LET US SING THE PRAISE OF GOD

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

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

Just as Carl Sagan says, during those moments of engagement with the words in a book, we are walking in the shoes of the author, and "Walk Thru" the mind of the person who wrote it, Agathiyar has told us to read the songs of the saints and we shall bring ourselves to experience the same. He asks us to read Ramalinga Adigal's "Thiruarutpa". He tells us that we cannot possibly understand the works of the Siddhas because of the language used in their era. Furthermore, it is cloth in Paripasai. He tells us that Ramalinga Adigal came to simplify and put it into simple terms so that we can understand. Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar has compiled a selection of songs towards bringing these mystical pieces to the fold of commoners like us in his "Gnanigal Aruliya Thinasari Parayana Nool." 

As Carl Sagan says of the book, we can infer that when we sing the songs of these saints, just one glance at it, and we’re inside the mind of the saint, maybe somebody "dead" or in our case gone into samadhi or merged with the light or attained nirvana or mukti, for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the saint is speaking clearly and silently inside our head, directly to us." Indeed as he says, "Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time."

When we sing their songs we bring them into our time and space momentarily. They exist with us. We can bring back these saints. When we recite the names of the Siddhas they come and sit with us in our puja. Agathiyar told a devotee in her Nadi reading read by Tavayogi that only Mataji was witness to the earth-shaking phenomena as she led us on reciting the names of the Siddhas when we conducted the puja at AVM. 

When we rush to do our thing, Ramalinga Adigal stands before his God and Guru asking what he is to do each day. 

Ramalinga Adigal sees everything as the grace of God. Whenever they come these days they lead us into reciting the Arutperunjothi mantra. Here Ramalinga Adigal completes the mantra with some fresh verses. He stands in awe as he witnesses the divine play of God. 

We see his joy in holding on to his God.

Ramalinga Adigal pleads to Lord Muruga to remove his suffering as a result of being deprived of his grace.

He sings of the last moments of life asking who comes with us if not the Lord. He laments that we never seek Shiva Gathi but run after our worldly desires. He is deeply distressed that he has not come to gain the highly evolved body. Of what use is this body if it does not serve his purpose?

He pours his love on Lord Murugan.

He moves up to the worship of Jothi.

GAINING FURTHER INSIGHT

Speaking to this couple made me realize how shallow my understanding of karma was. If I only knew that karma was carried from past births, some numbering 7, Agathiyar told them of births that went beyond this yuga into former yugas! It is truly mind-boggling. I guess none can fathom the extent of karma and its reach. I realized that I only had a shallow idea of it as opposed to what Agathiyar had told this couple. 

Sri Krishna was exposed to the existence of the Nadi and the Siddhas as early as 15 years of age when Nadi readers used to stay in his uncle's house where he grew up. He picked up the worship of the Siddhas. His wife joined him after their marriage. He had translated the Nadi to many and the couple had taken many locally and to India to carry out their remedies. Soon they involved themselves in feeding the hungry. I came to know them in 2010 at a Siddha puja hosted by my nephew where AVM Agathiyar visited his home. We at AVM were introduced to street feeding and feeding the animals like cattle and elephants by this couple. The couple also conducts regular libation or abhisegam to Agathiyar at the Sri Raja Sakthy Nageswary Amman Alayam and Sri Kasi Visalatchy Sametha Sri Kasi Viswanathar Swamy Thirukovil at KL Eco City, Jalan Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. 

I took the opportunity to interview them last night after they sent home AVM Agathiyar who had stayed over at their home after they hosted a puja on 3rd July. Prior to this Sri Krishna had obliged us with a couple of interviews. In speaking to them we saw how they too have evolved over the past years. 

LET US TAKE UP PRAYERS, THE KAVASAMS & MANTRAS

In the past four lessons, we have stepped from Sariyai into Kriyai and moved into Yogam and Gnanam. This is the gist of the Siddha teachings packed into four lessons. Learning Sariyai by following our parents who learned it from their parents, we moved to carry out Kriyai with the coming of the guru who learned it from his lineage of gurus and paramagurus. The gurus then shifted our gaze within by bringing us to Yogam having us observe our body and breath. Finally, the gurus have us observe our Atma. What a well-planned and systematically laid-out journey of self-discovery it has been.

The Siddhas work towards bringing the seeker to dock at a place as a follower and then become rooted as a devotee, uplifting him eventually to the status of a guru. But many drop off midway as the heat builds up or when the lure of the outside world is too strong or when they are dumped with too many responsibilities that rob their attention away. Only some sustain the course of pressure. Even the great saints had to go through torture and hardship created by the envious and vicious elements in their circle and society. The saints at the peak of their spiritual careers we put to torment and mental anguish. But they took it in their pace seeing it as god's play. God too showed his miracles through them. Eventually, all the saints came out of their troubles, shining in society, respected, and worshipped. 

Ramalinga Adigal had to face numerous tests and hardships from his enemies. Seeking to know the art of making gold and returning disappointed, some instigated others to harass him and lodged reports with the authorities that he was hoarding gold. When he sang that the dead could be revived, the villagers were instigated by his enemies to dump the bodies of dead relatives and carcasses of animals in his court at Vadalur and challenged him to bring them back alive, not accepting that those were the words of God. When he pointed out the false believes and practices to his followers, spiritual giants of his time confronted him accusing him of poisoning the minds of the common man. Ramalinga Adigal had Arumuga Navalar who was poisoned by heads of other missions to bring him to court. Day by day people harassed him. He told God that he had failed to bring the change as desired by God. He decided to leave. He brought out and placed the lighted lamp that he had worshipped all these while in his room at Sitthivalaga Thirumaligai, asking his followers to worship the light as God. After two months, on 30 January 1874, he began to write the last song for his Thiruarutpa. (Based on "Arutperunjothi Gnana Siddhar", by B.Kamalakkannan, Vanathi Pathippakam, Chennai, 2008.)

Thirunavukarasar or commonly called Appar saw his fair share of torture in the hands of the king whose mind was poisoned by others. Appar was poisoned, dropped into the sea, and tortured in numerous other ways by the King's men, after believers of a faith Appar was aligned with prior to returning to the worship of Siva, poisoned the King's mind. First, he was poisoned but with the grace of Lord Shiva the poison turned into nectar. Next, the king’s mahouts were ordered to kill him using the royal elephant, but the elephant obediently circumambulated him. In the third and the last attempt, Appar was tied to a rock and thrown into the sea but the rock started floating and brought him back to the shore at Cuddalore. (Source: https://www.dharisanam.com/pages/thirunavukkarasar-appar)

Abhirami pattar who was at the peak of his blissful state had the king intrude into his sacred space, asking him to clear the temple grounds as the king was arriving to pray, was tortured too. He was put to test when the King's men lowered him into the flames, etc. Pattinathar was accused of stealing the jewelry that adorned the neck of the deity which now was adorned by him as a result of robbers in wanting to relieve themselves of the evidence threw it into a dark shrine in which Pattinathar was in deep meditation. Tavayogi too had to go through his fair share of troubles that were initiated by some of his dissatisfied disciples. 

