At AVM, we focused on the practical application of the teachings of the Siddhas rather than discussing the myths, legends, and stories that surround them. If it might be important to academicians and historians, Agathiyar told us that these were not important to us. Instead, they gave us the practices and methods to take up that one day would bring us to the state of a Siddha and that of Light. Now I understand why Lord Siva came in a dream in 1988 and had me bring the shutters down for some 14 years, on all my reading, home worship, temple worship, and the yoga practice that I picked up from these books, as a bachelor. He had me take on a new chapter in my life, that of a married man, bringing two souls into this world, and shouldering the responsibilities of raising a family. In 2002, coming through a Nadi reading, he had flipped open yet another new chapter in my life. Agathiyar called me to the worship of the Siddhas, which I did. Giving me rituals and practices, sending many over to my home that took on the name Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM), he brought down the shutters again in 2019, at the peak and hype of our worship and charity drives. Having me let go of it all, and asking me to go within, having me stay in solitary most of the time, and letting me be myself, today, after 24 years walking the path, he has taken me into his fold. He tells me that I am one with them after having me drop even him. He brought me from Dvaita to Advaita, to the teachings of Adi Sankara. And what do you know, we only came to know recently from his Nadi reading that a soul that came as a kid back then and grew up watching and participating in our home puja all these years was Adi Sankara's disciple in a past birth. He is now in college. His parents, who were grazing cattle and goats in a past birth in Kutalam, used to deliver milk and serve Agathiyar. And so are the others who came by, souls who had served Agathiyar back in the past, as revealed in their Nadi readings. Another devotee who was a student of Agathiyar, but had offended the Muni, came back to him, too. Another devotee had ferried Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar across the Kaveri in a coracle to witness Agathiyar inaugurate the Lingam that he built out of the sands of the river Kaveri at Nattadreewar. My daughter had served the fruits that my wife and I sold on the grounds of his temple at Papanasam to Agathiyar in a past birth. Another couple of devotees and I had been together in ashrams both in India and in Malaysia back in the past. Finally, Agathiyar reveals that we have known each other for crores of years. We have come home to him.
