The bronze statue of Agathiyar at Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) who was commissioned in Swamimalai and flown to Malaysia in 2010, has captivated the interest of many to the extent that his photos adorn the covers of books and in leaflets and brochures. He majestically sits on billboards, and his illustration adorns his own music album Agathiyar Geetham. AVM Agathiyar is a replica of his form at Agasthiyampalli near Vedaranyam, Tamilnadu, India.
The original aged granite statue of Agathiyar at Agasthiyampalli near Vedaranyam, Tamilnadu India.
Agathiyar at Agasthiyampalli
Agathiyar at AVM
A poster by Bala Chandran
Another poster by Bala Chandran
A poster by Bala Chandran
Poster by Bala Chandran
Gowri Arumugam holding up her Audio Album Agathiyar Geetham
Online Promotion of Agathiyar Geetham
Agathiyar Geetham Audio CD Launch in Kuala Lumpur
Ringtone Promotion of Agathiyar Geetham
Bunting Promoting the sales of Agathiyar Geetham
Banner at the premises of the CD Launch
An illustration of AVM Agathiyar on the cover of Agathiyar Geetham, a Raagawave Production in collaboration with AVM
AVM Agathiyar on leaflets of TUT
Poster by Sivakavin of Chennai
The latest "discovery" of AVM Agathiyar was by Yuvarani while visiting Chennai came across the following book carrying his photo.
Besides AVM Agathiyar making the rounds on medias, Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram was depicted in a movie. The movie makers removed my face and inserted that of a character from the movie in the scene.
A photo of Tavayogi and me adorned another book that Shanga happened to come by in a bookshop in India.
The original photo taken at Agathiyar's cave in Kutrallam.
Agathiyar on a bunting in conjunction with a couples wedding
AVM Agathiyar on book covers.
AVM Agathiyar on the net.
AVM Agathiyar in videos on YouTube.
AVM Agathiyar in in-house posters.
Poster by Bala
Poster by Bala
Poster by Bala
Color pencil sketch by Vimala that adorned the cover of Agathiyar Geetham
Verse by Saravanan Palanisamy
Poster by Nalini, Chennai
Poster by Mahindran
Poster by Mahindran
Poster by Mahindran
AVM Agathiyar in Wikipedia
AVM Agathiyar in AVM's own publications.
Agathiyar in AVM's publication.
Agathiyar in Thondu Seivom fb page
Poster by Bala Chandran
Poster by Bala Chandran
Poster by Stalin, Russia
AVM Agathiyar in the dashboard of Sugu's car.
Agathiyar in AVM's publication
The original and very first photo of Agathiyar made for AVM taken by Varadaraj at his workshop Bronze Creative Swamimalai
This blog was a spinoff from my earlier web site Indian Heartbeat began in the nineties. As the web page had limitations as to posting multimedia then, and a blog was user friendly without having to know the technicalities and a fairly detailed understanding of both HTML and CSS coding that was required in creating eye catching web pages, I chose to shift over to the later. I am glad I did. I could share many forms of medias on these pages to bring print to life.
Along the way many readers have conveyed congratulatory messages and encouraging words, constructive opinions and comments, written in to me in the form of emails or comments on my blog and YouTube Channel or conveyed by way of word of mouth.
The writings r awesome... I m reading them daily, it's lik a boost for us.
Read only just now.. wonderful aiyya.
... I'm your blog reader..almost everyday... You are helping me a lot to go through my problems. It's like my panadol... To ease my obstacles...
Wow....amazing article...
"The Siddhas opened up a whole new world that we were not aware of. We look forward to more things revealed." Yes Anna, I’m blessed too that I’m part of in this new world.
"Finally the soul takes on the attributes of the divine as it merges with the spirit (of Erai) becoming one." Very very true sir.
Soul Enriching article.
Mind-boggling topic. I always thought soul and spirit are the same. Interchangeable. Wonderful explanation Aiya.
Wonderful Anna. Even though I’m not really understand that much about the layers of the body but I understand that we need to make our body healthy all time to enjoy the play of the divine and to reached them... Om Sivaya Agatheesaya Nama.
Beautiful explanation.
I must thank to Bala n you Anna. Bala brought me to you and Anna show me who is Agathiyar and what he can do. What he can do within us n more than that. I didn’t know what punniyam I did in past birth but in this young age I get a chance to know about Appa n follow him. He came into me and change me n change everything. The Siddha Heartbeat is like a book of guidance for me Anna.
Explanation about Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam, Gnanam with Video of our journey. Wonderful Anna. Thanks Anna.
