LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

Stephen Dupont, one of Australia’s most renowned and awarded documentary photographer and photojournalists, who has covered wars and catastrophes, having seen and photographed these faces of death, tells us frightening reality and fact in "Tales by Light - Life & Death" that we are pretty good at destroying our planet; we are pretty good at destroying each other; one might hope that we might learn one day not to; but history tells us we never learn."

Simon Lister too in the series "Tales by Light - Children in Need" shows us the dark side of poverty through his camera lens.

As Stephen Dupont says, so is it with us taking birth, again and again, never seemed to learn too. The lesson that we forget each time we are reborn, is not to do harm another again. If at all we cannot do good, please avoid doing harm. This simple lesson will turn our life around. By adopting this value alone, all the rest will take care of itself. Prapanjam will shower all its goodness on us.

To add on to this virtue that assures us of a rich life in all ways, if time permits and you have the finance and resources to help another, take that another step. Step out of your home and look for someone who needs a helping hand, an ear to listen, a blanket to cover himself from the cold of the night, food to appease his hunger or drink for his thirst. Every single person can do his part, in his small way. This is the first step towards doing charity. You do not need an organization to do charity, although working under the wings of one can reach far and wide.

Malaysians are a very charitable lot. Sadly on our rounds to feed the homeless recently, we saw much food thrown away in the rubbish bins, littered around or dumped in numerous places. There are way too many organizations or soup kitchens feeding the poor in the city centre. Noticing this, we had switched to distributing bread and packet drinks which is immediately taken up. These can be kept for later. Some of us have switched to giving cooked food outside of Kuala Lumpur city too where not many NGO feeds.

Life is an experiment. We shall work our way through taking life's lesson in our stride. With the divine looking over our shoulders we shall take larger strides towards serving him and his creation.

COMING TO UNDERSTAND THE DIVINITY WITHIN & WITHOUT

A friend, family, devotee and a reader of this blog from a far off continent messaged me.

The article Coming to understand the siddha songs....at the end you say He is in us and we in him. What does this mean? So for example, How does it play out? What is the experience? How does it feel so how do we know we are tapping into it.

She was referring to https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2019/04/coming-to-understand-divine-songs.html. I messaged her back.

There is god within and without we are told. We are all a part of him, we are told. We are Buddha by nature we are told again. 

It is just that we do not realize this truth, and move according to our whims and wishes to fulfil our selfish needs and desires. But the moment we follow him he mellows our hearts and brings forth compassion. We begin to sing his praises. We begin to care for strangers too. 

With this change taking place in us, his dim spark expands into a huge flame or fire that consumes us. Once this veil of ignorance is removed by equating this body as his temple, he comes within to stay for good. Love expands in us. He is experienced every moment. All our moves are his move. 

He lives in us. We realize this when he begins to tap more cosmic energies from the Akash. He passes it on to others around him. The god within extends an arm out of us and fetches his energy so that we and others are healed literally, just as a twinning plant, creeper or shoot reaches out for the sun, and the tree and its root going deeper and deeper into the soil, bringing in sunlight and plant food respectively. 

Once we begin to tap these energies we are one with them. The spark that is a gigantic flame now burns our karma, heals us completely and a huge transformation takes place in us, mentally and physically. This is what happened to Ramalinga Adigal too.

The creator created us and we are a part of his creation. A classic example is how Agathiyar created Lobama and came many years later to wed her. Similarly Ramalinga and all the saints saw the divine as a groom and they as a bride or vise versa. The mystic union takes place in these moments. They come to claim what is rightfully theirs. This is yogam, after sariyai and kriyai which are our efforts. After yogam, gnana is given to us as we sit silently at their feet, caressing their feet, listening to them fill us up on the secrets of creation and all the rests of the mysteries.

Another friend, family, devotee and a reader in India is waiting patiently for me to answer his many earlier questions too.

Some have asked why I made this blog private?

As NS Shan mentioned, "Your findings, experiences...are all consistent with have that has been said and experienced by others n their experiences.... With a few " Individualised " extra experiences for you to understand and guide others....", we at ATM have been privileged to be guided and given numerous tasks that were specific in nature to carry out by Agathiyar and the Siddhas. The experiences gained from serving him and the community has done wonders in us, bridging the gap between us and them. 

As you already know that I have made this blog private, meaning it is no more for public consumption. The reason is that Agathiyar has customized a path for us leading to the feet of Erai. What he tells us will not go down well with the public. Neither will what has been written down for the common man be applicable to us too. For instance when we served food before prayers at a temple, the temple priests told us to serve after puja for then the deity will know what we did and to whom we gave food. I kept quiet respecting his hold on the agamas. But to us the Siddha asked that we feed the devotees first before beginning our puja. To avoid further instances like the time where a guru of an ashram who was a follower of Agathiyar ridiculed me for worshipping Agathiyar's idol (https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/02/give-according-to-vessel.html) and several emails and comments that came in from devotees who could not bring themselves to see that Erai was one, argued over it, I thought for some while now, whether this direct teachings from Agathiyar should be kept within our circles. Off course there were others who tagged on the popularity of this blog to advertise their ware.

This email was in response to our stand after Agathiyar pronounced that he was prapanjam and that the prapanjam was in him and that he would come in any form we chose to see him. But the reader felt otherwise and wrote to me, sharing what he had been taught in his school of thought.

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA!

Thank you for sharing this story (refering to 

https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2019/03/from-walking-behind-erai-to-cruising.html). Amazing devotion.

I just wanted to comment on your new Video. You show pictures of Aghastiyar worshipped as Ganesha. ganesha and Aghastiyar are different living entities.

The Mayavada theory that all is one and you can worship in whatever way you like is wrong as will be proved from the Vedas and Vaishnava Acharyas:

"Just as the Gangā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Śambhu [Śiva] the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas." [Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.16 https://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/12/13/16 ]

Translation:

“Śankarācārya is not at fault, for it is under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that he has covered the real purport of the Vedas.