The committee of a temple for a guru split after volunteers came into the picture. Another group that carried out puja and charity with the advent of some volunteers split up too. AVM was spared the agony of a split when someone poisoned the mind of another. Agathiyar dissolved the group before the poison could spread and kill it. In a timely manner, he had us all go within foreseeing the coming of the pandemic. I guess no one is spared. Bhagawan Ramana was beaten up when robbers entered to loot his ashram. If the saints received the blows without complaining commoners like us turn to the deities for protection. Hence mantras and kavasams or songs that stood as shields were given to us by the saints of the past. Many can vouch for the efficacy of prayers, singing the kavasams, and reciting the mantras. In the wake of the pandemic, Lord Shiva told us to recite the Mrityunjaya mantra and Dhanvanthri mantra to remove fear and safeguard us. Jnana Jothiamma was told in the Nadi by Agathiyar to chant this mantra to remove the fear of the unseen.

A wonderful compendium of songs that protect us from harm was published as "Kavasa Kottu" (கவசக்கொத்து) by Sri CN. Nachiappan, 1977. It included Vinayagar Kavasam, Siva Kavasam, Thiruneeru Pathigam, Sakti Kavasam, the Kandhar Sasthi Kavasam that number 6, Idumban Kavasam, Kadamban Kavasam, Skanda Guru Kavasam, Kandhar Kavasam, Karthigai Kavasam, Kumarastavam, Pagaikadithal, Shanmuga Kavasam, Sri Deva Senapathy Kavasam, Aiyappan Kavasam, Sri Hari Kavasam, Sri Krishna Kavasam, Sani Bhagawan Kavasam, Sri Hanumath Kavasam, and Sri Anjaneya Kavasam among many others.

The famed literary work Kandhar Sasti Kavasam was written by Baladevarayan Swamigal, a devout devotee of Lord Muruga. While the administrator of kaumarapayanam.blogspot writes in his post that not much is known about Baladevarayan Swamigal's birth and his parents, but based on the words used and the way the Kandhar Sasti Kavasam was written, it can be safely assumed that the hymns were written some 250 years back during the Pandya rule, in CN Nachiappan’s introduction to Baladevarayan Swamigal in his compilation of KAVASA KOTTHU, he mentions that Swamigal was born to Veerasamy Pillai and his wife after many years at Vallur in Thondainaadu. 

Devarayan engaged in a business in Bangalore while merely twenty. When Thirisirapuram Mahavidvan Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai arrived in Bangalore, Devarayan invited him over to his house. Devarayan took the opportunity to learn the intricacies of the Tamil language from Meenashshi Sundaram Pillai and even ventured to learn to write prose. Under the tutelage of Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, Devarayan wrote two books "Kusaylo Baakiyaanam" and "Sootha Sangetai." Before Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai took leave, Devarasan thanked him and rewarded him by showering him with wealth and honor.

Once Baladevarayan Swamigal had an ailment of the stomach and was undergoing extreme pain. Even after taking all kinds of treatment, the pain would not go away. Giving up all hope of recovering he headed for the shores of Thiruchendur to take his own life. At the moment of his arrival at Thiruchendur the Kandhar Sasti Vizha had just begun. Watching the festivities he had a change of heart and decided to postpone the thought of ending his life. He started on the Sasti Virutham or fast. After having a dip in the sea, he sat to meditate at the Mandapam or hall. Lord Muruga gave him darshan and gave him the Gnana or wisdom to sing Kandhar Sasti Kavasam. He began his first verse with "Sastiyai Noke Saravana Bavanaar". He wrote and sang the Kavasam first at Thiruchendur, and over the next five days he ventured to the rests of Lord Muruga’s abodes - Thiruparangkundram, Palani, Swamimalai, Thirutani, and Palamuthircholai and wrote and sang further songs, all of these which was later compiled as the Kandhar Sasti Kavasam. At the end of this venture, he realized his stomach ailment had disappeared. He realized then that the ailment was only a reason for him to begin authoring the Kadhar Sasti Kavasam. 

CN Nachiappan writes that Devarayan came to Thiruchendur with the hope that Lord Muruga might heal his ailment. While at Thiruchendur his pain was relieved slowly and he began singing the Kavasam as a thanksgiving to the Lord. Devarayan took on the garb of a mendicant and wished to be called Devaraya Swamigal, henceforth, at Thiruchendur.

Appavu who later took on the name of Paamban Swamigal was born between 1850 and 1852 at Paamban to Saatappa Pillai and Sengamala Ammaal. He started schooling in 1866 in a missionary school in Rameshwaram. Each time he was faced with danger Lord Murugan saved Appavu. Once when he was either five or six years old Lord Muruga held on to his hands and saved him from drowning in a pond. He used to sing Baladevarayan Swamigal’s Kandhar Sasti Kavasam and later wished he could write similar hymns on Lord Muruga himself. Appavu at a very tender age of 13 began to compose and sing songs on Lord Muruga. His first composition was entitled Gangaiyai Sadaiyil Paritthu. True to his first composition, henceforth Tamil devotional hymns continuously flowed like Mother Ganga. He composed one song each day and compiled the first 100 songs in the first 100 days. He was summoned and received upadesa from Sethumathava Aiyar Swamigal who chanced to see this compilation of his. Pressured by his upadesa guru he submitted to marry Kaalimuthammaal in 1878. 

Lord Muruga came to cure his daughter with the sacred vibhuti. Similarly, his wife cured him by applying the vibhuthi. After completing a pilgrimage Paamban Swamigal arrived at Kanchi. Lord Muruga gave him his darshan. Returning home he wrote the Shanmuga Kavasam and Panchamirtha Vannam in 1891. Lord Muruga appeared to his wife and disclosed to her that whenever and wherever these songs were sung, he would appear to bless these souls.

 

At Piraban Valasai he dug a square hole in the premises of a graveyard and started meditating in it beginning on 17 March 1894. On the 7th day (on 23 March 1894) of tavam or austerity, Lord Muruga appeared to him with Agathiyar and Arunagirinathar. On the 35th day (20 April 1894), he ended his tavam on the instructions of Lord Muruga. That day was Chitirai Pornami. A year from this episode Paamban Swamigal took up monkhood. He moved to Chennai in 1895 from Paamban. In Chennai, he gave upadesa to aspiring devotees. After a year he came to Kuyavan Petai in Thirupuliyur, near Chidambaram where he wrote the Paripooranaananda Botham and Tagaraalaya Ragasiyam in 1896. After visiting Kumbakonam, he was directed by Lord Muruga to return to Chennai. 