To the blessed and beautiful soul who wrote this blog to enlighten others
on their spiritual journey. I am so much immersed and touched by the blogs n articles... Trying to reach
you through mail or cell contact.. pls pass it on. Am Dr by proffession based
in Mumbai..God bless you.
So true..the essence of the path that needs to be walked alone, albeit with
the guidance of the Lord and Masters.
Namaste. Great words, Even greater mission and above greatest is your experience of
mystical world of Siddhars. It appears like you have put the words in your blog
which also suit my experience which started when I met the worshipper of Sri
Agasthya, Sri Remesh Guruji (Available on face book) and my spiritual journey to
the world of siddhars there after. If it was not a mystic world, how a hardcore engineer
like me would have become a poet of siddhars. All the writeups, prayers, bhajans
have come out of my pen I feel due to guidance of Sri Agathiyar and these are
available on youtube links are given below. Kindly go through these at your
convenience. Best Regards.
Thank you all for sharing about guru.Special thanks for giving ashram
address & phone number.
Sir, Though we have never met, I have been in touch with you, few
and far between,as it were. I'm a reader of your blog, and watched from the
sidelines, the progress you have made. I am not of sufficient spiritual maturity
to stand in judgement over your spiritual maturity. I don't wish to be.
However, I wish to place on record that you have reached a place from where
there is nothing further to say..words fail you... expressions are of no
consequence. May Lord Agathiyar continue to shower His blessings on you
and your family. Pranams.
I would like to thank them for encouraging me on. What started as a personal web site to showcase my artwork and my personal selection of songs that I cherished listening to, in the nineties, later carried my writings on my maiden travel to India. Moving on to blogging, my writings took on a new dimension and reached new horizons when I stepped into the Siddha path. The blog grew as did I. The blog grew as did the company of great souls who came over to Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) and shared with me their experiences in wanting to see God.
This blog carries my personal search and subsequent experiences in wanting to see God too; that of my gurus and my relationship with them; the great moments we shared with family, friends and associates while en-route in the search. Siddha Heartbeat has had continued patronage by the AVM family, who provided a subject to write about in our conversations.
As the blog evolved so did we. It brings cheer to my heart to know that this blog posts had brought hope to many. It am elated to know that these posts has brought a significant number of seekers to have their hunger and appetite to know about the Siddhas appeased.
Please keep writing for your encouraging words are a catalyst for me to write further. Beyond and above all my effort and time, allocated for this noble task in sharing the fame and miracles of the Siddhas, is the continuous boost that comes via the appreciation from Agathiyar himself who keeps track of my postings with ever watchful eyes and motivates me through his numerous Nadi readings.
Agathiyar vets through each thought and word that goes into these postings. Each post is uploaded with a prayer that it should answer at least one soul's yearning to know the reasons for his or her experience while on the path; appease one who is seeking an answer and solution to his query; and finally serve as a reference point where one could compare notes with his own personal spiritual travel.
Never have I seeked fame in all these endeavors. I have shared all my experiences and Nadi readings on this blog solely and only to bring/add fame to the Siddhas and their workings.
Not surprisingly Agathiyar has asked me to keep doing the puja no matter what happens. He has asked that I continue writing. These are the tasks given to me. He promised to send many seekers over. As he foresaw ahead that my home cannot possibly accommodate the numbers, hence the need to move has arise says Agathiyar and Lord Muruga. AVM will have to move to a bigger venue where the said celebrations or vizha and congregation of devotees can sit in comfort and participate in carrying out the rituals and puja. This new venue is where Persatuan Teman Setia (PTS) too can function effectively in preparing, cooking, and packing food for distribution; where (Thondu Seivom) TS can collect and distribute this food to the homeless on the streets and to the homes of the old and neglected senior citizens; where Amudha Surabhi (AS) can serve food to the devotees who arrive to participate in the numerous events to be organized, bringing together all those of the same mindset.
We would need space to conduct the homa or lighting of the sacrificial fire. Then there is a need to allocate space for lessons including yoga, sanggetham or any other art form and finally a place to sit in silence in communion with Erai. This is the desire of Erai. It will fall into place in due time for this is his wish. We will be a tool to facilitate the birth of this complex.
The electromagnetic spectrum covers electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from below one hertz to above 1025 hertz, corresponding to wavelengths from thousands of kilometers down to a fraction of the size of an atomic nucleus. This frequency range is divided into separate bands, and the electromagnetic waves within each frequency band are called by different names; beginning at the low frequency (long wavelength) end of the spectrum these are: radio waves, microwaves, terahertz waves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays at the high-frequency (short wavelength) end. The limit for long wavelengths is the size of the universe itself, while it is thought that the short wavelength limit is in the vicinity of the Planck length.
