AGATHIYAR JAYANTHI 2018

Both Kallar Ashram and Anuvavi Agathiyar Ashram will celebrate the upcoming Agathiyar Jayanthi and Guru Puja at their premises on 26 December 2018.

Agathiyar Tapovanam Malaysia will conduct its Annual Guru Puja for Agathiyar on 21 January 2019.

LEARNING TO LIVE ANEW

One can never possibly have all the knowledge and answers to all questions. It is only when we come face up with a problem, succumb to an illness or disease, or seek a way of doing something that the answers come. It can be by way of our own research into the matter, through someone else's experience or advice from someone competent on the subject.

And so did I learn many things, each time I or my family came face to face with these problems or illnesses. I saw it as a blessing as I learned from these experiences. 

The most recent was the fourth recurrence of the stabbing pain in my lower back and buttocks that ran down my right leg. When I mention it people immediately relate it to sciatica or a slipped disc. But it was neither as medically I was given a clean slate but something deeper as revealed by the Siddhas.

The very first time the pain came on was in 2011 when I was having a shower. I used to place my thumb into my mouth and massage my Uvula, which supposedly removes phlegm. And it did for me. So I made it a practice each morning after I brushed my teeth. I must have irritated it too long that it caused me to throw up. That was when I pulled my nerve. I felt a sharp pain in my lower back and buttocks that ran through my right leg till the toes, paralyzing me. I froze. I could not move for some moments. I pulled myself out of the hot shower once the nerve released its pull on me and dragged myself to my bed. I lived with the pain for some time, going to work and attending to my routine life. But it was increasingly becoming unbearable. If in the beginning, I found it difficult and painful to walk having to drag my leg behind me, soon I found it painful to even stand. I had to look for a seat. I used to lag behind my family too. But I cannot remember how I kept driving to and fro from work in the city. 

Then I would crawl out of bed. Soon the pain was so severe that it woke me up from sleep. If the idea of going to bed was to get up freshen the next morning it wasn't so for me. I dreaded waking up for the pain would come on immediately.

I made my way to Dr. Krishnan, medical astrologer, and Siddha practitioner. He told me there could be three possibilities. Since my legs were not swollen he struck out any kidney problem. As I had no bleeding or difficulty in urinating he struck out kidney and bladder stones. Finally, he asked that I take an X-ray of my back to see if I had a slipped disc. Taking his advice I headed for the hospital. They referred me to the specialist. I was cleared of any problems. I was referred back to the clinic and asked to undergo physiotherapy beginning on 12 May 2011. It helped and brought some relief. 

I next headed to my regular Nadi Nool Aasan to hear what Agathiyar had to say about my condition on 26 November 2011. Agathiyar brushed if off lightly telling me that the three humors in my body had run havoc, having gone out of proportion. He told me to consume Triphala, which would correct the ratio of the three humors. He told me to worship the Sun God and Lord Muruga. I immediately followed his directives. 

On 4 April, feeling much better I asked to lay off the physiotherapy only to ask to continue again on 29 November after feeling some discomfort. Besides the usual heat therapy, I was told to do five stretching exercises too at home. I had been doing them regularly. I continued till 15 February 2012. A miracle took place that day. The physician asked me to do it in front of her. The moment I went into the posture and began to stretch my back, I felt as if a knot gave way in my lower back and buttocks. I cried out aloud in joy. The pain went away. I found an instant relief overcome me. 

Then the pain came back in June of 2016 just days ahead of my daughter's marriage as I was busy preparing for the event. It lingered around and one fine day I realized that it had gone away. 

It came back several months back as I was jumping around with my granddaughter breaking soap bubbles. As Bala Chandran and his wife had just returned from India, they came over with the temple prasad from the temples they had visited. When he mentioned he had prasad from Dhanvanthri's temple, I told him that I had an urgent need for it and mentioned about my pain. He applied the ash followed by Mahin. I was blessed to have Dhanvanthri himself come and treat me that day. I was told it was a case of excessive Vata and asked to heat up sesame oil and apply. After some time I realized the pain had gone away. 

When the pain came back a couple of months back, upon me sneezing, as I was crossing the road, it was severe and exactly as I had felt the very first time. The pain ran through my back like a lightning bolt and traveled through my right leg. I made my way to my car and drove home in pain. Agathiyar told me it was a case of the Vasi or the breath gone wrong. He gave me five herbal preparations to consume and ointments to rub. While this reading was recorded and sent to me, the following day another reading was held at my home by someone else. Lord Muruga treated me and explained further. The next day he gave another reading through a friend. He recommended another ointment and herbal medicine.

I gained some clarification regarding what Agathiyar said from http://www.tknsiddha.com/medicine/vatham-pitham-kapham-tridosha/

Just as we are told what is out there is also within us, there is a distinct relationship with the external world and man. 

The external air corresponds to the internal vayu; the external heat corresponds to the internal pitta and the external water corresponds to the internal kapham or phlegm. Man is thus linked with the external world and any change in the elementary condition of the external world has its corresponding change in the human organism. And it is upon this inter change of influences that the tridosha theory and the doctrines of humoral pathology are based. 

According to the Siddha medicine system, the three humors, (Muppini or Mukkuttram in Tamil Siddha medicine system and Tridosha in Ayurveda system) normally occupy the lower, middle and upper parts of the body - vayu in the regions of the pelvis, the pitham in the region of the stomach and the internal viscera and kapham or phelgm in the regions of the breath throat and head. 

It is interesting to note “that the characteristics of the three humors in the constitution of man are either hereditary (passed genetically, or capable of being passed genetically, from one generation to the next) or atavistic (relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral).” 

Vayu is related to the functions of the central and the sympathetic nervous system; Pitta to the functions of thermo genesis, metabolism i.e. digestion, blood coloration, excretion and secretion while Kapha is related to the regulation of heat and the formation of the various preservative glands. 

These three humors, vata, pitta, and kapha through their combined actions and the normal ratio of 4:2:1 help maintain the upkeep of the human body. 

Any change in these proportions is sure to bring about disease to death, but the maintenance of their normal proportion gives vitality to the organisms and assures the preservation of health and longevity.

We refer to http://vkool.com/how-to-strengthen-nervous-system/ for a detailed explanation regarding what Lord Muruga said.

De-myelination is the loss of the myelin sheath insulating the nerves. Your brain, peripheral nerves and spinal cord pare covered by a layer of fat that is called myelin. This fat has a role in providing insulation to the nervous system and if you are lacking proper myelin or eroded, you may have to experience some symptoms of nerve dysfunction. They can be mentioned to muscle weakness, diminished vision, and inexplicable chronic pain. 

To supply optical nutritional support to your nervous system, you have to ensure an adequate amount of healthy fats, and vitamin D and vitamin B12. They are all essential to keeping optimal myelin so that strengthen your nervous system health. 

Lord Muruga revealed that it was his doing so that I would be forced to slow down and go within. His words surprisingly were posted by Srinatha Raghavan on Fb recently.

Relax the Body,
Energise the Nerves (Nadis),
Then the Mind too will retire, That's Meditation.

This is exactly what he wants me to do. He has asked that I go within taking up Tavam. As a recognition of the years of worship and accompanying rituals that were done, he conferred a name for our home Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM), one that I had picked many years ago. He named it Agathiyar Tapovanam Malaysia (ATM), appropriate for the next stage. We are obliged and grateful that he has brought us a step further on this long journey when he thought the time was right and we are ready to take the plunge. 

It has been a wonderful journey. I was called to the path, asked to do rituals, and Siddha puja. After 17 years of adhering to the agamas, the Siddhas have asked us to go within now. With Persatuan Teman Setia (PTS) going about with its charity programs with funding through Amudha Surabhi (AS) and service towards the unfortunate provided by Thondu Seivom (TS), AVM that served as a learning center for rituals involved in Siddha Puja has taken on a new role, through ATM, that of bringing us together in meditation. Rituals will be held on a need-to basis, where devotees can carry them out if they desired.

It has always been interesting traveling this journey with the Siddhas, never for a moment letting us slip into boredom or settle for a monotonous regime or routine. The Siddhas keep creating a life full of surprises that is always changing. Our destiny is in their hands.

SEEING THE DIVINE EVERYWHERE

Transforming oneself

The formless spirit that desires an experience takes the soul. It then takes on the experience as programmed ahead that is imprinted in the soul. Over time as it collects merits and demerit points along the way, the law of cause and effect determines the subsequent experiences the soul would have to undergo besides materializing its own desires. Coming along with a baggage of past karma a portion that is already exhausted by taking the birth and a body, the parents, the place of birth and nation, race and religion, all that is specifically picked or chosen by the soul, and with new desires waiting to be fulfilled, we begin yet another journey along the beaten track, not realizing that we have been coming and going for ages. This is what has to stop. How do we go about it?

