesson for the head of the ashram then? When the annual puja for Agathiyar was held at the Sri Sakti Karpaga Vinayagar temple at Brickfields (the weekend after I met the head), I had no intention to participate in the prayers initially, since I had told Agathiyar, besides not seeing anyone, I was not going anywhere too. But Tavayogi called me by phone from India and asked me to attend on his behalf, as he had an invitation for the event. I could not refuse my guru. As I dragged my feet to the vizha, who should I see entering the temple with Dr. Krishnan? It was the head of the organization who denied idol worship! I was both surprised and puzzled over the whole episode, right from the run-up to the meeting with the head; the outcome of the meeting, and the subsequent chain of events following the meeting. Today Ma tells me that everything is a learning process and that one's learning will be another's knowledge.
What was the lesson for the head of the ashram then? When the annual puja for Agathiyar was held at the Sri Sakti Karpaga Vinayagar temple at Brickfields (the weekend after I met the head), I had no intention to participate in the prayers initially, since I had told Agathiyar, besides not seeing anyone, I was not going anywhere too. But Tavayogi called me by phone from India and asked me to attend on his behalf, as he had an invitation for the event. I could not refuse my guru. As I dragged my feet to the vizha, who should I see entering the temple with Dr. Krishnan? It was the head of the organization who denied idol worship! I was both surprised and puzzled over the whole episode, right from the run-up to the meeting with the head; the outcome of the meeting, and the subsequent chain of events following the meeting. Today Ma tells me that everything is a learning process and that one's learning will be another's knowledge.
So was I wrong in worshiping an idol? Is it wrong to go to temples? Agathiyar reveals to Dr. VN Jayapalan of Bangalore, during his meditation that the very first temple for him build at the start of Kali Yuga was at Agasthiyampalli. It was built by Kuberan. Kuberan who was the king of the Asuras is supposedly the half-brother of Ravanan. Kuberan once ruled Lanka but was overthrown by his half-brother Ravana. Kuberan is also said to be the grandson of Pulastya. Interestingly, Agathiyar who started me on idol worship had asked me to commission an exact bronze image of him at this temple in Agasthiyampalli.
Agathiyar in his journey south to Agasthiyampalli, where he is said to have pressed his thumb into the ground and brought a balance to an otherwise tilted earth, had stopped in the middle of River Kaveri and formed a Sivalinga with his hands out of the river sand to worship. This place is now known as Nattadreeswarar temple. It is located off the banks of a small village called Kangayapalaiyam in Erode. This is only one of the numerous temples where Agathiyar had established the Sivalinga and started worship to it. Agathiyar took the lead in idol worship.
While Sivavakiyar in his songs seems to be against idol worship, rituals, etc, Agathiyar asked me to worship him as a bronze statue. What do I do then? I followed my guru Agathiyar and chose to ignore the verses by Sivavakiyar. The irony is that we have included Sivavakiyar in the list of Siddhas and many temples and ashrams have statues for him too where worship is done to him. The one who condemns idol worship is worshiped as an idol! Similarly, knowing pretty well that I would resort to worshiping him (Tavayogi) instead of Agathiyar, my guru Tavayogi broke me, killing the thought in its infant stage, the very moment and day I had him over to my house for the very first time. I am grateful to him for nipping it in the bud.
Agathiyar came to my home as a bronze statue in 2010. He was commissioned in Swamimalai and was supposed to stay at my home for some time just until the Jegathguru Sri Raghavendra Mritiga Brindavanam Kinta in Ipoh was completed. But he decided to stay on permanently. Today Agathiyar tells us that we would have to move him to an even bigger venue. The reason is that my present house ATM can no longer accommodate his devotees. Besides that, Ma has asked us to perform libation daily, apart from the usual libations on Thursdays, Pornami, and Amavasai, and to stop only when she tells us.
It was through this idol worship that Agathiyar brought many to my home. Some he sent over after their Nadi readings. Others came to read this blog and searched for my place. Some picked up our location from Google Maps and headed over.
It was through this worship that he gave us the privilege to serve him, fulfilling the role of a servant and son as in Sariyai and Kriyai respectively.