Gamma rays, X-rays, and high ultraviolet are classified as ionizing radiation as their photons have enough energy to ionize atoms, causing chemical reactions. Exposure to these rays can be a health hazard, causing radiation sickness, DNA damage and cancer.
Radiation of visible light wavelengths and lower are called non-ionizing radiation as they cannot cause these effects.
In most of the frequency bands above, a technique called spectroscopy can be used to physically separate waves of different frequencies, producing a spectrum showing the constituent frequencies.
All sounds come from things that vibrate. The faster they vibrate the higher the sound they produce. When things vibrate faster than about 25 vibrations per second we begin to hear a sound of very low pitch. As things vibrate faster the pitch of the sound rises (middle C is 256 vibrations per second, high C is 512.) Even the best human ear can no longer hear sounds when the source of the sound is vibrating faster than about 20,000 vibrations per second. The pitch of a sound is not connected to the volume of the sound.
As the human ear ages it becomes less sensitive and its frequency range reduces, particularly in the upper range above 14,000 vibrations per second.
Scientists call the number of vibrations per second the frequency. Vibrations per second are measured in Hertz.
Sound travels through solids, liquids and gases at different speeds. The sound spreads out from the source in the same way as ripples do on water after a stone is thrown into it. As a result of this spreading out the sound striking our ear at a distance is much less intense than it is close to the source. This is why sounds become quieter as we walk away from them and louder as we approach.
The human ear detects vibrations that strike the ear drum and converts these into nerve signals that travel to the brain. The brain uses previous experiences to interpret these as voices, music, noise, etc. Having two ears helps us to better detect where a sound is coming from.
Many animals can detect sound over a much larger frequency range than the human ear. For example, dolphins, bats and dogs can hear vibrations that we cannot.
Just because we cannot see and hear the extreme ends of light and sound we do not dismiss them. So is it with the many unseen phenomena that takes place in other realms, planes and dimensions. The irony is that when it comes to spiritually we want prove of the emergence of certain phenomena, to belief in it.
We do not need further prove of the existence of a creator or God or a supreme being, if only we take a look within us and begin the questions from here. Right from the outermost sheath, a layer of skin to the microscopic bacteria that resides in this body of ours, is definitely not your creation or mine.
Frank Sherwin in a seminar on "The Miracle of the Human Body" says,
Think of a larger symphony producing the works of Mozart or Beethoven. It all begins with the individual playing his part. This is much like how our body operates with its 11 systems working in concert. Sadly, schools and the media erroneously teach that the human body is the result of “millions of years” of Darwinian evolution. No credit is given to the One who created these amazing systems designed to work as one. Consider our eye construction, the dynamic skeleton, the ability to hear the faintest sound, the brain’s amazing circuitry. The human body – a testament to our Creator’s wonderful intellect!
Jordan Gray states,
You have been fed so many lies about your body. Just like there is no wrong tree in nature, there is no wrong body among humans.
You are exactly as you need to be. Everything about you is beautiful.
Your body works for you tirelessly around the clock, from before you’re born until you die. And yet you never slow down to appreciate it. In fact, you do the opposite. You condemn it. You insult it. You resent it.
The National Association of the Deaf (US) at its site https://dcmp.org describes the human body as "With its interconnected systems is the most advanced structure in the known universe. It is a marvel of biomechanical engineering."
From http://www.ba-bamail.com, "There is so much going on and everything fits together so well, that it's almost impossible to comprehend. There are miracles going on inside your body every single day."
Who are we then, that are residing in this body, thinking, and performing the various movements and task, and putting those thoughts into action? How is it that we can move this body to perform accordingly to our whims and wishes? When did we begin to reside in this wonderful body of ours? Where do we reside in this body? Where are we in this body this moment? Where are we the moment we doze off ?
But if these are all mind boggling questions and queries that cannot be comprehended and understood, nevertheless to make this life a fruitful and well lived one, the Siddhas have drawn up 4 distinctive paths and simple means, according to one's age and spiritual maturity. For a child he is shown that God dwells in the statue, his abode being the temple. Since children love toys and connect with them seeing them as companions and playing for hours on hand with them, idols easily fascinate them. The child is taught to look at these with reverence and connect with Erai. Growing up they sit together with their parents and learn to conduct rituals both at home and again in temples. Growing older they pick up yoga asanas and pranayama, learning from authentic and trained teachers, to keep their body fit. Finally as they age they will learn to go within and connect with their soul. All the above questions will be answered then from within. An enriched soul carries with it all these experiences and knowledge, while the enlightened spirit makes its way back to the abode of the holy spirit and merges with it, going back home once again to its source.