In phase one when material and mundane desires that are carried in the soul are replaced by noble thoughts and deeds of serving humanity coupled with spiritually elevating acts, practices and desires of that of merging with Erai, these will transform the soul to become divine. The divine soul and the spirit becomes Kandhan or divinity itself. With Erai's grace there is neither “uyir pini” nor “udal pini”, meaning neither the soul nor the body is affected by illness and disease. 

Next as we progress on, working now on rebuilding the thoughts and reviewing the desires to be aligned with the thoughts and desires of Erai, brings on a renewed soul that then acts the role of the divine, bringing peace and bliss to all those who it comes upon. Bringing the divine to stay in us forever through an extended period of tavam, one becomes divine carrying the very nature of Erai. Eventually acting out its role, the spirit helps the divine soul end the need to come back again. 

The journey ends.

Seeing the Divine everywhere.

To be able to see the Divine in all things we need to bring a big and radical transformation within us. But it all has to start from seeing the divine outside, either in a picture, idol, or any other related symbol. 

From http://greenmesg.org/swami_vivekananda_sayings_quotes/religion-concept_of_image_worship.php we learn about the concept of image worship by Swami Vivekananda.

We may worship a picture as God, but not God as the picture. God in the picture is right, but the picture as God is wrong. God in the image is perfectly right. There is no danger there. This is the real worship of God.

This is the start of the journey. Here is where the belief and concept of god is instilled in the young. It is easy for a child to accept that god is in the idol and picture. One grows up to worship god at the altar in his home and temples. He serves god in both these places. We are amazed to see the majesty of him, bringing admiration and respect and often fear too. This is the path of the servant. 

Next we shall come to see him in all of his creation beginning from the nearest, our body. Sri Swami Sivananda brings us to wake up to the reality and look upon this body of ours with respect through these words of his. 

Are you not struck with awe and wonder, my dear friends, when you think for a moment seriously about the Divine Grandeur and Divine Glory, that are exhibited in the structure of these miraculous mechanisms, heart, lungs, brain, etc? How harmoniously do they work! Who converts food into blood? Who pumps the blood into the arteries? It is He. Feel His indwelling presence. Pay your silent homage to Him. Glory, Glory, unto the Lord, the Creator of this wonderful body, His own image, His own dwelling house, the Navadvarapuri, the nine-gated city! 

(Source: "The Science of Pranayama" by Sri Swami Sivananda, A Divine Life Society Publication, 1935) 

Hence the concept of a creator arises. We are amazed to see the vastness of his creation and all in it. This is the path of the son who speaks proudly of the father.

Then we have to move within, learning to see him within us. Yoga and meditation help us move inwards. The tranquility when one holds the pose in an asana and when he holds the single thought leads him within. Merging in stillness he begets the form and nature of god.

Then we shall come to see his expansive form everywhere and in everything. Then divinity is everywhere. Swami Vishnudevananda writes on this facet of his master, Swami Shivananda who saw the divine in river Ganga and all around him.

The first time I saw Swami Shivananda he was sitting with about 30 or 40 people around him. He looked like an ordinary man among them. The look on his face and manner of speech were simple and straightforward. Each word came from his heart. There was no kind of religious hypocrisy, no sitting on a tiger skin with ashes smeared all over his body. He had an extraordinary spiritual glow.

Before leaving, I went down the Ganga where it was the custom of the Ashram to do Arati (waving of lights) every evening. All the devotees and inmates of the Ashram assembled by the banks of the Ganga to watch Master perform this evening worship. I was skeptical. I was of a scientific temperament and knew that a river is only water, H2O-imagine worshipping H2O! But as I stood there and watched Master waving the lights, I saw the river become a mass of flowing lights. At that instant, the river assumed a divine flow, a manifestation of the Grace of the Lord. Master turned and looked at me and in my mind I heard his message, God pervades everything; this too is His Special Form. This entirely changed my outlook on life.

When Agathiyar brought me to his natural abodes that were the hills, jungles and caves and those that man built like temples and samadhis, led by Tavayogi, he showed me his presence and many miracles. He told me many more shall be shown back home in Malaysia. I believed him. He did as told. 

As I put in more hours into my devotion, my wife used to have dreams almost daily. When she questioned Tavayogi as to why she was having so many dreams in which she saw Gods, Goddesses and saints, I put it to Tavayogi candidly, that it was not fair that I put in the effort and she was receiving the fruits of my efforts. We all laughed over it. Tavayogi then told me that they need not come to me in my dreams as I believed in them. They came in my wife's dream so that she too would take up the Siddha path. Today she and my children are ardent devotees and fans of Agathiyar. Agathiyar blessed her for devoting her time in looking after him in the bronze statue of his at our home, by gifting her, her very first Nadi reading without the need of giving the thumb print and birth details. This was a very rare occurrence as I soon found out from the Nadi reader who himself was taken aback and surprised. 

Commissioning a bronze statue of his through a directive, Agathiyar asked us to give “uru”, that is bring the spirit of Erai; and “uyir”, the soul of Agathiyar within the metal. The Divine began to reside in it. Then he showed us his play through this metal piece. The metal became alive, opening its eyes to grant wishes and pour its grace. Originally 18 kilos in weight, each time the libation is done both at home and in the temple grounds, he became heavier. Imagine Bala Chandran, Dyalen, Shanga and Sugu who initially carried his carrier or pallaakku with one hand had to use both as they struggled to bring him around the Sri Mayuranathar/ Pamban Swamigal temple in Dengkil. Similarly Dyalen who easily carried him from the car to Balachander Aiya’s home, struggled to send him back to the car after the libation. 

The mystery of the Divine coming into a person or what we commonly know as going into a trance is interesting. For instance if the divine wants to come down to our plane and address us, it needs to enter physical matter like a body. The moment it enters the body of a person, the soul of the person vacates his body and leaves to temporarily enter the metal or granite statue or any other vessel. This momentary exchange of place is what transmutes during this mystical moments. The divine and soul switch places, the Divine using the body to serve the purpose it came for. Here his soul is a partial witness to whatever takes place. The divine comes and leaves without harming the person. This trance like phenomena is initiated by the Divine. 

There are times when the divine is invoked to come and one is required to be revived from his unconscious state upon the divine leaving him. Here his soul is not a witness to whatever takes place during his absence. This trance is initiated by man. 

With the coming of Agathiyar, what we read and saw in the movies began to happen in real time. Many interesting phenomena began to take place in our circle. We were witness to the play of Erai and his apostles the Siddhas. From fearing them we became accustomed to it, learning to step aside for the Divine to play its lilas. 

We have come to realize the Divine in every minute things these days. If we saw how the automatic closing of the eyes during prayer initiates Kevala Kumbam in an earlier post, similarly we are told that an ordinary song that is sang in front of the idol of Lord Ganesa, carries many interpretations. 

The first time I heard it mentioned was when Dr Sarangapani, popularly known as Vaithiyar Bhani, addressed us at the Agathiyar Gnana Peedham in Batu Caves in 2005. He sang a song on Lord Ganesa and told us that while in school he was told that it was a song of praise to Lord Ganesa to be sang in front of him. Later when he took up the study of Siddha medicine, he was told by his master that the verses pertained to herbs and the preparation of a herbal concoction. Then when he came to Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah, his Guru told him that this song reflected Gnanam. We were amazed that one song could carry so many dimensions and have different meaning and inference to so many people at different times. This song covered devotion or Bhakti; was a medicine or Ausadham and finally a subject of Gnanam too. 

The song is by Auvaiyaar, one that we have heard often. 

வாக்குண்டாம் நல்ல மனமுண்டாம் மாமலராள்
நோக்குண்டாம் மேனி நுடங்காது பூக்கொண்டு
துப்பார் திருமேனி தும்பிக்கையான் பாதம்
தப்பாமல் சார்வார் தமக்கு 

CS Murugesan in his "Sittargalin Saagaakalai" mentions the same song and explains the same. 

The ordinary devotee is told that, 

"Singing this song of devotion and praise, invoking Lord Ganesa with flowers daily, one will possess good speech, talent, knowledge and the blessings of Goddess Laxmi. He will have clear conscience, and his body will never succumb to illness or disease." 

When the same song is seen through the eyes of a Siddha practitioner or Vaidyar, it becomes a Sutra to formulate and prepare a herbal preparation, Kaya Kalpha. 

