Monday 16 March 2020

MIRACLES & MORE MIRACLES

In my very first post that I wrote on Sunday, 28 July 2013, I wrote,

SIDDHA HEARTBEAT - An Avenue that Showcases the Workings of the Siddhas. Here we will showcase all about the ever evasive, mysterious and incomprehensible higher intelligence known as Siddhas in the hope that along the way we get to comprehend their workings too. Let me start this blog by posting several photographs taken of the miracles performed by the Siddhas. Come join me and step into the mysterious and mystical world of the Siddhas. 

Believe me, the magic hasn't stopped. It has been a fantastic journey and adventure, and it still remains a mystery, mystical and incomprehensible.

I had carried the following caption, "These blog postings are those of beginners who have taken the first step exploring the mysterious and mystical world of Siddhas. It is purely about devotion (Bakthi) and miracles. For those who think or feel that they have advanced spiritually and passed these initial, preliminary and primary stages, please reserve your comment", just right above the comment box where they would not miss it, as a word of caution to deter the enthusiastic readers who prefer to comment or make their opinion known, debate or argue, sometimes writing a whole piece in other's blogs and social media postings, after having received such comments. I would prefer they start their own blog or page and express their opinions.

As if to fulfill the objective of this blog as I had advertised that is sharing the experiences of beginners like me, who have taken the first step exploring the mysterious and mystical world of Siddhas and that it is purely about devotion (Bakthi) and miracles, Agathiyar keeps on rolling out miracles upon miracles right from day one till the present day.

He told me to come to India in my Nadi reading and that he would show me miracles once I was there. He did as he said. He told me that the miracles would continue once I was back home. It did and is happening till this day. I suppose if you are willing to believe then he shows them. Could you imagine that the divine changed a skulk of foxes into horses just for his devotee saint Manickavasagar back then? Or that Mother Goddess switches the tithi of the day from no moon or Amavasai to that of a full moon or Pornami for her devotee Abhirami Pattar.

When Supramania Swami passed away Agathiyar told me it was true that my guru had gone into samadhi and was laid to rest in the right place - on the path of Girivalam in Tiruvannamalai. Agathiyar many years back told me Tavayogi was a true guru for me. He also mentioned that I went looking for Supramania Swami while he sent Tavayogi to me. I had gone to see Supramania Swami to have my daughter's horoscope drawn out without me knowing that he was to be my guru. Neither did I know that Tavayogi would initiate me the same day we met and take me in as a disciple on the path of the Siddhas. 

Ramalinga Adigal sings a phrase in his "Tirukkatavan Tiratal",

மெய்யுடையாய் என்னோடு நீ விளையாட விழைந்தேன் 
விலையாடென்பது ஞானம் விளையும் விளையாட்டே



How true. Today I understand that it was all the will of the divine. It was all the divine's play. It was their Lila. It was all their game of Siddhi or Siddhu Vilaiyattu. Ma, Aiya and Agathiyar keep telling us that we are here to live out our desires and live through the experiences gained in placing the efforts in fulfilling them. They forewarn us that if we do not learn a lesson from these experiences we shall need to come back and go through it till we gain realization - attain self-realization. Agathiyar does not label a thing as good or bad. It is for us to ascertain from our actions if what we have done was good or bad. But the divine comes as avatar, gurus, beacons, and lighthouse to help mankind reason and figure out if an act was justified, good or bad. The essence of the Gita is rendered in this song where Lord Krishna assures Arjuna that it is all his doing and at the same time consoles Karnan that he absorbs the good, bad and the ugly. 



