When many come to the Siddha path thinking it is an alternative worship to that conducted in temples traditionally, seeing that it is nowhere close to that, they leave, for the approach is one of hands-on. Unlike being passive at temple Puja, paying a token to see God and receive Prasad, we have to dirty our hands, dust, and clean our homes, and prepare the venue for the arrival of devotees and guests, and above all, the Siddhas.
If there is a priest to carry out these rituals in the temples, in Siddha puja, we carry out the rituals. Unlike the rigidly outlined rituals in temples, here we are given full freedom to experiment and grow. If initially the tendency is to add to these rituals as it brings on a sense of joy, making us "high" in the words of my wife, eventually the Siddhas themselves have us drop many rituals or shorten their duration, by coming to show and tell. The Siddhas do not sit in a throne, watch and enjoy the proceedings during a Siddha Puja, but sit among us. They give us a helping hand, so that when we lift and carry things, we don't feel the weight. At times, they change our well-laid-out plans and hijack these Puja. Knowing this, these days we only draft one, knowing that they will come to amend and change it anyway.
Preparing us for his arrival, at Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM), both as a bronze statue and in the subtle form, in 2010, he told me that my soul shall take residence in his statue while he comes in me during the duration of the Puja and the chanting of his name 100,000 times, which he asked us to do.
Days after we conducted a Puja at AVM in the presence of Tavayogi and Mataji in 2016, Agathiyar disclosed that the Siddhas were present at the Puja in a Jeeva Nadi reading read by Tavayogi for a devotee. This was only sensed by Mataji, who felt the ground shake.
When we placed Agathiyar's statue on a palanquin and began to bring him around the Mayuranathar temple complex in Dengkil back then, what seemed manageable became back-breaking for the AVM ushers who carried Agathiyar around.
When Dyalen volunteered to carry Agathiyar's statue into the condo of a devotee, he was all smiles as it seemed an easy and light task. But after the Puja was over, and when he had to bring Agathiyar back into the car at the car park, he was struggling to do so.
So why conduct Puja then?
They come into the very object of reverence when we call out to them and observe certain rituals.
A devotee who frequented our home and watched the Puja once asked me why we need to praise the Siddhas, singing their songs, not that he was an atheist or new to it. He used to sing songs from the Thevaram before the deities in his hometown temple. I answered him just as I had answered the reader of this blog who came up to me and asked about the conversations with Agathiyar, if it was all a hallucination. I had told him to carry out all that I did and find out for himself. Similarly, I told this devotee the same and find out for himself.
In calling me to their worship in a Nadi reading in 2002, and taking it up, bringing my family too, chanting and calling out their names, singing their praises at our home Puja, we caught their attention. The bridge was drawn down for the Siddhas to come from their plane or realm into our homes. They then introduced me to a guru in the physical form on the path of the Siddhas. Tavayogi of Kallar Ashram introduced me to carrying out the Homam, a smaller version of the Yagam or Yagna, in my home. Although initially I was reluctant, telling him that it was the domain of the temple priests, he convinced me to do it, allaying any fear and inadequacy that I had. Later, Agathiyar in the Nadi tells me that I was not doing it for me but for the good and well-being of this world (Ulaga Sehmam). At the peak of the pandemic, Lord Siva came through a memo taken down by a devotee, asking me to get devotees to conduct a Homam in their individual homes due to the lockdown to subdue the terror and danger lurking in the air and assist Prapanjam in her healing. Fearing a revival, Prapanjam came through another devotee with a similar message later, asking her to pass it to me.
When Agathiyar came as the bronze statue, he told me to carry out libation or Abhisegam to him using nine items, without listing them in the Nadi. I consulted Mataji from Kallar Ashram, who forwarded to me, more than I bargained for, a list containing 23 items. I could now choose and pick. These days, when the Siddhas themselves come to conduct these Puja, they tell us beforehand what is to be done or stop us at the moment, ending the ritual where it stands.
Now that the home has physically been cleansed, and the venue has been prepared for the arrival of devotees and guests, and above all, the Siddhas, the very space where all this is happening now is cleansed too, besides attending to the continued sustenance, survival, and the needs of Prapanjam with the ritual of Homam. We grab their attention, and at the same time, the bridge is then drawn down by calling out their names. Having the Siddhas as guests in our homes, cooling the Siddhas and deities with the ritual of Abhisegam, serving them food and delicacies, a bond is formed where they are obliged and are on hand to listen to and attend to our needs. We have their full attention now. Furthermore, they then give us boons, gifts, and presents. It is our choice to accept or turn down. If our choices so far have determined our path and the results, henceforth they begin to determine what is right for us, or rather, reveal our true purpose in coming here. The Siddha comes to claim his throne and rightful place in the inner chambers of our hearts and mind as the long-lost buddy, the JeevAtma that went into self-exile after our Ego invaded and took over the fortress. The Final Destiny comes into play. We are no more ourselves. We who were a part of them are now back to being the whole. We become One with them. Yegan.