STRIVING FOR A BALANCE

If in the days of past we lived in a joint family where there is always the grandma around to whom we could fall back and refer to all aspects of life, including raising a child, these days as we live away in the city under forced circumstances for that is where the jobs and business opportunities are ample and opportunities to continue one's studies are made available, where do newly married couples and new parents turn too for advice and tips? Mr. Google of course. Looking around us we see people taking to the net to consult or learn practically everything under the sky. For instance, returning from the clinics we search the net to learn more about our ailment and the medicine dispersed. This has become a highly informed society. 

I was fortunate to be referred to a grandma when my eldest daughter suffered a bout of cold that refused to go away even after seeing four doctors and having taken the medicine. The owner of the house I rented brought me to a neighbor of his in the quarters of the Rubber Research Institute in Sungai Buloh. The grandma listening to us voice our worry picked several herbs from her garden, toasted them in a wok minus the oil. She then took the leaves in her palm and squashed the juice out of it. She placed the extracted juice in a Sangu or Paladai, a cup-like utensil with a narrow tip that is used traditionally to feed babies. She forced the juice down the tiny throat of my infant daughter. But before doing so she asked us to feed her a bottle of milk, filling her tummy to the brim. As soon as the juice went in my daughter vomited immediately. All the mucus and phlegm that were accumulated in her nasal cavities, throat, chest, and lungs came out in chunks with the milk she vomited. She asked us to come over another two days after which she stopped the treatment. My daughter was rid of her congestion. 

Moving to the present my granddaughter complained of acute pain in her tummy and she would twitch in pain. In the midst of playing she would stop abruptly and hold her tummy. It was pretty apparent that she was in pain. We brought her to a private clinic as it was a Sunday. But as the pain did not subside, we went to the government clinic for a second opinion. Meanwhile, I referred to my friend and Siddha physician Arivananthan over the phone and he gave some tips together with some words of assurance. But she was still in pain. It was painful to see her in pain. We decided to bring her to see the pediatrician at the medical center. He asked to do an ultrasound test that revealed her lymph nodes around her intestines were swollen. Searching for more information regarding this, we learned that,

As part of the immune system, lymph nodes help to protect the body against infection and disease. They store lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that fight infections. When infection occurs, the number of white blood cells increases and the lymph glands swell and become painful. The lymph nodes that are closest to the infection will be the most affected. If the lymph glands of the mesentery (The mesentery is an organ that attaches the intestines to the posterior abdominal wall in humans) react to an infection in the abdomen or the intestine, they will swell and become painful, causing abdominal discomfort. Mesenteric adenitis usually results from a viral or bacterial infection. (Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles)

The doctor gave her a dose of antibiotics. Only after knowing the reason for her pain and after the doctor assured us that she would be well upon taking the antibiotic, did we feel calm and reassured.  She fully recovered. We are glad that we sought further opinion and that the good doctor recommended doing the test to ascertain once and for all the cause of her tummy pain. The doctors before him had equally done their share in helping to clear a portion of her ailment. The first doctor we saw said she had wind in her stomach and was about to have a fever. She gave her medicine for pain, wind, and fever. She gave medicine to deworm her too. The next doctor told us that her fever had subsided and she was relieved of the wind. Agathiyar had forewarned us that she would not be well for some time but added that she would recover. Although he could have prevented the occurrence but he chose to have us go through the trauma with him watching over us. 

When my daughter broke her leg in a road accident while in college, Agathiyar asked us to continue receiving treatment from the government hospital. The orthopedic surgeon in the government hospital suggested a procedure that was new to our circles but was used successfully to mend sports injuries in the US since the early 2000s. The doctor's priced suggestion came as a boon for us, music to our ears for she need not have to undergo surgery. The procedure involved injecting into her leg the concentrating growth factors thrice. It worked after the very first treatment! After subsequent treatments, her fractured bone finally began to mend together. She walks perfectly well today. There are no physical signs or scars indicating or reminding her of having met with the accident.

When she developed fungus growth on her toes, many years back, we sought medical treatment. A cream was given to apply and an antibiotic to complete. The doctor reminded us that if what he gave was not effective in stopping the fungal growth, we should seek a skin specialist. As there was no significant improvement, the doctor asked to see a skin specialist. Meanwhile, I sought the advice of a Siddha practitioner, Dr. Krishnan. He started her on a course of Siddha medicine that gave some relief but new fungal growth appeared in neighboring toes. While waiting for the weekend to pass to see the specialist, I remembered that there was a chapter of the Nadi where the Siddhas could reveal about medical problems, illnesses, and diseases, treatment, and cures. We went to see the Nadi. In the Nadi reading, Agathiyar spoke about her medical problems and advised her to opt for traditional medicine instead of modern drugs. He told her modern drugs and treatment would not bring any relief. Besides that Agathiyar mentioned two traditional preparations Jeeva Sakthi Legium and Vallarai Legium that were available commercially and asks that she adopt certain measures. After taking these medicines and following Agathiyar's advice the fungus that ate into her toe healed and closed up. My daughter was completely cured.

When a senior devotee of his in his sixties tripped and fell at his home the medical center that treated him called him in for physiotherapy. Agathiyar told him to follow his heart in determining the nature of treatment he was to take. He went along with it. He also visited the Ayurveda physician who advised that he continue with the physiotherapy while the physician did his part in treating his shoulder with oil minus the massage. The devotee recovered speedily and is now able to lift his arm and going about his chores as usual.

My mother-in-law had consulted the doctors over her ailments for some time but she was not relieved until the moment she stepped into the office of a Siddha practitioner where upon seeing her facial hair he diagnosed her problems were due to her approaching the menopause phase. She was relieved of her ailment by merely taking organic juices recommended by him.

Agathiyar has always told my wife to sought modern methods of medical treatments in the Sathiram or government hospitals for all her ailments. I on the other hand was pointed to traditional and alternative medicine all the while.

Going by these episodes, it looks like all these methods of treatment either complement each other or at other times, and in some cases, there is the need to strictly uphold either one and drop the other. We cannot afford to speak highly of one means or method and degrade another or vise versa. This clearly shows that there is a need for balance in life. Be it in any field adopting a moderate way saves the day. Buddha too who had gone the extreme way opted to return to the middle way bringing us to have a glimpse in achieving enlightenment. Just as we have night and day, we see the opposites existing and working in tandem: as in static and dynamic as in web pages; as in hardware and software in IT; as in positive and negative in the forces; as in Yin and Yang - two halves that together complete wholeness; as in Siva and Sakthi as colossal energies; and as in man and women to complement each other. One has to find his way to carefully meandering through these opposing forces safely without favoring neither and remaining unattached. 

Often nature has the answers too. "The fix is nature itself," says a farmer to botanist James Wong in the episode "The Promised Land" in the series "Follow the Food" on BBC World News when speaking about restoring agricultural land back to its prime condition. There is balance in nature naturally. It's only when we overstep or overdo things that we disturb and violate natural laws. By respecting nature we shall arrive at the "Promised Land." 

THE IDEAL SAMARITAN

Whenever I visit my grandchildren I haul them up to the prayer room and have them sing the Lord's praises with me. I was surprised the first time I heard my 3-year-old granddaughter chant the Arutperunjothi mantra. I was proud of my daughter for having taught her. So the next few days I recited the Sidhar potri or the long lists of Siddha names and asked her to follow. She did. She missed the pronunciation but I let it be, never wanted to correct her at this stage. After reciting the first few names and as the names of the Sidhas can be tongue twisters she settled to only join at the end of each line saying Potri. I stopped at page 1 not wanting to torture the poor soul and have her sit and repeat with me the 210 names. The next day she surprised me when she asked that we continue to the next few names on page 2 too. She even wanted more at the end of page 2 and so it happened that we completed reciting the full lists of names. A great achievement for the youngster indeed. Subsequently, we sat again another day too. But she was rather quiet. When I asked her to join in she surprised me with her reply. She replied மனசுக்குள் பாடுகிறேன், I am reciting within. I was taken aback by listening to this child tell me that she was following but in an inaudible way. Indeed she is proving Agathiyar right when he said that the next generation shall teach us. 

Tavayogi divides man into three kinds in relation to their ability to pick up teachings. The first he akin to the stem of the palmyra, coconut, and other palm trees and also of the plantain. However much we try to light it struggles to catch fire and burn. The next is charcoal. It burns easily with a little help by fanning the fire. As charcoal is burnt wood, they bring with them earlier learnings and knowledge unknowingly and understand these teachings pretty fast. The last is petrol that easily catches fire. By coming into close proximity they pick up the nuances of the teachings. Which are we? These children obviously belong to the third category. They catch up fast.

Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar in dividing man with regard to his sense of concern to others lists three kinds too. The first steps on a banana skin and falls hurting himself. He picks himself up and moves on, leaving the skin there not concerned that another might step and fall as he did. The second person walks past it indifferent to the obvious danger to others coming that way. He too does not give a thought for others. The third stops to pick it up and dispose of it away from the path of others. Which are we?

In speaking about compassion Mataji defines man into two obvious groups, the compassionate and the not so compassionate. If someone on seeing an animal skinned and hanging at the butchers waiting to be bought, and his mind immediately races to how he was going to prepare the lamb chop or loin meat and at the very moment he imagines the dish, water in this case saliva drips from the sides of his mouth then know that he is not a compassionate one whereas to the other his heart cries out seeing the state the poor animal has come to and has water, in this case, tears, welling in his eyes, indeed he is a compassionate person. Which are we?

On the local front, Sri Krishna and his wife Sri Dewy are exemplary couples who have devoted their life to serving the hungry, poor and unfortunate. They came as an upaguru to many including us at Amudha Surabhi (AS). He was the first to show us the plight of the homeless bringing us to the streets to see for ourselves. We soon caught up with him in serving the homeless adding on to our prior commitment in providing aid to the inmates of orphanages and charity homes. This couple continues their charity roping in many and showing them the way too. 

In a Jeeva Nadi reading read by Tavayogi and transcribed by Mataji, Agathiyar reveals that Sri Krishna in a past birth had ferried Mataji across the River Kaveri to the spot where the Nattadreswarar temple stands today. Agathiyar then was inaugurating the Sivalingam that he made and establish from the river sand. We are proud to have known and associated with this couple who stand as a beacon to all those seeking to help the unfortunate.

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

During my college days, I read a book borrowed from the college library, can't recall the name of the book though. It was written by a war veteran and a prisoner of war (POW). Reading it then made me realize that we have taken freedom for granted. Today, watching Simon Reeve visit a maximum-security prison in his show on "BBC Earth - North America with Simon Reeve", I was reminded again to be grateful for being a free person. In the program, Simon visits inmates convicted when they were juveniles, some as young as 16, serving life sentences. Now they are full-fledged adults in their prime. Speaking about the program initiated by the prison authorities, the tutor mentions that "a mobile platform was created that gave them (the inmates) everything that they have missed out by putting them on virtual reality to simulate life situation on the outside." How very nice. "The program," says Simon, "prepares these convicts to a life on the outside that will make it possible for them someday to step out of the gate." 

A convict talks about the benefit of the program, telling Simon that "I haven't seen the inside of a restaurant for so long. ... supermarket ... there are so many choices .. kind of overwhelming outside the prison walls. I have the chance to see myself in a virtual setting." We ought to be grateful at this juncture that we are at liberty to travel free and far although the Covid pandemic has come to hinder our free movement for the time being.

What is the price or value of freedom? We shall never know until... we lose it. The prisoner of war shall know its value. One counting his days to the gallows will know. We have taken freedom for granted. Treasure your freedom. The pandemic has to a large extent curtailed this freedom. The past year of restricted movement has placed a massive amount of stress on many. Being a pensioner, I too can feel the heat seeing family, friends, and others battle with their lives, fearing for their lives, having lost income and jobs, and having to stomach more losses in many more ways. Pollution in major cities, and the pandemic that has forced us to wear facial masks outdoors remind us to cherish the gift of air. Similarly, the life-sustaining waterways are equally polluted these days. Many have only a vague memory of the richness and goodness of clean healthy air and water that prevailed once upon a time. Clean air and water are a thing of the past.

Breath is life. The sweetness of breath traveling throughout the body is indeed amrita or honey. Feel the coolness as it traverses within, chilling the body. Bring your awareness to the breath and the path it takes and the places it comes within reach and in contact. Then you shall appreciate the breath and the air. Then we shall know the need to breathe in clean air. 

Near-death moments should kindle us to reflect on life and better our ways, bringing on an appreciation of life. One laying on a sickbed will know the value of health. Illness comes to remind us to get back on track. As Stephen Grissom writes on his blog at https://www.siddhavasihealing.com, 

Sickness knocks on the door of our life to tell us that the time has come to outgrow these perceptions and patterns. The time has come to evolve. It is only when we come to understand the message behind the chronic illness that we outgrow the sickness. Only then do we inherit the rewards of this growth beyond the limitations. We have the opportunity to realize for ourselves that we are not merely a body. 

Tavayogi told me that a Siddha cannot be caged within the body and has to be free to move. They go beyond the limitations of the body. Both Yogi Ramsuratkumar and Bhagawan Nithyananda of Ganeshpuri consoled their followers moments before they went into Samadhi that they could do a better job in the subtle form compared to the limitations of the physical form. They promised to continue to guide them further though. We are told that a Siddha visited Batu Caves in the past, neither traveling by land, water or air. They materialize in any place of their choice at any moment. I had the privilege to accidentally drop in on a "visiting" sadhu at an ashram in Lunas, Kedah many years back. He blessed both my nephew and me. Later my nephew who had met him earlier in Penang tells me that he materializes his body in many places and returns to his place of origin in India. He saw him again in Maran, Pahang. There was something peculiar about his gaze. It was penetrating going beyond my body. I have yet to see another look that way at me. 

Before we are ready to go beyond this body, we need to nurture it to serve its purpose in becoming a launching platform for the self and catapulting it to greater heights. Do not disregard the body. Convert it to a temple. Bring the divine within to take his abode in us. All things shall change henceforth. All we need is to pray and pray, asking him to come within or rather asking him to reveal himself within. The divine has been shelved away and set aside for far too long. He who dwells within us has been ignored for far too long. Bring him back into our lives and place him center stage. Have all the spotlights shine on him. Talk about him every single moment. Coincidently I just ended a long talk with Suren in the midst of writing this blog. We shared stories about Agathiyar and Tavayogi as usual. We agreed that it brought us joy in speaking about our gurus. We appreciated how they have come into our lives and found their way into our hearts and soul. If we had always been told that the greatest dharma was to feed the hungry, Agathiyar came along and revealed that there was an even greater dharma than that. Speaking the grace of thy guru is even greater and surpasses all other acts of dharma, he said.

LIFE'S CHALENGES

A stranger walked into my home yesterday as I was sprucing up my home after a month's absence asking if it was Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM). Like many others before him, he was surprised and taken aback seeing a home instead of something bigger that they had envisioned. Several strangers have turned up at my doorstep over the years after seeing AVM on Google, reading this blog, or watching my YouTube videos. They come to check out the place. Usually, they tell me that they expected to see an ashram or temple or at least some form of signage carrying the name or indicating AVM. Many have stepped in and left without contacting further. Many more have kept coming renewing their relationship with the place.

And so did this pensioner drop by asking if it was AVM. He too came with the above expectation. I invited him in and we had a pretty good conversation. As it was lunchtime and lunch had arrived courtesy of my neighbor, I invited him to share my food. Surprisingly a single portion that was shared by two was filling for both of us. In the past, at times we would worry if the food prepared or catered for was enough when unexpected devotees turn up at our events besides the regular who always inform us ahead. But we never were let down. Mysteriously the food would be sufficient to feed the last man who arrives and the last man or lady to leave.

These seekers are interested in knowing how I came to the path. Prior to blogging, I would run my long tale or story A to Z. These days I ask them to read the blog. Several having read the blog would highlight certain miracles or events and venture to know more. Slowly they would break the ice and start mentioning the hardship they go through. I would dish out the formula that was given to all of us too by Tavayogi: that their sufferings were because of past karma; and that they should pray that it ends; and that they should begin worship to the Siddhas asking for guidance. This was the standard advice then and now. When they come to know that karma deals the card, they would mention that they had not harmed anyone and add that they were generous too. When it is made known that past karma determines the quality of this life, they then begin to question if it was fair to "punish" them in this birth for something done in the past? 

This is the divine law. This is how it works. You reap as you sow. Doing good deeds and gaining merits from these actions break the chain. Then he posed the question if doing good acts brings good merits that counter/repay past karma and if one has settled the score why is he born again? He is not the first one to ask these questions. Many before him have asked too. These are the frequently asked questions. I should not talk about karma for I too am carrying a huge load. The Siddhas surely can speak about it. It is only those who stand aloft and apart from the clutches of karma and fate can possibly talk about such a deep and unfathomable mystery. Hence, the reason the Siddhas always reveal our past when we go for a Nadi reading. I have asked myself too what was the very first wrong that I did that deserved a birth in the very first place that has become a chain that is pretty difficult to be broken. We have since that first birth been adding on to this baggage of karma leading to more births. 

