Many have written to me telling me that my writings have helped them and my posts have answered many of their questions. Similarly, I have had my questions answered by reading Ruzbeh Bharucha's blog and postings. His writing is clear, simple and his reasoning very true while his advise is very practical. He is indeed a blessed son of Sai Baba.
Although the medical doctors observing the symptoms and with the aid of laboratory tests and other case histories and their past experience could not determine the specific cause of my severe pain in the lower back, they put me through physiotherapy though thinking it would bring some relief. It is true that it brought me much relief. Modern science deals with the physical body and the internal organs.
Lord Muruga and Agathiyar, on the other hand, brushed away my pain telling me it was neither an illness nor a disease and instead spoke about the reasons behind my discomfort. They pointed to many things beyond my comprehension. Giving prescriptions through the Nadi, and coming through devotees, they helped me recover. They, I soon learnt from Ruzbeh's writings, had worked on my causal body. Divine science deals with the unseen and unknown.
Ruzbeh writes that the causal body is where the source of all illness, diseases and pain, begins. Hence the divine went to the source of the matter.
What is very obvious to us is our physical body made of matter, that is made of five elements.
Next, we are told of the subtle or astral body, made of three elements.
Finally, the causal body, made of three elements, that covers both these bodies.
Ruzbeh mentions seven cosmic energies residing in the causal body that is continuously charged by the cosmic energies in the atmosphere.
The causal body drives the astral while the astral drives the gross physical body. This is how we function.
The causal body is made of Param Akash Tatwa or Prime Ether, Param Vayu Tatwa or Prime Air and Param Agni Tatwa or Prime Fire.
The Param Akash Tatwa binds and holds and determines the health of the individual. Hence the need to care for this and the overall causal body is of prime concern to us and the divinity in us. And so it happened that Lord Muruga dealt with my causal body and its ailment by brushing my back with a bunch of peacock feathers.
Since our causal body reacts to our desires and intentions, strengthening the Param Akash Tatwa brings calm and peace besides good health. Since sitting in silence has the tendency to bring one to be filled with more Param Akash Tatva we have all the more reason then to sit in silence. For one seeking and working towards his goals of attaining the Divine state, there is a more urgent need to focus on silence because Vairagya Vruti or disenchantment sets in as we delve deeper and deeper into a state of silence says Ruzbeh. On the contrary, since both the Param Vayu Tatva and Param Agni Tatva pulls us away from this state of disenchantment leading us into Maya or illusion and thus getting us entangled more and more with the body and its relationship, we have all the reason now to just sit in silence.
I understand well why Arunagiri was given this instruction to just sit in silence by Lord Muruga. Arunagiri brought onto himself severe karma due to his actions. But as he still held on to devotion to the Lord, the Lord came to assist him and deliver him from his past deeds through a new understanding of life or gnana. He sat for 12 long years. Both his karma and it's replication on the physical body as the dreaded leprosy was wiped away through the act of healing his causal body, by strengthening his Param Akash Tatva.
By revealing my past karma through the Nadi reading, Agathiyar introduced me to the subject of cause and effect and karma. Getting me to go on a pilgrimage; carry out remedies; bringing me under the care and guidance of two wonderful gurus; bringing me to feed the poor, unfortunate and hungry; and by bringing me to conduct the Homam; the most compassionate father opened up avenues for me to work towards reducing my karma, while he worked behind the curtain to change my destiny. Finally, he has dictated me to sit in solitude too. I now understand from Ruzbeh's writings the reason for Lord Muruga to doing so. As Ruzbeh says, "All the recordings of your previous births or Sanskars that include experiences and conditioning are in the causal body, in the seventy-five-thousand crore cells contained in the causal body", Lord Muruga wants us to move within now. Having followed all the external means and ways laid out earlier in exterminating karma, he now wants us to wipe away the remaining fragments and pieces of karma through the act of sitting in silence. From working on our karma through the physical body he has now moved us within to work on strengthening our causal body, as Ruzbeh says, "It is only the Ether Element that takes one closer to The One."
Baba Sai says in channeling that through the power of silence, calmness, chanting and meditation, a Divine Fire (not to be confused with the Fire Element) burns away the karma that is encased in the causal body. Once the karma is burnt away (and remember karma is karma, both good and bad karma are burnt away, making your slate in the pristine state in which it came when the spark left The Great Flame).
