As long as we are attached to the world of Tattvas, all things seem real. We need to adhere to and abide by its rules. Karma and the laws of nature are applicable. When we sit back and watch knowing that it is the play of Maya, illusionary in nature, nothing really matters then. All teachings drop. All practices drop. All methods drop. All paths and ways end. We simply exist as an awareness. We simply exist as in Being.
But if this realization comes when we are young, it is counter-productive. As such the lure and the pull of the external world is quite justified. After the initial paper chase; bidding for a career of choice; seeking pleasures and after hitting the wall, when one comes to realize the ever-changing nature and impermanence of things, it brings a total revamp in the thinking and action of one. He begins to let go. It would then be very timely as he leaves no stone unturned, completing his purpose in coming either stopping with seeking these pleasures or progressing ahead in spiritually uplifting his soul.
I guess this is the reason that Agathiyar pulls the brakes on many having them reach out to the world around them and live a life first, gaining the experiences that they came to seek. Eventually, he brings them to reach out within their selves and find a whole new world waiting to be explored.
Since it is things of illusionary nature that bring forth our experiences and determine our understanding, can these be accepted as the truth? It is a school of Maya that we have come to school in. I guess we as souls fell for this Maya and chose to come to be schooled. How then can we accept its teachings? I guess this is the reason Agathiyar tells us that there is no truth or false. I guess Gnanam is to learn that all these are Maya and return to our original abode.
So it looks like the world; the vessel and its contents; the teachings; and the experiences are an illusion too. If it is so, everything that we have held on to collapses right before our eyes. What remains then is the soul. We see the world anew through the eyes of the soul. I guess this is the reason Agathiyar always speaks and addresses our souls.
Knowing that it is all Maya, we tend to let go of our hold on our prized possessions. We tend to remain detached though living in this world of Maya. We become the river that flows freely and not the pond that begins to collect and stagnates.
When the very last breathe in us expires we leave this vessel and all its contents behind. I guess this is the reason Supramania Swami told me that one has to even leave behind the merits gained.
Agathiyar tells us to be careful with our thoughts, words, and actions. It shall bring adverse consequences. Similarly, it does so in traveling the path. He tells us to be cautious at all times. Many a Godmen have fallen from grace too. He implies that it is enough that we have brought along a baggage of karma, let us not add on to it.
We are told of the existence of astral and causal karma, in the mental and spiritual spheres, besides earthly karma that has to be dealt with too. The parents take on unknowingly the karma of their children till they reach the age of puberty. Some gurus choose to take on the karma of select disciples.
Paramahansa Yogananda in AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI, Self Realization Fellowship, 1990, writes of his guru Sri Yukteswar.
"Even as in his earthly incarnation he had occasionally assumed the weight of disease to lighten his disciple’s karma, so in the astral world his mission as a savior enabled him to take on certain astral karma of dwellers on Hiranyaloka, and thus hasten their evolution into the higher causal world."
Similarly, Tavayogi who stays away from taking on other's karma chose to take on my daughter's. After his samadhi, Dhavanthri came to clear the air when many considered his demise as death as he went through several operations. Dhanvanthri assured us that he went into Samadhi and that was guiding us further in the form of light.
Agathiyar who looks into the stars and the past is known to provide solutions and remedies for one's past deeds, at times backs off and has us go through the ordeal.
Annie Besant and Bhagawan Das in SANATANA DHARMA by the Theosophical Publishing House, 2000 explain the reason.
"Only a full and clear knowledge of the causes in the past resulting in the suffering of the present could justify refusal to help on karmic grounds."
"Whose works are all free from the molding of desire, whose karma is burned up in the fire of wisdom, him the wise have called a sage. Then freedom is achieved, and the man may either remain, as the rishis have remained, to aid in the evolution going on in the Brahmananda or may sink to rest."
I think I have understood the journey. We are here to travel through the maze of manifestations to arrive at the unmanifest. When Agathiyar said that the Siddhas took the forms and names for specific purposes he had already told me that these were but manifestations of the one or Yegan or Brahman. But I understood it not back then. When Agathiyar told me the Siddhas and Bhogar whom he brought before me were Maya too he meant that these too were manifestations of the one or Yegan or Brahman. When he asked me when I was going to drop my hold on him too since I had dropped my hold on his statue, he had meant that the statue and him too were mere manifestations of the Supreme One. When he told me that it was possible to drop him as we were one, as the soul, he was telling us that the soul is the unmanifest that underlies all of creation. He wants us to realize the soul and settle in it. This is Atma Anubavam and Atma Darisanam. Knowing that we are one ends the search and ends the worship. Thus ends all methods and practices too. Thus the way and the path come to an end. We have arrived. Nay we never went anywhere in the first place. The Grace of the Divine that came as Gnanam or Divine Knowledge drew the veil aside and we saw the truth.
When we are told often to decide what we want in life, maybe we should decide how our death should be too. Though death is beyond our jurisdiction, the soul in us goes a long way to decide if we stay longer or go. For instance, when the family of a bedridden man was trying their best to keep him alive by consulting with Agathiyar in the Nadi, he eventually died. The relatives began to belittle Agathiyar and told the family who till this day are faithful to him that they had wasted their time on believing in Agathiyar and carrying out the remedies he gave. Never is there a Nadi reading for the dead but Agathiyar made an exception and asked the family what should he do? When he had asked them to relay the message that he stay strong while Agathiyar and the family carry out the remedies that obviously need time to bring the desired changes, the man or rather his soul had given up. Agathiyar had to listen to his soul.
In coming to a devotee Agathiyar asked her soul what it desired. She opted to stay longer. But she is in misery. When the mother of a newborn came to Agathiyar to help save her child, Ma Kali asked Agathiyar if he was sure he wanted to save the child. He is a healthy toddler running around now. When a mother sought Shirdi Sai's help in saving her child, he kept quiet. Once she went away his followers asked Baba why he did not help her. Baba answered that the soul was already born elsewhere and asked the followers who was to take responsibility if he saved this child.
When my mother was breathing her last, Agathiyar told us not to prolong these moments. He asked that she be discharged to pass away peacefully. He told us that a birth was already waiting for her. My mother had prepared well ahead for her death, saving whatever money she received from her children to take care of her last funeral rites. She wanted her body to be cremated. But as the electric crematoriums in the vicinity were fully booked she was placed on logs as in the the traditional funeral pyres. Her last words to us were that she was going to sleep.
Supramania Swami had told me he was leaving the mortal frame when he was 76. He had even written in his diary the exact date and manner in which to discharge his body. I guess only us who are caught in the pleasures of life are caught by surprise and battle to stay on longer. Those who are saints are prepared to leave at the earliest opportunity.
If the divine decides to prolong one's life should not he or she alter his or her life after he or she comes back from a near-death experience or is saved? Agathiyar asked us what use would it be to him personally and to society if he or she was going to go about his daily routine as before the life-saving moment? One should repent and reboot his or her life by giving himself/herself to the divine and mankind this time around. This is a second chance given. For others, they have to come back in another birth to make it good. I had a neighbor who upon discovering that she had cancer, being a Buddhist, began to serve others through the community programs. Let us make good use of the precious moments given to us to live a life fully.
After last Sunday's Pornami Puja and Satsang in the home of a devotee in a neighboring state, and after me and my wife returned home to AVM, Agathiyar and Lobama followed a couple of hours later. Upon returning home, my second daughter who had stayed back home to complete her office work, told us that her stomach ached and she was purging. Agathiyar came through a devotee and after blessing all spoke to my daughter privately. He did not mention her situation nor indicate in any way that she would be warded in the days to come. The following morning we took her to our family doctor. When there was no improvement we went the next day and asked that she be given the drip or intravenous therapy. As there was no improvement yet we took her to the General Hospital on the following day where they immediately attended to her at the emergency unit. She was later warded. Having admitted her I did a small Homam at home over the last three days. This is what I could best do, having left her in the good hands of the medical team. She is recovering well now.
The Siddhas do not interfere with our lives, thoughts, desires, wishes, aspirations, or karma unless called for. One has to live his life and his karma. Another devotee who had read his Nadi back then in the past and who was returning home knocked into the back of a stationary lorry at the traffic lights and fell. Agathiyar could have forewarned him of the impending danger in the Nadi reading. But he did not. Tavayogi too never interfered in others' lives and karma. Agathiyar in the recent Nadi reading told me the same too to back off. கன்மத்தை சேர்த்திடா வண்ணம் இருப்பாய்.
During the Satsang, as Agathiyar asked us to share our experiences, all those gathered in the home of the new young devotee couple began to share how Agathiyar came to their aid through mysterious means and forms hastening the process and bringing quick relief to their pain and misery. A devotee spoke about how a stranger came to her aid when she fell from her bike for no apparent reason and sent her to a clinic nearby and stayed back until she got medical attention. My elder daughter related her moment in having met with an accident riding pillion and breaking her leg. She spoke about how strangers came to her aid and the doctors pushed for the best options and treatments. My wife spoke about her moment in having to remove her gall bladder and how the doctors pushed for her to get the procedure done and over with bringing relief to her. A cancer patient shared her story of how the doctors hastened her treatment and how her husband and siblings stood by her. In all these stories we saw a mysterious hand come into play and save the day. We all believed it was Agathiyar. As we sat around sharing these stories, Agathiyar who came through a devotee anguished at seeing us speak of the pain and misery and shed tears of joy at us giving him due recognition. Later at AVM, he told us that he was pleased that we had all realized his presence in those moments of pain and misery.