Karma is too complicated to be understood. We have gone at length trying to understand and fathom this mystery that holds such a strong grip on us, that initiates birth and brings death endlessly. https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-workings-of-karma-and-free-will.html

Speaking about his wish to see the Nadi he also began to voice out his doubt if a Nadi reader was genuine or otherwise, voiced out other's bad experiences in seeing the Nadi, and in having been cheated, conned, etc. I told him that you cannot possibly form an opinion based on others and that you can only establish the truth once you have personally gone through the regime. Hence many like him carry doubt and suspicions about the Nadi but yet they want to see and find out once and for all the reason for their untold sufferings. 

The Siddhas are here to help us scale the mountain of life and its rough terrain. Unlike the guide or sherpa who help us cross the ridges and rough terrain to reach the mountain peak and back, leading the way and at times maybe shouldering and carrying a part of our load for a short distance, the Siddhas shall only guide, but they shall never remove the obstacles or untie the knot that we have created in the very first place. Even if they have the ability and capability they would never do it. So the next question would be why do we pray to them or consult the Siddhas if they are powerless to do something? Yes of course they do not need us to pray to them. Neither do they need us to pay homage to them. They do not need our riches and praises. God divine owns everything right down to the heartbeat that keeps time and the breath that keeps it in check. The Siddhas have been around since time immemorial and shall be around for many eons to come immaterial whether we pray to them or not. Having said that, in taking the walk through the given life, we gather experiences that were intended for us and the soul within to learn. The Siddhas come to our aid to guide and give us the inner strength to deal with the obstacle or send others along at the right moment to give us a helping hand or advice. Besides, that prayer does wonder in us and to us and our surroundings. It is not a matter of worshipping them but in worship we tend to mellow, our hearts build up with compassion and love, we become gentle folks etc. The recipient is us entirely. The benefit is to us rather than the Siddhas. Suffice to say that we shall become the object of our worship someday. We too become divine in nature. 

Just as in times of crisis we turn to family and friends for help and advice, similarly, the Siddhas are unseen and invisible "family and friends" who can lend a hand when every other being fails us. They are the last resort to turn too for many. Hence the reason after searching for a cure or solution they turn up seeking the Siddhas and their Nadi. As Siddhas rarely come before us the Nadi is a medium to communicate with them. Reading my numerous posts on the Nadi, many mistake me to be a Nadi reader or to have a Nadi in my possession which I do not. Although I cannot speak about karma I can give a few pointers and tips on seeing the Nadi as I have had my fair share of reading them some fifty-odd times. Sadly many only want to hear what they desire to hear. If it does not satisfy their yearning or expectation they begin to defame, badmouth and blame the Nadi. If you already have doubts about the Nadi please don't see it. Do not place whatever little peace, quiet, and contentment that you have left as a bet. You shall lose it altogether. Go only if you believe, without knowing and you shall be surprised. Do not hold any prejudice against it. Neither should you take other's opinions or reviews along with you. Go with a positive thought that the Siddha and their Nadi shall show you a way out and you shall get a positive reading too. 

We should learn to attend to the purpose of our visit to a reader. Know that it is to get messages and guidance from the Siddhas. Get the message and move on. Period. Please do not investigate the messenger. What is important is the message. I have had many ask how the messages come about and entirely forget the message itself. Three devotees of Agathiyar who were buddies too were taken to task for investigating a Nadi reader for his authenticity by going overboard in going abroad to his village and enquiring about his conduct, personality, character, etc. Although they carried doubts, yet they went back for a reading. Agathiyar in the reading told them sternly that it was foolish of them to go to that extent to verify the Nadi reader and the reading. If you are cheated know that that your karma was so strong that it led you to a crook or a cheat. If you feel disappointed or the reading was not at par to your expectations know that your karma stood in the way and changed the course of the reading. Try to take up the Siddhas advice. Know that when someone resists a good thing or a piece of advice and when no amount of persuasion will bring him to take heed, his karma is acting full force. One desperate to come out of a situation should also be willing to listen. In times of trouble, having done everything possible and having taken every move available that we could possibly imagine or figure out, having exhausted all means of finding a solution we have no other option in life but to accept what is given without probing, investigating, and delving into it further. Come as a blind man. Leave the baggage behind, all the earlier references, the learnings, the findings, the opinions, the forums that we have searched, scrolled through, and read. Come empty and they shall fill us in. Take the message and if you prefer to get acquainted with them further take their hand and follow them. Pray to them. Comply to their teachings. Start building a life-long relationship that shall go beyond this life and many more to come. For that to take place one has to establish a relationship with them. Hence the need for prayer. Hence the need to invite them to our homes and our hearts. 

Come blindfolded and take their hands. We shall see much progress within a short while. If we hold their hands and begin to tug on them to slow down or ask to wait a while, while we stop to look around, we shall be distracted and the journey delayed further. I recall how Tavayogi led me through the woods on our way to explore the Siddha abodes, caves, and temples without even turning to look back and checking on me if I was following or keeping up the pace. He was way ahead rushing as though to meet a dateline or as if on a gold rush. The onus was on me to hurry up and catch up with him. 

We should learn to surrender to a higher authority or power when every possible attempt and effort of ours only comes to a standstill and ends in dismay and disappointment. Having wrung our brains to the maximum and having sought advice from others and having equally placed concerted efforts towards the direction shown, yet if we do not see the expected results or changes, we do not see the light at the end of the tunnel, or we do not see a silver lining, it calls for the moment of total surrender, not in the attempt and backoff and call it a day, but surrender to a higher force. Admit that we are lost and that we cannot figure out what to do further. Admission on our path deals a blow on our ego. With the ego subdued the divine that was kept captive in the cave of our hearts, all this while takes hold of our lives. Only then shall they assert their presence. The guiding light comes forth to take the lead. The divine shall send forth its angels or our guardian angel who have been with us all this while and whom we had ignored all life long. 

Surrender only should come when we have exhausted all available avenues in wanting to see the desired results. We should not lie around waiting for wonders or miracles to take place. Similarly, faith in the divine, the angels, and the guru, although it needs to be blind, should not be at the expense of being careless, or lose our guards or bring us to act stupidly. Do not go and expose yourself to the virus expecting the divine, angel, or guru to save us. We should heed the advice, respect the rule of the day and the laws laid out. Do not leave your car, home, etc unlock believing that the divine, angel, or guru shall stand guard over our properties. It is not his job to worry about us and our possessions. These are basic things that we should carry out to ensure and remain safe and keep our property safe too. Do not indulge in and do things that you know very well will bring harm and danger claiming that the divine, angel, or guru shall protect us. Similarly, in the face of danger as in an approaching oncoming car that loses control and is about to crash into ours, are we going to head towards the danger, or are we going to attempt to avoid it by turning the steering away and safe ourselves? When in the face of danger know that it is time for us to send out the SOS call. Believe me the divine, the angel, and guru shall create a force field and keep the danger at bay. 

In times of danger take hold of the aid that comes your way without hesitation. It could be God sent. A most popular story is told of a flood victim stranded atop the roof of his home. The villagers come along on a boat to save him. He refuses to board saying God shall save him. Then the rescue team sends a helicopter and drops down a line, yet he is adamant that God shall rescue him. Eventually, he dies a watery dead as the floodwaters rise. We need some sense of intelligence in identifying the moments and the ways in which God manifests and comes to our aid. Grab on to him or whatever is handed out or comes our way. It can only be God-sent. It is an entirely different thing when the danger strikes from behind or above unaware to us. When we are not aware of the impending danger, we cannot possibly act on it or escape. We fall victim to these circumstances. But what if we had a guardian angel who alerts us of the danger or drives us off course? 

Speaking about the many paths that lead us to God, I would rather infer that there is only one track but several coaches. The engine tugs a number of cabins behind it. Each cabin or coach can be said to be laden with devotees of a certain faith. People of different faiths are traveling in separate coaches as the train speeds away. The irony is those in a particular coach or compartment do not know the existence of the other coaches and their occupants. Neither do they have access to the next compartment. Eventually, upon reaching the common destination and upon disembarking from the coaches we realize only then of the presence of the others and exclaim, "Hey, you are here too!" seeing our neighbor, friend, and another disembarking too at the final destination. 

Finally, if the above worry and fear are related to those who want to come out of a situation, there are a handful who are willing to see through their troubles knowing that it shall have to end someday. These are the strong-willed ones. 

LIVING NATURES WAY

In the episode "Route Awakenings", from the series "China Revealed" on National Geographic Channel, the explorer, and presenter Harry Yuan, states it beautifully that "Nature is both the problem and a solution here." He continues to explain, "You have a problem - flooding, and then you have materials like rocks and bamboo that are found in abundance here. So nature is basically the problem and a solution here." Rocks from the river are placed into huge bamboo baskets that are woven to contain them. These are then placed in the river to create a wall to contain rising floodwaters or to divert the river's flow or split the river into two. "What a great idea", he adds. Similarly, we are told that antidotes are always available, around the vicinity of poisonous plants.