In 1897 he wrote the 1100 hymns titled Thirupa. In 1902 he made a pilgrimage to Kaasi. Lord Muruga as usual saved him from further danger while on his pilgrimage. Returning from his pilgrimage he continued his literary works in Chennai. Like Ramalinga Adigal, in Chidambaram, he got himself involved in spearheading the Saivite cause and as a result, was summoned numerous times to the courts. The result of this seven-year struggle between 1904 and 1911, saw him defeat his opponents, and his next literary work the Saiva Samaya Sarabam saw the light of the day. Back in Chennai, he composed the Kumaarastavam, Srimath Kumara Swaamiyam, and Sivagnana Deepam in 1918, 1921, and 1922 respectively.

Now I understand how the negative forces sabotage the work of god and his apostles. Agathiyar surprised me in the Nadi when he said that he came to my home in the form of a bronze statue eventually breaking through the hurdles placed by "many". Tavayogi in asking me to fetch water from the nearby waterfall and stream when we were asked to conduct the Siddhar puja at the Taneermalai temple in Taiping by Agathiyar who conveyed the requests of Tavayogi's guru Chitramuthu Adigal in a Nadi reading, surprised me when he cautioned me that evil energies will obstruct the puja. We read that in the times of yore Asuras and evil energies disturbed the Rishis from carrying out the Yagna and they had to seek divine help by reaching out to God. King Rama stood by at these rituals as the sages went on carrying out their obligations to humanity.

On 27 December 1923, Paamban Swamigal sustained a fracture when a horse cart ran over his left leg. He was admitted to the general hospital. The doctors told him that his bones would not mend. On 28 December 1923, his devotees Sinnasamy Jhotidar, Sivasankara Tambiran, and Gnana Sekara Mudaliar started reciting his Shanmuga Kavasam in the hope that he recovers. On the 11th day (7 January 1924), Lord Muruga appeared to him. His fractured leg healed. On the 15th day, he was fully recovered. Fully recovered, he went to Coimbatore and the Nilgiris in 1926. Later he moved to Bangalore on 29 May 1928. Here a light engulfed him and entered his mouth to reach his heart. On another occasion, four torches lit on their own when the electricity was cut. He returned to Chennai shortly on 17 July 1928. He asked his devotees to purchase a plot of land in Thiruvaanmiyur with whatever income he made through his literary works and many publications. On 30 May 1929 at 7.15 am he locked his breadth within to merge with the Lord. (Source: Source: http://kaumarapayanam.blogspot.ru/2014/02/blog-post_9.html; 

CN Nachiappan’s compilation of KAVASA KOTTHU; Paamban Srimath Kumara Gurudaasa Swamigal Aruliya Paadalgal, Nithya Paaraayana Thiraththu, Pini Neekkum Perumarunthu, published by the Sri Mayuranaathar Aalayam, Malaysia; Paamban Srimath Kumara Gurudaasa Swamigal Charitthiram, published by V. Thirugnanam, Madurai.)

LESSON 4 - KNOW THY ATMA

Animals live a mere existence. Are we destined the same too? Only man can know his Atma and reach out to it. Separated after a period of co-existence, the Atma is veiled from us for the rest of our lives for most of us. The saints rediscover it. When we are caught in the grips of Maya or illusion in this world we never realize the existence of the Atma. By engaging in Aram we offset karma. The Atma comes to do its part in ridding it completely later. When the ego, desire, and attachment are surrendered we are freed completely. Tavam brings the grace of the Atma to draw the veils aside. Agathiyar draws the veil and has us realize through his short and brief memo to us that there is only one Atma that is immersed in all of creation. That one single Atma that is the source of all creation, prevails in all of his creation. Period.

After some 17 years of Tavam and some 9 years of Aram, he had us wind up on all the activities related to it. He brought us from learning the external traits in doing rituals and conducting puja and participating in the joy of giving and doing charity, to go within. In asking us to go within he had us gain the knowledge of something that was so close to us and internal - the Udal, Uyir, and Atma. In asking us to know about the Udal both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal came again and again to ask and remind us to read Tavayogi's books. They asked us to read the chapters on the tattvas to know the Udal and how it is formed and functions. We did read but could not comprehend much. Agathiyar had me consume his Agathiyar Kuzhambu to cleanse the filth and trash I had carried all this while in my internals. This set the three dosas back into their respective proportions for a hale and healthy body. Even as I type these words this process of cleansing is ongoing and believe me it is not pleasant nor a delightful encounter, counter to what Agathiyar told us that this too was bliss. I understand that he wants us to look at pain and discomfort as such.

After bringing us to understand the Udal he brought us to experience the Uyir. He had me start again certain practices that Tavayogi taught me and I had practiced since then in 2008 only to have Agathiyar halt it in 2011. In this phase, Ramalinga Adigal came to link us to the Prapanjam through the breath. We experience the Prapanjam. Henceforth the whole body began to absorb the prana contrary to the past where it was available in some quantities coming within, hitching on the breath; coming within as food and water and assimilated and absorbed; absorbed from the water as we took a dip in the river and sea or had a bath at home, and through the suns rays and in the outdoors. Through the practice of Pranayama the volume of prana intake increased multifold as we created contact with the Prapanjam.  

Having given us the knowledge of the Udal and preparing it to receive the might of the Prapanjam through Uyir or breath, taking Pranayama as a tool, he brought us to the threshold of Gnanam. Tavayogi in his book defines Gnanam as the moment of realization of the Atma. This is true enlightenment. We become enlightened by the very Atma that was with us throughout our lives albeit for the period when we thought we were in charge of our lives. Once we realize that it is not so and that there is a divine hand that moves us and when we surrender our will to it, the Atma moves in again and leads us to enlightenment. Mahakavi Bharathi realized this and shares it in his song "Nennai Saran Adainthen Kannama". Hence we understand why Lord Murugan came and in telling us that he had something to give all of us insisted that we had to surrender first. The Atma that is supposed to take hold of the Udal and Uyir controlling it sadly is driven to the shadows as we exhibit ego and the "I" in us takes an upper hand. It is only when we surrender the "I" that the Atma returns to reign. Its reign of course would be in line with the divine as opposed to that of the "I" that exercises its superiority. When the Atma comes back to regain control of the Udal and Uyir it brings on massive transformation within the body often without our input and brings on the whole of Prapanjam within too. We understand the state of Agathiyar now when he says that the Prapanjam is in him and he is in the Prapanjam. When we know the Atma that is Atma Darisanam or enlightenment or gaining Gnanam. We have read about how several saints, were shown the dance of Siva, the Atma as a child in their homes and in certain temples. Later as one pursues the path that the Atma identifies for us after the karma is cleared and we surrender, the Atma begins to express its thought and actions through us. We become an expression of the Atma. The individual then is an expression of the divine and divinity. 

And it all starts with worship at home and in the temples. 