Spending the last few days at the clinic and hospital made me realize how special we were to Agathiyar. We realized that he was shadowing us all the time. At the same time, we felt sad seeing others walk in with all sorts of medical problems. It reminded me of how many used to walk up to Tavayogi to share their numerous problems and how he would patiently listen to them. His one panacea or cure-all was asking them to chant the names of the Siddhas. In coming before the Siddhas they would not give us a pill to cure all our diseases and remove all our difficulties. Instead, they attend to the moment giving us confidence and strength to face the dilemma and situation at hand and not take any drastic actions. They do not solve our problems or remove the obstacles. They empower our souls to face the moment.
In having us create AVM with the arrival of Agathiyar in the form of a bronze statue in 2010, he sustained it with the arrival of seekers in 2013, whom he brought over. He had us bring our home puja into the temples and carry out charity. He then brought it all to a close in 2019. He began his divine play or Lila and finally through sharing his Divine Wisdom or Gnanam, he began to draw the curtain or veil gradually and exposed Maya and its play.
Agathiyar many years back had told me that all the Siddhas were the manifestations of the One, taking on the form, name, and role for a specific reason and purpose, and asked me to keep it to myself until he told me to reveal it later. Recently he hauled over all the 18 Siddhas including Bhogar. Later when he told me that it was all his divine play and that it was all Maya, I saw all the forms and names dissolve into thin air. Telling me that I had passed the test in sending his bronze statue away, he asked me when was I going to let go of my attachment to him. When I asked how could I, he told me it was possible since our souls are one.
I understood that all that is manifested in form and name is Maya. Only the unmanifested was, is, and forever in existence.
The songs of the saints eventually bring us to this realization. For instance, when I was searching for songs that I could include and sing during my puja, I came across a plea by Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar to ask the Siddhas to come down and lead us to the source, which later brought me to Tavayogi and had him volunteer to take me to all the sacred abodes of the Siddhas.
அகத்தீசா உனது சீடர்களாகிய ஒன்பது கோடி பேரும் என்னை சூழ்ந்திருந்து நான் விரும்பியதெல்லாம் முடித்து வைப்பதோடு மட்டுமல்லாது உன்னுடைய மலையாகிய பொதிகைக்கு என்னை அழைத்துவர என்னை சீடனாக நீ ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள வேண்டும். நான் உய்வதற்கு அருள் புரிய வேண்டும். உனது அருள் பூரணமாக பெற்றல் வேண்டும்,
When Tavayogi took me to Agathiyar’s abodes, he would point out to me that the Siddhas were ushering us, following us, and showering us with flower petals. I would look back at him with bewildered eyes, yet choose to believe and move on. We now realize the truth in his words since experience has taught us much. The line "வந்தித்தேன் உந்தன் பாதம் வானமுந் திறந்தாய் போற்றி", from a song in praise of Agathiyar, saw Agathiyar open the gates to heaven and the saintly ones come down in droves.
Nakirar's Vinayagar Thiru Agaval which I adopted and that we sang at AVM had materialized too. Nakirar pleads with Lord Ganesha to bring the guru within where both the guru and disciple shall spend hours in silence, connecting with each other in silence, receiving direct knowledge and illumination in that sacred moment of silent discourse. Nakirar speaks about it all being Maya and a dream. We stepped into this space where Agathiyar passed on his Gnanam helping us distinguish between Maya and the Absolute.
மோன ஞான முழுது மளித்துச் சிற்பரி பூரண சிவத்தைக் காண நற்சிவ நிஷ்கள நாட்டமுந் தந்து குருவுஞ் சீஷனுங் கூடிக் கலந்து இருவரு மொருதனி யிடந்தனிற் சேர்ந்து தானந்த மாகித் தற்பர வெளியில் ஆனந்த போத அறிவைக் கலந்து புவனத் தொழிலைப் பொய்யென் றுணர்ந்து மவுன முத்திரையை மனத்தினி லிருத்திப் பெண்டு பிள்ளை பண்டு பதார்த்தங் கண்டது மாயைக் கனவென காட்டிப் பாச பந்தப் பவக்கடல் நீக்கி ஈச னிணையடி யிருத்தி மனத்தே நீயே நானாய் நானே நீயாய்க் காயா புரியைக் கனவென வுணர்ந்து எல்லா முன்செய லென்றே யுணர நல்லா யுள்ளருள் நாட்டந் தருவாய் காரண குருவே கற்பகக் களிறே வாரண முகத்து வள்ளலே போற்றி
We can relate to the following song on Bhagawan Ramana and Arunachala when Agathiyar tells us that our souls are one.
On another note, if we usually breathe through our nostrils, my skin too has begun to breathe. The piercing in the crown of my head is still there. The feeling of being drenched in something is constantly felt in the crown and seems to cover half my head. The breath is so sweet that I cannot compare it to another or describe it. It is indeed wonderful.
Watching the statistics I am surprised to see readers from Hong Kong heading the list. Thank you very much to all the readers from all over for following this blog. How can I show my gratitude to you? It would be pointless if I carry on writing and no one is reading, right? But this blog has served to become a memory bank where I can retrieve my past memories and experiences.
This blog is also keeping me going and not turning senile at the age of 64. I am glad that I have good eyesight too. I am glad that my fingers can still work on the keyboard. I have to give my thanks to the Almighty for keeping us healthy and well. I am glad that my pension can pay for our bills including that from the internet service provider. All is well on my end and I pray that it is the same with my readers. Though we have not met face to face somehow I seem to bond with these numbers. Though it might be a mere number to some, these numbers are actually souls who take some time off to drop by wanting to know what I have posted for the day. How I wish we could interact by some means. But seeing the past comments on my previous websites and YouTube channel I had decided that I shall do away with it. Anyway, I wasn't much of a teacher. What I have shared in this blog too is my own experiences and that of other devotees and what I have read along the way. It is by no means a virtual guru. You still need to take tutelage from a guru in the physical form.
What I have shared in this blog is my observation and understanding that as Tavayogi says one should base on references, I have tried to link them wherever possible so that our experiences though differ from others, shall be authentic.
I have come one cycle I believe, to see the mountain as a mountain again but with a new perspective. I wish all the best for my readers too.
Agathiyar told us that we come to continue from where we left in the last birth. A devotee had stepped into the realm of Gnanam in the past birth while I had touched Yoga. Now we are to pursue from where we left. Supramania Swami told me that we shall polish till we shine. Tavayogi said that we shall come back to complete what we started if we failed in this birth. Knowing this should we not aim for the highest in this birth and work towards it. Even if we fail we could come back again to complete the goal.
let us go to the temples in our neighborhood first, light an oil lamp in our home altar. Let us lend a hand to those in need. Let us engage in rituals in temples and start our own in our homes. Take up Yoga from a master who does not have any bad track records, and who is always at hand to help you out if the energies awakened within do havoc within you. These energies shall then bring enlightenment within. The game ends. Even if we do not reach the end in this birth we can always come back in another birth.
When Agathiyar tells me that our relationship spans crores and crores of births, I was stunned. But now I am beginning to see the puzzle pieces come together. Just as anything is possible in a dream, could this too be a dream too, as the famed poet Bharathi asked if it was all a dream? Is this the reason Agathiyar asked us not to investigate the source or primeval cause (Adhi and Moolam) and the end? So why do we argue over the forms and names, the life and times of the Siddhas, and their time periods? Now knowing it's all a game of Maya why should we go to battle among ourselves to defend our right and wrongs? No wonder Agathiyar says there is no right and wrong. No wonder Tavayogi asked me if it was important that both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal appear before me as I had desired? I realize now as I pen these words that this is the reason Tavayogi at the very onset of my journey pounded me telling me that I was living in Maya when I was in a state of bliss having him come over to my home for the very first time. Tavayogi had broken the spell that Maya had on us the very first day he stepped into my home in 2005, but we could not understand then. It took some 19 years to understand the message he gave in passing when he said that I was living in Maya and that he was no saint (Samiyar) when I expressed my joy in having him over to my home. No wonder he told me that we don't need the 9 gems studded ring and Rasamani bead I wore and Rudraksha bead someone showed him which he gave approval for him to wear. No wonder both he and later Agathiyar ask us to even let go of our attachment to them. Just as we gained a "high" as my wife termed it in doing charity and puja, we fell for it again when they came in the Nadi and through devotees. We had to bring a stop to these addictions. They had us engage in everything and made us realize that these were Maya. Agathiyar after having us take up puja and rituals, eventually asked us to drop them saying that even the puja we did was Maya. Ramalinga Adigal asked us why don't people accept this nothingness? This is the zenith of Siddha teachings. ஏன் இந்த வெறுமையை ஏற்க மறுக்கிறீர்கள். சித்தத்தின் உச்சம் இதுவே. What sustains the test of time and survives in the realm of Maya where everything we do just dissolves into thin air once we gain the experience and the lessons, is our experiences. We are here for the experience as the Little Soul had asked for in Neale Donald Walsch's "The Little Soul and the Sun" and as Agathiyar told us உங்கள் வாழ்க்கையில் நடப்பவை அனைத்தும் அனுபவங்கள் மட்டுமே, they just wanted us to have the experience. So we have asked that he and the Siddhas quit coming through us to deliver their messages knowing that these too are Maya. This last stronghold that we had held on to and that had kept us caught in the web of Maya has dissolved too, just as we asked that their coming through devotees to heal and give solutions through the Nadi previously stop too.