Purport:

[...]

“The Māyāvāda philosophy,” Lord Śiva informed his wife Pārvatī, “is impious [asac chāstra]. It is covered Buddhism. My dear Pārvatī, in Kali-yuga I assume the form of a brāhmaṇa and teach this imagined Māyāvāda philosophy. In order to cheat the atheists, I describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be without form and without qualities. Similarly, in explaining Vedānta I describe the same Māyāvāda philosophy in order to mislead the entire population toward atheism by denying the personal form of the Lord.”

In the Śiva Purāṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead told Lord Śiva:

dvāparādau yuge bhūtvā kalayā mānuṣādiṣu

svāgamaiḥ kalpitais tvaṁ ca janān mad-vimukhān kuru

“In Kali-yuga, mislead the people in general by propounding imaginary meanings for the Vedas to bewilder them.” These are the descriptions of the Purāṇas.

[...]

This is confirmed in the Padma Purāṇa, where Lord Śiva tells Pārvatī:

śṛṇu devi pravakṣyāmi tāmasāni yathā-kramam

yeṣāṁ śravaṇa-mātreṇa pātityaṁ jñāninām api

apārthaṁ śruti-vākyānāṁ darśayaḻ loka-garhitam

karma-svarūpa-tyājyatvam atra ca pratipādyate

sarva-karma-paribhraṁśān naiṣkarmyaṁ tatra cocyate

parātma-jīvayor aikyaṁ mayātra pratipadyate

“My dear wife, hear my explanations of how I have spread ignorance through Māyāvāda philosophy. Simply by hearing it, even an advanced scholar will fall down. In this philosophy, which is certainly very inauspicious for people in general, I have misrepresented the real meaning of the Vedas and recommended that one give up all activities in order to achieve freedom from karma. In this Māyāvāda philosophy I have described the jīvātmā and Paramātmā to be one and the same.”

How the Māyāvāda philosophy was condemned by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers is described in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, Second chapter, verses 94 through 99, where Svarūpa-dāmodara Gosvāmī says that anyone who is eager to understand the Māyāvāda philosophy must be considered insane.

This especially applies to a Vaiṣṇava who reads the Śārīraka-bhāṣya and considers himself to be one with God. The Māyāvādī philosophers have presented their arguments in such attractive, flowery language that hearing Māyāvāda philosophy may sometimes change the mind of even a mahā-bhāgavata, or very advanced devotee. An actual Vaiṣṇava cannot tolerate any philosophy that claims God and the living being to be one and the same.

[Chaitanya Charitamrita https://www.vedabase.com/en/cc/adi/7/110 ]

As quoted above "... where Svarūpa-dāmodara Gosvāmī says that anyone who is eager to understand the Māyāvāda philosophy must be considered insane", sadly they have no reservations in degrading others. I was taken aback to read in a movement's publication that those who did not worship their object of worship were regarded as rascals. 

Agathiyar has told us not to debate or argue with others and even if a faith, belief, teaching or practice does not conform to his teachings, let it be. As we uphold his teachings, we avoid all forms of confrontation.

As Siddha Vaidyar Bhani once said that a particular song of Lord Vinayagar had three profound meanings over time. As a child and student, he was told that it was a song of praise to Vinayagar. Later while learning Siddha medicine he was told that that song carried a secret formula to make a concoction or medicine. Finally coming to Yogi Ramaiah, he was told it was a song related to Jnana.

Similarly, it is with the Aasi Nadi readings revealed by the Siddhas. Over the years it threw a new meaning on re-reading them, bringing a new perspective and better understanding.

So is it with the songs of Ramalinga Adigal, Pattinathar, Sivavakiyar and Pambatti and others who had strongly opposed and many a time ridiculed and regarded as unproductive the numerous measures and means taken as with upholding the performance of rituals, chanting of mantras, worship of yantras and other agamas. They had apprehended society for upholding age-old beliefs, customs and traditions. We fail to realize that all these although true are practical only when we have reached their state of consciousness and their state of existence, having burnt their karma in tapas and living apart from society in solitude. Similarly, as we now have access to the ocean of knowledge out there in the form of books, net, streamed talks, and life gurus, we are more confused than enlightened by the differing stand of all these authors, speakers and holy men. 

We at ATM have opted to follow the word of Agathiyar and he is guiding us well as and when necessary. As the wise say why rock the boat that is sailing well, we shall patiently await for Agathiyar to lead us on towards the light.

UNDERSTANDING SUFFERING

Siddharta saw his people in pain, suffering, growing old and die. He wanted to get down to the ground beyond his palace walls to understanding why all these were happening, what seems to be something new to him, as he had been shut out from the outside world all the years.

Agathiyar too brought us into the homes of some families to see for ourselves the sufferings people were undergoing. He brought us to the hospitals to treat our illnesses or accidents so that we could see others suffering even more. 

When a devotee of Agathiyar fell and fractured her patellar bone just days ago at her working place, I called her to inquire about her condition. She was a strong lady, being a nurse and having seen many injured patients herself. I told her to see things positively. Accidents are bound to happen. It doesn't mean that once we worship the Siddhas no mishaps or sufferings will take place in our lives. We will have to go through all these but the severity of it is lessened by the glance and grace of the Siddhas. A worse scenario would be if she had fell outside in public among strangers. Someone would have to call for the ambulance that would have taken some time in the city traffic. She would have to bear with the pain for even longer hours while waiting to be seen at the emergency unit of the nearest hospital. The family would only come to know about her accidental fall much later. 

Whereas the most merciful and compassionate father although could not stop the accident, helped cushion it. She fell at her workplace which coincidentally was a hospital too. Her colleagues picked her up and attended to her immediately. She was operated the very next day and is back home recovering from the injury and operation that was done on her. The period of pain and anguish, worry and all the accompanying troubles she would have to go through were shortened drastically. I strongly believe the Siddhas were with her in her moment of need. 

