SEEKING ANSWERS

I had so many questions back then in the eighties, having, read, discussed, witnessed all things religious and spiritual, as the puzzles did not fit. I asked why the very divine that was meant to curtail, prevent and safeguard us turned against us. I could not understand why people needed to suffer. When these and many more questions were leading me to the brink of madness, Lord Shiva comes in a dream and asks me to keep all my questions to another time. I dropped everything, right from the questions and the hours of worship both at dawn and dusk coupled with the daily visits to the temples in my vicinity. It all came to a standstill.

Then mysteriously the cycle began again in 2001, when my nephew was directed to come over to meet me for a divine purpose that he too had no idea. The divine came in him and passed on a mantra. Later he gave me a picture of Lord Dhakshanamurty to be worshipped and guided on how to observe the Navarathri Puja. I was brought back into worship after 14 long years of absence and hibernation.

The questions regarding why people suffered were answered through my introduction to a Nadi reading the following year. Agathiyar spoke about karma something I learned from him for the very first time. He spoke about my karma too. I began to research this subject. I began to have a clearer picture of it.

From “ATMA” - “Reincarnation: The Soul’s Secret Journey”, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, The International Society For Krishna Consciousness, we gather information on karma and creation from the perspective of religion.

Our entanglement in the material sphere is the result of an unending chain of actions and reactions developed in this and previous human lives. This is known in Sanskrit as karma, a law of nature analogous to the modern scientific principle of action and reaction. The different categories of material bodies (species) exist because there are millions of categories of material desires. These different life forms are nothing more than machines designed by the material energy to fulfill different material desires.

From "Karma and Reincarnation" - An Inspired Talk by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, we learn about karma from the perspective of science.

In physics - the study of energy and matter - Sir Isaac Newton postulated that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Push against a wall. Its material is molecularly pushing back with a force exactly equal to yours. In metaphysics, karma is the law that states that every mental, emotional and physical act, no matter how insignificant, is projected out into the psychic mind substance and eventually returns to the individual with equal impact. For, as we exist now is a sum total of all our past lives. In our present moment, our mind and body state is the cumulative result of the entire spectrum of our past lives.

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains further.

Ancient yogis, in psychically studying the time line of cause/effect, assigned three categories to karma. The first is sanchita, the sum total of past karma yet to be resolved. The second category is prarabdha, that portion of sanchita karma being experienced in the present life. Kriyamana, the third type, is karma you are presently creating.

Tavayogi too simplified karma in the following words, "How we are today is the result of our past life; what we do now will establish our next birth"

For an ordinary person, the suffering is incremental in nature and is staggered over a period of time. He is only given the right dosage or amount that he or she can shoulder. So is there no way to escape from the shackles and the net that we are caught in and had brought upon ourselves. Must we suffer all life long? Although we are told that we have to live through the sufferings dealt upon us as a result of our past karma, although nothing great to mention or almost incomparable to those of others, my humble advice would be to take on a guru. This is based on my experiences. Just as a child is carefree knowing that his/her needs would be taken care of by her parents; just as a toddler drops from a height knowing that she will be caught, the guru is forever watchful over us and catches us whenever we slip.

How does taking on a guru help dismiss one's karma? Although Tavayogi told us that in meditation one could see the extent of one's karma but as we had only started our journey on this path, rather than bring us to sit in meditation, he brought us to perform the ritual of lighting the sacred fire Homa instead. And as usual, he did not give any explanation but merely instructed me to do it. The explanation and reason to do it came from Agathiyar later. Agathiyar told me that one's karma could be burnt in the fire of the Homa or offering to the Gods. Agathiyar took on my karma.

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains that karma is transferable.

Karma is transferable. One can take on some of the karma of other people, work it out for them and make their burden a little easier for them. The guru guides and also shares a bit of the heavier burdens, if one is fortunate enough to be dedicated enough to have a guru who will lend his powers in this way. But each aspect of the karma, the outgrowth of the dharma, must be passed through by the disciple, creating as little as possible of a similar karma on this tenuous path of the repetition of the cycles of life. The guru may take unto himself, into his nerve system, some of the heavier areas of your karma in the same way your parents performed this function for you perhaps unknowingly."

