THE VERY MUCH PRACTICAL GURUS

As I and my wife met up with Nadi reader T.Ramesh on Wednesday, my memories went back to the days of reading the Nadi. I have had some 56 Nadi readings read out to me by the 41-year-old. It was a curtesy call as we had not met after the last reading in September of 2019. The pandemic set in, and the Nadi readers went back to India. It was the second time I saw the Nadi in 2005 after a lapse of three years. The first Nadi reading was done by Senthilkumar of Avinashi. Agathiyar in reading my Nadi for the very first time in 2002 told me to come back when I was 45. Mentioning this to Tavayogi whom I had only met then on our shores, he pointed me to T.Ramesh and passed me his local number. Reading my Nadi Ramesh rushed me to go over to see Tavayogi immediately bringing the gifts that Agathiyar listed that I bring along to get initiated - again! It was as if there was an urgency to get initiated again that same night. Though Tavayogi too was equally puzzled when I mentioned this to him, he went ahead and initiated me again as instructed this time by his touch. I understood that initiation should be held one to one and not given in mass gatherings as earlier. Previously I and my wife had joined another six and were initiated by reciting Agathiyar mantra. After I returned home from the late-night initiation to my surprise, when I played the cassette, its contents were erased. Going back for a re reading, Agathiyar charted a new chapter and a new beginning in my life. If Tavayogi had asked that I frequent the local Peedham that he had come to officiate, Agathiyar struck off that proposal and had had me get initiated and come directly under his wings. He asked that I visit Tavayogi's Kallar ashram spending a couple of days with him which I understood that henceforth I came under the direct supervision of Tavayogi. I packed my bags and left after him arriving at his ashram a month later. He volunteered to take me to the places Agathiyar had named in the Nadi. 

Before going over to Kallar I had an obligation to see my first guru Supramania Swami in Tiruvannamalai first. This was the first time I could speak to him about Agathiyar, the Nadi readings and his directives. In my previous and very first meeting with him in 2003, I was blessed to spend some 5 hours in his presence where he spoke about his Gurus and me. I told him that Agathiyar had mentioned Tavayogi as my guru too. I invited him to come along to the temples and places I was about to visit with Tavayogi. He was delighted and agreed to come along. But as we made our way to a local Vishnu temple and back, I saw that Swami could not bear the strain of the road trip. His son too told me that the last time his father went to Palani and returned he was drained of his energy. I reconsidered my invitation bearing in mind his age and state of health. Supramania Swami was not offended when I reversed on my invitation to have him tag along me and Tavayogi on the pilgrimage to Palani. He added that it was true that he did not want to sabotage our trip. He was thinking pretty much practically. When he packed some tight blankets and placed them in the car bonnet telling me that the Nilgiris would be cold, I saw the amount of compassion and love in him that moment. He asked me to convey his best wishes to "my guru". I saw his humbleness that day. When I returned from Kallar to share the temple trips with him, Supramania Swami walked out of his kudil to usher me and immediate asked "How is your guru?" referring to how Tavayogi was doing. My eyes welled up in tears. Rarely do we come by a guru who would accept a "competition" and enquire about the other. When I was with him a lady walked into his kudil or hermitage with her uncle. She sobbed to him how difficult it was to live with her husband. Generally, our elders would always advise the womenfolk to bear the pain and agony and pray that their husbands turn over a new leaf. It was not the case with Swami. He told her outrightly to leave her husband and find peace. I saw peace set in immediately in her as she burst into an outcry of joy and happiness and walked away. He released her of the pent-up agony. He was indeed a very practical man. Rarely do we come by a guru who is pretty much practical and humble to the core. 

Tavayogi too was pretty much a practical person in many other ways. He did not give me classroom lessons but instead took me on a field trip immediately after I arrived at his ashram taking up his invitation and Agathiyar's directive. He knew that I had to experience God and not listen to stories and his experiences and take notes about God and him. I needed to see the miracles he was to perform and see these miracles in the very nature, around me and in me. If only we could spare a moment to just see these miracles happening moment to moment right before our eyes. For that to take place, initially we have to be snatched and pulled away from the routines of our daily lives and venture into the unknown. I went blank following him trying to keep up with his pace. He stopped at times to point out a thing or two. He let me be with the nature and Agathiyar. He gave me my first practical lesson in walking into the open and inviting arms of Mother Prapanjam. He told me the Siddhas were ushering us with flower petals. He pointed out the wonderful aroma and scent in the air as we made our way into the jungles and hills. He gave me an experience that I never dreamt off, sleeping in pitch dark caves. I never had fear, doubt, questions, and the notion of time passing. As I said I was blank just absorbing nature. Only when the thought comes to capture the moment would I reach for my camera. 

After I returned to Malaysia, he had me start the fire ritual in my home. During his subsequent visit to Malaysia in 2007 Tavayogi taught me and several others several Yoga asanas and Pranayama that worked very subtlety, and unknowing to me released its energies in me. Since he had introduced the notion of giving in the form of charity and feeding that began at his ashram, it came easily to me when Agathiyar gathered new seekers around and had us take up charity on our home ground in 2013. Again, here we see a guru who was practical in all ways. He had us gain the experiences that was much needed later on this journey to arrive at the state of Gnanam as explained to us by Agathiyar and Lord Murugan recently. 

Blessed am I to have come to know Supramnaia Swami and Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal.

SILENCE & INNER STILLNESS

The breath is felt wide and large at the nostrils. Everything sounds loud. Everything is extremely colorful. I can sniff everything out. I can distinguish flavors. Even the hairs on the skin tickle having me brush my skin thinking it's a mosquito sitting on me. The sense of taste, sight, hearing, smell and feeling on the skin is enhanced these days. Having cleansed the internals, the senses are heightened. The body aches that were a result of internal purification have subsided too at least for now. The throb in the crown continues even as I pen these words. The breath comes to be still on its own at times.

Swami Muktananda sheds some light in his book "Kundalini - The Secret of Life" published by Siddha Yoga Publication, 1994. He writes that when the chakras of the sense organs are purified the physical senses become sharpened and refined. "On her journey to the Sahasrara, Kundalini passes through all the sense organs, purifying them and investing them with new powers. As Kundalini rises to the ocular center, she purifies the eyes. As the Kundalini purifies the sense of touch, one begins to feel thrilled of love through every pore and hair of the body. One becomes immersed in the joy of touch. When kundalini reaches the center of smell it purifies that, and one comes into direct contact with the essence of smell. When the Shakti moves to the auditory center, she purifies this too. When a shower of nectar is released and begins to fall dropping onto the root of the tongue, the taste buds become extremely refined. Even the simplest food is relished."

Swami Muktananda writes further "The basis of all disease and pain is the impurities that block the flow of Prana in the Nadis. These blockages are caused by imbalances and disorders in the three bodily humors - wind, bile, and phlegm. She (Kundalini) penetrates all 720 million Nadis, consumes all the old decaying fluids, then releases vital energy into them all. The Nadis become filled with Prana. It is only after the body has been purified that the Shakti can work with full force."

After the Monday, the 22nd and Tuesday, the 23rd (August 2022) episodes, Agathiyar told me that the energies that were released, having stagnated for a while at Manipuraka, will do their work and that there was nothing that I needed to do further. Just as Tavayogi told me our efforts are only until we reach Svadhistana and that the guru shall lead us on from there, all efforts ended that day. 

Swami Kripananda, author of the "Sacred Power (Kundalini)", and "The Guru's Sandals" in writing the introduction for Swami Muktananda's "Kundalini - The Secret of Life", says that "Because he has merged his individual awareness into the divine, the guru can serve as a pure vessel through which its pure energy flows. It is this transmission of divine energy which awakens and guides the Kundalini. This knowledge (of the Kundalini) was so well hidden, in fact, that when Swami Muktananda received Kundalini awakening from his own master Bhagawan Nityananda and began experiencing its effects, he had no idea what was happening to him. He wrote his first great work the spiritual autobiography "Play of Consciousness" to prevent his own students from running into the same confusion and to help them understand the process unfolding within them."

Swami Muktananda in his "Kundalini - The Secret of Life", describes Shaktipat from the guru, as "when the guru directly transmits his own divine Shakti to the disciple. The easiest and best method (of awakening, activating, and setting into operation the Kundalini) is through Shaktipat from the guru, when the guru directly transmits his own divine Shakti to the disciple. It is the secret initiation of the greatest sages and has been passed on from guru to disciple from the beginning of time."

After the Monday, the 22nd and Tuesday, the 23rd episodes, Agathiyar asked that I write about these experiences so that readers would know what to expect walking the path of internal transformation towards the goal of attaining Jothi. As both my gurus Supramania Swami and Tavayogi say whether we attain the state is immaterial for now. At least we are working towards it. We shall come back again if we fail in this life. John White says that "Desiring something, even such a noble goal as the awakening of Kundalini, is misguided." Sri Chinmoy echoes this statement too. "A genuine seeker never considers the hidden powers or occult powers as his goal. He cares only for God. He longs only for God's loving presence in his life."

Swami Kripananda writes, "It is not enough for the guru to awaken Kundalini. The guru also controls and regulates the process helping to remove all the blocks and obstacles in the disciple's path until the disciple attains the ultimate realization of the self. Being one with the inner energy the guru can accomplish this on a subtle level from within." He says bit by bit as it moves through the subtle system, blocks are removed, addictions fall away, and one's life is set in order. Ultimately the experience of the self becomes constant. Hence nothing happens overnight. It is bit by bit that the Kundalini unfolds and travels within. 

M. P. Pandit writes "What is being laboriously attempted, dangerously pursued, and problematically achieved in Kundalini yoga can be assured in a yoga like Sri Aurobindo's in a very natural way by throwing oneself open to divine consciousness and grace, letting it descend into oneself, and letting it decide which centers of consciousness are going to be operated upon, which one is most open and ready. It is more in the natural way of evolution to let things develop in this manner rather than having a systematized procedure."

Alice A. Bailey writes that "When this process is carried forward with care and due safeguards, and under direction, and when the process is spread over a long period of time there is little risk of danger, and the awakening will take place normally and under the law of being itself."