The benefits of sitting in silence are two-fold. By sitting in silence we allow the cosmic energies to enter us through our causal body, healing it at the level of the causal body that brings tremendous change and healing in the physical body. By sitting in silence the remaining fragments and pieces of karma that we brought along from many past lives, that we worked on to remove in the present birth through several external means and ways guided by the gurus, finally is wiped clean during the inner process of inner cleansing by just sitting in silence. I came to know of this magnificent means to liberation through the writings of Ruzbeh Bharucha.
His writings give hope, for instance, this statement of his keeps the inner flame burning.
When you refuse to accept defeat from the lashes of life and you continue spreading the LIGHT no matter what; I truly believe destiny can be altered, karma's can be erased, the very heaven appeased. But only if you spread THE LIGHT not seeking redemption or reward.
When Ruzbeh writes, "Don't operate from guilt, because guilt is the greatest obstacle, which chains people from soaring and realizing their true self", it only reminds me of what Agathiyar told me in the very beginning itself. He told me that everything was his doing. He told me that what had transpired throughout my life was his doing. He told me that he had forgiven my wrongs. Similarly, he asked me to forgive myself. Only then did he asks that I forgive others too. He explained further that all that had to take place because I needed the experience. Ma comes to us telling us that everything in the Siddha path is a learning process when she says "Siddha Neri Oru Padipinai." Never once did the Siddhas nor the divine find fault in our worship. We understood that we are allowed to make mistakes. This is the training ground.
From initially having zero knowledge about the Siddhas, we were filled with the relevant and necessary knowledge by their grace. Initially, as I was not interested in rituals, but carried them out following the directives of Agathiyar and Tavayogi, Agathiyar explained to me their significance, bringing me to perform them with my heart and soul. From an elaborate prayer session that included the rendition of all the names of the Siddhas, we then switched to singing the tanmai or nature of Erai foregoing these individual names. As for libation or abhisegam, from mentioning the benefits of libation with each item, that stood at 16 numbers, we were guided to perform only 7 by Lord Muruga and this was brought to only 3 by Ma later. As I was contemplating to stop entirely these already simplified rituals, Ma orders us to do it daily tying us down further. But we only use water to cool her down these days. As we await further directives, we shall continue as they had ordained for the time being.
Lately, Lord Muruga has asked that we go within and just sit in silence. Just when we could not comprehend the reason for him to direct us such, Roshan shares with us the stories carried in two books that he recently had read. His review of Ruzbeh Bharucha's books excited me to search for it on the net. I found his blog and talks instead that is extremely helpful in understanding the secrets of life.
As we at PTS are engaged in serving the poor, unfortunate and hungry, these pointers and tips from Ruzbeh N Bharucha would serve well to remind us of the right thoughts we need to carry in doing charity.
So if you help a person with some money because you feel he is hungry and you want him to eat something, there is no Karma created. And let us assume there was Karma between him and you, by you giving him the money selflessly you have balanced the Karma and if there was no Karma between you and him, by giving him money out of compassion and selflessness you have not created any new Karma.
But if you give money and you expect a blessing or you expect your Master to smile, or want praise or any sort of gratification then you’ve begun Karma with that person.
Now, that so called act of charity too can become very heavy ten lifetimes down the line.
So what your intention is when you give the money is going to be very important. When we go and do seva of people suffering from some illness or we serve the needy, what is our true intention, that will decide the Karmic give and take between the individual and us. There should be just love and compassion and seva for the sake of love and compassion. Then miracles start taking place but if we were to do something for even Grace or a Glance from The One, we have started a chain of Karma. (Source: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/more-ramblings-about-karma)
Ruzbeh puts it beautifully where he shares further truth and shows us a way of dealing with the present life. He hits the nail on the head when he points out to us that "our Karma can create our planetary blueprint and we have created our Karma through the use of our Free Will."