When my daughter was knocked down by a car while riding pillion, she broke both her tibia and fibula bones. She was cast in a fibreglass cast and had to layoff for the next nine months, missing her internship. We chose to see a blessing even in these times of suffering and anxiety. Her case was unique as she fell within the 5 per cent who have non-union of their bones. She needed help to recover for there was no new bone growth taking place in the site of injury even after four months had gone by, bewildering everyone. The good doctor at the general hospital suggested a new and alternative treatment as we did not want a titanium bone plate placed in her. The ACP injection or Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy worked wonders after she received three injections over the next few days. There was new and positive growth of her bone cells. 

Here again, the most merciful and compassionate father although could not stop the accident, helped cushion it. Immediately after she was hit, her friends summoned the ambulance that took her to a nearby hospital. After our insistence that she needed to walk again quick so that she could continue her internship, the good doctor at the emergency ward recommended the external fixation kit be attached to her bones that would enable her to walk while waiting to heal, instead of lying down in plaster cast for the next three months as he originally proposed. The next day the divine interferes in the form of a senior doctor who reverted back to casting her leg and waiting for nature to heal her rather than performing the operation to place the fixation. We would like to see her long wait to heal and walk again as a blessing. If she had had the fixation as we had requested, she could have got herself in more trouble and danger. Maybe there was a reason she had to stay at home for the next nine months, under the watchful eye of Agathiyar. We chose to see things positively.

Accepting suffering and believing that our prayers will be answered, keeps us from going into depression. Believing that we have survived a tragedy or an accident, an illness or a disease, by the grace of the divine, will accelerate recovery. When visiting a patient do not enquire from him what had happened, forcing him to revisit and relive the horrific incident to each and every one. When visiting a patient do not play the role of a doctor, suggesting other options, treatments, or medicines etc. Neither mention other similar cases but with more intense or tragic outcomes, scaring the patient. Don't frighten their wits or dampen their spirits by narrating other severe case histories to them. Positive talk and wishes from visitors and family help towards a fast recovery. In short, like Thumper says in the Disney cartoon Bambi, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it.

COMING TO UNDERSTAND THE DIVINE SONGS

NS Shan posted a message in our group of his observation, "Your findings, experiences...are all consistent with have that has been said and experienced by others n their experiences.... With a few " Individualised " extra experiences for you to understand and guide others...."

True to his observation Agathiyar has individualized and customized the path for us. 

ஓடிஓடி ஓடிஓடி உட்கலந்த சோதியை
நாடி நாடி நாடிநாடி நாட்களும் கழிந்துபோய்
வாடி வாடி வாடிவாடி மாண்டுபோன மாந்தர்கள்
கோடிகோடி கோடிகோடி எண்ணிறந்த கோடியே.

While Sivavakiyar says that all the chase after the Jhothi that was all the while within one, was fruitless albeit the days were wasted, and tens of millions died in disappointment in not attaining it, Supramania Swami tells me that no effort of ours goes to waste. These are all stepping stones to a better understanding of life and its mysteries.

What appeared to be mere songs that were difficult to comprehend, the songs of the saints and Siddhas have brought on a new meaning now after many years of worship to them. We seem to be making some headway and progress too on the path.

The only means to truly understand the content and the true meaning of these songs for the said Siddhas is for them to appear and elaborate it to us directly. Only Ramalinga Adigal can tell us what he meant in the songs he wrote. Similarly, it is with the songs of others. All other means of interpretation will be masked and tainted by the opinion of the one translating them. The mastery of the language and the extent or limits of understanding of the individual will determine the outcome of the translation too. On the contrary, Agathiyar tells us first to worship the saint or Siddha, asking him to come within and reveal the true knowledge behind his verses. 

Manikavasagar in his Sivapuranam mentions the same.

சிவன் அவன் என்சிந்தையுள் நின்ற அதனால்
அவன் அருளாலே அவன்தாள் வணங்கிச்
சிந்தை மகிழச் சிவ புராணம் தன்னை
முந்தை வினைமுழுதும் ஓய உரைப்பன் யான்.

Agathiyar tells, us immaterial whether we know the language in which the song is written in, we shall come to read it with their blessings. Hence the need to worship the saints and Siddha is indeed necessary to delve into and understand the essence and mysteries of their songs.

என்னிலே இருந்தஒன்றை யான் அறிந்ததில்லையே
என்னிலே இருந்தஒன்றை யான் அறிந்து கொண்டபின்
என்னிலே இருந்தஒன்றை யாவர் காண வல்லரோ
என்னிலே இருந்திருந்து யான்உ ணர்ந்து கொண்டெனே.

True to what Sivavakiyar says, we did not know of the existence of "That" which was within us, till Agathiyar opened our eyes to it. Today we have begun to cherish "That" with all our heart and soul.

நினைப்பதொன்று கண்டிலேன் நீயலாது வேறிலை
நினைப்புமாய் மறப்புமாய் நின்றமாயை மாயையோ
அனைத்துமாய் அகண்டமாய் அனாதிமுன் அனாதியாய்
எனக்குள்நீ உனக்குள் நான் இருக்குமாற தெங்ஙனே.

The thought of "That" is held fast throughout the day while our consciousness slips into "That" too during sleep. "That" can have various forms and names to others. To us "That" is Agathiyar. Today we know he is in us and we in him.

FAITH & ADORATION

Faith and adoration are sufficient to gain the grace (arul) and glance (parvai) of Agathiyar. It is said that at the mere mention of his name all the Siddhas will turn to look towards us, asking who is calling out the name of Agathiyar. Coming down the steps of the Nattadreeswar temple in Kangayapalaiyam, Erode, Tavayogi who had sat throughout our visit to the temple in silence, turned to me and told me "Agathiyar and Siva are one!"

