THE CALL TO PRAYER

We want all kinds of assurances before coming to worship. Some need some kind of miracle to happen first before they can even bring themselves to believe in the existence of the divine. All the miracles shown by the Siddhas are initially to coax us to get on board the ship. It is akin to the carrot that is hung before the horse-cart. Once on board and realizing that there is no way to leave or abscond, at least until the next port of call, we are forced to toe the line. We follow the commands and carry out the given tasks initially with resistance but soon it turns to dedication. Then we begin to realize that being devoted to God and his service is not that bad after all. We work hard to keep the ship afloat now since we begin to have a sense of belonging. From Sariyai or the role of a servant, we have moved a step closer to that of a shipmate. From Kriyai we move on to Yogam where we are given a few moments to man the ship. Very soon we find that we are one with the ship, in heart, soul, and mind, synonymous with its name.

We spend years looking for the right guru and the right mantra. Then we want to know the right way to recite, say, or pronounce a mantra before even starting on it. When I invited my granddaughter to chant with me the name of the Siddhas, she followed. When she missed the pronunciation I let it be. I did not correct her. She will correct herself with practice. Perfection comes with practice.

We spend too much time investigating the method, the way, and the path before we even consider walking it or taking up a practice. Just jump into it and find out for yourself instead of asking around or others. 

Agathiyar called me to prayer on 14.12.2002 asking me to worship Lord Vinayagar, Lord Shiva, the Siddhas, and him in my first Nadi reading. He did not send me to others. Setting me on doing puja first, he sent my guru over. Setting me on doing puja, he only listed out the results that we could gain in doing puja in the 38th reading on 12.7.2010. 

உண்மையும் உத்தமமும் நிறைந்த பூசை
நிறைந்த இன்பம் தந்திடுமே மகத்துவப் பூசை
நிதானமானதொரு அற்புத பூசை
அறமுடனே அகிலம் காக்கும் பூசை
அருளான மாந்தரோடு செய்வாய் நன்றாய்
நன்றன புண்ணியங்கள் காக்கும் பூசை
நற்கதியும் பலர் அடைய செய்யும் பூசை
எண்ணாத சக்தி எல்லாம் தந்திடும் பூசை
எகாந்த நிலை அடைய வைக்கும் பூசை
வையகத்தின் மாந்தரின் அகத்தின் ஜோதி
வலமாக்கும் முழுமதி பூசை அப்பா
ஐயத்தை நீக்கிடும் பூசைதானே
ஆண்டவனை அடைய செய்யும் வழியும் இதுவே
வழி வகுக்கும் சேய்க்கும் மாந்தற்கும் தான்
வளத்திற்கும் அருளுக்கும் பொருளுக்கும்
அழியாத மார்கத்தில் இருந்த வண்ணம்
அகிலத்தில் நிலை பெற்று வாழ் வழிக்கும் பூசை
பூசையால் புண்ணியங்கள் கிட்டும் பூசை
பூர்வமும் போக்கிடும் பூசை அப்பா
இசையுடனே குடும்பவளம் தந்திடும் பூசை
எவை எல்லாம் வேண்டினும் தந்திடும் பூசை
தந்திடுமே தர்மம் தவ சிந்தை
தரித்திரியம் போக்கும் பூசை யாகும்
அந்தமும் ஆதியும் இல்லா
அகிலமதில் உயர்வு தரும் பூசை அப்பா
அப்பனே ஆண்டவனே உருகும் பூசை
அறிவிழந்தோன் அறிவாளி ஆக்கும் பூசை
ஒப்பில்லா மகத்துவம் கொண்ட பூசை
உயர்வோடு நீ எடுத்துச் செய்வாய் அப்பா
ஒப்பில்லா மாற்றங்கள் மகத்துவமும்
உயர் நிலை பூசையாலே இருக்குதப்பா

There are many in this world who utters my name (Agathiyar),
Puja done truthfully (to Sidhas) shall gain many benefits,
Puja shall bring much joy,
Puja done moderately but splendidly and honestly shall help protect the world,
Puja done with fellow devotees will bring many benefits,
Many shall rise in stature and power,
Puja will lead to a state of bliss,
Puja done on full moon days shall strengthen the Jothi within,
Puja will help remove doubts,
Through puja, one shall attain godhead,
Strength, grace, and wealth shall be gained,
Stay on this path of devotion and family bond shall be strengthened,
All that is asked for shall be gained,
Puja shall lead to meditation and charitable thoughts,
All ills shall be removed,
God shall listen to puja,
Idiots shall become geniuses,
The benefits attained from puja are indescribable for many changes shall take place.

Ramalinga Adigal's songs made their way into temples, schools, and homes. Dr. MP Sivagnanam writes, "After the publication of the volume of the songs of Divine Grace (Arutpa) they were recited in every nook and corner. The songs were widely and warmly received." By composing several songs in the traditional folk meter, Adigal took his songs to the rural folks in the villages, thus bringing his highly esoteric songs to the masses. Following in the footsteps of Manickavasagar and his composition Thiru Unthiyar, Ramalinga Adigal composed his Thiru Unthiyar. Ramalinga Adigal lists out the results of his puja through this song, calling us all to prayer too.

திரு உந்தியார்

1. இரவு விடிந்தது இணையடி வாய்த்த
பரவி மகிழ்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
பாலமுது உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

2. பொழுது விடிந்தது பொற்பதம் வாய்த்த
தொழுது மகிழ்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
தூயவன் ஆனேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

3. தூக்கம் தொலைந்தது சூரியன் தோன்றினன்
ஏக்கம் தவிர்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
இன்னமுது உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

4. துன்பம் தவிர்ந்தது தூக்கம் தொலைந்தது
இன்பம் கிடைத்ததென்று உந்தீபற
எண்ணம் பலித்ததென்று உந்தீபற.

5. ஞானம் உதித்தது நாதம் ஒலித்தது
தீனந் தவிர்ந்ததென்று உந்தீபற
சிற்சபை கண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

6. திரையற்று விட்டது செஞ்சுடர் தோன்றிற்று
பரைஒளி ஓங்கிற்றென்று உந்தீபற
பலித்தது பூசையென்று உந்தீபற.

7. உள்ளிருள் நீங்கிற்றுஎன் உள்ளொளி ஓங்கிற்றுத்
தெள்ளமுது உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற
தித்திக்க உண்டேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

8. எந்தையைக் கண்டேன் இடரெலாம் நீங்கினேன்
சிந்தை மகிழ்ந்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
சித்திகள் பெற்றேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

9. தந்தையைக் கண்டேன்நான் சாகா வரம்பெற்றேன்
சிந்தை களித்தேன்என்று உந்தீபற
சித்தெலாம் வல்லேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

10. முத்தியைப் பெற்றேன்அம் முத்தியினால் ஞான
சித்தியை உற்றேன்என்று உந்தீபற
சித்தனும் ஆனேன்என்று உந்தீபற.

Puja or worship to the deities is the stepping stone to further spiritual advancement. Worship breaks our ego. Ego is big. If for some it comes easy, many cannot bring themselves to fall at the feet of the divine or the guru or all other representations of him. In the beginning, we are trained to see or at least believe that God is in the stone, wood, metal, etc. When one begins to believe that the divine can materialize in all forms and worships him at the beginning of his quest, then at the final leg of his journey it would be easy to see the divine manifests in all of his creation. After attaining enlightenment he sees God in all spontaneously. Similarly in the beginning we are asked to tame the breath by various techniques. We are asked to practice alternate breathing. We are asked to observe the breath. Eventually, our attention is pulled to the breath spontaneously without the need for any of the earlier practices. The mantra japam or recitation of a mantra that is said aloud soon settles within, running throughout the day and night without our knowledge. What starts with practice should become spontaneous later. Then know that it is time to drop the particular practice and move on. Similarly whatever puja done externally continues within without we being aware of it.  

Rajiv Agarwal recounts his venture and journey to become enlightened at https://innerspiritualawakening.com/rajiv-agarwal/my-journey/. Moving deeper into his goal of attaining enlightenment, he began to have spiritual experiences.