வாக்குண்டாம் நல்ல மனமுண்டாம் மாமலராள்
நோக்குண்டாம் மேனி நுடங்காது பூக்கொண்டு
துப்பார் (ghee) திரு (tulasi) மேனி (kuppaimeni) தும்பிக் (thumbai) கையான் (karisalai) பாதம் தப்பாமல் சார்வார் தமக்கு

It is all in the eyes of the beholder. How one sees something in the present is a result of past vasanas and experience. Hence the reason why some can come to accept the concept of god and others brush it off; the reason why some belief in miracles and others don't; and the reason why some can hold on to a path and make progress while others struggle to stay on.

But then life would not be interesting if we had everyone come out of the factory from a same mould and similar in all aspects. All these variations add to our experience here, sometimes good and at times bad. But understanding that it is all a play of Erai let us join in his game. Let us have some fun too.

THE JOURNEY OF THE SOUL

The spirit that wanted to realize and experience a segment of life and its related emotions, sends its spark to take on a soul. The soul has the capacity to record the outcomes of its desired journey on earth. The soul designs the body needed for its venture according to its recollection of its past karma that is stored in the Akashic records. The body we take, the parents to whom we are born is all predetermined by the soul. The soul ensures that the form it takes and family it is going to be placed in will contribute to its growth and will provide the experience that it seeks further. The spirit then engineers and supervises the formation, growth and sustenance of the body and eventual separation of the soul from the body. The spirit cares for the fetus, sustains it, supervises its growth, and eventually brings it to the world. It determines the length of our live span too. Letting the soul journey freely and accumulate experiences, it departs returning to its source once the physical body drops. Exceptions are made in the case of Siddhas where both the soul and spirit lives on in the body that is made imperishable. 

Hence the spirit takes on a soul that determines a physical body again and again to work out its karma and gain new insights and experience through a wide range of possible births. 

R.Venu Gopalan writes in his "The Hidden Mystery of Kundalini", Heath Harmony, 2001,

After completing the cycle of all the eighty four lakh yonies the soul takes rest in the purest heart of the Lord himself. To keep the soul from accumulating the burden of piousness and sin, Lord himself decides on the concept of repaying back all that is taken and all that is to be given so that when the soul rejoins with him it is pure.

Manikavasagar mentions the various births it takes to reach the rare and gifted state of a man in his Sivapuranam. The Lord is known only through this amazing creation of his - man.

புல்லாகிப் பூடாய்ப் புழுவாய் மரமாகிப்
பல் விருகமாகிப் பறவையாய்ப் பாம்பாகிக்
கல்லாய் மனிதராய்ப் பேயாய்க் கணங்களாய்
வல் அசுரர் ஆகி முனிவராய்த் தேவராய்ச்
செல்லாஅ நின்ற இத் தாவர சங்கமத்துள் 
எல்லாப் பிறப்பும் பிறந்து இளைத்தேன், எம்பெருமான்
மெய்யே உன் பொன் அடிகள் கண்டு இன்று வீடு உற்றேன்
உய்ய என் உள்ளத்துள் ஓங்காரமாய் நின்ற
மெய்யா விமலா விடைப்பாகா வேதங்கள்

Oh lord by becoming grass, small plants, worms, trees,

Several types of animals, birds, snakes,

Stone, human beings, ghosts, different types of devils,

Strong asuras, sages, devas,

And I traveled all over this spectrum of moving and not moving things,

And took all types of births and became tired.

Truly I have attained salvation seeing your golden feet,

Oh God, who stood as letter “Om”,

in my mind so that I would be saved,

(Source:  http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Shiva_Puranam_(Tamil) )

Agathiyar complements Manickavasagar. Taking the rare human birth, one progresses from a common man to a divine man, a master (guru), a Rishi, a Siddha, a Gandharva, a Deva and finally heads back home to the kingdom of Erai.

It is said that the animals closest to man in this hierarchy is the cow and the elephant, hence the reason these animals are kept and worshiped in temples.

How then do we break this cycle of birth and death? 

Just as Buddha says the thought will only subside if we replace the thousand thoughts with one, the thousands of desires we carry and its associated karma and those that we already carry, will have to go. The thousand desires need to be replaced with a single desire. The karma that arises as a result of our actions due to our desires reduces as we drop our desires. The entire load of karma carried from the past needs to be shed too.

Then even that single desire too has to be dropped as Thirumular reveals.

ஆசை யறுமின்கள் ஆசை யறுமின்கள் 

ஈசனோடாயினும் ஆசை யறுமின்கள் 

ஆசை பாடப்பட ஆய்வருந் துன்பங்கள் 

ஆசை விடவிட ஆனந்தமாமே 

How do we let go of that single last desire of us? When we stand in front of a deity instead of asking for our needs Agathiyar says ask for the needs of others and all of prapanjam. Our desire for the individual self is replaced with that for all of humanity. This desire does not warrant any karma. The needs of an individual drops as one progresses spiritually. Even his yearning to see Erai shall drop. He would not be asking anything of Erai, but just shed tears of joy in his presence, silently thanking him for his birth. 

Bhagawan Ramana explains this transformation in BV Narasimha Swami's "Self Realization, The Life and Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi", Sri Ramanasramam, 1985.

Formerly I would go there (the temple of Meenakshi Sundareswara) rarely with friends, see the images put on sacred ashes and sacred vermilion on the forehead and return home without any perceptible emotion. After the awakening into the new life, I would go almost every evening to the temple. I would go alone and stand before Siva or Meenakshi or Nataraja or the sixty three saints for long periods. I would feel waves of emotion overcoming me. The former hold on the body had been given up by my spirit, since it ceased to cherish the idea 'I am the body'. The spirit therefore longed to have a fresh hold and hence the frequent visits to the temple and the overflow of the soul in profuse tears. This was God's play with the individual spirit. I would stand before Isvara, the controller of the universe and the destinies of all, the omniscient and omnipresent, and occasionally pray for the descent of his grace upon me so that my devotion might increase and become perpetual like that of the sixty three saints. Mostly I would not pray at all, but let the deep within flow on and into the deep without. Tears would mark this overflow of the soul and not betoken any particular feeling of pleasure or pain. I had no desire to avoid rebirth or seek release, to obtain dispassion or salvation... in the language of the books, I should describe my mental or spiritual condition after the awakening, as Suddha Manas or Vijnana, ie the intuition of the illumined.

One who is in this state would want to share with others this joy and bliss. He takes it upon himself to spread this joy that he has experience. His personal desires that had been extinguished is replaced with Erai's desires. He seeks of Erai what else he can do to serve him and his subjects. He lives for Erai's cause.

Ramalinga Adigal ask of Erai what was he to do further, waiting for his directive.

பொழுது விடிந்ததென் உள்ளமென் கமலம்

பூத்தது பொன்னொளி பொங்கிய தெங்கும்

தொழுதுநிற் கின்றனன் செய்பணி எல்லாம்

சொல்லுதல் வேண்டும்என் வல்லசற் குருவே

முழுதும்ஆ னான்என ஆகம வேத

முறைகளெ லாம்மொழி கின்றமுன் னவனே

எழுதுதல் அரியசீர் அருட்பெருஞ் சோதி

என்தந்தை யேபள்ளி எழுந்தருள் வாயே.

When it is time for him to depart, the soul that has gathered all these memories leaves its body, its memories now shelved as Akashic records. The spirit seeks out its parent house or source from whence it came. The Nadi in a way is a means and tool for the Siddha to leaf through the Akashic records looking for the individual's past records and revealing them through these oracles.

KADAVUL ENGE?

Bala Chandran shares a beautiful writing on where Erai is, which is circulating in Whatsapp. It is truly an eye opener. It brings a realization on the closeness of Erai that we all fail to see.

மலை உச்சியில் அமர்ந்திருந்தார் கடவுள்..

"வெறுங்கையோடு பார்க்கப் போகாதே... ஏதாவது கொண்டு போ" என்றார்கள்.. குசேலனின் அவல் போல்... இருந்ததை முடிந்து கொண்டு கிளம்பினேன்..

மலைத்து நின்றேன் மலையடிவாரத்தில்..

ரொம்ப உயரம் போலவே... ஏற முடியுமா என்னால்...

மலையைச் சுற்றிலும் பல வழிகள்.. மேலே போவதற்கு...

அமைதியான வழி.. ஆழ்ந்த தியானத்தி்ன் வழி..

சாஸ்திர வழி... சம்பிரதாய வழி..

மந்திர வழி.. தந்திர வழி..

கட்டண வழி.. 

கடின வழி... சுலப வழி...

குறுக்கு வழி.. துரித வழி...

சிபாரிசு வழி... பொது வழி..