The name Agathi itself means the indwelling fire. Agatheesa would mean Siva who has come within. When we worshipped him with faith and adored him, he came to us. Today he stands as Muruga (Gnana Panditha), as a beacon of knowledge to us. Today he stands as the warrior Kumaran, as a force field and a shield ever protecting us from harm's way. Today he hugs us in his arms as Mother Bhuvaneswari, caring for all our needs as a mother would. Today he sits as Dhakshanamurthy, bringing us to sit in silence at his feet too, imparting all his knowledge to us directly. It is the same flame that has taken the form of sparks in all the souls. The soul is one whether it is that of Siva or the ant. It is just that it has its limitations in each physical form. Man is gifted since he can work towards making this small spark from his flame even bigger, gaining Atma Balam.

Faith in him moved us to have his bronze statue commissioned according to his specifications. Faith in him moved us to adore his image, bath him, dress him and sing his praises. Today he sits majestically in a state of extreme bliss at ATM, having seen the darshan of Lord Siva and Parvathi appear especially before him, in the deep woods of the south at Thirumaraikaadu (Agasthiyampalli), after their matrimony in Kailash. He sits as Siva and Parvathi blessing those who seek him at ATM. He appears as Lord Ganapathy, Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, Narashimha, Rama, Ambal, Dhanvantri, Nandhi Devar, Kaala Bhairava and as guru Raghavendra, Ramalinga Adigal and all the Gods and Goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. "Who would you like to see, I shall appear thus!', he once said. And thus, as he said he has appeared to us in all forms, culminating in the opening of both his eyes to see and bless us. To those who ask if the stone can speak, he has shown us that the metal can see.

He sits like a mountain, tranquil and peaceful, in a state of extreme bliss. Just sitting in his presence brings us to his meditative state of tavam these days; bringing peace within us; with the breath having settled, the thoughts too had settled; no asking; no expectations; no deals; no worries; just watching the breath and losing it too, just watching the thoughts, letting it go without observing them, till there is emptiness. Sitting in silence we get connected to the cosmos that is constantly energizing mother earth and its inhabitants. Sitting in silence the divine cosmic energies begin to work in us, healing us, healing our pain, healing our illness, healing our worries and sufferings. The divine gives us inspiration, strength, courage, motivation to drive this vehicle through the obstacles and ammunition thrown at us as we journey along this rough terrain called life.

Courtesy of Sivakavin 

Courtesy of Sivakavin

Courtesy of Sivakavin

THE MAGICAL WORLD OF THE SIDDHAS

Ruzbeh Bharucha who receives messages from Shirdi Sai through channelling, tells us that sitting in silence and getting connected with the cosmic energy heals the causal body which in turn heals the physical body. P.Karthikeyan writes that "the Siddhas believed body's health conditions directly depend on the ratio of cosmic elements in our body. They believed that diseases are indicative of imbalance of these elements and can be cured by correcting the imbalance judiciously." Dr Krishnan once told me that the body has the ability to heal itself. 

Agathiyar told me the reason for my acute back pain the first time I had to endure for some 2 1/2 years, was due to an imbalance in the three doshas - kapa, vata and pitta. The next time I had it, it went away within weeks. The third time I succumbed to it Sage Dhanvantari told me vata was in excess. The last time I had it Agathiyar told me it had to do with the breath gone wrong. As said, the medical test did not show any problems in me. The problems in the physical body are related directly to the other invisible bodies that we are said to have. The illness originates in these bodies. Heal these and we regain our health. This is where the people of the past civilizations turn towards the sky and the spirits for guidance and healing. The stroke of the feather of a peacock is said to heal the causal body as observed by Ruzbeh. We were gifted to see it work a miracle in my case, healing my back pain.

Although the Siddhas see the world from a different perspective, they do ask us to seek modern treatment and medicine for some specific cases as in mending a bone fracture and several minor and major operations for my daughter and wife respectively. In another instance, he asked my daughter to seek a Siddha remedy as modern medicine would not work. As for me, Agathiyar told me to seek Siddha medicines for the modern laboratory tests and examination would not detect anything. As for my other daughter, both Agathiyar and Tirumular came to her bedside and healed her, raising her platelet count.

Just as Osho, Ramana, and Tavayogi had different solutions for different devotees, Agathiyar too customizes his guidance accordingly. For one who had all the time, he brings him to commissioned his statue and to perform libation or abhisegam and light the sacred fire or homam and sends his devotees over to join him in joint prayers or kutu pratanai. For another who was always on the run, hardly finding time to do an elaborate puja, he is asked to join any full moon or pornami puja done elsewhere. For a householder, he is asked to distribute his time between carrying out his responsibility to his family and spending the rests of his time in contemplating Erai. Some are made to totally devout their time in his service and service to mankind full time. Just as there are the paths of sariyai, kriyai, yogam, and gnana, he provides for diversity in our lives. Life would be a bore if there were only good guys, only one path, only one method, only on practice etc. Agathiyar has given us the freedom to experiment in life, often learning from mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. Through making mistakes and learning from it, we progress towards the light.

I always asked myself if the Siddhas were our ancestors. The Chinese too pray to their ancestors and the numerous deities. They observe the new moon and full moon days too. They are steeped in customs and traditions too just as we are. Life is colourful because of culture and tradition. Take away both, life would be boring. Festivals bring the community together. It brings people away from the four walls of their homes into the open, to mingle with society.

I have always asked myself why nothing is written about the Siddha's personal lives and the society of that time too? While the learned and some new age gurus chose to see, interpret and translate the myths, legends and stories of Gods and Goddesses, the Rishis, the Munis and Siddhas along philosophical lines, the Siddhas who documented their life's in the form of songs, speak about Agathiyar living with the Gods and Goddesses. Agathiyar did walk the earth. So have the rests of the Gods and Goddesses, Devas, Rishis, Munis and Siddhas.

THE BATTLE GOES ON

An epic showdown between the Avengers with Thanos - "the evil demigod who decimated the planet and the universe is to take place. The Avengers assemble together once more in order to undo Thanos's actions and restore order to the universe."