It was during this time I started having fantastic spiritual experiences. Sometimes I felt so ecstatic that every cell in my body would explode with bliss. I felt that I was floating in an infinite ocean of ecstasy. I was absorbed in these expanded rapturous states of being for hours. A sense of immense sacredness and divinity infused my entire consciousness.

During these states, my body sometimes used to go in spontaneous states of yoga. Sometimes my body would become so flexible that I could bend spontaneously into difficult yoga postures. Many of these postures were completely unknown to me but the body automatically aligned itself to certain ancient forms.

Another curious thing happened with my breathing; I experienced spontaneous Pranayama and kumbhka (Ancient yogic breathing patterns and techniques). It is a cessation of breath, which leads to higher states of consciousness. I experienced both the outer and the inner cessation of breath. After I took a deep breath in, my breath used to stop for around a minute to minute and a half. During this time the mind felt utterly still and pure. After the inner cession, I would exhale, wherein my breath used to again stop for approximately a minute.

One day in a small town in the Himalayas, he begins to witness his consciousness when his consciousness shifts to envelop all there was.

As I looked within, I could feel my consciousness slowly expanding beyond my body. To my utter amazement, my consciousness expanded and slowly embraced the lake and the mountain ranges. As I looked at the clouds, I could see them become one with me. I was suddenly everywhere. The entire space was myself and everything under the sky was me. Every point of space contained me, reflected my consciousness, which was mine, but was also universal.  The entire creation melted into a luminous wave of consciousness. I was free from the bondage of individuality, from being a mere speck. I was the totality, but it was not me as a person. There was identity, but it was universal, all embracing. It was at this moment that the teachings of Nisargadatta, J Krishnamurthi, Advaita, Zen and Buddhism all unfolded and I realized what they were trying to point at. For years I had read them, contemplated their teachings, but now, at this moment, I was living them.

He says, "The spiritual awakening experience caused a permanent shift in my understanding. More than ever before, I wanted enlightenment. Enlightenment. This one word brought untold grief and suffering to me for the next few years." Wanting to make it his permanent state of being, he sought many masters but to no avail. They could not help him. 

I wasted years pleasing Gurus, hoping they would somehow help me in integrating and making this state permanent, that their grace would bestow enlightenment, the ultimate cessation of being. I knew if I witnessed my consciousness a little longer, meditated a little more, I would finally go beyond the veil of illusion and find my own true self. The more I chased enlightenment, the more miserable I became.

He thrived on thinking, 

"Till you reached perfection, everything else was an illusion. Either you were Enlightened and perfect, or you were still in duality, in illusion. It was a black and white situation, either you attained it, or you were imperfect." 

His world slowly fell apart. 

Then it struck me. I was looking for a perfect enlightened state in the future, a state which someone else had experienced. I had been caught in endless becoming, the desire to find a perfect state of being which I had read in books. And I had totally forgotten about what I had – the infinite bliss and peace which I had always experienced, the state of beyond mind and consciousness, the state of pure awareness.

At that moment, an intense joy overwhelmed me, shaking the very core of my being. The vast treasure of awakening had always been with me but my spiritual greed of becoming more, of wanting it to be permanent had made me blind to it. It was like having billions of dollars, and still being miserable because you are not as rich as Bill Gates. That day, I stopped becoming. I stopped seeking. I stopped being a miserable seeker. I had finally arrived.

Having drawn the curtain that was veiling him aside, he was truly awakened to the reality that day. He shares his moments after the awakening.

It took some years for this final shift to be totally integrated. Life has become immensely beautiful living in present conscious awareness. Stillness has become the background for all activities. Spontaneous states of bliss and ecstasy arise, carrying me to the infinite shore of immense joy. There is a sacred wonderment when beholding nature and life in all its diversity. There is a  shining darkness, an unfathomable silence, space which is empty, yet full. I call it what is, the sense of presence. And I would like everyone to experience these amazing higher states of consciousness at least once in their life time. Even the sun pales in front of the immensity of consciousness.

We are again reminded of Ramalinga Adigal's verses from his Arutpa. He did mention some 12 years of suffering, a result of spontaneous transformation within, where he says only the divine would know the nature and extent of the misery that unfolded during his tenure of seeking enlightenment. He finally lets go of all his efforts after placing the initial effort, letting the divine work it's way through him in its own good time without pressing it to do its work. "We will not worry no more, neither will we attempt to slog or work towards it no further. We shall withdraw within and wait for the guru's grace to work its beauty in us" he sings.

இனித்துயர் படமாட்டேன் விட்டே னே
என்குரு மேல்ஆணை இட்டே னே.
இனிப்பாடு படமாட்டேன் விட்டே னே
என்னப்பன் மேல்ஆணை இட்டே னே.

THE AWAKENING

Radhanath Swami in his book "The Journey Within - Exploring the Path of Bhakti", Mandala Publishing, 2016, shares the story of Parashara and Ananta. Parashara says to a disciple "When our eyes are opened by the words of the wise we see lessons in even the most common of things." This is the beginning of an awakening. 

God tells Neale Donald Walsch, "It is what you do, it is how you are in the world that will shake people awake that will startle them into seeing what their possibilities are." How very true. As Radhanath Swami says, "A great teacher brings his teachings thru example", Buddha, Ramalinga Adigal, and many more saints did not merely preach their ways or paths but lived it, showing us the outcome and results of their spiritual (ad)ventures, 

Ramalinga Adigal sings about his bodily transformation after the advent or coming of God. He practically held a conversation with God for he sings of the compassion and grace of the divine in wanting to grant him a state at par with Him. These saints came to jolt mankind from their slumber and prove that the most unimaginable was indeed possible. Their wish is for us to start the journey too and follow them. Ramalinga Adigal invited us telling us that his feat and achievements were true and that we too could achieve it. 

We could find many similarities between what Agathiyar told us and Neale Donald Walsch's conversation with God. When God tells him that "his function was to empower us to make happen what we wish to happen and not to make it happen for us", it reminds me of Agathiyar telling us that Gnanam or wisdom was not to be gifted by him, instead one has to earn it. Ramalinga Adigal came to reinforce this statement on us, telling us we need to place effort. Our progress shall be relative to our efforts. These saints empowered us with their grace and blessing to venture further, giving us techniques and tips to pursue and remove obstacles respectively. 

A man who strives to achieve what he sets his mind on shall be joined by the divine resulting in his success. One such man was Captain Gopinath of Deccan Air. I just saw the movie Soorarai Pottru. The film was partly inspired by events from the life of Simplify Deccan founder G. R. Gopinath. (https://en.wikipedia.org/)

An awakening could also be a rude one. Pattinathar dropped everything that he had sought in his life after reading a note from his son, "Even the eyeless needle shall not come with you in at the end of lives journey." My father missed the bullets from the machine-gun of a Japanese fighter plane just as he stepped out of a bank. He hit the dirt, both his hands holding on to the cash that he had just withdrawn. He dropped his desire to accumulate wealth further spending his last days giving them away and staying satisfied and happy.

I was awakened one day to the fact that we could know our past, present, and future. How was that possible? This information came to me through my colleague who had himself seen his Nadi two years before we had this conversation about it. He was told of his past, present, and future then. It was amazing news to me. He helped me book an appointment with the Nadi reader. I soon saw myself arrive at Sivabalan's home. He had brought in the Nadi reader from India. My past, present, and future were told by Agathiyar. Since then Agathiyar had been speaking to me through his Nadi. He awoke me to the reality of things that surround us. He made me feel blessed for all that he had provided. He then had us travel on a journey of sheer amazement and discovery. He began to spell out the possibilities in life, man rising from the mundane world into the extraordinary world of the Siddhas. The journey continues to this day.

KNOW THY PURPOSE

TD Jakes in his book "Destiny" asks us to find out our purpose in life and step into it. He says of himself, "... I have lived a life that I was drawn to. I have been pulled to a call that has drawn me from the mundane acquisition of lives mementos to the far more rewarding task of doing something with my life that only I could uniquely accomplish." How wonderful. 

Agathiyar in his 5 tenets given to mankind list this as the first tenet - to know one's purpose in taking birth. For the present generation, who might not have access to genuine gurus, and are not into deep meditation, seeking to know our purpose from the Nadi written by the Siddhas might shed some light. I received my call and later was given numerous tasks to perform through these Nadi readings. I carried them out to their satisfaction I believe. 