பழைய வழி.. புதிய வழி.. இன்னும்... இன்னும்... கணக்கிலடங்கா...

அடேயப்பா.... எத்தனை வழிகள்... ஒவ்வொன்றிலும் ஒரு வழிகாட்டி..

கண்டுகொள்ளவில்லை சில வழிகாட்டிகள்..

"என் வழியில் ஏற உனக்குத் தகுதியில்லை..." ஒதுக்கினர் சிலர்.. 

"நான் கூட்டிப் போகிறேன் வா... கட்டணம் தேவையில்லை.. என் வழியி்ல் ஏறினால் போதும்.. எத்தனை பேர் என் வழியில் ஏறினர் என கணக்குக் காட்ட வேண்டும் எனக்கு... " என கை பிடித்து இழுத்தனர் சிலர்...

"மேலே ஏறும் சிரமம் உனக்கு வேண்டாம்.. உனக்குப்பதில் நான் போகிறேன்..

கட்டணம் மட்டும் செலுத்து"... என சிலர்..

"பார்க்கணும் அவ்ளோதானே... இங்கேயிருந்து காட்டுகிறேன் பார்.. அது போதும்..... அதெல்லாம் நாங்க மட்டும்தான் ஏற முடியும்..."

ஆணவ அதிகாரத்துடன் சிலர்....

"அங்கேயெல்லாம் உன்னால் போகமுடியாது.. உன்னால் ஏறமுடியாது... தூரம் அதிகம்.. திரும்பிப்போ... அவரை என்னத்துக்குப் பார்க்கணும்.. பார்த்து ஆகப்போறது என்ன.." அதைரியப்படுத்தினர் சிலர்...

"உண்மையில் நீ பார்க்கும் தூரம் இல்லை.. ஏறினால் ஏறிக்கொண்டே இருக்கவேண்டும் அது ஒரு வழிப்பாதை... ஒரு முறை ஏற ஆரம்பித்தால் திரும்ப முடியாது... அப்படியே போவேண்டியதுதான்..." பயமுறுத்தினர் சிலர்...

"சாமியாவது... பூதமாவது.. அது வெறும் கல்.. அங்கே ஒன்றும் இல்லை.. வெட்டி வேலை... போய் பிழைப்பைப் பார்..." பாதையை அடைத்து வைத்துப்

பகுத்தறிவு பேசினர் சிலர்...

என்ன செய்வது... ஏறுவதா... திருப்பிப் போவதா...?

குழம்பி நின்ற என்னிடம் கை நீட்டியது.. ஒரு பசித்த வயிறு..

கடவுளுக்கென்று கொணர்ந்ததை அந்தக் கையில் வைத்தேன்..

"மவராசியா இரு..." வாழ்த்திய முகத்தினைப் பார்த்தேன்..

நன்றியுடன் எனை நோக்கிய அந்தப் பூஞ்சடைந்த கண்களிலிருந்து புன்னகைத்தார் கடவுள்..!!!!

"இங்கென்ன செய்கிறீர்..!!"

"நான் இங்கேதானே இருக்கிறேன்..."

"அப்போ அங்கிருப்பது யார்..?" மலை உச்சியை நோக்கிக் கை நீட்டினேன்..

"ம்ம்ம்...அங்கேயும் இருக்கிறேன்... எங்கேயும் இருப்பவனல்லவா நான்!இங்கே எனைக் காண முடியாதவர் அங்கே வருகிறார்... சிரமப்பட்டு!!!!..."

"ஆனால்".. திணறினேன்... "இது உமது உருவமல்லவே..."

"அதுவும் எனது உருவமல்லவே... எனக்கென்று தனி உருவமில்லை.. நீ என்னை எதில் காண்கிறாயோ அது நானாவேன்..."

"அப்படியென்றால்..??"

"வாழ்த்திய கண்களில் உனக்குத் தெரிபவனும் நானே.... பசித்த வயிற்றோடு கைநீட்டியவன், உணவளித்த உன் கண்களில் காண்பதும் எனையே.. தருபவனும் நானே... பெறுபவனும் நானே... நான் எங்கும் எதிலும் இருக்கிறேன்... என் தரிசனம் பெறக் கண் தேவையில்லை.. மனதுதான் வேண்டும்..."

"அப்போ உனைப் பார்க்க மலை ஏற வேண்டாம் என்கிறாயா??".. குழப்பத்துடன் கேட்டேன்..

"தாராளமாக ஏறி வா... அது உன் விருப்பம்... அங்கும் நான் இருக்கிறேன் என்றேனே.. அங்கு வந்தாலும் எனைப் பார்க்கலாம்.."

"கடவுளே"... விழித்தேன்... "எனக்குப் புரியவில்லை..."

"புரிந்து கொள்வது அவ்வளவு கடினமல்ல... உனக்காக மட்டுமே நீ வாழ்ந்தால்.. என்னைக் காண, நீ சிரமப்பட்டு மலையேறி உச்சிக்கு வரவேண்டும்... பிற உயிர்களுக்காகவும் வாழ்ந்தாய் என்றால்... நீ இருக்குமிடத்திலேயே எனைக் காண்பாய்."

புன்னகைத்தார் கடவுள்!

போகும் பாதை தூரம் இல்லை, 

வாழும் வாழ்கை பாரம் இல்லை. 

சாய்ந்து தோள் கொடு, 

இறைவன் உந்தன் காலடியில். 

இருள் விலகும் அக ஒளியில். 

அன்னம் பகிர்ந்திடு! அன்னம் பகிர்ந்திடு!

நதி போகும் கூழாங்கல், பயணம் தடயம் இல்லை. 

வலி தாங்கும் சுமைதாங்கி, மண்ணில் பாரம் இல்லை. 

ஒவ்வொரு அலையின் பின், இன்னொரு கடல் உண்டு. நம் கண்ணீர் இனிக்கட்டுமே!

கருணை மார்பில் சுனை கொண்டவர் யார்? அன்னை பால் என்றாலே. அருளின் ஊற்றில் கண் திறந்தவர் யார்? இறைவன் உயிர் என்றாரே. 

வெரும் கை ஆசியிலும், இரு கை ஓசையிலும், புவி எங்கும் புன்நகை பூக்கட்டுமே!

(Source: http://www.lyricaldelights.com/2015/01/23/pisaasu_poogum_paadhai/)

TAKING THE ONE PATH PART 2

Traveling deeper into the wilderness now, I came to a point where the path split into two. There was a sign post "Piravamai" written on it placed on one path; and another sign post "Iravaamai" written on it and pointing the other way. This sign posts reminded me of the countless saints who must have come by, yearning to know the ancient secrets and to meet their creator; took up a path and locating the key that opens the door to the secret, deciphered the secret, realized for themselves certain truths and locked it up to be kept hidden again from the masses. 

But they left a note behind.

"One should be gifted not to be born again. In event he takes birth again, he should wish for the elixir of life that keeps death away. Either way, this verse reminds one not to forget the Holy feet of Tillai Ambalar for that is itself a good elixir."

பிறவா திருக்க வரம் பெறல் வேண்டும்
பிறந்து விட்டால் இறவா திருக்க மருந்துண்டு காண்
இது வெப்படியோ அறமார் புகழ் தில்லை அம்பலவாணர் அடிக்கமலம்
மறவாதிரு மனமே அது காண் நன் மருந்துனக்கே 

And they left behind two sign posts for those who risked the journey and came this far. Now faced with a choice of either taking the path of the rightist or opting for the leftist, I decided to take a moment to investigate both paths. Reading P. Karthigayan's "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu", Notion Press, 2016 threw some light and helped put things into its correct perspective. Going with the flow and read, I could piece together the puzzles that had failed to come together earlier. I began to understand and gained clarity on all the confusion that arised previously. 

His distinct classification and separation of immortality into two perspectives saved the day. His classification of one path as seeking spiritual immortally, and the other as seeking physical immortality, laid the ground for me to work and investigate further. 

His distinction of the soul and spirit, which I and others had all these while thought to be the same and interchangeable, further clarified these issues. 

I understood from Andraz of Slovenia who was a close friend of P.Karthigayan, that he has passed away since. But his book remains to serve as a guide and an eye opener to me revealing more and more secrets at each reading. I thank Srimathi Santhi Balachander for taking the trouble to locate and purchase a copy of this wonderful book while in Chennai.

Taking the first path, we work to exhaust all the karma that we had brought with us from the past and added onto us in the present birth. For one seeking spiritual immortality, the sole thought is to elevate the soul and spirit, hence neglecting the body. Everything else is not important too. All else is regarded as an illusion or Maya. Only the soul and spirit are real.