Manickavasagar sings of the dangers were survived right from the moment we are conceived in his 'Potri Thiru Agaval' (போற்றித் திருஅகவல்)
Agathiyar too had listed the numerous torments and the battles we faced beginning with the very moment of the Pindam or zygote forming in the mother's womb right till this moment. Is that the reason we read that Siddhas have since then never turned to taking residence in the womb of a mother?
Bringing us from Sariyai to Kriyai and Yogam, in dispensing Gnanam, Agathiyar brought down the walls that we had begun to build around us and that confined us and trapped us as in self exile. Lord Muruga and Agathiyar exposed Lord Shiva's divine play recently saving us from falling further into the pit that Maya had dug out on the path. When many fall for it, unable to come out of the pleasures it brings, Agathiyar gave us a taste of it but quickly pulled us from falling further into it and getting caught in the trap for good in the nick of time. It is interesting how Agathiyar had us carry out Sariyai, Kriyai, and Yogam and had us halt, drop, or let go of it. Though he did not give us any reason back then, it dawned on us now that in having us do so he had us drop the hold of Maya that accompanied each of these. The Siddhas had won the battle against the Maya and its tattvas. Now they were the Masters and Maya its servant. We too can bring change either for the better or the worse to all things that are considered Maya. In bringing us to their path the Siddhas set us free too. They freed us from the grasp of Maya. They freed us from the grasp and hold we have on the world around us. They have helped us break the limitations we have come to self-imposed on ourselves. We are free to soar in the skies. There are no boundaries. There are no limitations. We feel light. We feel detached. Is this then the nature of the Atma or soul? Are we now the Atma witnessing the world around us? Since anything and everything that sees and undergoes a change is Maya, that which is changeless and pure has to be this Atma which remains a witness to these changes. Is this Atma Darisanam then? The Siddhas have shown us Maya in action in creation, its sustenance, and how it brings an end to it all. They have shown us the veil of Maya and finally brought their Grace down upon us to draw the veil aside. It is indeed a Divine play.
What is Maya according to the sacred texts?
"The Upanishads describe the universe, and the human experience, as an interplay of Purusha (the eternal, unchanging principles, consciousness) and Prakṛti (the temporary, changing material world, nature). The former manifests itself as Ātman (Soul, Self), and the latter as Māyā."
"Māyā pre-exists and co-exists with Brahman – the Ultimate Principle, Consciousness. Maya is a perceived reality, one that does not reveal the hidden principles, the true reality."
"Māyā also connotes that which "is constantly changing and thus is spiritually unreal" (in opposition to an unchanging Absolute, or Brahman), .."
They mention Indra whom Agathiyar spoke about too.
"Indra, is the master of māyā;.."
Agathiyar said the same as Swami Vivekananda explained.
"Vivekananda explains the need to understand Maya as follows (abridged),
"The Vedas cannot show you Brahman, you are That already. They can only help to take away the veil that hides the truth from our eyes. The cessation of ignorance can only come when I know that God and I are one; in other words, identify yourself with Atman, not with human limitations. The idea that we are bound is only an illusion [Maya]. Freedom is inseparable from the nature of the Atman. This is ever pure, ever perfect, ever unchangeable."
Though Indra is made out to be the mastermind as Shakuni was in the epic Mahabharata, Indra has done well in helping us. He has helped clear the air. It reminds me of how the late Dr.Krishnan saw the planet Saturn or Sani. When everyone else dreaded the arrival of Saturn making his rounds through the dormitories in our horoscope, and with the astrologers adding fuel to the fear that the public had, Dr.Krishnan who was both an astrologer and Siddha physician asked me to usher his arrival instead. Saturn would hasten our journey in reaching God he said by having us go through the pain and sufferings and misery. The problem with some Nadi readers and astrologers is that they instill fear in some in the very first place and add to the existing fear that others carry in them. They tend to dramatize the happenings through their elaborations and their explanations. Be aware of such interpretations. I guess that they have to advertise their wealth of knowledge for it is common for the man on the street to praise them as being good and knowledgeable if and when they say and speak a lot. This is how some gurus, teachers, Siddha practitioners, Nadi readers, and astrologers manipulate others. This is where in comparison, we see that the medical doctors are so professional. They tell us very little but carry on with what needs to be done. Their qualification, training, and practice speak out for them. Just as I had to take lessons from Agathiyar on anger management, and later on Gnanam, now he is giving me lessons on Maya. I am indebted to Agathiyar for life.
Agathiyar arrived at AVM last evening with Lobama. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Terminator" who says "I'll be back" Agathiyar came back as he told. We had earlier gathered in the home of a new seeker and devotee in the Siddha path where Homam and Abhisegam were done followed by Satsangam after which Agathiyar moved back to AVM.
After the Satsang, a devotee had voiced out that though she was worshipping the Siddhas, she had yet to know about him. Just as when Tavayogi in asking me to bring him over to an opening of an affiliate Peedham in Banting, asked me to speak about the Siddhas, I was lost as to who they are, when Agathiyar asked that I speak about him henceforth in our future gatherings, I am lost again. I told him that when I still do not know him though I have traveled far with him, how am I to tell others. He told me to forget about his past history or his Puranam but to explain to others how he comes these days. When he gave me the task of enlightening others about him I am forced to gather all that I know about him till now.
This blog too never carried or focused much on his Puranam. It is all about him doing miracles and how he saved many. This is how we can bring the temple-going devotees to step into the path and worship the Siddhas. As for those who are atheists I guess the sky has to fall for them to begin to believe. We never spoke about the benefits of coming to the path for that would be akin to coming with expectations. I could easily point them to this blog and ask them to read about it, but Agathiyar had earlier told me that this blog might not reach those who are not tech-savvy. Hence the need to hold Satsangs.
Those who are dedicated to the cause of the Siddhas might need no introduction as their experiences traveling the path would have taught them and given insights into who Agathiyar was.
So as Andy William sings, "Where do I begin, To tell the story of how great a love can be", where do I begin to tell the story of Agathiyar?
Agathiyar who once walked this earth in the way past, was a mortal like us having born to a family who were farmers. With Lord Shiva's grace he gained the boon to be born as a Siddha. He picked up all that was needed to transform himself into a Siddha. He then walked the earth and traveled the skies and the worlds interacting with the Gods and doing wonders. But above all these, he wanted to bring each man and woman to the state of a Siddha too. He is striving to do it to this day. If all this is his(story) that we have heard and read, Agathiyar in coming into our lives began to give us the direct experience of the Divine energies hence giving us a glimpse of his world of bliss. He has come to give us the methods and the way for upliftment and advancement of individual souls. He has come to give us the means and the practices to bring on a total transformation in us.
But for all these to materialize one needs a guru. Hence he sent Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal over to us. Tavayogi initiated us into chanting Agathiyar's mantra AUM AGATHEESAYA NAMA. AUM is the Pranavam mantra followed by AGATHEESA which means the fire within and Lord Siva who resides within and NAMA is obeisance and submission to him.
Saying his mantra then connects us to the life wire. The electricity begins to flow into us. In having us carry out worship and its related rituals there is a surge in this electricity. In having us carry out Yoga practices as in Asanas and Pranayama, this electricity begins to flow to all the parts of the household and lights up the 7 rooms called chakras within us. We then begin to glow in the dark just as a star glows in the night sky. We then are a Siddha in the skies too. Agathiyar brings us there. So to those who want to return to their home in the skies, Agathiyar is there to point us the way. He is both the refuge and the salvation.
A reader and follower of Siddha Heartbeat has shared his journey, experience, and understanding while traveling the path of the Siddhas.
சித்தப் பயணம் இரு வகை.
2014 இல் தொடங்கிய பயணம் இது. தற்போது வயது 34 காக இருந்தாலும் சித்தர்களோடு பயணத்தில் நான் இன்னும் பத்து வயது மாணவனே.
இந்த பயணங்களில் பல ஜாம்பவான்கள் இருக்கையில் நான் என்னுடைய பயண மாற்றங்களையும், அதிலிருந்து நான் கற்றவற்றையும் விட்டவற்றையும் பகிர்வதால் ஏதேனும் பிழைகள் இருந்தால் பொறுத்தருள வாசகர்களைக் கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறேன்.
சரியையில் தெய்வத் தொண்டினை நாமே நம் கைப்பட செய்யச் சொன்னார் அகத்தியர் அப்பா. ஹோமம், அவருக்கு அபிஷேகம், அலங்காரம், நெய் வேத்தியம் மற்றும் தீபாராதனை என ஆலய வழிபாட்டினை நடுவராக ஒரு ஆகமம் முறை வந்த குருக்கள் இல்லாது நானே என் கைப்பட செய்ய ஊக்குவித்தார்.
இதில் எனக்கு கற்றுத் தந்த பாடம் சித்தர்களோடு இணைவதற்கு நமது உள்ள தூய்மைமட்டும் போதும் என்று. சித்தர்களோடு இணைந்து விடுகிறோம். சித்தர்களும் நம்மோடு உலவத் தொடங்கிவிடுகிறார்கள். எதற்கு? நாம் அவர்கள் வசம் இருக்கும் அவர்கள் நம்மைக் கண்காணிப்பர்.
