Yuvarani shared Agathiyar's sayings in our group some time back, which carried a very profound and deep meaning.
உனக்கு வழி காட்டும் புனிதநூல் உன்னால் மட்டுமே எழுதப்பட முடியும்.
அது உன்னுடைய அனுபவங்களைக் கொண்டுதான் எழுதப்பட வேண்டும்.
You have to write your own guidebook for your journey, based on your experiences. Generally a guide, in this case, a book, is used to either start a journey, a process, or a procedure. We tend to take up a spiritual book, or a spiritually evolved person as a guide and follow its/his teachings. Here Agathiyar says that that book, that is to be your guide, has to be written by you, and only you. With their grace, this book that we write shall serve as a stepping stone for others to take the first step. Paramahansa Yogananda's autobiography did wonders when it mooted interest in me in wanting to know gurus or masters, for before that we only knew the divine as seen in the temples. He showed us many god-men in his book. Supramania Swami spoke about his gurus and showed me how a disciple connects with them placing himself as a role model. I learned Guru Bakti or devotion to the guru from him.
The guru comes only to show us the possibilities available out there. It is for us to take the step courageously. No two persons shall have the same set of experiences. Neither shall they react similarly. Hence there is a myriad of combinations, probabilities, and possibilities waiting to be discovered by each soul. As we walk this life, the experiences gained from our encounters will be the guide for our journey. This is how we evolve spiritually from being an ordinary man with all the flaws and shortcomings to become divine in nature, with godlike qualities. With experience as a teacher, we determine our destiny; we make our destiny. With the guru's grace, we break the hold of karma, that seems to be the reason or cause, and the planets, that are the tools or medium, that initiates and sustains the entire process, necessitating the appropriate forces, actions, and effects to apply on us, in a timely manner. D.C. Desai quotes Paul Brunton in "Divine Grace Through Total Self-Surrender",
If the songs of the saints melted the hearts of the listeners, the philosophical meanings in these songs opened up their minds to the reality that was shrouded in veils or curtains. Manickavasagar in his திருவாசகம்/போற்றித் திருவகவல், sings that there are ஆறு கோடி மாயா சக்திகள் வேறு வேறு தம் மாயைகள் தொடங்கின that veils us. That many forms of Maya that veils us from reaching the truth. Once this veil is drawn aside by the grace of God he realizes that all that he believed existed were false and that they only seemed real in this realm of illusion or maya, just as a dream would seem real to us in sleep.
Agathiyar says, "உன்னை நீ முழுதும் அறிந்து உன்னைச் சுற்றி இருக்கும் கணங்கள் அறிந்து எதுவும் நிலை அற்றது என்று நீ அறியும் அத்தருணம் வெளிக்குள் நீயே வெளி கடப்பாய். அத்தருணமே சும்மா இருப்பது."
Its all a dream said Bharathi. The horizon is an illusion and so is everything else says the scientist, an idea placed before us by our saints including Adi Sankara.
On coming face to face with truth, reaching the source that is Sivan, we settle back into our original potential state until an unexhausted desire or vasana carried over has to see the light of the day and justifies another birth. When the partnering associates come together and agree upon that it is then time to reincarnate in the world to see through the fruition of these desires, we are born in this world again in another body.
Lately, Agathiyar has been asking us to revisit the Yoga techniques taught by Tavayogi, emphasizing on cleansing the Nadis and watching the breath. Ramalinga Adigal too came along to guide us further. Both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal come again and again asking if we are adhering to their teachings and reminding us of the importance of placing concerted effort in practicing these techniques before the other stages are made known to us. Effort, effort and more effort seems to be the key word on this path. Leonard Orr observes in his book "The Yoga of Everlasting Life", the common denominators of the practices of all eight immortals he had met. Leonard Orr basically sums up the Siddha path.
Traveling the path and even upon reaching the final stage that of Gnanam one would still encounter more veils or curtains. We are blessed that they are not walls or boulders but merely veils or curtains that can be drawn aside. Ramalinga Adigal says the guru shall draw them aside once we come to the right understanding. Adigal placed seven veils depicting Maya and which when pulled aside reveals the truth, Arutperunjhoti, the true self devoid of malas. He defines these seven veils of spiritual ignorance as lust (kamam), anger (krodham), greed (lobham), infatuation (moham), pride (ynadha), malice (matsaryam) and killings (kolai). Ramalinga Adigal says we have to drop these seven veils that cover us preventing us from seeing the truth and reaching it.
உனக்கு வழி காட்டும் புனிதநூல் உன்னால் மட்டுமே எழுதப்பட முடியும்.
அது உன்னுடைய அனுபவங்களைக் கொண்டுதான் எழுதப்பட வேண்டும்.
