GURU - THE ROLE MODEL

In our lives we tend to take several people as our role model. The Guru is one of them. When  I met Tavayogi the first time in Malaysia, he showed me pictures of the activities carried out at his ashram. After he left for India, I followed him shortly. While at his ashram the native children living around the ashram used to hang out with Tavayogi and he would entertain them. Since he had showed me photos of the annadhanam or feeding done here, I suggested that we carry out a feeding session. Soon we both made our way to the local market at Methupalaiyam to purchase the groceries and greens. Nadarajah cooked the midday meal for all the villagers and their children. 

After returning from the pilgrimage of Siddha caves and temples and picking up my brother from Trichy, we arrived back at Kallar. I suggested to my brother that we serve food again and purchase clothing for the children. Tavayogi called Mrs Sarojini (now known as Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar) over from her hometown. Soon we all made our way to Methupalaiyam to purchase the greens and the dresses. We picked up some stationary too. 

Once back at the ashram Mrs Sarojini roped the village womenfolk together and prepared and cooked the food. It was fulfilling to see the joy on the faces of the kids in receiving the gifts and filling their stomach. That was my first act of performing annadhanam and giving gifts. Tavayogi told the children that the clothing were for the upcoming Deepavali festival, but the children were so excited to receive the new cloths that they unwrapped and began to wear them there and then. How can I share the joy of giving that I felt at that moment?

Tavayogi still carries out this noble act with funds from devotees. We too have taken on this noble activity with Agathiyar regularly posting reminders in our Nadi readings. Many are of the opinion that feeding the poor and those on the streets encourages laziness on the part of the receiver and instead suggest that they are taught to fish. Its only when you get down to the ground and start feeding the hungry that you realize how much the hungry appreciate the morsel of food that they receive. Practically everyone who receives it immediately plunges into the food, digging their hands into it, right in front of us. We have seen people running to us on knowing that we are distributing food and return disappointed when told the food parcels were all taken up.

New clothing were distributed to the native children at the Old Kallar ashram and the present ashram recently in conjunction with the Navarathri celebrations.  

At the Old ashram

At the present ashram

Let me bring you to the past, walking through the ashrams activities.  

At the present Kallar Ashram.

AVM family being served food during the last Guru Puja celebrations.

At the Old Kallar Ashram.

When Tavayogi and Mataji were in Malaysia last year, they joined Bala Chandran's family in serving food at a home.

  

Charity at the old Kallar Ashram. 

Let us not forget that when we contribute towards the running of an ashram, the money will be spent on serving food and providing lodging to future devotees who come along, just as the contribution from earlier devotees were used on us to feed and provide lodge.

SERVICE & PRAYERS

MENTORS & ROLE MODELS

Srinatha Raghavan posted a beautiful piece on fb 10 minutes ago.

For many years now, I know this old lady entrepreneur, who sells reasonably priced Ayurveda products from a small Tempo Traveller. Be it rain or sunshine this graceful old lady will be there in the designated spot come what may. In the evening, when school children return home, she will make it a point to distribute Tulsi Candy, to one and all, who cared to stop by.

I prefer to buy many home products from Her, skipping the queue of big stores, because it helps me connect with the ground reality of a woman who is striving to be independent and self reliant, even where most of her contemporaries would be home bound, stricken by some wasting disease or waiting intently for redemption.

She must be 80 plus for sure, but she has a visible glow on her face, a glow of contentment and peace, of having lived and loved well. I once inquired with her, why she is working so hard, when she must be having a few other options to choose from. The reply she gave, hit me hard and touched my heart instantly, making it as my life's lessons. She said with a smile, "I don't work for a living, I work to serve, so others can live well?"

Ah! What a beautiful clarity of purpose the Woman had for herself, that it gave so much meaning to her existence. Maybe this is what Nishkama Seva or Selfless Service is, something that we all need to learn and implement. The Yoga of Karma is less talk and more work, without getting attached to the efforts or the results thereon.

Trust me, you don't need no Gurus or Mystics, who charge you a bomb just to share their "priceless" words, instead look out for ordinary folks who live extraordinary lives, silently imparting their living wisdom not through mere words, but through their very lives.

"The Yoga of Karma is less talk and more work, without getting attached to the efforts or the results thereon." - that is what we at AVM, AUM and TUT are striving for. 

Agathiyar who came into the life of Sri Krishna as a student, had deeply influenced his thoughts and actions. His uncle had Nadi readers stay and read the Nadi in his home. Sri Krishna who grew up with his uncle obviously took up the worship of the Siddhas. He used to assist in translating the Nadi reading for non-Tamil speaking clients. When Agathiyar told him to assist all those who had to fulfill their parikaram, Sri Krishna arranged the visits for them to conduct the rituals, puja and all other forms of atonement. He started a tour agency to coordinate and bring the clients to India to perform the temple rituals.