If God told Neale Donald Walsch in his "Conversation with God" to "Awaken the Species", Agathiyar tells us in his 5 tenets the same too. He says that we are here foremost to uplift the Self and others bringing an awakening. 

Coming back from a journey experiencing near-death Betty J Eadie reveals the secrets and mysteries of life in her book "Embraced by the Light." She describes leaving her body, how she was taken on a tour of another realm and discovered the mystery and workings of life on earth. As the operation of the laws behind life on earth were explained to her, she seemed to understand these things almost instantaneously. She brings her understanding of the mystery that surrounds our birth, and its purpose that was revealed to her, into the pages of her book.

Betty understood the earth to be a place where we schooled, adds that whatever we become of here is meaningless unless it has brought benefit to others. In serving others we grow spiritually. If Betty says that we are here to school, Neale says that we are already well equipped with sufficient knowledge and have only to apply it here, giving life a purpose and making it holy.

I found her book interesting for I too came to understand likewise through the Nadi readings. We understood from Agathiyar each of us was brought together again for a purpose. We have been told that we are here for an experience, gaining which we return to god's kingdom. Just as Neale says life needs to have a purpose, Agathiyar has slowly revealed the reasons for taking birth, giving it a purpose too.

As Neale wrote, knowing who we are was not enough; we needed to become "it". This desire triggers a chain of events, a learning process takes place and several experiences are recorded, whereby the soul becomes enriched through these experiences. We, being light in essence, for want of experiencing it, had darkness and all opposites created for us. As all the souls are perfect, many wanted and volunteered to come down to help us gain the experience. Thus we had all known each other earlier. We had planned to be together here. Those who needed a particular experience chose to come early while others remained behind to join later.

Agathiyar adds that we needed to settle some of the past scores or karma too. Atonement and remedies were recommended to either payback, refund, replace, offset, reduce, or satisfy the many atrocities we had done earlier. Even after these revelations, many continue with their lives in the usual manner, without having had any impact made in their lives or without gaining a new understanding or perspective of life. For some, they turned over a new leaf after understanding the consequences of their actions and begin to watch their thoughts and actions carefully refraining from hurting others. Only a few handfuls are diverted from living a mundane life and made to live a life with a higher purpose, often given a mission to accomplish in this lifetime.

We are often told that this is the Era of Siddhas. The Siddhas tell us that children born now will serve to teach us, and thus awaken us. I already see that happening through my granddaughter. 

If initially, we come together for a common purpose, later we are drawn to specific tasks that have to be taken on solo. And so it seemed that Agathiyar had us go our way in exploring the inner caves of our hearts after having traveled to the caves and jungles in groups. When we are alone and to our self in these moments our purpose in taking birth shall dawn on us says Agathiyar. 

IF YOU ARE WITH GOD

If Christy Beam wrote in her memoir, "Miracles from Heaven", "Standing in the light of all he's given us, in the light of all that's happened I can't not tell you our story", Neale Donald Walsch writes about his conversation with God that "I could have kept this latest dialogue private but everything within me shouted, don't you dare." He felt that he should share keeping a promise to God. 

God always chose to speak to him at the time of his birth at 4.23am. He would begin to make entries into his laptop as the messages came in. When Neale says that it is not him as a singular who has had this conversation with God rather all of us in the plural, we can associate the dialogues or songs or pleadings of the saints asking for forgiveness and salvation was not for their individual self but of the whole of humanity. This is compassion beyond words towards all beings. Ramalinga Adigal's compassion went beyond the human race, the animal kingdom reaching the plant kingdom. He was saddened to see the plants wilt.

When the Siddhas speak of karma both personal and collective; when they share their grieve watching man deviate from the path of righteousness, bringing about his downfall, and bringing onto him untold miseries; they use a chosen few as a tool to forewarn humanity before they throw in the towel and let natures law take its cause. Although the current pandemic looks like it's the result of collective karma, a price we pay for our negligence and arrogance, going by a Nadi reading shared with me in July, the most compassionate Siddhas did not let us down, but tell us that they are watching it closely doing their best to help contain it in the ways they know. When God works through man, he then has access to all the wisdom, information, tools, and method. He has given us hope in battling the pandemic by working through his subjects from the frontliners right to the scientists. As Neale says "As we are one with God we do have the ability to create alternate endings to any story", mankind working in unison with the divine forces can bring forth a favorable outcome.  

God talks to those who listen. And so I listened to all of Agathiyar's directive as he was shown to me to be God by Tavayogi. The Nadi was the medium of communication with God for me. He spoke and I listened. I always went for the message rather than investigate the medium. If our inner chatter takes precedence, God's voice is never heard.  There were times when I had questions running in my mind as I heard him speak, he would address my doubts, almost immediately, surprising me. From a monologue, it soon became a conversation. Then he began to address us through others. He sat with us, he dined with us, he even conducted a meeting with us. All these surprised us as we were not ready for it. But he chose to come for the sheer reason that he knew we would listen. 

How would you feel to be in the presence of God? How would you react? What would be your response? Would you start the conversation or wait for God to do so? What would you tell him? Wm Paul Young in writing his work of fiction "The Shack" brings Mackenzie Allen Philip face to face with God where Mackenzie questions the injustice meted out to his family. Four years after his daughter's disappearance he is summoned to meet God through a note left in his letterbox. God wants to meet him at the very shack where evidence was found that Mackenzie's daughter may have been brutally murdered. With deep sorrow and confusion, he cries out to God "So where are you? I thought you wanted to meet me here. Well, I am here, God. And you? You are nowhere to be found! You have never been around when I needed you." 

The "dilapidated shack and it's dark and forbidding surroundings dissolved and is replaced with a log cabin and a picture-perfect postcard" surrounding.

Mackenzie begins to ask himself: What should you do when you come to the door of his house? Should you knock? Assuming God knows you are there should you simply walk in and introduce yourself? How should you address him? Should you fall down and worship him? 

Just as he decides to bang on the door in anger, the door flew open and God shows himself as a lady. She greets him and hugs him. During his conversation with God, Mackenzie learns that "God who is by nature completely unlimited and without bounds and always known for his fullness and perpetual satisfaction" has limitations when he takes what we call an avatar. Man as a "dependant, limited being if he is with God will find thrust and power to be at work within him and through him." He has God tell him, "Only as long as he has rested in a relationship with me, and in our communion - or co-union- could he express my heart and will into any given circumstances."

V.T. Neelakantan and Yogi Ramaiah have documented their conversations with Babaji too.

V.T. Neelakantan had been receiving frequent late night visitations by the same mysterious figure, Babaji, in his puja room in Egmore, Madras. Babaji soon revealed to Neelakantan that he was to work closely with Ramaiah to establish a yoga society in his name, "Kriya Babaji Sangah," and to write and publish his teachings in a series of books. Over the next two years, during late night visitations to V.T. Neelakantan's home, Babaji dictated several books to V.T.N.: "The Voice of Babaji and Myticism Unlocked," "Masterkey to Alls Ills," and "Death of Death." (https://www.babajiskriyayoga.net/english/articles/art25-yogi-ssa-ramaiah.htm)

Yogananda Paramahansa is said to have sat at his desk beside a window and stare into the openness and when inspired return to his pen and paper to jot down his conversation with God. 

Tavayogi stole some time moving away from his Kallar Ashram to the nearby Sri Sargurunathar's ashram to write his first book "Andamum Pindamum".

Velayudham Karthikayan Aiya shared with me that he would feel a divine presence beside him in the early morning hours on Thursday's as he began to write his blog "Siththan Arul", guided by the Siddhas. 

God comes through saints and sages. God can come through even a rogue to pass us a message. God could come as an animal to lead us away from danger to safety. 

God is willing to see us. Nay god is willing to drop by if only we would let him in. Enough of the times when we had to rely on the "Godmen, managers, and agents of God" to pass our needs to God. God has come directly to us to aid us. Both the movies "PK" and "Mookutti Amman" daringly sent this message across to all viewers who are devotees of deities and gurus alike. 