LESSON 3 - KNOW THY BREATH

After coming to recite the names of the Siddhas and conducting the associated rituals shown by the guru, the guru brings us into carrying out simple yogic practices. If we had picked it up elsewhere or from books or by watching videos, the guru comes to officially teach or show us the techniques. Agathiyar and Patanjali taught me through the Nadi readings. Tavayogi when he was in Malaysia showed us a full set of asanas and pranayama. But none of us realized the value of his teaching then. Later Agathiyar in the Nadi mentions that it is a treasure chest that he has delivered to us. True enough upon further reading I realized the importance of asanas and Pranayama for one seeking the divine. 

Later upagurus like Acharya Gurudasan help us fine-tune these practices filling us with the theories behind the practice. He echoed B K S Iyengar's words in ‘LIGHT ON THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI’, HarperCollins Publishers India, 1993, "Asana is moving into various positions, finding perfection in the pose and maintaining it, and reflecting on it. Only when effortful effort in an asana becomes an effortless effort, one has mastered the asana. He says each asana has to become effortless."

Agathiyar who taught us the breathing practices including a practice called naadi suthi or purification of the nerves through alternate nostril breathing, mentioned at one stage that there was no need to carry it out but it shall go on, on its own and we were to just observe its flow.

Tavayogi in his book, ‘ATMA TARISANAM’ quotes from Agathiyar’s "SAUMIYA SAGARAM", verse 250, where it is mentioned nine asanas that are of utmost importance. The asanas are Go‐mukha‐asana, Padma‐asana, Vira‐asana, Simha‐asana, Path‐e‐asana, Mukt‐asana, Mayura‐asana, Vajra‐asana and Suga‐asana. 

By consistently carrying these practices out, we shall see some noticeable difference in us which would come to the attention of others around us too. One big and prominent change would be in the volume of air that we begin to take in after starting the practice. We could hear the bellows or blows in our quarters that Tavayogi emits while he does the pranayama practice in his room in the old ashram. Tavayogi says, to control Prana is Pranayama. Prana is the vital force that moves this universe and all of creation. The force that moves this universe moves the individual too. It enters the individual through and along one's breath. He says whatever forces are in motion in the universe are also available in the individual as subtle forces. One who harnesses these forces conquers nature and gains control over it. The control of Prana leads to deathlessness. He quotes the Siddha Tirumoolar, "The one who masters the art of inhaling, retaining and exhaling of breath need not fear death ‐ he overcomes death."

Swami Vivekananda says "The whole world is in motion because of Prana. The most obvious manifestation of Prana is the breath. To reach the subtle we must take the help of the gross, and so, slowly travel towards the most subtle until we gain our point. To get into the subtle perception, we need to begin with the grosser perception. From the external, we move to the internal. Use the breath to slowly enter the body and find out the subtle forces at work in the body."

We are moved by Prana to inhale and exhale. Swami Vivekananda says "All are parts of the same ocean of Prana; they differ only in their rate of vibration" and adds further, "Every part of the body can be filled with this vital force, Prana, and when you are able to do that, you can control the whole body. Great prophets of the world had the most wonderful control of the Prana, which gave them tremendous willpower; they had brought their Prana to the highest state of motion and this is what gave them power to sway the world. 

Swami Rama in ‘MEDITATION AND ITS PRACTICE’, the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A, 1992, describes Prana as "the first unit of energy."

Yogi Ramacharaka says in ‘THE SCIENCE OF BREATH’ published by W. & J. Mackay & Cg. Ltd., Chatham, 1903, "Just as is the oxygen in the blood used up by the wants of the system, so the supply of Prana taken up by the nervous system is exhausted by our thinking, willing, acting, etc., and in consequence, constant replenishing is necessary."

Swami Rajarshi Muni in quoting "The Yoga Chudamani Upanishad" in his book ‘YOGA‐THE ULTIMATE ATTAINMENT’, Jaico Publishing House, 2004, writes that,

"Oxygen is capable of sustaining only the gross body, while the vital force nourishes and sustains the subtle body. This vital force flows through the channels of the subtle body and can rejuvenate even the gross body, increasing its longevity."

We too sensed the breath enter to expand to the state where we fear our body would explode. It traverses throughout the body till the finer reaches at the tips of the hands and feet and the roots of the hairs. After years of practice, we shall reach out to the prana all around us without the need to carry out these practices. We connect automatically the moment we bring the thought towards our breathing and watch it. Henceforth we are only asked to watch it. With the aid of mantras, the intensity of these energies is exemplified and is then transferred to others around us by way of touch. The Siddhas come to help us connect further with the consciousness showing ways to tap these energies. 

Swami Vivekananda elaborates in his ‘RAJA YOGA – Conquering the Internal Nature’, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1998,

"We shall gradually see the reasons for each exercise and what forces in the body are set in motion. All things will come to us, but it requires constant practice. No amount of reasoning which I can give you will be proof to you until you have demonstrated it for yourselves. As soon as you begin to feel these currents in motion all over you, doubts will vanish, but it requires hard practice every day."

LESSON 2 - KNOW THE SIDDHAS

Once we know what we had done in the past births that deserved this birth, it is time for us to look for a way out to come out of this cycle of birth and death. The Siddhas who came before us had found the way and the means to achieve that. For us to attain that state we either have to gain apprenticeship under a Siddha directly which is difficult to come by as it is very rare to come by a genuine Siddha, another alternative is to worship the known and established Siddhas. With their worship, if they will they shall come as a guru to take us further on this journey. Calling me to the path through their Nadi, Agathiyar moved the Nadi reader to pass on a tiny book containing a compilation of the names of these Siddhas. Sivabalan who brought in the Nadi readers from India was moved to pass me a painting of Agathiyar. Hence my journey started. I began to worship and recite the names of the Siddhas upon reaching home. 

Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of the Sri Agathiyar Sri Thava Murugar Gnana Peedham Thirukovil has compiled and given an extensive list of names of 206 Siddhas under "HYMNS OF PRAISE TO SIDDHAS" or "SIDDHAR POTRI THOGUPPU." He tells me the names listed by him are those of authentic Siddhas and have had references in other Siddha works and writings. He tells me it was sufficient to recite these names and when done diligently and without fail one shall have their (Siddhas) grace immediately.