You have to write your own guidebook for your journey, based on your experiences. Generally a guide, in this case, a book, is used to either start a journey, a process, or a procedure. We tend to take up a spiritual book, or a spiritually evolved person as a guide and follow its/his teachings. Here Agathiyar says that that book, that is to be your guide, has to be written by you, and only you. With their grace, this book that we write shall serve as a stepping stone for others to take the first step. Paramahansa Yogananda's autobiography did wonders when it mooted interest in me in wanting to know gurus or masters, for before that we only knew the divine as seen in the temples. He showed us many god-men in his book. Supramania Swami spoke about his gurus and showed me how a disciple connects with them placing himself as a role model. I learned Guru Bakti or devotion to the guru from him.
The guru comes only to show us the possibilities available out there. It is for us to take the step courageously. No two persons shall have the same set of experiences. Neither shall they react similarly. Hence there is a myriad of combinations, probabilities, and possibilities waiting to be discovered by each soul. As we walk this life, the experiences gained from our encounters will be the guide for our journey. This is how we evolve spiritually from being an ordinary man with all the flaws and shortcomings to become divine in nature, with godlike qualities. With experience as a teacher, we determine our destiny; we make our destiny. With the guru's grace, we break the hold of karma, that seems to be the reason or cause, and the planets, that are the tools or medium, that initiates and sustains the entire process, necessitating the appropriate forces, actions, and effects to apply on us, in a timely manner. D.C. Desai quotes Paul Brunton in "Divine Grace Through Total Self-Surrender",
Divine grace is a manifestation of the cosmic freewill in operation. It can alter the course of events in a mysterious manner through its own unknown laws, which are superior to all natural laws, and can modify the latter by interaction. It is the most powerful force in the universe. It descends and acts, only when it is invoked by total self-surrender. It acts from within, because God resides in the heart of all beings. Its whisper can be heard only in a mind purified by self-surrender and prayer.When we walk the walk and talk the talk, the Siddhas come along with us and stay with us. Shantideva says "He makes us dead to our own existence and alive to his own." It is said that once a devotee is consumed by the love of Erai or his Guru, he begins to express the bliss outwardly, churning out melodies, songs, poems. The songs become an expression of his state of ecstasy, bliss, and joy. Saints having reached these exalted states of bliss have left behind extensive renderings, songs, and literature for progeny. Again these are the experiences of these saints documented as songs, for others to read, listen, and cherish in their hearts. These songs have a mystical nature in them as they shall unknowingly work wonders in the hearts of the listeners. As Tavayogi says they have the capacity to bring the listener to a state of Gnanam. Ramalinga Adigal of recent times documented his spiritual experiences, in the form of songs too, published as the Thiruarutpa. These compositions move the soul. They melt even those hearts of stone.
If the songs of the saints melted the hearts of the listeners, the philosophical meanings in these songs opened up their minds to the reality that was shrouded in veils or curtains. Manickavasagar in his திருவாசகம்/போற்றித் திருவகவல், sings that there are ஆறு கோடி மாயா சக்திகள் வேறு வேறு தம் மாயைகள் தொடங்கின that veils us. That many forms of Maya that veils us from reaching the truth. Once this veil is drawn aside by the grace of God he realizes that all that he believed existed were false and that they only seemed real in this realm of illusion or maya, just as a dream would seem real to us in sleep.
Agathiyar says, "உன்னை நீ முழுதும் அறிந்து உன்னைச் சுற்றி இருக்கும் கணங்கள் அறிந்து எதுவும் நிலை அற்றது என்று நீ அறியும் அத்தருணம் வெளிக்குள் நீயே வெளி கடப்பாய். அத்தருணமே சும்மா இருப்பது."
Its all a dream said Bharathi. The horizon is an illusion and so is everything else says the scientist, an idea placed before us by our saints including Adi Sankara.
On coming face to face with truth, reaching the source that is Sivan, we settle back into our original potential state until an unexhausted desire or vasana carried over has to see the light of the day and justifies another birth. When the partnering associates come together and agree upon that it is then time to reincarnate in the world to see through the fruition of these desires, we are born in this world again in another body.
Lately, Agathiyar has been asking us to revisit the Yoga techniques taught by Tavayogi, emphasizing on cleansing the Nadis and watching the breath. Ramalinga Adigal too came along to guide us further. Both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal come again and again asking if we are adhering to their teachings and reminding us of the importance of placing concerted effort in practicing these techniques before the other stages are made known to us. Effort, effort and more effort seems to be the key word on this path. Leonard Orr observes in his book "The Yoga of Everlasting Life", the common denominators of the practices of all eight immortals he had met. Leonard Orr basically sums up the Siddha path.