Indeed, Nature is both friend and foe. The Siddhas had a way of gaining its respect and in turn, were given access to its wide knowledge. They then used this knowledge for the good of all of the creation. It is said that plants would bend down to salute Agathiyar as he passes by and pass on the knowledge of their properties which later came in handy in preparing medicinal potions. My friend a consultant in Cardiology in a timely manner as usual put forth an observation, "I came across an interesting piece of information. Medical treatment should be started on தேய்பிறை பஞ்சமி அல்லது தேய்பிறை செவ்வாய். Only then the treatment is effective for chronic illnesses. Your views?" Though surprisingly as it may seem, we are told that the illness or disease will be aggressive during valarpirai or when the moon is waxing. So we chose to start to treat when the moon is waning.

If modern medicine treats the symptoms, Siddha medicine treats both the symptoms and their cause. We had the first-hand experience in watching Agathiyar come through a devotee and prepare a paste from several plants in the garden and kitchen herbs and used it to treat a knee injury of another devotee. When I watched closely without moving an eyelid trying to register all the ingredients he had asks for while he was pounding away and preparing a herbal paste, the traditional way, using a pestle and mortar, he turns to me and says, "Only I shall prepare this. You do not do it." Here Agathiyar treated the symptom.

When I was suffering and enduring my lower back pain that went right down to my legs that affected my mobility, for close to three years, Agathiyar attributed its cause to an imbalance in the three dosas in my body as a result of my Yogic practices and the arousal of energies within. He prescribed several herbs to be taken and ointments to be applied externally. If prior physiotherapy and heat therapy along with varma therapy and a jab all brought momentary relief Agathiyar saw the root cause of my ailment and his prescription saw an end to my suffering.

Ayurveda too regards "The system’s core strength is its holistic approach to health and disease using natural remedies derived from medicinal plants and minerals. Laying emphasis on self-discipline and modest living with high human values, the system strongly advocates a unique set of principles and guidelines on diet and exercise in daily healthy living." (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/)

An Ayurvedic physician "goes on to examine the overall body composition of the patient, His spiritual orientation, mental conditions, etc, to provide a comprehensive cure and restore balance in the human system." (Source: https://ayurcentralonline.com/)

For instance in healing, Stephen Grissom writes on his blog at https://www.siddhavasihealing.com/blog/siddha-vasi-healing-ancient-wisdom-in-the-modern-world

Tamil Siddha healing accesses not only all levels of the person, but the entire Cosmos. All of creation and all of the energies that exist are included, accessed and harmonized. This grandness of inclusivity is only possible by having traveled the path that leads to spiritual perfection. For without this component, the most essential ingredients of creation and so each individual, would be excluded. Indeed, it is the Tamil Siddha masters deep understanding, born from Their own quest and enlightened state, that declares the entire creation to exist in each of us. This reflection of the macrocosm in the microcosm illuminates the vast potential that lies within Siddha Healing.

Stephen writing on man's inherent nature to find solutions to problems challenges us to change our mindset.

We don’t like to sustain in our situations and problems in life. Instead we compulsively try to come out of them. Reflexively we will try to catch or substitute some type of solution. Just so we can move on to something else. This is why I call it neurotic. However, should we resist these urges and instead feel ourselves in any given situation the most natural and beautiful thing happens: the solution effortlessly appears. How does it come to us and from where does it come?

Here we are taught not to resist the problem nor try to escape. Stephen continues, 

This lack of effort is beautiful because we are no longer striving to achieve anything. Instead are meeting life in a fully open, trusting and stressless manner. Like when we were little children and filled with wonder and vigor. 

Just as we saw how Nature was both the problem and the solution, Stephen quotes his guru's saying, “Immerse yourself in the problem. There is hidden the medicine.” or in Stephen's words, "The actual medicine that resolved the man’s illness lay hidden within the suffering of his sickness." He quotes his guru Pal Pandian again, 

“The beauty,” Pal said, “is that the solution to every situation, lies within the very problem itself.”

Stephen in his writings on healing adds another jewel to it, "The suffering he experienced was begging him to look at his mode of living."

Without exception this message speaks to our fixed perceptions of life, as well as our habitual patterns of living. It seems that as we age, we somehow, in some way, forget to grow. Sickness knocks on the door of our life to tell us that the time has come to outgrow these perceptions and patterns. The time has come to evolve. It is only when we come to understand the message behind the chronic illness that we outgrow the sickness. Only then do we inherit the rewards of this growth beyond the limitations. We have the opportunity to realize for ourselves that we are not merely a body. This is the doorway for authentic and lasting Health and is the divine gift to the world from the Tamil Siddhas, known as Siddha Vasi Healing. 

Stephen writes so beautifully that I cannot help but pick more excerpts.

Our ancestors lived the majority of their lives outside. By day their feet and hands touched the earth, by night their eyes gazed at dancing fires and the star strewn heavens. This natural and raw way of living created a felt need for celebration in the most organic sense.The return to the source of this sacred energy is the path of ecstatic bonding, whose brilliance pulsates within Nature. Its echo resonates the same touchstone within each of us. This is the illumination of the masculine and feminine energies, concealed in each of us. The euphoric bonding is firmly rooted in the beauty of the earth, just as lightning needs earth as its focal point. It is felt as a “breathing”. One that is simultaneously subtle yet all encompassing, for all of creation, including our bodies, lays curled in the womb of silent ecstasy. This awareness will come from the sky as we watch birds fly, framed by clouds. Its feeling and smell emerges from caressing winds and as thunder echoes in the heavens with its own song – enveloping rain. This is the memory of our ancient civilization where celebration was the very fabric of ordinary life.

This echoes Agathiyar's worry that man has lost touch with the way of the Siddhas or சித்தர் வாழ்கை நெறி முறைகள். So are we missing out on all these? All is not lost. There are a handful who live this life. For one I have seen Siddhar physician Arivananthan Aiya leading his life accordingly to the dictates of the Siddhas. He fits the description that Stephen gives of these few whom he calls the new “avatars” of the creative force, which lives and breathes in the heart of the universe.

There are those today who personify this “return to the source”, who are not bothered with masks and disguises. Their earthiness and simplicity results from the enraptured bonding of the primordial masculine and feminine energies. They may not be the teachers of spirituality that society expects to see, and often not of the tradition of religion, spirituality and book learning. Rather, they will emerge as ancient wizards: dancers, poets, therapists, writers, healers and musicians. Having heard this clarion call, they are not motivated by personal expression but by a far vaster and more mythological need. One rooted in the earth itself. Look! Even those that work more simply with wood, metal, and machines will personify this artistic expression. The gardener, plumber, and auto mechanic will begin to view “work” as a kind of play and artistic expression. Their lives shall personify a deeper connection with spirit and earth. 

Stephen sums it all up beautifully,

One’s intellect and very sense of individual parameters are themselves the barriers that must be extinguished. These are static things and so impede the Great Flow. The deepest understanding of how Life incessantly flows, moves, creates, sustains and destroys, inevitably results in a like manner of living, moving, and flowing. This supreme flexibility is humility, and its offspring gratitude.  Awe inspired interaction with Nature, entwined with inner silence. This is the very ground from which true healing grows.

Shall we bring a change then? 

THE MYSTERIOUS WAYS OF THE MASTERS

I never went in search of gurus or swamijis although if I happen to come by them addressing devotees at temples I would stay back to hear a thing or two and would line up with others to get their blessings at the end of their talk. I never questioned them nor followed up with them and their teachings. It would be a touch-and-go affair. I opted to carry on my sole home puja and temple worship. I was happy and contented doing it. Although I read a lot wanting to know everything about culture, tradition, religion, and spiritualism, it never occurred to me to go seeking them, visit their ashrams, correspond with them etc. I never had the urge to visit India too although my father was from there. Neither did he encourage me nor take me along. But all this was to change. Just when I was minding my business staying away from all the reading, puja, and temple visits for some 14 years after Lord Shiva in a dream, asks me to put everything on hold, as if to reinitiate me to revisit and restart my journey that was halted for reasons only known to the divine, my nephew drops by my home and initiates me into the Vasudeva mantra just revealing sufficiently enough to know that he was told to do so and I was not to question its source or anything further. My puja that was mysteriously brought to a halt following the dream, was revived after 14 years by this mysterious initiation that came my way. I was told that I shall meet my guru soon too. 