We learn from the documentary "Inner Worlds Outer Worlds" that "Kundalini is a bridge from gross matter to the most subtle energies." We are told that we are that bridge. "Kundalini is not energy that can be forced by will, effort, and friction." " Hence the reason we are cautioned not to mess with it. "It is analogous to growing a flower. All we can do as good gardeners is prepare the soil and proper conditions and let nature takes its course." Tavayogi often gives this same analogy of preparing the field for the Siddhas to plant the seed in us. "If we force a flower to open prematurely, you'll destroy it. It grows with its own intelligence with its own self-organizing direction."

Swami Tadatmananda says that he is completely turned off by the way Kundalini has been distorted and misrepresented. He reminds us not to chase the "experience seeking" that Swami Dayananda Saraswati spoke about to him. His guru had warned him about the danger of "experience seeking" that promises bliss and ecstasy. Swami Tadatmananda speaking about his guru's negative comments on Kundalini Yoga, says of his experiment with Kundalini that "If he were still alive, I might not have undertaken this project". 

Swami Muktananda writes that, "After you receive Shaktipat meditation starts spontaneously and at that time Prana and Apana, the ongoing and outgoing breath, become balanced and long Kumbhaka retention of breath begins to take place effortlessly. The Prana and Apana become even and eventually, the breath begin to be retained within. This is called Kumbhaka. In true Kumbhaka, the Prana and Apana become one at that point. Prana does not go out nor does Apana come in. The Prana becomes extremely subtle and moves into the Sushumna and then the Sushumna opens up and begins to unfold. When Kundalini awakening takes place through grace it will rise of its own accord and become established where it should be established. Kundalini will take care of herself... when the Kundalini is awakened by the grace of the guru the grace itself will guide it in the correct manner. There is absolutely no danger in such a case. After the awakening of Kundalini, meditation comes spontaneously. There is no need to center the mind because the Kundalini herself grabs hold of the mind and centers it in whatever place she considers suitable. If one has awakened the Kundalini through self-effort, it is very difficult to lead it upward because right from the moment the Kundalini is awakened until the moment it finally merges in the Sahasrara the seeker has to depend on yogic practices."

"When the Nadis are cleansed, the mind is purified. The mind is intimately connected to the Prana. To control the mind yogis, try to control their breath. The Prana and Apana become even and eventually, the breath begins to be retained within. This is called Kumbhaka. In true Kumbhaka, the Prana and Apana become one at that point. Prana does not go out nor does Apana come in. When the Prana stops the mind becomes still and you experience supreme tranquility. Great beings are in this state of inner stillness."

As their grace deepens, a slight throb is felt at this spot on the head at exactly the anterior fontanel or the soft spot located in newborns. This throb nudges us to take notice of it and become aware. Agathiyar told us each shall realize his center சுழிமுனை (Suzhimunai), the place where arises energy and vibration or உணர்வு that comes with it. "Know it to be your Suzhimunai," he says. One who arrives at his center becomes total says Agathiyar. He calls this the state of பரிபூரணம் (Paripuranam). 

Tavayogi explains that the breath that flows through the left nostril (Akaaram) and that running through the right nostril (Ukaaram) creates vibrations in Edakalai and Pingalai respectively. This vibration creates ripples in the midst of the head (Maakaaram). The spot where these vibrations congregate is known as Suzhumunai. 

In "God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita", published byYogoda Satsanga Society of India", 1999, Sri Paramahansa Yogananda writes, 

"One's body is produced by an earth current in the coccyx, a water vibration in the sacral, a fire vibration in the lumbar, an air vibration in the dorsal, an ether vibration in the cervical, and a consciousness and life force vibration in the medulla and Christ centers. These are the vibrations of the 5 elements or Tattvas in nature, macro cosmically present in the universe, and micro cosmically operative in the body of man."

Dr. C Srinivasan writes in his "An Introduction to the Philosophy of Saint Ramalingam", that "The brain and all its parts the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the medulla oblongata have loosened as an opening blossom."

"Thousands of years ago, ancient texts in India found that the body has its own vibrations. These vibrations found within the body are called chakras, Sanskrit for wheel. They found that the body has roughly 114 chakras within it. These chakras are wheels of energy. When the energy is producing positive vibrations, the wheel will turn in a clockwise position, meaning that the chakra is open and flowing without disruption. When the chakra is imbalanced, the wheel can turn in a counterclockwise position, closing that vibration of energy and bringing negativity into that space. Chakras can also be blocked, where the wheel is not turning at all and the vibration is stagnant, no energy coming in or out of its chakra." (Source: https://www.dermascope.com/)

Generally, in man, the Idai and Pingalai work in tandem. Shushumna is dormant. Through the advanced stages of Pranayama the Shushumna gives way and opens. Kundalini arises from the Muladhara and makes its way to Sahasrara. He then transcends the Physical, Subtle, and Causal bodies and comes to know his Atma. 

Swami Kripananda writes that "Whether Shaktipat (a process by which the guru awakens Kundalini) comes to us dramatically like a sonic boom or very quietly and subtly as it does to many people the awakened Kundalini totally transforms our outlook and our experience of ourselves."

SETTLING DOWN

In the last post I wrote "Today I just want him. I want him to reside within me for the rest of my life. I do not need anything else that he has to offer." I guess this is the ultimate asking that he comes within us or arriving at the moment where we shed the veil of ignorance that covers the truth that we are one. I dropped the search the moment I came to both my gurus. As I traveled the path, seeing many get caught, stuck and stagnate and bring onto themselves problems and troubles that came along with these wants, I dropped all desires and wants. But the Siddhas never stopped offering gifts. But I stood firm refusing to accept them as I knew that I too shall get caught in the web of addiction to power, authority, and respect. I reflected on Tavayogi and how he stood as Agathiyar in my eyes. I reflected on all the words of his and Agathiyar that molded me along the way. 

In wanting just him, I have come to put an end to these garlands of offering of boons by the Siddhas and the deities. In wanting him to reside within me for the rest of my life what harm or danger can come to me? In wanting him to reside within me for the rest of my life what harm can I do to others? In wanting him to reside within me for the rest of my life what illness or disease shall come to me? He shall decide what goes in henceforth be it food and drinks or thoughts. He shall take care of me. He shall make sure that my body that is his abode now shall never fall as long as he desires to stay. In wanting him to reside within me for the rest of my life what further desires or wants is there for me? His will shall be my will too. He decides the action if there is a need to act. In settling in Agathiyar everything else settles in him. If Agathiyar comes to settle within than worship turns within too. All Kriyai and rituals are done within in silence. Mantras are chanted in silence. The gaze now turns inwards. The senses turn inwards. The journey turns inwards. The experience is now from within. The conversation happens within. He speaks through us. He sees through us. He moves in us. We become one. 

SPEAK TO GOD

Tavayogi told me that a guru shall observe and test his student for some 12 years before he passes him the divine knowledge. I have passed the several tests that Agathiyar had given me I believe in these 21 years of staying on the path. Agathiyar in my very first Nadi reading in 2002 asks that I build him a temple. Excited and elated I later found that he had told some 50 others before me the same too in their Nadi readings. I did try though but was not successful in this venture as the temple committees I sought out to install Agathiyar's shrine in their temple grounds were not willing to provide the space. In 2004, my first guru Supramania Swami initiated building a temple for Lord Murugan in Tiruvannamalai and asks us to support his lifelong dream. Then a mysterious stranger comes by his abode and asks him why he was stepping back from Gnanam to Bakthi. He dropped the mission that instant. Meanwhile since I had ventured to build one after the Nadi reading but failed, Agathiyar made all the arrangements seeking the approval of the patron founder of the Jegathguru Sri Raghavendra Swamigal Miruthiga Brindavanam Kinta, Perak, through his Nadi reading. Simultaneously in a Nadi reading for me he had me commission his idol to be made in Swamimalai and place there. He had me receive and care for his statue till the Brindavanam was complete. Upon nearing completion in 2012, Agathiyar switches his plan and decides to stay put in my home instead. I thought the subject of building a temple was put to rests when in 2016 Tavayogi completed his new ashram cum temple some 2 kilometers away from his earlier ashram where our journey started. It was not to be so, as Lord Murugan jumped onto the bandwagon and wanted a temple for himself. He told me in the Nadi reading in 2018 that he would provide the land, money and people too. But I was not keen. As I did not move, he sends Agathiyar coming through a devotee to convince me into building one. As I chose to remain silent, he replied that he shall do in in 18 months' time. As the deadline approached Agathiyar in a Nadi reading told me that he had tested me. 

Agathiyar had wanted to gift me a Nadi too to use for myself and others. I did not want it. He started healing those whom he brought to AVM. As I and my wife wanted it to stop, he listened. Later he made us realize that these were in no way harming us. He was only using us and the venue for his purpose. Lord Murugan too came and asked us to step aside and watch him play his lila. AVM was a hype of an activity in those days with many visitations from the deities and Siddhas. Finally, they brought all the group puja and charity to a stop just in time for the pandemic to set in. The next 2 1/2 years were spent in individual puja and contemplation, asking us to observe the breath and go within. When the coast was clear, Agathiyar ventured into the homes of a couple of devotees before commanding us not to bring his statue out. The visitations began post pandemic as AVM started to receive devotees. The devotees were told to sit in meditation now. Agathiyar had me teach Yoga to a disciple who was asked to teach the rest. He brought a couple of devotees over and had me take up the role of guru to them which I turned down. Again, considering my wish, those who came left and mysteriously remained silent. Now in asking me to worship Vaalai he tells me that Siddhis shall come by. Again, I asked myself do I really need these Siddhis? 