Ramalinga Adigal invited us to his fold. Agathiyar invited us to his fold. God is claiming back his beloved children from the grip of manipulators. It was time for the veils, curtains, and screens to be dropped, and his children to get to know the truth. He is giving us a last chance to identify with him, tat tvam asi; tattvamasi; That thou art; thou art that; "an assertion that we are one with the universe."

There seems to be a certain urgency in seeing through this mission. Many among us have been drawn to perform the 5 tenets as extolled by Agathiyar in the Tamil Sangam of the past, hence uplifting their souls and that of other beings and matter, to a higher elevation besides gaining soul power or atma balam for the individual self. To recount the revelation, the first and foremost task for us is to understand our purpose in taking this birth. With our purpose known then, we come to thank the divine creator or energy that brought forth our birth through consultation with the lunar forefathers and their angelic hierarchies that co-exist with us down here. With the constant showering of his blessings that come to us by way of living a purposeful, meaningful, and fruitful life, the soul grows in strength gaining atma balam. Showing appreciation to the divine that gave us an opportunity to take birth again to sort out our lives, we then thank all the caretakers both seen and unseen, in the present and the past. With all their blessings and grace showered on us, there is an obligation on our part then to "dutifully aid and help, the ongoing evolution of all co-existing human beings." The final task is to extend this aid and help, towards "the ongoing evolution of all co-existing beings and entities, existing upon the lower levels of the evolutionary ladder, dutifully supporting the manifested matrix or prapanjam."

After 10 years since his last conversation and book, Neale sat down to bring the train of dialogue he had with God in CWG Book 4. As Neale shares his sadness as to what was going around, telling God that "it feels like we're becoming less civil, less tolerant, less capable of controlling our indulgences, .." rolling out the current state of affairs, God asked him to pass on His third and final invitation, assuring him that there is nothing to worry about if he does what he was inwardly called to do. God gives him hope that we can actually "change things rather dramatically and tells him and reminds us too that this is both the perfect time to begin making these alterations and the perfect time for advancement. Our mission now is to awaken the species." But before that, we need to be awakened first. 

We have had conversations with Agathiyar through the Nadi. We know pretty well how hard Agathiyar, Ramalinga Adigal, the Siddhas and our guru lineage is trying to awaken us from the deep slumber by making frequent visitations and pointing us ways to confront our weaknesses and obstacles on the path. They want us to keep trying as they stand watching over us. 

As God told Neale that "the fastest way to awaken more quickly was to be the cause of someone else's awakening", Agathiyar told us among the list of merits that come down to us as a result of our actions which were the worship of God and serving the guru; and performing charity and feeding the hungry; the most appreciated of the deeds was to spread the words and messages of the masters. As His message was given to Neale on 2 August 2016, we look back to the years before and after this date and can revel in joy at having reached the peak of our journey on the path of the Siddhas around this date too. We can revel in joy at having performed rituals to the command of our gurus; at having performed charity to the needy, feeding them and appeasing their hunger; and in bringing together devotees and those seeking to come to the fold of the Siddhas through these events. We are glad and proud that we have done our share, a small part towards the upliftment of humanity and all of God's creation.

Reaching Out to the Divine

Radhanath Swami in his memoir, "The Journey Within - Exploring the Path of Bhakti", Mandala Publishing 2016, writes,

We create our own destiny by the choices we make. But while we are free to make choices, once we have acted on them, we are bound to live with their consequences. That is karma. How we respond to challenges determines our destiny in this life and in the next.

Gnana Jothiamma shared the following several years ago.

Agathiyan tells us that he cannot do anything to completely help another get rid of the karma as it is a process. He only helps so much as to sustain one to be able to overcome the magnitude and intensity of the problem...People should understand the wrong notion they are sailing in...like thinking just with one reading and the pariharams mentioned ..that Agathiyan is completely wiping off the Karma.

Karma removal is a process..Agathiyan says...Only based on one Karmic merit..can that too be done.

But Agathiyan says ...that one who comes to him for help and relief with faith and devotion he would surely help that person ...step by step ...to free himself...

This is a very important thing to note... How one's karmic deeds follow one continuously for may births in spite of doing many pariharams in those births too...coz one needs to undergo the karmas ..before one gets full relief. Agathiyan concluded by saying that he will help anyone who looks towards him ..with faith and devotion.....by saying..."The moment you call out to me...I will come running towards you ..."

Rather than going into the complexities of life and the even more complex laws that govern us and runs behind the screen of life, trying to figure out and understand them, our ancestors gave us a simple tool - that of prayer and total surrender. Bharathi expresses this faith and surrender in the divine in the following song. Let's take heed of his advice to guide us through life. 

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்

பொன்னை, உயர்வை, புகழை விரும்பிடும்

என்னை கவலைகள் தின்ன தகாதென..

In seeking Treasures, Status and Fame do not let Worries take hold of me Ma..

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்

மிடிமையும் அச்சமும் மேவி என் நெஞ்சில்

குடிமை புகுந்தன, கொன்று அவை போக்கின

As Poverty and Fear have entered my heart and gained an upper hand, please destroy and remove them Ma

Bharathi finally realizes the vanity in his initial seeking and switches the tone.

தன்செய லெண்ணித் தவிப்பது தீர்ந்திங்கு

நின்செயல் செய்து நிறைவு பெறும்வண்ணம்

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்

Rather than struggle to see my dreams come true,

I would do your asking and be satisfied Ma

He gains self-esteem in holding to the divine.

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்

துன்பம் இனி இல்லை, சோர்வில்லை

சோர்வில்லை, தோற்பில்லை

நல்லது தீயது நாமறியோம்

நாமறியோம் நாமறியோம்

அன்பு நெறியில் அறங்கள் வளர்த்திட

நல்லது நாட்டுக! தீமையை ஓட்டுக

There are no Worries; no Fatigue; neither Failure henceforth

We shall not know between the Good and the Bad

Walking the Path of Love & Righteousness

We shall uphold the Good and drive the Bad away.

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன், கண்ணம்மா

நின்னை சரணடைந்தேன்

The cinema industry has given some jewels in the form of songs that reached out to the divine for answers. Here are some of my favorites.

 

THE NEED TO DOCUMENT 4

Those who are familiar with Christy Beam's memoir or the movie "Miracles from Heaven" based on her true story will want to share their story too. She writes, 

"Standing in the light of all he's given us, in the light of all that's happened I can't not tell you our story."

Christy writes, 

"I didn't always see god's hand in the tangled threads of my life but now I do. He was there in our beginning and every time our world fell apart. He's with us now and into the unknowable future."

How many of us have actually given thanks to the Almighty? Most of the time we have only bribed him with our offerings in return for favors. Let us put in writing our appreciation to the Almighty. So start picking up that pen and write your story too so that it shall encourage others to share their life stories too. 

Someone asked me if God had asked us to worship Him? I replied he did tell me. Agathiyar had asked me to have his statue made and worship him through the Nadi. Someone else asked me what were the benefits we gained in worshipping him? Today I can boldly tell her that he has come to live with us. 

Recently YouTube sent me a message that a video of mine was flagged as inappropriate. Hence it has been age-restricted. 

Your video My Nadi in 2002 & the Journey was flagged to us for review. Upon review, we’ve determined that it may not be suitable for all viewers and it has been placed behind an age restriction.

They asked me to refer to the Community Guidelines. They told me I could appeal. I read through what was allowed and what was not allowed. I could not find any category to which I could relate my video. I wrote in that the video was wholly on my Nadi reading. I did not find anything offensive, obscene, or vulgar with it. I asked them how my video was deemed offensive. Upon reviewing it back they lifted the age-restriction. 

I am surprised to see thumbs down given to devotional songs by saints too. What is wrong with people? To those fond of giving the thumbs up or down, and commenting on other's views, what other better way to state your views than to write your own blog. To those who have to say something create your own space and start speaking your thoughts. 