These four paths can be distinctively classified and categorized as sariyai, kriyai, yogam and gnanam respectively.
External worship first brings one to a state of discipline. With the chanting of mantras and performing rituals, concentration on the task on hand, sets in. With continued faith, a bonus is thrown in. Miracles are shown to bind the devotee with Erai. When simple asanas are done, it tones up the body. All these now help to condition the mind, improving retention and memory, concentration and brings about discipline. With yogasanam, both mind and body is perfected for the divine to dwell within. With the coming of divinity into us, gnanam arises. With gnanam one makes headway in reaching the kingdom of Erai.
Everything has been placed beautifully and has its place and role to play in this divine play of Erai. It is just a matter of us taking it up. In this age of rampant destruction and distractions the Siddhas have given us a very simple path and simplified the means of achieving spiritual progress.
The way of bakti or devotion brings immediate results and progress. Just as one will make quick progress with the guidance and monitoring of a master, so is it possible to make quick progress by taking the hands of the Siddhas. One who has gone the way can easily show us to it. One who has walked the path can lead us to it within a short span of time. One who has worked his way can warn us of its dangers. One who has gone through much in life, can provide solutions to the daily problems that we encounter, provided we asked for it, only after having exhausted our minds thinking of an amicable solution. Take the hand of the Siddhas and you shall see quick progress. The effects of our past actions both in this life and the past, which would otherwise have to be borne squarely on our shoulders, is lightened by Erai and the Siddhas who help us carry it, giving us the additional strength and vigor.
Srīnāthā Rāghavan posted the following some 3 minutes ago on fb.
Many years back my life was on a downward spiral, personally and professionally. That's when someone suggested me to meet an Astrologer, for some Spiritual guidance. As the suggestion came from a reliable source and a well wisher, I agreed to go and meet.
The Astrologer I met was a simple and a highly educated man, a retired Scientist from the prestigious TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research). He was an old Widower with no children, so He spent most of the time mastering his craft and helping people like me, to get some timely guidance in life.
His home in the suburbs was minimal and "old" with hundreds of books on Astrology among other Subjects, which showed His deep insatiable thirst for Knowledge. I waited for my turn, going through the huge collection of Books, kept here and there, when He called out to me, "What is it you want to know?"
That was pretty much a direct Question, so I replied, "My Future?"
He was quick to answer, "So you know the Present well, I guess?" It was a valid Question and I did not have any answer for it, when He said, "Astrology, as much as it gives you an idea of the Future, it's primarily meant to tell you how to use the Present well."
I listened to His wise words, as He continued, "Our Future is based on the choices made in the Present, so it is very important to gauge and know, all the options available with us in the NOW and which one to choose so the future is pleasant."
Astrology is a Karmic Science!
I asked, "Then isn't our Future predetermined?" To which He replied, "A part of it is fixed, what we call Fate and a part of it is in your hands, what we call Destiny."
"What's the difference?" I asked.
"Fate is like Laws and Destiny akin to Rules, the former is fixed and predetermined and rarely can be broken, but the later can be broken through effort and if not broken, then at least bent as per situation" He said.
"What do I need to do, to know the difference?" I inquired.
He smiled and said, "Know yourself well and everything else will be known as well!"
After reading my birth chart and telling me some points to take note, He said, "Don't rely on the Stars too much, as even they are controlled by a Higher Power & Intelligence. So either believe in the intelligence of THAT (God) or THIS (Yourself). That was the most beautiful and pertinent advise I have ever received, which I still strive to follow sincerely. Use the Map of Divination to steer your way through complexities, but don't make the Map into an excuse for not walking the path, just because it is strewn with rocks and stones. You gotta do what you gotta do, no point in running away from it, because it ain't as you expected it.
The final piece of advice He gave was, "Remember you can't cover the whole path with a Velvet Carpet, but you can very well strive to cover your feet with Velvet Chappals."
Ah! Wisdom is clean, simple and straight, without any undue embellishments.
I knew about the existence of the sciences of prediction namely astrology, palmistry, the use of a captive parrot to pick tarot cards, as I walked down the streets and found many individuals squatting on the pavement dishing out the many promising possibilities that would take place in the lives of others. I used to wonder then if they could predict our future and direction, why did not they use it to come out of the pitiful state they were in and improve their career and living conditions.