If those were his wishes, I too had some wishes. I told Tavayogi that I wanted to see Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal. He told me that that was possible and in the same breath asked me if that was what I wanted. I remained silent sensing that I had erred. I told Tavayogi that I wanted to see him become Light as did Ramalinga Adigal and Jegantha Swamigal before our eyes. He told me that he had missed the boat and has to come back again. When Agathiyar came around asking what each of us gathered before him wanted, though I had no asking and since he waited on me expecting an answer, I told him that I desired to take many births and come back to serve him as I did now. He too like Tavayogi asks me if that is what I wanted? I remained silent sensing that I had erred again. Thinking that asking for Gnanam would be the right thing to do, since Tavayogi always spoke about the need for us to move from Bakthi to Gnanam, he comes again later telling me that I had asked for Gnanam. He tells me that it was not gifted but I had to earn it through my efforts. Just as we have read and heard about Lord Shiva giving boons, they Siddhas are waiting to give as Ramalinga Adigal told me the more I distance myself from these wants the more that they shall shower. So what do you asks of them? Today I just want him. I want him to reside within me for the rest of my life. I do not need anything else that he has to offer. I believe he is listening as he has always been. I believe he shall grant this too has he had always done. 

TALK TO GOD

We are indeed connected in a network with all beings, animals and plants and the universe and its planets. In BBC Earth "Planet Earth lll - Forests", we watch a bear catch a salmon in a river in Canada. Sir David Attenborough narrates the story, "This annual feast helps her to fatten ready for the winter ahead. But it also helps the patch of forest where she lives. This female has an unusual relationship with the forest. Every fish carcass she leaves behind decays releasing nutrients that soak into the soil. And there they are collected by a network of fungi. The treads attach themselves to the tree's roots. And nutrients from the fish collected by the fungi are then passed on to the trees. As a consequence, the forest around the river grows three times faster than elsewhere. And some trees here become as tall as any in the world. And provides the bears with a healthy home. We now know that such relationships exist in the forest all over the world." We are told that a whole community of animals and plants can depend on one tree. A tree fell "can break thousands of long-established connections. Every one of these trees is an intricate eco-system." Even the animals in their own way contribute towards the wellbeing of the forest and nature at large. 

Then we are shown another scene where the virgin jungle is cleared and replaced by a single species of trees in Brazil. The jungle is cleared to plant Eucalyptus trees, originally brought in from Australia, that sadly, "are unable to build relationships with most of the native plants and animals." These trees are not spared either as they brought down at age 5, and their pulp made into paper.

We just can't stomach watching what man does to nature and the very world he lives in. If nations are at war that takes lives and destroys properties on one end, we are destroying the eco system in so many ways. What has happened to man? Where are the values that he once upheld? Even as we condemn them, I guess we are also contributing without really aware of our actions. We are equally caught in this vicious cycle.

But how can we abstain from all actions and activities totally? The sages surely did that. We can never come close to these great souls who see through the journey that they have chosen, even if death awaits them. What holds us back? 

JN Bhasin studied the birth charts of prominent people including saints and wrote about the expressed need to have Vairagya in one's charts. He published his findings in his book "Events and Nativities Explained", Sagar Publications, 1974. If Vairagya is in one's charts, he shall pursue the path. Bhagwan had it. Paramahansa Yogananda had it. It is no wonder that Bhagwan left home for Tiruvannamalai at age16 and Yogananda rented a cottage near his home to meditate at 14. The young Bhagawan sat at the Patala lingam in the Annamalaiyar temple grounds losing himself totally, unaware of the insects gnawing into his flesh till the timely intervention of Seshadri Swamigal saved him. He had Bhagawan transferred to the Virupaksa cave. Tavayogi tells us that during his days of searching, he would at times sit to meditate and awake after several months. 

I do not see Vairagya in my charts. I do not have the will power and determination to pursue the path into uncharted territories. I dare not walk alone. I am always looking out if Agathiyar is there. I need his consent and endorsement in all matters. Do you think I can reach the heights that the Siddhas speak about? I can sit in the comfort of my home and write about these ventures. But what if I am left in the wilderness alone just like Tavayogi describes, fanning for oneself, going hungry for days, seeking shelter from the rain and thunderstorms, trying to keep himself alive from being bitten and ate alive by insects, reptiles and animals. Jnana Jothiamma who knew me pretty well said that I cannot possibly endure the pain and agony that comes with the internal transformation which she had to go through. Agathiyar too told me that he knew pretty well that I cannot tolerate even the slightest pain. Yet the most compassionate father is giving me these experiences in the comfort of my home, tuning its intensity to the very minimum. Should not I appreciate what he is doing for me? Why does he need to bother about me in the very first place? I know that he knows, and is reading my mind and thoughts, and following my actions. This blog in a way has become a medium of communication between us. A reader and friend mailed me "I don't know how to get direct answers.... Can you please ask?" I told her to seek the Nadi where Agathiyar shall clear the air. Paramahamsa Yogananda asks us to speak to God. Neale Donald Walsch does that and has published these "Conversations with God". Agathiyar told me back then in the Nadi that he was always speaking to me. But I was not listening, I guess.

TRAVELING THE CHAKRAS

If the Soul (Atma, Jeevatma, Paramatma) is Shiva, and the Breath (Uyir, Spirit) is Sakti, the Gross Body (Udal) made out of 5 Tattvas and hosts 96 in total is identified with the Ego. The Gross Body retains the past karma which determines and brings forth a new body in each birth. It is a residence for the Soul to resides in it and a vehicle for the Breath that goes places doing its work. 

The Soul is one though, and it is with the Paramatma. A portion of the Paramatma leaves and comes to stay in the body as the Jeevatma to relish past experiences and gain new ones. The Soul does not carry past karma. It holds only the experiences. It is the silent Watcher. 

The Breath traverses throughout the body taking numerous forms as in the various manifestation of energies and the forms of Goddesses that is given to it. It keeps us alive. It moves us, an otherwise dead and lifeless chunk of meat. It is the vehicle for the subtle energy Prana that flows through our bodies. It travels within the body that is fully rigged and supplied with a network of nerves and Nadi, bringing on subtle transformations as in chemical changes and energy that moves our intentions as electricity moves our inventions. Only in a few is the Breath or Sakti channeled by means of Yoga to bring them to know Shiva or rather to bring the individual Jeevatma, that has all this while being renting a home that is this Gross Body, back to its parental home, the Paramatma.

Agathiyar in his memo to us on Udal, Uyir and Atma says that the embryo or Pindam made of Nunuyir or from the five elements (Pancha Maha Bhutam) derived from each parent's body in a specific proportion begins to take shape in the womb of a mother as a result of the Pranavayu flowing in with these elements resulting in the conception of an embryo and a fetus. It moves with and in the elements. If it is fated, Life is hence given to the embryo. 

உடல் என்பது ஐந்து உலோகங்களின் நுண்ணுயிர்களின் அளவுகளைத் தாங்கிக் கொண்டு பிண்டம் ஒன்றினை உருவ வடிவமாய் கர்ப்பகிரகத்தில் நிலை பெறுகிறது. பஞ்சபூதம் ஆகிய நீர், நிலம், ஆகாயம், காற்று, நெருப்பு அனைத்தும் தாய் தந்தையின் உடலிலிருந்தே  எடுக்கப்பட்டு சிசுவின் உடலைப் பிறப்பிக்கின்றது. உனது உடலைப் பிரதானமாகக் கொண்டு இயங்குவது சுவாசம், அதுவே உயிர். உயிர் என்பது செயல் அற்று இருக்கக்கூடிய உறுப்பைச் செயல் பெறச் செய்வது. பிறக்கும் சிசு கருவுற மூலமாக இருப்பது பிராணவாயு. பிராணவாயு ஆணின் அணுக்களிலும் பெண்ணின் அணுக்களிலும் ஊடுருவி ஒன்றெனக் கலந்து பிரதான பொருள் வடிவம் அடையும் தன்மை உண்டானால் அங்கு உயிர் சக்தி உருவேற்ற படுகிறது. 

We gain some insight into the mechanism and science that goes into the development of an embryo and fetus from "Soul Searchers - The Hidden Mysteries of Kundalini", R.Venugopalan, Health Harmony, 2001.

The breath that is Uyir which carries Prana or universal energy enters the crown creating the Sahasrara chakra, which sustains the formation of the new life. It takes its place or residence in the energy centers or pools of energy or Kulam that it self-creates beginning at the Sahasrara. It then creates the Ajna that aids in the multiplication of cells that follows. These two chakras that retrieve and store information in the form of past karmic deeds from the cloud @ Param in turn create the Vishudhi chakra that dictates the Akasha tattva and activates basic breathing while in the amniotic fluid. "The other major Vayu tattvas are drawn from the universe." When this energy comes to pool at the Anahata chakra, the Vayu tattva comes into play. The universal energy brings forth the physical heart. Reaching further down it pools at the Manipuraka chakra that it has just self-created in the fetus. The Fire tattva coming from the mother comes into play here. The chakras of the fetus begin to connect with that of its mother.  

The Sahasrara chakra divides itself bringing forth the Svadisthana chakra working with the water tattva and Muladhara chakra in working in coalition with the earth tattva. The heartbeat of the fetus is felt. The fetus is by then 6 - 8 weeks old. The other major organs start to grow. The chakras become connected with the physical body. The chakras of the fetus link with the mother.  Information is embedded within as seen in the vigorous activity in the fetus. By 24 weeks these silent and secret transmissions settle down and are replaced by the outside sounds and noise that the baby begins to hear now. At 30 weeks the Svathisthana begins to dampen the growth in length of the fetus. Other major and minor chakras come into play too. Supra consciousness and subconscious become present while consciousness is only activated at birth. When the baby is born the Sahasrara and Ajna close and the veil is drawn. When the newborn cries, it takes in the air from the surrounding atmosphere for the first time. The creative force of Kundalini Shakti or energy that created the chakras and moved the tattvas to form the respective organs then comes to rest in the Muladhara. This intelligent energy force having done its work takes a rest and begins to hibernate. When the Kundalini is again activated by various means it rises up the same road it came. As it journeys up, it begins to clear the blockages and reactivates and rejuvenates the chakras that have become sluggish and blocked by now due to man's lifestyle and habits. The creative energy that has since then hibernated or stagnated or ponded at each chakra is released again just as Agathiyar replied that I need not do anything for the energy would do its work.

C.W. Leadbeater writes on the Chakras in his book "The Chakras" published by The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Madras, India, 1927, 

"The centers are in operation in everyone although in the undeveloped person they are usually in comparatively sluggish motion just forming the necessary vortex for the force and no more. In a more evolved man, they may be glowing and pulsating with living light so that an enormously greater amount of energy passes through them with the result that there are additional faculties and possibilities open to the man."