When Tavayogi was knocked down by a bus that went past him while riding a bike to town, I confronted Agathiyar, questioning him how he could have allowed such a mishap to take place. But Tavayogi took it lightly telling me that he had to exhaust his karma and those who had touched his feet seeking blessings after the recent Guru Puja celebrations. When every one of his devotees including me and my elder daughter took Agathiyar's remedies or parikaram given in the Nadi and executed them, when I mentioned my second daughter's remedies that were stipulated in her Nadi, Tavayogi told me there was no need to fulfill them. I remained silent trying to digest his words. I was trying to figure out what was happening here. Agathiyar had instructed in the Nadi certain remedies to be carried out, while my immediate guru tells me that it was not necessary. Here was a conflict of opinions or rather directives. As he sensed the long silence over the phone, Tavayogi continued. "If it would satisfy you then go ahead", he told me. I remained silent, but my mind was working faster than any processor. Here was my guru telling me it was not necessary. If I did venture to carry out Agathiyar's instructions in the Kaanda Nadi, it would only mean that I have no faith in my guru and no reverence for him. I decided not to do it. Agathiyar till this day never brought up the subject.

So when some ex-followers of Tavayogi and his teachings ridiculed him questioning how could a sadhu of his rank and nature suffer, and adjudicated the last days of his sufferings linking it to his karma, I stood by him in reverence stating that he had taken on my karma and that of my family, hence he suffered for us.

Paramahansa Yogananda in his "Autobiography of a Yogi", Self Realization Fellowship, 1990, states the same that only great gurus can take on their disciples' karma.

By putting on the ailments of others, a yogi can satisfy, for them, the karmic law of cause and effect; its workings may be scientifically manipulated by men of divine wisdom. Only great gurus are able to assume the karma of disciples.

Paramahansa Yogananda proved this by striking the shoulder of a chela with a burning brand to free him from painful death; thus satisfying the karmic law through slight suffering by fire.

Why do the true masters then take on the karma of their subjects knowing pretty well of the implications? Recently, when a devotee of Agathiyar pleaded that he save the life on an infant, Ma awaited Agathiyar's permission. She waited for him to instruct her if she should go to save the little soul. When Agathiyar tells her to go immediately, she reminds him of the consequences of messing or meddling with one's fate or karma. The most compassionate father tells her that he shall take care of the other matters.

What then did take place?  Agathiyar and Ma Mugambikai had done a great miracle by saving the child's soul. Ma tells the devotee that Agathiyar, her guru, came for her and not for her family. Agathiyar had heeded the plea of his devotee to save a life and put the necessary machinery to work towards saving the child.  Agathiyar in return explains to us how Ma Mugambikai fought to bring back the life of the infant.

When another devotee sat before Tavayogi to have her reading done, Agathiyar passed on a message from her guru of past birth through the Jeeva Nadi. The guru was pleading to Agathiyar to help his disciple. Amazing. The relationship between a guru and his disciple goes beyond births.

Taking the message from Velayudham Karthikeyan Aiya's blog "Siththan Arul" at http://siththanarul.blogspot.com/2013/11/149.html where the divine secrets or Deva Ragasiyam was revealed to Hanumathdasan Aiya by Agathiyar, we can piece together how a certain desire or wish of a devotee is considered and brought to the attention of the keepers of the Karmic records. In the revelation, Brahma has a conversation with Agathiyar.

Brahma: "If you keep on recommending that I save them by changing their fate, who is going to pay back for their deeds and karma? Do we not need to punish them for their karma? You are asking me to go easy on too many devotees. It would take not less than 10 years to seek out their Nadi or olai suvadi and make changes to their fate." Brahma goes on to add that he cannot stop the incident from happening but can reduce the repercussions or effects as a result of that event.

Agathiyar pleads to Brahma telling him that he believes all should be saved, that their fate should be changed. Agathiyar suggests that Brahma increase his workforce so that these changes could be hastened. Agathiyar humbly requests that Brahma change the karma of all those who came seeking him (Agathiyar) as he had given his word to them. He seeks Brahma's word of promise that he would not harm any of his devotees.

When Agathiyar passed on the message of Chitramuthu Adigal wanting us to carry out a Siddha Puja in a temple in Taiping, we were both surprised and overjoyed. Chitramuthu Adigal was Tavayogi's guru. Agathiyar passed on this message through the Jeeva Nadi read by Tavayogi when he was visiting us in 2016. Chiramuthu Adigal wanted it to be done on a Thursday, but as it was a working day and as the temple was some 267 km that would take us 3 hours, we asked if we could do it on a weekend where there would be more participation from our members. Tavayogi told us to go ahead and told us he would talk or reason out with his guru! We were spellbound to learn that he could deal with his guru who had gone into samadhi. We did the prayers on a Sunday under the guidance of both Tavayogi and Mataji to the satisfaction of Chitramuthu Adigal.

