In revisiting the talks that Tavayogi gave us when he was in Malaysia last in 2016, and the release of the album "Agathiyar Geetham" in 2018, which I uploaded days ago, I asked the same question, just as Bharathi had asked: if life is but a dream. Life is a coming together of many fleeting moments. Life is not tangible. If all else seems "real and concrete, material, palpable, tactile, real, and substantive and can be touched, felt, or perceived, as in physical objects and tangible assets or clear, verifiable evidence and tangible results and proof," life is otherwise. It is like a flowing river collecting no moss. It is only when we pond that moss appears. At the height of all our activities, we are like the fast-flowing river. As age catches up, we become the pond. All that remains is the moss. Just like Agathiyar saying that I had stagnated and ponded in earthly life, he came to break the bund and let the river of energy flow again. The Sakti or energy that was infused and breathed in us at the time we were conceived, which caused the zygote to grow into an embryo, fetus, child, and ponded at the Muladhara, once released, makes her way back to her lover and other half Siva, who comes down to meet her in this body, bringing her back home just as the Puranas depict the story of Siva and Parvathy.
While speaking over the phone with Mahindren, it suddenly dawned on us that the reason Supramania Swami had told me everything had to be left behind, including the merits gained from our austerities. If we thought it was only the property, asset, family, and friends, career, etc., that we leave behind, Supramania Swami, in passing me the merits of his austerities, showed me that besides the merits gained from our noble acts of charity, puja, etc., even the merits gained from the austerities had to go too. It was all about letting go. All our deeds and acclaimation of being the doer were the foundation for the ego to thrive. It fed our ego. Once we let it go or give it away, the foundation crumbles. The ego falls. Then it suddenly dawned on us that what he taught us subtly was that, in letting go, the doer, the "I", vanishes. The ego that kept us apart from our soul dies a natural death. We get to unite with our soul, the JeevAtma. The soul that was held captive by the ego now reigns; it leads the way back home to the ParamAtma. The journey ends. He sees the Light.