In the nineties, I had befriended a chief clerk Mr. Sedhu from another department in an adjacent building to my office block. He used to drop by on hot days and during lunch breaks to escape the heat of the day as his office was only equipped with ceiling fans while mine was central air-conditioning. We used to talk about Indian classical music and slowly the conversation lead to astrology. He introduced me to Dr. Krishnan, an astrologer and Siddha physician. In 1996 when the predictions for me did not materialize, I asked the Dr. if there was a possibility that his readings do not work out in our favor. He told me "Yes, if we had a curse or Saabham." I asked him to look into my charts and tell me if had earned these curses. He replied it was not possible to do so but the Siddhas in the Nadi can tell us. That was the very first instance I came to learn about the Siddhas and their Nadi. But I did not know any Nadi reader then, and neither did he show me one. The matter ended there. Mr. Sedhu and Dr. Krishnan were Upagurus on my journey. I thank them from my heart.
In 2002 as I was chatting with my colleague Muralidharan Saminathan he brought up the subject of the Nadi. He had seen it in 2000. I was pretty excited and asked if the Nadi reader was still around. I stood before the Nadi reader in December of that year. Sivabalan who brought in these readers, continuing the family tradition, accompanied me during the reading. Going through three bundles of Nadi, we only came close to one that I identified as exactly relating to me except that it stated I was married to one Manohari. That was not my wife's name. We skipped that Nadi and I was told to come another day. Two weeks later on 14 December 2002, I located my Nadi flipping through the first few leaves. The Podhu or general, Karma and Shanti Kaandams or chapters were read. Agathiyar addressed me in them. Besides revealing many things about me and my family, career, and assets, he revealed my past, present, and future. Yes, I had been cursed. He confirmed it. The karma I earned stood in my way and deprived me of all the material good I was to receive. It deprived me of all the benefits of my efforts in my spiritual practices too including worship and yoga. He sent me off to carry out several remedies to correct things both locally and in India. It was a pilgrimage of sorts where we engage in prayer and charity. That was the very first instance I came to learn about karma and its effect on us. That was the first time I began to give through charity and donations. Sivabalan suggested that I see the Gnana Kaandham too. After a short prayer, the Nadi reader came back to read the Gnana Kaandam. Besides showing me the way to come out of the dilemma that I had brought onto myself Agathiyar asked me to come to his path and worship the Siddhas. Agathiyar spoke about me meeting my guru in an unexpected way.
Senthilkumar who read the Nadi arranged for a puja that Agathiyar requested, to give thanks to the Siddhas for documenting my life (his)story. I was introduced and connected to the Siddhas that day. That was the very first instance I came to know the Siddhas as their names were recited. Muralidharan, Sivabalan, and Senthilkumar came as Upagurus on my journey too. I am indebted to them.
Prior to that a year earlier in 2001, Agathiyar had come to reinstate me on the path through a mysterious happening. He came to bring to a close the 14 years of exile or Vanavasam and hibernation that Lord Shiva commanded in a dream in 1988. My nephew Thayalan dropped by my home with a message or rather a mantra that he was to pass on to me, having been instructed by his Paramaguru Gopal Pillai who came through another student. I only knew about the origin and source of the mysterious initiation a couple of years later. The Vasudeva mantra was passed on to me to recite. A message that I shall meet my guru came through him too. Thayalan and his lineage of gurus came as Upagurus on my journey too. I am indebted to them.
Going back even further to 1994 when another colleague and an officer, Mr. Segaran decided to leave his government job to become a monk in Yogananda Paramahansa's Ranchi ashram in India, he passed a painting of Lord Shiva, Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi" and a piece of advice that I cherish till this day. Reading the book brought me to another world, the realm of men who turned gurus. If all this while I was engaged in worship to the deities and the whole pantheon of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, my sight then was turned towards Godmen. Now Agathiyar had turned my sight to the Siddhas.
Armed with the small booklet that listed the names of the Siddhas given by Senthilkumar, I took up the worship in my home gathering songs of praise and information related to the Siddhas from the books I purchased and the net. Searching for movements engaged in the worship of the Siddhas brought me to several places but ended in disappointment. Though I learned many things here and from the materials I purchased, none shed light on the rituals that went along with Siddha puja. Anbarasan, Mrs. Jayanthi, and Manivannam from Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar's local affiliate in Dengkil were helpful in dispersing information on their guru and its activities. They came as Upagurus on my journey too. I am indebted to them.