Our Karma decides our fate or destiny and it eventually laces our DNA with the raw material required to unfold the karmic blueprint. We are ruled by our Karma and our Karma decides which planet is placed where and how They shall move and through that movement and planetary positions how our lives shall be dictated very often to the minutest details. Thus, we create our own planetary blue print via our Karma. Thus, our karma has decided the very placements of planets in one's personal astro-chart. (Source: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/karmic-dna-balancing)
This is where Agathiyar lets us in on a secret. With the Guru coming into our lives and with our determination to bring change within ourselves, these very planets that acted out our karmic patterns and caused us to suffer or rewarded us at other times, switch their roles to become a Guru too, hence doing more good than harm.
The machinery in place is acting out as willed.
.... as our DNA is decided by our Karma and Karmic bonds, thus eventually, our Karma decides the minutest details throbbing within us and enveloping us and making us the individuals that we are.
The Cosmos doesn’t make any mistakes. There is maximum impact, good or bad, based on our Karmic blueprint. They want to square all accounts but we as human beings, have a self defeating worm eating into our very sanity and wellbeing. We create more issues, multiplied by X. We don’t know how to nullify things, but to just keep adding. That’s why they say that we have a soul group. Obviously, because of the amount of Karmic garbage we keep creating, there will be a soul group. There will be those who will travel with you as each one keeps adding and creating more and more Karma with each other. (Source: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/karmic-dna-balancing)
Ruzbeh compares the karma that is not attended too immediately to an accumulating debt that brings us on to the brink of insanity. It is,
.. akin to when one is in debt, having borrowed from the market and the repercussions of falling behind on payment are violent and dangerous; all one earns goes to just take care of the interest on the loan, leave aside the principal amount and it becomes a vicious never ending cycle.
Here is where we seek the hand of Erai, the divine and guru, ".. for Karmic management to work in one's favour the love and grace of Goddess, God, Guru is mandatory."
So the DNA Karmic blueprint is ultimate; it goes beyond astrology, it goes beyond everything. It is so complex that only a sage would be able to unravel the knots. But this blueprint is self regulatory and self modulating. Our place under the sun, is to go about life giving one's best and leaving the rest to The One. (Source: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/more-ramblings-about-karma)
If the soul group is known to lug around for lifetimes, Ruzbeh says the Gurus are exceptions, as they "belong to all of Creation, not to a mere band of people as the Guru, has no karma and thus there is no limit to the Guru's Oneness." As Ruzbeh speaks on the Karmic equation coming to a closure, we can all rest in peace when we come to the folds of a genuine Guru assured that the cycle of birth and death too would come to an end.
This Sunday we shall step into the new Tamil year called Vikhari. As for me, I have come one full cycle. I was born in the year Vikhari some 60 years back in 1959. I have completed 60 or Shashti Poorti. Shashti Poorti is the completion of 60 years of age of the male or oru vattam that is considered a century in our society.
The sixtieth year in one’s life is a significant milestone, memorable turning point, a touching reminder of the rich, mellowed life that would unfold in the years to come. The Hindu calendar has 60 years (named Prabhava, Vibhava, etc.) that repeat themselves after every 60 years in a sequence. Shashti poorthi marks the completion of one such cycle. For one who has lived for 60 years will have seen all the 60 years in the calendar. This milestone marks celebration and gratitude for life given by God. One more important aspect of Shashtiabdha poorthi is that all the planets in the zodiac come to the same positions or occupy the same houses of zodiac as compared to the actual date of birth of the individual. These planets take the same position as they were on the date of birth of the individual after 60 years. It means that the two major planets Sani/Saturn (which takes 30 years to complete one cycle round the sun) and the Viyazhan/Jupiter (which takes 12 years to complete one cycle round the Sun) comes to the same position after 60 years.
The sages and the rishis of lore have acknowledged the sanctity of the sixtieth year in one’s life. They looked at it as rebirth with the pre-sixty as a period of materialistic pursuit while the post-sixty span is slated for spiritual endeavour. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashti_Poorthi)
Tradition tells us of four ashramas or Chaturashrama in the life of a human being namely Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa.