Man is reborn again. Man then becomes divine and returns to the abode of the Divine. Agathiyar reveals that when the 5 tattvas that contribute towards the formation of the Udal is shed, the Uyir having no shed to take shelter now leaves to merge in the Atma and reaches him as Jothi. 

உடல் என்பது பஞ்ச பூதங்களில் உரு பெற்று மீண்டும் பஞ்ச பூதங்களிடம் சென்று விட்டால் உயிராகியது ஆன்மா வோடு கலந்து ஜோதிநிலையில் எம்மை வந்து அடையும். உடல் கூறு தத்துவமும் இதையே உமக்கு உணர்த்தும். 

Agathiyar in clarifying and making it known that Gnanam was not gifted told us that we have to earn it by putting in the effort, before the energies take hold of the steering and steer us on. Tavayogi asks that at least we gain some mileage before the Siddhas lift us up and lead us on. Agathiyar tells us that the energies shall do their work in us. In revealing the means of attaining the state of Gnanam he told us that one has to traverse the Chakras and gain the experiences that are to come on in this journey and finally upon reaching the Sahasrara, Gnanam shall dawn or shower on one. 

Our sages, Siddhas and elders knowing pretty well that only some might make it into this internal journey, built temples to resemble the Gross Body and exhibiting and depicting this journey externally for the public. The Shivagnana Siddhiyar Supakkam, verses 270 to 274, translates this internal journey as an external one consisting of four paths: Taatamaargam; Sarputramaargam, Sagamaargam, Sanmaargam. Those who take up Sariyai while living in the world created by Shiva shall attain Salokyam. Those who carry out Kriyai shall attain Saameepam, gaining proximity to Shiva. Those who observe and practice Yoga shall attain Saarupam, or the form of Shiva. And finally, those who arrive at and travel the path of Gnanam shall attain Saayutchyam or Oneness with Shiva. These are often referred to as various states of Mukti or emancipation from a former or earlier state. 

சன் மார்க்கம் சக மார்க்கம் சற்புத்திர மார்க்கம்
தாத மார்க்கம் என்றும் சங்கரனை அடையும்
நன் மார்க்கம் நால் அவை தாம் ஞானம் யோகம்
நற் கிரியா சரியை என நவிற்றுவதும் செய்வர்
சன் மார்க்க முத்திகள் சாலோக்கிய சாமீப்பிய
சாரூப்பிய சாயுச்சியம் என்று சதுர் விதமாம்
முன் மார்க்க ஞாயத்தால் எய்தும் முத்தி
முடிவு என்பர் மூன்றினுக்கும் முத்திபதம் என்பர்

We understand why Vaalai has now come into our lives. She shall show us to Shiva as Ramalinga Adigal sings in his song ஆணிப்பொன்னம்பலக் காட்சி from his Thiruarutpa. 

1. ஆணிப்பொன் னம்பலத் தேகண்ட காட்சிகள்
அற்புதக் காட்சிய டி - அம்மா
அற்புதக் காட்சிய டி.

2. ஜோதி மலைஒன்று தோன்றிற் றதில்ஒரு
வீதிஉண் டாச்சுத டி - அம்மா
வீதிஉண் டாச்சுத டி. ஆணி

3. வீதியில் சென்றேன்அவ் வீதி நடுஒரு
மேடை இருந்தத டி - அம்மா
மேடை இருந்தத டி. ஆணி

4. மேடைமேல் ஏறினேன் மேடைமேல் அங்கொரு
கூடம் இருந்தத டி - அம்மா
கூடம் இருந்தத டி. ஆணி

5. கூடத்தை நாடஅக் கூடமேல் ஏழ்நிலை
மாடம் இருந்தத டி - அம்மா
மாடம் இருந்தத டி. ஆணி

6. ஏழ்நிலைக் குள்ளும் இருந்த அதிசயம்
என்னென்று சொல்வன டி - அம்மா
என்னென்று சொல்வன டி. ஆணி

7. ஓர்நிலை தன்னில் ஒளிர்முத்து வெண்மணி
சீர்நீலம் ஆச்சுத டி - அம்மா
சீர்நீலம் ஆச்சுத டி. ஆணி

8. பாரோர் நிலையில் கருநீலம் செய்ய
பவளம தாச்சுத டி - அம்மா
பவளம தாச்சுத டி. ஆணி

9. மற்றோர் நிலையில் மரகதப் பச்சைசெம்
மாணிக்கம் ஆச்சுத டி - அம்மா
மாணிக்கம் ஆச்சுத டி. ஆணி

10. பின்னோர் நிலையில் பெருமுத்து வச்சிரப்
பேர்மணி ஆச்சுத டி - அம்மா
பேர்மணி ஆச்சுத டி. ஆணி

11. வேறோர் நிலையில் மிகும்பவ ளத்திரள்
வெண்மணி ஆச்சுத டி - அம்மா
வெண்மணி ஆச்சுத டி. ஆணி

12. புகலோர் நிலையில் பொருந்திய பன்மணி
பொன்மணி ஆச்சுத டி - அம்மா
பொன்மணி ஆச்சுத டி. ஆணி

13. பதியோர் நிலையில் பகர்மணி எல்லாம்
படிகம தாச்சுத டி - அம்மா
படிகம தாச்சுத டி. ஆணி

14. ஏழ்நிலை மேலே இருந்ததோர் தம்பம்
இசைந்தபொற் றம்பம டி - அம்மா
இசைந்தபொற் றம்பம டி. ஆணி

15. பொற்றம்பம் கண்டேறும் போதுநான் கண்ட
புதுமைஎன் சொல்வன டி - அம்மா
புதுமைஎன் சொல்வன டி. ஆணி

16. ஏறும்போ தங்கே எதிர்ந்த வகைசொல
என்னள வல்லவ டி - அம்மா
என்னள வல்லவ டி. ஆணி

17. ஆங்காங்கே சத்திகள் ஆயிரம் ஆயிரம்
ஆகவந் தார்கள டி - அம்மா
ஆகவந் தார்கள டி. ஆணி

18. வந்து மயக்க மயங்காமல் நான்அருள்
வல்லபம் பெற்றன டி - அம்மா
வல்லபம் பெற்றன டி. ஆணி

19. வல்லபத் தால்அந்த மாதம்பத் தேறி
மணிமுடி கண்டேன டி - அம்மா
மணிமுடி கண்டேன டி. ஆணி

20. மணிமுடி மேலோர் கொடுமுடி நின்றது
மற்றது கண்டேன டி - அம்மா
மற்றது கண்டேன டி. ஆணி

21. கொடுமுடி மேல்ஆயி ரத்தெட்டு மாற்றுப்பொற்
கோயில் இருந்தத டி - அம்மா
கோயில் இருந்தத டி. ஆணி

22. கோயிலைக் கண்டங்கே கோபுர வாயிலில்
கூசாது சென்றன டி - அம்மா
கூசாது சென்றன டி. ஆணி

23. கோபுர வாயிலுள் சத்திகள் சத்தர்கள்
கோடிபல் கோடிய டி - அம்மா
கோடிபல் கோடிய டி. ஆணி

24. ஆங்கவர் வண்ணம்வெள் வண்ணம்செவ் வண்ணமுன்
ஐவண்ணம் ஆகும டி - அம்மா
ஐவண்ணம் ஆகும டி. ஆணி

25. அங்கவ ரெல்லாம்இங் கார்இவர் என்னவும்

அப்பாலே சென்றன டி - அம்மா
அப்பாலே சென்றன டி. ஆணி

26. அப்பாலே சென்றேன்அங் கோர்திரு வாயிலில்
ஐவர் இருந்தார டி - அம்மா
ஐவர் இருந்தார டி. ஆணி

27. மற்றவர் நின்று வழிகாட்ட மேலோர்
மணிவாயில் உற்றேன டி - அம்மா
மணிவாயில் உற்றேன டி. ஆணி

28. எண்ணும்அவ் வாயிலில் பெண்ணோ டாணாக
இருவர் இருந்தார டி - அம்மா
இருவர் இருந்தார டி. ஆணி

29. அங்கவர் காட்ட அணுக்கத் திருவாயில்
அன்பொடு கண்டேன டி - அம்மா
அன்பொடு கண்டேன டி. ஆணி

30. அத்திரு வாயிலில் ஆனந்த வல்லிஎன்
அம்மை இருந்தாள டி - அம்மா
அம்மை இருந்தாள டி. ஆணி

31. அம்மையைக் கண்டேன் அவளருள் கொண்டேன்
அமுதமும் உண்டேன டி - அம்மா
அமுதமும் உண்டேன டி. ஆணி

32. தாங்கும் அவளரு ளாலே நடராஜர்
சந்நிதி கண்டேன டி - அம்மா
சந்நிதி கண்டேன டி. ஆணி

33. சந்நிதி யில்சென்று நான்பெற்ற பேறது
சாமி அறிவார டி - அம்மா
சாமி அறிவார டி.

34. ஆணிப்பொன் னம்பலத் தேகண்ட காட்சிகள்
அற்புதக் காட்சிய டி - அம்மா
அற்புதக் காட்சிய டி.

Tavayogi told me, the journey described by Ramalinga Adigal though it very much looks as if he had stepped into another world, plane or dimension quite unlike and again alike our world in some ways, is purely that of travelling the Chakras, encountering with these energies seen as deities residing within. Just as we exist in this world, it exists in us too. Agathiyar told us that he was the Prapanjam, and was in it, and that it was in him too.