கிரியையில் சக மனிதர்களுக்கு உதவிக் கரம் நீட்டக் குழந்தைகள் காப்பகம், முதியோர் இல்லம், வீதியில் வசிப்பவர், பிறகு குடும்பமாக வசித்தாலும் வருமான பற்றாக்குறையால் வாடுவோர் என எல்லா தரப்பு மக்களையும் நேரே கண்டு பசி ஆற்றும் பாக்கியத்தைச் அளித்தார்.
இதில் எனக்கு கற்றுத் தந்த பாடம் எனது வாழ்க்கையில் ஒரு போதும் குறை கூறும் அளவுக்கு உடலாலோ, மனதாலோ, சிந்திக்கும் ஆற்றலில் எவ்வித குறைபாடுகளும் தரவில்லையே. பிறகு எதற்கு வாழக்கூடிய வாழ்க்கையைக் குறை கூறிக்கொண்டே வாழவேண்டும் என்று தான்.
சரியையும் கிரியையும் சித்தர்களோடு நமக்கும் உள்ள உறவினை வலுப்படுத்தவும், கர்ம வினைகளை போக்கவும், சிந்தனையை நெறிப்படுத்தவும், இருப்பதைக் கொண்டு நடப்பவற்றை அற்புதமாக மகிழ்ச்சியாகப் பார்க்கப் பழகிக் கொள்வதற்குத் தரப்பட்டவை. இதை நான் அரிந்து உணர்ந்துகொண்டு செயலாக்கம் செய்வதற்கு அகத்தியர் அப்பாவும் மற்ற சித்தர்களும் எடுத்துக்கொண்ட அவகாசம் 5 வருட காலம்.
உணர்ந்த பிறகு அதை மீண்டும் மீண்டும் செய்து கொண்டிருந்தாள் முதலில் பெருமகிழ்ச்சி நம்மை அறியாது நம்மை ஆட் கொண்டு கர்வம் கொள்ளச் செய்யும். அதுவே பிறகு நம்மை யோகத்திற்கும் ஞானத்திற்கும் செல்வதற்குத் தடையாக இருக்கும். எனவே அகத்தியர் உணர்த்திய உடனே என்னைச் சரியை கிரியை இரண்டையும் நிறுத்தி பயண மாற்றம் செய்தார்.
2019 யோக பயணத்தின் தொடக்கம். தவயோகி அப்பா சொல்லித் தந்த மூச்சுப் பயிற்சி குருவாக ஷண்முகம் அண்ணன் சொல்லித்தர நானும் தவறாது இடைவிடாது செய்துவர உடலில் பலவித மாற்றங்களை உணர தொடங்கினேன். வாத பித்த கபம் என்ற மூன்றும் சரி படும் போது என் உடல் தேக்கிவைத்துக் கொண்டிருந்த கழிவுகளை அகன்று போகக் கண்டேன். இந்த காலகட்டங்களில் உடலில் உட்கிருக்கப்பட்ட நோய்களை எல்லாம் வெளியே கொண்டு வந்து அதற்கான சிகிச்சை முறைகளையும் அவ்வப்போது வந்து காண்பித்து, மருத்துவரிடமும் அனுப்பியும் வைத்தார் அகத்தியர் அப்பா.
இதில் நான் கற்ற பாடம் உடல் உறுதி பெற்று வலிமையுடன் இருந்தால் வாழ்க்கை சிறக்கும். ஞானத்திற்கான பயனும் எளிதாக இருக்கும்.
யோகமும் ஞானமும் தனிப்பயனாம் அல்ல. இரண்டுமே ஒன்று கலந்தே இருக்கும். உடலை வளைக்கும் போதே உள் பயணம் செய்ய வலியுறுத்தினார் அகத்தியர் அப்பா. தியானமே முதல் படி உள் பயணம் கொள்வதற்கு. அதற்கு உடலை வருத்திக்கொண்டு அமரக் கூடாது. எனவே உடல் வளைக்கக் கூடிய பயிற்சிகள் தந்த பிறகு அமரச் செய்யும் போது உடல் இலகுவாக இருக்க மனதைக் கட்டுப்படுத்த மட்டுமே தியானம் இருக்கும். அதற்குச் சுவாசத்தை மட்டுமே கவனம் இருந்தாலும் அலைபாயும் மனதைக் கட்டிப்போட எண்ணத்தை மட்டும் திரும்பத் திரும்ப சுவாசத்திற்குக் கொண்டு வந்து, கவனம் கொண்டு உணர்தளோடு செய்ய வேண்டும். இப்படிச் செய்ய நம்மை அறியாது நமது சிந்தனைகள் காணாமல் போக வெறும் சுவாசம் மட்டுமே நிலைத்திருக்கும். அவ்வப்போது புருவ கூச்சல்கள் வந்தாலும் தள்ளி வைத்து விட்டு மீண்டும் சுவாசத்தையே கண்காணிக்க வேண்டும். இதில் நான் கற்ற பாடம் தன்னை அறிந்தால் இன்புறலாம் மற்றும் அதன் தந்திரத்தையும் உணரலாம்.
சரி இப்போது அகத்தியர் அப்பா என்னை எங்குக் கொண்டு செல்கிறார் என்ற கேள்வி வரலாம். தற்போது யோகத்தையும் ஞானத்தையும் செய்துவர அவ்வப்போது அகத்தியர் அப்பா வாக்கு உரைக்கப் பக்தர்கள் மீது வருவதையும், என் மீது வருவதும் நடைபெற்றுக் கொண்டிருக்க, மும்மலம் ஆகிய ஆணவம், கன்மம், மாயையிலிருந்து விடுபடத் தனது பக்தன் பரிபூரணம் அடைந்தபின் அவர்களுக்குள் வாக்கு உரைக்க வருவதையும் ஒரு மாயை என உரைத்து அதனை அடக்கி கொள்ளும் வல்லமை பெறவும், அதற்கு ஆன்மீக பயணத்தைத் துவக்கியுள்ளார். ஆரம்பக் கல்வி ஆகவே இதைப் பார்க்கும் வேளையில் இதுவரை நான் பலமுறை நான் நான் என்று என்னை அடையாளப் படுத்திக்கொண்டதை நிறுத்தும் வகையில் ஒரு புதிய அனுபவ பயணம் நடைபெறுகிறது. நான் என்ற ஆணவம் அழியும்போது மாயை என்ற திரை விலகி எப்படி ரமண மகரிஷி நான் வேறு அல்ல நீ (இறைவன், அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி, பிரபஞ்சம்) வேறு அல்ல என்ற நிலைக்குக் கொண்டு செல்லும் நிலை தற்போது. கன்மம் மட்டும் சரியை கிரியையில் முற்றிலும் சித்தர்களின் அருளால் போக்கப்பட்டு யோகத்திற்கும் ஞானத்திற்கும் பயணிக்கச் சித்தம் ஆகிறோம்.
சித்த பயணத்தை இருவகைகளாகப் பிரிக்க, ஒன்றாவது மனித நெறி பயணம் இதற்கு குருவின் தேவை சரியை கிரியையோடு நின்று விடும். பிறகு அந்த சீடன் கற்றவற்றை வாழ்க்கையில் கடைப்பிடித்து வந்தாலே போதும். உணவிலோ உடையிலோ மாற்றம் தேவை இருக்காது, மனத்தினையும் ஆசைகளை மட்டும் கையாள வேண்டும். தொடர்ந்து சரியை கிரியை செய்து வரலாம். உலக வாழ்க்கைக்கான ஞானம் கிட்டுமே தவிர ஒளி பயணத்திற்கு வழிவகுக்காது.
இரண்டாவதாக ஞான பயணம்/ஜோதி பயணம். இதற்கு உடல், உள்ளம் தூய்மை பெறுவது அவசியம். புலால் உண்ணுதலை தவிர்க்கும் பட்சத்தில் முதல் உடல் தூய்மை ஆரம்பமாகிறது. பிறகு கடுமையான வைராக்கியம் வேண்டும். சித்தர்கள் கொடுக்கும் பயிற்சிகளை விடாமல் செய்வதும், சொல்லிய பொழுதே செய்வதும், ஏன் என்ற கேள்விகள் இன்றி நிறுத்தவும் வேண்டும். இது அடுத்தகட்ட தூய்மை. பிறகு, மனத்தூய்மை செய்யத் தியானம் செய்து வர ஆன்மாவோடு பேசத் தொடங்க வேண்டும். இவ்வகை செய்யும்வண்ணம் சிந்தனை தூய்மையும் செய்தாக வேண்டும் எனில் இங்குதான் சித்தர்களும் பூதகணங்களும் தேவலோகர்களும் நம்மோடு மாய விளையாட்டைச் செய்யத் தொடங்குவார்கள். ஆகவே இதற்கு நாம் குருவைத் தேடுவதை விட நாம் செய்யக்கூடிய சரியான கிரியையைக் கண்டு நம்மை குரு தேர்வு செய்வார். அவர் நம்மை அந்த மூலப் பொருளுக்கே கொண்டு செல்லும் வரை வழிநடத்துவார். தான் வழிபடும் மூலத்தையே நமக்கு அடையாளம் காட்டிவிடுவாரே ஒழியத் தன்னை போற்றிட ஒரு போதும் சொல்வதில்லை. இவ்வாறே நம்மைத் தேர்வு செய்த குரு யார் என்று நாம் கண்டு கொள்ளலாம்.
