Monday 6 July 2020

PAYING HOMAGE TO THE GURU

Caught in the lure of the pleasures of life, we have postponed the big journey that the Siddhas laid for us. Agathiyar has taken the whip and has put us back on track. Suddenly there is an urgency in seeing through the remaining part of this magnificent journey. He has brought us to shut the windows to the external and wants us to walk within. Many remained at their level of initiation, never placing the effort to carry out what was told. As Tavayogi once said our effort was only till the second chakra Svadisthana, I took up the call to come to the path and carried out all that was told and placed the effort that brought me till Svathistanam where I began to stagnate. There was no progress beyond that. In the absence of both my gurus in physical form, I remained and waited patiently. Our gurus did not desert us. Ramalinga Adigal tells us that they are trying their best to elevate us even after going into samadhi. We are blessed.

When Agathiyar told us to bring to a halt Sariyai and Kriyai and engage in Yoga by going within, we did as told. The puja done on Thursdays, Full Moon and New Moon came to a halt. I gave away my Homa Kundam or the vessel in which the sacrificial fire is lit to one who was keen to do it. I thought now the ritual lives on not coming to an end as someone else has taken over the task of doing it. When hot air above the land expands and rises, a vast depression is formed and sucks up the air above the ocean. This air makes it's way inland and comes down as rain or the monsoon. Preparing us to go within, Agathiyar had asked us to stop our engagements in doing charity. The day we decided to end that too, a volunteer came up to take up the good deed, hence relieving us of the responsibility and ensuring the poor and unfortunate are fed and taken care of.



Fearing that I might give away his statue too, Agathiyar laid a condition that I never fail to carry out his Guru Puja that coincides with the day of Thaipusam. If I had always referred to the Tamil Almanac or Panjangam for all matters regarding the puja, this too stopped since December of last year. A day before Guru Purnima Yuvarani reminded me of the day. I began to wonder if I should show my respect to our gurus by celebrating the day with Homa, Abhisegam, and Songs. But he had asked us to refrain from it except to carry it out once a year on the day he stipulated. My heart told me to make an exception. I called Mahindren and asks if we should do it. He told me that he would come over with his Homa Kundam. Later that night as I sat with Suren talking, we thought since Ramalinga Adigal had asked to see us do perform the Yogasanam in his presence and Agathiyar, maybe we should take the opportunity and this day of Guru Purnima to present to our gurus, what we had learned from them. That is what we did eventually with Mahindren, Surendran, and Malar performing the Asanas and Pranayama. Taking the cue from Agathiyar in the story as told by Sadguru, we too presented the effort we had placed in our practice of Yogasanam and Pranayamam that was given to us by our gurus to Agathiyar on the day of Guru Purnima. If we were to garland him, the flower is his in the first place. If we were to cook and serve him Prasad the grains are from him. What could we give back to him that was not his; that comes out of us. Only our EFFORT. We could either choose to take heed of his words and place the effort or walk away. EFFORT towards his cause is all that we could possibly give him in return. We believe this is the best offering or Samarpanam a student could possibly give his guru.