It was through this worship that he showed us his presence. He showed us he was alive and living in the tiny piece of metal when he opened his eyes in his statue during the libation and ritual of bathing or abhisegam in 2013. Since then he has been watching us.
It was through this worship that he answers our prayers. He had asked that devotees light a ghee lamp and place their desires and wishes before him.
It was through this worship that he comes to us and cares for us 24/7 and saved us on many occasions.
There is something very mysterious about idol worship, we soon came to learn. Agathiyar will weigh a lot more once abhisegam is over, a very marked increase in his weight from his original 18 kilograms. Many have attested to this and are witnesses to this mysterious phenomenon. When Bala Chandran, Dyalen, Sugu, and Shanga stood ready to carry him on a litter, never did they anticipate that he would gain weight as they carried him around the Sri Mayuranathar/ Pamban Swamigal temple grounds. Again Dyalen who jokingly brushed off our offer to assist him in carrying Agathiyar's statue from the car park to the home of Bala Aiya, soon realized that Agathiyar had gained weight when he returned him to the car after the abhisegam. This is how Agathiyar weighs himself down each time we conduct abhisegam for him at ATM too.
The mystery of temples and idols has been deciphered and revealed by Najan in his comprehensive book "Aalayangalum Aagamangalum" by Pirathiba Pirasuram, Chennai, 1983. He states several reasons for us to begin and engage in worship. He claims that it is the only permanent and lasting solution to rid of one's worries. He adds that worship helps in self-cleansing, both external and internal. He quotes a song by Thuraimangalam Sivapragasa Swami to strengthen this statement.
திருக்குறும் அழுக்காறு அவாவோடு வெகுளி
செற்றம் ஆகிய மன அழுக்கைத் தியானம் என புனலால்;
பொய் புறங்கூறும் தீச்சொல் என்ற வாய் அழுக்கை
அருட்கிளர் நினது துதி எனும் புனலால்;
அவத் தொழில் எனும் மெய் அழுக்கை
அருச்சனை எனும் புனலால் கழுவா
அசுத்தனேன் உய்யும் நாள் உளதோ.
Najan explains the term idol or vikkiragam.
விக்கிரகம் = இறைவன் விஷேசமாக இருக்கும் இடம்.
வி = விஷேசம்.
கிரகம் = இடம்.
கோயில்.
கோ = இறைவன்.
இல் = வீடு.Even before Agathiyar came as a statue he had come as a picture first, a mantra later, and a yantra too. How then does the picture, stone, rock, metal, copper foil, or plant become or turn divine? We have come to learn that we can bring the divine into these things. When Agathiyar asked me to worship him as a statue he told me "Neethan uruvum kudukkunum, uyirum kudukkunum"; asking that I pass on the spark and feed life into it. As we are all a spark from the source, he wanted us to pass on a tiny spark of us into the bronze statue and through 100,000 chants of his name, give it life too. These were what the Siddhas and rishis did in the past too. Through chanting mantras, they brought Erai, who is in all of his creation, to dwell in specific statues and places. Similarly, Erai who dwells in all of us chooses to show his presence exquisitely through selected people, whom we came to call saints. So is it with the idols. The raw form or material that the statue is made from, by nature carries its own characteristics. The sangalpam or thought that is brought to mind, helps us identify with Erai. The mantra that is unique for the deity, when chanted, bridges us with Erai. Constant repetition of the mantra further amplifies Erai's presence in the statue. The yantra that is placed below the statue intensifies its nature. The libation and other rituals conducted daily bind Erai to the statue. Finally with the attendance of devotees and their undivided attention, when focused and concentrated on the idol, their souls, although momentarily, merges with the divine at that very instant. The temple becomes one big powerhouse or transformer and the idol, a medium for transmission. The stone becomes divine.
The statue receives energy from the cosmos and becomes a conductor of positive energy which is then transmitted to people in the vicinity. During worship, there are so many elements that go into play bringing together this marvelous parade or show of energies, vibrations, sound, and movement that awakens all our senses at one go, drawing the divine down to our plane and level to grace and bless us, at the same time. The lights, sound, and actions bring the wandering mind to a state of focus and concentration where all the senses at least for that moment remain focused on the statue. The thought is held captive; the breath is halted; the vision is set on the deity; the noise around is drowned by the ringing of the bells; the hearing is alerted to the Pranavam AUM; and the aroma that the air carries reaches the depths of the soul and calms it down. The result is an experience of peace or Shanti.