The first stage of life was Brahmacharya (bachelor student) lasting through about 25 years of life, the second stage was Grihastha (married householder) and lasted through about 50 year age. Vanaprastha represented the third stage, between the ages of 50 and 74 and typically marked with birth of grandchildren, gradual transition of householder responsibilities to the next generation, increasingly hermit-like lifestyle, and greater emphasis on community services and spiritual pursuit. The Vanaprastha stage ultimately transitioned into Sannyasa, a stage of complete renunciation and dedication to spiritual questions. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashti_Poorthi)
Moving on from the role of a householder to that of a Vanaprastha is considered a transition from a life of seeking wealth, security, and pleasure to one with greater emphasis on Moksha or spiritual liberation and living a life of detachment and increasing seclusion. Hence Sannyasa and Moksha was not the prerogative of a selected few but was made available to all.
The more he gives up the worldly delights, the closer he gets to the knowledge of his spirit, and more ready he is for the last stage - the Sanyas Ashram, where he renounces everything and focuses entirely on spiritual pursuits. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashti_Poorthi)
As seen in the calendar, the significance of the number 60 is also seen in denoting time. A day is divided into 60 nazhigai equivalents to 24 hours of a day.
One nazhigai is of 24 minutes and one muhurtam is of 48 minutes. Each nazhigai was, further, subdivided into 60 parts, called thuli. Similarly, one thuli is of 24 seconds. Each thuli was, further, subdivided into 60 parts, called nodi. One nodi is 0.4 seconds. Each nodi was subdivided into 60 parts, called kuzhi. One kuzhi is 0.00666 seconds. One kuzhi is the time taken by the krithigai natchatiram (Pleiades stars) to glitter once. 10 kuzhi is equivalent to one kannimai, the time taken for normal wink of an eye. One kanam is 4 minutes while one anu is 4 seconds. One saamam referred to the modern day one hour which was deļ¬ned as 2.5 nazhigai. 4 saamam (or 4 hours) constituted one sirupozhuthu and 6 sirupozhuthu made one complete day. (Source: http://tmuthukumar.blogspot.com/2013/07/concepts-from-tamil-culture_28.html)
Beginning with sunrise, the next two hours are named kaalai; followed by the next two hours named nanpagal; followed by yerpaadu; maalai, yaamam and early dawn was vaikarai. How sweet and amazing!
Today I have an extended family brought together by Agathiyar. These children came in search of Agathiyar and stood their ground for the love of Agathiyar. Blessed am I to be in their folds.
Each word and action of the Siddhas and Erai is slowly unfolding now. We are slowly beginning to comprehend the workings of the Siddhas and the Divine. The guru comes in many forms provided we are prepared to listen.
When I came down with extreme pain in my lower back recently I could not comprehend why it recurred as I had bared with the pain for some 2 1/2 years in 2011, a few months again in 2016, and a couple of days early this year. The symptoms were similar to sciatica. But Agathiyar and Lord Muruga said otherwise. If previously the Siddhas through the physiotherapist came to bring relief to me; and both the Varma masters Arunan and Uva relieved the pain; then Tavayogi helped bring some relief through a magical pill; then Balamurugan brought me relief through his varma skills. The last time I succumbed to it, Dr Jana gave me a jab that brought instant relief and joy while Shanga taught me some exercises for back pain used by trainers in the gyms. Besides the most merciful Agathiyar and Lord Muruga prescribed herbal medicines through the Nadi which was prepared by Arivananthan Aiya and Saravanan. Dhanvanthri came to heal the pain too. Finally, Lord Muruga performed an astounding miracle coming through the Nadi and through his devotee simultaneously and in real time, asking for the peacock feathers that came to my home some time back as a gift from another devotee and healed my back! We did not understand how these were all possible then.
... disease first gets ingrained into our causal body and then moves into the astral and then resides in our physical body. That is why in early days Fakirs and Sages, would caress the body of the devotee with peacock feathers, as They could see the illness lodged either in the causal, or the astral body. Through Their power and affirmations, They would clear the illness, which was still in the causal or astral body, and not allow it to enter the physical body. Or cleanse the auras so that the body would automatically heal.
That is what Lord Muruga did that day, I came to understand. We are told that Yogi Ramsuratkumar was asked why he smoked when he was seeing certain devotees. The Yogi replied that he could see better the karma of those who sat before him through the billowing smoke.
Ruzbeh shows the way to eliminate karma.