எந்த பயணத்தை நாம் தேர்வு செய்கிறோமோ அதன் படியே பயணமும் ஒவ்வொருவருக்கும் வேறு படும். ஒப்பிடுதல் ஒருபோதும் ஆன்மிக பயணத்தில் இருக்கக் கூடாது. நாம் வாழும் வாழ்க்கையில் ஒவ்வொரு பொழுதிலும் சித்தர்களின் ஞான பாடங்களும் அற்புதங்களும் இருப்பதை உணர்தலே நமது பயணம் சிறப்பு மிக்க பயணமாக அமையும். அதனை நம் சிந்தை கொண்டு தவயோகி அப்பா சொல்லியதுபோல் “மாயையின் விளக்கம் புரிந்து அதை மனதிலே இருந்து ஒடுக்கித் தள்ளித் தத்துவ விசாரத்தால் வெற்றியடைய வேண்டும்”.
If the last leg of this journey was of letting go, the last lesson is that of not submitting to the tattvas and their play. If Tavayogi had trained us not to get hooked on him and other accessories that we already held on to or gifts that came our way, but pointed us to Agathiyar instead, first as God in the first initiation; as guru with his touch in the second initiation; as the breath by having us observe the breath in the third initiation, Agathiyar in turn showed us to Prapanjam and showed himself as this all-encompassing Prapanjam.
If Maya is anything and everything that is subject to change, then it is in all of creation. Maya is the skies and the changing weather, the earth and its mountains, trees and animals, and man and the ever-changing body, its cells, the speech, the opinion, the thoughts, the perception, the understanding, etc. We are a result of Maya having begun as a cell, and constantly changing forms, from cell to a zygote, embryo, fetus, a child, a toddler, a kid, teen, youth, adult, and turning old and finally dying and decaying, changing back into the very elements or tattvas that we began with. Maya that has been seeded in us and has germinated has to be weeded out.
Maya which envelops all of creation envelops the spiritual arena too, influencing the internal changes taking place. It looks like the Siddhis attained or gifted or that comes our way as a byproduct of the internal transformation is a work of Maya. So too there is Maya in our perception and understanding of the sacred texts. There is Maya hidden in the knowledge passed on by way of a master to a student. One has to carefully peel it away. For instance, we are safe if we stick to the direct transmission, be it Arul Vaakku or Gnana Vaaku or the songs of the saints or the revelations in the Nadi. The moment we begin to elaborate thinking the readers or listeners cannot grasp what is said, the human element sets in and there is the tendency to manipulate adding on and dropping facts. That is why for instance one should only take the words that Agathiyar says in the Nadi, not the expansion and clarifications by the Nadi readers. Agathiyar in answering our quest to know his origin asked the Nadi reader to only read what appeared in the Nadi and not to elaborate further. Similarly in having us read the songs of the saints he had us go for the original texts and not read the clarifications given by writers.
Norman Rockwell's graphic depiction of these misinterpretations through an illustration that appeared in "Readers Digest" many years ago is an excellent example of Maya. The message got changed when it reached back to the original source. If the mode of transmission was by way of mouth those days, it is through the net and social media in present times. We have to verify what we download or share is true and not false.
Just as there is truth and false in all things uploaded to the net, in coming to us as Prapanjam, Agathiyar is teaching us to filter the truth and false that is in it. We need to be alert and identify the wolf in the sheep's skin. Once we beat Maya in its game the game is over. The Divine Lila comes to an end.
Manickavasagar sings of 60 million Sakthis that bring Maya into existence in his 'Potri Thiru Agaval' (போற்றித் திருஅகவல்)
ஆறு கோடி மாயா சத்திகள்
வேறு வேறு தம் மாயைகள் தொடங்கின;
Ramalinga Adigal pronounces that he had beaten Maya and won a victory over it in his song 'Ambalatharase Arumarunthe' (அம்பலத்தரசே அருமருந்தே)
Agathiyar is bringing us to the state of Bhagawan Ramana. What state was he in? Sadhu Om describes his state beautifully in all his songs on Bhagawan Ramana and Arunachala.
Mataji on her last visit told me it was time for me to engage in Rajayoga. Tavayogi in his book "Andamum Pindamum" states that as the mind is the king hence taming the mind is called Rajayogam. There are two means to bring it under our control. Through using intelligence, learning about the tattvas and the hidden hand of Maya, and investigating and expelling it. The other is through Vaasi Yoga or Pranayama.
மனிதனுக்கு ராஜாவான மனதை அடக்கி ஆள்வது தான் ராஜயோகம் என்பது.
மனதைக் கட்டுவதற்கு இரண்டே இரண்டு வழிகள் தான் உண்டு. ஒன்று அறிவின் கூர்மையோடு அண்ட பிண்ட தத்துவம் அறிந்து செயல் பாடு புரிந்து ஒவ் வொன்றுக்கும் மாயையின் விளக்கம் புரிந்து அதை மனதிலே இருந்து ஒடுக்கி தள்ளி தத்துவ விசாரத்தால் வெற்றியடைய வேண்டும். இரண்டாவது வாசியோகம் வழி.
When we speak of spiritualism, we equate it to a monastic life. All householders look up to spiritual heads to receive something and anything. But Agathiyar tells us that we can achieve all that is sought by living with the family. The idea here is to not fully be detached as in the former but to go about our responsibilities with love and care, but remain detached. One has to be prepared to drop or let go when the need arises. This includes all the limelight turned on us, the followers that begin to arrive, the institutions that one establishes, etc. But more and above all these are the byproducts and their grip that results from the internal transformation that takes place. As the energies dormant in us are activated by our spiritual practices, they bring on Siddhis, or powers that one has to recognize and walk and tread carefully lest he hurts himself and others. One needs to differentiate the truth and the false or rather the original and duplicate by constantly watching one's thoughts and not acting on these false impersonations. Here is where the test lies. Here is where many souls who have arrived here tend to fall flat on their faces and never regain their former stand in society. But one has to walk through this phase too. He needs the experience. Just as the Siddhas are constantly watching their disciples carry out the given practices and come to their aid in the event they hurt themselves as a result of these practices, the Siddhas are ever watchful of these seemingly magical moments in this phase of their disciples and come to end the ride when things seem to get out of hand. Imagine if we were to travel solo without the guru or Siddha?
It is only saints like Ramalinga Adigal and Buddha who can walk the path and not pay attention to all the lures of Maya that appear before us on this journey. The Siddhas have us fall prey or fall into the clutches of Maya for want of experience, for how shall we know and tell or forewarn another of the dangers lurking behind the shadows. If we choose to adhere to the tips and hints and warnings issued by the Siddhas we shall sail through unscathed carrying the much-needed experiences and not the scars.
Do not attempt to travel the spiritual path alone. Take on a guru. He has been there. He shall save us. It is often the strong-willed that faces the most challenges. Maya finds means to destroy him or her. It finds ways to tarnish his or her image. It finds a way to dethrone him or her. Though we are not easily lured, we shall unknowingly slip into states that lead to destruction. This is especially true when we are almost reaching the summit or standing at the last door that opens up to the heavenly world of the divine.
I was called for a Nadi reading yesterday after a long time since my last reading in September 2019, though Mataji had given two readings on her two subsequent visits to AVM for all those gathered after that.
Agathiyar in the form of the bronze statue was going to return to AVM this Sunday, cutting short his holidays. He was initially supposed to come for Guru Purnima in July. Agathiyar who was pleased that I had let go of my attachment to his statue and sent him off on holiday to the homes of other devotees, asked me when was I going to let go of my attachment to him? When I asked him how could I, he replied aren't we one soul? The day we realize we are one is the day that we come to the realization that everything else is Maya.
Agathiyar told us some time back that when we fully understand ourselves and gain self-realization; when we understand the Ganangal or Bhuta Gnanangal; and come to finally realize that nothing is permanent, at that moment we shall enter and remain in the void of space (Vezhi Kadappathu), a state of Sunyam or void or silence that is the true state of Being or Summa Erupathu.
உன்னை நீ முழுதும் அறிந்து உன்னைச் சுற்றி இருக்கும் கணங்கள் அறிந்து எதுவும் நிலை அற்றது என்று நீ அறியும் அத்தருணம் வெளிக்குள் நீயே வெளி கடப்பாய். அத்தருணமே சும்மா இருப்பது.
As I had refused all the gifts be it the gift of reading the Nadi, healing others, building a temple, etc that came my way, and dropping the puja and rituals, the association, position, glamour, and attention, it was time to even drop being a vehicle and a messenger. This is the last leg of letting go. This too is Maya I came to understand. I guess it is time we just be the Self, and be aware of the presence within us. I guess this would be the last post too - unless he decides otherwise.
