"Who are you?" asks Tavayogi and Gowri Arumugam in the opening verses of their opening song "Karunai Vihiyaal" from the audio album "Agathiyar Geetham". So who is Agathiyar? The Tamil film industry gave us a movie piecing together the many episodes from Agathiyar's life onto celluloid that has come to be a treasure for all those who wanted to know him. We too have come to know him in rather a much different way; not as a mythical figure or a legendary hero, or as some who tucked him away in the pages of history or placed him in the museums or relegated him to the dinosaur age. What they fail to realize is that he is living among us, very close or Sameepam as the scriptures say. He has been a living guru to us although still evading us from showing his form. But we are not interested in that are we, for we understand that they are beyond all forms, only taking one to please their devotees. Our journey although teeny weeny compared with all that has happened since the beginning of time in this Cosmos is one that we take pride in and one of joy. Walkthrough our journey and that of Agathiyar in the following video as we bring you a glimpse of him in all our undertakings.
I learned about him and his Nadi for the very first time, from the late medical astrologer and Siddha practitioner Dr.Krishnan in 1996. I had asked him if his predictions might not materialize since none that he told me happened. Yes, he answered if we carried curses. "Can the horoscope bring some light on this?", I asked. "No, the only way is to seek the Nadi", he replied. That was the very first time I heard about Agathiyar and the Nadi.
In 2002, my colleague, after sharing his experience in seeing the Nadi two years prior, fixes an appointment with Sivabalan to have Sentilkumar read my Nadi. I get to know the man, Agathiyar in person or to be more precise Agathiyar reveals what he had written about me in the past on dried and treated palm leaves, that now have come to be in the possession of a clan of Nadi readers called Valluvar. I was surprised that besides me, my parents and siblings and relatives and friends, there was someone else who knew me too. I got to know about my past and future, surprising me further. Moving ahead to 2003, when I meet my very first guru Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai I was surprised to see him predict about my future. How is all this possible?
Agathiyar having shown numerous miracles on my maiden journey to India, told me in the Nadi after I returned, that the miracles would continue back in Malaysia, to the extent that it would become very much a daily affair. True, these days we keep asking Agathiyar who is he, each time we settle down to reflect on the miracles that he dishes out. True to what Agathiyar said, the surprises that life has thrown at me, which every single occurrence I chose to see as a miracle kept us going strong. Swami Vivekananda wrote in the preface to his "Raja Yoga", Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1998,
The idea of supernatural beings may rouse to a certain extent the power of action in man, but it also brings spiritual decay. It brings dependance; it brings fear; it brings superstition. It degenerates into a horrible belief in the natural weakness of man. There is no supernatural says the yogi but there are in nature gross manifestations and subtle manifestations. The subtle are the causes the gross the effects. The gross can be easily perceived by the senses; not so the subtle.
True. Dependency, fear, superstition, a general belief in the weakness of one to overcome problems or even finding solutions or solving problems or making decisions for that matter are all by-products that come to settle along the way. But Agathiyar made sure we do not succumb to these weaknesses. Although we had faith and belief that he existed, we chose not to go crying to him for every small thing. He groomed us in such a way as to stand on our feet, proud but humble that we are serving him and that he lives in us. Agathiyar who we came to know as Agathin Easan or the Siva Within, although might seem like a supernatural being, capable of performing "magic" and miracles or Siddhis, we knew that he resides both externally in the other realms and closer to home, internally, residing in the very deep reaches of one's heart's recesses and that he moves in us as the breath. He is Lord Siva whom we worship in the temples when we walk the path of Sariyai; he is the guru who stands by us and teaches us the rituals and scriptures when we walk the path of Kriyai; he is a companion coming within as the breath when we walk the path of Yogam, and finally, He comes as the light within all of us when we arrive in Jnanam.