The stronger one’s causal body gets, the faster our karmic illness attached to the causal body is burnt away. The fastest way of making the causal body strong and glow is via meditation. Thus, the fastest way to clear our karmic ..... is also through the shower of cosmic energy through meditation, cleansing the causal, astral and eventually physical.
Ruzbeh shares the words of Baba Sai on the need to go into a silent mode.
Meditation and prayers are the only way one can strengthen the causal body. Silence or the ‘element of ether or space’ is the fuel on which the causal body thrives. The greater the silence within us, the stronger our causal body, and more chaos within us, the causal body gets depleted, so says Baba Sai often in channeling.
Now we understand why Arunagiri was asked to abstain from speaking and meditate some 12 long years by Lord Muruga. So have we heard the masters speak about silence and going into solitude. Just as the snake sheds its skin, we are here to shed the karma earned in our previous births by engaging in puja, homa, chanting, singing the praise of Erai, and by feeding the poor, unfortunate and hungry. Finally they bring us to a state of contemplation, silence and meditation, the final tool that erases one's karma completely.
When I was at the Naval Base in Lumut for some eight years, my colleague Chong Lai Keong would come by and knock on our doors and pull us out of our beds to have a swim at the Teluk Batik beach each evening after work while we would refuse to get out of our cosy and warm beds. I preferred to dip my head into the pages of the many books on spiritualism and religion that I devoured with much haste. I looked deep and search for God in those pages of the books failing to realise God was in nature. But I did not entirely while my day away uselessly. I delved in worship and prayers at dawn and dusk. I was unknowingly laying the foundation for a bigger mission that was brewing in the mind of Agathiyar.
In the years to come, Agathiyar through Tavayogi was to take me on a journey walking through nature. It is said that the trees and plants would stoop to him and reveal their secrets to Agathiyar when he came by. In present times a fallen tree trunk gave way to Dyalen and his team to walk by, as they came down from the Pothigai hills.
WM Paul Young in his novel "The Shack", windblown media, writes on page vii that "Every human being is a story, and when we share the stories of our lives we are talking about Holy Ground where the dust of creation meets with fire that refines, the activity of God in the wonder of our humanity."
He adds on page viii that "I believe that all human beings hear God for themselves, but it is in each person's unique language, often so normal to each of us that we discount it."
It is understandably difficult to be God. Imagine the number of petitions forwarded to him each minute. One might need the rain so that his grain may grow while another wants the sun to shine so that he could harvest his crops. When nature lashes its might some might make losses while others shall gain from another's loss. We should understand that God and nature cannot please everyone every time.
The Siddha path that was a road less travelled has come into the limelight with the coming of the era of the Siddhas or Siddhar Yuga. It is not like they are only making their appearance and presence known only now. Siddhas have been around since time immemorial. But they have chosen to activate the button that publicises them only now. We are seeing a sudden interest in the Siddhas and their teachings presently.
Just as the stampless letter that carried the following message, received by Mackenzie in the story of "The Shack",
Mackenzie, It's been a while. I've missed you. I'll be at the shack next weekend if you want to get together",
I too received a message through the Nadi inviting me to the abodes of his if I was interested. I took up the offer. Tavayogi regarded that journey as a true journey, telling me, "Only now the true journey has begun." He took me to the Konganar caves in Uthiyur, to Kalyana Theertam, the jungles and caves of Kutralam, and the many temples related to the Siddhas. We were one with nature for those amazing few days and nights, staying in the caves and roaming the jungles. Paul Young describes his feelings in the midst of nature through Mackenzie, "He felt so incredibly small." This is exactly what Balamurugan too said to me while he was at Kailash. Paul felt the presence of God most in the woods surrounded by nature and under the night sky and stars. He writes that he could almost hear the song of worship they (nature) sang to their creator. How wonderful. We miss nature, living in the city. The only remaining few pieces of green lung, that is slowly disappearing too, among the concrete jungle of the city is truly so pathetic.
Just like his 6 1/2-year-old daughter pops up a question to Mackenzie, "How come God is so mean?" I questioned God too. If God is supposed to be kind, gentle, caring and full of mercy, why does he punish people? Why does he make them suffer? Why do we need to die? Gaining no convincing answers to these and many other questions, I began to disbelief the existence of God. Then Lord Siva came in a dream and told me to cool it off asking me to keep my questions for another day. That another day came some 14 long years later in the form of the Vasudeva mantra and subsequent worship of Lord Dhakshanamurthy and a Nadi reading that followed a year later. Erai is explaining to us daily in many ways the concept of life and death and other mysteries.