This was about the time Mr. Sethu came by and passed me several audio cassettes of songs from Ramalinga Adigal's "Thiruarutpa". I was blown out of my mind listening to it. I looked for the complete collection of songs in the local audio outlets. I purchased the entire volume of the Thiruarutpa compiled in chronological order by Ooran Adigal. This was a treasure I knew then though I could not comprehend much of its content. But I read through it though. If Yogananda's book introduced me to Godmen, Ramalinga Adigal strengthened the faith and possibility that man could achieve higher states at par with the divine or one with the divine. Segaran came as a Upaguru on my journey too. I am indebted to him.
True to what was said and predicted I met my first guru in Tiruvannamalai on the pretext of reading my daughter's horoscope which was mooted by my wife as I took the taxi to the airport to fly to Chennai to carry out my remedies or parikaram in 2003. Finishing my visits to the numerous temples stated by Agathiyar in the Nadi earlier than planned, I had a day to spare in Tiruvannamalai. I asked Deventhiran who was assigned to me to pick me up at the airport and drive me to all my destinations by the tour agency if he knew any astrologers in Chennai. He told me his uncle was an astrologer and was only eight kilometers away on the outskirts of Tiruvannamalai town. His uncle was to become my guru. Instead of charting my daughter's life course Supramania Swami spoke about me without even asking to know anything about me. He sat there on his deer skin for five solid hours engaged in divine communion with the Prapanjam, spilling the beans on me. Deventhiran came as a Upaguru on my journey too. I am indebted to him.
Moving on to 2005 Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal visits Malaysia to officiate an affiliate branch of his Kallar Agathiyar Gnana Peedham in Batu Caves. Though I never subscribed to the Tamil daily, that was the time my neighbor Augustine used to pass me unsold newspapers in all languages to read. An advert attracted my attention as it appeared almost daily. It was regarding the officiating of the above-mentioned Peedham. It carried Tavayogi's name. That name struck a cord in me. I had seen that name earlier. Nadi reader Senthilkumar had passed me a leaflet that carried his name.
But I had to verify if it was him. I called up the number advertised and made an appointment to see Tavayogi. Upon arrival, the bespectacled bearded man with a large but slim frame took me to an adjacent room and enquire about my visit. I showed him the leaflet and asked if it was him in it. He confirmed it. I told him that Agathiyar in the Nadi had asked me to come to the worship of the Siddhas. He replied that I had come to the right place. He asked that I see the Gnana Kaandam too. I replied that I had. Telling him that Agathiyar had asked me to see the Nadi three years later after my first reading and that the time was just about right then, Tavayogi showed me to Nadi reader T. Ramesh. Tavayogi told the organizers that he would like to initiate me into the path to which they replied that I could join eight others coming over for an initiation that evening. Thiru Apana Nagappan who brought Tavayogi to officiate his center came as a Upaguru on my journey too. I am indebted to him.
Setting an appointment with T. Ramesh, Agathiyar surprised both Tavayogi and me asking to get initiated again which I did the same night. A new journey began with Tavayogi. Rather than while my time at the local affiliate Agathiyar had me travel behind Tavayogi trying to keep pace with him in the jungles and hills of India. I was 43 then while he was reported to be 69. T. Ramesh who subsequently read the Nadi 56 times came as a Upaguru on my journey too. I am indebted to him. Interestingly Ramesh had read the Nadi for Tavayogi too in the past.
Along the way, I had many other Upagurus in the form of family and friends, Acharya Gurudasan who fine-tuned the Yogic practices that Tavayogi shared with us, and a long list of gratitude that I have carried in my online publications available on the web version of this blog.
The relationship between guru and disciple flowered and flourished till Supramania Swami's samadhi on 7th February 2006 and Tavayogi's samadhi on 3rd July 2018. I am indebted to them for life. But our journey did not end with their demise. They come often to speak to us through devotees and Yogi Ramsuratkumar and Agathiyar have spoken about their presence respectively in our home, Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia. I guess the relationship with our gurus is thicker than blood spanning many births.
He invited me to join his group and called me onto his path. When I showed interest, he added me to his group. He messaged me through his Aasi Kaandam. He kept me well informed of my mission, task, and progress. Initially, I had been walking behind him, running to catch up with him, eagerly anticipating what was in store for me or where he was leading me. He took me over rough terrain and made me sleep in the cold caves in the midst of dense jungles. He gave me the experience of staying at a traditional ashram too, a hurricane lantern kept us company at night and the river was the source of water. A city boy had his first taste of life in the wilderness and amidst nature. He showed miracles upon miracles so that I would believe in their existence among us. He brought young souls to accompany me on this wonderful journey. He made me a tool to dispense his messages. He made me share my experiences. He keeps these writings and blogs alive. He kept the fire burning in me.