ONENESS

In "Planet Earth III, Episode 4 - Freshwater" on BBC Earth, Sir David Attenborough and his team bring us sitting in the comfort of our homes to realize the power of nature. It makes you wonder who these scientists, biologist, film crew, producers and of course Sir David Attenborough is? They have made immense sacrifices. There are those who enter danger zones risking their lives to cover stories just so that we know what takes place behind the wall. There are scientist who spend their entire lives studying just one particular species of animal. Would we do that? There are trackers who scale the dizzy heights of mountains just to bring us the sights and sounds of these amazing places. Then there is this film crew that films an active volcano from merely some distance away. And here we sit and watch them in the comfort of our homes. At least I do. My granddaughter surprised me the other day when I made up a story based on the popular story from the Puranas where Lord Ganesa and Lord Muruga compete for a whole fruit. I included Lord Krishna too in my story. Dissatisfied with the outcome, Lord Muruga eventually leaves on his peacock while Lord Ganesa who earns the fruit stays at home. I told her that Lord Ganesa rather than follow Lord Muruga into the skies or Lord Krishna into the depths of the ocean preferred to stay home and watch the sights shown through documentaries. She answered, "But it would not be fresh!" I understood what she meant. It would not be the same as being there on the ground or in this case in the skies or under the ocean. We will miss the sights and sounds and the smell and ambience. We will miss the perspiration and struggle and the dangers out there. She should know for her parents bring her and her siblings on the slightest opportunity and every possible moment to the parks, the farms, the jungles and the waterfalls to be one with nature.

"The extraordinary power of flowing water makes it our planets greatest architect," says Sir David Attenborough. “Freshwater not only shapes the land, but life itself – it is the most precious ingredient for life on Earth. A resource for humans, and a home for countless species that simply cannot survive without it. Freshwater is the lifeblood for all planet Earth.” 

(Source: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/mediapacks/planet-earth-three-episode-4-freshwater)

We realize that nature is in no way inferior to man for it shows all the traits that man has. Crows' intelligence is astounding as told by science and even in the fables. A friend told us of how it picked up pebbles from his neighbor's garden and dropped them into the pool of water that had ponded on his flat roof so that the water level rose, and it could drink the water. And this crow was not schooled. It did not enroll in a college. Schools of fish do marvelous things. And they never schooled. It has all the wits and brains to trick and cheat to survive as in the ‘play dead fish’, a master of deception that tricks other fish into thinking it’s dead!" When a bird is away for a brief moment after building a wonderful nest to lure a female into his nest, another neighboring bird steps in and destroys his newly built home. Gliding tree frogs compete for a mate hanging on precariously to leaves and tiny branches of a tree on the riverbank. One among them begins to kick the rests and arrest the female that then lays its eggs on these leaves. I guess it's might that rule in nature. It is a test of strength and speed too. It might decide who lives and who shall leave. It can show us who is the boss if it wants. Nature dances and displays its talents. Watching nature in action subdues our pride and ego. It in fact determines man's life span on earth and his quality of life. The Siddhas lived in harmony with nature often studying its habits and adapting them. Many of the Yoga poses are said to have derived in this manner. 

Man's strength these days is in who he knows, I guess, what we term as having a cable or an insider. Having a cable or insider speeds up things that otherwise would take time to resolve. Can having the Siddhas by our side be considered as having cables too? Well, it pretty well seems so. Things get done in a jiffy, all right. But know that they only come to our aid in matters that do not jeopardize others wellbeing or done in ill faith. In defining who is eligible to receive Gnanam, does that amount to discrimination? If the guru openly endorses it those not eligible would feel hurt, right? But he then knows that he has to work harder. Can the guru favor some students and ignore the others? Why are we causing a partition here? Those pointed out publicly shall then have their ego blown up too thinking that they are better than the rests, right? Should not the guru instead sow it to all and let those interested pursue the way? But sad to say nobody picks up these teachings. I guess this is the reason many saints traveled alone on this mystical journey. When gurus like Tavayogi sent the cart to pick us up and offered their teachings freely, yet people hesitated to come. They preferred to remain as the festive crowd turning up only during festivities. Tavayogi never tied us down. He never lay codes or rules to adhere to. We were given total freedom to pursue the course in our good time. A good disciple would definitely follow the guru's teachings although he doesn't report to the guru daily or is elsewhere. The guru and his teachings are kept alive in him. He treasures both as his eyes. Even if the guru has left his physical form, he knows that his guru is around in the subtle form looking in on him. The guru disciple relationship and bond can never be broken. And so was our bond with both my guru Supramania Swami and Tavayogi and of course Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal. Though we have stopped worship in any form, they live in us and in our thoughts and actions. Bliss prevails at the mere mention of their names. The sweet nectar and ambrosia flow through us at the mere thought of them. This is love. This is devotion. This is obedience. This is surrender. This is oneness. 

THE WAKE UP CALL

I understand now why the Siddhas kept many secrets hidden, at least from the general public, and only revealed them to deserving students. I understand why Tavayogi told me that the guru would test his student and only after 12 years divulge these secrets to those who had the patience to wait. I understand why he said to "Give according to the plate". If I initially took the saying literally, later I understood that it meant spill the beans to only those who are willing to hear and deserve. If Agathiyar started us off doing charity to inculcate the habit of giving, asking us to give to all, later he had us streamline our activity and shortlist and give to only those truly deserving of the aid. So too it goes with Gnanam. Agathiyar in a Nadi reading for Mataji recently specifically mentioned to share only with those who have returned from Pothigai. I understand now why they reserved the right to give to selected souls for many are not ready. As such Tavayogi gives the run of the mill speech at events only giving as much as a wakeup call and introducing the path to the public.

Just as a good speaker would not take the stage and vomit what he had prepared to deliver, but instead upon arrival would access the crowd and speak accordingly to his target group, changing the topic if the need arises, or making it brief and short, if necessary, the Siddhas either stop us midway or have us end the talk if it was going to waste. Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar in a video says he though he intended to speak more touching on several subtle matters including the Atma but was diverted to devotion and charity as those before him would not understand. 

Rather than speak for hours on hand to boost our ego, a wise man would speak as and when necessary. Tavayogi who gave a rare interview for an online news station stopped short of revealing the secret of reading the Jeeva Nadi in his possession. 

As I edit the many footages I receive of his talks, I realize that some on stage are dozing off while many in the audience start rattling behind. Hence, he ends up speaking the same thing each year and at each event. The director of the movie "Saguni" highlights this "sickness" in our society. When the guru speaks everyone else speaks too. Observing this two youths stand in line with others to receive his blessing at the end of his speech. When they approach him instead of the guru asking them what their problem was, they ask him if he has a problem and subsequent teach him the secret of packaging and marketing. The next time the drop by, they see that the guru has implemented what was taught to him. The audience is very eager to hear the guru address them or just to look at them, as now the guru just sits with eyes close in their presence. Lord Dakshinamoorthy too is said to have realized that no amount of question and answer, talk and explanation would enlighten his disciples who sat at his feet. Hence, he changes his approach and sat in silence. His students became enlighten in his mere presence. Similarly many are said to have become enlightened, and their questions and doubts answered merely sitting in the presence of Bhagawan Ramana too. 

So where do the very few who truly want to progress turn to for further guidance? They need not go knocking on doors for the divine who knows the true seeker yearning for divine knowledge or Gnanam come in person knocking our doors as Ramalinga Adigal expresses in his song "Arutprakasa Maalai". He sings about the divine walking the distance till his feet were sore came to pass him something in his hands. I came to know later that Agathiyar had given him two sweets or Ladu that signified Gnanam. For those who have traveled far on the path of the Siddhas, the Siddhas link them with the Prapanjam that showers this divine knowledge. He is given the key to unlock many mysteries tapping into the Akash that holds the answers. 

Though Tavayogi came to our shores following the command of Agathiyar to preach the way and bring people like us ashore, it was a losing battle he admitted. The lure of the fruits in this heavenly nation was too great for many to ignore. They began to partake the fruit and were contented filling their stomachs. Though he wanted to bring us out of Bakti into Gnanam, looking around and accessing the crowd, and seeing that we were basically temple going folks, he refrained from speaking about it. He gave the basic introductory talk on the Siddhas. He must have guessed these subjects were alien to them. We were blessed to have him bring us to the next phase, showing us Pranayama and certain Asanas that we picked up and practiced diligently. We are seeing its results now.

When he did try to speak about Yogam and Gnanam, people just didn't seem to be interested or keen. We can never shut up the crowd. A priest at a temple in my wife's hometown new just the trick. As he was reciting God's names during puja, the temple committee standing front row were chatting away. Noticing this the priest suddenly stopped his recitation. The men's speech and another devotee speaking on a phone at the back was heard distinctly. They were embarrassed and ashamed and shut up for good. The priest continued to recite. But generally, the one who takes the stand or stage stands with pride and isn't going to back off giving his speech. When I served as the chairman of the Parent-Teachers association in my daughter's school, I would be given preprepared text to speak on. I would access the student gathering and cut short the speech if the students were distracted and not listening.

I happen to come across an audio recording of Tavayogi's speech that he gave after we carried out puja to Agathiyar at a temple many years ago. But as it was almost lunch time when he began to speak, people were obviously hungry not for what he had to say but for food. Sadly, the lovely speech he gave, where he spoke on Yoga for the first time in a temple, did not register in them. 

In another rare speech he brings to us Gnanam.

In many instances the din from the crowd overshadowed his speech and we had to hush the attendees. Once as we followed the deity making its rounds around the temple grounds, I could not fail to see devotees going about telling their stories. I wonder when we shall sit in silence and listen to something good. Just as the chatter never subsides as we sit trying to meditate, the chatter of people around us never dies off. Many a times I have seen people speak loudly at funerals not the least respecting the departed soul and its grieving family members. We always have something to say to another person and pick the wrong time to do it. Place them on stage and they go speechless. Though I would choose not to speak about these misfits in society, it has to be said so that we do not make the same mistakes. Come to think about it maybe we are the misfits in reality finding it difficult to fit into society because of our principles and views and thoughts that we uphold. We are square pegs trying to fit into a round hole. 

MIRACLES

I share a book that I published online in 2011 having come to the worship of the Siddhas some nine years earlier. I had asked if the Siddhas do appear before us then and gave many accounts of these miracles. Agathiyar as promised had shown me numerous miracles in India on my maiden journey in 2003 and later when Tavayogi took me to several holy spots in 2005. It did not stop there as Agathiyar had promised that he would show his miracles when I am back in Malaysia. He kept his word. Miracles continue to take place till this day. 