Ruzbeh N Bharucha in his blog and writings sheds some light to several of the mysteries that took place in my travels on the path of the Siddhas and answers the questions that lingered on my mind at https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/the-master-s-grace
Yes, the laws of karma are rigid and the cards are dealt without emotion. What one has sowed, one shall reap. The experience shall be gone through. There is no escaping this fact. And yet throughout the ages, through time, Sages, mystics, Sufis, the Holy Scriptures, all proclaim that The Master is Merciful. On one hand we have the unyielding laws of cause and effect. On the other hand we have the mercy and tenderness of The Master.
Just as Tavayogi took me on a visit to three living Gurus and pointed out their nature to me, Ruzbeh categorizes the Master as:
The Perfect Master, the One who is beyond Maya (the Illusion) and is One with the Creator even while in the body and obviously when beyond. There is no duality between The Perfect Master and The Creator. He/She is beyond karma and all the laws of Creation and the Cosmos. He/She is beyond flaws, limitations, weaknesses, planets, horoscopes, and eventually decides how to live and how to pass over and when to leave the body.
Then you have The Master, somebody who takes you towards The Light and helps you to move out of darkness but need not be a Perfect Master. A co-traveler who has the ability to guide fellow travelers on the path and He/She may have His/Her own demons to deal with, flaws and limitations to work through, but is filled with selfless love and has the Divine Spark burning bright but eventually is not beyond karma and still grappling with duality. This Master is more like a dervish, a friend of God or one who is seeped into Divinity.
We are blessed to have Agathiyar. He brought us to his path, gave us the tools to work on developing our souls, to gain Atma Balam and set us to do his tasks. He through my nephew delivered the Vasudeva mantra that does many things in one. This mantra is mentioned in an extract from the English translation of the book "Kriya Yoga Vijnan - The Science of Kriya Yoga", the original by Saint Lahari Mahasaya. Lahari Mahasaya has named this sadhana Omkar Kriya. This is essentially a pranayama and the basis is the Vasudeva mantra. The sastras have propounded that the Vasudeva mantra is an omniscient mantra. When a sadhaka starts comprehending his awareness as one with the mantra then he becomes omniscient himself. Then his attainment shall be - I am this omniscient Vasudeva. In the Gita it is stated in the very last of all births, the man of wisdom worships me, realizing that all is Vasudeva. Rare indeed is the soul. Then do namaskar to thyself.
In "The Hidden Mysteries of Kundalini" written by R Venu Gopalan, the author explains that as the Vishnu Granti adds obstructions for the sadhaka keeping one under the wraps of attachment, bondage, leading to the process of selfishness and supra ego, the recitation and chanting of this mantra balances the Vishnu Granti. This is the maha mantra of Lord Krishna. Its further benefits are: The nadis of the heart chakra are cleansed. It balances the heart chakra. Continuous practice of this meditation on this mantra helps in purification of the thinking process. It also helps in dissolving all the past karmic deeds for a better future.
In a book on Saint Dhruva, it is mentioned that this mantra was given to Dhruva by Saint Naradar who initiated Dhruva into the mysteries of yoga and meditation leading to samadhi. Naradar taught Dhruva the practice of pranayama by inhaling, exhaling, and holding the breath. He taught Dhruva to overcome thought fluctuations with the help of breath control. Naradar also taught Dhruva to meditate on Vishnu in the sanctuary of his heart repeating the Lord’s name mentally and offer prayers and worship. He advised Dhruva to go to Madhuvana for tapas because it was a sacred place where vibrations prevailed, which would help him in his sadhana and Samadhi.
