LOVE FOR AGATHIYAR

Where do I begin to tell the story
Of how great a love can be
The sweet love story that is older than the sea
The simple truth about the love she brings to me

Where do I start

With her first hello
She gave new meaning to this empty world of mine
They'll never be another love another time
She came into my life and made the living fine
She fills my heart

She fills my heart with very special things
With angel songs and
With wild imaginings
She fills my soul with so much love
That anywhere I go I'm never lonely
With her around who could be lonely
I reach for her hand
It's always there

How long does it last
Can love be measured by the hours in a day

I have no answers now 

But this much I can say

I know I'll need her until the stars all burn away
And she'll be there

How long does it last 

Can love be measured by the hours in a day

I have no answers now
But this much I can say
I know I'll need her until the stars all burn away
And she'll be there

(Source: Andy Williams - Love Story Lyrics | MetroLyrics

As Andy Williams sings "Where do I begin to tell the story of how grateful love can be", lyrics by Carl Sigman with music by Francis Lai sang for the movie Love Story, so do I ask myself where do I start to tell my tale of love for Agathiyar?

The lady of his dreams that Andy sings about can safely be replaced with Agathiyar for us. Meera expressed her love for Krishna. Radha and the Gopis were in love with Krishna too. 

Krishna's youthful dalliances with the 'gopis' are interpreted as symbolic of the loving interplay between God and the human soul. Radha's utterly rapturous love for Krishna and their relationship is often interpreted as the quest for union with the divine. This kind of love is of the highest form of devotion in Vaishnavism and is symbolically represented as the bond between the wife and husband or beloved and lover.(Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/love-stories-from-hindu-literature-1770571)

Travelling the journey of worship to Agathiyar, we can comprehend Ramalinga Adigals love for Arutperunjhoti Andavar now when we sing his Arutpa. 

G.Vanmikanathan describes the relationship Ramalinga Adigal had with Erai in his "Pathway to God Trod by Saint Ramalingar, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay. 

He is eager for the mystic union which is the goal of bridal mysticism. This is the result of the affinity - a spiritual rapport between Raamalinga Swaamikal and the Godhead, which has grown stronger and stronger with the years, a rapport that has grown into the relationship of bride and bridegroom.

In this span of about fifteen years, what was unrelieved misery had become metamorphosed into joy. The emphasis has changed. It is no more on his foibles, failings and faults. The Swaamikal shifts the blame from himself to the Lord Whom he accuses of delaying the bestowal of grace. 

We see a major change in the mode of worship of Ramalinga Adigal as we travel the pages of his Arutpa, experiencing what he went through.

With the 24th decad of the Sixth Book (with which ends our Swaamikal’s journey on the First Stage of the Unitive Way) cease all self-accusations, self-denigrations, weeping and wailing. Even petitions cease. The later decads are sheer paeans of praise of the Lord,

writes G.Vanmikanathan.

We can realize the extent of his love for Siva when we go through Manikavasagar's Thiruvasagam and Sivapuranam. We can immerse in the love for Erai in its many forms when we sing along the hymns of the deities.

Agathiyar came into my life one day in the guise of an astronomer, drew out my planetary chart, throwing out the conventional horoscope that I had held on for years. He reversed my horoscope that day. He showed me to my first guru, himself an astrologer too - Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai. Just as Agathiyar revealed my past, present and future during the Nadi reading session, Supramania Swami too revealed my past present and future without the need of drafting my charts and horoscope!

I was his sole disciple. We had more of a father and son relationship, I should say. I fulfilled his long-standing wish to build a temple for Lord Muruga by sourcing funds from well-wishers in Malaysia. But for reasons not known to us, a "stranger" stopped him even before the temple project could take off. What remains today is a kudil we built for him. I had a debt to settle with him I guess. But he gave something that no other guru would ever dream to give his disciple. He gave all his merits gained from his 40 years of tavam. He left his mortal frame on 7 February 2006.