It was only when I decided to learn to draw out astrological charts and horoscopes beginning with mine that I realized the extent of calculations and science involved in drawing out one's astrological chart. Then one has to be very knowledgeable and well versed with correctly determining the resulting effects of the placement and subsequent movement of the planets in these horoscopes. Since then I changed my opinion about this form of prediction, acknowledging it as a great science.
Although Dr Krishnan, medical astrologer and Siddha practitioner cum teacher, told me that I could make a career out of Astrology and Siddha medicine as my chart and the placement of planets were conducive in learning these sciences, and he was prepared to teach me, somehow I was not keen to follow up on his offer.
It was the dear Dr who spoke about another means of prediction, the Nadi reading for the first time when I questioned him if predictions he gave would not materialize. Six years later I read the Nadi for the very first time and what the Dr said was confirmed by Agathiyar. Since then I have been called in for a reading 53 times. There were times when news came forth in others Nadi readings too.
I am blessed to have made the acquaintance of the Siddhas and having had guidance from them till this day. The Siddhas opened up a whole new world that we were not aware of. We look forward to more things revealed.
When my sciatic nerve was pinched due to a sudden sneeze that came on as I was crossing the street a month ago, Lord Muruga simply and bluntly said, "Do not invite Death!", meaning not to meet Yama, the lord of Death, willingly. I took it as a reminder to care for the body well and to live life to the fullest. He recommended a Siddha medicine to take internally and an ointment for external use in his Nadi. Agathiyar suggested five. I was blessed to have Siddha practitioner and guru of Arulguru Aghathiyar Arulsithar Peedam in Bandar Botanic, Klang, prepare these in the most strictest manner and according to the Siddha text and have Suren delivered to me during that period of my immobility and forced solitude.
The Siddhas have given us all the means and mechanism to live longer and keep Yama at bay. Their priority was to keep, maintain and sustain the body, in the peak of health; to ensure only enriching experiences were recorded onto the soul and eventually merge the spirit within with the source. Thus with a healthy body, they worked towards carrying out the given mission for the spiritual advancement and good of humanity.
In simple terms if the body can be compared to the mobile phone; the soul is the subscriber identity module (SIM); spirit then is the power source that drives the phone to function optimally. Just as the SIM stores the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number which are used to identify and authenticate subscribers on mobile telephony, the soul holds on all the imprints from lives experience with it. Just as the phones functionality is dependent on the life span of the battery, our body's functionality is determined by the life span of the spirit. The spirit that energizes the body returns to its source once the physical body worn out and exhausted loses its functionality.
Lord Muruga stresses the need to maintain the physical body extend its battery life through connecting with the life force and charging it frequently. Hence the need to do rituals, tapas, Yogasanas and meditation arises, which energizes the body which then heals from within and is in top form to perform the work of the Siddhas.
A friend narrated his close call with death and how Lord Shiva saved him from the noose of Lord Yama. He had succumbed a second time to the dreaded dengue fever. As he was losing consciousness he saw himself in a space where there was a golden light in the distance. As the light approached him he understood it to be the form and figure of Yama the Lord of Death. But surprisingly Yama was not how he has been depicted or described to us as before. He was not dark tanned, huge and menacing, ferocious looking and mounted on a Buffalo but was instead of a gold complexion and seated on a golden lion. Yama was with an attitude though, had indicated that he follow him. That moment my friend chanted Lord Shiva's name almost spontaneously. Shiva arrived immediately with his long tresses flowing over his shoulders and back, and with a blue hued body, huge and encompassing. Shiva who was way much bigger and majestic in comparison with Yama who was midget in size now, placed his hand on Yama's chest and shoved him away, driving him towards the direction from whence he came. Shiva led my friend by his hand and showed him all the worlds. When my friend came around he realized on seeing the clock on the wall of his hospital ward, that he had been gone some two hours.
His story reminds us of Markandeyan and how "Shiva protected Markandeya from the clutches of death, personified as Yama." The story goes as follows, sourced from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markandeya
Mrikandu Rishi and his wife Marudmati worshiped Shiva and sought from him the boon of begetting a son. As a result, he was given the choice of either a righteous son, but with a short life on earth or a child of low intelligence but with a long life. Mrikandu Rishi chose the former, and was blessed with Markandeya, an exemplary son, destined to die at the age of 16.
Markandeya grew up to be a great devotee of Shiva and on the day of his destined death he continued his worship of Shiva in his aniconic form of Shivalingam. The messengers of Yama, the god of death were unable to take away his life because of his great devotion and continual worship of Shiva. Yama then came in person to take away Markandeya's life, and sprung his noose around the young sage's neck. By accident or fate the noose mistakenly landed around the Shivalingam, and out of it, Shiva emerged in all his fury attacking Yama for his act of aggression. After defeating Yama in battle to the point of death, Shiva then revived him, under the condition that the devout youth would live forever. For this act, Shiva was thereafter also known as Kalantaka ("Ender of Death").