After the initiation and as I took up all that I was told and put them into practice, all things required to facilitate my meeting with my guru fell into place mysteriously. The following year my colleague brought up the subject of the Nadi and shared how he had read it some two years back. I was excited and wanted to see mine. He checked back with Sivabalan and confirmed that the Nadi reader was still in town. He arranged for me to see my Nadi. Agathiyar was introduced to me for the very first time and as my guru in subtle form in the Nadi by Nadi Nool Aasan Senthilkumar of Avinasi, Tamilnadu.  I sat spellbound and listened in awe at the revelations of the Siddha, who could see the past, present, and future. I was introduced to the subject of rebirth, karma, parikaram, and many more. Traveling to India the following year to carry out the remedies given to compensate for my wrongdoing in the past, I mysteriously land at the doorstep of my first guru in physical form. Going on the pretext of seeking an astrologer to chart my daughter's horoscope I was brought to Supramania Swami by my driver Devanthiran. I only realized that he was the guru whom I shall meet as mentioned by Agathiyar in the Nadi while traveling back to the hotel. Thus a wonderful guru-disciple relationship evolved from that day till his samadhi some four years later. 

During this time I looked up on Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram who was here in Malaysia to officiate his affiliate and branch or Peedham in Batu Caves. I took along a leaflet that was given to me by Sentilkumar after my Nadi reading, mentioning the intent of one Thaiveedu Thangarasan Adigal, M.A. to build a temple for Agathiyar in Kallar. I wanted to verify if it was him. He told me that it was indeed him and that he was running an ashram in a small way in a small shed and showed me photographs of what he was doing back at the ashram. I told him that I had seen the Nadi and that Agathiyar had asked me to come to the worship of the Siddhas. He told me that I had come to the right place and that I shall learn from the local affiliate of his. Tavayogi invited me over to his ashram in India. He gave me and my wife initiation that evening with six others. But Agathiyar had other plans for me. Agathiyar erased the Nadi reading I had including the piece on the local peedham, immediately after I took another initiation with Tavayogi as instructed by him. Agathiyar instructed me instead to visit his ashram and spend some days there. Thus a wonderful guru-disciple relationship evolved from that day till his samadhi some four years back. 

As readers would have read numerous times my account of how Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal broke my joy, in having him come over to my home, telling me straight to the face that I was living in Maya and seeing him clad in the attire of a Sadhu, not to regard him as someone special, it is indeed amazing to realize and experience how the masters correct a student's perception, break his ego, rid his ignorance, and finally nurture and enlighten him. I have had many such initially puzzling but eventually amazing moments with Gurus and Upagurus. Rengaraja Desiga Swami too just like Tavayogi showed me the magnanimity of the Siddhas in residence at Ongkarakudil in Thuraiyur rather than promote himself. After reading my Nadi and having Agathiyar asked me to come to the path, Agathiyar started me on the worship to the Siddhas and their mysterious Nadi through having Sentilkumar perform the ritual of Naadikku Dhanam or paying homage to the Siddhas and their Nadi. That was my first introduction to its worship. The very first place that came to my mind to learn further about the Siddhas was the local affiliate mission of his in Dengkil. Anbarasan, Manivannan, and Jayanthi mooted my interest to meet their guru Rengaraja Desiga Swami. I made my way to Ongkarakudil en route on my maiden pilgrimage to India in 2003 to carry out my remedies as stipulated in the Nadi. I was blessed to see him one to one. Although I was well received by the manager Mr. Nadarajah, I came away disappointed that Swami did not bless me then but instead told me that coming there itself was a blessing. Today I understand pretty well why he said that. For one just as Yogi Ramsuratkumar refused to bless a visitor who had just arrived at Tiruvannamalai after getting the darshan and blessings of another guru in Kerala as the Yogi did not want to disturb the energy transmitted to him, Rengaraja Desiga Swami must have foreseen my destiny was with Supramania Swami whom I would meet several days later. A couple of years later Agathiyar cleared the air about my misunderstanding at Ongkarakudil telling me that I had gone there without knowing his status and standing within the Siddha circle and the magnanimity of the place. Agathiyar asked me to go again and said that I shall get his blessing then. But then I never wanted to go anywhere after teaming up with Supramania Swami and Tavayogi. Today I pretty well understand Rengaraja Desiga Swami's words, that coming there itself was a blessing. If initially, I misinterpreted it and took offense to it asking if I was not eligible to be there or had misplaced my foot in holy waters, today I understand that he meant well and that the place itself has the potential to bless each one who steps within because of the years of generosity and compassion shown towards the poor, hungry and unfortunate and the offerings to the Siddhas accumulated over decades. The very soil in Ongarakudil is fully saturated and energized with the presence of the Siddhas presence. Hence Rengaraja Desiga Swami need not personally and physically touch me and bless. He came to show me that if at all there was any blessing to come my way let it be from the Siddhas themselves. It shows his humbleness to the core. 

I have come to realize that all forms of rituals can come to an end once the place is sufficiently energized. Henceforth one only needs to step in and tap into this energy. This was what Tavayogi did too at all the temples, caves, and Siddha abodes, that he brought me to. I only understood it when Agathiyar in the Nadi asked us to refrain from conducting rituals at samadhis, which includes their caves, and their abodes. Instead, we are asked to sit in silence and tap into the energy that thrives and lives in the samadhis of Siddhas and saints. Just as when a place gains sufficient powers the rituals can stop, charity too shall come to a stop as told by Agathiyar, for the act of doing charity when taken up, balances the account sheet. If pursued further the balance tips towards gaining more merits that would necessitate or be another reason for one to come back to reap its rewards in the form of gifts, comfort, and pleasure.

When Suren and I went over to meet Siddha Dr. VN Jayapalan who visited Malaysia regularly to diagnose and treat patients, wanting very much to know more about Agathiyar's revelation to him about the origin of his temple at Agasthiyampalli that he had recorded and distributed as an audio Cd, gifted to Suren on his visit to the Dr's ashram in Bangalore, I was pretty disappointed that he did not elaborate further telling me that he had narrated all that was revealed during his meditation in the Cd. He had nothing further to add nor did he talk about its content. He went on to talk about other matters. Today I understand his stand and reason in not wanting to add on for fear of fabricating or modifying and adultering the message. He was a medium through whom Agathiyar passed on stories from the past about the Siddhas. A devotee friend who has a guru in Bangalore tells me that his guru receives messages about the life that Agathiyar and Loba Ma lived together but only reveals to close associates and devotees. Permission to share is only granted upon consultation with Agathiyar. I was blessed to sight this document having passed me a copy but am not permitted to share or talk about it either. Similarly, during a revelation to Suren about the origin of Agathiyar, Agathiyar reminded Nadi Nool Aasan Tamaraiselvan to just read the Nadi without trying to explain or translate as is the usual practice. Tamaraiselvan did as told only narrating the origin without retouching it. Many years back I was passed a document titled "Siddha Agasthya - Foremost of the Siddhas" by Nadi Guru Ramesh. In it were amazing revelations about Agathiyar, the Siddhas, and their contributions towards society and humanity. In that article, Dr. Mandayam Kumar of the Siddha Medical Research Institute, Bangalore says it was possible to find out details about Agathiyar during the course of literary research on the Siddha medical sciences in a Tamil manuscript written on Nadi or palm leaves about 3,000 years ago. The text that is attributed to Lord Murugan and titled "Prapancha Kaandam" runs into several volumes according to Dr.  Agathiyar dictated the contents of the Nadi while his student Pulastyar recorded it. 

Supramania Swami although he had complained of some chest pain and breathing difficulties was discharged from the hospital giving him a clean slate of health. Subsequently, he embarked on his last Mauna Viratham or oath of silence, to abstain from speaking. Just days into it he broke his penance just for my sake when I forgetting his said penance called him as usual. He informed me that he had seen the Jothi or light. He passed away several days later. Tavayogi who went for an ailment was warded and operated on. Upon returning to the ashram he prepared Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar to take over the running of the ashram. He was readmitted and discharged again shortly. He passed away at his ashram some two hours after arriving from the hospital. One might question how can both their deaths by considered as samadhi? Agathiyar came several days after Supramania Swami's demise and told me in the Nadi that he had indeed attained samadhi and his place of rest on the Girivalam path in Tiruvannamalai shall gain fame. When I was with him in 2005, Supramania Swami told me that he would leave his body when he was 76 years of age. He left when he was 76. His son Ramajayam discovered his diary after his samadhi, where he had noted the exact date of his passing. Dhanvantri came and consoled us that Tavayogi too had attained samadhi, irrespective of what others might say. In Tavayogi's last call to me from the hospital bed, he told me that if he were to leave then, Mataji would take over the running of the ashram. Samadhi then is not a matter of mere preservation of the physical body after death as much as the merging and reunion of souls with its source. Hence the reason it is known as sama adhi, going back to the source. Many a saint too have succumbed to illness before they went into samadhi. Illness and death is for the form and body. Their names and soul lives forever. 

Just as one needs a reason to die as we always ask "How did he die?", similarly we are told that we have a reason to take birth and a purpose too. Agathiyar these days speaks to us in terms of the soul. He wants us to move away from the physical and ponder over the subtle soul matter. We are told that by going within we will come face to face with our soul. The soul speaks to us revealing our purpose in taking birth. 

