When we think we have understood things, then we are told things from others' perspectives that bring us to accept that nothing we believe is concrete. Speaking to my long-time Nadi reader, T. Ramesh last night, who has read and delivered some sixty-odd Nadi readings from Agathiyar for me, since 2005, the last time being over the phone, late night on February 21, 2026, he asked me to read and reread the Jeeva Nadi for it shall give us a different perspective and understanding each time we read it. That is the nature of the Jeeva Nadi, he said. As the name goes, it is pretty much alive, I was told. Unlike the general or Kaanda Nadi and those associated or linked with it, whose numbers and names vary in degree according to the Nadi centers, and that is frozen in time, the Jeeva Nadi is very much alive and breathing. If we are told that, unlike the general Nadi, where the written word is visible to all, the Jeeva Nadi is empty and the words appear in real time, as we sit before the Siddha, I was shown one by the veteran Nadi reader Taranibalan Aiya. Holding the palm leaf before me in 2018, when he brought the Nadi over to visit me as I was in pain, what do you know, it was blank. There were no words etched on it, but Lord Muruga came and spoke through it. Tavayogi and now Mataji have one in their possession, which we were blessed to have a reading back then in 2016 when Tavayogi visited us at our home.
Supramania Swami once told me to do Tavam, the reason being, if I did Tavam, he said, he would take a leap into the higher states, “நீ தவம் செய்தால் என் நிலை உயரும், ராஜா”. I was surprised and taken aback, thinking how that was possible. Lately, Agathiyar said the same of Tavayogi too, surprising us altogether. He said that in spreading his fame and with my Tapas (whatever little I did), Tavayogi had attained the state of Jothi, அவன் புகழை பரப்பிய உன் தவ வலிமையால் அவன் ஜோதி நிலை தொட்டு விட்டான். I then realized that this statement holds true. When Agathiyar had me commission and make his bronze statue, besides giving me the specifications regarding his statue, in the Nadi, he asked that we perform prayers on his arrival at Agathiyar Vanam in Malaysia in the form of a statue. I was to give it life, he told me. He said through the Nadi, “உயிரும் நீ கொடுக்கணும் உருவமும் நீ கொடுக்கணும்” which translates to, “You must give both form and spirit”. I did not know that life could be instilled in things. How was that possible? Me giving life to a piece of metal? He told us to recite his name 100,000 times. But today, with all the Puja and rituals that we did, he is very much alive. Nay, not only has he come alive in his statue, opening his eyes to see us, but he walks the grounds coming through his devotees these days. Initially staying for brief moments, today he has made my home his home.
It seems that the power is within us to bring a metal to life. And I suppose to heal ourselves and others, too. If we are made in the image of God, as we are told, then we can also perform His feats. Ramalinga Adigal sang in his Arutpa that God gave him his staff of authority and stepped aside. I believe that in leaving Dvaita and embracing Advaita, we merge into the other, becoming One, the Yegan, God. But let not the Ego take control of us and bring our downfall, not when we are on the last lap, standing at the door to His kingdom. King Ravana was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. None of us could ever match his devotion towards Lord Shiva. But King Ravana met his death because his Ego took control of him, turning him arrogant, and he began to take control of the world and its running, nay, even the Gods and Goddesses too. He took up arms against Lord Rama and met his timely death. From https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/rise-and-fall-of-ravana/49116, we learn about the rise and fall of King Ravana due to his arrogance.
"Born in the lineage of one of the most learned and wise sages of all time, Rishi Pulatsya, Ravana had all the attributes that could make him a legend. But, his ego, his illusion of immortality, and the belief that he would never be punished for his sins made him fall in the battle of Ramayana. Certainly, an interesting character, where on one hand, he stopped any kind of animal sacrifice in his kingdom and was pious and ascetic, on the other hand, he had a long list of curses received from many celestial figures, including Nandi. That said, Ravana had his own share of sins that he committed, and before he could realize his sins, he met his inevitable death when Rama's arrow struck him."
Though I strongly believe now that Agathiyar walked the face of this earth as Tavayogi, the latter never showed himself nor conducted himself as a Siddha, nor did he reveal this fact. He did not seek attention nor ask to be honored in public forums or by the general public. He sat with us on the floor. He ate with us, never distancing himself. The only moment he took the stage was when he was invited to give a talk. He did not claim he had powers or Siddhis. He never healed others. He hardly touched others. He never wanted to take on others, Karma. But he made an exception for my second daughter, telling me to forego the remedies that Agathiyar had listed and asked to carry out in her Nadi reading. We came to know very much later that he could negotiate deals with the Gurus and Siddhas just like Agathiyar brings our issues to Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, asking for divine intervention. When his guru Chitramuthu Adigal came in the Nadi reading for a devotee at AVM, asking all of us to head for the Tanneermalai or Waterfalls temple in Taiping and conduct a Siddha Puja on a working day, as it was not feasible for all to make themselves available on a weekday, telling Tavayogi about this, he told us to do it on a weekend and told us that he would speak to his guru Chitramuthu Adigal who had gone into Samadhi then.
Both my gurus, Supramania Swami and Tavayogi, were humble to the core. They set a precedent for me to follow, too. Besides teaching me the Asanas and Pranayama techniques that Agathiyar later told me were a heritage and treasure, Tavayogi taught me to be humble by example. Besides passing on his life's earnings that were the merits of his forty-year Tavam and austerities, Supramania Swami too taught me humility by example. They taught me to give and not to hoard. Though Supramania Swami was said to have displayed Siddhi in his beginning years, neither of my gurus did that in later years. One has to be gifted with gurus of such a nature. I am truly indebted to them.