Tavayogi who had preached on the greatness of the Siddha path and asked that we all come to the path of Jnana at the opening of a Peedham in Banting some years back, was stung with a question from a seeker who had sat through the session, asking whether one should circumambulate the Navagraha clockwise or otherwise? Was he listening or what?
When I asked Tavayogi why he was repeating the same in all his talks, he threw back a question at me. "Are you following what I said?" His question was actually directed at the masses that came and sat with him only to return to their old ways and forget to practice what was preached. True to what he said, they came back and sat at his feet five years on, only to ask the same questions.
Someone who professed that he had read my blog, walked up to me at a function and put forth so many questions, questioning my opinion and decisions on numerous matters that I had shared in the blog. He was portraying exactly the character that I had detested and pointed out and protested that all the nonsense be stopped. I wonder if he truly read and understood my writings?
Just days ago as I was weeding my backyard that was overgrown with cow grass and other plants, I had a revelation about how the law of nature and God's law functions. I had not tended to the garden both in front and at the back of my home for some time now due to a rainy spell that brought heavy showers and thunderstorms with it. The grass and plants took the opportunity to grow quick and fast, inviting a black serpent into our backyard. Although both my wife and the serpent were startled on seeing each other, they each went their way. So I had to begin weeding lest our visitor chose to revisit our garden or make it it's home for good. As I tugged at the cow grass and plants that had already begun to anchor and have a firm hold to the ground, and as I pulled the weed out I could not help but pull the Phyllanthus niruri plant or Keezhanelli too that was growing amidst the tall grass. The Phyllanthus niruri is a medicinal plant that if consumed right is said to do the miracle of bringing down the bilirubin level as in the case of jaundice in a person. The herb is said to improve vision and cure eye-related problems too. But I could not remove the weeds without removing the herb too. The weeds had overgrown the garden and hid the useful medicinal plant from sight.
That is when I realized the bad elements that tend to pollute and contaminate needed to be removed on the onset. If left to grow for far too long, and when it was necessary to remove and destroy them, even the good has to go. I could relate to Erai's will at different periods in time and in history where he brought forth nature to unleash its power and terror wiping out territories and terrains off the face of the earth in one go without considering the good from the bad. All had to go!
That is when I realized the bad elements that tend to pollute and contaminate needed to be removed on the onset. If left to grow for far too long, and when it was necessary to remove and destroy them, even the good has to go. I could relate to Erai's will at different periods in time and in history where he brought forth nature to unleash its power and terror wiping out territories and terrains off the face of the earth in one go without considering the good from the bad. All had to go!
Erai is constantly reminding us that nothing will remain forever. The joy and pain will come to pass. The happiness and suffering will come to pass. Each day someone dies and we are reminded that we could be next. Nature too is not exempted: it falls to the ground, sheds its skin or rots away. We have seen great temples and monuments built and sustained by the kings, rulers and royalty crumble and turn to dust. Many were deserted. Many are left unattended today. Many have disappeared from sight making us wonder what happened to the Gods and Goddesses worshipped within those walls?
I was asking Agathiyar why even those institutions he pioneered and groups he brought together did not sustain the beatings of weather and time. Many Peedhams that existed in the past and made a heyday then, have winded up either after its founder passed away or due to differences among its followers. Why was there so much enmity among his followers? Why did some choose to sabotage the good work undertaken by others? Why do we have frauds among the genuine in all fields related to the Siddhas, be it gurus, Siddha practitioners, Nadi readers, mediums etc? Agathiyar's name is being damaged by this few. Why is he not doing anything about it?
Then I get the answer by way of Sri Devy to whom Agathiyar has already explained the reasons. Agathiyar tells us never to judge others, more so the actions of the divine. A man who has strayed away from the path of goodness and honesty in this life is still eligible for the fruits of his past good actions. Hence he continues to receive the gifts and favours and the attention and care from others, and the good life that he was assigned too. But Agathiyar tells us on the same note that he has to bear the consequences of his current wrongdoings later in life when his merits have exhausted or in another life. Ma too told Jnana Jhotiamma the same when she too questioned, what seems to be injustice and unfairness of his rule of law. Then I am reminded by what Ma Kali told Swami Vivekananda when he confronted Ma asking why people of other faith were bringing down the places of worship? The answer Ma gave shocked me too. But today I have learnt to let go for that is the lesson he is teaching us through all these events. Live is impermanent. We need to let go of our attachment to our opinions, thoughts, deeds and actions, even our love for Lord Siva, as Thirumular says, ஆசை அறுமீன், ஈசனோடு ஆயினும் ஆசை அறுமீன், ஆசைப்படபட, ஆகிவரும் துன்பங்கள், ஆசை விடவிட ஆனந்தமே, if we are to evolve further.
Then I get the answer by way of Sri Devy to whom Agathiyar has already explained the reasons. Agathiyar tells us never to judge others, more so the actions of the divine. A man who has strayed away from the path of goodness and honesty in this life is still eligible for the fruits of his past good actions. Hence he continues to receive the gifts and favours and the attention and care from others, and the good life that he was assigned too. But Agathiyar tells us on the same note that he has to bear the consequences of his current wrongdoings later in life when his merits have exhausted or in another life. Ma too told Jnana Jhotiamma the same when she too questioned, what seems to be injustice and unfairness of his rule of law. Then I am reminded by what Ma Kali told Swami Vivekananda when he confronted Ma asking why people of other faith were bringing down the places of worship? The answer Ma gave shocked me too. But today I have learnt to let go for that is the lesson he is teaching us through all these events. Live is impermanent. We need to let go of our attachment to our opinions, thoughts, deeds and actions, even our love for Lord Siva, as Thirumular says, ஆசை அறுமீன், ஈசனோடு ஆயினும் ஆசை அறுமீன், ஆசைப்படபட, ஆகிவரும் துன்பங்கள், ஆசை விடவிட ஆனந்தமே, if we are to evolve further.
We are all here with a purpose. Just as the watch or clock does not tick if one of its component mechanism does not move, we are all part of a great domino effect or ripple. We touch each other, some directly while others indirectly, as we are all part of the butterfly effect.
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. The term, closely associated with the work of Edward Lorenz, is derived from the metaphorical example of the details of a tornado (the exact time of formation, the exact path taken) being influenced by minor perturbations such as the flapping of the wings of a distant butterfly several weeks earlier. (Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect)
At the rate we are clearing the jungles and driving away wildlife from their natural habitat, we will only teach and show these animals to our descendants by way of books like how we do it with dinosaurs and ancient and extinct animals. Our gratitude and thanks goes to the handful of souls who take it upon themselves to fight all forms of injustice be it to human or animal or nature.
We post the sayings of saints. We share beautiful verses that we come across. We forward wise words of the learned. It all ends there. We feel contended that we have shared the good word of the Sheppard. When are we to become a Sheppard too? Neither do we move ourselves nor the world. Sadly we prefer to remain with the flock.