It is said that the Gods ruled and walked the earth in the distant past. Then man looked towards the skies and prayed in the way past. Our ancestors later built temples to house the Gods and Goddesses. They brought them down to the ground for us to spend some time in prayer and worship. Later they brought them into our homes and worshipped them at their altars. Man was never detached from these Gods and Goddesses since time immemorial. This was because there was a part of the divine in us just as we carry the DNA of our parents.
We are a composite of the Pindam or Udal or body, Vaasi or Uyir or breath, and the Atma or Soul. The physical body is a vehicle for the breath and soul. The Atma or soul is pure to its essence. It is one with the Param. But like all things it gets tainted too. It is the Tattvas that give form to it. With the first inhalation Life or Uyir comes within the Body or Pindam, giving it a voice. It tends to veil it further. Now known as the Jeevatma (Jeeva Atma) or Spirit it believes it is a separate entity from the Param. It sees itself as separate from its bigger Self. The purpose of man then is to know Himself, to find his Atma. This would be attaining Mukti.
The Pindam made of the elements derived from the Pancha Maha Bhutam in a specific proportion takes a form that begins to reside in the womb. The five elements are taken from each parent's body to shape the body of the embryo. Since this proportion is regulated by Lord Brahma, hence we know him as the creator of lives. In the event, the proportions are compromised complications appear in the fetus. Thus fate takes shape. In fact fate steps in even before the parents come together. The Soul decides where it is to be born and to whom so that it can see through the fulfilment of its karma and desires too. Vashisht Vaid in his blog https://holysageagathiyar.com/ mentions this process as "the divine creator or energy bringing forth his birth through consultation with the lunar forefathers and their angelic hierarchies that co-exist with us down here."
Annie Besant, Bhagawan Das and Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami have written about the triple nature of each karmic action as revealed by ancient yogis. In KARMA AND REINCARNATION - An Inspired Talk by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami we learn more.
"Ancient yogis, in psychically studying the time line of cause/effect, assigned three categories to karma. The first is Sanchita, the sum total of past karma yet to be resolved. The second category is Prarabdha, that portion of Sanchita karma being experienced in the present life. Kriyamana, the third type, is karma you are presently creating."
The first is Sanchita, the sum total of past karma yet to be resolved. Sanchita is the accumulated karma of the past and is partly seen as man's tendencies: the character, his/her powers, capacities, and weaknesses, that came to be made through his/her many births. From the midst of the Sanchitas is selected a portion, Prarabdha and, at the time of the beginning of the body, time energizes this portion for reaping, and which cannot be avoided but must be experienced in the present life. Prarabdha is only exhausted by being experienced. That, which has begun, is actually bearing fruit. The Soul choses to be born in a certain country, into a certain race, to a certain parent, as a normal child or otherwise, to live or to leave.
Vartamana or Kriyamana, the third type is karma that which is now being created. That karma is being done. The actual, that which is now being made for the future, or the coming karma.
The Atma that originates in the realm of the divine that is known as Paramatma comes as the Jeevatma to care for the new life that is taking shape in the mother's womb, hovering and staying with the Pindam and Uyir for a period of time that Agathiyar says is between 1 and 5 Varahai and then driven into hiding when the ego emerges. Karma is then set into motion and play. What is said to be the divine Lila is the play of karma on one's life. The trio, Udal, Uyir and Atma that came together once upon a time sees the Atma sidelined as man's ego grows. The Atma watches from a distance leaving the ego to rain destruction. The period where the Atma is veiled is where the process of karma takes its course. As man fattens his body and ego both the breath and soul diminish in importance to the extent that he is hardly aware of its existence till the time his body is on the verge of collapse.
The late Dr.Krishnan told me that a child's karma initially affects the parents giving them for instance undue stress and worry if the child is sickly or joy if he was healthy. Karma only begins to affect the child when the child reaches puberty. By this time the child is able to figure out the right and wrong, distinguish between the good and bad, and begins to make his or her own decisions. His or her "I" comes to the forefront pushing the Atma behind the veil.
Agathiyar adds that the Atma makes its presence known depending on his or her actions. I believe when karma asserts itself and life takes its toll and he or she is lost for a solution and surrenders to the divine, the Atma appears to help him or her out. When life gives a trashing, he or she begins to question why his or her life was moving the way it did, the Atma appears to help him or her out. He tries to ponder and figure it out. He is then told of karma.
But how many realize or are aware of karma and acknowledge it as the reason for their lives to move in a particular direction? Those who had been in the proximity of the Siddhas or have had their blessings in the past lives might be referred to see the Nadi or pointed to the Nadi reader or come to know of its existence at the right moment. He or she then has a calling from the Atma that leads them to have a reading. The Nadi reveals the past karma. Solutions are given too. It is now the moment of the great battle between one's "I" and the word of the Siddhas. While many take up the word of the Siddhas and follow some might tend to leave decrying that it is a hoax. Those who come to know the Nadi could brush it aside or venture to correct their karma. Agathiyar reveals a misconception that many including I had and that I had carried in many of my earlier posts that the Atma carries the imprints of karma. It is not so. I remain corrected. Agathiyar reveals that contrary to this understanding, the Atma helps clear our karma by showing us the way. Here is where we come to understand Agathiyar's statement that the Atma draws aside the veil and appears before him to help navigate the rest of his life according to the direction and action that one takes.
If the "I" that thought it was in charge all this while, now beaten and wounded subdues and surrenders to its savior, the Atma, it heals and cares for him or her. The Atma returns to save him or her bringing salvation. This applies to those who believe and take the necessary actions to correct their past that shadows, follow, and impacts the present moment. Once the present is taken care of, the future takes care of itself. There is no need to intercept. We need only correct the present and the future will present itself in its best attire. Everything falls into its place.
Once karma has cleared the search to know the Atma intensifies. His search for his selfish gain loses its intensity. His seeking would be solely on knowing the Atma (Agathiyar) and reaching him. When it is time for the Udal that takes its constitution from the Pancha Maha Bhutam, to return to its source, back to its elements, the Uyir henceforth merges with the Atma to become the Jothi. It shall reach me then says Agathiyar.