When the relative of a man who was bedridden for some five years consulted the Nadi several times, Agathiyar gave several severe remedies to be carried out on behave of the sick person, with a reminder each time that the man remain strong and continue fighting his illness, never giving up even for a moment.
But sadly the man died. All the other relatives came done hard on the sincere follower of Agathiyar who had sought the guidance of Agathiyar and the Nadi for some hope in reviving his relative to his previous healthy state, accusing Agathiyar of giving false hopes and wasting their time and money in carrying out the numerous remedies handed out. There is never a Nadi reading for a dead man but an exception was made that day. Agathiyar called in his follower and told him, "What am I to do? On one hand you had approached me to help revive your kin. I did give you remedies to be carried out and you had faithfully done them too. I had also insisted that the deceased keep his spirits up and alive. Only if he kept fighting to live on, can all the remedies work in his favour. But sadly he gave up on me and my words. He had asked to take his life for he could not bring himself to see his wife, son and daughter suffer in anguish and pain seeing his condition and attending to his vegetable state. I had to comply and give in to his wishes to leave his body!"
All these stories remind us of how sacred this birth is and that given a wonderful body that performs with exact precision, we ought not bring it to fall in disgrace succumbing it to illness and disease.
Thank you Lord Muruga and Agathiya for reminding me of the greatness of this body and birth by giving me pain in the form of sciatica; coming to reveal the subtle messages through the Nadi or oracle; coming to my aid in the form of medicine and its practitioners; and consoling me through family and friends.
A colleague of my daughter who attended one of our prayer sessions, asked us what we gained by worship of the Siddhas. This question surprised both my wife and me because never have we thought of the fruits and results of our worship and the numerous other tasks given by our Gurus and Agathiyar till this day.
It is sad to see many equate devotion to a trade. We are so used to expect returns to our investments that we expect the same in worship too. Agathiyar never shows the carrot in our face to moot us to take a step. He would give a directive. Period. It is for us to follow. If he chooses, Agathiyar would fill us in on the benefits and far reaching consequences of worship and prayers, and of the rituals and actions that are given to us to follow or execute, only after many months on into the practice.
When I moved with the downright naive simpleton, I saw the clear and unquestioning faith and belief they had on customs and practices. They followed the word of the book as bible, hence not questioning the elders.
On the contrary I was more confused and had many doubts and questions after associating with and debating with learned men and women, who tend to question even the most simplest of instructions.
Although this logic seeking mind questions every instruction, I dropped questioning a long time ago, when Lord Shiva came in a dream and told me to "Reserve all my questions for a future date." All the questions were frozen in ice to die a natural death, during the 14 years of my hibernation that he mooted too. I abstained from all forms of devotion and talk on the subject.
I am glad that Erai removed me from that scenario for a while to cool down. Coming out of hibernation I am glad that I took up the little instructions that he began to give me after a 14 year lapse, beginning with an initiation into the Vasudeva mantra, hence bringing me to worship Lord Narayana; followed by instructions on observing the Navarathri puja, thus bringing me to the worship of the feminine aspect of energy, Mother Goddess; and then the inclusion of the worship of Lord Dhakshanamurthy, the Adhi Guru. Athough all these came mysteriously, through my nephew in 2001, it was revealed to me many years forward, that it was mastered and initiated by Agathiyar.
A year after, Agathiyar in the Nadi gave me further instructions. He kept filling me through these Nadi readings. Agathiyar keeps giving me instructions till this day, solely for the reason that "I listen and take heed to what he has to say."
When my gurus in the physical form and Agathiyar came to instruct me, when the moment was right and I was prepared to listen, I just followed. Although the logical mind wants to know the reasons and the results of each action done, I would combat it and just carry on with the instructions given, diligently and with discipline.
When Tavayogi asked me to carry out the ritual of lighting the sacrificial fire or Homam, I followed although with some hesitation initially as I knew that this was the domain of the temple priest. I did not want to step into uncharted waters. But Tavayogi gave me the courage to do so and removed the fear. Agathiyar later filled me in sharing the same reason Tavayogi gave me - it was for the behest and good of the Prapanjam.
