THE EVER COMPASSIONATE AGATHIYAR

Having read much on religion and spiritualism and debated over it with others, having spent the early hours of dawn and dusk in prayers, visiting all the temples daily in my vicinity, I was angry with the divine lord for not protecting his subjects, and for the divine father and mother for watching in silence while their children suffer. In some individuals, the divine itself took responsibility for causing hurt and suffering. This left me baffled, troubled and confused for was not the divine supposed to be loving, kind and compassionate as broadly advertised and spoken of by saints. By the grace of Lord Shiva, I was saved from going cuckoo. Lord Shiva came in a dream in 1988 and told me to refrain from asking questions further and to keep them for a later date. I could not comprehend his asking then. Today I fully understand the reason for the divine to end my torment for I had to learn and experience further and gain an understanding of how the divine laws work. What I did not know then was that Lord Shiva had changed my fate and destined me to a new destiny under the tutorship of Agathiyar, in the years to come.

If fate deals a blow on others, it brought me to the doorway of the Kingdom of Light. Agathiyar came into my life by way of the Nadi, an oracle or a written document of my soul's journey and soon began to work on my fate bringing upon a new destiny. It was 14 December in the year 2002, as I sat before Sentilkumar, a trained Nadi reader from Avinashi, Tamilnadu, then in Malaysia, eagerly awaiting again for him to assist me in locating my particular Nadi amongst the numerous hundreds that he had with him since we had failed to retrieve my Nadi some two weeks earlier. After a similar session of questions, briefly scanning through every single leaf in the bundle before moving on to the next, whereby I was only required to either agree or disagree, we finally stopped on coming upon a leaf that pretty well summarized my life, its content and description of the individual in it closely relating and pointing to me. We jointly agreed that it was mine and he went on to read the Kaandam or chapter and its other associated Kaandams, in full.

Agathiyar addressed and answered the doubts and questions that I had carried for some 14 years in the Nadi. Agathiyar shared this divine law with me through his revelation in the Nadi reading, explaining the cause and effect or karma that determines the soul's journey and all that it encounters in life. I too had done my share of karma having brought hurt and misery to others in my past lives.

As he had asked that I come to his path, I went in search of all the organizations that carried his name in Malaysia. None captivated my interest nor made me stay longer than to learn a thing or two. I worked on myself, worshiping Agathiyar in the form above and singing the praises of the Siddhas as compiled in a tiny book given to me by Sentilkumar after initiating the prayer as part of my ritual of paying homage to the Nadi of the Siddhas, and taking resources from all the books, videos, and material made available by the local affiliate of the Agathiyar Sanmarga Sangam based in Ongkarakudil. In August of the following year, after having carried out remedies and atonements that were listed out by Agathiyar in the Nadi, in my home ground, I fulfilled all the rests on my maiden pilgrimage to India, due solely to his grace in wanting to see us come out of the maya and disillusion that covered us for eons and ages. I paid a visit to Ongkarakudil Aasan too for filling me on the worship of the Siddhas through his numerous publications and videos. 

Towards the end of my pilgrimage of temples, Agathiyar introduces me to my very first guru, Supramania Swami. I visit him on the pretext of seeing the horoscope for my younger daughter, a request that came quite sudden from my wife as I boarded the cab to the airport to fly to India. Supramania Swami took me as his student and showed me devotion and bhakti towards the guru, having himself five gurus to his credit. He showed me that sheer devotion could bring his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar from his samadhi and sit and chant his mantra with us, during one of my later visits. My fate is realigned to that of worship of the guru, "one who destroys/dispels darkness", someone considered necessary before we could possibly engage with the divine.

Two years later Agathiyar shows me to Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram who was in Malaysia officiating an affiliate of his Peedham. He took me as his student and asks that I frequent the local chapter of his Peedham and gain more knowledge about the Siddhas. 

Photo courtesy of Sri Agastiar Nyaana Peedam Malaysia

But the most compassionate Agathiyar wanted me to come under the direct tutorship of Tavayogi and directed me to get another initiation from him the same night I had a Nadi reading with T.Ramesh of Kumbakonam, then in Malaysia. Tavayogi followed as dictated by Agathiyar. He invited me to his ashram in India, which I did a month after he left for his Kallar Ashram. He introduced me to doing charity and feeding the hungry at his ashram in India. He showed me the abodes of the Siddhas, bringing me to the temples, jungles, and caves, giving me first-hand experience of the life of a Siddha. He brought me to the next stage, moving from Sariyai, my self engaged worship of the Gods and Goddesses in the Hindu Pantheon, to that of Kriyai, introducing the many rituals that came along with the worship of the Siddhas. Tavayogi taught us Yoga Asanas and Pranayama too, bringing us to have an insight into the next stage that was Yogam. Through his many short and brief observations and statements that he would utter as he walks by or walked with us, he brought me insights into the mysteries of the world of the Siddhas, something that has only begun to dawn upon us now in the present moment. View the activities of Kallar Ashram at https://agathiyargnanapeedam.org/gallery/

From the path of devotion or bhakti towards the deities, Agathiyar brought me to bhakti towards the guru as exemplified by Supramania Swami and devotion to Agathiyar and the Siddhas as stood for by Tavayogi. After the demise of both my gurus, Agathiyar has personally taken charge of leading and guiding me and others in this family of devotees, changing further our pre-ordained and written fate, wiping and cleansing the written slate and writing anew a fresh destiny as he desired. He comes through the Aasi Nadi readings and through others whom he uses as a medium.

