I remember the days when I subscribed to Malaysia's first and pioneer internet service provider Jaring in 1994. You had to dial up to connect to the internet. With the introduction of Voice, Internet, and Phone (VIP) through optical fiber network, I signed up for it in 2011, a year after it was introduced. It has made it possible for readers and me to stay connected all these years.
Just as the optical fiber physically connects computer networks in different locations, the child is physically connected to his/her mother in the mother's womb. The umbilical cord in pregnancy connects the fetus to the mother. "The umbilical cord is the baby's lifeline to the mother. It transports nutrients to the baby and also carries away the baby's waste products. It is made up of three blood vessels – two arteries and one vein." (Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/) As the mother and child are connected in the womb, for the whole duration of her pregnancy, a bond arises between them that lasts till the last days of their lives. If we are connected with the mother in the womb, a part of the father is in us too. Primary elements from both mother and father went into forming this Pindam or embryo. As we are co-creators, we are all connected in this web of creation going beyond this birth into the past births and similarly shall be connected in the future births too. We stay connected.
Seeking spiritual growth, we create a bond with the guru and his lineage and vice versa. The whole lineage becomes an umbrella protecting us. They shadow us. They lay signs along the way. They remove obstacles. They hasten the journey back home. We stay connected.
For those who take up the Siddha path, the Nadi or Olai Suvadi connects them with Agathiyar and the rest of the Siddhas. The predictions for selected individuals and prophecies for nations are said to have been written in the distant past in palm leaves that since has come to be duplicated and is available through the Nadi readers. The contents of these Nadi connects an individual with his past, present, and future. The Nadi serves as a reminder of our existence in time-space. We stay connected.
If he desires the seeker can get connected with the Siddhas too, by taking up their worship. A whole new adventure begins to unfold henceforth. The previous fate that was written is erased. A new destiny opens up. We stay connected.
A guardian angel is identified through the Nadi. In giving us an initiation, usually a mantra to chant, it connects us to the particular Siddha or a particular form of a deity. Others might be connected to their Kaval Deivam, Kula Deivam, or Ista Deivam. The Kaval Deivam or village deities are the patron deities or grama devata of the village. The Kula Deivam, or guardian spirits are ascribed to various sects or clans in the community. The Ista Deivam is an aspect of the formless that one is captivated with and chooses to adore and worship. The past connects with us. We stay connected.
Man's journey within begins when he starts to try to understand why something happened? Why it had to happen? Why does it happen to him and not others? etc. Trying to decode the mysteries of life, suffering and disease led Prince Siddhartha to fully understand suffering. The prince began to investigate the causes and the reasons for the sufferings of others. He followed others in fasting for long periods that caused him to suffer reaching the brink of starvation. He realized it would be fruitless if he was to die of starvation. He would never know the truth. Hence he gave up the extreme way and opted for the Middle Way. He became enlightened.
As for us, we tend to look the other way and walk away, or maybe place a dime into their plate. We ignore the plight of others until we fall ill or someone close to us does or if we face a similar situation. Then we begin to question life and its fairness. I too had such questions as I saw those around me suffer though I was spared these sufferings. I could not comprehend why a select few went through it. I began to read further hoping that I shall find answers within the pages of the books I read. Nope. All the reading confused me further as what was written did not match and tally with reality. I was saved from further agony by Lord Shiva coming in a dream and asking me to quit questioning for the time being. That time period of abstinence from all forms of worship, practice, and reading stretched to some 14 years. When the time was right in their eyes, the calling came through their missionaries in 2001. I was granted an audience to read the Nadi the following year where all the truth was laid before me. My questions we answered. I understood why people suffered. I was rewarded with a gift that of patronage to Agathiyar as my guru. A year after I was granted an audience with Supramania Swami, my guru in physical form with whom I suppose I had a previous bond. Three years on I was introduced to Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal, a guru on the Siddha path. I began learning further, discovering the mysteries of life, experiencing life on the path of the Siddhas rather than learning them from the texts as previously. We still stay connected though my gurus have passed on.
I began to realize that life seems different for each other because of the illusion of perspective. Though the earth is one and the world around us is one, why do we see and feel different about things? For some, time is running out and as for others, they find it difficult to kill time. Life is a joy for some but others dread it. While some struggle to fit in, others' lives are a breeze. When I attended a course on Neuro-Linguistic programming the presenter gave us an exercise. He told us to draw an elephant. As I was an artist I began to draw a full-blown elephant in its proper proportions and full of details in a jiffy. Many of my coursemates struggled to draw. Some drew the elephant the size of a mouse in one corner of the A3 paper. Others drew it so big that they ran out of paper. Then we were asked to present our masterpieces to all. When I took the stage everyone claimed that it was not fair as they had to compete with an artist. Then the presenter came up and drew his version of an elephant. In a big piece of paper, he placed a dot and told us it was his elephant ........ seen from space. The truth of his statement hit me so hard that I realized it was all a matter of sight, looking, perceiving, receiving, and absorbing. This reminded me of the ever-famous story of the 5 blind men and the elephant. When asked to describe the elephant they could only describe the portion that they held and felt through their hands. I was also reminded of the youth who wanted to end his life but turned back home after meeting a blind man who asked him to describe the world they lived in. While running a narrative of what he saw before him the youth began to see things anew. Only then did he begin to take notice of the beauty in things around him. Looking out and seeing them on behalf of the blind man brought a new perspective of the world into his life. This is how the guru points out certain things and brings our awareness to the present moment. What we had been unaware of before is then brought to our attention. Many such moments took place as I hurried to keep pace with Tavayogi during our spiritual outing.