When Agathiyar asked me to worship him I questioned myself, "Why does he want us to worship him? How can his worship help me?" We need money, we need a job, we need solutions to our problems, we need a cure for our illness - how does worship help bring about all these? Then again, if it is necessary and required to praise him to gain all these, I cannot but equate him then, to the human qualities of ours that seek praise and glamour. Why decorate him with garlands and jewelry? This are traits of man that he is asking of us too. Why do libation or abhisegam to him? How is this helping to bring relieve to the world's problems? Although all these did not make sense at all in the beginning, but I kept on.
Recently, a friend, messaged me: "Why Agathiyar needs fame through people?" In a spur and gush of "wisdom", the following reply came forth.
When you praise the Lord externally, his Jhothi in you expands.
It is time you went in for answers. Stop questioning, you will get all the answers from within you. You are your own teacher.
First of all stop ridiculing rituals, beliefs, etc. All rituals is meant to bring positive and uplifting changes in us.
Damn the world and others the whole day long, what do you get? There is a sour taste in your mouth, your body emits chemicals that will harm you, and you will have sleepless nights. You will lose your family and friends too.
See everything as divine you will see drastic changes take place in you.
Agathiyar does not need you to praise him.
When we have all moved up you will be left behind still questioning. Your doubts will never end unless you resolve to stop all questioning and just follow.
If you are in the uniform force you will not be allowed to question the commander. If everyone questions his directives on the battle field you will lose the war. You will be killed.
You too have all the answers but you are looking outside or just testing others.
Don't we always give credit to God for all our doings? Appadithaan. Yellaam pugalum eraivanukke. He does not need this fame right? But we give it back to him.
Read my blog. I have mentioned numerous times the benefits of praising God. Yes he does not need you to praise him. He does not need fame. But that is a way of giving back, showing gratitude to him for all he has done for us. For keeping us alive. How do you think you have survived all these years? Acknowledge and give thanks to him this moment. You will never find another moment. If you wait for him to answer all your questions, it might be too late. You won't live long enough to receive all the answers.
If you have fallen into a deep hole, what do you do? I will grab the twine that is available and climb out. That is what we are doing. Agathiyar has let down a twine for us to hold on and pull ourselves up. The twine is prayer and charity. We shall hold on to it till he sends something else, which he will.
The above was a spontaneous answer to his question. It came from within me. As it was rather harsh I thought, I ended with these words, "It is the job of a son to bring fame to the father. Similarly a good disciple will bring fame to the guru. Likewise whatever these youngsters do will bring fame to Agathiyar." I also told him those were not my thoughts but a message for him and prayed that he take heed.
This reminds me of Agathiyar's plea to Lord Narayana for his grace and blessing while it was still possible to sing his praise for you will never know when death knocks one's door.
From being confused over the many readings and discussion on religion and spiritualism, today we are clear in what we need to do, at least for the moment. We take each moment of life at a time. We take a step at a time. The fear of the future is kept at bay by taking care of the task in the present moment. We would give our best shot to the task at hand if we live in the present moment. Otherwise we would rush through the job at hand, to execute another.
I was told of a healer who used the souls of medical practitioners who had died to heal the sick. He would dig into their "body" and correct the damage done hence healing his patient. I was also told that the souls that came to aid in these "operations" were those who had slacked and taken a care less attitude towards their patients and noble practice during their days of providing medical service.
Taking on one thing at a time brings peace and happiness for that moment. What is time if it is not the total accumulation of many moments. If we can learn to live each moment well, that moment of joy will add up to a life time of happiness.
Tackling each assignment given for the day has brought us to where we are today. Although the enormous benefit we have unknowingly gained through the worship of the Siddhas is not reflected and noticeable externally in the physical form, internally we are at peace with ourselves. It is only after coming to a state of peace with ourselves that we can be at peace with others.
The external forms of worship introduced by our gurus and Agathiyar has unknowingly worked internally bringing many manifestations to the soul which Agathiyar aptly calls gaining Atma Balam. The soul that takes on the experience, both the joy and hurt, after a time merges with the spirit (of Erai). The soul that had had the taste of ecstasy and is illuminated will come back to continue the journey on the road to emancipation. Finally the soul takes on the attributes of the divine as it merges with the spirit (of Erai) becoming one.
That is our goal too. We are taken one step at a time, with Agathiyar giving us a task each day, carefully monitoring our progress. Although giving us full freedom to venture in all new things and pleasures, he holds on to the thin string that binds us with him, giving it a thug if we have stranded or deviated too far, giving a reminder in the form of hurt, illness, suffering but never letting go of us, unless we choose to leave.
The reason we came on this mission is to gain Atma Balam in this physical kingdom of Erai - that is so beautiful if only we took time to notice, if only we let it be in its natural state - and leave for the astral kingdom of Erai that promises oneness with him.