The Siddhas have a solution for every single candidate who takes his task seriously and travels their path. The simplest and fastest route to Godhead would be that of taking the path of Gnana. But how many can understand the teachings of Bhagawan Ramana? So for beginners like me, we have to start from the lowest rung of the ladder, getting involve with Sariyai, living in the world and finding some small moments to serve both God and humanity. Then when we are ready to venture further, the guru comes to light up the path. He stands by us and brings us to do Kriya. Engaging in both Sariyai and Kriyai melts down the intensity of our karma and prepares us to engage in the next stages of Yogam and Gnanam. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami says that "our past negative karma can be altered into a smoother, easier state through the loving, heart - chakra nature, through dharma and sadhana."

Agathiyar goes further to explain that the internal journey of going within will eventually through our efforts bring us to stand at the doorway of the seventh chakra where we will come to realize and understand the reason we are here. Meanwhile, the experiences gained while traversing the numerous chakras within is the true Gnana or true wisdom or true knowledge. All else is false, relevant and real only in the world of Maya or illusion.

How does karma work for one who is realized then? Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami showers some light on this.

After the realization of the Self, Parasiva, the forces of dharma and previous karma still exist, but through the force of the realization of God, much of the impending impact of karma has dwindled, and it is faced differently, treated differently. Prior to the experience of realization, karmas were dealt with in individual increments. After realization, the sum total is seen. The spiritual destiny is realized.

To the Yogis karma that once stood in their way of God-realization is removed. Fresh karma is dissolved immediately. Karma waiting to germinate is roasted in the fire of their tapas.

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami continues,

One does not have the experience of realizing the Self until all of his karma is in a state of resolve. When this begins to occur in him, he actually sees that man is not man, man is the Self, God, for his karma and the forces of his dharma have begun to become transparent to him. Through the power of his realization, the karma is created and simultaneously dissolved. This occurs for the one who lives in the timeless state of consciousness. If one were to realize the Self each day, he would live his life like writing his karma on the surface of water. The swamis who renounce the world and do tapas are trying to burn the seeds of the karmas that they did not bring with them in this life. They set fire to the whole house. They renounce the world and put restrictions upon themselves that others don’t."

Paramahansa Yogananda disperses the mystery behind karma.

In Nirbikalpa Samadhi the yogi dissolves the last vestiges of his material or earthly karma. Nevertheless, he may still have certain astral and causal karma to work out and therefore takes astral and then causal embodiment on high vibration spheres.

Both Yogi Ramsuratkumar and Bhagawan Nithyananda had mentioned that they had to leave the mortal body and asked their devotees and followers not to grieve for they could do a better job in the subtle plane.

When I thought I had all the answers and reasons why mankind suffered, the divine dealt me a blow.

Learning from Tavayogi whenever someone new comes by and shares their grievances, we too ask them to seek out the Nadi to know why they were going through tough times; we told them to come to the fold of the Siddhas and begin worship to them; we ask them to engage in doing charity too. While many followed; some saw results; some are still waiting to see their desires and wishes come true. But there was one family who came and as usual, I listed what they needed to do. But they tell me they had done all that I ask of them, but nothing changed but rather things worsened. I was taken aback and puzzled. Why did our formula that worked for others fail them? I still don't have an answer. The closest I can get to satisfy my query is the following verse from Annie Besant and Bhagawan Das's "Sanatana Dharma", The Theosophical Publishing House, 2000.

Only a full and clear knowledge of the causes in the past resulting in the suffering of the present could justify refusal to help on karmic grounds.

Recently Agathiyar came to repeat what Lord Shiva had told me some 32 years back, "Stop asking questions." He went on to tell us that our experiences will answer all the queries we carried. No one can fathom the mystery that surrounds the divine and its creation; the divine and how it sustains life; the divine and its hand in annihilation; the divine and its hand in veiling the truth: and finally the divine and its grace. Try as much as we may understand the concept, the theory, the idea, behind all these mysteries, we might seem to think that we understood them one day immediately the next day another event takes place that makes us sit back and ponder if what we understood still holds water. Every event, everything, every idea, every understanding is in a fluid state, evolving and never static. It is true that the ancients have warned us through the many age-old stories including the one where both Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu had traveled a long distance, Brahma taking the form of a swan and Vishnu a boar to find both the summit and the holy feet of Lord Shiva respectively only to end in failure.

The reality is that the divine is always one step ahead of us.