He lives through his karma; does not create any new karma be it good or bad. He isolates himself and works on his soul and spirit. Spending years in isolation, no new karma is acquired; and the existing exhausted by submission.

He who chooses the first path, works out his karma voluntarily submitting to it. Life will beat the hell out of him, yet he would not lift a finger to stop, change or modify the effects of his karma. He accepts it as it comes. As karma is the reason to be reborn again, when he has exhausted it, living it out, there is no reason for him to come back again. The SIM is erased. The soul is cleansed of all memories. The soul does not carry any data anymore. It perishes.

For the seeker of spiritual mortality, the soul perishes taking with it all the records of the lives and experience lived. The server @soul that carries the data itself is destroyed. There is no birth. The spirit merges with the source. This is Piravamai. 

Taking the second path we live to transform the karma instead, taking real care of the body, soul and spirit. The body is kept alive so that death is postponed indefinitely. One works to transform his physical body, and at the same time elevates his soul and spirit. He transforms his karma, through conducting rituals and serving humanity and other noble activities. He stays in the society serving those who seek guidance, and spreads the word of Erai, in some cases opting to heal the sick. 

He who chooses the second, seeks to know about his past lives and the karma done. He carries out all the remedies needed to exhaust it or transform it. Engaging in activities that benefit others and that brings positive merits, and with its accumulation he offsets the negative. By active participation in helping society's outcast, the karma is reduced till it is exhausted.

But these noble actions accumulated will bring about new and positive karma that will need to be harnessed too yet in another birth! By continuous monitoring of the balance sheet and with immediate measures taken to distribute and giving away these merits laying no claim to it, this will ensure a zero balance in our account. Meanwhile work is done to sustain the body to deliver peak performance. The body is at its peak of health. By monitoring his health well, he keeps illness and disease at bay. 

One on the second path, loves his body. He loves life. He loves nature. He loves all of creation. He sees Erai in all of his creation. With further moderate yogic practices and austerities or tavam, his body is prepared to become a receptacle for Erai to enter and reside. Once Erai comes within the physical body, it takes on the nature of Erai and all its impurities or malam clears just as darkness disappears the moment light is brought in. He becomes an apostle, a savior, and a light for others to follow. He preaches and teaches the path. For the seeker of physical mortality the server or soul is kept upgraded and expands taking on the data and spiritual experiences and sharing it with those who come seeking.

Manikavasagar describes how Erai came with his entourage and brought him to his fold through a metaphor.

"Residing in a dwelling made of meat walls and with numerous openings, and a false roof, with worms crawling within, when damaged, fluids begin to flow, whence I am tossed about in an endless whirlpool of suffering; when such a dwelling is regarded as real and turned towards the sparkle of the gem studded Erai, he brings me into his fold and company of his servants."

பொத்தை ஊன் சுவர் புழுப்பொதிந்து உளுத்து அசும்பு ஒழுகிய பொய்க்கூரை
இத்தை மெய்யெனக் கருதி நின்று இடர்க் கடல் சுழித்தலைப் படுவேனை
முத்து மாமணி மாணிக்க வயிரத்த பவளத்தின் முழுச் சோதி
அத்தன் ஆண்டு தன் அடியரில் கூட்டிய அதிசயம் கண்டோமே

Initially regarding the body as a impermanent shelter, he too saw the divine in it later. The body that exhibited emotions and sufferings and took on pain now takes on bliss. Manikavasagar upon meeting Erai and attaining bliss could not live another moment separate from Erai. Not knowing the means to permanently unite with Erai, he laments, "I tried to severe this body that has sinned, by all possible means and failed. Neither does the soul free itself on its own. I cannot live another moment without you."

He then comes to a sudden realization that this body was not his to take. He begins to plead for Paramukthi, gaining Siddhi with the body intact. He prays that Erai take him to his abode with the physical body intact. He brings Erai within so that the physical body does not perish and merges with Tillai Ambalar still retaining his body.

The young Thirugnanasambandhar took the hands of his wife in marriage and led all those who came to witness his marriage into the Jhoti and merged with it at Nallur.

Similarly the elder Thirunavukarasar held on to the feet of Erai and burst into combustion, and merged with Erai at Thirupugalur, just as the camphor burns and vanishes into thin air.

Sundarar mounted an elephant that was sent by Lord Shiva while his friend Cheraman Perumal followed closely behind on a horse at Thiruvanjai. Both reached Erai's kingdom in the physical form.

In recent times we know of Ramalinga Adigal who transformed his body to merge with Erai and all of creation.

Agathiyar told Tavayogi that Lord Shiva and Parvathi will come on a Puspa Vimanam to bring his soul back with him.

Most of us who have taken another birth to live out our desires, would be ignorant of the gift of this birth and the miracle that is the body and not have the slightest thought of taking care of it. Besides the ravages of time that the body goes through, we push it to its maximum limits, exhausting it, stressing it, exposing it to the dangers of illness, disease and inviting premature death.

The Siddhas though, are known to take measures and extreme care to upkeep their body. They knew of an anti-aging therapy, the ancient rejuvenation practice of Kaya Kalpa. Through the secret science of immortality, they keep their body intact without having it go through the process of aging. They attain immortality with the physical body still intact. They live forever as Siranjeevi.

The Siddhas who took elixir or karpam and regained youthfulness, putting a full stop to future birth. As P.Karthigayan wrote, they broke the cycle of death and birth by avoiding the causes of death, hence stopping death in its track and thus preventing a recurrence of birth. But this process of transforming the physical body into an apt vessel and container for the Divine to take up as his abode is a painful one. Ramalinga Adigal mentions the initial 12 years that he had to bear the anguish and pain in his song.

Turning to the Siddha path we are told of the greatness of taking birth and that it is a gift. Lord Muruga has warned me of the need to take care of the body to attain Gnanam. There is a need to stay strong and healthy for the soul to realize its purpose and accomplish its mission. Any effort by the soul towards realizing its goal is only possible with the aid of the body that is both a tool and a vehicle.

Summarizing these paths, we can safely deduce that while the Vedanti exhaust his karma without interfering, the Siddhanti transforms it. The Vedanti does not have a reason to take birth; the Siddhanti does not have a reason to die. The Vedanti merges or unites with the source upon dropping the body while the Siddhanti brings the source within his body to work within him for the well being of its creations. 

Now standing at the crossroads, I guess my destiny has been decided by the Siddhas. It is Siddhantham. When Lord Muruga warns me to not to willingly seek out death I am grateful that he is ever watchful over me. I understand that he wants me to take extreme care of my body now that I have stepped into my sixties. With efforts on my part to stay healthy and an equal effort on their part to keep me alive, I belief I shall live for some years to come. 

Rather then read scriptures and learn techniques and expecting that all that is read shall take place, and feeling disappointed if it does not materialize or show the expected results, I prefer to refer to them only after I have started and engaged in a practice or technique; only to verify the signs and results and confirm that I am on the right track. This way I could relate my experiences with that of others when I went through these texts. What brings joy is when our thoughts coincide with the written texts and scriptures. It brings us new assurance that our thoughts are right.

From the blog "An End to Suffering" at http://end-to-suffering.blogspot.com/2006/04/ribhu-gita-essence.html is written how Bhagawan Ramana found out certain resemblances of what he had gone through carried in the Ribhu Gita. 

Bhagavan's first attendant, Palaniswami, brought a copy to Bhagavan's attention while he was residing at the mango grove near Gurumurtham in 1898. Later in life Bhagavan related how surprised he was at the time to hear an exact description of his own state recited in the Ribhu Gita and that it had been experienced by others and was the bliss of the Self sought after by all true seekers. 

The blogger quotes Ramana's reaction to the numerous texts that was read to him, from B.V.Narasimha Swami's "Self-Realization. The Life and Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi", Sri Ramanasramam, 1985.

"I had read no books other than Periapuranam, my Bible lessons and bits of Tayumanavar or Tevaram. My notion of God (or Isvara as I called the Infinite but Personal Diety) was similar to that found in the Puranas. I had not heard then of Brahman, samsara, etc. I had no idea that there was an Essence or Impersonal Real underlying everything, and that myself and Isvara were both identical with it. At Tiruvannamalai, as I listened to Ribhu Gita and other works, I picked up these facts and discovered that these books were analysing and naming what I had previously felt intuitively without analysis and name. In the language of the books, I could describe my mental or spiritual condition after awakening, as suddha manas or vijnana, i.e., the Intuition of the Illumined." 