ATMA DARISANAM

I was supposed to have earned the wrath of the caretakers and elders who upkept the tradition in the temples back then in my previous birth, which was also the reason to take another birth as revealed by Agathiyar. I had apparently attempted to bring change in the ways and methods carried out by the Namboothiri priests of Kerala, throwing time held tradition to the winds, hence earning their anger. In doing so I was mean and disrespectful to people too it seems. I guess I had retained some of the past experiences or rather the fire burning in me then to bring about a change, in this birth too, for I have this overpowering urge to bring change in many matters especially those that were in my control or that I could determine its course. As Lord Murugan told us recently that the one in search of his soul shall have all the experiences embedded in it unlike the man who engages with his body which shall not retain its experiences, வாழும் மனிதன் உடலால் மட்டும் வாழ்ந்துவிட்டால் அனுபவங்கள் ஆன்மாவோடு பதியாது. ஆன்மாவைத் தேடுபவனுக்கு அவன் மேற்கொள்ளும் அனுபவங்கள் எல்லாம் ஆன்மாவோடு பதிந்து  விடும், I guess I have carried those experiences from this past birth into the present and hence see myself carry the urge to bring this reformation. If those attempts were seen as wrong and going against tradition by society which held them close to the heart then in the way past, we were free to experiment and bring on these changes in this age and in this birth. For instance, I believe we had trimmed down and improvised many a method and ways of carrying out puja and rituals towards the Siddhas. When I went "door to door selling my ware", and others did not receive my ideas, I began to bring the change in my home puja that later was attended by many others sent over by Agathiyar. Hence our home puja that grew to some two hours long over time eventually was a mere 24 minutes. The Siddhas seem to condone these modifications. The Siddhas have accommodated the changes too. Nay in fact they and the divine intervened at many moments and hurried on the puja bringing us to adopt and follow suit later. They determined the time too often arriving earlier and starting us off and catching many off guard. We were open to changes and adopted them immediately without question or debate or discussions. I guess the Siddhas respect the lifestyles of people having to rush to attend to other matters that would ensure bread and butter arrives at their dinner table. Ask any one and they shall tell you that they have no time and that they cannot find time to worship, much so carry out an elaborate worship. The Siddhas were considerate of the children and elderly at the puja who are put to the test of their patience elsewhere. 

If we had experienced both extremes of a lengthy puja and one that was brief, even that dwindled down to just sitting in silence and imbibing the energy in later years. Since the Siddhas and their energies had come to reside in our abode, our home, AVM and within us, as a result of some 20 years of puja, it was not necessary anymore to call upon them to come down for we had unknowingly transformed ourselves into their form or rather were a walking dynamo carrying these energies. Both Bharathi and Ramalinga Adigal were it. While Bharathi tried to bring social reforms, Ramalinga Adigal went even further trying to bring on a spiritual reformation or rather transformation. But they both did not have it going smooth. There was much opposition to change by certain quarters. I could tread on save grounds though for the youngsters sent over by Agathiyar were receptive to these changes as it was easy to mold the young. They eventually brought these changes into their home puja too. It is the old that resist and hold back to time held traditions. In speaking to two heads of missions who visited AVM some time back, I proposed that they reduce the time for rituals as we did, considering the sick, old and the restless children present, they were not ready though to break the rule of the day or rather tradition that goes way back. One patron told me that she prefers to follow what the guru did in his days. It reminded me of the story of the guru who had his disciples tie a cat before beginning the ritual. It became a tradition even after the demise of the guru. They carried on doing it without knowing why the guru did it. I told her that the Jayanthi was for Agathiyar and not the people. To my surprise the guru came and reprimanded her asking to take cue from what we did at AVM. Another patron told me that the tradition goes back some 300 years, and he did not want people to say that he had budged in and changed it. 

I believe if anybody wants to bring a change it is the guru or the head of a mission or movement as he has the authority and power to do so. Similarly, it is with allowing people to fall at their feet for blessings. The guru can stop that practice. When we allow it, it becomes so part and parcel of our tradition. The Siddhas in coming before us tell us not to fall at their feet. They ask us never to allow others to touch crown of our head. They struck off the practice of standing in line to gain their blessings. They disapproved it. They tell us not to give our bodies to others as in going for body massages unless they point us to them. Off course this is for those who follow their teachings and listen and have seen some headway in their spiritual journey. Though Tavayogi was practicing the orthodox and traditional way of doing things and though Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar choses to strictly follow him, he gave me leeway in implementing these changes. I find that we at AVM have adapted to numerous changes that are relevant to present times and considering that we were living in a distant country away from the hold of the roots of tradition in the Indian subcontinent, we find it easy to bring these changes that are accepted without much opposition. Agathiyar had always praised our puja and never for once found fault with it. Eventually, it is a matter of a personal bonding with our Ista Devata or deity of choice first and society coming later. If our bond for, be it, a guru, Siddha, deity or God is strong, the love overcomes any shortcomings. 

Even as I am surprised to see the transformations Agathiyar has brought on internally in me, and in my present thinking, coming to college in 1977 I was transformed from a timid lad who pleased everyone with a smile, into someone who spoke his mind after reading a book in the college library. It was titled "Learn to Say NO." Though I quite forgot the authors name over time, this book changed me for good. I began to say NO. That has saved me from lending into trouble many a time. This principle that I held taught me to turn down the many gifts too that came by my way later while traveling the Siddha path. Most recently Agathiyar asks that I worship Vaalai just as we worshipped him. As I was reluctant to go back to rituals as he had brought a stop to it, Mataji tells me that Vaalai meant the breath. I understood that Mataji in her brief moment of meditation at AVM, Agathiyar in the Jeeva Nadi reading read by Mataji, and Ramalinga Adigal coming through a devotee have asked that I worship the breath that keeps us alive and well. It shall bring us Siddhis they say. Should I accept them when gifted or should I hold on to my stand in refusing all the gifts as I have done all these years?  

Another book which I received from a parting friend and colleague who decided to take up monkhood at Paramahansa Yogananda's Ranchi Ashram in 1994, opened my eyes to the existence of gurus and brought on acceptance of men as God or rather Godmen in me. Some 8 years on, Agathiyar brings me to my first guru Supramania Swami in an unexpected way. Swami introduces me to his lineage of gurus. If I had read about gurus in Yogananda's autobiography earlier, I now listened to him Swami speak about his moments with his gurus namely his own father Jayaraman Pillai, Pundi Mahan (Atru Swami), Kolli Malai Swami, Sathanandha Swami, and Yogi Ramsuratkumar (Visiri Swami). My faith on Godmen was strengthened further when Swami brought his last guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar to sing with us at dusk the day I arrived at the former's kudil. The Yogi had already gone into Samadhi a couple of years earlier. How was this possible? 

Today I understand pretty well that beyond all the gross matter and forms that we see around us, lives the subtle forms of these past souls, as in the electromagnetic waves. They can be summoned through calls made by us commoners as we do during puja and can be summoned at will by the great gurus. The gurus and Siddhas themselves can come among us if they will as did the Yogi arrive during a Shivaratri puja at AVM. He sat with us listening to Sriram Parthasarathy's rendition of Sadhu Om's song on Bhagawan Ramana. Bhagawan Ramana was one of Yogi's gurus. As the song "Yeppadiyo Arulvaai" came to an end, he introduced himself as "The Beggar" and told my wife to have it played once again. 

Agathiyar coming to us told us to listen to another song of Sadhu Om "Yeppodhu Nee Arivaayo" set to music and sung by the same. I had written to Sriram telling him about this amazing moment when the Yogi sat in with us listening to his song and Agathiyar's request to us too.

Supramania Swami who went into Samadhi too followed in the footsteps of his guru the Yogi. If the Yogi after his Samadhi stood in Swami's village home at Nacha Ananthal, 8 kilometers away from Tiruvannamalai town, handed him his painting and disappeared into the darkness, Supramania Swami after his Samadhi came into our home first in the aroma of tobacco. When the thought struck me if it could be Swami, the phone rang and there was his miscall. Failing to believe until I verified the number with his son and calling up the number, I realize that it was no more in use by the family and true enough someone else answered the call. Then on another day as I mentioned the mysterious call to my nephew who knew Swami too, as I ended the call with him, there was another miscall from Swami's previous number. How do you explain this? Tavayogi who had gone into Samadhi surprised us by inviting the couple Sri Krishna and Sri Deviy as they entered the prayer room at AVM just days back. How do you explain this? My first instance of hearing about these appearances was from Dr. Nanjan, a veterinarian from Ooty who accompanied Tavayogi on his visit to Malaysia in 2008. The Dr. told me of a couple whom Agathiyar used to visit. Once as the Dr. stepped into their prayer room, Agathiyar seemed to arise from his sleeping position, tied his long tresses, turned to look at him before disappearing. Then a similar miracle happened on our home ground and shores at AVM too where Jnana Jothiamma who was visiting us in 2013, saw Agathiyar come out of the prayer room, gave her a glance and walked out in the middle of the night. Next was an Australian Chinese who was on her way to the airport to board her plane back home. She stopped by at AVM as the car-ride e-hailing driver was a friend of us. She came out of the room in tears telling us that Agathiyar stood ceiling height before her. 

As he was leaving his mortal frame, Yogi Ramsuratkumar consoled his weeping devotees that he could do more in the subtle form and in the subtle plane. Even as I told Tavayogi that I would love to see him turn into Light before our eyes that we missed witnessing in the merger of Ramalinga Adigal and our Paramaguru Jeganatha Swamigal, Tavayogi told me that he had missed the boat due to his age. But Dhanvantri came after Tavayogi's Samadhi and assured us that he was in the form of Light looking over our shoulders. Days after his Samadhi a devotee in South Africa saw him in a dream, where Lord Shiva ferried him and several others clad in white across the waters to the other bank where Siddhas, Rishis and Munis were going about their chores. Supramania Swami told me the reason he closed up a window looking out to the Holy Mountain of Arunachala was that it was fiery, and he could not watch it. He saw Siddhas, Rishis and Munis too going about their work and he surprised me with another revelation that I am bound not to mention here as yet. Bhagawan Ramana is said to have seen a wonderful place inside this Holy Mountain and asked that the entrance to the cave be closed for good. Yogi Ramsuratkumar surprises us by telling us "Your satellites are interfering with this beggar’s work", as revealed to Will Zulkowsky, author of "Meetings with Yogi Ramsuratkumar". So, it seems that there is more than the eye can see; there is more to what we feel and hear. This blog is full of these and many more miracles that Agathiyar and the Siddhas have shown us. 