There are so many more mysteries out there that are beyond all that I had read earlier, waiting to be discovered and known from experience. But I was too naive to understand the deeper meanings of these texts and their words earlier. Indeed as the Cambridge Dictionary at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/ states that "People are often naive because they are young and/or have not had much experience of life", I too was new to gurus and their mysterious ways.

SIDDHA HEARTBEAT IN PDF

 

MORE OF SIDDHA HEARTBEAT IN PDF

Seeing me convert my blog posts into PDF and sharing them, my friend messaged: "What a gargantuan and Herculean task you have undertaken. Posterity will thank you and will ever be grateful to you. Lord's blessings on you."

Many others helped me achieve this task. For one the lead character has always been Agathiyar followed by my physical gurus now in subtle form. Then there are the Nadi or palm leaves and the many stories they carried that livened these pages. We have the beautiful people who came along for Agathiyar's sake and added color to my world. It is their story too. I needed all these beautiful people coming into my otherwise dull life and bringing sparks of bright moments in it. These stories were carried in these pages.

Just as you need both hardware and software to generate these pages, I am deeply grateful to all the people involved in these industries for without them my story and the story of Agathiyar could not be told and would not have reached out to readers. 

Read on the next half of the happenings of 2019.

SIDDHA HEARTBEAT IN PDF

To those who have been faithful in following this blog, I have a gift for you. I have made it easier on your eyes and fingers by combining my blog posts into PDF for easy reading at your casual time or on your daily commute. I have the posts for 2021 till the present day, posts for 2019 till June 2019, and that of 2018. I shall come up with the rest in due time.

KRIYA HATHA YOGA ASANAS WITH ACHARYA GURUDASAN

 

PDF Version compiled by Mahendran. Click the link to watch the accompanying video.

IMPERMANENCE OF LIFE & THINGS

Debby Germino quotes the Zen Buddhist teacher, Norman Fischer in her blog at https://medium.com/

Norman Fischer writes about impermanence in the following way in his article, Impermanence is Buddha Nature, in Lion’s Roar.

“As far as classical Buddhism is concerned, impermanence is the number one inescapable, and essentially painful, fact of life. It is the singular existential problem that the whole edifice of Buddhist practice is meant to address. To understand impermanence at the deepest possible level (we all understand it at superficial levels), and to merge with it fully, is the whole of the Buddhist path. The Buddha’s final words express this: Impermanence is inescapable. Everything vanishes. Therefore there is nothing more important than continuing the path with diligence. All other options either deny or short-shrift the problem.”

As Buddha says impermanence is inescapable, we are shown by the Buddhist monks in a symbolic way where a Mandala is painstakingly created, only to be destroyed later after a small ceremony, thus transforming their minds into enlightened ones.

A mandala is a symbolic picture of the universe. The mandala's purpose is to help transform ordinary minds into enlightened ones and to assist with healing. According to Buddhist scripture, mandalas constructed from sand transmit positive energies to the environment and to the people who view them. They are believed to effect purification and healing. Mandala sand painting was introduced by the Buddha himself.

The design of the mandala is marked with chalk on a wooden platform. This meticulous process takes an entire day. Starting from the centre and concentrically working outwards, the monks use metal funnels called chak-pur to place millions of grains of dyed sand to make the elaborate patterns. The vibrations of the chak-pur being grated with a metal rod cause the sands to flow like liquid. Other popular substances are powdered flowers and herbs or grains. In ancient times powdered precious and semiprecious gems were also used.

Once the mandala is complete the monks ask for the deities' healing blessings during a ceremony. As the monks chant, one monk begins the destruction of the mandala by scraping a knuckle through the sand, creating a cross of grey sand. Another monk takes a paintbrush and slowly and carefully sweeps the sand from the perimeter to the centre of the mandala. The destruction of the mandala serves as a reminder of the impermanence of life. The coloured sand is swept up into an urn and dispersed into flowing water - a way of extending the healing powers to the whole world. It is seen as a gift to the mother earth to re-energise the environment and universe. Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/customs/mandala.shtml) 

Fearing that we shall begin to get attached to the guru and his place, Tavayogi broke the camel's back on his very first visit to my home by instilling in me that he too shall one day perish. Instead, he asked me to hold on to that which lives on in all of us forever. I never had his photo at my altar or hanging on the wall. I never had any memorabilia of his, neither did he pass me any. When news reached us that he had gone into samadhi some two hours after his arrival back at his Ashram upon being discharged from a Medical center, we never shed a tear. He last spoke to me over the phone while at the hospital. His last words were, "If I do not return to the ashram, Mataji shall take charge." I knew he had done his job well and it was time for him to leave. Earlier in 2007, when the news of the demise of my first guru Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai, reached me I did not shed a tear too. He told me he had seen the Jothi just days after he began his last worldly penance. All he had asked that I do was to feed a thousand people in Tiruvannamalai which I did subsequently through Jnana Jothiamma and Swami's family. When I passed the message of Supramania Swami's demise to Tavayogi asking him what I should do as his disciple, Tavayogi asked me only to pray that his soul is placed in a high place. If we had always believed that the Guru is the one dispersing the knowledge and the disciples are the sole beneficiary benefiting from the guru-disciple relationship, today we have come to understand that the disciple's prayer for his guru too goes a long way in aiding the guru's journey, continuing even after the guru leaves his mortal frame behind. The guru-disciple relationship benefits both parties. If so, I fail to understand why one has to cry for the loss or demise of another especially for one who had worked and toiled years to reach the abode and the kingdom of God. Should not we rejoice that he or she has attained the state that they have yearned for and worked towards?

Life teaches us that nothing is permanent. Look around us and we shall know. Even establishments that began with the blessings of the divine have to give in to the laws of nature and her wrath at times. If history stands as a witness to the disappearance of many cities and civilizations, in recent times we have seen states of dilapidation or extinction of several others too. Many years back we received news that the statue of Agathiyar in the Kallar hills that we tracked up to pay homage to was broken and removed. After Tavayogi moved to his new Ashram the old ashram began to fall apart. Recently the statue of Agathiyar and Loba Ma at Kalyana Theertam was washed away by floodwaters too. So too did Agathiyar have me dissolve the AVM group to have its family members continue their Siddha worship in their respective homes with their family instead of converging at AVM. Can we presume that all this is an act of God too? The Siddhas who know the truth let things be. They let things take their cause unless humanity cries out to them to intervene. 

Those who worship idols and nature have always been the target of criticisms. Many are known to ask how can you limit the might of God who is in all and prevails everywhere within a statue. We have a government. Can anyone show us the government that rules? Can we show an individual or a department has the government? It has machinery in place to carry out its various functions. These are scattered all over at the federal and state levels. If you need to apply for a particular permit for instance you need to step into the relevant office and submit your application to the officer in charge. Similarly, in God's administration that is even bigger and encompasses many worlds, 14 according to Ramalinga Adigal, you need to go to a spiritual spot or temple or place and place your wishes to the deity in attendance. Hence the reason we scuttle around specific temples and places of worship going on pilgrimages hoping to drop a note to the divine in these places and praying to see results soon. Temples and rituals are essential to all beginners on the path. To one who has traveled far on this path, with the grace of the divine and His blessings, he carries with him their energy wherever he goes and can initiate or energize stone, metal, sand, water, or any other element to an equally sacred state. This is how Agathiyar in his travels began to create Sivalingas and worshipped them. He then left it behind for others to sit in meditation and derive and partake of its energies. Over time people began to perform rituals towards them. All the rituals in fact are meant and done to increase this energy force in and around us. Agathiyar time and again tells us that there is no necessity to conduct rituals in their sacred abodes and samadhis. We need only sit in silence and gather the energy. Who are we to harness and transmit energy to them by way of our rituals asks Agathiyar? These spots are themselves potentially energized by the tapas that the saints had undertaken over the years. Could this be the reason Agathiyar has except for an occasional bath with water for the bronze statue of his, asked us to abstain from all forms of rituals at AVM too? 

In revealing himself, he first came with a name as Agathiyar to us, as the male gender. Then as a form, as a granite stone at Agasthiyampalli and Papanasam in India, and a bronze statue at AVM. Later we are told that he was of the female gender too having met and greeted us as a lady at numerous spots on our pilgrimage to India. Tavayogi adds a variant and another perspective of him. He came in the form of light to him. To mark the spot where he had the darshan of Agathiyar he had devotees place a statue of him. This has since been broken and removed by others. Then Tavayogi tells us that he is the Breath and in asking us to observe it, brought us to step out of Sariyai and Kriyai into Yoga. Finally, at least for now, the man himself comes to us and declares that he takes the form of vibration. To those who have worked their way up and are able to accept that he is beyond name and form, Agathiyar comes within as vibrational energy. 

