THE GURU DISCIPLE RELATIONSHIP

Most realized souls keep to themselves and are not known to the public except for the locals. But soon someone brings them to the attention of the masses, and streams of people head towards seeing him or her. Then a following begins. Some among them begin to serve the master and soon dictate what and how things are done. The lone master who kept to himself and stayed aloof is now surrounded by the crowd and is pushed to attend to people and their needs. The lone master becomes a world renowned master.

I guess I am guilty of such acts too, bringing Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai and Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar ashram to the knowledge of many, who soon made their way to see these masters. I guess such simple acts shall elevate the standing of our gurus, just as Supramania Swami, in asking me to start Tavam or austerities, told me that that would elevate his position. So contrary to what we believe, that only the seekers tend to gain something in the presence of these masters, the masters themselves are elevated to higher levels and reach through these Holy alliances. 

If carrying out the five tenets of Agathiyar given to mankind during the Sangam of the past helped elevate each soul in all of creation to a higher position, the guru-disciple relationship also does the same. 

I had previously published an online book on this said relationship of great masters and their disciples that is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zrx_4OZnF7ss8754vh6W6r5afD6P_Sew/view?usp=sharing

It is interesting to read about the first encounters by disciples with these great masters. 

I, who was happily frequenting temples and carrying out home worship of the pantheon of Gods and Goddesses at home, was asked to take a break that apparently lasted some good 14 years by Lord Siva coming in a dream, saving me from becoming crazy after questioning if God was truly kind, loving, and compassionate, seeing the many sufferings my relatives and friends went through in the eighties. 

In 1994, when Mr Segaran, an officer in the department, resigned his job to become a monk at Paramahansa Yogananda's Ranchi ashram in India, he passed me a copy of Paramahansa's Autobiography. This book introduced me to the world of living masters at par with God. In 2001, I received the Vasudeva mantra through a Holy transmission coming by way of Gopal Pillai, who had gone into Samadhi, coming through my nephew, and bringing me further dictates from Agathiyar, which I only came to know its source in later years. A year later, in 2002, I am called to read the Nadi and the following year, 2003, I meet my first guru in physical form, Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai. A couple of years later, in 2005, Agathiyar brought Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal to our shores, and a beautiful guru-disciple relationship blossomed. The fruit of this amazing relationship was seen, felt, and tasted after some seventeen years in 2022. I am living in ecstasy of what is defined in https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary as a state of overwhelming emotion, especially: rapturous delight, a mystic or prophetic trance, and a state of being beyond reason and self-control, after partaking of the fruit as a result of the treasure that came in the form of certain Yoga practices, bestowed by Agathiyar as a gift through Tavayogi on his slave and servant in 2007, that activated and subsequently released the energies within, bringing on the culmination of the flowering of the 1008-petalled lotus in 2022.  

In asking me if he should make me a guru, Agathiyar retracted his offer immediately, instead saying he would make me someone else. The master's touch had indeed done wonders, and it did not come easily nor was it purchased for a price, but gifted through sincere discipleship to the word of the guru and diligent practice of Sariyai, Kriyai, and Yogam to arrive eventually at clarity in Gnanam. I am truly grateful to my masters. 

PRACTICAL LESSONS LEARNED

As far as we can remember, man has manipulated others and his society by instilling fear. If this is predominant in the material world, coming to religious and later spiritual fields, here too, this tactic is used to control and rule people to gain admiration, authority, and power. Fear mongers come in many forms, such as people, texts, visuals, audio, etc. One has to decipher and sieve through the true and the false, says Agathiyar to us. Maya, that is a creation of the divine, has its place in his divine play, too. It veils our good sense and disillusions us. Having to beat Maya at its own game needs clarity. To gain clarity is an uphill battle. One should be spirited. Holding on to the divine, and in surrendering our ego, the divine brings an end to the game, resolving all challenges and tests.

If Tavayogi spoke to me about Maya on the very onset in 2005, Lord Muruga, a couple of years back, warned me of the game being played or engineered within by Lord Siva and Agathiyar, and executed outwardly by Lord Indran. I am truly thankful to my gurus and the divine for saving me from the clutches of Maya, ending all tests, and bringing a stop to their game. 

Then came Bharathi, asking if this was all a dream? It sure seems so. 

Similarly, the following song by Sri Dhanurdas Ramanuja Jeeyar Swamigal surely does break us apart and leaves us to wonder if we are true to our cause and purpose. 

At the start of it all, Agathiyar, in calling me to the path, asked me to worship the Siddhas, and showed me to Supramania Swami and Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal, where I learned much under their tutelage. Tavayogi started me doing the Homam and charity. Agathiyar came to convince and strengthen the need to do so. Soon after gathering all the experiences and learning some precious lessons, Agathiyar had me drop it all, for he knew that, as Karma, both bad and good initiate another birth, with the former making life tough on us, and the latter showering rewards, one has to make a return to fulfill and live the life. With personal desires out of the way and living a life dictated by the Siddhas, further reasons for a rebirth are reduced. Now we come to the tricky part. What about the requests and desires of others in wanting us to come together in another birth, too? Here then, we are caught in the spiral of the web of birth and rebirth. Here is where the saints who have themselves become light are moved to take on a material form, or if the need arises, to take another birth or Avatar. Tavayogi, who was a disciple of Agathiyar, was an old soul who came for us in the present times. Mataji and a devotee, Sri Krishna, had lived during the period in time when Agathiyar formed a Siva linga from the sand from the banks of the River Kaveri at Erode, which has come to be known as the Nattatreeswarar Temple. Both my wife and I are back here as my daughter had requested of him, says Agathiyar. Then, if there are other scores to be settled with others, we would make a comeback to make things good. This is one vicious circle where we are to be extremely alert and act accordingly if we sincerely want to break the cycle. No wonder Agathiyar tells me that I have known him for crores of years and made a return again. I guess I had missed the boat to his heavenly kingdom in all those births. Will I make it this time around?