There is so much hype surrounding the initiations given by traveling and preaching gurus. We read and see videos of participants' bodies shaking uncontrollably, tears flowing, cries, and dancing. When I stepped into the room with my wife and another 6 souls who were there for initiation into the path of the Siddhas in 2005, Tavayogi had Perumal pass around a piece of paper on which was written a mantra. It was Agathiyar's initiation mantra or Teechai mantra, we learned later. Tavayogi spoke a few words and told us to chant the mantra always. That was all to it. While the others dispersed, my family stayed back with him where we spoke further regarding many things but nothing about the initiation. Earlier in the morning when I met him for the very first time, telling him that I had read the Nadi and Agathiyar had asked to come to the worship of the Siddhas, he told me that I had come to the right place where the initiators of the affiliate Peddham he came to officiate would lead me. He also wanted me to bring my family into the fold and the worship of the Siddhas. I had been worshipping the Siddhas in my home alone for the past 3 years then after my very first Nadi reading in 2002. He told me it was not enough that I came. They had to come too. That is how my meeting with him and our initiation later in the evening ended. Nothing dramatic.
He pointed me to Nadi Nool Aasan T. Ramesh when I told him that Agathiyar had asked me to come back for a reading after 3 years which was about then. Just before he left for his Kallar ashram, Agathiyar in the Nadi asked that I immediately get initiated by Tavayogi. I rushed to meet him that very night after the reading. Though we were both puzzled, Tavayogi obliged. But this time he just touched my shoulders. That was all to it. That is how my second initiation ended. Nothing dramatic.
Following on his heels a month after he left for India, Tavayogi took me to several places mentioned by Agathiyar in the Nadi reading. When we were returning back to the ashram having covered the jungles and caves, temples, and abodes of the Siddhas, I told him that this trip should not end like any that a tourist takes. I told him I needed something to work on. Just before I left for Malaysia he called me over and gave me another initiation. It was a mantra that he spoke out and I wrote down. That was all to it. That is how my third initiation ended. Nothing dramatic.
Many years later he emailed me a mantra and asked that I chant it. That was all to it. That is how my fourth initiation ended. Nothing dramatic.
In all these initiations he did not fell me, have me dance nor cry out in ecstasy. Instead, he gave me homework to do. Yes, I had to recite and chant, and slowly the powers of these mantras manifested in me. There was no easy way to it.
When Tavayogi visited us again in 2007, he passed on certain Pranayama and Asana practices, showing us and having us follow him in doing it. That was all to it. That is how the move to the next phase that of Yogam was initiated to accompany the rituals and recitation of mantras of Sariyai and Kriyai that were being carried out then. Nothing dramatic. I had to practice what he gave. It activated the Mooladhara chakra without my knowing. Nothing dramatic until Agathiyar revealed the activation as the cause for the pain in my lower back in 2010 that stayed on for some 2 1/2 years, in a Nadi reading.
Even when Agathiyar came to us as the bronze statue, he instructed that we recite his name 100,000 times. But my family and friends could only manage 48,000 times that morning of 3rd January 2010. As our throats hurt we stopped. That was all to it. That is how imparting the energies into his statue and energizing it ended. Nothing dramatic then. The following weekend Agathiyar mentions in a Nadi reading that he had accepted the puja. But as the years went on in 2013 to our amazement he opened his eyes in this bronze statue.
As the years went by, when the bridge was completely drawn down giving them direct access to our home, the real action and showdown began. The Siddhas began to manifest, bringing their messages. Soon they came through selected devotees. It was only after years of worship to the Siddhas and apprenticeship to the guru that these miracles took place. When we earned their trust and had stayed on long enough, 12 years according to Tavayogi, they began to manifest their energies in numerous ways. The action and their lila go on till this day. We never sought explanations and neither did they provide one. They only told us to step aside and watch their play or lila. Besides carrying out miracles, healing, and blessing they began to dispense Gnanam too. They brought torrents of Gnanam on us. For instance, just as the Buddhists considered everything as meditation, Agathiyar too asked us to do everything with care and attention which is equivalent to the meditation done by Buddhists. Agathiyar told us everything we did this far was puja too. For instance, he equated my travels to the jungles and the cave as puja. He equated the Yoga practice we did as puja. Observing the breath was puja. Eating with awareness was puja. And yes sex too. He brings sacredness to everything we do. He says the divine is in all. What was made to be and believed to have stood afar and beyond our imagination and our reach, is now seen in our midst. What was feared and venerated then, with our ignorance removed, is seen as very much in us and all around us.
We understand that birth arises because of the need to satisfy the natural law of cause and action. Birth also is taken in some for a purpose. We might be the cruelest person on the face of the earth. We then shall need to take another birth to undo the evil and repent. On the other hand, we might be the greatest samaritan or philanthropist, but we shall be taking another birth too where we shall be rewarded equally for our actions. So when Agathiyar recently asked us how many times he had to stuff this Atma or soul into a body, he was speaking about the need to end both and thus ending taking birth. All our actions good and bad have to stop.
Many in our midst think that taking up worship of Gods, Siddhas, and discipleship to gurus, is akin to taking a policy or surety against death, that death does not come to us. These people are truly ignorant. All that comes to live shall die someday. Even the many saints have succumbed to illnesses and diseases and passed away. Coming to Gods, Siddhas, and gurus do not automatically protect us from accidents, harm, illness, suffering, and misery. So why turn to them, some might ask? I shall live my life to the fullest. Fine no harm in doing so.
But for those who have already taken the first step, following any faith for the matter, though he shall go through all the difficulties as others in this gross body and world, his soul and subtle body undergo numerous changes unknown to him. His soul begins to come to the forefront and guide him to the right people, associates, teachers, masters, and gurus to help further his purpose and journey here. One day after having taken crores and crores of birth he might turn up at the door to the divine's abode and step into his arms and rest in peace finally. He shall then end this cycle of birth and death.
When researchers and learned, knowing that the Siddhas transcended time-space, yet try to place them in a timeline, trapping them in the web of time-space; authors knowing pretty well that the Siddha's majesty cannot be contained in mere words yet try to contain them in the pages of their books and their stories; and the gurus knowing that the Siddhas are beyond form and name, yet gave them forms and names; the Siddhas seem to be breaking it all and the many false notions and beliefs held by even those who supposedly are said to profess the path and living it.
After having read much about his origin in books and as seen in movies, in wanting to know the truth from the horse's mouth himself, Suren and I decided to ask Agathiyar about his origin when the former was in Chennai in 2017. Agathiyar in a Nadi reading obliged us but only gave us a quick run-through and did not divulge the details as he told us it was not necessary to know.
After attaining the status of a Siddha in another life, and working further and discovering creation and its wonders, medicine, and the other sciences, Agathiyar was called up by Lord Kailai Siva. He was told that he had to get married to attain the state of Paripuranam or completeness. He arranged for Agathiyar to be married to Lobama. P.Karthigayan in his book "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu", Notion Press, 2016, mentions that Agathiyar (and Lobama) gave rise to 48 generations.
I came across a wonderful piece of information in a blog (lost track of the name of the blog though) that most of us have lost in time.
48 generations then would add up to 2,880 years.
Agathiyar in coming to us asks us how would he break up families and have them take on monkhood when he stands in Kalyana Theertham as husband and wife with Lobama. He (the bronze statue) having left the home as a bachelor last year, is in fact returning back to AVM, with his wife Lobama (another bronze statue purchased by a former host).
Sex is the glue that holds marriages intact at least until love unfolds between the couples. True love then sustains the marriage through fine and the worst of weather.
Agathiyar has broken all the myths and opinions held by many even those claiming to have been on the path and left accusing that the Siddhas are the cause of broken families, marriages falling apart, etc.
It is only when you are in love that you truly see the world. You see your girl's or boy's image in everything. Seeing everything brings on the thought of your boyfriend or girlfriend. You begin to appreciate the air, the ambiance, the songs and music, the sights, the flowers, the smell, the skies, and the stars altogether. It is no wonder that looking back at the movies of the past, we see couples look up to the night moon and sing songs asking the moon to be a witness to their love.
With a small shift in this plane, we slip into the state of love towards God. Another shift and our love tend to envelop all of creation.
In this world, we grow up being taught to acquire everything possible. Studies and education, career and positions, wealth and property, life partners and children. People tend to judge us based on all these possessions. But in reality, it is in letting go or rather remaining detached or to be more premise enjoying all these but ready to drop them or leave them when called for, where true bliss is derived. Bliss is not in conquering great summits, lands, and nations but in leaving them behind for others who follow. Love is to be given. Love is to be shared. Love is to be shown. I saw the love that Agathiyar, Lobama, and the Siddhas showed me yesterday. If it was always just like any ordinary telephone conversation where as usual Agathiyar steps into my conversation with another devotee, this time around he drove the devotee to pick up the phone and call me. He wanted very much to talk to me. He showered his love till I remained speechless. He reminded me of the love my grandchildren had for us. They love to be around us. They love to have us around them. They ask that we play with them. They ask that we join them on their trip out to town or the parks.
Man cannot possibly show this amount of love. He does have his reservations and picks and chooses whom to show love too. The Siddhas are indeed different. Though Agathiyar lambasted his devotees some time back as it was called for, for they had simply refused to follow his dictates for a better life, he quickly turns around and brings himself to love them. I guess that is how a guru is too, like a father, loving at times and strict at other moments.
Underlying all the 5 L's that Dr. Gladys McGarey lists out above is LOVE. Love adds magic to all the moments and tasks.
