When I came to Tavayogi he told me one has to wait for 12 years for the guru to actually give him a "teaching". I did not understand the significance of that statement then. Today I understand that what he meant was a single teaching, word, phrase, or koan that is given to each student, which stands apart from other guidelines and practices that come as teaching to all from the guru. This one teaching shall change the student in a specific way. This single teaching will mold him into a special person.
Since the day I met Tavayogi in 2005, he never acknowledged me as a student. He addressed all who came to him as his son and daughters. It was only we who were claiming him as our guru. Then the day came after 12 years when he was in Malaysia in 2016. As we all gathered around him to listen to him speak during an event "An Evening with Tavayogi", that AVM organized only for the few who followed closely the teachings of his, I was surprised to hear him say that I knew how to respect a guru and acknowledged the relationship openly. I guess I was blessed to hear him say that before he went into samadhi the following year. It was not that I expected anything from him, but it was nice to be told that we qualified as his student. It pleases me that both he and Mataji have numerous times appreciated this blog too.
Erai has to come as a guru. There is no other way about it; neither is there another way for him to interact with us. Even if he were to come in the forms that we are shown as depicted in pictures and statues, we would reject him telling ourselves that its a hallucination of the mind. We would refuse to believe that he would come in this age in these forms. That is our state of the logical mind. Erai comes as a guru not to bring us to worship him forever but shall bring us to his state or even excel him in stature. Agathiyar brought us to worship him so that one day we shall become the object of our worship. I guess this explains a question that was put to me: "Why does God or Siddhas ask us to worship them?" Today he has asked us to drop all forms of external worship and to connect with the soul or Atma that resides within us. He has asked us to know our Self (the Jeevatma) first before attempting to know him (Paramatma). This is the mystic union.
Going by Agathiyar there seems to be a sudden urgency now in walking the path; nay its no more a walk now, it is running towards the goal. G. Valmikanathan writing about the three portions of the way that Ramalinga Adigal journeyed in his quest to know Erai in his book "Makers of Indian Literature - Ramalingam" published by Sahitya Akademi (e-book at http://www.vallalar.org), describes the last portion as the unitive way. He writes that "The journey is characterized by a sense of urgency. The pilgrim, in this part of his journey, begins to walk fast, then breaks into a loping trot, finally, gallops on with increasing tempo towards the beckoning smile and the outstretched arms, and is soon locked in an eternal embrace with the beloved, the eternal being, the Godhead, the ground of all being. The journey in the unitive way is composed of several factors of experience. Recollection and quiet, contemplation, ecstasy and rapture, dark night of the soul, and unitive life."
Henry Wei in his book "The Guiding Light of Lao Tzu", Synergy Books International, quotes Rabindranath Tagore on this mystic union: "The Paramatman, the supreme soul, has himself chosen this soul of ours as his bride and the marriage has been completed." Ramalinga Adigal composes a beautiful song of how his Lord had told him to prepare for this bridal marriage or mystic union an hour before the event takes place.
Going by Agathiyar there seems to be a sudden urgency now in walking the path; nay its no more a walk now, it is running towards the goal. G. Valmikanathan writing about the three portions of the way that Ramalinga Adigal journeyed in his quest to know Erai in his book "Makers of Indian Literature - Ramalingam" published by Sahitya Akademi (e-book at http://www.vallalar.org), describes the last portion as the unitive way. He writes that "The journey is characterized by a sense of urgency. The pilgrim, in this part of his journey, begins to walk fast, then breaks into a loping trot, finally, gallops on with increasing tempo towards the beckoning smile and the outstretched arms, and is soon locked in an eternal embrace with the beloved, the eternal being, the Godhead, the ground of all being. The journey in the unitive way is composed of several factors of experience. Recollection and quiet, contemplation, ecstasy and rapture, dark night of the soul, and unitive life."
Henry Wei in his book "The Guiding Light of Lao Tzu", Synergy Books International, quotes Rabindranath Tagore on this mystic union: "The Paramatman, the supreme soul, has himself chosen this soul of ours as his bride and the marriage has been completed." Ramalinga Adigal composes a beautiful song of how his Lord had told him to prepare for this bridal marriage or mystic union an hour before the event takes place.
If the purgative way needed one's efforts to prepare himself, dropping all desires and attachments, and purging the self of all imperfections and shortcomings, he takes the step onto the illuminative way where illumination, knowledge, and gnosis awaits him with the grace of Erai. Henry Wei calls this last stage - the mystic union - that takes place at the end of the journey. "The mystic union represents the unique experience stemming from "the flight of the alone to the Alone" as the famous mystic Plotinus has so well expressed. Unfortunately, it cannot be easily attained much less isolated and measured and experimented upon in the laboratory. Its actuality is entirely based on the experience and confession of the mystic themselves who were completely convinced of its authenticity." Hence it has to be experienced to be known. No amount of description in writing or spoken words shall do justice and convince others. As Henry Wei describes the skeptics' point of view: "Some skeptics have maintained that the mystics are victims of hallucination or self-hypnosis", even if one were to have gone through this stage others shall doubt, question, and challenge them calling it a hoax or hallucinations. Hence they choose to remain silent, forever merged in the bliss. As Svāmī Chityānanda Sarasvatī writes in her blog https://www.quietkarma.org/spiritual-masters/the-benefits-of-studying-the-lives-of-saints-part-2,
Most enlightened beings don’t become famous. They live quiet lives outside the notice of others. Most of them don’t even become teachers of any great status. Persons of quiet, unrecognized holiness do not attract crowds. They don’t get written into history. And yet, they exist.
Agathiyar has come down sternly on many to leave their old ways. For one who went to all saints and gurus and masters, he pointed out to him that he too had the potential to be a guru, hence having him stop his visitations, searching and seeking. For another who amused himself in talking and discussing about the Siddhas at length, he was told to put into practice whatever he was taught. For another who gave reasons not to do his askings, he came hard on her telling her that all that is done on time shall bring the desired results and not otherwise. To another who was not serious about his practice, he came down hard on him telling him to stop the child play. To another who was strongly cemented to the deed of doing charity, Agathiyar told him that this too shall pass for he has to go within eventually. As the path narrows, we are asked to patiently take in the hardship and pain that comes with this internal transformation. We are assured of the light at the end of the tunnel. As the path narrows, we have to move one at a time instead of in rows or in formation or groups as we took too Sariyai and Kriyai. The path and the gate or opening at the end of it is just large enough for only one to traverse at a time. Having shown all the miracles outside that he possibly could show us within the limitations of space-time, he has asked to see many more miracles take place within, this time without any limitations or beyond all limitations.