1. Agathiyar,

2. Agapai Siddhar,

3. Asuvinitdevar,

4. Athirimagarishi,

5. Ambigananthar,

6. Arunagirinathar,

7. Arulnanthisivachariyar,

8. Allamapirabu,

9. Alukanni Siddhar,

10. Asidevamagarishi,

11. Alagananthar,

12. Arithamagarishi,

13. Anjanadeva,

14. Atchayadevarishi,

15. Atithamagarishi,

16. Aritsamagarishi,

17. Atreyamagarishi,

18. Asavalayanamagarishi,

19. Anantha Siddhar,

20. Edaikadar,

21. Ramalinga Adigal,

22. Ramadevar,

23. Ramananthar,

24. Umabathisivachariyar,

25. Ubamanyumagarishi,

26. Usanamagarishi,

27. Uthayagiri Siddhar,

28. Avvaiyar,

29. Kanjamalai Siddhar,

30. Kadaipillai Siddhar,

31. Kaduveli Siddhar,

32. Kannananthar,

33. Kanni Siddhar,

34. Kanabathidasar,

35. Kananathar,

36. Katambamagarishi,

37. Kabilar,

38. Kamalamunivar,

39. Karuvurdevar,

40. Kalluli Siddhar,

41. Kalaicoathumunivar,

42. Kaubala Siddhar,

43. Kanaramar,

44. Kagabujandar,

45. Kasibar,

46. Kalanginathar,

47. Kanvamagarishi,

48. Karkamagarishi,

49. Kausamagarishi,

50. Kanagamagarishi,

51. Kangeyamagarishi,

52. Katyamagarishi,

53. Kabalamagarishi,

54. Kakeyamagarishi,

55. Kartikeyamagarishi,

56. Kalavamagarishi,

57. Kalinganathamagarishi,

58. Kalamagarishi,

59. Kanbamagarishi,

60. Kinthamagarishi,

61. Kiruthumagarishi,

62. Kusarishi,

63. Kutsagarishi,

64. Kugainamasivayar,

65. Kurunamasivayar,

66. Kutambai Siddhar,

67. KumaraGurubarar,

68. Gurudhaksanamurthy,

69. Gururajar,

70. Kurumbai Siddhar,

71. Kurmananthar,

72. Konganamagarishi,

73. Korakar,

74. Kausigar,

75. Kautamar,

76. Sangarshanamagarishi,

77. Satumugamagarishi,

78. Satananthamagarishi,

79. Sangumagarishi,

80. Sanatanamagarishi,

81. Chandirakulamagarishi,

82. Savitiramagarishi,

83. Sangiyayanamagarishi,

84. Sandilyamagarishi,

85. Santirayanamagarishi,

86. Saratvanthumagarishi,

87. Salihotramagarishi,

88. Satvikadevamagarishi,

89. Sangamuni Siddhar,

90. Sangaramagarishi,

91. Sangili Siddhar,

92. Satchithananthar,

93. Sattanathar,

94. Sandikehsar,

95. Sathyananthar,

96. Chitramuktar,

97. Sivayogamamunivar,

98. Sivananthar,

99. Sirungimagarishi,

100. Sivayambuvamanumagarishi,

101. Sugabrahmar,

102. Suntarananthar,

103. Sundaramurthi,

104. Sutamunivar,

105. Suriyananthar,

106. Sulamunivar,

107. Saykilar,

108. Sethumunivar,

109. Sorubananthar,

110. Somagamagarishi,

111. Saunagamagarishi,

112. Jambumagarishi,

113. Janagar,

114. Janantanar,

115. Janatanar,

116. Janakumarar,

117. Jabalimagarishi,

118. Jeganathar,

119. Jeyamunivar,

120. Gnana Siddhar,

121. Damarananthar,

122. Danvanthiri,

123. Tayumanar,

124. Tananthar,

125. Tatisimagarishi,

126. Tambamagarishi,

127. Talapiyamagarishi,

128. Tathuvagnana Siddhar,

129. Trikona Siddhar,

130. Thirugnanasambanthar,

131. Thirunavukarasar,

132. Thirumaligaidevar,

133. Thiruvaluvar,

134. Tirunabindhumagarishi,

135. Dhurvasamunivar,

136. Teraiyar,

137. Tevatattamagarishi,

138. Tevalamagarishi,

139. Tevaratamagarishi,

140. Nanthanar,

141. Nanthisvarar,

142. Nathantha Siddhar,

143. Narathar,

144. Nagaradevamagarishi,

145. Nondi Siddhar,

146. Pandrimalai Siddhar,

147. Pattinathar,

148. Pathragiriyar,

149. Patanjaliyar,

150. Paratuvasar,

151. Paramananthar,

152. Parasarishi,

153. PampaticSiddhar,

154. Bagadevamagarishi,

155. Parvathamagarishi,

156. Bhaskaramagarishi,

157. Pingalamunivar,

158. Pidinakisar,

159. Bhirugumagarishi,

160. Brahmamunivar,

161. Pirunjakamunivar,

162. Pirungumagarishi,

163. Pipalamagarishi,

164. Punnakeesar,

165. Pulatisar,

166. Pulippani Siddhar,

167. Pundarigamagarishi,

168. Purukothamagarishi,

169. Punaikannar,

170. Bhogamagarishi,

171. Machamunivar,

172. Mayuraysar,

173. Manikavasagar,

174. Markandayar,

175. Malangan,

176. Matangamagarishi,

177. Manurishi,

178. Marisamagarishi,

179. Mandavyamagarishi,

180. Mukthananthar,

181. Mutkalamagarishi,

182. Meikandadevar,

183. Maunach Siddhar,

184. Megasanchararishi,

185. Maitrayemagarishi,

186. Mrityunjaya,

187. Yakgnadevamagarishi,

188. Yuhgimunivar,

189. Yoga Siddhar,

190. Yogananthar,

191. Rohmarishi,

192. Raipriyamagarishi,

193. Vasudevamagarishi,

194. Vamadevar,

195. Valakilyamagarishi,

196. Vasisthamagarishi,

197. Varatarishi,

198. Vararishi,

199. Varagimigi,

200. Valmigi,

201. Vedamagarishi,

202. Vyakramar,

203. Vyasamunivar,

204. Vilaiyathu Siddhar,

205. Vidanamunivar and

206. Waythantha Siddhar.

Thavathiru Rangaraja Desiga Swamigal of Sri Agathiar Sanmaarga Charitable Trust Ongarakudil, Thuraiyur lists 131 names of Sidhas in his "SIDHARGAL POTRI THOGUPPU."

Veeramanidhasan Aiya has compiled 773 lists of names in his "GURU PUJAI - SRI SIDHARGAL POTRI MANTHIRA MALAI", 2005.

Rajkumar Swamigal of Brammarishi Hills lists 210 names.