Happy Deepavali! May the light from the array of Deepams lit during this festive season bring a new dawn and awareness on us, towards the long walk with the Divine towards his abode and dwelling.
Just as the father leads the child by the hand the guru leads his disciple by taking his hand too. I was very fortunate to have two personal gurus in physical form in my life. I spent some five wonderful years with Supramania Swami of Thiruvannamalai, corresponding by snail mail first and later by phone. I spent some wonderful 14 years with Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram, often speaking to him and Mataji over the phone. Although they both spoke very little I learnt much by just observing them and learning from the way they answered others.
Tavayogi asked me to start conducting a homam in my home taking me by surprise. When I hesitated he gave me encouragement, telling me that I need not fear as it was a pretty simple ritual. He asked that I chant the names of the Siddhas as I lit the sacrificial fire. That was my very first introduction to performing this ritual. When Tavayogi began conducting a Yagam for the first time at his ashram grounds to appease the anger of Mother Nature that had rose to flood various parts of the country; when he later included the Sarva Dosa Nivarana Maha Yagam for healing the illness and sufferings of devotees too, he asked me to carry out a homam, a smaller version of the yagam at my home on the same day and time he did in Kallar. That was my very first introduction to performing a ceremony for the Siddhas, having invited close friends and family.
When he visited Malaysia again in 2010, both Mataji and Tavayogi conducted the libation for Agathiyar and a homam at my home, as my wife and I watched and learnt from them the finer points of the ritual.
Besides both my Gurus, many others taught me numerous things. Nadi Guru Sentilkumar led me on the recitation of the Siddha names when I went over to fulfill my parikaram for the Nadi and the Siddhas who wrote it. I picked up many pertinent information and helpful guides from Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar of Ongkarakudil, Turaiyur through his talks on VCD and his publications. Supramania Swami led me on chanting his Guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar's name, in the confines of his kudil, hence bringing the grace and blessings of the Yogi upon this soul too. Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal brought upon me the grace of the whole kingdom of Siddhas, bringing me to places of interest related to these Siddhas.
Picking up from there I began to worship the Siddhas in my home. My family came to worship together. Soon Agathiyar sent many seekers to my home. Wanting a name to identify my place easily to these seekers, I named it Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM), following the name of the hillock when Tavayogi set up his first shed for an ashram in Kallar. These seekers became my family too; the AVM family soon expanded. They brought back the worship of the Siddhas to their homes and their families too.
Jnana Jhotiamma who received her initiation from both Agathiyar and Tavayogi at Kallar ashram left for the United States. Upon her request we began to stream the puja from AVM to her, placing the notebook in the prayer room to record the proceedings via the built-in camera. After making a small investment in purchasing the C310 Logitech HD Webcam, I could stream the puja using Ustream and later YouTube Live Stream. She encouraged me to sing while she followed the songs in the privacy of her room in USA.
In 2013, when my family and I visited Kallar Ashram, Tavayogi invited us to perform the puja at his ashram, starting it with a couple of songs and taking a step back, giving us the liberty to carry on. This brought us great joy. He was very glad that day as at the end of the puja he commented that the seed he had sowed in the Malaysian soil had not gone to waste. It has grown and bloomed and was bearing the fruits that others too have begun to partake. This blessing was a great recognition for us, giving us confidence to carry on and share the cake with more people. Back home we began performing homa and puja in temples too with the cooperation of the temple heads/committees.
When Tavayogi and Mataji visited us in Malaysia in 2016, we arranged to have the AVM family members, some 10 families to host the homa and puja in their homes, witnessed by Tavayogi and Mataji. Again Tavayogi was elated and commented that his effort in bringing the Siddha Marga to our shores back then in 2004 had bore fruit and seen results.
When some ten of us from the AVM family attended the inauguration of the new Kallar ashram complex and Agathiyar's Jayanthi and Guru Puja celebrations the same year, Tavayogi gave us the honor to sing the praise of the Siddhas amidst the huge gathering of devotees who attended the too day event. As Tavayogi, Mataji, Bala Chandran and I led the devotees in prayer, the rest of the AVM family were given the honor to sit at the Yagam. It was indeed another honor for AVM to serve Agathiyar and our Guru at his grounds.
Similarly these days at AVM, my wife and I stand aside and let the young blood in the family organise and run the events, encouraging them to take center stage. I and my wife stand aside and watch with amusement at these youngsters joyfully and creatively serving Agathiyar. AVM is blessed to have such wonderful souls around.