Calling us to his path, he asks to worship him, the rests of the Siddhas and other deities. What started as worship to the Siddhas, has taken a new turn with the blessings and grace of Agathiyar. Bringing us to worship him, Agathiyar led us through several stages of the soul and spiritual development and advancement. Introducing us to worship, he brought us to Sariyai. We engaged in cleaning the temple premises and preparing, setting up, etc to host the rituals or puja. Rather than be a passive bystander at rituals in temples, Agathiyar, and our gurus, brought us to actively participate in these rituals, having encouraged and taught us the finer points of these activities. We engaged in purchasing, preparing, cooking, packing serving, doing charity, etc to both devotees and the public. Gaining the merits that came with Sariyai and Kriyai, the road turned inwards. Going into yogic postures and holding them we were brought into the moment and the act, just as the many engagements and activities in Sariyai and Kriyai required us to be focussed. But here in Yoga it was a union between you and your soul, you and your body, you and your breath, you and your mind as opposed to the earlier two stages where your concentration and train of thoughts could easily be broken by other devotees, participants, and onlookers around us. Yoga is a time dedicated to the self and its recognition. If Sariyai and Kriyai were all about learning to live with the community, association, and temple, and learning to bridge the physical realm with the subtle unseen realms, Yoga is a time to engage in knowing the self, bridging the physical with the soul. Agathiyar has asked that we take up the techniques taught by Tavayogi to us many years back, which would aid in us moving within on a new adventure that awaited us, a walk on the path of Jnana.
As to my question, "How do we repay his kindness and compassion? How can we repay his care and love?", Malarvathy wrote after reading my earlier posts,
Great Anna. Yes you r right. We don't deserve to be showed kindness n compassion by Appa. As u said last time Thavayogi Ayya walked in jungle n caves. We didn't do such still Appa came for us. I'm spending my precious time with Appa by doing
1. Prayers everyday wit songs.
2. Light up vilaku wit veppanai and pure nei.
3. Drinking Thulasi water daily.
4. Spending 12min in meditation
5. Doing yoga as per Thavayogi Ayya guidance.
6. Doing breathing exercise as shown by Mahin.
7. Clearing my blockage like you shown to us.
8. As your post Tradition, currently I'm following my meals time as well.
9. Reading siddhaheartbeat posts that i missed earlier.
I will continue all the steps properly Annaa. This is how i can repay to our beloved Appa. Spending my precious time wit Appa during MCO.
Mahin wrote in about his activities in these days of partial lockdown that was posted earlier.
What have I had done for these 7 days while staying at home?
- Obviously, work from home
- Purification of the nerves (Nadi Suddhi)
- Basis Exercises to stretch the muscles
- Basic Yoga
- Meditation
- Recite Arutperum Jothi Agaval / Siddhargal praise
- Did small Homam
- Gardening
- Playing with my 1-year baby
This is time well spent by Mahin and Malar during this period of partial lockdown.
From engaging with the outside world, one slowly moves within. Gathering a myriad of experiences first from external dealings with the world around us, we move to internal experiences that according to Ramalinga Adigal, can only be spoken of to a certain extent for the experiences that go beyond those stages cannot possibly be spoken about or put into words. I guess one would then chose to remain silent and quiet, reminding us of the numerous Mouna Gurus or Silent Ones.
As I was thinking about going into self-imposed exile, Agathiyar told me that it was not time yet to do so, for there was more that he would reveal and for me to share. I understood that he and we were an electrical conduit and an appliance, as in humanity and at home and in society, respectively. We can choose to be mere puppets in their hands and recede within into the dark corners of sorrow or we could channel the hand of God and be a tool of theirs bringing cheer and hope to others. The choice is ours.
From engaging with the outside world, one slowly moves within. Gathering a myriad of experiences first from external dealings with the world around us, we move to internal experiences that according to Ramalinga Adigal, can only be spoken of to a certain extent for the experiences that go beyond those stages cannot possibly be spoken about or put into words. I guess one would then chose to remain silent and quiet, reminding us of the numerous Mouna Gurus or Silent Ones.
As I was thinking about going into self-imposed exile, Agathiyar told me that it was not time yet to do so, for there was more that he would reveal and for me to share. I understood that he and we were an electrical conduit and an appliance, as in humanity and at home and in society, respectively. We can choose to be mere puppets in their hands and recede within into the dark corners of sorrow or we could channel the hand of God and be a tool of theirs bringing cheer and hope to others. The choice is ours.