The battle between good and evil has been going on for ages. We had the first world war start "after Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire - was shot to death along with his wife Sophie by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. That spark was ignited in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The war lasted until 1918. During the conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States (the Allied Powers). Thanks to new military technologies and the horrors of trench warfare, World War I saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people - soldiers and civilians alike - were dead."(Source: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history)

The site Imperial War Museum at https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/timeline-of-20th-and-21st-century-wars, to our horror, states that,

There were only short periods of time that the world was free of war. The total number of deaths caused by war during the 20th Century has been estimated at 187 million and is probably higher.

Going back even further, we had read of wars fought practically on every inch of soil around the world. What went wrong?

Back home in our living rooms and in our hearts wars are fought each moment. The enmity between life partners, siblings, friends goes on. What is wrong? Be it a nation, race, or individual, each wants to uphold its belief, faith, opinions and rights. Trouble then brews.

Going through the Puranas, to our astonishment, we are told of fights between the Gods, Goddesses, Devas, and the inhabitants of these worlds. How do we understand these then?

Great Puranic wars were said to be fought here too. The epics Ramayana and Mahabharata speak of wars. It speaks of Gods, Avatars, Rishis, Munis, Siddhas joining forces with one to defeat the other.

Sri Yogananda Paramahansa in his translation of the Mahabharata tells us that the battle is within us, that the Pandavas and Kauravas are within us.

But the Siddhas documented many episodes during their times where they actually lived and interacted with the Gods and Goddesses. Velayudham Karthikeyan Aiya's blog Siththan Arul at https://siththanarul.blogspot.com/ carries many interesting stories of such encounters. My mother used to tell us that the God's lived with man in days of past.

We have had Arunagiri engaged with Sambanthan in a dwell of who shall bring their object of devotion to appear before the king and his subjects.

On a personal note, Agathiyar surprised me when he told me he had to cross numerous obstacles and hurdles to come to AVM back in 2010 as the bronze statue.

Another surprise awaited me when Tavayogi whispered to me to bring someone along to collect water for abhisegam in a temple situated at the foothill of a hill, lest our puja should be disrupted. Just as the Rishis are said to have sought the aid of Avatars to stand guard against evil forces in the form of Asuras, as they completed their yagam, he told me certain forces would wait to derail our Yagam. In the homes, splitting the lime in two and spreading kumkum over it, is said to repel and keep these forces at bay, something Tavayogi asked us to do too.

Just as there is duality in all, night and day, sweet and sour, etc there is good and bad too and it is here to stay. It is we who decide on which side we want to stand.

BRINGING HOPE TO OTHERS

“To a hungry man, a piece of bread is the face of God”

 (Mahatma Gandhi).

Jane Badham, a freelance nutrition consultant, wrote in 2011 at https://www.hunger-undernutrition.org

.. my mind is flooded with the tragic images we are seeing in the media and across the social networks of the suffering and death in the Horn of Africa due to what is being described as the greatest humanitarian crisis that the world has even known. The pictures show people, like a line of ants, walking across a dustbowl, in the hope of finding help, of finding food. We hear endless stories of those who have walked weeks to escape the ‘famine zone’ and who have had not one but numerous family members die en route. Yet this crisis hasn’t garnered the same rapid response and outpouring that we see when there is a tsunami or earthquake – it almost passed us by, but only when the images were reminiscent of the 1985 Ethiopian starvation horrors, did the world seem to wake up and declare what is happening as intolerable. Source:
https://www.hunger-undernutrition.org/blog/2011/08/we-have-to-tackle-hunger-in-all-its-forms-to-a-hungry-man-a-piece-of-bread-is-the-face-of-god-mahatm.html

She continues about starvation.

Famine should be declared when 30% of children are acutely malnourished, 20% of the populationis without food, and deaths are running at two per 10,000 adults or four per 10,000 children everyday. We forget that each death has a face and a family. The figures show that in areas of Somalia, almost a third of the total population, are acutely malnourished. 

While she defines malnutrition as a poor overall quality of nutrition, she exposes another deadly face behind this phenomena.

Likewise we also have a definition for hidden hunger - micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiency in a person’s diet. The estimates are that some 2 billion people suffer from hidden hunger. These individuals may eat enough calories to live, but have a basic diet that fails to provide sufficient levels of crucial vitamins and minerals that allows them to be mentally and physically healthy. These individuals also have faces and families…

Al Jazeera published the following news coverage of poverty the following year. I never imagined that children in their act of desperation had to resort to picking seeds from cow dung to appease their hunger until I saw this video.

I remember watching a video of starving people in the African continent having to make a paste out of earth, bake it and eat it. I saw another video of the hungry in Philipines who picked up waste food from the public rubbish bins, bring them home, wash it, add spices and salt and recook it to feed their families. They also sold them to other hungry customers. My friend told me of an incident he came across in the seventies in the heart of Kuala Lumpur city, in the back lanes to be more specific, holding out a tray as he collected the discharge wastewater and food remnants as the plates were being washed in a restaurant up front. When my friend questioned him, he replied that he would go home, wash the rice that came along from the wash basin at the eatery and recook it.

When we began to enter the homes of those who we were giving groceries to at the PPR flats, another rather pathetic face emerged and was exposed to us. We did not realize the plight of these PPR householders until we began to talk to them. Now we can relate to the above video.

Agathiyar is showing us the complexities of life. Just as a child is shown going to bed hungry in the video, the granny at a household here puts her grandchildren to bed early so that they do not complain of hunger. We only realized this when we cooked food and had Sugumaran knock their door on the way to work that day at 8pm. The house was pitch dark. Upon knocking on the door several times, grandma shows up. When Sugu questioned why their home was dark as it was only 8pm, she gave him this answer. Vintha shares the same story too at this PPR flats when her family members encountered a similar scenario. As is revealed in the video paying rent is a more pressing concern for them. Many have missed making payments that had accumulated to several months, and fear that they would have to move out. The children here are constantly sick. We saw a child who appeared stunted for their age, but Dr Jana suspected that she could have been born small. Her mother confirmed that she was merely a kilo and a half at birth.