To learn to see Erai in a statue is the simplest form of faith that one can possibly design, beginning with the child and it works both for the illiterate and the learned. It can be accepted at face value, without the need for a deeper understanding of its mechanics. Just as a child is given a play toy, we need to start worship with a child's innocence. She does not doubt even for a second that the toy isn't alive. She hugs it and puts it to bed; she feeds and dresses it. She does not expect anything in return from the toy but showers unconditional love and care and at times go to the extent of being possessive over it, seeing it as an extension of itself, just as we see the body as one, and tend to own it.
Experience has taught us that there is some truth in the worship of the idol and that we can connect and stay connected with the divine. The divine spirit cannot manifest in its true form before our eyes. Even if it does we are not capable of seeing or sensing it. Hence the need for a medium either a person or base material for the divine to manifest through. Our ancestors knew this truth and build majestic places of worship so that people could get connected with the spirit of Erai. Back at their homes, they built smaller shrines or altars so that they could stay connected continuously.
So was Sivavakiyar against idol worship and rituals? If so why is he in Sivanmalai? I have been to Sivanmalai where Sivavakiyar is said to have meditated. We are shown an opening and an underground passage to a cave now closed up and grilled, just adjacent to Lord Muruga's sannadhi. From http://arundhtamil.blogspot.com/2016/04/294.html we understand that Maraimalai Adigal has interpreted Sivavakiyar's above-mentioned songs quite differently.
பொதுவாக அனைவரும் அப்பாடலைக் கடவுள் வழிபாடு (கடவுளுக்கு உருவ வழிபாடு) தேவையற்றது என்று வற்புறுத்துவதற்கே, மேற்கோளாக அடிக்கடி எடுத்துக் குறிப்பிடுவது வழக்கம்.
He reads it as,"நட்ட கல்லும் பேசுமோ? நாதன் உள்ளிருக்கையில்" என்னும் பாடற்பகுதி, கடவுள் உண்மையையோ, கடவுளுக்கு நாம் செய்யும் உருவ வழிபாட்டையோ மறுப்பதன்று. நாதன் இருக்கின்றான், உள்ளே இருக்கின்றான் என்றே அப்பாடல் கூறுகின்றது.
"நட்ட கல்லும் பேசும்; ஓ(ம்);நாதன், உள்ளிருக்கையில்" என்றும் கூட, நாம் படித்துணர்ந்து பொருள் கொள்ளத்தக்க முறையில், அமைந்திருக்கிறது எனக் கொள்ளுவதற்கும் இடமுண்டு என விளக்கினார், மறைமலை அடிகளார்.
This brings on an entirely new perspective to the song. On another note, Sivavakiyar surprises us further by singing the following verses, denouncing rebirth, when Agathiyar reveals in the Nadi our past births and speaks about them.
பசுவின் மடியில் கறந்த பாலை மீண்டும் அதன் மடியில் செலுத்த முடியாது. கடைந்தெடுத்த வெண்ணெய் தயிராகாது. பறித்த பூவும், உதிர்த்த காயும் மரத்தில் ஒட்டாது. அதுபோல இறந்தவர்கள் யாவரும் திரும்ப பிறப்பதில்லை.Although we understand that there exist various views regarding idol worship and rebirth as with other controversial subjects too, and irrespective of what Sivavakiyar says, Agathiyar tells us he graces our home and is alive in the statue in numerous Nadi readings. Today he makes his presence made known to us in multiple ways, blessing one and all.
We know that when one reaches the state of Sivavakiyar, he can then drop idol worship and other ritualistic practices. For now, I shall follow the dictates of my guru Agathiyar, word for word. We at ATM are slowly beginning to realize the move that is taking place; from and through external worship we are moving within to internal worship and spontaneous meditation. Maybe one day we shall realize the truths that Sivavakiyar has spelled out. Till that day and till Agathiyar says otherwise, we shall continue with idol worship.