References:

1. P. Karthigayan's "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu, Notion Press, 2016.
2. சித்தர்களின் சாகாக்கலை, சி எஸ் முருகேசன், அழகு பதிப்பகம், 1998. 
3. திருவாசகம், கங்கை வெளியீடு, 1998.
4. காய சித்தி, மா இரத்தினசபாபதி பிள்ளை, சைவ சித்தாந்தப் பெருமன்றம், 2005.

TAKING THE ONE PATH PART 1

Coming to travel the road with the Siddhas, was an interesting journey. It was something new, away from the traditional and the norm. Here we got engaged directly and began doing the rituals ourselves. There was no middleman, priests or mediator. It was good in the sense that we took hold of our lives and did these rituals to our satisfaction. It wasn't only rituals but we began to serve people in small ways. Agathiyar brought us slowly to open our homes and our hearts to others. Slowly Agathiyar brought us into yoga, giving us simple asanas, pranayama and meditation techniques to follow. Besides that he revealed many secrets. We realized that their perspective of life was way beyond our comprehension. It was because they had access to the past records, the present and the future. They had privy to many information and a complete picture of each individual's life and that of the world we live in too. 

As I stepped further into their circle and learnt about them, their lives seem to be mystical in nature and magical too. I chose not to dwell in it but rather studied their messages for mankind.

That is when I began questioning what seemed to be several contradictory beliefs and statements made about the Siddhas.

1. Pattinathar regarded the body as filth and the world as an illusion or Maya. Just when I began to ask myself if these thoughts we related to Vedanta, Ma.Rathinasabapathy Pillai in his book "Kaya Siddhi" confirms indeed it was. Pattinathar was the saint who converted his physical body to the form of a Shivalinga, and left in the subtle form to merge with the formless Erai. 

Thirumular who similarly regarded the body as filth in the beginning, later realizing the creator within him, began to regard the body as the abode of the Divine and took good care of it.

உடம்பினை முன்னம் இழுக்கென் றிருந்தேன்
உடம்பினு குள்ளே உறுபொருள் கண்டேன்
உடம்புளே உத்தமன் கோயில் கொண்டான் என்று
உடம்பினை யானிருந்து ஓம்புகின்றேனே

"When the body deteriorates, the soul prepares to leave. One would not reach the state of Gnanam. Learning the techniques of sustaining the body, I kept the body standing and retained the soul in it."

உடம்பார் அழியின் உயிரார் அழிவர்
திடம்பட மெய்ஞானம் சேரவு மாட்டார்
உடம்பை வளர்க்கும் உபாயம் அறிந்தே
உடம்பை வளர்த்தேன் உயிர்வளர்த்தேனே 

Lord Muruga told me the same thing too. He said the body was important to attain Gnanam hence the need to care for it.

While many saints like Pattinathar regarded the body as an obstacle to achieve and merge with Erai, an equal number of them like Thirumular cherished the body and worked towards keeping it healthy, extending their lifespan. Today I realized that there are many approaches to realize Erai, among them the way of Vedantam that nourishes the soul and body which Pattinathar and initially Thirumular followed; and that of Siddhantam, which nourishes all three, the body, soul and spirit and that which Thirumular came to accept later.

2. Agathiyar asked me to have his statue commissioned, made and worshiped. Then a head of an ashram run under Agathiyar's name chastises me for worshiping an idol quoting from Sivavakiyar's songs. I tried to explain to him that he might not need idol worship as he had some 35 years behind him. I was a freshie having just moved into this sphere hence I needed it. But he refused to listen. I continued steadfastly with what Agathiyar had tasked me to do, ignoring the rigid and uncompromising mindset of others and their show of authority and wanting to get an upper hand in deciding what is right or wrong for others.

Soon I came to know that there is a reason, we are asked to worship Erai in the form of a statue. Just as one automatically closes his eyes when he sneezes, when one stands before the idol in prayer he automatically closes his eyes and sees the Lord within without his knowing or doing. What takes place during this moment or in a wink of an eye in prayer is the Lord unknowingly brings our breath to the state of Kevala Kumbam. Ma.Rathinasabapathy Pillai mentions this in his book "Kaya Siddhi."

Kevala Kumbam is described in "Magic of Yoga" at http://the-magic-of-yoga.blogspot.com/2007/11/anatomy-of-mechnical-respiration.html as the ultimate state.

The ultimate in Pranayama and Kumbhaka is called Kevala Kumbha, where one suspends the mechanical breathing in and out, with help of mechanical, aasan and pressure locks, but only sustaining himself with natural ventilation and exchange of oxygen in nostrils. There are many degrees of it, depending on mental state, posture, place and time. This can be used to transcend Mind and is the goal of Raja Yoga.

In prayer, this happens by the grace of the Lord without any effort on our part. Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar expounds that the Siddhas themselves will come within and move our breath without the need to take up various techniques.

Master Uva very candidly shared this moment at Thirupathy Balaji's temple. When he made his way to see the magnificence and beauty of Balaji up close, an opportunity that came by when he was accompanied by a friend who was a police officer with the Indian force, the friend told him that even though he knew the management and priests at the temple, they would only be spared and allowed a few moments and asked that he make good use of the moment to catch sight of the Lord without fail. Once they come up close to the Lord, Master Uva unknowingly shut his eyes automatically and prayed. He was jolted out of his prayer when he felt a blow on his back. The friend who was quite sore that he had closed his eyes after having brought him there and having continuously reminded him not to miss the opportunity to look at Balaji in all his majesty, had given him the blow.

Erai who plays his lila, stages it and takes part in it too. We are all a segment of Erai living a life that we had desired and chose. Just as Erai took a form and birth living through us, we give form and birth to Erai as statues that we adore and worship. It brings bliss in us and elevates us especially if its personal. It is another reason to continue worship.

Traveling further down the road, I understood from Ma.Rathinasabapathy Pillai that to know Erai, one has to know and understand the visible body first before he can even investigate what is thought to be the invisible Erai. I came to see the body with its precise functions, as the greatest miracle. The body needs to be admired, cherished and cared. It also happens to be the vehicle that brings Erai to us. Knowing one's body, he would then venture to know his maker. He will know that he is a spark from his maker; that he has taken a soul which carries data of the routes and destination it had desired. The soul determines the make of the vehicle to enable it to travel the route and reach its destination. The spirit provides the fuel for the whole journey.

The desires that the soul carries drives the physical body to move and act accordingly. The idea here then is to bring a change whereby the soul that carries an individual's desires, wipes out its own desires and instead instills in it the desires of Erai and works towards accomplishing Erai's will. When the thought of Erai is carried and held in place of other thoughts or replaces other mundane thoughts, Erai will work through us, resulting in bodily changes, that eventually brings the body to be retained till either wishes to let go of it. Here ones fate is erased and a new destiny takes shape.

When I went for my very first Nadi reading to a Nadi Nool Aasan showed by my colleague, I too like others gave my thumb print and went through the routine question and answer session to locate my Nadi. After four years I was introduced to another Nadi Nool Aasan by my guru Tavayogi. He begins to read the Nadi without the need to place another thumb print. He tells me it was the Aasi Nadi and not the regular Kaanda Nadi that needs a thumbprint and question answer session to locate. The reading for the day is immediately erased mysteriously by an act of Erai when I get an initiation from Tavayogi again the same night as instructed by Agathiyar. The tape recording of my Nadi reading turned into a hiss just minutes after the reading began. Just as a tape recorder allows one to record fresh recordings over an existing one while erasing the earlier one, Erai deciding to change my fate, erased the reading and blessed me with a new one bringing a new direction and directives. I had a new destiny waiting for me.

So what happens to the fate that was written for me that my soul carried along with it? Erai came to grant salvation from my past deeds, replacing my fate with a new destiny that he would bring to materialize soon. Agathiyar got me to come to his path, conduct worship of the Siddhas, brought me to commission his statue and perform libation or abhisegam. Tavayogi got me to perform the ritual of lighting the sacrificial fire or homa. These rituals took care of my karma that tagged along and that were a cause for me to take this birth.

To offset these karma further, he got me to carry out charity and open my home to devotees of his. By sharing my life with others, speaking and writing about the Siddhas, more merits were gained that worked in my favour to reduce my karma. He made me, who had taken the body to workout my past karma and fulfill my desires, to become a vehicle for him. This is known as Maarjaala Niyaayam according to Ma.Rathinasabapathy Pillai. The soul then becomes Kandhan, he adds, a fact that Lord Muruga confirms.

References:

1. P. Kathigayan's "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu", Notion Press, 2016.
2. சித்தர்களின் சாகாக்கலை, சி எஸ் முருகேசன், அழகு பதிப்பகம், 1998. 
3. திருவாசகம், கங்கை வெளியீடு, 1998.
4. காய சித்தி, மா இரத்தினசபாபதி பிள்ளை, சைவ சித்தாந்தப் பெருமன்றம், 2005.