Pothigai Dharma Chakra (PTC), another charitable organization extended a helping hand in feeding the schoolchildren who had to stay back for extra classes in a couple of schools. Sadly the school management became dependant on this group rather than take the initial cue from them, bringing the Parent Teachers Association in and the parents who walked by indifferent to the activity going on. None stopped by to inquire what was going on, as we fed the kids.

Tavayogi did the right thing in squatting in a locality where there were numerous native children. Soon he served cooked food to these families. The native's only source of income was from selling the firewood collected in the jungles of Kallar. 

When we followed in his footsteps and that of Sri Krishna of PTC, in feeding the hungry in Malaysia, we realized the same reason, as mentioned in the video, was given by the tenants at the PPR housing scheme as to why they were not going to the hospitals for treatment of their chronic ailments. That is time and money they cannot afford. They tell us they have no transport, hailing a cab will cause money which they don't have, and they cannot afford to spend the long hours waiting to be seen by the doctor as they had family members who were bedridden or young kids let loose back at home.

We at Persatuan Teman Setia (PTS) only provide food and groceries to these homes, the mentally challenged children and old folk homes. We do not help out with long term commitments and expenses such as rentals and utility bills. As mentioned in the video we never give money to them because we don't know how it is being used. A family in another locality used the money we gave them for groceries to make payment for a utility bill that she felt was more pressing, defeating its purpose.

Eradicating poverty needs the concerted effort of the government. But it is sad that it is treated or given the least priority among their many programs here as elsewhere too. 

Jane Badham wrote, 

Key is the need for real political will and commitment, which many agree is lacking in many of the most affected countries.

She also shows us a direction. 

And just as governments have to show willingness and be committed and be held accountable, the time has come for those of us working in nutrition, agriculture and development, to break down the silos in which we have traditionally functioned and to build meaningful partnerships across multiple cross-cutting disciplines. We need direct nutrition interventions such as the promotion of ante-natal nutrition and exclusive breastfeeding as well as improved complementary feeding, food fortification and public-private partnerships that deliver affordable nutritious options to the neglected at the bottom of the pyramid. We also need nutrition and gender sensitive investments across agriculture, health, social protection and education.

The sad state of affairs at these homes is that the men are never seen or around and the responsibility of feeding and taking care of their needs falls squarely on the shoulders of grannies and single mothers.

Just as Dr Siddharth Agarwal mentions in the video, we need to bring aid including medical aid into these homes to overcome the sufferings of the unfortunate,

It is difficult for the women and children to go out to the health centres, which are quite distant if they did they would end up wasting at least 3 to 4 hours. So if we are able to bring these (medical) camps to them then a greater number of women and children will be availing of these services, 

towards this, the government had introduced clinics manned by hospital assistants and nurses who provide very basic medical care and medicines in shop lots accessible to all, supplementing the numerous larger clinics at strategic areas and even larger nucleus hospitals that have begun to specialize in a particular area of medicine.

The sad thing about us is that we can look away and ignore this group because we are told that each one lives his fate out. They are fated. It is their karma. Let them go through it. Saying thus we walk away ignoring their hunger, thirst and plight. But just as Agathiyar fills us in on our karma, he brings solutions and deliverance in the form of remedies. He does not just leave us to live with it but tries his best to elevate us saving us from the mess we are in. So should not we then do our part to elevate these unfortunate souls by providing aid to them in their hour of need. Maybe the small contributions we make can go towards changing their fate bringing them a new destiny.

Each time we stand at the doorway of a particular PPR household where there are many children, they cheer us on seeing us and immediately run up to us and give us a hug, asking if we would be coming again, when are we coming next or request us to come the next day too. 

A government official, when told about the pitiful conditions in which they were living in, quickly, pointed out to me if I had noticed the cable TV and latest smartphone in their homes. I told them we vet through the families before giving aid. As Dr Siddharth says in the video only deserving families deserve to receive aid, one of the criteria for rejecting certain households who came asking for aid from us is if they had cable TV in their homes. In our eyes entertainment should be least on their minds when there were other teething problems. When asked some reply how else are they to pass their time? We expect them, rather than be passive sitting on a couch watching all that is churned out by the TV stations, they could instead spend this time in keeping themselves occupied doing some handicrafts as a hobby or peddle them bringing some additional income.

While feeding kids in a home some years back, a regular visitor at the home told us he caught a man running three homes selling the groceries received as a donation to a shop. When questioned he replied that he would rather sell them than see it expire. Why did he choose to take on so many supplies if he knew he could not possibly consume them before they expired? At a home that was closed after there was a reported abuse of children, that was pretty obvious to us too, we were taken aback to see provision stacked up to the ceiling. At another home for the kids, we were caught by surprise when the inmates hauled clothing to the dump bins placed by the council. When we questioned them they replied that the clothing was oversized and would only fit adults. I was wondering why can't they have a networking and good rapport with the other operators and share the excess food and groceries among them or pass the clothing that they receive but were of no use to them to another home rather than throw them away.

On the other hand, there were homes that we well run. At a popular home, they refused to accept any more groceries citing that their store was full. At yet another home that we helped out with groceries, as we were there feeding the old and mentally challenged inmates, 3 four wheel drives drove up to the home asking if the operator of the home wanted grains and groceries. She chose to only take what she required at that moment. Another home and shelter for the aged, told us that they have enough.