Simultaneously Agathiyar shows me to Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram, a name I came to know right after my first nadi reading. The nadi reader passed me a leaflet mentioning Tavayogi and his intention to build a temple for Agathiyar. I got to meet him three years after receiving the leaflet. We travelled together on a journey troding the path of the Siddhas. We at AVM contributed towards the temple fund which stands today at Kallar. I guess again I had a debt to settle with Tavayogi.

Today both Lord Muruga and Agathiyar want me to build a temple. When I asked Lord Muruga why he needs another temple when there are so many all across the country, he tells me we would show him from a different perspective. Initially, I thought he meant that his form represented at this temple would differ from the many avatars of his depicted in the temples all over India and Malaysia. But I understand now it is neither the form nor a traditional temple that he is talking about. He is talking about bringing changes. Bringing changes in all areas of devotion. Then I realized that it is not something that we will do in the future but have already started doing. We have brought tremendous changes in the method of Siddha worship. We had brought change in the method of doing charity. We have brought change in our understanding of the Siddhas. This is what he meant by showing him in a different light.

Along the way, Agathiyar sent many good souls to AVM now renamed ATM. Together we shall sail to greater heights. There is no guru-disciple relationship here at ATM but that of comradeship. There is no one leader but anyone can lead at any time. This is the changes he was talking about.

When we are told that the relationship with Erai is to be kept secret by the orthodoxed masters and many others, Ramalinga Adigal exposed it and invited others to come forward to love Erai. When Ramanujar revealed to the masses the sacred mantra given by his guru, he showed his love for Erai in public. He wanted all to come to his fold. He wanted to share the cake with the rest.

Ramanuja knew he was disobeying his acharya, Tirukkottiyur Nambi, knew that the latter would find out, and for the sake of uplifting his fellow beings, was willing to pay the consequences.

Ramanuja’s chief contribution to philosophy was his insistence that discursive thought is necessary in humanity’s search for the ultimate verities, that the phenomenal world is real and provides real knowledge, and that the exigencies of daily life are not detrimental or even contrary to the life of the spirit. (Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ramanuja)

Following their footsteps, we shall share our journey with others too. Of what use is all the grace or Arul showered on an individual if he does not share it with others? That would only amount to selfishness on our part. As Agathiyar told us to walk tall and be proud that we are children of his, we are proud to walk the path of the Siddhas. We shall shout it out. We shall share all that comes our way. After all, it is all Agathiyar's doing. When his community and society came hard on Supramania Bharathi for having gone against traditional beliefs, Bharathi confronted Ma and tells her in strong terms that he could not have done wrong for the very thoughts and knowledge came directly from her. So how could he have erred?

Similarly, Agathiyar brought us to do his asking. He works through us. We are greatly honoured to be his tool in performing his wishes. We shall bring the change he wants, both in us and society.

Agathiyar has been with me all the while. When I performed the agamas as a Namburi priest in a Siva temple in Kerala he came as Lord Siva. When I served fruits at his sannadhi in Papanasam he blessed this fruit seller and his family with another birth in Malaysia. He was with me in Shringeri and Batu Caves. With me was Bala Chandran.

When I received the Vasudeva mantra he came to me as Lord Vishnu. When I received the painting of Lord Dhakshanamurthy he came as the Adhi guru. When I came to Supramania Swami to chart my daughter's horoscope he came as my guru in physical form. When I met Tavayogi he came to me as a guru on the path. When he came as a statue made in the image of him at Agasthiyampalli to then AVM, he gave his darshan as Lord Siva and Parvathy as how the divine gave darshan to him at Agasthiyampalli. He came as Ganapathy, Muruga, Siva, Vishnu, Rama, Narasimha, Sakthi, and as Dhanvanthri, Pamban, Ramalinga and Raghavendra. He came as the prapanjam. He came to teach, guide, mold, care, save, bless, and change and turn us into his image. As he told me many walked the face of the earth in his name, he works through all the good souls at ATM. We are his children. He is our Father.