DHARMAM

Much is said about compassion these days. What is compassion? How does compassion come about in one? What is the difference between someone compassionate and one who is not?

The dictionary defines compassion as "sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others." According to the definition one who is concerned and sympathetic to another's problem is compassionate. Otherwise he isn't. 

But even before compassion arises, one needs to be empathetic first - showing an ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

But even before empathy arises, one needs to listen to another who wishes to share his sorrows with us.

In this world that is seemingly spinning fast, where before we even realize a day seems to end and another begins; where a son or a daughter cannot spare some quality time or care for their parents and aged relatives and are forced to send them to old folks homes; where working parents arrive home to see their baby and toddler already tucked up in bed by the baby sitter or nanny and already fast asleep, how can we expect people to share some of their time for others?

Rushing through work to meet datelines; speeding on the highways to keep an appointment; making the beeline for discounts at stores; making haste to carry out the errands; we can never seem to find time to lend our ears to others.

While walking the streets we are either too engrossed in our phone to glance what or who goes by us. Walking along the pavement, we either look away or walk right by indifferently when we see someone begging.

We are angry that he is begging. Why can't he find himself a job we ask? We deduce that he is lazy to work.

Let us place ourselves in their shoes.

Would we bring ourselves to live on the streets, becoming a victim of circumstances, in the face of huge debts, upon losing a job, or when driven out of the house? Would we make the choice to leave the house to sleep on the pavement? 

All things went wrong for them. Fate dealt a severe blow in their lives. It is a surprise that they still survive, having gone through many ordeals. They do not have a choice. They have lost control of their lives.

Isn't it our obligation to help one who has tried but failed to take control of his life? 

What do we do in the face of troubles? Having invested and given our best efforts in our ventures, and when everything crumbles, and we fail, we bring ourselves, sometimes for the very first time, to stand before a granite statue, asking it to help us out. Isn't that absurd? Then when God does not turn an eye on us, clearing our self made problems, we scorn him for being blind.

Exhausted and stressed out we finally look for a Godman and make our way to his abode and seek solution and solace for all our self made problems. The irony is that the Godman has all the time to lend his ears, listen and advise us on our problems.

We expect God to show compassion and mercy on us when times are tough. We seek a quick remedy from gurus, shamans and others when all hell breaks lose.

Would not it be better to lay the groundwork now: getting to at least know our creator now, contributing to others, so that whatever merits we gain through the means of worship and helping others, comes to our aid in times of our struggle and suffering?

The sun will not shine forever in our lives. There will be rainy days. There will also be stormy days. Age will catch up with us. Illnesses and disease will pay us a visit. Death will come knocking on our door.

In the face of trouble and when the ride gets tough, our merits and prayers will ensure we get the right counseling and treatment, and meet the right persons who can bring relieve to us. If God favors he might give us an extension in life. He might breath into us his breath. It is said that we each come with a certain number of breathes which upon having expired or used up, we return to ash. With God showing compassion on us we might get a bonus or extension to live longer. 

In our times of extreme need when our life is a mess, we expect God to show mercy and compassion. But when times are well, and in our arrogance and due to ignorance we never seem to show mercy and compassion to others. 

It is time we gathered some merits for the rainy day. Next time you walk along the streets, consider helping the unfortunate. If you do not have time to even stop to look at him, contribute towards a body that helps out these unfortunate souls. We will never know what is in store for us. We might end up in one of these places.

The act of dharmam or giving can come in many forms. Bringing ourselves to form a habit of giving, although difficult initially, for we are used to hoarding all kinds of things, brings joy eventually. 

Ramalinga Adigal who came to be known as Vallalar was an epitome of compassion. His name has become synonymous with the word compassion. In his "Introduction to the Philosophy of Ramalinga Swami" by Dr.C.Srinivasan, he writes of Adigal's approach to spirituality, 

The basic approach of the Swami to spirituality was not laid in any remote spiritual conduct or practice or in any mystic yoga modes but lay in the active universal love and compassion for all creatures of the world, men, beasts, birds and all that had life.

Similarly Srinivasan writes of the ancients who "found that active universal compassion and active help for all the creatures of the world in distress had the greatest ethical and spiritual value."

If my parents brought me to the worship of deities both at home and in the temples, Agathiyar brought me to the worship of the Siddhas. Visiting temples, we are accustomed to doing archanai or invoking the deity to bring upon us His guidance and blessings. The dakshana or honorarium given to the temple priest serves as a tip and the small token collected for carrying out this ritual goes into the coffers of the temple to help upkeep and maintain the temple and the regular pujas.

Agathiyar brought me to two wonderful gurus, Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai and Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram, who brought me to the worship of their gurus, Yogi Ramsuratkumar and Agathiyar respectively.

Tavayogi then brought me to perform the Homa which Agathiyar explained was done for the good of prapanjam, all of creation. From doing an archanai for individual and personal gain, we were brought to conduct and perform this fire ceremony for the good of others. Family and friends gathered to carry out this ritual for the good and betterment of humanity, to eradicate diseases, and to heal the earth and its inhabitants. Holding this ritual of feeding the sacrificial fire and its accompanying prayer for Mother Nature and its inhabitants, brought us to appreciate the very ground we stood on; for all that Mother Nature provided; and appease her so that she does not retaliate and lash out her terrible rage and anger. This ritual, besides connecting us with the earth and the ground we stood on, made us reach out and pray for the well being of all of humanity, and the rest of Erai's creation. 

Besides serving as an expression of thanks to God for this beautiful gift of life, body, and health and reaching out and connecting with other beings, animals, trees and plants in these realm, the simple act of performing the Yagna, serves as an expression of gratefulness to the Rishis for the heritage and legacy passed to us through the scriptures and as an expression of thanks to our ancestors or Pitru and lineage.

If Tavayogi instructed us to do the Homa following in his footsteps, as is done at his Kallar Ashram, Agathiyar throws in one more task. We were asked to do libation or abhisegam for him. This ritual cools down the deity of our choice, again indirectly cooling done Mother Nature.

As is mentioned in the "Sivagnana Siddhiyar Supakkam" and "Sivagnana Siddhiyar", performing Yagna and Abhisegam was the duty of the son. Professor Anil Kumar on his webpage www.saiwisdom.com explains that there are three aspects to every spiritual activity: the ritual aspect of it or Karma, its inner significance or Jnana and the third, devotion or Bhakti which forms the link between the two. We become vessels for a superior act of pleasing Nature fulfilling our karma. In order to experience joy and bliss in this activity the inner significance of the ritual or Jnana has to be understood. The element of devotion or Bhakti "with sincerity, with steadfastness, with determination, with all its purity and with all the austerities that must go into it" is then the vital link between the vessel and the knowledge. The end result is a spiritual activity that serves to thank and show gratitude to Nature and its creator. 

Bringing me to visit his ashram Tavayogi showed me the joy that is derived in feeding another. I saw the broad smile and satisfaction in the faces of all those we served a simple meal that day at Kallar Ashram. It was a first for me in reaching out and feeding someone not of kin. It brought a sense of worth and a meaning to life. 

Ramalinga Adigal specifically built the Dharma Salai to serve as a dining area and a kitchen that fed the residents of Vadalur. Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar too advocated two simple acts or approaches that can bring one closer to Erai: Feeding or Annadhanam and praising the Siddhas by way of conducting the Siddha Puja. He had a spark from the fire from Vadalur brought over to Ongarakudil. He initiated many to take up feeding the people, an act that we too have taken on. Persatuan Teman Setia and Pothihai Tharmanyana Chakkram carry out this noble task in the wake of the realization that the act of feeding or Annadhanam is a highly praised act equating it to giving life to another. 

Then speaking about the merits of Annadhanam, Tavayogi extols the greater merits accumulated by the act of feeding a mendicant or turavi, reading from the the "Ribhu Gita", the sixth section of the Sanskrit work known as Siva Rahasya. It is the teachings of Lord Siva in Mount Kailas to His devotee Ribhu.