Sri Krishna has a vast knowledge of the Nadi, the Siddhas and Karma. We used to engage in talks related to these subjects where I learnt a lot: about the mysterious Siddhas and their ways; the mysterious medium of communication through the Nadi; and the mysterious subject of Karma and its appeasement. He has a very good networking of friends and Gurus in the Siddha path.

Sri Krishna and his wife took up Siddha medicine and all things related to it and both he and his wife graduated in it. They have come out with several herbal preparations too. Soon he began to teach Yoga too putting his skills and knowledge to test. 

Along the way he was tasked to carry out performing rituals to Agathiyar at a temple in Eco City. Roping in Balachander Aiya, they perform the prayers and annadhanam without fail at this temple.

Eventually he embarked on a noble task of feeding the poor and homeless on the streets. He started his programme "Pothigai Meals on Wheels" officiated by Sadhu Janagiraman of Tiruvannamalai. 

Extending his feeding programme to schools, soon Sri Krishna fed the minds of the students with essential knowledge on life and how to live it correctly through several talks.

AVM and SH salutes this soul who has taken to perform service to humanity, placing his family and career as secondary. Moved by the dictates of Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal he keeps moving with vigor and determination to serve, every single sector of the community. 

If Sri Krishna is the right eye, Bala Chandran Gunasekaran is the left eye for us at AVM. Coming to Agathiyar after having a Nadi reading, and coming to AVM after Agathiyar instructed him, Bala Chandran has not looked back even a single moment. He brought his young friends into his fold and began a group called Thondu Seivom (TS), that kept churning out service and dishing out aids to the less fortunate and those in need in the community. He soon picked up the cue from Sri Krishna and extended his services through TS and his family to bring food to those on the streets and in the schools too.

Rakesh from abroad in Chennai, India took up the idea of cleansing the many age old temples in his vicinity through a group of office-mates who called themselves Thedal Ulla Thenikal. Soon they hit the streets bringing food for the poor and hungry too.

Many from AVM began doing service and charity in their own time and pace and at their locality too. 

Agathiyar has guided many at AVM in their careers too. Balamurugan an accountant by profession took a long walk after he was laid off in 2011. His walk brought him to Kailash. After Kailash his perception and understanding of live changed. He studied Varma healing and Siddha medicine. Today he produces Siddha medicines for the local market. 

Master Uva, a martial artist and Varma exponent together with his master, Master Arunan serve the public holding classes and giving healing therapies.   

AVM today is proud to associate with these wonderful souls, and as the Tamil saying goes, Poovodu sernthe naarum manakkum, AVM too has begun to emit a fragrance, thanks to them. 

As Srinatha Raghavan says "Trust me, you don't need no Gurus or Mystics, who charge you a bomb just to share their "priceless" words, instead look out for ordinary folks who live extraordinary lives, silently imparting their living wisdom not through mere words, but through their very lives.", we are looking at them, right now, right here, learning from them day by day.

THE CHOICE IS OURS

My friend Andraz from Slovenia told me a Chinese fable, the story of a farmer and his horse while chatting over Skype last evening. This story is beautifully narrated in  Dr Arlo Marcher's blog post at http://www.drmarlo.com/?page_id=181. 

The Dr summarizes the moral of the story,

The moral of this story, is, of course, that no event, in and of itself, can truly be judged as good or bad, lucky or unlucky, fortunate or unfortunate, but that only time will tell the whole story. Additionally, no one really lives long enough to find out the ‘whole story,’ ......... Rather than always having to pass judgement on things and declare them as good or bad, it would be better to just sit back and say, “It will be interesting to see what happens.”

We are blessed to be born in this world. Although it is said that karma determines our birth including our gender, the place of birth, color, frame etc, from the moment we are able to make decisions we are in control of our life, we are the pilot and the captain. Each choice we make could open up a whole new stream of events, both pleasurable or otherwise. The repercussions of certain wrong judgement of ours has to be borne by us just as the rewards of joy and bliss derived from our decisions. In the face of having to make decisions, here is where we seek the grace of the Lord, praying that he help us make a right choice. Rather then promise or pledge to return the favor, we could always do good to others and collect merits that would help us sail through our life comfortably. A life of aram, dharmam and tavam would surely bring positive results.

The choice is always ours whether we want to see the good and ignore the bad, in others, in the immediate surroundings etc. We can either choose to make our world bright or gloomy. Having done our part, putting in the effort and fulfilling our responsibilities, let us step aside and watch the outcome unfold rather than dwelling on the outcome or results of our venture. All shall be well as C.Rajagopalachari penned this wonderful song, "Kurai Ondrum Illai."

My wife always says, "Let's get lost." By losing our way we make new discoveries. Let us move away from the trended and well-worn path and make us a new one. Let us mark the path anew, leaving our name behind for others to follow.