ARRIVING THERE IN GOOD TIME

Agathiyar had three words for us. In the beginning, he spoke about Karma, the determining factor in taking birth, and how to end it. Karma be it good or bad is a reason to be born again. Next, he made us realize that human birth was difficult to come by, having taken numerous other forms before to eventually reach it. The human birth is also the threshold from where we can take the ultimate leap to freedom. Man with his sense of differentiating between the good and the bad, can initiate good deeds and do charity and service to humanity, thus eradicating all of his karma in a single birth. Animals we are told are not capable of doing so, hence they have to be born again and again as animals to exhaust all their karma. The soul or Atma that has taken on a form of an animal, for it to regain the human form, will take millions of kalpas. An animal birth is taken to exclusively cleanse itself of karma. It does not add further karma. It lives as long as it has karma to be exhausted. Once its karma is exhausted it dies. Eventually, after many births, it takes birth as a human where it can think for itself, for only we have the power of reasoning, while animals act on instinct alone. "Instincts are the functional correlatives of structure in animals. They know without instruction, pattern, or experience, how to make both structure and function most effective in self-preservation, or defense, or care for eggs and young, not because they have any notion either of life or of death, or of self, or of preservation writes William James at https://brocku.ca/MeadProject/James/James_1887.html

Next, After 18 years Agathiyer speaks about Gnana, the ultimate tool to freedom. Here we see a similarity with what Jetsun Milarepa, a Tibetan Siddha, told the common folks too. In the introduction to Lama Kunga Rimpoche and Brian Cutillo’s translation of MIRACULOUS JOURNEY - Further Stories and Songs of Milarepa, Lotsawa,1986, Vivian Sinder and Brian Cutillo wrote,

Milarepa spoke to simple folk about the need to make use of this precious human existence for spiritual advancement and not to ignore karma. Milarepa's interactions established karmic connections with all sorts of people, enabling him to plant seeds for spiritual development in ways not always immediately comprehensible. 

So did Agathiyar bring us to understand the inner workings of karma through the late Hanumathdasan's gift to mankind, his compilation of the real-life stories that covered some 40 years of consultation by the public with the Jeeva Nadi in his possession reigning from secular interests of man to the ever mysterious and mystical. The 5 volumes of amazing stories were published by Aranthangi Shankar and many other mystical stories were posted by Velayudham Karthigayan on his blog Siththan Arul. These stories were an eye-opener and educated me, who had just come to the fold of the Siddhas then, on the mystery, extent, and hold of karma on us. 

Agathiyar planted the seed in us and through Tavayogi and many other Siddhas and masters came along to water and nurture it. His 5 tenets for a purposeful living as revealed at the Tamil Sangam gave us the insight to live a purposeful life. We learned that whatever little merits that man has, has to be passed on or transferred to the animals too. We have to learn to live with nature and help them rise in stature by our interaction with them.

It is mentioned that a "divine person", “By concentrating his spirit, he can protect creatures from sickness and plague and make the harvest plentiful.” (Chapter 1, tr. Watson 1968:33 source http://en.wikipedia.org/)

Hence the reason we have selected animals referred to as holy, beast of burdens, farm animals and pets, and holy plants and flowers that serve as cures and adorn the holy feet of Erai during puja respectively.

How could Erai come to instruct us if not through the form of a human? Here we see them as gurus. In Bhagawan Ramana's "Arunachala - Ocean of Grace Divine, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai,  is written a beautiful passage,

Humanity solely needed a person who could combine in himself all the qualities of all the saints and sages and seers right from vedic times onwards. Such a one would have to come in human form to demonstrate with finality and absolute authority the way to self realization. The age needed a master everpresent, readily acessible, offering never failing guidance, available both at the physical plane and the spiritual plane at all times. 

Where has this journey of ours with Agathiyar, Tavayogi and the other Siddhas brought us to? The Koan "First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is" explains it beautifully. 

During the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese Ch’an (Zen in Japanese) master Qingyuan Weixin famously wrote: “Before I had studied Ch’an for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and rivers as rivers. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and rivers are not rivers. But now that I have got its very substance, I am at rest. For it’s just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and rivers once again as rivers.” First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is. (Source: Donald S. Lopez, Jr. at https://tricycle.org/magazine/first-there-mountain-then-there-no-mountain/)

After gaining the essence and the substance they can opt to live life minus the fear of attachment, desire, and worry of accumulating karma, as it is not only dropped but transformed in its entirety. They are the Jeevanmuktas.

Andraz from Slovenia mailed me an extract from the book "Outer Chapters" of the Zhuangzi a parable that mentions a conversation between "Cloud Chief"  and "Big Concealment" that gives us a method to enter a state of silence or maunam.

Cloud Chief: "Heavenly Master, it has been hard indeed for me to meet with you—I beg one word of instruction!"

Big Concealment: "Well, then—mind nourishment! You have only to rest in inaction and things will transform themselves. Smash your form and body, spit out hearing and eyesight, forget you are a thing among other things, and you may join in great unity with the deep and boundless. Undo the mind, slough off spirit, be blank and soulless, and the ten thousand things one by one will return to the root—return to the root and not know why. Dark and undifferentiated chaos—to the end of life none will depart from it. But if you try to know it, you have already departed from it. Do not ask what its name is, do not try to observe its form. Things will live naturally end of themselves."

