There were times when confronted with problems of great magnitude, Tavayogi who always reminded me that he too was subject to his past karma, would brush off the annoying matter, reminding me that Agathiyar was there to foresee all things. Even when he had his last word with me on the day he has admitted again into the Medical Centre, he told me, "Let it be Son, Agathiyar will take care of things", when I went into a state of shock and subsequent silence hearing him say that in event he did not return (alive) to his ashram ....
So too did Agathiyar brush off the ailments I had telling me it was nothing to worry about, although I was in great pain and had to bear the discomfort for several years.
The young Thirugnaanasambandhar too brushed off the fears of the elderly Thirunaavukkarasar back then. G Vanmikanathan writes in his "Pathway to God Trod By Saint Ramalingar" about this moment of doubt and fear that crept into the heart of a great servant and devotee of Lord Siva.
Thirugnaanasambandhar was about to set out for Madurai to challenge Jain supremacy. On the eve of his departure, the building he was staying in caught fire and was reduced to ashes. Saint Thirunaavukkarasar, who was with Thirugnaanasambandhar, requested him to postpone the journey as the day fixed for the journey was inauspicious. In reply, the child-saint sang the ‘kolaru-thirup-pathikam’.
1. வேயுறு தோளி பங்கன் விடமுண்ட கண்டன் மிக நல்ல வீணை தடவி
மாசறு திங்கள் கங்கை முடி மேல் அணிந்து என் உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
ஞாயிறு திங்கள் செவ்வாய் புதன் வியாழன் வெள்ளி சனி பாம்பிரண்டும் உடனே ஆசறு நல்ல நல்ல அவை நல்ல நல்ல அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே!
Since the Partner of Her with shoulders
like the smooth bamboo,
He with the throat which swallowed the poison,
He Who plays the veenaa
and wears on His crown
the flawless moon and the Ganges,
since He has entered my mind,
the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury,
Jupiter, Venus, Saturn,
and the two Snakes (Raahu and Kethu)
they all are unqualifiedly good, good indeed,
goodly good are they to the devotees,
exceedingly good they are!
2. என்பொடு கொம்பொ(டு) ஆமை இவை மார்பிலங்க எருதேறி ஏழையுடனே
பொன்பொதி மத்தமாலை புனல் சூடி வந்தென் உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
ஒன்பதொடு ஒன்றொடு ஏழு பதினெட்டொடு ஆறும் உடனாய நாள்களவை தாம் அன்பொடு நல்லநல்ல அவை நல்லநல்ல அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே!
(Translation by G Vanmikanathan from "Pathway to God Trod By Saint Ramalingar")
G Vanmikanathan does a simple calculation based on the saint's song and puts forth a pertinent question.
Out of 28 days of a lunar month (which are covered by twenty-seven asterisms), fourteen of them (that are listed in the second song) are (widely believed to be) inauspicious to start on a journey or to begin a new undertaking. It works out to 182 days in a lunar year. If this was the entire story, it would be tragic enough. But we have added to this list. We have made the days of the week auspicious or inauspicious. Tuesday is a very much sinned-against day. Then there are inauspicious hours. There is Raahu-kaalam, a matter of one and a half hours a day, and there is yamakandam, another one and a half hours a day. These two account for 45 days in a year. Then there are the ashtami and navami thithi-s, that is, the eighth and ninth days from the full moon or the new moon. These account for 52 days a year. Thus a grand total of 280 days are declared inauspicious to start on a journey or to begin a new undertaking. Then there are the vaara-soolai days, days on which journey in a particular direction should not be made. Thus we get barely two months or sixty days in a year to do anything (useful). All because of what? Because we have no faith in the unbounden grace and mercy of God. Because we would not become devotees of God. Could the all-loving God, the all-merciful God, have given us the days and hours only to rob us of almost all of them by one taint of malignity or the other? When we ask ourselves this question, the great truth in Thirugnaanasambandhar’s poem strikes us with an outburst of illumination. This is it. No day is evil, all of them are good, very good, extraordinarily good, exceedingly good. Centuries have passed since Thirugnaanasambandhar declared this great truth, but we have, not accepted it.
Agathiyar too told me that all the planets will switch to become gurus to us, hence will only do good and no harm. But bear in mind that he did not say this on the onset of my journey back in 2002, but only recently after almost 17 years of having faith in him, carrying on with worship of the Siddhas, doing charity and following all his asking. G Vanmikanathan too reminds us of the condition laid for this to manifest.
All these stars, constellations and planets, the Saint said, are exceedingly good
provided . . . He put a big proviso. Provided we are devotees of God.
Indeed Thirugnaanasambandhar has clearly sung that when the Lord had entered his heart, என் உளமே புகுந்த அதனால், only then does all else lose its hold on us.
Bringing Erai in whatever form into our hearts is akin to bringing the light within us, and then into our household and finally into all those we brush with or come into contact. When there is light, darkness disappears. When Erai steps in, all forms of evil vanishes. With light approaching, all things are seen clearly in their true form, instead of having to make out things in the dark. So too with divine knowledge, we tend to see through Erai's play clearly and accept his will and doing.
The problem with us today is we tend to take on the greatest and highest teachings of the saints but continue living the life of a materialistic man in search of riches, authority, power and the pleasures in life. The Saints talk about turavaram or seclusion and live the life of a mendicant, hermit or monk, while we are lured by and go in pursuit of our desires and wants. Hence confusion arises. Similarly, there is a distinct difference between the goals of Vedanta and Siddhanta too. Further confusion arises. How do we then address this? Only turn to the highest teachings of the saints when you are ready for it and have exhausted all your desires, wishes and wants. Otherwise maintain a balanced and middle path, by turning to Erai for his blessings as often as possible and working on the responsibilities that come our way. Let us take the middle way, staying away from both extremes, neither a fanatic nor a sloth.