As Dr Siddharth believes that food distribution should be targeted towards the poor so that the most starving children can reap the benefits, we have moved our sights into the home of these families apart from feeding those on the streets, reducing our frequency for street feeding, as we realized many organizations and individuals have taken to the streets to feed. A man standing in the queue told me he was not going to go hungry because, as he listed to me, an organization was giving food four days a week, while another two covered the other days. A grandpa and grandson seen on the streets daily, with the grandpa playing a board game with others, actually had a home to return too. It's just that grandpa was bored at home so he brings his grandson along to the city to spend the day. When I asked the kid who revealed this to me how about food throughout the day, he replied that they helped themselves to breakfast at a soup kitchen housed permanently in a shophouse nearby and another mobile soup kitchen provides lunch. They return to the earlier place for an early dinner at 5pm before heading home. They would be back the next day at the same spot.

As we walked the streets we have to admit that there is an abundance of food distributed to the homeless. We could not fail to notice that some had packets of food stacked up beside them receiving from the continuous generosity of Malaysians. The public garbage bins were overflowing with food packets, with food only half eaten. They could now afford to eat the more tasty food and throw away the less tasty ones.

As Dr Siddharth says we will end up having people who have access to food (subsidy), will receive and supply someone else at a cost, there is a likelihood for such irresponsible act on the part of these homeless to do so too. As I was editing the video footages taken during our feeding sessions, women caught my attention for she came around taking several packets of pastries and drinks again and again but none spotted her act of defiance as there were many receivers. As one of our fellow volunteers noticed too, a man who was quick to pick up the clothing given on the streets by them, kept comes back again and again on each visit by the volunteers, still without a shirt on. One would only expect him to wear those shirts and pants he took earlier. My friend posted a question to me? Was he selling it to others for a price?

As Dr Siddharth says "Any system that relies on giving away is not likely to be a successful system. By not making them recipients of handouts, only then has the system any future", we at PTS shall take heed from his words to empower the poor, investing in human beings. 

WALKING WITH THE SIDDHAS

If we are willing to be child-like and empty Erai fills us up with his knowledge. This knowledge brings us back to his home which is our home too.

A man's greatest strength is not to be influenced by others. Tavayogi tells us we are given the gift of arivu or the ability to think and decide wisely based on our own experiences, the many pieces of literature, the knowledge, the advice given and experiences of others too. Only after careful evaluation can we concur with a decision that would bring the right outcome. The problem with us is that we allow our emotions to come into our way and disrupt and disable us from making wise decisions. We allow others to influence us or our decisions too. Enmity with another, a bad experience of another, etc tarnish these relationships and leads us to evaluate the situation differently.

These and many little learnings I gained as I walked the path with Tavayogi. The Siddhas made such an impact on me that there is no turning around. The Nadi reading, the passage to India, the numerous miracles abroad and later back at home, finding and the meeting my gurus, the lessons learnt, the experience gained all have had an lasting imprint on me.

Having no pain is bliss. Having no worries is bliss. Having a meal that satisfies the hunger is bliss. Having that gulp of water that quenches the thirst is bliss. Taking in that breath is a bliss. Going motion is a bliss. To doze off the moment you lay your head on the pillow is bliss. We are going through many tiny moments of bliss each moment. Yet we do not respond to these small moments of delight, looking out for the bliss outside, hoping to land it one day.

The only time we appreciate and reach out for these gifts is when we are in pain, or faced with problems that cause worries, when we go without food for days, when we are thirsting for that single drop of water, when we are gasping for that last breath, or when we can't go motion for days.

Life is a accumulation of little moments. Live this moment well. Live the next moment well too. Then you shall have a life well lived.

Having parents around is a gift. Having the family around is a gift. Having grandchildren around is a gift. Having a job is a gift. Bringing home a paycheck and food to the table is a gift. Having a good health is a gift.

Birth itself is a gift. Many souls await to be born and experience life on earth. Should not we keep the earth save then? 

Just as we created plastics that brought much help and made a difference in our lives in the many fields of science, etc disposing it has become a problem. Initiatives are being taken, discoveries made to reuse and recycle it and to save the earth from becoming a dumping ground for yet another of man's invention. And so Erai comes once in a while to clear and clean the earth of trash and rubbish, bringing along with it lives and livestock. No one can speak on behave of Erai. Erai has its own mind. It is difficult for us to read the blueprint that Erai works on. Even if we are shown it it is rather difficult to comprehend it or decipher it. 

Taking the path of the Siddhas we were introduced to the tools that they use to communicate with their followers. One of it is the Nadi. Reasons for things to take place and predictions are given. Some of the reason can be mind boggling. Some of the predictions might not even happen. Nothing is written in stone. It is all so fluid. It is like throwing a stone into water that causes ripples that travel some distances and depths before losing its velocity, nevertheless affecting all that comes into its path.

Each of us is given an instrument of writing when born. We can use that instrument to rewrite our fate and create a new destiny. If the tool is used wisely we can put an end to the cycle of birth and rebirth. 

Most of the time we are not aware that we can rewrite our fate but rather turn to another to help rewrite it. Seeing the humongous task up ahead in changing our fate we look for someone who can expedite the reverse process without we having to place any effort, willing to pay enormously for the service.

We took the hand of Agathiyar to help us change our fate. He guided us well and we followed him to the word.

Another tool that came to us is the compositions by saints called kavasam or songs that act as a shield or force field that keeps us from harms way. Reciting these kavasams we build faith and belief that the divine cares for us.

Agathiyar tells us the sacred ash can be a panacea for all ills if taken with faith. Water that is energise by chants is a remedy for illness too. The prasad from temples brings Erai's energy to our homes.

As Avvai says,

ஆறிடும் மேடும் மடுவும் போலாம் செல்வம் மாறிடும் ஏறிடும் மா நிலத்தீர் சோறிடும் தண்ணீரும் வாரும் தருமமே சார்பாக உண்ணீர்மை வீறும் உயர்ந்து

ஆறு வரும் வழியில் உண்டாகும் மேடும் பள்ளம் போல நம்முடைய செல்வம் ஒருநாள் அதிகமாகும் அல்லது குறையும். பூமியில் வாழும் மனிதர்களே இதை உணர்ந்து உங்களிடம் செல்வம் இருக்கும் போதே பசி என்று வந்தவருக்கு அன்னம் இடுங்கள், தாகம் என்று வந்தவருக்கு தண்ணீர் கொடுங்கள். நீங்கள் செய்த தர்மம் உங்களின் தலை காக்கும். அதுவே உங்கள் உயிர் உயரும் உபாயம் ஆகும்.