Korakar mentions sixty-four Siddhas who started madams and headed them. The list is as follows. (Information sourced from "SIDHARGAL KANDA AHVIGALAI VIRATHUM MULIGAI RAGASIYANGAL" by Jegatha. They are:

1. Agathiyar,

2. Aghoramunivar,

3. Amuthavanandhar,

4. Athimunivar,

5. Anandhamunivar,

6. Rasamunivar,

7. Kamalanandhar,

8. Karunaiyanandhar,

9. Karuvanandhar,

10. Kalanandhar,

11. Kuruvanandhar,

12. Kurmanandhar,

13. Kauthamunivar,

14. Korakar,

15. Sachuthanandhar,

16. Sattaimunivar,

17. Sandigamamunivar,

18. Sadhasivamamunivar,

19. Sadhanandhar,

20. Sathiyanandhar,

21. Samaiyavanandhar,

22. Saruganandhar,

23. Saruvanandhar,

24. Sisuvanandhar,

25. Sidharishi,

26. Sidhanandhar,

27. Sivamunivar,

28. Sivanandhar,

29. Sinmaiyanandhar,

30. Sugarishi,

31. Sukiramunivar,

32. Suthanandhar,

33. Sundaranandhar,

34. Suriyanandhar,

35. Saithanyamunivar,

36. Shiruvanandhar,

37. Thuruvanandharmurthi,

38. Nandiyanandhar,

39. Pathanjalimamunivar,

40. Paramanandhar,

41. Brahmamunivar,

42. Brahmarishi,

43. Brahmandhar,

44. Pulastyar,

45. Puranavanandhar,

46. Purananandhar,

47. Machamunivar,

48. Maunamunivar,

49. Muthanandhar,

50. Mularishi,

51. Yathithamunivar,

52. Yegarishi,

53. Yogarishi,

54. Rudrarishi,

55. Logavanandhar,

56. Vasamuni,

57. Valaiyanandhar,

58. Vanendramahamuni,

59. Viswamunimaindhar,

60. Viswarishi,

61. Viswanandhar,

62. Vishnumunivar,

63. Vidhanandhar and

64. Viyasarishi

Over the years having read many books on the Siddhas I began to compile a comprehensive list of names of Siddhas to recite at home. Soon this was taken up in the temples too. Agathiyar then sends a guru in the physical form who walks the path of the Siddhas to guide me further. He brings my family into the worship of the Siddhas. Later Agathiyar brings relatives and friends to worship his statue in my home upon his arrival having commissioned and made in  Swamimalai. Three years later he sends youngsters to my home to participate in the Pornami puja after their Nadi readings. He sends us out to do charity too. This is how the Siddhas come into our lives inch by inch, reminding me of the camel's story. But in that story, the owner gets kicked out of the tent and regrets showing empathy and compassion to the camel by inviting it in and saving it from the sandstorm. Here the camel envelops us into its grips never letting us go. Even if we chose to leave the Siddhas shall never lose sight of us.

For those new to the worship of the Siddhas sing their praise and they shall come. Invite them into your homes and your hearts. Soon your home and your hearts shall become their temple, abode, and cave as my home became their garden or Vanam. This is the start of the journey of inner reckoning. This is the first step to gaining their blessings and later their grace. Step on it.

LESSON 1 - KNOW THY KARMA

Tavayogi echoes the words of Buddha “What you are is what you have been, what you will be is what you do now.” Padmasambhava too says the same, “If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.” No one can give a simpler description than those of karma. 

Eknath Easwaran in ‘DIALOGUE WITH DEATH - A Journey through Consciousness’, Jaico Publishing House, 2002, writes,

"Whatever we are today is the result of what we have thought, spoken, and done in all the present moments before now - just as what we shall be tomorrow is the result of what we think, say, and do today." He drives the point that the responsibility for both present and future is squarely in our own hands.

Since he says that "Past and future are both contained in every present moment", I guess then that the only moment that is real is the present. 

Sogyal Rinpoche in his book ‘THE TIBETAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYING’, HarperSanFrancisco, 1993,

"Karma, then, is not fatalistic or predetermined. Karma means our ability to create and to change. It is creative because we can determine how and why we act. We can change. The future is in our hands, and in the hands of our hearts. As everything is impermanent, fluid, and interdependent, how we act and think inevitably changes the future."

When we come to the Siddhas the very first thing they address is our karma. Coming to their Nadi, we are told of our past karma. 

Now I understand that deep-gazing look I got from a stranger sadhu in ochre robes whom I met 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. His gaze was out of this world. It was deep and penetrating. I have yet to see another look at me that way. When I mentioned this to my nephew he replied that he was scanning me and stopped at that. If there is karma then there is birth. Karma is the cause of birth. I guess as each of us carries out baggage of karma, that shaped this body and shapes our thoughts and actions, he saw through me and my karma. I guess they identify who they can lend a hand to come out of their karma and progress spiritually by just gazing at them. Only when karma is reduced can man approach God. It is an important aspect of the spiritual path. Supramania Swami too sat with me for 5 solid hours and saw through my life just sitting with his eyes closed. It was an amazing 5 hours. I sat in awe and disbelief. All he told me has come true. 

Ramalinga Swami, a recent Siddha, shivers at the thought of a long list of "crimes" that could possibly bring on birth. He documented this in his ‘MANUMURAI KANDA VASAGAM.’

“Did I create fear in others?
Did I hurt my loved ones?
Did I summon and tarnish others?
Did I stop others from making donations?
Did I smear my friends?
Did I sabotage friendships?
Did I speak gossip that lead to families being destroyed?
Did I refuse to help one in need?
Did I increase taxes and rob others?
Did I make the poor suffer?
Did I act unjustly?
Did I stop the means of income of others?
Did I entice others and cheat them?
Did I rip work but refused to pay accordingly?
Did I adulterate rice with pebbles?
Did I ignore the hungry?
Did I refrain from feeding the poor?
Did I expose those that had taken refuge with me?
Did I aid those who committed murder?
Did I scout and spy on behalf of thieves?
Did I snatch properties belonging to others and lied to them?
Did I sleep with those who had lost their virginity?
Did I abuse virgins who I had a responsibility to protect?
Did I rape those who already had had a husband?
Did I lock up birds in their cages?
Did I not feed the calves?
Did I build up this body by consuming meat?
Did I poison drinking water?
Did I fell trees that gave us shade?
Did I destroy others out of revenge?
Did I demolish public halls?
Did I not listen to my parents?
Did I not greet my guru?
Did I not give my guru his dues, for his sustenance?
Did I envy the learned?
Did I find mistakes in the writings of the wise?
Did I offend devotees of Siva?
Did I offend the yogis?
Did I prevent the public from conducting their prayers by shutting the doors to the temples?
Did I smear the name of the Lord?
What sin did I do? I do not know”, questions the saint.

Going by the list, I have done several of those sins, hence a reason to be reborn. Agathiyar exposed them in my Kaanda Nadi. But the most compassionate Siddhas did not turn me away. He gave me remedies to carry out. He asked me to worship the Gods and Goddesses, the deities, and the Siddhas too. Tavayogi points to all those who sought a solution to life's problems, to start reciting the names of the Siddhas and praising them. The late Astrologer and Siddha physician Dr. Krishnan advocates the effectiveness of prayers too having asked me to start. Agathiyar in the Nadi says prayers definitely help overcome karma. Supramania Swami asks that I light an oil lamp and pray and he and the divine shall come through the flame. The sacrificial fire that is lit as a part of rituals invites Gods and deities to revisit us and bless us. Agathiyar tells us that the Siddhas arrived and took their places during one such Homam and the ground beneath us shook. Only Mataji was aware of it. 