It is amazing how the Siddhas have responded to our move to connect with them through conducting rituals as shown by Tavayogi. After connecting us to them, rather than have us hold on to him, Tavayogi backed off and had us hold Agathiyar's hands instead. Otherwise, we would have garlanded him and worshipped him. Now in his absence in the physical form, Agathiyar comes to walk with us, talk with us, mingle with us. Otherwise, we would be lost having lost a guru and lost for want of another guru like Tavayogi. Like Tavayogi, Agathiyar too on his part stepped back and had us connect with the Prapanjam having Ramalinga Adigal show us the way.
When the bridge was lowered, the Siddhas came down to our world. Agathiyar surprised us by joining and sitting in on the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of our charity arm Persatuan Teman Setia (PTS) some years back. Recently he sat and watched each devotee carry out the Vaasi or Pranayama and Asana practice that he had asked them to do. He sat in on the Women's Satsang a couple of days back watching them share their experiences. Yesterday the Siddhas assembled at AVM. How is all this possible? Agathiyar, just as he had asked those whom he had summoned some time back the reason to come to the Siddhas and their path, asked me in private yesterday. I told him that I just followed his instructions asking me to come to the worship of the Siddhas and the path in the Nadi reading. Is that all he asked? Indeed that was the truth too. He was overjoyed that I had come without any expectations, neither asking to remove my problems, sufferings, misery, and karma; neither asking to heal me, asking for favors, or coming for my other needs or coming for others' needs. I did not come for nor took up the gifts, that were byproducts of our practices, services, obedience, adherence, dedication etc that were offered. I did not come seeking answers, knowledge, Gnanam, Mukti, Sitthi and all the marvelous things spoken by many. Lobama too was pretty much impressed and they both expressed their surprise. Agathiyar continued that Bhogar too was amazed. Soon the 18 Siddhas arrived. Though I saw no vision or their physical presence, Agathiyar kept asking if I felt their presence. He called out each of the Siddhas by their names and pointed out where they stood or sat and what they were doing. It reminded me of the moment he summoned Tirumular and Bhogar and had them stand on both sides of him in the past. It reminded me of the moment Tavayogi tried hard to show me Agathiyar open his eyes in his granite statue at Agasthiyampalli. Just as Lord Murugan opened the doors to their world and plane and brought down the deities and energies amidst us in the past, Agathiyar had the Siddhas come together and assemble like the Avengers assemble. Indeed it was like a scene from the Avengers movie. After showing miracles when I followed Tavayogi on a journey of exploration in India, Agathiyar said that these shall continue after I return to Malaysia. Indeed he has been showing so much.
It is astounding to know that deities and other souls come through many. But many despise these energies coming within their family members though they step up before these energies for their wants to be fulfilled. A man felt ashame that deities came through his wife especially in temples and in public. But the deities coming through her shared with my wife that it was to protect her. Only the divine knows from what. Another was sore that the deities came through his sisters. But eventually, when his mother passed away she came through them to pass on a message. And in coming to us, Agathiyar asked me how else was he going to educate me if not by coming through devotees. If he were to spell it out through the Nadi, the readers would cough blood he said for exerting their vocal cords.
Please bear with me. All these are equally mind-boggling to me too. It is whether we choose to believe in it or not. Belief is the cornerstone of existence. It is because we believe that we are alive and walking that we are still around. Remove that belief and where would we be? It is only in getting hurt that we tend to believe life is real. Similarly, only experience shall make one belief in these (weird to some) happenings too. One has to arrive there to believe.
It is true that we never cherish the greatness of someone until he is gone. Only when Supramania Swami passed on did his son express his sadness in not realizing who his father was. I am glad that I fully took him as a guru and he accepted me as his student, disciple, and son. I think I was the only disciple of his then. As for Tavayogi he never took anyone as a disciple besides Mataji. It was only in 2016, on his last visit to Malaysia that he openly pronounced us as his student in a gathering among a few from the AVM family. I am glad that I stood with him and did not move camp all those years. Today I see his touch in every moment of my life clearly. He had said and uttered the right words and advice then, though we could not make them out. Every puzzle piece begins to fall in its place. Now with both my gurus having left their physical body, Agathiyar takes up any available devotee's physical body to continue from where my gurus left. It is truly amazing that the lineage stands behind us in the absence of the guru in physical form. One wonders why they need to go to this extent to bring salvation to our souls. Agathiyar tells me that we have known each other for crores of births. கோடி கோடி பிறவி நீ என்னுள் தொடர்பு கொண்டு உள்ளாய். I guess I needed to take up the crores of births mentioned just to come to this little bit of understanding. I know that the schooling is not over and never shall be over. We shall keep getting attached and keep learning to let go only to get attached again to something else. Is it a losing battle?
Yesterday he touched my heart by touching my cheeks. I saw the love he had for us. If only we could lay aside all our doubts and love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. But man who is tainted with Karma has doubts arise that confuse him and has veils that prevent him from seeing the clear picture. There is no clarity in thought. It is only when we are clear in our thoughts that we can make wise and right decisions. Agathiyar tells us in the face of problems to step aside and look in as a third person. As long as we are in the circle we cannot see clearly. He gives an example of the village Panchayat leader who stands as an arbitrator and helps settle issues. Agathiyar also gives an example of how the judge discharges himself when the case brought before him involves his kin.
Rather than believing that problems cling to them, it happens that many cling to their problems even after they are counseled. That is how we stay attached and bonded to all things and issues. Agathiyar in guiding the three women yesterday taught us the same too not to get attached. It is only when we get attached that we find it difficult to let go. Lord Murugan in coming some time back tells us that we are the cause of all our troubles. We have to unknot it. Agathiyar tells us not to pity anyone. He asked us to help in whatever way we can and move on with our lives. This saves us from getting attached. I guess we should all learn to see things as a medical doctor does. He just does his profession professionally. No strings attached.
I guess we have to be cruel at times to drive the point. A guru has to discipline his students at times. If something was for our good, the guru steps aside and watches, letting it happen and take place, though it might seem cruel. He knows that we shall learn a much-needed lesson from these experiences.
The guru will shame us too to see if we stand the heat or make a run for it. A guru shall be merciless and a tyrant too. There are many shades of the guru. End of the day it is all fated where we end up and with whom. That guru would turn our fate around either for the better or for the worse.
In having tiny resentments in us we are not allowing the guru to work in us. In having doubts we are not allowing access to him to work on us. One has to surrender totally to him, to open the floor to him, and to take over the steering. But what we do is hold on to our lives while offering a portion to him. Agathiyar tells us to back off once we have surrendered or placed our wishes to the Prapanjam. It cannot work its magic if we still keep interfering. The Prapanjam knows what is best for us.
When Agathiyar came yesterday and asked the gathered three women to write about their experiences, I felt it was a call to them to revive their writings and share. My daughters too have begun sharing their thoughts, and experiences with others some time back through their blogs and YouTube channels.
When my elder daughter, having gone through the terror of having to learn to walk again after she had broken her leg in a road accident and was laid for some nine months, she wrote about her experience documenting the painful and trying moments in the pages of her blog at http://berrysweetprincess.blogspot.com/2011/04/caring-malaysians-kindness-helps-ease.html, http://berrysweetprincess.blogspot.com/2011/04/learning-to-walk-again.html, and at http://berrysweetprincess.blogspot.com/2011/04/autologous-conditioned-plasma-acp.html
She has another blog singing the praise of Agathiyar too at https://myindianheartbeat.blogspot.com/
She wrote a letter to the News Straits Times a few weeks after she was discharged from the hospital.
"WHO says Malaysians are not caring? I wish to relate an incident where total strangers came to my aid and where hospital staff performed their duty efficiently.
I met with an accident on the evening of Oct 12 in Seksyen 17 of Shah Alam. I was riding pillion on a motorcycle.
Several passers-by rushed to our aid. My friend suffered bruises while I could not move my leg. These kind people moved me from the road to the pavement and called for an ambulance.
The ambulance arrived, and my friend and I were taken to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang. The doctors and hospital staff attended to us immediately. An X-ray was done and I was told that I had sustained a clean and closed fracture of the tibia and fibula on the right leg. I was warded in Ward 4B.
The specialist on rounds the next day advised a full cast, preferably a fiberglass cast. This was done.
The doctors and staff at Ward 4B took good care of me. When I complained of pain in the heel of the left leg, the doctors arranged to have a foot X-ray done.
I was discharged on Oct 14.
Although it was a painful experience, the doctors and staff made it very much less so by their kindness and good advice.
Just before being discharged, the physiotherapist came over and showed me how to use the crutches correctly. I was also shown the proper way to climb the stairs as I lived in a double-story house.
I would like to thank all the passers-by, of various ethnicities, who came to help my friend and me. I would also like to thank Dr. Thirumal, Dr. Gurjit Singh, Dr. Ahmad Fahmi, Dr. Prakash, Dr Siva, nurse Jivia, Puan Zaleha, and several others whose names I can't recall, all staff on duty at the emergency ward on Oct 12, the doctors and staff at Ward 4B, the physiotherapist and the pharmacist who brought the medicine over to my bed before I was discharged.
I had heard stories about government hospitals being a bad experience, but my experience at this hospital has proved otherwise. And the accident has also shown me how kind Malaysians can be. Thank you, everyone. 2010/10/27"
My second daughter shared her experience on Retinal Detachment on YouTube at https://youtu.be/P3vlCux0Rug?si=-a54oF9vxOK-4Mu3 , having gone through the terror of the possibility of losing her eyesight some time back. She wrote, "I had to get surgery for Retinal Detachment in April 2021. As many people including myself had never heard of this condition, I decided to make a video to shed light on Retinal Detachment and my experience with it."