I believe that God has been kidnaped by certain quarters and made their property. We have been deprived and denied of reaching out to him without paying ransom money to the kidnappers. It is time we released him from their clutches by calling out to him directly. It is time we summoned the Gods directly. It is time we began to speak with God directly. It is time we had a conversation with him as Neale Donald Walsch does. It is time he dined with us. It is time he stayed the night over in our homes. It is time he partied with us. It is time we sat with him in meditation. It is time we knew him. It is time we knew that he and we are one. It is time we knew that we never were really separated in the very first place. The world of Maya has come between us, breaking the bond that we once had with him. Let us draw aside the veil. Let has know the soul. Let us gain Atma Darisanam or Darshan of the Soul. 

Let us take the very first baby step as Tavayogi and Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar guide in their talks. 

DIRECT EXPERIENCE

I was with my elder granddaughter last evening and we were exchanging made-up stories. I told her of a modernized version of the story from the Puranas where Lord Ganapathy and Lord Muruga wanted the same mango. My story ended with how Lord Ganaphy chose to stay with his parents and watch the documentaries on TV rather than follow Lord Muruga on his peacock into the skies and Lord Krishna riding a whale into the depths of the ocean. I was surprised when she answered, "But it won't be "fresh", meaning Lord Ganapathy would not have the direct experience as opposed to Lord Muruga and Lord Krishna. And here a 6-year-old was pointing to the need to gain direct experiences by going to the ground. This is what Tavayogi did when I took up his invitation to visit his ashram and Agathiyar instructed me to spend a couple of days there in the Nadi reading. He brought me to the jungles and the caves, places where he was in his days of wandering and searching. He passed on his experiences to me directly having me stand on the grounds he had stood before. He pointed out to the scents in the air, telling me the Siddhas were ushering us and showering flower petals on us. It was the first time I saw a Siddhi or Miracle take place too. As we were sat in the caves of Uthiyur where it is said that Konganar had spent much of his time, and as Tavayogi was meditating I closed my eyes and tried to meditate too. Upon opening my eyes I was surprised to see a small pile of sacred ash before us. He picked some and applied it on his forehead, mine, and an elderly man, a visitor to the ashram too, who accompanied us too. When I asked if he had brought it with him, he was equally surprised. Where did it come from? 

We learn of the Rishis of having direct experiences.  "Srutis have been variously described as a revelation through Anubhava (direct experience), or of primordial origins realized by ancient Rishis." (https://en.wikipedia.org/). From once having direct access to these scriptures, man's ability to perceive, hear, and tap into these scriptures was lost over time. What remained later was that "which is remembered" or Smṛti. 

Yogi Ramsuratkumar says that the airways are congested hence preventing us from tuning in to the messages of the divine.

"In the old days, the scriptures were in the air and all you had to do was be silent and you could tune in to the scriptures and hear them. He could feel it, he could live it. But now there is electromagnetic interference from the TVs, from the radios, from the short waves, the cell phones, from all the static we’re putting in the air electronically, and it’s interfering with the scriptures – it’s a big impediment. Your satellites are interfering with this beggar’s work.” He was so sensitive that he could feel what the influence of the satellites was and what they were up to. He says that’s why the dharma is falling because people can no longer hear the scriptures when they are quiet."  (Source: "Meetings With Yogi Ramsuratkumar" by Will Zulkowsky.)

Though the days of directly experiencing the scriptures might be a thing of the past we are told that this is the Era of Siddhas where a direct experience of another kind is a possibility in present times, similar to the good old days. The divine Siddhas have made themselves accessible to us directly. They have kept their promise to elevate mankind from sinking deeper into Maya. 

Hence the reason the Yogi has mentioned that "Kaliyuga has gone. Now it is God Yuga. This beggar is able to see God everywhere and not Kali anywhere.” 

"All Yogis’ devotees will recall Bhagavan sitting with us or walking among us, and all of a sudden looking up, and after a few seconds bursting into laughter. He laughed heartily. We had the feeling that he saw something none of the devotees was able to perceive." (Source: "Yogi Ramsuratkumar - The Mystery of Becoming God" by Olga Ammann, published by Yogi Ramsuratkumar Bhavan Mauritius, 2008) 

As only the direct experience or Anubhava can possibly be retained in the self and lead one to achieve greater heights in spirituality the Siddhas had us go to the ground and work ourselves up the spiritual ladder rung by rung. Continuing from Sariyai that was introduced by our parents they brought us to Kriyai with the arrival of the guru in physical form. He had us come together in puja and charity bringing both these to the masses. From our homes, he brought us into the limelight and the public having us expand our Homam that was done on a small scale to doing large-scale Yagam at temples. The guru gave us the confidence to march ahead doing rituals and charity. Having had these experiences gained from external activities he then brought us to observe our body and mind through Yoga. Thus the experiences came from within now. These direct experiences gained over time have etched and left their mark on us and can never be forgotten easily. So too does Agathiyar wants it not to be forgotten and hence to be documented in the pages of this blog. 

GRADUATION

How did Agathiyar come to us? First as the words and the revelations in the Kaanda Nadi. Then as the many names of the Siddhas that we recited from a book passed on by Nadi reader Sentilkumar of Avinashi, India and as a painting passed on by Sivabalan the host who brought in the Nadi reader. Then he came as a yantra and a mantra that Dr.Krishnan had etched out on a copper foil and passed on to me after hearing me tell him that Agathiyar asked me to come to the worship of Siddhas. Then he came as the guru, Tavayogi leading me away from the movement and bringing me under his fold and watchful eyes directly. Tavayogi in turn showed me to Agathiyar as God, Light, and Breath. He taught me to see Agathiyar in Kriyai, as the flame in the rituals, and the flame in the eyes of the hungry and in Yoga as the Prana and the breath. Agathiyar then came as a bronze statue and eventually opened his eyes in it just as he had opened his eyes in the granite statue of his at Agasthiyampalli in 2005 when Tavayogi brought me there. Agathiyar who until then communicated to us through the Nadi began to come through his devotees. Agathiyar who often says he arrived from Kailash, Pothihai and Kallar to bless us today has stay put at AVM as the Prapanjam. While Lord Shiva, Lord Muruga, Lord Dhanvantri and the deities including Kaali, Karupanasamy, Hanuman and the other Siddhas including Bhogar, Tirumular, Korakar, Ramalinga Adigal, and my guru Supramania Swami and his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar have visited us, Tavayogi has come to stay with us too. 

Taking up his call asking to come to his fold in 2002, and worshipping the Siddhas at home on my own and later with my family in 2005 after Tavayogi asked that I bring the family to the fold too, we attended "graduation" at Kallar ashram in 2013 where the family was given the honor to sing during puja before Agathiyar and Tavayogi. Returning home Agathiyar sent several youngsters to AVM to participate in the the puja and carry out charity. The AVM family too "graduated" when we were given the honor to sing during the Yagam on Kallar grounds in 2016. Having initiated into Yoga officially by Tavayogi in 2007 and having practiced it, I "graduated" the day he asked me to teach my first student Mahindren in 2020. Has I am taking lessons in Gnanam now from Agathiyar and Lord Murugan, I wonder when I shall "graduate" in this phase? 

This blog too has "graduated" hitting the scales in the number of viewership the past week. Thank you, readers, for your continuous patronage. 

SIMPLIFYING THE WAY

The Siddhas knew that man could not sit and bring his attention to a thing or bring about focus much less asking him to meditate. Hence, they devised the means and the way to slowly take a step at a time by introducing him to Sariyai first. In bringing him to step into a temple he comes to know about the occupants of God's home. Kindling an interest to bring back and continue with the worship in the temples, he starts the worship at his home and at his altar. Learning more about his beloved deity now, he aims to emulate their qualities. The deities send him their messengers and later takes the form of a guru. They lead him on into Kriyai and performing rituals that burn away past karmas. With karma out of the way, the vessel is cleansed and renewed. He begins to accept the teachings of the guru and adopt them putting into practice what was taught. Stepping into Yogam he sees his body, breath and soul rejuvenated. In purging all the impurities, he leaves the purgative way or phase and embarks on the illuminative way, where he gains clarity. This is the start of the dawn of Gnanam. Traveling within the chakras, he gains direct knowledge. The rests are God's doing and happens according to his will and the state of the body and the transformation in the devotee thus far and his preparedness to receive what is to come.

From http://www.ramalinga.com, a detailed explanation is given on what happens during this stage.

"The material body constituted of impure elements is transformed into a “Body of Pure Light” that emits a golden brightness. Ramalinga affirms that, following the divine path of truth and purity, the most impure body will become a body pure and imperishable. Then the Divinity descends and settles in disciple's heart, who becomes entirely filled by Him. Captivated by the "Ardent Fire" of the Divine essence, the disciple stops thinking, feeling, acting and even existing. He has become pure love and compassion, and this is what he spills on all the beings. This secret, which has been hidden and now is divulged according to the explicit wish of Ramalinga, points the disciple’s heart as the end of the path showed by Him."

Tavayogi had aptly signed of my copy of his book "Andamum Pindamum" with the following words that reflect the above. Both the destination and source are one he wrote. Tavayogi identified the residence of God as being within the inner chamber of the heart. He wrote, "The journey begins and ends there". It is a journey of returning back home.

A devotee couple who dropped by at AVM this morning was given a surprise welcome by Tavayogi as they entered the "empty" room that once was the hub of activity and worship. Her husband reiterated again that it was amazing how all the dust had settled and only silence and the immense energies prevail there. As I had yearned and missed Tavayogi a lot, I guess Agathiyar has relieved Tavayogi of the work that he had given him in his realm and has him be with us henceforth. I am glad that Tavayogi has come to stay with us too following Agathiyar and Vaalai. We are blessed indeed. 