Paramahansa Yogananda in ‘AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI’, Self Realization Fellowship, 1990, quotes his master Sri Yukteswar.

"By a number of means - by prayer, by will power, by yoga meditation, by consultation with saints, by use of astrological bangles - the adverse effects of past wrongs can be minimized or nullified."

Seeing me follow his directives, and coming to the worship of the Siddhas, after three years, Agathiyar comes again in the Aasi Nadi and takes me into his arms. Henceforth he came often in the Nadi guiding me as to what to do.

God does not interfere in our lives unless we ask him to. Annie Besant and Bhagawan Das in ‘SANATANA DHARMA’ published by the Theosophical Publishing House, 2000, write that,

"The laws of nature state conditions under which certain results follow. According to the results, desired conditions may be arranged, and, given the conditions, the results will invariably follow. Hence the law of nature does not compel any special action, but only renders all actions possible."

The most compassionate Siddhas having lived a life like us know pretty well of the trials and tribulations, the misery, pain, and sufferings, of humanity, though they took it on, wished for others to be relieved of their sufferings and to be shown a path. Velayutham Karthikeyan Aiya informs us how the Siddhas came about to write the fate and destiny of individuals who they knew would one day come before them to know their fate. I give the English translation of the Tamil piece below.

"The Siddhas, being compassionate and kind, put forward to God their wishes for humanity. They had a wish, that whosoever sought them for solutions to their problems and after knowing the reasons surrender to them, they shall be pardoned for their past deeds, however bad and evil they may be, and shall not be put through the trial and tribulations and made to face the consequences but instead, be saved. God granted the Siddhas this wish. The next instant the Siddhas wrote down the reasons for each seeker's problems, sins, diseases, illnesses, and sufferings.; listed out solutions and remedies; and showed ways and means to overcome or end them  They wrote them in Tamil prose on dried palm leaves. These writings came to be known as the Nadi."

He had posted revelations and happenings linked to people who came in search of the Jeeva Nadi in possession of the late Hanumathdasan of Chennai, in his blog http://siththanarul.blogspot.com. 

One's karma is revealed by the Siddhas in the Nadi, or if his Guru chooses to reveal it. One comes to know it in near-death experiences or as he sits in deep meditation. 

Having understood karma and its domino effects we are required to tread carefully so as not to incur more negative karma but instead increase the positive karma. Hence we are set on a course of doing puja and charity. Once the scale is balanced, one has to refrain from performing even the positive karma for that would have to be honored requiring to take on another birth. So to end this cycle of birth does that mean we do nothing? 

Lao Tzu asks us to go with the flow. From Henry Wei in the ‘GUIDING LIGHT OF LAO TZU’, Synergy Books International,

"So much emphasis does Lao Tzu lay on the most important doctrine in regard to spiritual cultivation known as Wu Wei or non-action which is in the sense of non-interference, that is to say, non-interference with the trend of nature or the flow of Tao."

We can continue to engage though in noble activities that help to uplift the lives of fellow humans as stated in Agathiyar's 5 tenets for humanity, without claiming credit for it. The good karma earned is placed at the feet of the divine. 

Ram Das in ‘PATH TO GOD - Living the Bhagavad Gita’, Harmony Books, 2004, explains.

"If we want to get done with it all, it is clear that the first step in the process is to stop creating new waves. We’re never going to be finished if we keep making new waves for ourselves every day. Once we’re acting purely out of dharma and not out of any desire, we’re no longer making waves. When you’ve totally surrendered to your dharma, when you’re no longer trying for anything, that’s your way through."

Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama in ‘KARMA AND REINCARNATION’, Piatkus, 1992 says it beautifully, 

"Dissolving karma through learning detachment - nonaction within action i.e. acting out the unfolding of one’s day-to-day life continuously but without attachment to the results of the action"

Sara Cornwall quotes from the "Bhagavadgita" at https://lotuspeople.com.au/,

"In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna said: “Let your concern be with action alone, and never with the fruits of action. Do not let the results of action be your motive, and do not be attached to inaction.”

She shares her understanding, "What this means to me, is letting go of the desire to control outcomes, but rather to focus on the only thing I can control, my own actions."

To the Tibetans, they accept karma as a natural and just process. Karma inspires them to be responsible for whatever they do, says Sogyal Rinpoche.

"We must realize that every moment in our life, every joy, and every sorrow, can be traced to some source within us. There is no one “out there” making it all happen. We make it happen or not happen according to the actions we perform, the attitudes we hold and the thoughts we think. Therefore, by gaining conscious control of our thoughts and attitudes by right action, we can control the flow of karma. Karma, then, is our best spiritual teacher. We spiritually learn and grow as our actions return to us to be resolved and dissolved."

Indeed karma is our best spiritual teacher. 

LET US GIVE WAY TO THE YOUNG

AVM Agathiyar who visited the home of a staunch devotee and his wife and children chose to stay for a while. Sri Krishna and Sri Dewi gave way to their two daughters to conduct abhisegam for Agathiyar. 

LET US OPEN UP OUR HEARTS AND HOMES TO OTHERS

When I came to scout around for more information after Agathiyar asked me to come to the worship of the Siddhas, I was puzzled. A group in the name of Agathiyar had moved on to the recitation of Ramalinga Adigal's Agaval and worshipped the flame of an oil lamp. Another was engrossed solely in doing charity. A head of another group who moved out of his ashram was seeking a conducive place to meditate!!! He also condemned my worship of Agathiyar's idol quoting Sivavakiyar's songs. Apparently, I came to know of many more groups existing in the name of Agathiyar that I never ventured to get to know. I wondered why did not they all come together in the name of Agathiyar and work towards a common goal rather than exist as different entities with different agendas. I decided to go solo.

Twenty years later having walked the path myself, I have begun to understand these reasons. They cannot possibly come under an umbrella. Though the core business is one those who initiated these groups want to be in charge. My wife hit the nail on the head when she said, like everything else, we get a "high" from doing rituals and charity too. We want to keep on doing it. We become addicted to it. But Agathiyar broke our addiction to it all. He stopped the puja and charity we did. Even after Agathiyar brought the shutter down many in the AVM family too could not accept. They requested to revive everything back to the "good old days" since the restrictions to contain the pandemic have been lifted. 

Tavayogi broke my attachment to all the religious insignia and even to him. He told me that we do not need them. Though they gave us the tools needed at the appropriate time of our journeying on the path, they soon had us place them down and pick another and proceed on our walk. We never carried them with us physically though it was readily available to us when there was a need or use for it for we knew the know-how and the recipe and could source the ingredients as and when needed. Agathiyar stripped us naked of all our "possessions" during the past 2 1/2 years of the pandemic. Back then looking around us, we saw devotion as a weekly, seasonal and occasional thing. Agathiyar wanted us to pick up the tools and make it a daily affair in all our lives within the four walls of our homes. He tamed us. He quietened us. He broke our spiritual ego. He filled us and emptied us. Today we stand naked before him as we did the very first day. 