வரமான ஞானிக்கு மகிழ்வினோடே வளமான போசனமே அளிப்பதாலுந்திரமான ஞானிக்குத் தேவையான திரவியமே சிரட்தையோடு கொடுப்பதாலும் பரமான ஞானிக்கு பக்தியோடே பலவிதமாம் பணிவிடையே சேய்தவாறு அரிதான மோட்ச சுகம் எளிதேயாக அடைந்திடலாம் அணுவும் இதில் ஐயமில்லை  

And from "Agathiyar Tathuvam 500",

தானென்ற ஞானிக்கோர் பிடிதான் பிச்சை 

தணளித்தோர் தங்களுக்குப் பலத்தைக் கேளு 

கோனென்ற அகரமொரு நூறு கோடி 

கோபுரந்தான் கோடி செய்த பலத்துக் கொக்கும் 

ஊனென்ற நால் வேதம் சாங்கமாக 

ஓதியதோர் வேதியர்கள் கோடி பேர்க்கும் 

தேனென்ற அன்னமிட்ட பலத்துக்கும் அதிகம் 

சித்தாந்தம் வேதாந்தம் செப்பும் பாரே 

He then leads us to gain merits further by going further in identifying a genuine Gnani and serving and worshiping him, as revealed in another song from "Agathiyar Tathuvam 500".

இறை ஞானி தனைப் புசித்தெழுந்து பணிந் தேற்றி இவன் சரணந் தன் சிரசில் அணிந்து கொண்டு அறையவன்தன் பாதத்தை நேத்திரத்தில் வைத்து அவன் பாத துளியினைச் சரீரமெல்லா அணிந்து உறை கெந்த புட்பமொடு தீப தூபம் உபசாரஞ் செய்துமவன் சேட முண்ண மறையிருளுங் கடுவிருளில் பருதி வருவது போல் மல நீங்கி அவனெஞ்சில் சிவனுதையமாகும்   

He showed us Agathiyar and the rest of the Siddhas. A living guru might have flaws but not a Gnani who has achieved deathlessness and attained a body of light. Agathiyar says even if Erai was to take a physical body, he shall carry some flaws in him. Even if Erai were to come as an Avatar to personally to do his work, the factor that initiates him taking a physical body is either karma that needs to be exhausted or desires that needs to be fulfilled plus a little bit of ego that he brings along for that ties him to the body and the earth. For this reason although Agathiyar pointed me to several others, I took the stand not to take another guru in the physical form, insisting that Agathiyar be my guru, now and forever. 

If making payments upon having prayers or puja done for our family and us by the priest at the temple is a forced form of contribution or dharmam to our temples and society; the Homa or its bigger sister the Yagna or Yagam that we sit to perform and execute is a priviledge and an act of dharnam that reaches out to all of prapanjam. The act of performing libation or abhisegam is a dharmam towards Mother Earth for carrying us in her belly, whom biologist Thomas Lewis in his book, "The Lives of a Cell", describes has having "given birth to millions of different species, including the human species".

If the act of feeding the common folk is equated to giving life to another, feeding a hermit brings the rare state of moksha easily. When a true Gnani is fed, the veils of ignorance and illusion drops and Shivan beholds.

Tavayogi showed me a true Gnani, Agathiyar. I kept faithful to Agathiyar, worshiping him, speaking about him, and writing about him. Recently Agathiyar revealed that the one act that excels all other supreme acts of dharmam is to stay faithful and show the path of the Guru to others. This act of dharmam will bring salvation to many in this birth and the births to come.

TRAVELING THE SIDDHA PATH

P. Karthigayan in his "History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu, Notion Press, 2016 writes, 

The Siddha cult is initiated on one by fate, encouraged by his nature, kindled by god's will, endured by his aspiration and accomplished by his spontaneous knowledge.

One could never come closer than this in describing the core elements that are needed if one were to come to the Siddha path.

The virtues of the past births to a certain extent determine if one would tread this path. As Manikavasagar sings that one would need to have His grace to even come to worship him, we now understand why many go by a temple never even having the thought that he should at least enter out of curiosity to see for himself what is going on behind the high walls of the temple court. Supramania Swami told me that the efforts in seeing Erai does not go to waste. The accumulation of all the years of yearning and efforts towards realizing Erai in the many births prepares the soul for the final countdown in one birth where he achieves his desire to merge with his Erai.

Tavayogi in every talk mentions a metaphor regarding the sowing of the seed that would later generate into a Siddha. He expresses the need to work on the ground, ploughing the fields, sowing only good seeds, irrigating the land, driving away the birds, locust and other pests, and finally reaping the rewards of harvest of a life times work.

In most cases the ground is prepared over several births. The Siddhas closely monitor the soul over these births, waiting for the ground to be ready to sow their seed. Then in one birth, they come to sow the seed through their missionaries. Under the watchful eyes of the Siddhas, the seed germinates. With close monitoring by the guru and the Siddhas, their teachings irrigate the land making it fertile to sustain the growth of the soul. Soon the soul himself qualifies to be a teacher. The tree has bore fruits. It now sheds its knowledge onto new seekers on the path. The cycle goes on. 

Tavayogi came to Malaysia in the footsteps of his Paramaguru Jeganatha Swamigal, now in samadhi at Tapah (1959); and his guru Chitramuthu Adigal, also laid in samadhi at the Samadhi Mandapam at Atma Shanti Nilayam or Thaaiveedu in Alagan Kulam (Sunday May 5, 1995). Tavayogi came the first time in 2004, then again the next year, then in 2007, 2008 and 2010 and finally in 2016 before he too was laid in samadhi at his ashram in Kallar (3 June 2018).

Each time he came he would sow the seeds and preach about the greatness of the Siddhas and their path. He would take the stage during many occasions in India too to spread the word and teachings of the Siddhas. When my family and I were at his ashram in 2013, after giving way to us to conduct the morning prayers, he revealed to all that his wish to see the seed germinate in the soil of Malaysia was fulfilled. That is the greatest thing a guru could say of his disciple in acknowledging the efforts and growth of his student. This gave us a renewed vigor to do more. 

The journey started way back in many previous births where we toiled and worked hard to reach the feet of Erai but failed. Nevertheless the efforts paid off where we could come back to the path, and have wonderful gurus initiate us again, removing the veil that covered our sights and thoughts, bringing us back on the fold and redeeming the past merits and learning, moving ahead to higher spiritual ground with renewed aspirations. Agathiyar in my Nadi told me all this was possible due to the bond established between us in past lives. But why did I fail to make it then? Will I fail again? What is it that is required to establish a permanent bond with him that will last for years to come, without the need to take a break again in the form of death? I have died enough. I do not want to die no more. If I died I would have to be reborn as I have done for countless ages. Agathiyar did mention some of my past births. I was a Namboothiri priest in Kerala; I was with Bala Chandran in Sringeri in Karnataka; was with both my wife and child in Papanasam in an earlier birth; and again with Bala Chandran in Batu Caves in yet another past birth. Amazing! Yes, but why did I not make it then? Can I achieve it now in this birth? Or would I need to come back again and again? This soul is tired of taking births. When will this cycle of birth and death end? Tavayogi takes up Ramalinga Adigal's song, shedding tears each time he pleads for a place in His space.

இன்று வருமோ நாளைக்கே வருமோ

அல்லது மற்றென்று வருமோ

அறியேன் எங்கோவே

துன்று மல வெம்மாயை அற்று

வெளிக்குள் வெளி கடந்து

சும்மா இருக்கும் சுகம்

Traveling the Siddha path, a fear sets in as all the teachings of the Siddhas are in the Tamil language. How are we to comprehend them without a strong mastery of the language? But Agathiyar brings solace to us who are not competent in the language and non Tamils. Agathiyar tells us to take up the study of the scriptures of the Siddhas and assures us that knowledge of the language is not a prerequisite to learning their teachings. He tells us that the Siddha himself will come within to make us understand the subject matter. He says go for the original text and not those that carry translations.

We have read and heard about how some great souls have been ordained to read their Nadi, where they were mysteriously led to secret places, caves and snake dens and retrieved these oracles, and tutored to decipher, read, understand and narrate to others the messages of the Siddhas. 

If the Siddha takes a liking for you all things are possible. They turn your world upside down and topsy-turvy overnight. The Siddhas make you do their wishes and carry our their mission in both educating and changing the lives of those considered having potential to lead others. As P. Karthigayan wrote they scan through our past, and look through our hearts to identify and verify if we fit the role. If the potential was instilled into one by fate; and he has all the qualities needed; and has the support of divine will; and if his spirit has traveled far in its quest for knowledge; in all his past lives, they would consider him a right candidate.

As their main goal was to achieve in attaining an immortal body, they seem to have broken away from the earlier schools of thought, that of striving for spiritual immortality. Rather they worked towards attaining physical immortality. If those seeking spiritual immortality, dumped their body focusing in elevating the soul and spirit, the Siddhas gave due preference in maintaining and elevating all three elements. This was possible by taking extreme care of the physical body, and avoiding the causes of death - never falling ill and never giving in to disease. They worked on their body to reinstate it through inner transformation hence beating death. All these is done while living with the society and serving it.