VAALAI - BOTH THE GODDESS & THE BREATH

If Tavayogi broke me apart many times since day one, Agathiyar broke us further at AVM. They broke and reassembled us again in a manner that would facilitate our spiritual growth towards gaining Atma Balam or Soul empowerment. All those who came to AVM have been touched in a way and to a certain extent I believe. As for my wife and me and the children it was a learning curve taking the beating and withstanding the grueling task of keeping those souls on the path. I guess I could have made some enemies along the way too, but it doesn't matter as long as the teachings remained intact and in its original form. Though some leeway was given to modify and shorten the duration of worship, to try out various approaches in carrying out charity and in the process vetting through the deserving and underserving, and to experiment with Yoga and adopt those that came with ease and without much pain, the teachings of the Siddhas remained intact. Sariyai, Kriyai, and Yogam was approached in a systematic manner though at times there was lack of discipline to exercise Yoga in many. If many participated in Sariyai and Kriyai most stayed away from Yogam. But the most compassionate Agathiyar gave everyone a long break to settle their responsibilities and build their careers as they were all in their thirties promising that he shall rope and bring them together again sometime in the future. 

As for me and my wife Agathiyar chartered a course and is hurrying us as age has caught up with us and we do not have much time on hand. After having us go through some grueling test and seeing us come through as he expected, Agathiyar now wants to give us Siddhis. If Siddhi is attaining perfection or completing a task or a transformation to perfection, it is generally assigned to gaining the ability to carry out the unimaginable. Call it magic or stunts, it is the ability of doing something that is incapable of any normal man and beyond the boundaries of logical thought. 

The Siddhas are often associated with the 8 Siddhis that they were capable of. But that is not surprising if we consider them as having attained the Godly state. Ramalinga Adigal says that God gave up his seat to him to carry out his work, that of creation, sustenance, destroying, veiling and blessing. It is akin to the awards that one receives for his hard work. Supramania Swami was said to have picked up a handful of earth that would turn into sacred ash. He could pinpoint the spot where a Vel was buried in the slopes of Arunachala. Though he engaged in Siddhis or public exhibition of these unbelievable feats in a state beyond his normal self, Tavayogi refrained and never engaged in them as far as I know. 

Who then bestows these Siddhis? It is said that Vaalai does. Who is Vaalai then? Going through the book of praise to Vaalai that I had compiled I read Agathiyar say of her as follows.

She is the medicine that keeps death away, She is the one who bestows the 8 Siddhis, She is the means and the much spoken about experiences that come to us as Gnanam, 

"We shall share the bliss in staying still in the subtlest of all spaces, Take me as your servant Manonamani", cries out Agathiyar to her in ecstasy.

Reading up further on her I come across the following. If literally Vaalai Puja would mean carrying out worship as in following certain rituals spelled out in detail by Agathiyar in his "Saumya Sagaram" a translation in English made available by Mrs. Geeta at  https://saumyasagaram.blogspot.com/, she hints that this puja is performed with the intellect or buddhi. Mataji tells me that she is the breath. If we look and chase after pleasures that come along in doing in this gross and material world, that is termed Citrinbam, there is a greater bliss that is Perinbam in sitting still and not doing but just observing the minutest movements within and around us. She brings us to this state. 

Mataji was reminded to worship her too through a dream that she shared the last time she came over to Malaysia. Subsequently she had placed her image too at Kallar ashram. To mitigate the damage caused by roaming wild elephants she had installed a granite statue of Lord Ganesa on the grounds. I know of a movement head who worships Vaalai and carries her name. 

Now I understand why Vaalai came into the picture at this juncture. If all forms of external worship had ended with the exit of Agathiyar as the bronze statue at AVM, Agathiyar has brought us to the internal worship of Vaalai, the breath.

TAKING BIRTH REPEATEDLY

Though it is wonderful to see the field bloom with flowers of the same color as far as the eyes can see, adding another color brings a highlight to the plain. Life is full of color. So is it with people. While some might sail the seas without any idea where they are headed, letting the winds determine the course, others might set a goal or have a goal forced on them or take up following another as a mentor. Man who was simple to the core is a complex being now as a result of his desires to the extent that his pretty short lifespan cannot possibly accommodate. Hence, we need to take that many births to exhaust and drain these desires. 

I used to wonder why Tavayogi kept repeating the same speech everywhere he went? Reading the book "Jeeva Brahmakya Vedanta Ragasiyam" by Satchidananda Yogeeswar I was asking myself why he repeats the same matter again and again in subsequent pages. He answers my query in a later chapter saying that one needs to drive a notion again and again so that it is registered and remembered. So too I guess I end up repeating the same in these pages. Please bear with me.

What seemed to be a repetitive speech that Tavayogi gave whenever he took the stage to talk seemed to make sense now. He used to compare the effort and work needed in molding and making a Siddha to the effort and work needed before one could plant a seed on the fields. It doesn't end there. One has to water and care for it before it comes to be harvested. If Tavayogi helped us prepare the grounds and planted the seed in us, Agathiyar continues to care for the crop. He often reminds me not to let his effort and work he put in in us go to waste. 

Agathiyar compares making a Siddha out of us with making and perfecting a musical instrument that could reproduce all the notes that the musician intended. It takes time and perfection. To produce music, he has to assemble and bring together numerous musical instruments and players. Similarly, Agathiyar brought our attention to how difficult it was to bring together all the components needed to perfect a man. "If music itself has so many variations imagine how varied man would be", he asked. It is indeed an uphill task. "Imagine the variations in your atoms and cells. Imagine the various thoughts amongst you. The Siddha needs time to gather all these components and bring them together just as the strings are laid out precisely in a Veena and played." 

இப்படி இசைக்கே எவ்வளவு மாற்றங்கள் இருக்கும் போது மனிதனாகிய நீங்கள் எவ்வளவு வேறுபட்டு இருப்பீர்கள். உங்களுக்குள் இருக்கும் அணுக்கள் எவ்வளவு வேறுபட்டு இருக்கும். உங்களின் எண்ணங்கள் எவ்வளவு வேறு பட்டு இருக்கும். இவைகளை ஒவ்வொன்றும் பிடித்து  வளைத்து வீணைபோல் நரம்பினை மீட்டி இசையாய் வெளியிடுவதற்குச் சித்தனுக்குக் காலம் வேண்டுமே. 

When I told him that we would need a long life to accommodate all these changes, அதற்கு நீண்ட ஆயுளும் வேண்டுமே, he replied that that is the reason we are reborn again and again, அதற்காகத்தான் மனிதர்களுக்கு அத்தனை பிறவிகள். 

There you have it. The reason to take birth again and again. But if one were to break the code and enter the portal, he ends the cycle. The key and the answers and the way lies with the Soul. It is time we focused on knowing our Atma or Soul. It is time we listened to it rather than the Ego. The Atma only speaks when we are silent. When our thoughts die down. When we take a sit. When we begin to look within. Take time for yourself or rather your Atma. Let it speak to you in these moments of silence. Know thy Atma before it is too late, and it leaves the body. At least put in some effort now so that in the event there is a need to take another birth, the soul shall help us recall our past ventures and bring forth these experiences. Agathiyar says that the one whose soul awakens in him comes in search of the Siddhas. The Siddha shall usher him and care for him.

ஆன்மாவைத் தேடுபவனுக்கு அவன் மேற்கொள்ளும் அனுபவங்கள் எல்லாம் ஆன்மாவோடு பதிந்து  விடும். மீண்டும் மறுபிறவி எடுப்பானாயின் ஒரு பொழுது அவனுக்கு அந்த ஆன்ம அவனுடைய முன் ஜென்ம அனுபவங்களை அவனுக்குத் தூண்டிவிடும். தீண்டல் பெற்றவன் சித்தனை நாடி வந்து விடுவான். சித்தனும் உங்களைக் கவனித்து வருவார்கள். 

The Atma or Soul is in existence then, now and ever. If man engages bodily he shall not retain the experiences. The one in search of his soul shall have all the experiences embedded in it.  

உடலுக்குத் தான் முதலும் ஆரம்பமும் முடிவும். உனது ஆன்மாவிற்கு அல்ல. வாழும் மனிதன் உடலால் மட்டும் வாழ்ந்துவிட்டால் அனுபவங்கள் ஆன்மாவோடு பதியாது. ஆன்மாவைத் தேடுபவனுக்கு அவன் மேற்கொள்ளும் அனுபவங்கள் எல்லாம் ஆன்மாவோடு பதிந்து  விடும். 

The Atma does not carry the imprints of karma. He revealed that the Atma in fact helps clear our karma by showing us the way. Once karma is cleared the search to know the Atma intensifies. His search for worldly gains loses its intensity and his seeking would solely be on knowing the Atma (Agathiyar) and reaching him.

ஆன்மா உனது கர்ம வினை தாங்கி வருவது அல்ல, ஆனால் ஆன்மாவே உனது கர்ம வினையைச் சரிசெய்வதற்கு உதவி புரியும். கர்மவை சரி செய்த பின், ஆன்மாவின் தேடல் அதிகமாகி மனிதனின் அன்றாட தேடல் தீர்ந்து போகும். அவன் தேடல் முழுதாய் என்னையே தேடி வர முயற்சி செய்யும்.

Once you come under the purview of the Siddhas you are in safe hands. Our problems are his problems. He wards off dangers. Though there are many instances that break our faith on the Siddhas, we have to understand that we shall never know the underlying circumstances that lead to something awful happening. Only he knows and he is not telling. Agathiyar had refused to reveal why someone went through hardship and torment. But upon his insistence Agathiyar finally revealed the truth of him taking another birth and suffering. He had robbed the honor of his own daughter. Hearing this the man committed suicide. I too was said to have erred in a past birth and earned the wrath and curse of others. According to Agathiyar, I had Brahmahathi Dosham that was carried and lingered on in this birth that I had to clear by giving donations to three Brahmins and visiting the temple for Saturn and another that house the Trimurti, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. I did not know the extent of my sin until Muthukumar Swami of Kutrallam spoke about it. It means someone had killed a Brahmana, a child or a cow in his life. We just do not know the story behind our story or rather history.