Notice the main points are not intellectually stimulating. They are practices. They are not something you can learn. They are something, which you do. They are like the water, which runs forever, the fire, which is always consuming. The wind, which always moves. The earth, always changing and nourishing. The immortal yogis who do these simple practices are always awake and alive. The basic practices described here naturally evolve the soul to this high state of body mastery.
Astanga yoga is known to play its part in bringing discipline to the mind or manam. Rengaraja Desiga Swamigal lists the four disciplines or Ozhukkam or restraints or self - control that Adigal spoke about in addressing the malas, translated into English by R.G.Rajaram.
1. Indriya Ozhukkam that is of two kinds, Gnana Indriya Ozhukkam (listening to the praise of God, preventing bad words entering our ears, avoiding looks of harshness and wickedness, abstaining from touching evil things, abstaining from gluttony, etc) and Karma Indriya Ozhukkam (speaking sweet words, telling no lies, resisting by all means from harmful deeds to other living beings, leading a religious life, associating ourselves with people of a saintly character, and maintaining a healthy body.)
2. Karma Ozhukkam where the mind has to be directed to the cit sabhai or the abode of the divine residing in the heart, by taking it away from other objects, not to enquire into the faults of others, not to be wicked.
3. Jiva Ozhukkam where discipline that teaches one to treat all human beings as equal, and feel the presence of oneself in all human beings, not be affected by the various distinctions as social, national, linguistic, caste, religion, etc. admonishing that the soul belongs to a different sphere where no differences exist.
4. Anma Ozhukkam wherein further development of jiva ozhukkam is extended. Here the soul looks upon all living beings alike. The soul feels great compassion for all the beings, considers the soul or anma as the chamber or sabhai, and the ‘inner light’ as god.
Traveling the path and even upon reaching the final stage that of Gnanam one would still encounter more veils or curtains. We are blessed that they are not walls or boulders but merely veils or curtains that can be drawn aside. Ramalinga Adigal says the guru shall draw them aside once we come to the right understanding. Adigal placed seven veils depicting Maya and which when pulled aside reveals the truth, Arutperunjhoti, the true self devoid of malas. He defines these seven veils of spiritual ignorance as lust (kamam), anger (krodham), greed (lobham), infatuation (moham), pride (ynadha), malice (matsaryam) and killings (kolai). Ramalinga Adigal says we have to drop these seven veils that cover us preventing us from seeing the truth and reaching it.
Bringing us to understand our role and true purpose in taking this birth, Agathiyar slowly brought us to understand the soul within and work on it too. We understood the soul to be the bridge that connected the body with the spirit. We are an assembly of body, soul, and spirit with the soul being the bridge that connects the body or udal with the spirit or uyir. The nature of the soul is described by P.Karthigayan as "We have another body inside the one we possess with pride and that it has all qualities of our outer body except its physical self, which we either bury or burn." Karthigayan writes that the soul continues to live with the same qualities that it acquired in its body in which it previously dwelt. This would mean that the physical body has to serve the soul to garner a better birth for the spirit to enter another body in another birth, with acts of high virtue, that add on merits, and avoiding the vices. There is the much needed physical body to serve its purpose in reaching the abode of god. Then there is the abode of god in the very heart of each person. Finally, the inner light or spirit that resides in the inner chamber of the heart or cave of the heart. Ramalinga Adigal asks us to kindle this light that originally is but only a spark to an intensity that the very body itself transforms into its glory and becomes luminous or a Oli Deham.
Agathiyar took the time to spell out the ways and means of saving our souls. We need to come out of Maya first. If all this while we have been working on the body that is only a sheath or covering, adorning it with cosmetics, clothing, and ornaments, bathing it, feeding it, and praising the self and each other and inflating the ego, now he wants us to work on the soul. He wants us to take responsibility for our actions, and change accordingly, only then shall the soul come out of Maya. The soul needs to grief over the sufferings of others. Then compassion begins to well in us. It's only when the soul feels the pain of another that it shall come to and remain on the path of the Siddhas. Agathiyar showed us the avenue for us to do our small part towards working on and accomplishing this. We were introduced to do charity.
