Every word that Sadhu Om said applies to us.
"So long as we ask for a path to follow, the guru can only point us to the path of awareness (cit),..."
Agathiyar extended a calling to his path, the path he had traveled. Tavayogi pointed us to the guru, Agathiyar, and his path. They made us aware of the existence of a path that would lead us to immortality. As the Siddhas are immortalized in history, so shall all who follow their path.
"What all jñānis have taught through words is only these two paths, jñāna and bhakti, self-enquiry and self-surrender."
Now we understand the reason for Lord Muruga to repeatedly ask us if we had surrendered, if not to surrender. Surrender to his will is an essential component in the path of Bhakti or devotion. Only after surrendering can the divine rewrite our fate and set us off on a new destiny, one of their making that adheres and conforms to the wishes of our soul or Atma rather than living a life according to our desires be it material or spiritual.
"Therefore the path of love (priya or ānanda) culminates in self-attention, which is the path of cit, and self-attention results in just silently being, which is the path of sat."
External devotion to the figure or form given to Erai, leads to love for him. This is anandham. He then comes as the guru. Surrender to the guru should lead to an examination of the self. This is cit. This then moves us into a silent mode that of just "being" or sat.
"The path of being (sat) cannot be taught in words,..... it can be made known only by silence."
The epithet "Sacchidananda", a compounded Sanskrit word consisting of "sat", "cit" and "ananda", means "existence, consciousness, and bliss". This is attained when one realizes his soul.
One realizes the soul or Atman when he realizes that:
(...) I am of the nature of consciousness.
I am made of consciousness and bliss.
I am nondual, pure in form, absolute knowledge, absolute love.
I am changeless, devoid of desire or anger, I am detached.
I am One Essence, unlimitedness, utter consciousness.
I am boundless Bliss, existence and transcendent Bliss.
I am the Atman, that revels in itself.
I am the Sacchidananda that is eternal, enlightened and pure.
- Tejobindu Upanishad, 3.1-3.12 (Abridged) (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satcitananda)
"The Tejobindu Upanishad one of the five of Bindu Upanishads, is notable for its focus on meditation, calling dedication to bookish learning as rubbish, emphasizing practice instead, and presenting the Vedanta doctrine from Yoga perspective. It emphasizes the practice of Yoga and Dhyana (meditation) with Om, to apprehend Atman (soul, self). The Tejobindu Upanishad, the Nadabindu Upanishad, the Brahmabindu Upanishad, the Amritabindu Upanishad, and the Dhyanabindu Upanishad, form part of the Atharvaveda."(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tejobindu_Upanishad)
"The text opens by asserting that Dhyana (meditation) is difficult, and increasingly so as one proceeds from gross, then fine, then superfine states", something told by Agathiyar too. But just because it is difficult Agathiyar tells us not to give up our effort. One fine day we shall make a big breakthrough.
Before we move into Dhyana, we need to establish certain pertinent factors in us.
"For success in Dhyana, asserts the text, one must first conquer anger, greed, lust, attachments, expectations, worries about wife and children. Give up sloth and lead a virtuous life. Be temperate in the food you eat, states Tejobindu, abandon your delusions, and crave not. Find a Guru, respect him and strive to learn from him, states the text."If Patanjali gave us 8 Angas or limbs of Yoga, namely,
- Yama - restraints or ethics of behavior,
- Niyama - observances,
- Asana - physical postures,
- Praṇayama - control of the prana (breath),
- Pratyahara - withdrawal of the senses,
- Dharaṇa - concentration,
- Dhyana - meditation; and
- Samadhi - absorption
the Tejobindu Upanishad "begins its discussion of Yoga, with a list of fifteen Angas (limbs), as follows:
- Yamas (self-control),
- Niyama (right observances),
- Tyaga (renunciation),
- Mauna (silence, inner quietness),
- Desa (right place, seclusion),
- Kala (right time),
- Asana (correct posture),
- Mula-bandha (yogic root-lock technique),
- Dehasamyama (body equilibrium, no quivering),
- Drksthiti (mind equilibrium, stable introspection),
- Pranasamyama (breath equilibrium),
- Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses),
- Dharana (concentration),
- Atma-dhyana (meditation on Universal Self), and
- Samadhi (identification with individual self is dropped).
"One must function in the world and be good at what one does, improve upon it, yet avoid longing. Physical yoga alone does not provide the full results, unless introspection and right knowledge purifies the mind."
In "Chapter 2 of this text is a discourse from Shiva to his son Kumara on "Individual One Essence". This is Atman (soul, self), states Shiva, it is all existence, the entire world, all knowledge, all space, all time, all Vedas, all introspection, all preceptors, all bodies, all minds, all learning, all that is little, all that is big, and it is Brahman." Agathiyar has asked us to know our soul or Atman too. The only way is to shut off the world around us for at least a moment and venture within. This is how Agathiyar has moved us to go into and remain in the state of silence. After Sariyai, Kriyai, and Yogam he has now brought us to Gnanam. It has taken us some 18 years to reach the gates of Gnanam. But it is not over yet as we need to traverse within and explore an entirely new world beyond what we have seen and experienced on Mother Earth. We get inklings of this journey from saints and sages, Siddhas and Rishis, Munis, and gurus about what is there ahead of us. The experiences that shall dawn on us will bring enlightenment to us that all that we see is not all to it, and that there are many unseen and unknown mysteries including unknown worlds waiting to be discovered within, for we are told that what is within is also out there and vise versa. At the door to the 7th chakra we shall speak to our soul. We shall learn of our purpose here, says Agathiyar. But rather than read ahead and prepare for it we are told to experience it first and then compare notes. Otherwise, we will end up in frustration and disappointment. We shall lose patience and might give up the attempt too. For each man shall have a unique experience just as our thumbprints vary.
"The Tejabindu Upanishad, states Swami Madhavananda of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, conceives the Supreme Atman as dwelling in the heart of man, as the most subtle centre of effulgence, revealed to yogis by super-sensuous meditation. This Atman and its identity with Brahman, that where the saying Tat Tvam Asi refers to, is the subject of chapter 3. It is that which is to be meditated upon, and realised in essence, for the absolute freedom of the soul, and for the realization of the True Self. The text mentions Shiva explaining the non-dual (Advaita) nature of Atman and Brahman, "I am Atman", "I am Brahman".
"Chapter 4 of the text, in a discourse from Shiva to his son Kumara, describes the state of a Jivanmukta. He is known as a Jivan-mukta who stands alone in Atman, who is "the Lord of his own Self", who has Self-knowledge, who realizes he is transcendent and beyond the concept of transcendence, who understands, "I am pure consciousness, I am Brahman". He knows and feels that there is one Brahman, who is full of exquisite bliss, and that he is He, he is Brahman, he is that bliss of Brahman. His mind is clear, he is devoid of worries, he is beyond egoism, beyond lust, beyond anger, beyond blemish, beyond symbols, beyond his changing body, beyond bondage, beyond reincarnation, beyond precept, beyond religious merit, beyond sin, beyond dualism, beyond the three worlds, beyond nearness, beyond distance. He is the one who realizes, "I am Brahman, I am pure Consciousness; Pure Consciousness is what I am".