Rebecca Joy wrote at https://www.healthline.com/health/vibrational-energy,

You are a living energy field. Your body is composed of energy-producing particles, each of which is in constant motion. So, like everything and everyone else in the universe, you are vibrating and creating energy. Vibrations are a kind of rhythm. Rhythms happen on a grand scale, like seasonal changes and tidal patterns. They also happen within your body.

She points out that the visible rhythms that can be felt and measured are that of heartbeats, breathing rates, and circadian rhythms. There are much smaller vibrations too as in each one of our cells and molecules.

Using atomic force microscopes, researchers have detected vibrations on the nanoscale — much smaller than 1/1000th the diameter of a single human hair. Proponents believe it’s possible to speed up or slow down the vibrations that occur at the cellular and atomic levels by changing our thoughts, behaviors — and even our surroundings. Changing those nanovibrations, it’s thought, could ripple outward, affecting our mental state and physical health. Researchers are finding that vibrations of many kinds — electromagnetic, sound, and light — can be used to encourage healing and stimulate growth in the body.

She writes that these vibrations generate electromagnetic energy waves.  Electrical and magnetic energy in the body in turn stimulate chemical processes.

She lists out Breathwork; Meditation; the Act of Expressing Gratitude and Generosity; Observing certain Diets; Outdoor Immersion or getting out into Nature; Energy Therapies; Yoga; and Healthy Relationships as in Satsang, all go far in increasing these waves. She adds, 

Studies have suggested that the vibrations produced during the rhythmic chanting of the syllable “om” temporarily deactivate the amygdala and other brain structures involved in processing emotion.

My friend wrote earlier,

Every part of Creation is, and should be a vibration... There has to be a primal, fundamental vibration which should be Paraparai. Everything else has to be a harmonic of this basal frequency. Based on such a frequency and its myriad variations, there is a difference in name and form. In truth, there can be no difference at all. This should be the Oneness of the entirety of Creation.

The perception of these differences are subject to the evolution and transformation of the individual ego... the less the ego the more the differences. I guess, in samadhi, the ego ceases to exist, and there is complete Oneness. The Great Ones have destroyed their ego, but retain their individuality. They have been graced with the knowledge of Paraparai, and have the ability to change the vibrational frequency of any other individual or a group, to attend to the genuine needs of their disciples for the betterment of the collective whole. It is thus clear, that individual souls are a minute, yet significant part of the collective whole, or, otherwise there can be no completeness. 

I guess, without sounding egoistic, God and the individual souls are very important to each other, and play an intricate dance... one with awareness, and, the other, in ignorance. God, by His Grace, desires us to get that awareness, and be with Him.... The state of ஈசத்வம். Therein lies the work of the Great Ones. That is their desire to raise us to their state.

He adds further, 

I had been out this evening. On the road, Amma (Krishnaveni Amma) spoke to me. "Do you know the state of Pure Consciousness... Paraparam? That state is before the primal vibration of Paraparai. It is a state before the Primal Intent. There is no existence of the Five Great Acts of God. Therefore, there is no Intent. Every intent comes with its own vibration. His Pure State is without intent, without vibration. The anthakaranas are also states of intent/vibration. Even Shakthi is unable to fathom His Completeness. His Primal State cannot even be experienced. Such is He."

One would wonder why Agathiyar always asked us to look up to Lord Siva. Even in these current trying times of combating the pandemic, Agathiyar has asked us to pray to Lord Siva. The pure state of Siva is before, and beyond the primal vibration of Paraparai as mentioned above. A state that is timeless. Never subject to rot, disease nor elimination. It goes beyond form and name. This is the state that we should be working towards. Lord Siva comes as Agathiyar to lead us to this state. 

Looking back at the many teachings and practices given to us, we can only appreciate and be grateful towards the divine for leading us to engage in a series of methods and ways to enhance, energize, revitalize our inherent energy source that either has depleted over time or exhausted excessively due to various factors, or activities. 

REACHING OUT TO THE NEXT-GEN

When I saw the Nadi the very first time in 2002 Agathiyar in calling me to his Siddha path asked that I build a temple for him. I was a simpleton minding my family and business till then before this reading. I was not into any public service nor holding any post in society. I became excited that Agathiyar wanted me to erect one for him. I felt special. Just as my feet started to lift off the ground and my head began to swell, Sivabalan who brought the Nadi reader over and provided all the logistics at his home for a convenient and conducive Nadi reading intruded into my thoughts and feeling of joy at that moment. He told me not to get excited as Agathiyar had mentioned this matter to close to fifty others who came for a reading. So it seems that I was not special after all. I was not the chosen one. 

When I asked Tavayogi his reason to indulge in a costly affair of purchasing a piece of land and building a temple ashram he replied it was not for him but to leave something for others in need. Many good souls came together to see his wish come true in 2016. To all these folks I extend my gratitude and thanks. Supramania Swami too carried a wish to build a temple for some 40 years till I met him in 2003 and we began work on it. But the divine came to squash that task instead through a stranger who questioned the need for the temple and why the need for Supramania Swami to step back into bhakti. We dropped the mission. 

But Agathiyar and Lord Murugan never dropped this topic entirely. In 2018 Lord Murugan came in a Jeeva Nadi and reminded me of my obligation towards building him a temple. Seeing that I was not the least interested to fulfil his request he turned towards my Sadguru Agathiyar who I hold dear and close to me. While conducting a puja in an island temple of his, Agathiyar came through an elderly devotee and surprised us. We had all this while relied on the Nadi for his messages. That day he conveyed his message in realtime and life, through a person, to all those who chose to believe in the never-ending surprises out there. He asked me if I was going to do it. Again I chose to remain silent. After a bout of silence, he continued telling me that he shall do it in 18 months. I was happy that the matter was settled. But as the end of the stipulated period approached in October 2019, there was no development on the matter. He called me up for an Aasi Nadi reading and told me that they had dropped the matter. I was still skeptical whether it was only a temporary measure and whether they were buying some more time. I wanted to know if they had only shelved it for the moment, or it was off for good. Later Agathiyar came through a devotee and told me that they had tested me. They waited to see if I took the bait and get caught in the series of events that shall follow as a result of my decisions. I refused for the reason that we shall stagnate forever at the stage of temple devotion or external Bakti. I would be tied down and bonded to the physical: first the complex, then the followers. I shall become accustomed to the power and authority that comes with this responsibility if I was not careful and let my guard down, and might secretly yearn for it. I had refused to take the bait, refused to fall for their trick, and refused to be lured or coaxed. I was saved from getting entangled in engagements that would halt me from traveling further on this mysterious journey of life and beyond. I guess I had fulfilled our immediate guru Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal's aspiration for us that we should step out of Bhakti into Gnanam by declining to take up the task. 

After beginning my home puja that included the recitation of the names of the Siddhas in 2002; after my introduction to the rituals by Tavayogi beginning in 2005;  with the advent and coming of Agathiyar in the form of a bronze statue, and bringing him and these rituals out from the confines of AVM into the homes of fellow devotees and temples, Agathiyar chose to remain at AVM, forbidding us to move him elsewhere and have us minimize the need for rituals unless wished for. He brought us to walk through the whole spectrum of his Siddha path that took off from where our parents left off in Sariyai or devotion. With the coming of the guru in physical form, he led us into Kriyai or doing rituals and had us engage in the practice of Yoga, and finally, the Siddhas have led us to go within to gain Gnanam or spiritual wisdom. 

The first time the word Gnanam was mentioned was by Tavayogi who wanted us to come out of devotion or Bhakti to Gnanam. Yet we did not have any inkling or idea what the word meant. When Agathiyar came around asking what each of us wanted, after deep pondering I asked that I be born again and again to serve him as we did now. He replied to me with another question if that is what I wanted? I knew then that that was not what one should ask for. Speaking over the phone with Mahindran, another devotee regarding this miracle, we agreed that maybe we should ask for Gnanam, not knowing the least what it meant, not knowing what we were asking for, and not knowing what we were getting ourselves into. Having eavesdropped on our conversation the next moment Agathiyar came within a devotee he surprised me telling me that I had asked for Gnanam and went on to explain what the word meant. Gnanam is the fruit of the experience that comes by as a result of our inner journey. 

Today we have come to understand that there is no point in having the tools polished and well-kept for display in a showcase. One has to use them. For instance, it is pointless to discuss on end the tattvas listing them from memory or referring to them in the pages of the books. One has to understand them from experiences that arise from within oneself. Mere reading shall not bring an understanding. It has to be experienced. Hence, we understand the constant reminders from Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal to practice the methods they gave followed by the need to revisit the writings of Tavayogi on the tattvas as we journey along. I guess now we know the reason he wrote these books. I guess we needed to walk through all these stages before we arrive at Gnanam. Only then can we safely say if we learned a thing or two or otherwise in adopting all these methods and means to achieve the goal.