I never wanted to be the person to bring the bad news although there are many who want to bring us the news first. That is what happens on social media too. There isn't joy in listening to the news too. When a colleague enrolled as a monk in an ashram in India many years back, he told me they were not allowed to follow the news although the chief monk kept track of the current affairs so as to advise accordingly visitors to the ashram. We can understand the need for him to do so. As for the rest of the monks they needed to be secluded so as to be at peace with themselves. Agathiyar strictly forbade Jnana Jothiamma from socializing on the numerous social media platforms telling her that it shall impair her tapas. In sharing, we should bring joy to others. It should never be to hurt or demoralize another. 

I set out to write more books back then, sharing my joy with those keen to read. Happy reading and Happy Thanksgiving.

THE NEED TO DOCUMENT 3

I have always been a bargain hunter be it books, clothing, groceries, etc. That's how my collection of books grew. Today we received another batch of books purchased from the reason Big Bad Wolf Book Fair that is usually held at a large convention center in my neighborhood, this year had gone online due to the pandemic. These four titles were added to my existing library.

I have had several books that came my way mysteriously. These stand above the others and are treasured most. 

"The Autobiography of a Yogi" was one such book. My colleague Segaran who left his job to become a monk at Paramahansa Yogananda's Ranchi Ashram passed me a copy as a parting gift, with a painting of Lord Shiva and some wonderful words of advise in 1994. I read through the book and was amazed to follow the personal account of his journey. I learned about the marvelous saints whom he had met through his writing. Along the way, I thought I had loaned it to someone to read but ended up that she negated it. I felt I had lost a treasure.

Several years later another copy was waiting for me at my office, left behind by who else but the mysterious hand of the divine. A colleague had transferred out of the office. I help him cart his belongings to his car and came back to check his office space if he had left anything behind. Nope. It was all cleared out. Several days later as I walked by his former place I thought I saw a book on his table. There was this book lying alone waiting to catch my glance. I took ownership of the book as I was the last standing bookworm at my office. I literally had read the book till it split into two.

This book drove me to compile the precious moments when a seeker meets up with his master. Hence the born "First Encounters with the Masters" took shape.

Another book that came mysteriously was Swami Saravanananda's English rendition of Ramalinga Adigal's "Arutperunjothi Agaval", published by Ramalinga Mission Chennai. This book too was waiting for me at Sathya Gnana Sabai Vadalur in 2003. I was browsing through the books laid out at this tiny bookstall at the entrance to this temple while waiting for the mid-morning prayers to commence. The elderly man attending to the stall asked if I wanted this and immediately reached for the top of a wooden closet. He picked up this lone book and passed it to me. It was soiled and appeared to be a wet book that was rescued. I flipped through it and immediately was drawn to its contents. When I asked him for its price he left it to me. I gave him a small token. It was a sheer joy reading the rare account of the transformation of Ramalinga Adigal to light. I was very impressed by the transformation in Ramalinga Adigal. But could not visualize or understand then. It's only when you experience things that you can relate to what the saints and elders have told us. When Jnana Jothiamma visited my home in 2013, I wanted to gift her with something that was treasurable. I gave my copy of the book to her. Since then I have asked all who traveled to Chennai to look for it. Never got it. It is out of stock online too. We gain an insight into the mystery of the Siddhas and alchemy, not externally as in making gold but internally in changing one's body into gold. This book inspired me to pick up certain portions of the author's account of ‘Infinite god in finite man’ and the book "Arutperunjhothi Agaval" took shape.

There were many books that inspired me on this journey. P.Karthigayan's well-researched book on the "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu", Notion Press, 2016 deserves praise for his effort. It was enlightening too.

The sole book that my first Guru wrote by hand and posted to me took the shape of "Gnana Sutiram".

Tavayogi's book "Andamum Pindamum" and "Atma Gnanam" were often referred to us by Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal. We were asked to go through them.

THE NEED TO DOCUMENT 2

If Carl Sagan enlightens us of the gradual change in the medium of storage of information that was first stored in our genes and later in our brains as it evolved and took on an external space as at the libraries, the internet now has brought this library at our fingertips says Brett Frischmann. From https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/is-smart-technology-making-us-dumb/ we see further questions asked. While Nicholas Carr asks, "Is the internet making us dumb? Is the technology causing us cognitive loss or debilitation?" Brett Frischmann asks "Is smart technology making us dumb?" Brett Frischmann says "We outsource thinking and rely on supposedly smart tech to micromanage our daily lives. Are you and I, and our siblings and children, engaging with the seemingly limitless raw materials in a manner that makes us more capable, more intelligent? Or do we find ourselves outsourcing more and more?" He adds that we are in fact "extending the reach of others into their minds." 

I am watching the series "neXt" where a rogue AI (Artificial Intelligence) strikes a deal with a debt-stricken programmer to install a hidden router, hence giving access to the WiFi. It then constantly improves itself and begins to take control and rule, feeding on "the seemingly limitless data" and information available on the internet.

"When you rely on GPS, who’s doing the route planning? Who is gaining what intelligence? As everyone knows by now, many digital tech companies know a lot about each of us" says Brett.

A friend who is in the telecommunications sector reminded me that our whereabouts and the places we visit are known by these digital tech companies. Our preferences and interests too are given away as we browse and search the net for topics of interest. All our activities on the internet generate data that is used to their advantage to sell, promote, suggest, and indirectly run our lives. The internet survives on what we feed it. 

Many non-believers of the Nadi have accused the readers of gathering information from us during the question and answer session and framing and building up a story of us and selling it to us as purportedly told by the Siddha. In other words, trapping us into revealing our personal data to them to enable them to conjure events in a convincing way. To those, I have a tale to tell. I saw the Naadi giving my thumbprints for easy location of the Nadi leaves that might carry my story. I was asked the usual questions and told only to answer "Yes" or "No" and nothing beyond. This is how we start by locating the Kaanda Nadi written for us. Once we agree that the brief description given in the Nadi pertains to us, only then is the full Nadi read. Over the years I took both my daughters to have their reading done too. They went through the same process too. Then I thought my wife would like to hear her Nadi revealed by Agathiyar too. So we sought an appointment with the reader. But as a result of some minor confusion regarding the date and time of the appointment my wife and I were turned back. The reader never called us for her reading but instead called me over for my regular Aasi Kaandam reading that was waiting to be read. As he left the room into the adjacent room that stored the library of Nadis he returned with an expression of astonishment. He held in his hands a Nadi that was about to reveal about my wife. I too was astonished. Agathiyar began to address my wife in her absence, without the need for her to give her thumbprint and without the usual trend of question and answer to locating her Nadi. It was all so mysterious. Today I understand that he shelved all the protocol because she had served him untiringly all the years.

THE NEED TO DOCUMENT 1

We often lament that we have become dumb as a result of our overdependence on the smartphone and the internet. But we are in for a surprise as we are told that we had surrendered/shifted that capability to store information to a certain extent to external storage in the past too. It came in the form of libraries. 

"When our genes could not store all the information necessary for our survival we slowly invented brains. But then the time came we needed to know more than could conveniently be stored in brains. So we learned to stockpile enormous quantities of information outside our bodies. We are the only species on the planet as far as we know who has invented .. memory. The warehouse of that memory is called a library."

Just as we use the external hard disk and cloud to store these days, besides procuring all the information online, the library was a warehouse of memories that served to enrich us with knowledge. Carl Sagan adds that libraries in ancient Egypt bore the following words on their walls, "Nourishment for the Soul." How true. So it seems that it's nothing new that we have been shedding a certain portion of our potential to hold and store information over time.

"What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."

(Carl Sagan, Excerpt from the 11th episode of his legendary 1980s Cosmos series, titled “The Persistence of Memory”)

As Carl Sagan says, in reading a book we walk within the insides and "Walk Thru" the mind of the person who wrote it, during those moments of engagement with the words in a book, we are walking in the shoes of the author. 

Similarly, we are told that the Siddhas had documented and stored every native's story in the form of inscriptions on treated palm leaves or the Nadi or Olai Suvadi, thousands of centuries ago. I was one of the lucky ones to come across my Nadi written and preserved carefully by the guardians of these Nadis. Hence I treasure these readings that are unique to the Indian subcontinent. It amazes us that the Siddhas had written and kept the record of strangers from across the seas too and made it available at precisely the right moment. I was allowed access to its contents for a nominal fee. But what was revealed was many times more valuable than the small token that was asked for. The Nadis are a visual and visible representation of the subtle writings kept in a library too. This library is known as the Akashic records. These records besides holding information about people, retain the sciences and discoveries, rituals and agamas, Puranas and the scriptures, medicine and alchemy, and many more. 