Each person's perspective determines how his life would turn out to be. I have seen some who never stop complaining. They go on complaining for the rest of their lives. I wonder if they have anything nice to say about others and things around them and appreciate or are grateful? They do not realize that all their problems are of their own doing. They attract problems, troubles, obstacles, and delays. This is the law of attraction.
Here is where the Siddhas give us a useful mantra. They ask that we accept what comes to us gladly be it happiness or suffering.
All things external are a stimuli that arouse emotions, either of pleasures or pain within. If the senses that turn us on bring on the pleasures or pain, all teachings and initiations, agamic rituals, and yogic practices bring on similar but subtle experiences that in turn bring us to experience the divine within. If the former is Chitrinbam the latter is Perinbam. There is a thin line between these two.
As we share the primary elements that maketh us and the world around us and are part of all of Prapanjam we remain connected. When we start to see divinity in all of creation that is Soruba Nilai. The idea here is not to shut out the senses but to take charge and use them to lead us to experience the divine energies and use these energies to transform the body and the senses, the body returning to its primary elements and the experiences derived from the senses turning into divine vibrations and energies. Here we are told to get connected with the whole or Puranam that goes by many names namely the Prapanjam, the Universe, the Cosmos, or Consciousness. We are to get connected with the subatomic particles in the primary elements. Upon connecting, we realize the connectivity beginning with our body and its various Kosas, with others, and with our surroundings, that go beyond sight and sound. We connect with the vibration prevalent in all things that until now was not accessible by our senses, due to its limitations. The senses expand to envelope and connect with the Prapanjam. We simply know things, moving away from the need to read about them and experience them. This is Gnanam. Knowing happens through simply connecting. No mediums and tools are required to acquire this wisdom.
For all this to take place, we need the body. The body is a receptacle if we want to travel the path of the Siddhas. Do not dump it. Many a saint had realized the importance of the body to reach the destination. Buddha had regretted that he had tortured his body through performing and observing severe austerities. Tirumular regretted that he had ignored its importance. He only realized that the body could be transformed into a divine abode for divinity when the divine came within. On realizing the importance of the physical body he extolls the need to care for it, even more so as it becomes the abode of the divine. The Atma that stays with the body engages it to perform activities that help strengthen it arriving at gaining and attaining Atma Balam or Soul Power. The means to achieve spiritual experiences and Atma Balam is through engaging the body. Knowing this there is a need to care for it.
உடம்பினை முன்னம் இழுக்கென் றிருந்தேன்
உடம்பினுக் குள்ளே உறுபொருள் கண்டேன்
உடம்புளே உத்தமன் கோயில்கொண் டான்என்று
உடம்பினை யானிருந் தோம்புகின் றேனே.
சிவ நூல் கேட்பதற்கு முன்பெல்லாம் உடம்பை அழுக்கு ஒன்றையே உடையதாகக் கருதி இகழ்ந்திருந்தேன். சிவநூல் கேட்ட பின்னர், அதற்குள்தானே பயனை அடைதற்குரிய வழிகள் பலவும் இருத்தலை அறிந்தேன். அதனால், அவ்வறிவின் வழியே, உடம்பிற்குள் தானே இறைவன் தனக்கு இடம் அமைத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கின்றான் என்பதையும் அறிந்து, இப்பொழுது நான் உடம்பைக் கேடுறாதவாறு குறிக்கொண்டு காக்கின்றேன்.
திடம்பட மெய்ஞ்ஞானஞ் சேரவு மாட்டார்
உடம்பை வளர்க்கும் உபாயம் அறிந்தே
உடம்பை வளர்த்தேன் உயிர்வளர்த் தேனே.
உடம்பு அழியுமாயின், அதனைப் பெற்றுள்ள உயிரும் அழிந்ததுபோலச் செயலன்றி நிற்பதாம். ஆகவே, உடம்பு அழிந்தபின், அவ்வுடம்பைத் துணைக்கொண்டு இயங்கிய உயிர், தவமாகிய துணையைப் பெறவும், பின் அதனால் இறையுணர்வை அடையவும் இயலாததாய்விடும். இதுபற்றி, உடம்பை நிலைபெறுவிக்கும் வழியை அறிந்து அவ்வழியில் அதனை நிலைபெறுவித்த யான், உயிரை நலம் பெறச் செய்தவனே ஆயினேன்.
(Source: http://www.thevaaram.org/thirumurai_1/onepage.php?thiru=10&Song_idField=10313)