Avvai calls upon us to feed the hungry and quench the thirst of those who come with thirst while we still have the material resources to do so, for our assets will dwindle by day.

POVERTY

CONDUCTING OURSELVES AT A SAMADHI

Some years back Nathan who was staying in the southern tip of Malaysia was told to visit a Siddha cave in Sungai Siput, Perak. When he mentioned the Nadi reading to me I was surprised for my wife was from that small town and no one had mentioned to us about the cave's existence. My wife and I enquired about the cave from her father. That is when as if by coincidence (or was it), the chairman of the temple committee that oversees the daily running of the cave temple walked into the restaurant where we were dining. We are introduced and next we know, we were already heading to the cave temple chauffeured by the chairman himself. The priest took us on a guided tour of the cave explaining the significance of the cave, temple, murthi or statues and the numerous sacred spots within it. Organizations that placed additional objects of worship here as time went by.

We were informed: that the cave was submerged under the sea during times immemorial and was only exposed once the sea waters resided. There were visible remains of seashells, corals and fossils to substantiate this claim; that Agathiyar and the Siddhas were present in this spot; that there were documentation at Kumbakonam in India, dating thousands of years back, about Agathiyar mentioning this cave as Guhan Alayam; and mention of Siddhas ever present and living here including Chitramuthu Adigal having meditated here on the Suyambu Atmalingam and the five faced Nagam that stood guard. Incidentally, Chitramuthu Adigal is the guru of Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal. We were blessed to be shown the spot where Chitramuthu Adigal had sat in meditation. We included the cave temple in our subsequent tours of temples in Malaysia, bringing devotees there. 

https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/03/agathiyar-siddhas-in-malaysia.html

I suppose I had a hand in publicizing the place through this blog and posting the above video on YouTube for the chairman tells me that the public is frequenting the place now. I thought to myself if I had done wrong in publicising the place and bringing in the busloads of curious onlookers. I was saddened to see their disrespect for the place. As we were making our way out, in came another busload of tourist. They were chatting aloud as if picnicking as they stepped into the confines of the cave temple. Agathiyar has said that the Siddhas were still in tapas or meditation in the cave. As such should not we maintain some level of silence and respect them. No wonder the Siddhas have begun to move further and further into the dense virgin jungles away from society, in present times. The society of old revered the Siddhas highly equating them to the Gods and hence were respectful and never intruded into their space unnecessarily, lest they are cursed for disturbing the Siddha's tapas. They provided for the Siddhas their daily needs so that the Siddhas could continue their meditation without any hindrance.   

Today's man views all these sacred places as an arena, coming in droves to view as would a spectator, leaving behind trash and graffiti. They deface the cave walls with writings, throw rubbish all over, and talk loudly. Coming to the samadhis of the Siddhas they perform all forms of rituals and leave behind more trash. They consume food and leave behind the remains inviting the rodents and vermins.

Travelling with Tavayogi to the Siddha shrines, caves and samadhis, he voiced out his concern at the existing conditions in these sacred places and the crowd that made a din disrespectful of other worshippers who are steeped in prayers or meditation. The original names to the caves have been changed. Additional objects of worship were brought in while original pieces were removed. Caves that became stores. Graffiti on its walls. Litter all over. 

Entering these places Tavayogi would take a sit, close his eyes and remain silent. We did not perform any rituals. Just to keep us occupied while he meditated, he would ask us to chant the names of the Siddhas. At the end of the session, the Siddhas would show us a miracle.

Agathiyar in a Nadi reading for Surendaran tells us the proper thing to do at a samadhi is to just sit still and take in the radiant cosmic energy that flows abundantly and fills these spaces. The Siddha in samadhi is continuously tapping into the cosmos and giving it out. There is no need to perform any form of rituals at these energy spots. Neither is there any need to engage in any form of activity with the intention to help further energize an already charged space. No amount of ritual is going to add on to an already energize samadhi. The rituals are only required initially to connect with the divine forces. Once the divine is connected the place is energized by their mere presence. Worshipping over long periods transforms the place into a portal for the divine to engage with the common man. No further rituals are required at this stage. What we need to do is begin to tap into these energies that help strengthen our causal bodies, by merely sitting in silence. The charged causal body heals us, while burning past karmas. By strengthening the causal body with cosmic energy we return healthier and energized, from these sacred spots.

Similarly, an Indian citizen working in Singapore was asked to visit a samadhi at the base of Batu Caves Murugan temple. It was that of Mauna Siddhar. Coming to know of this revelation we too made our way to the shrine. It was sad to see that it had become partly a store too. Organizations had put up posters on its walls. Today the place has been given its due respect and we see a decent crowd that comes to meditate here.

Bala Aiya and Shanti ma were invited to join a friend visit a cave in Cambodia over the weekend. Having visited Cambodia earlier his contact brought them into the dense jungles of the Siem Reap District. There was a statue of Agathiyar installed in a cave.

It is interesting to note that a local of Phenom Pehn, having seen the Nadi, a canto that took from 12 noon till 9pm, in Pondicherry, was directed to install the statue of Agathiyar. He was henceforth called Soma Agathiyar. Lord Shiva in the Nadi did reveal that the Ganga was flowing through this spot. He narrated that Agathiyar was married to a local princess here.

The entourage carried water and other prayer items in their van until the cave that was accessible by a dirt track. They cleaned up the statues and the place before bathing the deities and conducting a Homa. Siddha related songs were sung by them, witnessed for the very first time by the locals.