Vaidyar Arivananthan shared several pages of a Nadi. He told me that he had read through them and discovered many secrets of the Siddhas. I peered into them but could not make anything out of it. One certainly needs the grace of the Siddhas to hold, read, and understand these sacred writings. 

Tavayogi came looking for a place called Agathiyar Vanam after completing his travels throughout India and on his last leg of being a mendicant spent some eight years in Sathuragiri hills. He made his way to Kallar. As Carl Sagan says before the advent of paper and print, writings were chiseled onto the stone, scratched onto wax, bark, or leather, or painted on bamboo or silk, Tavayogi was shown an inscription chiseled into granite, கல்வெட்டு that read Agathiyar Vanam. He set up his kudil or shed here made of a thatched roof with the cooperation of the village headman. This soon became the Agathiyar Gnana Peedham. Later in 2016, he moved to the present site some 2 kilometers away. 

But to read, visualize, and understand; be it a book, the spoken word, or the Nadi, needs some degree of intelligence. Our experiences, our learning, our thoughts, and opinions then come to the fore to interpret the written or spoken language. We might end up understanding it quite differently from another who has read the same book. We might end up understanding a subject quite differently from another who sits together with us listening on. The only way to discern and understand correctly is to shut our minds and live out the experiences of the author or speaker. Only when we empty ourselves of our previous readings, experiences, learning, and knowledge, can we truly absorb what is written within the pages of a new book or what is heard for the first time. Hence the reason we are told to come empty before a guru too. One comes in search of a guru to learn his way since his way of life has pretty much impressed the seeker. The seeker should then lay down his baggage of thoughts, learning, and knowledge before submitting to listen out to the guru. Only then shall the words of the guru create magic in him, given ample space and allowance to reach within him and bringing a true understanding. 

The highest teaching is of course that in silence. Sri Muruganar, one of Bhagavan’s closest devotees, relates the following story that he feard from Bhagawan Ramana.

When the four aged Sanakadi rishis first saw the sixteen-year-old Sri Dakshinamurti sitting under the banyan tree, they were at once attracted by him, understanding him to be the real Sadguru. They approached him, did three pradakshinas around him, prostrated before him, sat at his feet and began to ask very shrewd and pertinent questions about the nature of Reality and the means of attaining it. Because of the great compassion and fatherly love (vātsalya) which he felt for his aged disciples, the young Sri Dakshinamurti was overjoyed to see their earnestness, wisdom and maturity, and hence he gave apt replies to each of their questions. As he answered each consecutive question, further doubts rose in their minds and still they asked further questions. Thus they continued to question Sri Dakshinamurti, for one whole year, and he continued to clear their doubts through his compassionate answers. Finally, however, Sri Dakshinamurti understood that if he gave more answers to their questions more doubts would rise in their minds and hence there would never be an end to their ignorance (ajnana). Therefore, suppressing even the feeling of compassion and fatherly love which was welling up within him, he merged himself into the supreme silence. Because of their great maturity (which had been ripened to perfection through their year-long association with the Sadguru), as soon as Sri Dakshinamurti thus merged himself, they too were automatically merged within, into silence, the state of Self. 

True to Sri Muruganar's understanding of Bhagavan Ramana as none other than Sri Dakshinamurti himself, Bhagawan was an exemplary guru who chose to teach in silence too. T.K. Sundaresa Iyer, an ardent devotee who first met Bhagavan in 1908, relates in his moving reminiscences the following.

It was a Sivaratri Day. The evening worships at the Mother’s shrine were over. The devotees had their dinner with Sri Bhagavan, who was now on His seat, the devotees at His feet sitting around Him. At 8 p.m. one of the sadhus stood up, did pranam (offered obeisance), and with folded hands prayed: “Today is the Sivaratri Day; we should be highly blessed by Sri Bhagavan expounding to us the meaning of the Hymn to Dakshinamurti (stotra).”

Says Bhagavan: “Yes, sit down.”

The Sadhu sat, and all eagerly looked at Sri Bhagavan and Sri Bhagavan looked at them. Sri Bhagavan sat and sat in His usual pose, no, poise. No words, no movement, and all was stillness! He sat still, and all sat still, waiting. The clock went on striking, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, one, two and three. Sri Bhagavan sat and they sat. Stillness, calmness, motionlessness – not conscious of the body, of space or time. Thus eight hours were passed in Peace, in Silence, in Being, as It is.

At the stroke of 4 a.m. Sri Bhagavan quietly said: “And now have you known the essence of the Dakshinamurti Hymn.” All the devotees stood and made pranam to the holy Form of the Guru in the ecstasy of their Being. Thus was the Divine Reality taught through the speech of Silence by Bhagavan Sri Ramana - Dakshinamurthy. 

The following story portrays hidden messages. Each time I watched it it portrayed a different message. Watch it to see and understand for yourself.

THE SIDDHAS WISH FOR HUMANITY

I was passed this Nadi reading by the Siddhas sometime in July 2020. But I had my reservation as in many previous revelations by the Siddhas. Many had questioned the Nadi and why it did not materialize as prophecized. I too had question certain areas including politics and personal relationships of devotees where there were no said results in sight as predicted and as anticipated. With the news of the advent and coming of the vaccine, discovered and tested by scientists and making its way to the countries around the globe, we are relieved to know that mankind has come together to save humanity, crossing borders, nations, language, and race. Just as we prayed hard for a solution to be found, in this case, a vaccine, the Siddhas too tell us that they had prayed that the heart of the divine mellow and save all his creation. I remember back then when Tavayogi was undergoing treatment in a hospital, we had prayed that his life be spared. Agathiyar told me in the Nadi that he had listened to our prayers and that the Siddhas got together and performed a Yagam so that Tavayogi should live. Tavayogi returned to his ashram subsequently. After relieving his responsibilities with regard to the Ashram to Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar, he subdued willingly to his illness. Dhanvantri came to tell us that indeed he had gone into samadhi. 

The Siddhas wish for humanity is to uphold the virtues expounded by all religions. This would make way for a peaceful and healthy co-existence among us.

The past few days have brought us good news about the vaccine and how it is going to be made available to people all over the world. We bring our palms together in unison to thank God, be it of any faith, for his grace in seeing through the hard work placed by the scientist in finding a vaccine and a cure. Let's keep our fingers crossed that all goes well with the Lord's grace.

SALUTATION TO THE SUN

My daughter tells stories to her three-year-old before she goes to sleep. She told her that the sun is visible in the day and the moon only at night and added the age-old myth of the great grand lady and saint Avvai as living on the moon. My granddaughter pondered for a while and after the brief moment of silence asks where is "Tata" or grandfather? Similarly, Mahindran's two-year-old daughter came into AVM's prayer room, and on seeing only AVM Agathiyar there asked her parents, "Where is Paati or grandma?" Children I suppose believe that if there is a grandpa then there should be a grandma too and vice-versa. When I went over my granddaughter asked me "How does the moon shine?" I told her that it appears to shine because it is lighted up by the sun and that it by itself does not shine and went on to show her a video of the light of the sun falling on the moon.

We are told that God is light. Tavayogi brought me to the flame at my altar and told me that we do not worship the flame per se but the red aura that surrounds the flame and fills the room. This would be the Non-Luminous Zone at 1400 °C, a region where "we can observe that there will be a kind of ‘aura’ formed around the candle. (Source: "http://gyanpro.com/blog/different-parts-of-candle-flame-you-probably-did-not-know/). When we "dissect" the light we see that it has several layers, burning at different temperatures within the flame and emitting several colors. But it goes unnoticed most of the time. We are told to light a lamp in the hours before dawn and before nightfall and worship the flame. Looking at the flame for several moments during worship and gazing even longer in intense concentration sadhanas brings us to see these layers clearly. Looking at the flame seems to help with our eyesight too as revealed recently.  