My brother who is a journalist has shared many good pieces too including his visit to Kasi. Upon his return from India, he wrote a beautiful piece for his paper. His wonderful experience was published on February 9, 2012, in the pull-out section LIFE & TIMES Travel of the New Straits Times daily. (https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2014/11/kashi-in-mother-gangas-embrace.html).
He wrote a piece for the paper carrying an interview with Tavayogi too. (https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2021/03/reclaiming-lost-websites-3-cittar.html)
He sent a staff to meet me regarding my experience in reading the Nadi and carried a piece on it. (https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2015/06/karma-nadi-siddhas-part-2.html)
Sharing is indeed about enlightening others. If the Siddhas share the truth and the experiences in reaching out to God, we can similarly share the greatness of God and how he comes to answer our call in our lives. Others would gain faith and hope to continue living. The immediate family can get to the ground and pray and carry out rituals to help bring positive results to the ongoing medical treatments given and taken. It is an appeal to the Prapanjam to heal from within and produce positive results. I had always never walked the lobby of the hospital wards or waited anxiously for the latest developments when my wife and daughters were warded in the past. Checking with the hospital if I was required to stay, I would rush back home and start a Homam seeking Prapanjam to do the rests. Prapanjam always answers our pleas and calls for a quick recovery. Have faith in the medical staff to do their work and place your faith in Prapanjam to do the rest, for even the medical practitioners would ask us to pray after they have done their bit in saving us.
Do not keep company with those who complain about every single thing. Do not keep company with those who do not see miracles in everyday life. Do not keep company with those who do not appreciate life. They would drag you into the pit.
Instead, keep company with people who stand out as role models and drive us to achieve. Keep company with those who spread love and kindness. Keep company with those who shed tears for the sufferings of others. These are souls that are elevated to a certain extent. We tend to gain much from keeping in touch with them.
As we wondered how today's Satsang would go and who would attend, it all fell into place beautifully with Agathiyar's touch, blessing, and grace. He brought together both my daughters and Mahin's wife and told me and Mahin to excuse ourselves as he hinted that it was "women's day" today. He said that they shall share their experiences among themselves. At the end of the Satsang, Agathiyar came and he spoke much about gaining experience. He told them to write all their experiences and pass them to me to be posted on this blog. He also had me call another devotee who was at work to contribute her experiences too.
"Is your journey with your father and, now that you are traveling alone, the same? Is it the same learning with your father and learning alone? Everything that happens in your life is just an experience. See it as experience only. Don't become emotionally attached to it. (Ask yourself) What did the experience teach you? What did you learn? How do you feel about it? What changes are you going to make? If you take care of these questions, worldly life will not affect you. It only affects when you claim them as yours. It doesn't matter if it's seen as everyone's. Pain and suffering will do you no harm then."
தந்தையோடு நீ சென்ற பயணம், இப்போ நீ தனியாக பணிகிக்கும் போது ஒன்றாக இருக்கிறதா? தந்தையோடு நீ கற்றதும் தனித்து நீ கற்பதும் வேறல்லவா? உங்கள் வாழ்க்கையில் நடப்பவை அனைத்துமே அனுபவம் மட்டுமே. அனுபவமாக மட்டும் பாருங்கள். உணர்வுபுறமாக அதற்கு அடிமை ஆகவேண்டாம். அனுபவம் உங்களுக்கு என்ன தந்தது? என்ன கற்று கொண்டீர்கள்? அதில் இருந்து என்ன உணர்ந்திர்கள்? என்ன மாற்றம் செய்ய போகிறீர்கள்? இதைமட்டுமே அறிந்துகொண்டு வந்தால் உலக வாழ்கை உங்களுக்கு எந்த பாதிப்பும் தராது. எனது என்று ஆகும்போது மட்டுமே அது பாதிக்கும். எலோருடையது என்றால் பாதிக்காது. அவர் அவர் பயணத்தை மட்டும் கவனித்து கொண்டு இருந்தால் வலிகளும் வேதனைகளும் உங்களை ஒன்றும் செய்யாது அல்லவா?
"Practice (Breathing and Asanas) regularly to protect yourself. If the body becomes pure, the mind becomes pure. When the mind becomes pure, thinking becomes better. Thinking skills improve with experience. Wisdom will dawn on you as your experience improves. Learn to make time for yourself. Blend in with your practice, when you eat, when you interact with the herbs. Don't do anything just as a duty. It doesn't go anywhere. You will also get no experience. You have to watch your journey. Start noticing it. Apply the wisdom we share in everything at home, with children, in education, in travel, etc. Don't make the mind a garbage bin. Don't keep it (the garbage). No matter how hard you try, worldly life goes on. Focus on your journey and the experience shall come. As happy as you are to see the lotus blooming in the pond, just imagine how it would be like if it unfolded within you? It is buried within you. Post your experiences. If it is in written form, it can be shared with everyone during the session. One month from today, you will share your experiences with Shanmugam in written form and he share them with his readers."
"பயிற்சிகள் தொடர்ந்து உங்களை நீங்கள் காத்துக் கொள்வதற்கு. உடல் தூய்மை பெற்றால் மனம் தூய்மை அடையும். மனம் தூய்மை அடைந்தால் சிந்தனை சிறக்கும். சிந்தனை சிறத்தால் அனுபவம் மேம்படும். அனுபவம் மேம்படும் போது ஞானமே உங்களை தேடி வரும். உங்களுக்கான நேரத்தை செலவிட கற்றுக்கொள்ளுங்கள். பயிற்சி போடும்போதும் சரி, உண்ணும் போதும் சரி, மூலிகைகளோடும் உறவாடும் போது சரி, உணர்வு பூர்வமாக லயித்து போங்கள். கடமைக்கு மட்டும் எதையும் செய்ய வேண்டாம். அது எங்குமே பதியாது. உங்களுக்கு அனுபவம் தராது. உங்கள் பயணத்தை நீங்கள் கவனிக்க வேண்டும். இல்லற வாழ்கை, குழந்தை வாழ்கை, மன வாழ்க்கை, கல்வி பயணம், தொழில் பயணம் எல்லாவற்றிலும் நாங்கள் போதிக்கும் கல்வியை பயன்பாட்டுக்கு கொண்டு வந்து விடுங்கள்."
"மனதை ஒரு குப்பை காலமாக்க வேண்டாம். அதனை உங்களுள் பதித்து கொள்ள வேண்டாம். முயற்சித்தாலும் முயற்சிக்காடாலும் உலக வாழ்க்கை நடந்து கொண்டே தான் இருக்கும். முதலில் உங்கள் பயணத்தை மட்டும் கவனம் செலுத்தி கொண்டு உடல் பயணமும் உயிர் பயணமும் ஒன்றென கலக்கும் போது அனுபவம் கிட்டும். அந்த அனுபவம் குளத்தில் தாமரைகள் விரியும் போது பார்க்கும் உங்களுக்கு எவ்வளவு மகிழ்ச்சியோ, அது போல் உங்களுக்குள் விரிந்தால் எப்படி இருக்கும்? உங்களுக்குளே புதைந்து கொண்டு இருக்கு. தட்டி எழுப்புங்கள். இன்று இருந்து ஒரு மாதம் உங்கள் அனுபவங்களை எழுத்து வடிவமாக ஷண்முகமடம் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளுங்கள். அதை அவன் வாசகர்களிடம் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வான்."
Later he tells me "This three (women) shall pass you their experiences in writing in a month's time. You share it with your readers. Henceforth your postings shall be that of each person's journey. Let your readers read them." "இவர்கள் மூவர்களும் இன்றிலிருந்து ஒரு மாதம் கழித்து அவர்களின் எழுத்துக்களை உன்னுடன் பகிர்வார்கள். பகிர்வதை நீ வாசகர்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து விடு. இனி உனது பதிவு, ஒவ்வருடைய பயணமாக இருக்கட்டும். வாசகர்கள் படித்து தெரிந்து கொள்ளட்டும்."
Though the readership statistics of this blog are very satisfying Agathiyar wants me to hold Satsangs at AVM now in the absence of rituals. Knowing that many might not have access to the blog and understand its contents he wants us to speak about their teachings and share our experiences. He asked to hold one today. The Siddhas are known to be on their own taking up and studying various fields but come together regularly to present their findings and researches and debate and discuss among themselves. These are then left for mankind to adopt and follow. So too recently Agathiyar and Lobama were discussing the need to speak to Lord Shiva to loosen the rules in this new age for us to come to adopt their ways.
The Siddhas have always lent a helping hand to men. They were the pioneers in all fields that brought upliftment and advancement both materially and spiritually. They were the gurus. Soon they began to identify and pick certain souls to pass on their knowledge and practices. Agathiyar tells me that AVM has to be revived so that these teachings would not fade away. It is a very big responsibility that he has given us and placed on our shoulders now.
But are there listeners out there one wonders? People are so tied up with their lives and careers that they cannot seem to spare some time for a healthy discussion. Nevertheless, Agathiyar seems to not be giving up. He comes up with many means and ways to have the Margam or path standing for the generations to come. It is the role of parents to bring their children to the fold just as our parents brought us to temple worship.
What is to take place today and who shall be among us is everybody's guess.