Agathiyar too told me in my Nadi reading that all was his doing and that I needed the experience, both the good and bad too. If all is his play, let us then step aside and watch with him. That is what Lord Murugan asks of me to do. Step aside and watch. Allow them to carry on their play. Later Agathiyar too told us that it was all their play or Siddhu. They were only using the venue and us as tools to teach prospective devotees a lesson or two. Initially, my family and I were against it. We ask that it should all stop. They listened. But as we matured and they made us understand their motives assuring that it was all their doing and that the damages and the compliments are theirs to bear and shoulder, we gave in reluctantly. Today Agathiyar tells me the reason its happening is that he wants me to learn a lesson from all that takes place.

Most of the time he does not restrict me from sharing these events. But in certain cases he would tell me that what takes place was to remain within the four walls. At times he cautions me not to share then but will tell me when it was appropriate. So he ropes me in as an accomplice in his games. When I watched closely without moving an eyelid trying to register all the ingredients he had asks for while he was pounding away and preparing a herbal paste, the traditional way, using a pestle and mortar, he turns to me and says, "Only I shall prepare this. You do not do it."

That is when I am reminded of what my 3-year-old granddaughter told me. I guess she was angered with me asking so many questions, for a change, that she tells me off, "Only I shall ask the questions here, you don't!" setting me back on another chain of memory for earlier Agathiyar had told all of us not to asks any questions! Agathiyar tells us that these children are here to teach us more lessons.

Basically, life is all about learning lessons. Each person determines for himself the right and wrong of things. As Lao Tzu says "Go with the flow", maybe by doing so we shall save ourselves much turmoil and sorrow, anger and stress, worry and disappointment. As Tavayogi always says, "Let it be my son. Agathiyar shall take care of it" when we shift the responsibility to him, I am sure the results will be much much prettier than what we have envisioned or expected. Agathiyar too has told me to leave it to him when things take a toll on me or anger me. He asks that I concern myself with the given tasks on hand.

I do not know how to show my gratitude to him. Thinking that if I was to garland him, the flowers is from him. If I was to serve the best delicacies to him, that too has its source from grains that is his too in the very first place. We have nothing to credit for ourselves. All is given by him. We are cheating ourselves by saying that we had garlanded him, we had served him food, etc when we know pretty well that it was all given by him. So what can we give back to him in gratitude? After pondering for a while I thought that maybe serving him would be the best way, for you can choose to turn away and walk away, leave it to someone else to do it. Then when I mention to him that I would want to come back again and again and serve him, he asks me if that is what I desire, sending me a strong signal that this is not what we are to ask for. Immediately he reminds me of Tavayogi for when I mentioned to him that I desired to see Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal, he immediately replied that it was possible but added on a similar question, "Is that what you want?"

Finally, when I talked over the phone with Mahin we agreed that maybe we should opt to ask what Tavayogi always laments about, that people ask for everything under the sky, that is perishable, but never stop to ask for Jnana, Agathiyar comes the next time and tells me that I had asked for Jnana! I am bewildered and astonished even after having seen him perform so many miracles. Once when my wife asks if I wanted to either complement a ritual with an item or leave it out, we could not decide then. This conversation was taking place as we were driving back from a small town some 164 kms away, coursing through the countryside where the phones were out of coverage, yet he had tapped into our conversation. Jnana Jhotiamma once remained silent on the other end for quite some time as we were chatting on Skype. After the long silence, she told me that Agathiyar was on the line cutting me off.

As I have learned to see miracles in all things I guess he shows me his magic hands, his wonders, and his play or lila. He tells us that there is more to come. While we wait for them to happen, here is a recap of the past miracles to while your time.

https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2019/07/miracles.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2013/09/miracles.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2013/09/miracles-2.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-miracle-at-nattadreeswarar-temple.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2013/11/miracles-at-tiruvannamalai.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2013/11/more-miracles.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2014/04/miracle-at-kallar-ashram.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-miracle.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/10/miracles-of-agathiyar-part-1-saving.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/10/miracles-of-agathiyar-part-2-saving.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/10/miracles-of-agathiyar-part-3-bundle-of.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/10/miracles-of-agathiyar-part-4-saved-from.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-miraculous-journey.html