We must learn to see divinity in all things. Then we shall be immersed in his thought all day long, even in the midst of doing our chores and carrying out our responsibilities. The saints took on a bigger responsibility. When Tavayogi's daughter cried out to Agathiyar for taking him away from the family, Agathiyar in the Nadi asked her if she wanted her father to be only a father to her siblings and her or to be a father to all. 

This is how our role changes as we move on in life. This is the said evolution of the soul. Just as Agathiyar sees only our souls, we begin to see the souls in others and associate accordingly. Hence compassion arises for all souls. One then works towards uplifting another, as mentioned in Agathiyar's 5 tenets for mankind. The divine in return works through him to deliver his messages. He becomes a messenger of God. All saints were God's messengers.

But I guess God's formula does not work for all at the same time. Many come only to leave as Agathiyar and Tavayogi say they need to settle their worldly duties, realize their desires, and at times settle the score with others. As the soul travels on a different timeline engaging with others momentarily, make good use of the time we spend with them. Tavayogi was an old soul who was summoned to guide us in present times. Similarly, I always had a yearning thought that Ramalinga Adigal should have come now. He had come too soon and too early for his times. I believe there would be more takers if he was to preach his teachings now.

Only in 2008 did I come to know that Tavayogi had opened up his heart and home to accommodate seekers on the path of truth back in 1994 in his hometown of Tirupur hosting puja and worshiping Arutperunjothi, walking in the footsteps of Ramalinga Adigal. The same was said of me by Bala Chandran in his opening monologue during the release of our in-house Cd album "Agathiyar Geetham" in collaboration with Raagawave Production. Only then did I realize, as Bala mentioned, that I had unknowingly opened my heart and home to others in joining me and my family in the numerous puja. I guess that was the least I could do for my gurus, who send them over to my home. If the puja filled their hearts with bliss, my wife filled their tummies with delicious food and drinks. I guess we can rest in peace that we have done a small part in bringing the worship, teachings, rituals, practices, and lifestyles, of the Siddhas, to those who came seeking our home. Though we hardly know much about the boundless entity that we call God we can share that much that has been shown or taught to us to others and that is what we undertook to do. We shall together walk the path to knowing him eventually. 

LET US TAKE UP THE TOOLS

After heeding his call to come to the worship of the Siddhas, Agathiyar had given me many tools and practices to journey further. This shows his concern and compassion for us. It makes us wonder if we really deserve it for we know where we stand. But as Agathiyar says he only sees the Atma.

Swami Yukteswar too had "advised a new student who occasionally expressed doubts regarding his own worthiness to engage in yoga practice. "Forget the past", Sri Yukteswar would console him. "The vanished lives of all men are dark with many shames. Human conduct is ever unreliable until anchored in the Divine. Everything in the future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now." (Source: Paramahansa Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi", 1990).

Immediately after the Nadi reading, he has Nadi Nool Aasan Senthilkumar pass me a tiny book containing the names of the Siddhas that ends with "Om Yennilaa Kodi Devargal, Sidhargal, Rishigal, Munivargal Thiruvadigal Potri Potri." That was my introduction to who the Siddhas were and their numbers. I was also given a painting of Agathiyar by the late Sivabalan who brought in the Nadi readers from India. Although I was told by the late Dr. Krishnan in 1996 about the Siddhas and their Nadi and the reason his predictions did not happen for me, I was fated only to see my Nadi six years later when I turned 43 as revealed by Agathiyar. Going back to the good Dr. to enquire why Lagna or Ascendant in my horoscope differed from what Agathiyar revealed in the Nadi and giving him the good news that Agathiyar wanted me to worship the Siddhas, he subsequently made me a yantra and passed Agathiyar's mantra "Om Sing Vang Ang Ung Mung Agatheeswaraya Namaha" to me to recite with. 

A year before I read the Nadi, my nephew mysteriously passes me the Vasudeva mantra "Om Namoh Bhagavathe Vasudevaya Namaha" after he was instructed by his Paramaguru Gopal Pillai. Later he tells me the instruction to pass it came was from Agathiyar. The Siddhas have their ways and means and use the existing network of gurus to deliver their messages. 

Armed with his painting, a long list of Siddha names, his yantra, and the mantra I began my journey. I was a lone ranger then carrying out what I was told to do. My wife and children would watch and eye me going in and out of the prayer room not knowing what was going on. But my wife used to have gurus and saints appear in her dreams. 

After I met Supramania Swami in Tiruvannamalai he gave me a Shiva mantra "Hara Hara Siva Siva Sivasivaya Namasivaya Sivayanama Om" as a guru diksa. Three years later Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram who was in Malaysia gave me and my wife Agathiyar's mantra "Om Sim Vam Arm Um Mum Agatheesaya Nama" as a diksa. He explained the reason my wife had those dreams. They wanted her to come into their fold too. 

And so the Siddha puja was taught to our two daughters too. The family used to sit and recite the names of the Siddhas and Agathiyar's mantra accompanied by lighting the homam. When five years later Agathiyar came into our home as a statue, we began to carry out libation or abhisegam too. Looking for suitable song to accompany each of the 16 items that we used for his abhisegam, I received 23 songs from Mataji that we modified for our purpose. Our puja was now complete. 

Along the way Agathiyar gives us his Moola Mantra "Aum Srim Aum Satguru Patame Saaba Paava Vimosanam Rowga Ahangaara Dhur Vimosanam Sarva Deva Sagala Siddha Oli Rupam Sarguruve Aum Agastiya Kiranta Kartaaya Nama"  that wards off curses, sins, illness, and arrogance.

This puja was observed and followed and brought back to the homes of the devotees who Agathiyar sent to my home after their Nadi readings. When Tavayogi visited us again in 2016, he was delighted to see the Siddha puja had caught up with others too. I guess I had carried out my obligation to my gurus to their satisfaction. Whenever we recite the names of the Siddhas coming in our midst they join us in puja. 

After Agathiyar brought the rituals to an abrupt stop, Ramalinga Adigal delivers us his Arutperunjothi mantra, "Arutperunjhoti Arutperunjhoti Taniperunkarunai Arutperunjhoti". These days they call us to recite the Arutperunjothi mantra whenever they come. They rejoice in singing together with us. This mantra energizes the whole place and all of us. It connects us to the prapanjam.

I am obliged now to continue writing this blog as he wants me to do so. After penning it I sit back and read with awe at all that is written. I am amazed too and move over to him and thank him for the writing. It is a learning for me too. The blog too has begun to serve as a tool of learning. The videos of the events we carried out add spice to these writings. He runs the show and we are merely tools in his hands.