Staring into deep red light for three minutes a day helps to maintain vision, British researchers have discovered. They found that the long-wave impulses stimulate the mitochondria in the cells of the retina. (Source: https://www.dw.com/en/deep-red-light-can-recharge-aging-eyes/a-54090927)

Glen Jeffery,  professor at the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London reports,

"Our study shows that it is possible to significantly improve vision that has declined in aged individuals using simple brief exposures to light wavelengths that recharge the energy system that has declined in the retina cells," 

A similar layered formation of the flame is seen in the sun too as captured by the photographer in the Nat Geo People documentary titled "Escape to Costa Rica." I believe this is the reason our ancestors worshiped the sun for it represented God to them. The sun was the life-giver, sustainer of life, and destroyer. The sun is the source of all energy. Without light, we have no sight; without heat, we would die. My friend sent me the following some time back,

I read your post on Jyothi. Sometime ago, Amma (Krishnaveni Amma of Kalyana Theertam) spoke about Lord Shiva as effulgence itself. That was how He stood at Tiruvannamalai,...A pillar of light. His true nature. But, how could the rest of Creation visualise Him? The light as we know it, is impure. The internal jyothi that the Masters want us to "see",is the same effulgence, and, is pure. Creation comes forth from the Divine Mother, and for any creation to take place, it needs space and time to incubate, mature and be released. Such is the nature of the Divine Mother. She is the heat, of that effulgence. Together, as Lord Arthanareeswara, they incubate and bring forth Creation. All possible forms and sources of light in the cosmos has heat, as an indispensable accompaniment. He,in His pure form , is pure effulgence. Out of His infinite Grace, He brings forth Shakthi, and begins Creation, for our salvation.

I was asked by Agathiyar to worship the sun on Sundays. It surprised us when my 83-year-old father-in-law who worshiped the sun each morning, was asked to begin to do the yoga Asana Surya Namaskar at this prime age by Agathiyar.

The Aditya Hridayam Stotram to the Sun God is said to be given to Lord Rama moments before he went to battle with King Ravana, by Agathiyar.  

These sacred verses find a mention in the Yuddha Kanda of Sage Valmiki's Ramayana. And the Stotram was recited by Sage Agastya to Shri Ram just before the war against Ravana. Before the fateful day, Shri Ram had spent sleepless nights and restless days as he was relentlessly searching for his beloved wife Sita, who was abducted by Ravana. Therefore, a need arose to calm him and provide him with the much needed mental and physical strength to face the enemy on the battlefield.

The hymns pay tribute to the Sun God, who showers the Earth with light and heat, both that are essential for sustaining life on the planet. Since both light and heat are inherent characteristics of the Sun God, you can energise yourself mentally and physically by reciting this sacred Stotram. Mainly during testing times, this Stotram acts as an immune and morale booster for the body and the mind, respectively. This Stotram helps a person regain lost confidence, and helps him/her focus on her goal to triumph. We wouldn't be able to sustain on earth without the Sun. Therefore, the recitation of the Aditya Hridayam is a thanksgiving gesture. (Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/spiritual/religion/article/this-sunday-check-out-the-benefits-of-chanting-aditya-hridayam-stotram-dedicated-to-the-sun-god/586140)

OBSERVING THE BREATH

Agathiyar once giving me a breathing technique in my Nadi, mentioned that both Lord Vinayagar and Buddha were the exponents and advocates of breath. Osho in his "Book of Secrets" mentions "Tantra is concerned not with any systemization of breath but with using breath just as a technique to turn inwards. Buddha tried particularly to use this method so this method has become a Buddhist method. In Buddhist terminology, it is known as Anapanasati yoga. Buddha's enlightenment was based on this - only this."

Similarly Agathiyar in asking us to go within asked us to use the breath as a tool. He told us to observe the breath. Ramalinga Adigal too came to remind us of that. Osho writes "Buddha said, "Be aware of your breath as it is coming in and going out." Eventually we shall take notice of the gap or interval between two breaths without effort. In bringing us Shivas first of nine techniques concerned with the breath,  from the "Vigyan Bhairav Tantra", Osho in his "Book of Secrets" reveals, "If you can feel the gap Shiva says, the beneficence, then nothing else is needed. You are blessed, You have known; the thing has happened."

Initially, we are asked to look for a quiet place to practice conditioning the breath or breath control as in pranayama and specifically nadi suddhi. Later we are asked to just sit and watch it moving in and out. The breath begins to nudge us at the Ajna center. Soon with practice, it begins to nudge us even as we are attending to other chores asking for immediate attention. It can happen any time and you shall be forced to pay attention to it leaving all things aside. 

Osho explains that contrary to our belief that the incoming breath and outgoing breath are running parallel as in parallel lines, they actually are one single breath, that in actuality flows in a circle. There is a point where the incoming breath turns and becomes the outgoing. Quoting another stanza of Shiva, we are asked to observe and realize this point of turning and become a realized soul. When the breath is static neither going out nor coming in, at this fusion point we are in our center. Agathiyar calls this center Suzhimunai. Each shall realize his center. It is the place where there arise energy and a feeling or unarvu that comes with it. "Know it to be your Suzhimunai," says Agathiyar. Osho asks us to observe the child breath. He says children are in their center and at their center. The reason being children give themselves up completely in all their doings and at all times. Hence we should learn to follow these children give themselves up in totality and not try to change them to our ways. One who arrives at his center becomes total. Agathiyar calls this the state of Paripuranam. 

LET US BEGIN TODAY

This blog is about and revolves around the Siddhas. It is not to convert or convince another into the belief or path of the Siddhas. It is solely about an individual's experiences, though those seeking to know something regarding them might by chance find it within these pages.

When I was looking to know about the Siddhas, I was passed or pointed to books and other literature about the Siddhas that were too academic in nature. Furthermore, I could not understand their songs nor comprehend what was described in these books. It needed a guru in the physical form to expose us first to the path and bring us real-time experiences.  One could not possibly have them through reading books. Thinking that the books could fill me in further about them, I read all the books on the Siddhas that I could lay my hands on. But I could not comprehend, nor could I visualize or understand then.

I am grateful to Tavayogi for going the extra mile to bring me to the abodes of the Siddhas and places where he had meditated and lived before settling at Kallar.

I am grateful to Tavayogi and Agathiyar to get me started on rituals. We could not possibly visualize its benefits without actually doing these rituals. 

I am grateful to Tavayogi and Agathiyar for getting me to do charity. Only after we went to the ground and saw the hungry faces did the compassion in us grow. We would not possibly have felt it reading books. 

I am grateful to Tavayogi, Agathiyar, Patanjali, and Ramalinga Adigal for bringing us into Yoga. Only after putting Yoga into practice did we see the immense benefits that it brought onto us. This would not be achievable by merely looking at hours and hours of videos on it.

The Siddhas were very practical people. They hardly engaged in talk but rather wanted us to perform. These actions brought results that brought further understanding. Reading then about these subjects we could easily appreciate what is written, having had the experience.

Today I have come to understand that it's only when we experience things that we can relate to what the saints and elders have told us or written. Only after having the experience that we can correlate with the subject written. Hence the reason Agathiyar, Ramalinga Adigal, and Tavayogi got us to start on doing something without going into the details of it or the results. We shall eventually come to find out. It's then that they come around again to verify and confirm what we saw and realized, felt and experienced. Let us start gaining the experiences first before we seek an understanding. 

Give yourself up to the divine. Let the divine work in you. Enjoy the bliss that is encountered. Try to prolong these moments. These were the words I was given on this journey. Today I can link them to Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam, and Gnanam respectively. 

SHARING

Coming back from India in 2003 I documented my pilgrimage on my now defunct website indianheartbeat and several travel blogs. The reason was to share my fond memories and experiences with those keen to read and follow. 

Soon when Agathiyar sent aspirants and seekers of the Siddha way and path to my home, I compiled songs that we would sing for each occasion or religious festivities. This was distributed to them. The reason was to share my joy in singing the praises of the Siddhas with those keen to sing and follow. 

Soon we documented these events including the puja at my home that became AVM and at the temples and uploaded them to my Youtube channel  https://www.youtube.com/siddhaheartbeat. The reason was to share our fond memories and experiences with those keen to watch and follow.