Soon he brought us to work on our soul. Agathiyar brought us to understand that the means to strengthen the soul or gain Atma Balam was by using the body as a tool. If initially we were told to gather merits or points by carrying out acts of dharma and service, leading to an accumulation of good karma that can be used to offset and balance those wrongs done intentionally or otherwise, slowly he brought us to realize that beyond and above collecting Bonus Link points that can be exchanged for gifts later on, these acts of charity serve the very purpose of dissolving the stone-hearted who never gave a second glance or look at the plight of the poor and hungry. If through worship the soul cried for the grace of the divine, his blessings, or arul and darshan or vision, now by doing charity, his soul now griefs for the pain and sufferings of the small section of society who are exposed to continuous and repeated suffering and misery. Soon his glance falls on the sufferings and pain of animals too. Ramalinga Adigal went a step ahead and it pained him to see the plants and crops wither. Compassion arises in the hearts. Only when the soul griefs for the sufferings of others shall one come out of Maya says Agathiyar. The day we win over Maya and its grip and hold on us, is the day we have truly come into the fold of the Siddhas. The day compassion arises in us is the day we gain access to the Siddhas. Hence the Siddha Margam is not for the masses as seen in Bakti and the temples, says Agathiyar strongly. It is definitely not for window shoppers and spectators. It is not for people who come to fulfill their material desires.
Soon he brought us to work on our soul. Agathiyar brought us to understand that the means to strengthen the soul or gain Atma Balam was by using the body as a tool. If initially we were told to gather merits or points by carrying out acts of dharma and service, leading to an accumulation of good karma that can be used to offset and balance those wrongs done intentionally or otherwise, slowly he brought us to realize that beyond and above collecting Bonus Link points that can be exchanged for gifts later on, these acts of charity serve the very purpose of dissolving the stone-hearted who never gave a second glance or look at the plight of the poor and hungry. If through worship the soul cried for the grace of the divine, his blessings, or arul and darshan or vision, now by doing charity, his soul now griefs for the pain and sufferings of the small section of society who are exposed to continuous and repeated suffering and misery. Soon his glance falls on the sufferings and pain of animals too. Ramalinga Adigal went a step ahead and it pained him to see the plants and crops wither. Compassion arises in the hearts. Only when the soul griefs for the sufferings of others shall one come out of Maya says Agathiyar. The day we win over Maya and its grip and hold on us, is the day we have truly come into the fold of the Siddhas. The day compassion arises in us is the day we gain access to the Siddhas. Hence the Siddha Margam is not for the masses as seen in Bakti and the temples, says Agathiyar strongly. It is definitely not for window shoppers and spectators. It is not for people who come to fulfill their material desires.
As Agathiyar brought us to release our hold and dependence on Sariyai and Kriyai respectively and slowly led us to go within, he told me that there was a need to learn about the உடற்கூறு தத்துவம் first, before we could step into Yogam, asking me to refer to Tavayogi's teachings. When Agathiyar asks that we learn about the body, we are also learning about the universe as well, since what is above and out there is also within us, we are told. As the body is relative to the universe around us, a study of the former will justify a study of the cosmos too.
Wondering how all these are related to udal kooru tatvas? - the knowledge about the composition of the body the 96 tattvas. Both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal are asking us to read up about it. Why is this knowledge required to go within?
We come into being upon assembly of these 96 tattvas. So when we return to the source we need to know them so that we can disperse them to their respective origin, like how Ramalinga Adigal disappeared from sight but is forever in existence. When they need to materialize they gather these elements again and appear. So what seems to be there forever is the thoughts the subtlest form of the prana. Thoughts generate action. Then the Lila begins. Again and again.
Mahin added that "With the knowledge of Udal Kooru Thatvas, a person can return the body back to the elements and merge the soul to Jothi... But still exist everywhere. Hence we need this knowledge to change the body while we progressing towards Oli Deham. Else a person achieved Oli Deham but doesn’t have this knowledge, he/she cannot transform the body and could end up with Samadhi. Or if the body became too old and not healthy could end up with normal death. Now I understand why Agathiyar Appa and Siddhas all keep mentioning to keep our body healthy."
Wondering how all these are related to udal kooru tatvas? - the knowledge about the composition of the body the 96 tattvas. Both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal are asking us to read up about it. Why is this knowledge required to go within?
We come into being upon assembly of these 96 tattvas. So when we return to the source we need to know them so that we can disperse them to their respective origin, like how Ramalinga Adigal disappeared from sight but is forever in existence. When they need to materialize they gather these elements again and appear. So what seems to be there forever is the thoughts the subtlest form of the prana. Thoughts generate action. Then the Lila begins. Again and again.
Mahin added that "With the knowledge of Udal Kooru Thatvas, a person can return the body back to the elements and merge the soul to Jothi... But still exist everywhere. Hence we need this knowledge to change the body while we progressing towards Oli Deham. Else a person achieved Oli Deham but doesn’t have this knowledge, he/she cannot transform the body and could end up with Samadhi. Or if the body became too old and not healthy could end up with normal death. Now I understand why Agathiyar Appa and Siddhas all keep mentioning to keep our body healthy."