From My Travels in India.
Day 9: The Pinnacle Of My Journey
According to the Nadi, I was to go around Annamalai hill on a full moon night.
9th September 2003
I left for Thiru Aanaikaval temple again at 6 am, thinking I could take a dip in the tank. But there was hardly any water in the tanks.
7.15 am, I started for Tiru Annamalai, stopping over at Viradeswarar Temple in Tirukovilur at 10.40 am. I continued my journey to Tiru Annamalai at 11 am.
I reached the Tiru Annamalai temple at 1.15 pm. Deva, my chauffeur, accompanied me. I was at the temple grounds till 1.50 pm. I had a beautiful darshan and a pretty close one too of Lord Annamalaiyaar and Unna Mulaiyal. I performed prayers here, at the Siva Parvathi Urchavamurthy shrine and at Lord Murugan's shrine. I saw the Patala Lingam where Ramana Maharishi had meditated. I left for the hotel at 2.30 pm.
Today was the day when devotees go around Mount Tiru Annamalai. The full moon started at 10.47 pm and lasted till 10.48 pm the next day, 10 September 2003. At 5.30 pm, I walked to the temple from the hotel. I joined the long queue to get another darshan of the Lord before embarking on the Girivalam. It was a long queue indeed, for I only saw the Lord at 9 pm. At 9.40 pm, I started on the Girivalam path, finishing back at the temple grounds at 6.30 am on 10th September. I stopped over at the following places of worship:
Tuesday, 9th September
9.45 pm Agni Lingam in the temple grounds
10.40 pm Seshadari Ashram, Amman Temple, Dhaksanamurthy temple
10.45 pm Kali temple
11.30 pm Ramana ashram
11.40 pm turned back without visiting Yogi Ramsuratkumar's (Visiri Swami) ashram as it was too far off the Girivalam route
11.55 pm Murugan temple, Sakthi temple, Adi Shankaracharya Madam, Tank
Wednesday, 10th September
12.10 am Cemetery, Yama Lingam
12.20 am Mrityam Or Jaya Lingam, Ganesar temple
12.35 am Tank, Dhurvasar temple, Nandi temple
12.50 am Tank, Jhoti Vinayagar temple
1.20 am Vallalar temple, Annamalaiyaar temple, Unnamulai temple
1.30 am Anjaneyar temple
1.40 am Palani Andavar temple, Raja Rajeswari temple, Nandi temple
1.50 am Adi Mudi Sidhar Samadhi, Kautamar Rishi temple, Surya Lingam temple, Ramar temple, Varuna Lingam temple, Adi Arunachaleswarer temple
2.45 am Manickavasagar temple, Ganesar temple, Sakthi temple, Sudhananda ashram
3.10 am Vayu Lingam temple
3.20 am Tank, Ramachandra Swami Ashram
4.20 am Kubera Lingam temple
4.40 am Eduku Pillaiyaar temple, Panja Muka Darshan temple, Brahma Rishi temple, Esaki temple
5.00 am Arthanathiswarar temple
5.10 am Seenivasa Perumal temple, Cemetery, Ammani Ammal Peedham, Esanya Lingam temple
5.30 am Easanya samadhi, Annamalaiyaar temple
5.55 am Draupadi Amman temple
6 am Durga, Anjaneyar, and Perumal temples
Finally, Erathai Vinayagar temple at 6.30 am, ending the Girivalam at the eastern gopuram.
I was hoping to come face-to-face with my guru at this holy event.
Day 10: A Chance Meeting with Supramania Swami, or Was It Ordained?
After lunch that day at 12 noon, I went back to Ramana Maharishi's ashram and sat at his samadhi. I purchased the Tamil Parayanam cassettes. Later, I left for Yogi Ramsuratkumar's ashram, which I had not gotten to visit earlier during the girivalam. Unfortunately, Yogi Ramsuratkumar's ashram was closed for lunch.
I then decided to go eight kilometers out of Tiru Annamalai to Deva's uncle's home. I was told he was an astrologer. Deva introduced me to Supramania Swami as a tourist from Malaysia who was there for his daughter's astrological chart reading. I mentioned my name to the Swami. He immediately took me into his prayer room, lit the camphor, hovered it in front of all the portraits of the deities in his prayer room, and blessed me. We sat outside the house as he prepared to chart my daughter's future. But what he actually did was to talk about my future and me.
The first thing he mentioned was: "Now since you have arrived in Tiru Annamalai, all is over for you" (Ingu vanthutear. Yellam mudinthathu). I didn't ask what he meant by that. He reminded me, "Now I had to put effort into certain practices", which he elaborated later. I did not question him nor interrupt him. I just sat there listening, waiting for each word to break out from his lips. He mentioned that he had been going around Mount Tiru Annamalai for the past thirty years, but could not do it the night before, which was a full moon day, due to ill health.