After engaging in Sariyai and introduced to Kriyai, Agathiyar has brought us to Yogam the science of restoring the health of the physical body and that of the soul. After having been threshed and strangled by the effects of our past karma, he restored faith and belief in the divine law and its system. When faced with larger than life ordeals that we could not handle by our worldly acquired knowledge and know-how or arivu, we sought the Siddhas for an explanation and a way out. We were told that there is no way we could run away from it, but the most compassionate father always gives us that much that we can shoulder, postponing the rest of the ordeals to a later date, time, period or birth. He gives us the means to overcome the problems by rerouting us hence going around or lifting our burden, at least for that moment, so that we can go through the ordeal or the obstacles or comes to cushion the misery, pain, and suffering. He lightens our baggage of karma by having us engage in doing remedies that take the form of worship and acts of charity, hence diverting our mind from the pain and misery on hand. To those who come seeking for the reasons for their endless sufferings, they are told that it all boils down to one's deeds or karma in the past. If they seek to know the means to escape the tightening hold of one's karma, they are asked to pray consistently. To those keen to follow, they are asked to direct their prayers to the Siddhas, the secretaries, and missionaries of the divine Lord. How do you explain to those who have fulfilled all these directives and yet see their sufferings prolong without a light of hope down the tunnel? The answer comes through a mysterious message to a friend in desire need of divine assistance as "When the examination is on, the teacher remains silent!" Having prepared, burning the midnight oil, we take to the questions with confidence while the teacher watches on silently. Similarly having done what needs to be done as directed by the Siddhas, we take the examination of life, while the Siddhas watch over us, giving us the strength and confidence in scaling the mountain of troubles having faith that together they shall see through the ordeal and come out polished and shining anew, both physically and at the level of the soul.

Agathiyar lamented recently that people have moved away from living the lifestyle of the Siddhas or Siddhar Neri Vazhkai Murai. He brings to our knowledge several means of rejuvenating and strengthening, both the physical body and the soul helping it gain udal balam and atma balam. The physical and mental stress we go through strengthens our physical body, the mind and the soul by building on its experiences, a much-needed ingredient for life. In the "Metaphysics of Saiva Siddhantam - Sivagnana Boodham by Thiruvilankar Canagarayar, l96l, we are told,

In order to purify the soul, the Primal One by His infinite Grace, applied Maya and Karma Malams, to the fettered soul, just as a washerman applies Fuller’s earth and cow-dung to remove the dirt in a piece of cloth. When Maya and Karma Malams counteract on Anavam, the ignorance of the soul, being the effect of the function of Anavam, is removed from the fettered soul and its intelligence illumines.

We are reminded not to take things too comfortable and lose our hold on the ladder as we sit perched on the higher rungs of the ladder of spiritual evolvement. We understand that most of us tend to gather two forms of knowledge through our worldly lives, that of Pasa and Pasu, physical and logical respectively. The third that of Pati is that which enlightens us.

The sun is visible to all but he is invisible to the blind. Similarly, the Primal One will not reveal Himself unto those fettered by the Malams, but to those free from Malams. The three Malams Anava, Maya, and Karmam are impurities. The original impurity of the soul is Anavam. The five senses and the inner faculties of reasoning cannot function without the help of the soul. If the soul does not energize them; they lie dead, as a corpse. When those senses and faculties function, the intelligent soul accumulates physical and logical knowledge (Pasa and Pasu knowledge). These two kinds of knowledge enlarge the horizon of souls’ intelligence. The soul enveloped by Anava Malam is ignorant in the Kevala state, of God, the Supreme Reality and becomes enlightened through Pati-Jnanam. 

With the coming of the Sadguru, the darkness dispels.

It will be pervasive and omniscient after its complete release from all the Malams, by the grace of God, just like the sun hidden by a bank of clouds shines forth in full brilliance, when the banks of clouds are driven away by the storm. God appears as Satguru before the soul fettered by pasam or world of senses, and initiates it, on the ground of tapas performed by it in the past birth. On receipt of the Upadesa the soul realises its real spiritual nature as that of God and abandons the world and reaches the feet of God, as He is one with it. Now it is its duty to meditate on Him.

Taking heed of the call, the divine begins its work on us.

