When reporting to the Roman Senate on his extremely successful military campaign against Pharnaces II, king of Pontus in 47 BC, Julius Caesar summed up the campaign by stating veni, vidi, vici - which translates - I came, I saw, I conquered.
(Source: https://www.bookbrowse.com/expressions/detail/index.cfm/expression_number/152/i-came-i-saw-i-conquered)
The line took Caesar to become the Emperor of Rome. (Eric Dodd, M.A. from Historians (1983)We too came, we saw and we conquered. But our conquest too like that of Caesar was of land and treasures. But there were others who knew the futility of grabbing and owning possessions as it was impermanent in its stature. When even the very body was thought of as another possession that would eventually turn to dust, these mysterious Siddhas proved otherwise. Today they remain in the state of effulgence or light or jothi, still guiding humanity. We are blessed to get connected with these guiding masters.
Human birth is rare and sacred we are told. But most of us who have taken another birth to live out our desires would be ignorant of the gift of life and this birth. Unaware that the body is the greatest miracle, we do not have the slightest thought of taking care of it. Besides the ravages of time that the body goes through, we push it to its maximum limits, exhausting it, stressing it, exposing it to the dangers of pollution, illness, disease, and inviting premature death.
பிறப்பு கேட்டு வருவது. இவ்வாழ்க்கை நீயே கேட்டுப் பெற்றது. நீ காண்பது உன் பிறவி பலன்.
Lord Muruga tells us that it is we who chose this life and asks for it, without being compelled by others or other forces. Whatever we are going through and receiving currently is a result of our past merits. Hence our unfulfilled desires or latent vasanas and past karma determine the subsequent births.
வந்ததின் நோக்கம் மருந்து போயின.
Lord Muruga tells us that it is we who chose this life and asks for it, without being compelled by others or other forces. Whatever we are going through and receiving currently is a result of our past merits. Hence our unfulfilled desires or latent vasanas and past karma determine the subsequent births.
வந்ததின் நோக்கம் மருந்து போயின.
But we have forgotten its purpose.
The most compassionate Lord waits for his children to make a decision, to take the decision to come back to his path, and eventually return home. We must have had a desire that blossomed in our minds and thoughts that snowballed beyond our hold adding on layers upon layers of karma and more desires in each birth. Now its time to go into reverse gear and consult the Siddhas to reveal our mistakes and show us a way out of our pathetic state that is our own making.
The most compassionate Lord waits for his children to make a decision, to take the decision to come back to his path, and eventually return home. We must have had a desire that blossomed in our minds and thoughts that snowballed beyond our hold adding on layers upon layers of karma and more desires in each birth. Now its time to go into reverse gear and consult the Siddhas to reveal our mistakes and show us a way out of our pathetic state that is our own making.
Turning to the Siddha path we are told of the greatness of taking birth and that it is a gift. There is a need to stay strong and healthy for the soul to realize its purpose and accomplish its mission. Lord Muruga has warned me of the need to take care of the body to attain Gnanam. Any effort by the soul towards realizing its goal is only possible with the aid of the body that is both a tool and a vehicle. The sadhaka on the Siddha path begins to love his body. He loves life. He loves nature. He loves all of creation. He learns to see Erai in all of his creation. With further moderate yogic practices and austerities or tavam, his body and mind is prepared to become a receptacle for Erai to enter and reside. Once Erai comes within the physical body, he takes on the nature of Erai and all its impurities or malam clears just as darkness disappears the moment light is brought in. But this process of transforming the physical body into an apt vessel and container for the Divine to take up abode is a painful one. Ramalinga Adigal mentions the initial 12 years that he had to bear the anguish and pain.
The Siddhas are known to take measures and extreme care to upkeep their body. Through the secret science of immortality, they keep their body intact without having it go through the process of aging. They knew of anti-aging therapy, the ancient rejuvenation practice of Kaya Kalpa that kept death away. The Siddhas who took elixir or karpam and regained youthfulness, putting a full stop to future birth. They broke the cycle of death and birth by avoiding the causes of death, hence stopping dead in its track and thus preventing a recurrence of birth. They attained immortality with the physical body still intact. They live forever as Chiranjeevi. Many tales are told of such master and gurus who performed this magnificent feat.
- Manikavasagar describes how Erai came with his entourage and brought him to his fold.
பொத்தை ஊன் சுவர் புழுப்பொதிந்து உளுத்து அசும்பு ஒழுகிய பொய்க்கூரை
இத்தை மெய்யெனக் கருதி நின்று இடர்க் கடல் சுழித்தலைப் படுவேனை
முத்து மாமணி மாணிக்க வயிரத்த பவளத்தின் முழுச் சோதி
அத்தன் ஆண்டு தன் அடியரில் கூட்டிய அதிசயம் கண்டோமே,,
Regarding the body as an impermanent shelter initially, "Residing in a dwelling made of meat walls and with numerous openings, and a false roof, with worms crawling within, when damaged, fluids begin to flow, whence I am tossed about in an endless whirlpool of suffering; when such a dwelling is regarded as real and turned towards the sparkle of the gem-studded Erai, he brings me into his fold and company of his servants", he saw the divine in it later.
The body that exhibited emotions and sufferings and took on pain now takes on bliss. Manikavasagar upon meeting Erai and attaining bliss could not live another moment separate from Erai. Not knowing the means to permanently unite with Erai, he laments, "I tried to severe this body that has sinned, by all possible means and failed. Neither does the soul free itself on its own. I cannot live another moment without you."
He then comes to a sudden realization that this body was not his to take. He begins to plead for Paramukthi, gaining Siddhi with the body intact. He prays that Erai takes him to his abode with the physical body intact. He brings Erai within so that the physical body does not perish and merges with Tillai Ambalar still retaining his body.
- The young Thirugnanasambandhar took the hands of his wife in marriage and led all those who came to witness his marriage into the Jhoti and merged with it at Nallur.
- Similarly, the elder Thirunavukarasar held on to the feet of Erai and burst into combustion, and merged with Erai at Thirupugalur, just as the camphor burns and vanishes into thin air.
- Sundarar mounted an elephant that was sent by Lord Shiva while his friend Cheraman Perumal followed closely behind on a horse at Thiruvanjai. Both reached Erai's kingdom in the physical form.
- In recent times we know of Ramalinga Adigal who transformed his body to merge with Erai and all of creation.
- Agathiyar in a Nadi reading for Tavayogi's daughter who was saddened that her father had adorned the kaavi and taken monkhood, pacifies her that Lord Shiva and Parvathi will come on a Puspa Vimanam to bring his soul back with him.
- After the demise of Tavayogi, a devotee had a dream in which she saw Tavayogi seated in a boat with others while Lord Shiva was rowing them across the waters towards a hill that had many ascetics, mendicants, sadhu, Siddhas, Rishis going about their religious and spiritual chores.
- Both Dhanvantri and Ramalinga Adigal told us that Tavayogi had attained the state of jothi and was guiding us even after leaving his mortal frame.