I began sharing live the Siddha puja in my home with Jnana Jothiamma who was then residing in the USA upon her requests and yearning in wanting to follow the prayers. Then I migrated from Skype to Ustream to YouTube Live to reach a wider audience as I received requests from more devotees.

It gave us great joy in sharing them. Soon we received feedback from readers of the website that later became the Siddha Heartbeat blog; from seekers searching for the songs and relevant means or methods of conducting puja to the Siddhas, and from viewers who cherished the melodious songs and visuals and interviews uploaded. We came to learn that many made their way to Kallar Ashram after reading and watching these uploads. We came to learn that many took up the worship of Siddhas that was ideal for the family man and simplified and made easy to follow, minus the need to walk away from the family and society in search of the Siddhas. This brought great joy to us as others too could now "walk the path" and gain insights into the lives of Siddhas, within their homes.  

 

As we move with times, I believe the means and the methods to God too change to suit the times. I strongly believe that Agathiyar has simplified them just for our sake so that its simplicity would kindle us to at least try to start the walk. 

The years 2001 to this day, some 19 years now, have been years of learning, experimenting, and experiencing the path. We have seen many results too within this span of time. To those who are eager to know of these results please read through the posts on this blog. To those who have the urge to start immediately on this path, you could follow the method outlined below. It worked for us, hence it should work for you too.

I was called to the path by Agathiyar in the Nadi reading. Nadi guru or Nadi Nool Aasan Sentilkumar of Avinashi, Tamilnadu performed the ritual of giving thanks and a small token of appreciation to both the Siddhas who were the authors of the Nadi and the reader who was the medium to read and convey the message. The ritual was termed Nadikku Dhanam and it came as instructed in the Nadi by Agathiyar. 

Sentil read out the names of the Siddhas and made offerings to them portrayed in a painting. This was the first step. This ritual served as a note of appreciation to the Siddhas in welcoming us to their path. I was given a painting of Agathiyar and a booklet that carried these names to worship them at home. Soon I searched for more songs to add on during our puja. I used to release a different compilation of these songs appropriate for the occasion. Hence my library of songs expanded till it became a "Compendium of Songs in Praise of the Siddhas".

In 2013, the need for a book for those on the run rises. It was meant for those who had to rush elsewhere and did not have the liberty of allocating time for an elaborate puja session. This saw the realization of the booklet "24 Minutes Siddhar Puja".

With the coming of the guru more elaborate rituals came to be followed. With the coming of Agathiyar in the form of a statue instructed to be commissioned by him in the Nadi, he asked that we perform libation or abhisegam to him in this form. Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar of Kallar Ashram came to assist us in providing the songs that accompany a typical abhisegam. We modified them for our purpose and sang the songs as we poured the 16 items bathing Agathiyar and chilling him.

With the coming of Tavayogi he introduced us to conducting the fire ceremony or Homam a smaller scale of Yagam in our homes. This started me researching the benefits of this age-old tradition that our priestly ancestors conducted. Hence the book "Feeding the Flame" was published and distributed to devotees so that they too shall appreciate and understand what they were doing or witnessing rather than see the ritual as a mere ritual. 

As we began to appreciate the coming of the gurus and saw the results in walking the path, more books were published online.

AGATHIYAR'S GRACE

As I stood on the topmost step of the ladder this morning figuring how I am going to reach out and cut the branches of the Melia dubia tree or மலை வேம்பு that had reached out and now rested on the canopy at the porch of my home, there comes by a Rohingya kid who collects scrap metals to sell. He stopped to asks me if I needed some help. He helped me cut a couple of branches and left. I gave him a small token of appreciation. This is how Agathiyar comes to my aid in moments of need. 

Having a career in the construction industry I could have renovated my home to my liking. But it never moved me to do so. My house is one of the few that hasn't had a makeup till this day. It is as originally built. But as the wroth iron casement windows were rotting and I had a broken glass pane it was in dire need of replacement. Seeing a worker mix concrete in front of a neighbor's house I stopped to ask if he could replace my windows. He did not seem to know the price and asked for more time. A neighbor who was watching knocked on my door later volunteering to do it. It seemed the worker I spoke to was a specialist in making fish ponds hence his inability to quote a price and reluctance to take up the job. My neighbor came and did a fine job. He suggested I do up my kitchen counter too and threw in a painting job for the kitchen for free. Before he packed and left he surprised me telling me he took up the job because of my deity. I was amazed at how Agathiyar came to my aid in times of need. 

True to what he said I had recommended him to a couple of people but he never went over. As he does not do carpentry, he did the kitchen counter minus its doors. Another neighbor then tells me he has called over someone to replace his kitchen counter and asked if I was interested to have the doors to my kitchen counter fitted. The man sent his workers over to fit them. It is now complete and pleasant to look at. This is how Agathiyar comes to my aid in times of need. Agathiyar surprised us further when he came later and told my wife that the kitchen counter was a gift from him for her service in preparing food or annam for him and the devotees who dropped by at AVM.

As I was struggling with the wrench provided by the car manufacturer trying to replace my car tire with a spare my neighbor came with a long iron bar and extended the wrench and loosened the lug nuts. The tire came off easily. This is how Agathiyar comes to our aid in times of need. 

But first, we need to connect with him. A mantra serves this purpose. By carrying out rituals, by being an active participant, and not remaining mere spectators watching the ceremony, the bridge to the other kingdom is drawn down. Lighting a lamp serves as a portal for the deities to travel through. With the portal open and the bridge drawn the visitations begin. These are all for starters. Once we get connected and the route is opened, we can drop the rituals for the travels shall continue to take place as we have established contact. We then begin to see the divine in all things. For instance, we are asked to observe the flame of the lamp. The flame is seen as having many layers to it and of various colors. The temperature of the fire produces these colors. The colors vary according to the medium burnt. For instance, the "Flames of candles are different from flames of burners."

The Blue zone at 800°C is indicative of the stage where "there is incomplete burning of carbon dioxide thus resulting in the formation of carbon monoxide. This flame is usually used for heating as the temperature is more in this zone."

The Dark Zone at 1000°C is indicative of "the part of flame occurring around the wick of the candle. It mostly contains all the unburnt wax. So when the candle is lit up the unburnt vapors move away upward from the wick. These vapors are combined to form the Dark zone of the flame. The flame in this zone appears dark yellowish reddish color."

The Luminous Zone at 1200°C is indicative of "a region where the incomplete combustion takes place. And a large amount of heat is generated. All the unvapourised gases and the molten wax will be burnt in this zone. The flame is yellowish in color."

The Non-Luminous Zone at 1400°C is indicative of a region where "we can observe that there will be a kind of ‘aura’ formed around the candle." (Source: "http://gyanpro.com/blog/different-parts-of-candle-flame-you-probably-did-not-know/)

https://pslc.ws/fire/howwhy/flameco.htm

"What can cause so much heat to be given off? - our fuel! Before combustion, the fuel volatilizes, meaning that it becomes a gas, and often decomposes to form smaller molecules, atoms, ions, and/or free radicals. Once the fuel is a gas, the real combustion occurs." (Source: https://pslc.ws/fire/howwhy/flameco.htm)

Although fire burns everything in its way, it falls short of burning water. Water evaporates and does not burn. We are often asked to understand the tattvas that made up our body and the rest of creation by Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal. Much like how Ramalinga Adigal transformed his body constituents through heat or Tava Kanal resulting from his austerities; transformed the Sudha Deham to that of Pranava Deham filled with prana and later became the light body or Oli Deham, and finally disintegrated into molecules and atoms, residing in all of creation, Agathiyar is working hard to transform us, pushing us to perform and achieve this feat too.  

An amazing footage has been shot of the sun at Costa Rica in National Geographic's "NatGeo People - Escape to Costa Rica". I never saw the sun appear as a flame although we know that it is a ball of fire. It's almost impossible to look at the sun without proper protection for the eyes. The only time I tried to see a solar eclipse and its reflection in a basin of water almost blinded me.  This footage of the sun is seen in the flame of the lamp at AVM and has often been depicted in the paintings representing the jothi that we worship.