He mentioned his master's. He had had five gurus. Amongst them were his own father, Jayaraman Pillai, Pundi Mahan (Atru Swami), Sathanandha Swami, Kolli Malai Swami, and Yogi Ramsuratkumar (Visiri Swami). The Yogi, he said, had placed him under house arrest. He was asked to meditate at the Yogi's residence for five days. The Yogi had asked Supramania Swami to stay put at his place, but later decided that he would be with his family. Swami did mention another incident where the Yogi, after going into samadhi, had appeared and tapped the door of his home at 11 pm one night. Swami woke up to be given a poster of the Yogi himself, and the Yogi left laughing. Swami tried to keep up with the Yogi but could not.
Supramania Swami gave me an initiation or the mantra teecha, which was the guru upadesa to be recited. He asked that I chant the mantra for half an hour each day till I recite one kodi (lakh). That amounts to ten million times. "Just as a silversmith polishes his wares, we too shall slowly work on IT till we achieve IT", said Swami. Swami did ask me to get a mat made of tharbai or kusa grass for use during meditation; to light a Kamatchi Amman lamp or vilakku, or Asthalaksmi vilakku during prayers.
As we sat there together, Swami revealed new happenings that were about to take place in my life. He could tell several intimate things about the life and mission I was to face. As he was narrating all these happenings to me, I could not help but break down. I cried like a child. I cried for the number of blessings I had received from god till that very moment. I realized how much God loved me then. Then he surprised me further when he mentioned that I would build a temple right here in India, in Tiru Annamalai, and set up a Peedham. I cried aloud again. Swami was by now seated up erect, in a meditative (padmasana-tavam) state as those words crept from his lips. I did not ask for clarifications.
When Deva mentioned to Swami that it took me nine hours compared to three hours for others to go around Mount Tiru Annamalai (Annamalaiyaar), Swami replied, "Of course it would take that long for he (referring to me) had been stopping over at all the places of worship and ashrams."
We had a photography session. As we left his home, he stood there, hands together in prayer for me. I, in return, stood there with my palms in prayer to him too, not knowing what was appropriate for the moment. I just could not believe the amount of love this man had for a total stranger. He was praying for my safe journey. He had ordered Deva to ensure I was safely taken to the airport and boarded the plane back to Malaysia on 12 September 2003. I left him as night fell over this small village known as Nachaananthal. I reached the hotel at 8 pm.
Day 11 Returning Home - A Satisfied Pilgrim
Thursday morning, 11th September, I walked to Annamalaiyaar temple at 6.30 am to have HIS darshan again. Today, there was no crowd any longer. I took my time to pray and look around. I saw abhisegam being performed to Annamalaiyaar's feet. I splashed myself with water from the tank (Indra Theertam). A woman was standing alone against the wall opposite Egambareswarar's sanctum. She indicated by hand gestures that she was hungry. I gave her some rupees and fell at her feet.
I returned to the hotel after breakfast. Deva turned up at 10 am.
I went over to Ramana Maharishi's ashram to purchase the cassettes; then over to Yogi Ramsuratkumar's ashram at 10.40 am and sat at his samadhi. No one was around then except for an employee from the ashram who was distributing prasadham at the entrance. It was beautiful here. The calmness away from the hectic atmospheres in most of the major temples that I had visited earlier.
I went over to the Kubera Lingam at 11.30 pm. Deva accompanied me. I left for Chennai at 11.40 am.
On the way, I chanced to see Saint Ragavendra's Brindavan at Vemandhi in Pelakuppam, Tindivanam.
Then I diverted to Tiruporur Kandasamy temple. I was there from 4 pm to 4.30 pm. I reached Chennai at 5.20 pm.
I had planned to see a few more temples in Chennai, but it was not important anymore. After Tiru Annamalai and the darshan of Supramania Swami, nothing was important anymore. That night, I ventured out of my hotel. Having nothing to do, I dropped in at the Vinayagar temple next to my hotel.
Day 12 Departure Day
At 5.30 am, 12 September 2003, I ventured out of the hotel, going back to the Vinayagara temple. Then I went to the adjacent Vadapalani Murugan temple and a Siva temple. 8 am I was back at the hotel; at 10 am I did some shopping in T Nagar, returning to the hotel at 3 pm; at 8 pm I started for the airport. I took the flight back to KLIA Sepang at 12.05 am on 13 September 2003. It was a memorable journey and a satisfying trip indeed.
My first trip to India, which started off as a means to carry out my remedies, showed me, my guru, too. I returned home carrying wonderful memories and bliss. As the routine life went on, the bliss slowly wore out. Although Agathiyar was silent after my return, as he had told me to come in for a second reading of the Nadi three years on, Supramania Swami was at hand to give me a tug and a reminder and showered his blessings. Before coming to the Siddhas, I only knew the Gods and Goddesses and the deities. Agathiyar brought me to his fold to know the Siddhas, too. Coming to Supramania Swami, I came to know about men who were Gurus. A new chapter had yet to unfold. A Guru-disciple relationship unfolded.
Supramania Swami’s Life In Brief.
When I went over to India again in 2005 and met Supramania Swami before I left for Kallar Ashram to meet Tavayogi, as instructed by Agathiyar, to spend a few days with him, I asked Swami to narrate his life history because the first time I met him in 2003, I had spent only five hours in his company, during which he was talking mostly about me. Swami narrated his story briefly, aided by his wife.