Cloud Chief: "The Heavenly Master has favored me with this Virtue, instructed me in this Silence. All my life I have been looking for it, and now at last I have it!" 

He bowed his head twice, stood up, took his leave, and went away. (Chapter 11, tr. Burton Watson 1968:122-3 source http://en.wikipedia.org/,)

In Chapter 12 of the said book,

The true sage is a quail at rest, a little fledgling at its meal, a bird in flight who leaves no trail behind. When the world has the Way, he joins in the chorus with all other things. When the world is without the Way, he nurses his Virtue and retires in leisure. And after a thousand years, should he be weary of the world, he will leave it and ascend to the immortals, riding on those white clouds all the way up to the village of God. 

It looks like this is how we should live and end our lives, live to do his work, hence living in peace, and also leaving in peace, with no hype or seeking attention and publicity. Yogi Ramsurat was one such guru. Will Zulkowsky, one of the first westerners to meet the Yogi, writes in his book ‘Meetings with Yogi Ramsuratkumar’, published by Yogi Ramsuratkumar Bhavan,

Even drinking tea with Swami was a unique experience. The tea was brought in a pot with the cups empty. Swami would then place each cup carefully in front of each person, then proceed to pour the tea. Once the tea was poured, after Swami sipped His tea, then could the rest begin. This was the protocol. Once I unconsciously moved my teacup closer after Swami had placed it. Swami then stopped, gave me a look, and told me firmly I had just spoiled His work. He said then that he had to make some adjustments to compensate for my blunder. Finally, we understand that He has His mission to do what He calls "the Father's Work" and seems to be totally immersed in this work.

Ma Devaki writes in the introduction to her book ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar, The Divine Beggar’ published by Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram, 2008,

Those of us who attempted to find some details of Sri Yogiji's past life was at once admonished by him with a cryptic remark, "There is no need to know the origin of Ganga or the places through which it passes. Take a dip in its holy waters and purify yourself. That will do."

When a French writer asked the Yogi what was his message for the world the Yogi replied, as quoted by Ma Devaki,

"What message? This beggar has no material to give you. For messages, you must go to people like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharishi, my Master Swami Ramdas, Ram Thirth, etc. Enough has been said already. This beggar has no new message to give you. But Father has given a name to the world that can liberate people! - the name Yogi Ramsuratkumar! That's all! What can anybody write on this dirty beggar? Then what can anyone write on this mad sinner who is so lazy, who only eats, sleeps, and smokes cigarettes which he buys with the money you people throw into his bowl?"

Although he denied he had a message, "Indeed he had a message for us", wrote Ma Devaki.

“I am infinite and so are you and so is everyone, my friend. But there is a veil. You can see only an infinitesimal part of me. But have faith - no one is isolated. No one is separate. This sun, moon, stars, the tree, the stone, you and I all are related. When a blade of grass is trampled upon, a distant star trembles. It is all one life, my friend, one life! ”

Olga Amman quotes Ma Devaki meeting the Yogi for the first time in her book, ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’,

For quite some time, in the Eighties, I had been in search of an enlightened Guru like Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Ramana Maharshi. I also went up to the Himalayas every year, hoping for some miracle - man who could perform the miracle of my own transformation. But nothing happened to me despite the fact that some great souls granted me their darshans.

When I went and knocked at the door of Sri Bhagavan in Sannidhi Street, on December 27th, 1986, little did I know about the momentous turn of events waiting for me! The very first appearance of him at the doorstep of Sannidhi Street shook the depths of my being, and tears began to stream down helplessly. He took my two friends and me right inside the house and made us sit in a row. He sat in front of me, and addressing himself to me in particular, he asked: “Can this beggar do anything for you?” He did it so gently, so tenderly that something stirred deep within me and I managed through all those tears to say, “I want to see God…That’s all!” 

As if he had just heard the funniest joke ever, he began to laugh – pearls of laughter cascaded and filled the air with such richness that instantly everybody broke into smiles too, except me. I felt like a worm and thought I had committed a blunder. I began to sob. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped his laughter and said: “Devaki is a pure soul. She will see God. Devaki is a pure soul”. He repeated this sentence again and again.

Then, Swami’s face turned a radiant red, eyes glowing like jewels. He raised his hand up in benediction, accompanying his gesture with a loud ‘HUM’ sound. The whole atmosphere became intense. All thoughts vanished and tears stopped. I felt a strong current passing through me, shaking my whole body. My entire being got centered on him – him, the sole Divine Presence. A beautiful peace and bliss descended on me. When I came out, it wasn’t me anymore.”

Peace and calm, joy, and bliss can indeed be given by a guru, but one needs to learn to keep it with continuous devotion as Patanjali says.

What Patanjali has described as the completion of the yogic path is what, deep down, all human beings aspire to: peace. We also might give some thought to the fact that this ultimate stage of yoga—enlightenment—can neither be bought nor possessed. It can only be experienced, the price of which is the continual devotion of the aspirant. (Source: https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/the-eight-limbs?li_source=LI&li_medium=m2m-rcw-yoga-journal) 

So did Tavayogi ask to prolong those moments and Ramalinga Adigal asks to enjoy those moments as these moments are rare to come by.

“Everything is perfect because everything happens by the will of my Father. So, nothing is wrong in this world. Everything is perfect”. - Yogi Ramsuratkumar