When I went scouting around establishments that were related to Agathiyar by name and offered to bring their activities and services to a broader spectrum of the public through the medium of webpages and websites, none of its management was convinced of the potential and the extent of the impact that the internet would have in helping spread the teachings of the Siddhas. They preferred to stay "closed" both to their membership and "closed" to these ideas. I chose to travel alone sharing my experiences. I continued with my website indianheartbeat (now defunct). My desire as a youth to become a movie director was fulfilled when Tavayogi came along. When I chose to follow Tavayogi I began to carry his Kallar ashram in the many websites that I created further to his introduction. I created videos of his Kallar ashram and posted them on YouTube. He was my lead hero. When I decided to deactivate all of these social media accounts after reading a message posted by someone on a photo of my first guru Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai, that hurt my feelings, I reported back to Tavayogi of my action in terminating everything. Tavayogi exclaimed in sadness, "Why, my son. Let it be. Many shall learn from it and come." Taking heed of my guru's words I took to reviving these postings, rebuilding everything from the start again. I guess Tavayogi appreciated our work and had the foresight to see the capabilities of newer technologies in bringing the words and messages of the messiahs from small cottages in remote parts worldwide. 

The website indianheartbeat that I started in the nineties began as a personal storage cloud for me to store my artwork that was gathering dust. I digitalized and uploaded them. This website later carried the entry of my maiden pilgrimage to India. Soon I shared the Siddha songs that were rather difficult to come by those days, or either were scattered all around in numerous books and on the internet in a comprehensive compilation titled "The Book of Praises to the Siddhas" at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QMY5ycQRGlVKoHRweTbD1bHYCfkHoH5A/view?usp=sharing. This book put together as a source of Siddha songs to be sung by devotees who came together in puja at AVM soon was adopted by others in their homes and temples too.

Similarly, I had originally intended to make a video too, sort of tutorial on carrying out a homam but decided that I did not want to step into the terrain or that area less I might offend the purohits and priestly ones who are well trained in such matters from a very young age. If there was anyone fit to teach these it was them. When Tavayogi prompted me to start lighting a homam in my home just as he did the Yagam on a larger scale at his Kallar ashram, I was initially reluctant in engaging in rituals. In fact, when Tavayogi asked me to light the homam in my home I told him that I was ignorant and that it was the domain of the priests. Furthermore, it was the privilege of the learned pundits and priests as it was their domain. I did not want to engage in doing something that I had no idea nor training in and end up displeasing them or gaining the curse and wrath of the Gods. I had already been in the bad books of the senior and elderly and fellow priests in my last birth having been born as a  Namboothiri priest in Kerala. I had to please them in this birth. Tavayogi gave me the courage to start. Later he came to fine-tune it on his next visit. Soon Agathiyar sent seekers to my home to join and learn the ritual. We had each seeker host the ritual in their homes too. Later we were invited to perform them in temples too. In fact, I learned to tie the string around the kudam or water vessel from YouTube. I was a learner too. How was I supposed to teach another? When I accompanied Tavayogi during the early years of his visit to Malaysia to the homes of other devotees he would ask me to talk about Agathiyar and the Siddhas. I was a freshie and a new kid on the blog. What was I to talk about such acclaimed sages and Siddhas? My knowledge of them was shallow if not practically zero. But Tavayogi did trick me into speaking about them. He caught me by surprise at a forum when he announced publicly that "Shanmugam shall now speak about the Siddhas". I was taken by surprise. It took me some moments to come to the reality that I have to address all those gathered for their eyes turned to me as they sat waiting for me to speak.  My mind worked against time figuring how to get out of the situation and dilemma. I spoke a few words about Tavayogi and began to lead all those gathered around to sing the Arutperunjothi mantra. I was saved by the mantra that day. 

Tavayogi told me the reason he did the Yagam at his Kallar ashram was to appease nature and bring or contained the wrath of nature from otherwise lashing out its terror as did happen resulting in the Tzunami of 2004. The following year Tavayogi undertook a Yagam on a large scale to counter the effect of Mother Nature. Tavayogi encouraged me to conduct a similar ritual but on a smaller scale in Malaysia, telling me it was rather simple and guided me as to what was needed for a start over the phone. Soon on his next visit to Malaysia, he showed me what was needed further to complete the ritual. In all these years of worship and doing rituals, Agathiyar never for a moment told us that what we did was wrong but always appreciated our efforts in enhancing each ritual. He came forward to convince an otherwise reluctant candidate like me that what we did was for the good of humanity, nature, and the world at large. Only after that did I indulge in the rituals with my heart, soul, and spirit committed to it. Agathiyar had many join me and my family at my home in carrying out these pujas.

Recently I received a mail.

Shanmugam Ayya Vanakkam, I earlier had the chance to reach you via WhatsApp for my ailing father 3 years back. Now, I wish to know how to do the சித்தர் பூசை homam at home and your guidance on the same. (searched links on the blog- some videos are there but Complete picture kedaithal பேருதவியாக இருக்கும்) I, at times, read 24 nimida sithar poosai PDF printout taken from your website. Homam seidhadhu illai. After reading your posts especially the latest one, would like to try ayya. உங்கள் வழிகாட்டுதலை எதிர்நோக்கி உள்ளேன். (One small suggestion: Blog aaga எழுதினால்,வேண்டுவோர் பயன்பெறுவர்.) 

I pointed him to my book on the subject at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bduv5PhFtuqncAherXq8WMPJ80yXFd7n/view?usp=sharing hoping that it would guide him to start this ritual. 

When Dylan saw his Jeeva Nadi along with many others from the AVM family when Tavayogi came a calling to Malaysia in 2016, bringing along his Jeeva Nadi, Agathiyar passed on the message that Chitramuthu Adigal was yearning for us to bring the Siddha puja to Lord Murugan's temple at Tanneermalai in Taiping. We were all excited including Tavayogi and Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar too. We brought over paintings of the Saptarishis, Agathiyar, and the Siddhas and performed a Yagam in the temple spearheaded by Tavayogi. We the children of the lineage had fulfilled Tavayogi's guru Chitramuthu Adigal's wishes that the names of the Saptarishis and Siddhas be echoed in the halls of the temple and the adjacent jungles where Chitramuthu Adigal had spent days in meditation in the past. Today I ask myself why did Chitramuthu approach us when there are many direct descendants and disciples and followers of his around. Or maybe he did approach them but none chose to do it. 

On this journey of life, each person has a role to play. Just as our lives are affected by a multitude of factors right from the seen to the unseen: the planetary travel or gochara palan; the karma that hangs over us like a curse, shadowing us closely and determining the actions and conditions for it to prevail; the nation's policies and those who dictate them, all influence us and our lives in many ways. Even nature is affected by man's doing. The irony is that we think we are in charge but in truth, we are mere chess pieces that are being moved by unseen hands. The Siddhas found means and ways to correct the wrong done by man over the ages. Their teachings bring us not to ask for individual favors but to work towards the good of the world. They respected nature. They worshiped nature. In return, nature respected and worshiped them. Mutual respect was gained. The Siddhas explored ideologies and experimented on themselves first. The Siddhas who were originally 18 in number, then brought these possibilities that they had envisioned and experienced within them to the notice of a niche group of followers, 12 for instance as in Agathiyar's followers. As the Marga or way of living spread its wings all those who came to be touched by their compassion, love and teachings took heed and followed their ways become Siddhas themselves. Everything they did thenceforth was for the good of humanity, nature, and the world at large. 

It came as a surprise when my daughter pointed out in amazement telling me that my YouTube channel had garnered some 1.8 million views and had some 10K subscribers while this blog had managed to captivate the hearts of readers receiving 524 views in the last 24 hours.

Although I did not expect to achieve or accomplish much, many have written in or messaged or told me the extent of my work on this blog and the videos on YouTube in bringing joy to their hearts and soul. I guess I had a small part in contributing towards the cause and in bringing many to the fold just as Supramania Swami and Tavayogi had worked on me. I guess this is my purpose in coming here. I guess we have to a certain extent satisfied Agathiyar's 5 tenets put forth to humanity. 

As we take a step away from all forms of activity and wind down to go within, a worry crept in me as to who was going to help sustain the Siddha faith in the generation that is currently turning into toddlers and young children. Although the parents could bring them to sit together at prayers in their homes, they shall miss out on the good times like what we had in coming together at AVM in puja, performing rituals, and singing bhajans and songs of praise. Now I understand why Tavayogi went ahead with the Ashram. Now I understand his statement that it wasn't for him. Putting this proposal across I had Mahindren volunteer to bring together these next-gen children to walk the path of the Siddhas. We shall revive AVM as AVM Junior specifically to cater to the next generation. The seed shall be sowed in them just as Tavayogi sowed and nurtured it in us. That is the least we could do for the Siddhas in return.