The husk, bran. and sprout or germination of a paddy seed are comparable to Anavam, Maya, and Karmam that encompass the soul. When the husk and bran are removed the paddy seed will not germinate, and the sprout (Karmam) will not spring up. Similarly, when the Anavam retreats and Maya retires, then the energy (Karmam) of maya also retires with Maya. When the Anavam retreats from battle field its opponents Maya and Karmam retire. When Maya and Karma Malams counteract on Anavam, the ignorance of the soul, being the effect of the function of Anavam, is removed from the fettered soul and its intelligence illumines. The soul, at this stage, through introspective reflection, arrives at a point where a ray of light falls on the soul in the form of an inspiration. Then the soul discovers the vanity or metamorphosis of the physical world, (the Asat) and is led into meditation. By the Grace of God, the soul becomes blind to the world and attains knowledge of God by His Grace. This is the spiritual truth called Pati Jnanam.

Sariya, Kriya and Yoga can only yield a lower type of Mukti called Pada Mukti or graded Mukti or Apara Mukti not the Para Mukti which is attainable only through Jnana Marga known as Sanmarga. Jnana Marga is the final stage. At this stage God induces a perfect Jnani to initiate the deserving aspirant or He does so Himself. This is done, only after the aspirant has learnt to regard alike all actions (Samadhva Buddhi or Iruvinai Oppu) without any attachment to them, and as actions of God Himself. He is one with God. God is love to him. This is the appropriate time for the Anava Malam to cease to have any hold on him. This grace is Sayujyam (the bliss of divine communion), or Para Mukti.  

We are led to uncovering the Jivan Mukta.

The soul which has realized God through divine knowledge Pati Jnanam, after it had renounced the worlds as changing or asat, is called Jivan Mukta. When the Jivan Mukta attains divine wisdom, the Pati Jnanam, he shines as a spirit with intense love for God. Then the redeemed soul becomes a Jivan Mukta, as he has reached the Sacred Feet of God. Now the Jivan Mukta is free from the three-fold Malams and is at the Feet of God.

Jivan Mukta is one who has already attained the Sacred Feet of Lord Siva. Lord Siva appears in him as Joti or light at Suzhi Munai (Susumna Nadi), through unfailing love unto Him. The Jivan Mukta, through unforgetting or unceasing love attains the bliss of the Primal One.

Then we embark on the last journey.

The Primal One, through His Arul sakti will release from Pasam the Jivan Muktas who love Him immensely, just as the sun blossoms lotus buds, only if they are mature and reached the state of blossoming.

Besides having us experience life as it showers on us the good, bad and ugly, Agathiyar brought us to rediscover his 5 tenets that serve as the core purpose of human birth, that he proposed at the Tamil Sangam.

Having introduced us to all these fine tools that serve to enhance and enrich our purpose in taking birth, strengthening our body, soul and spirit, he now comes to work further on the very vessel or vehicle upon which both the soul and spirit travel - our body.

For the purpose of cleansing first and later strengthening the physical form, he introduces his Agathiyar Kuzhambu, showing us to Siddha practitioner or Siddha Vaidyar Arivan of the Arulguru Agathiyar Arulsidhar Peedam, also known as Agathiyar Yoga Herbs Centre and officially registered as the Agathiyar Arul Shakti Peedham.

Photo courtesy of  Thiru Arivan

From http://ijpsr.com/bft-article/agathiyar-kuzhambu-not-only-a-purgative-an-overview/?view=fulltext we get to know further about this amazing preparation.

Agathiyar Kuzhambu is said to be one among the 32 Siddha medicines taken internally listed in the Gunapadam Siddha text literature, that covers a vast area of indications. It contains 11 ingredients which are mentioned in the Siddha formulary of India - part -1, that when combined act as a purgative. Besides being a purgative it is said to cure many diseases too. The major ingredients of this drug are Perungayam, Kadugu, Induppu, Rasam, Vengaram, Naabi, Manosilai, Omam, Aritharam, Karunjeerakam, Nervalam. (Source: Muralidass SD and Shree-Devi MS: “Agathiyar kuzhambu”- not only a purgative- an overview. Int J Pharm Sci & Res 2019; 10(5): 2156-63. doi: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.10(5).2156-63.)

Photo courtesy of  INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES AND RESEARCH

Elsewhere we are delighted and relieved to know that  the "classical sastric herbo - mineral Siddha medicine Agathiyar kuzhambu can be used for all 4448 diseases."

At https://ayurmedinfo.com/2019/11/28/agasthiyar-kulambu/ we are told that in case of severe and intense purgation, a decoction of seeragam, puli, elumichan saru should be given to reduce its severity.

I was blessed to receive the Agathiyar Kuzhambu, a herbal preparation that cleanses the body and its various systems, rejuvenating and strengthening it. Readers who seek this herbal cleanser and other siddha medicines can get in touch with the the Siddha doctor Arivan.