Swami was born on Monday, 17 July 1943, on a ‘Kritigai’ day, an auspicious day for Lord Murugan, in the Tirutani Murugan temple grounds. His mother was doing penance by taking a ‘kavadi’ when she had labor pains and delivered Swami. Muthalamma was their clan’s deity. Swami was named Supramanian. His grandfather, Thuraisamy Pillai, was a Vaisnavite from Aadi Peedham, Ladavaram near Tiruvanamalai. He was an accountant at Tiruvanamalai Arunachaleswarar temple. His father, Jayaram, was teaching in Reddi Kuppam, Anaikoyil. His uncles were teachers too. At one juncture, his father left his mother, another son, and him in Andipalam and came to Tiruvanamalai. Later, in the absence of his father, who was in Tiruvanamalai at that moment, a priest admitted Supramanian to a school in Andipalam. Supramanian’s brother, who joined the military, contracted a high fever and passed away at the age of 24.
Supramanian used to follow his father to the woods to chop a ‘kalli’ tree. That’s when the sap of the tree blinded him. Supramanian, now partially blind, went to Madras alone, hoping to receive treatment at the Government hospital. A policeman, seeing him struggling on the streets of Madras, called an ambulance that took him to the hospital. There, the local Indian doctors certified that he had to be operated on to remove his eyes. There was no other way to it; any delay would otherwise lead to the poison eventually reaching his brain. One of the doctors, however, sent for an American doctor to get a second opinion. The American doctor said he could save Supramanian’s eyesight, and he subsequently performed six operations on Supramanian, which cost Rs950, 000. Supramanian was blessed to have the politician, Mr. MU Karunanidhi, who was undergoing treatment for his illness at the same time at the hospital, take up the cost of operating on Supramanian.
Supramanian’s father, who worshipped Lord Vengadasalapathy, gave him initiation or ‘teecha’ on Lord Murugan. Supramanian meditated for seventeen years in the hills surrounding Tiruvanamalai. One day, he lost his mind. He started performing miracles. He would grab a handful of sand, which would turn into vibhuti, kumkum, or panjamirtham. This he gave to the people, which cured their illnesses and sufferings. He was only attired in a banana tree bark then. During this time, a sidha indicated to the locals the site of a ‘vel’ that was buried by him by entering Supramanian's body. Supramanian kept possession of this vel. Supramanian had no memory of what transpired during that period. He only heard about his antics after gaining his memory back, which surprisingly came back to him after consuming food prepared by a stranger. When Supramanian was in Tiruchendoor, he pulled the temple chariot for seven consecutive years, walking on sandals with nails on them. His back carried the scars of hooks driven into his skin with which he had pulled the temple chariots. Occasionally, he puts on the clothing to resemble Lord Murugan and takes part in plays or dramas held at the temple grounds on festival days. Supramanian was married at the age of 31. His ability to perform miracles by changing sand and earth to sacred ash stopped on its own after he had his second daughter.
He has three daughters and a son, and a few grandchildren. His wife and granddaughter were already asleep as we talked into the early hours of the morning. They had stayed back at the kudil while Ramajayam went back to the village that night.
Prayers With Supramania Swami.
Later that night at 7.30 pm, Supramania Swami led me on a prayer in his kudil. The Swami started chanting his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar's (Visiri Swami) name. The chant went YOGI RAMSURATKUMARA, YOGI RAMSURATKUMARA, YOGI RAMSURATKUMARA JAYA GURURAYA. After a few minutes into the chant, I heard another voice - that of a male chanting together. I could hear Swami’s voice. I could hear mine too. So who was this third person chanting with us? There was no one else then in the kudil. Swami's wife and son had gone out. I did not open my eyes. Eventually, after about twenty minutes, Swami ended the chant, and the voice was not heard again. I had wanted to ask him about this third voice, but I completely forgot.
I soon left for Kallar Ashram to spend several days with Tavayogi, taking up his invitation and following the directive of Agathiyar.
Another Day With Supramania Swami.
After a night's rest in Kallar, I woke up early. Mrs. Sarojini (now Mataji) heated up the water for our bath, as it was too early and dark to have a bath in the river. She prepared breakfast too. My brother and I bid farewell to Tavayogi and Mrs. Sarojini.
We left Kallar for Tiruvanamalai at 6.00 am. We reached Tiruvanamalai at 2.30 pm. I introduced my brother to Supramania Swami. The Swami asked me, “Did you see your Guru?” I was simply amazed at this man who, upon hearing the nadi reading that I had to take Tavayogi as a guru, did not feel defeated nor discouraged me, nor did he stop me from visiting Tavayogi. Supramania Swami then asked, “Did you hear the voice?”, triggering my memory back to the day I heard a third person sing along with us in the kudil. I asked Swami who it was. He answered with a laugh, “That was Visiri Matai,” referring to his guru Visiri Swami (Yogi Ramsuratkumar). Only then did I realise the potential of Supramania Swami. He had made his guru appear and chant with us in his very abode.