A year later he makes provision for me to see the Nadi for the very first time. In it he reveals the reasons for taking birth, speaking about karma that attaches to us. He reveals that although I had engaged in Yoga, meditation and prayers, I could not receive the full benefits assured through these practices due to my karma standing in my way. Hence the reason for me to carry out remedies or parikaram first. As I took to India to carry out these remedies he introduces me to Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai who initiates me on the Siva mantra and chanting of Yogi Ramsuratkumar's name and prayers. He then sends Tavayogi to Malaysia where I meet him and both my wife and I get initiated into the mantra of Agathiyar and prayers to the Siddhas. Agathiyar through Tavayogi starts me on performing the ritual of lighting the sacrificial fire or Homam. Later Agathiyar tells me that the practice of lighting the homam helps negate the effects of an individual's karma. Later on, he tells us that the practice saves the prapanjam too. Tavayogi explains that the Yagna he lights helps reduce the force and effects of natural calamities, appeasing Mother Nature. Then the Siddhas ask us to light up the Aganda Deepam saying that although the natural calamities will continue, our prayers will help reduce its intensity. Ma has asked us to bath her daily too saying that she needs to be kept cool. More mantras came our way too. We were totally absorbed in rituals given by the Siddhas. But there was a purpose in every single thing we did. We did their asking.
As Ruzbeh says,
".. the Perfect Master, like our Baba Sai, who can stand between us and our own karma and work things out in the best way S(H)e feels is right and appropriate for the wellbeing of the disciple and devotee",
we are indeed blessed to have all these Masters look upon us and guide and show us a way out of our karma.
Ruzbeh reveals other subtle matters clearing the air and drawing the curtain of ignorance and illusion aside. He tells us that besides all these rituals, the Homam and chanting, dreams too are a way of spending or exhausting our karma without the need to physically go through the sufferings. As karma initiates a set or package of sufferings and miseries that one has to go through indefinitely, Ruzbeh explains how dreams can substitute the anguish and pain of a real event.
One can go through the anguish and very often The Master helps in finishing off with one’s particular set of karmas through the dream state. Let us say we have to experience an accident. Isn’t an accident in a dream state as real as the one in the physical world? I remember waking up actually shaking and not being able to feel my body for a while as I had dreamt I was in a horrific car crash and it took me some time even after I woke up with a shudder, that it was all in the dream state. Thus, may be, who knows, I was spared a major accident in our world but as had to go through the experience, relived it in my astral or dream world.
Ruzbeh shares a common belief that was held by his grandma,
When I was young my maternal grandmother would often tell me that, ‘You had a dream where you cried a lot, that’s good beta, instead of crying in this so called real world, Baba took care of an unpleasant experience and pain in the dream world’.
Then we are told the story of Yogi Ramaiah who was bedridden for six long years, cast in plaster and immobilised. Just as he was to leave for the USA to further his studies, Ramaiah contracted bone tuberculosis which disrupted his plans. The disease took its toll on him and he was immobilized for 6 long years. During that period, his wife and servants cared for him at San Thome in Madras. But Ramaiah used this time to his advantage by reading a lot. During these years, Prasanananda Guru aided him in meditation while Omkara Swami shared with Ramaiah his knowledge of yoga. Ramaiah also published his first book based on Omkara Swami’s life, "A Blissful Saint." In 1952, he had a visit from Mauna Swami too, a disciple of Shirdi Sai Baba. Shortly afterwards, Ramaiah had a vision of Shirdi Sai Baba himself. Ramaiah asked Baba if he was his Guru. Baba replied, "No, but I will reveal to you who your guru is", and Ramaiah was shown his guru Babaji.
One day Ramaiah succumbed to the pain and misery that he was undergoing and decided to end his life. He held his breath, not letting it go. Suddenly he heard Babaji's voice. Babaji told him, "Do not take your life! Give it to me!" Surprised and taken aback by the divine intervention, Ramaiah surrendered himself to Babaji. The next day, upon awakening, Ramaiah felt that he was healed. Summoning the doctors, Ramaiah was given a clean bill and certified fit. To everyone's astonishment, Ramaiah had indeed healed completely. Very soon Ramaiah regained the use of both his legs. Shortly in another vision, Ramaiah saw Babaji limping. He questioned Babaji as to why he limped. To Ramaiah's surprise, Babaji replied that he was taking on Ramaiah's illness (bone tuberculosis)!
So too Ruzbeh narrates a similar incident.
... the other day while walking on a narrow road, this man on the scooter going straight like how all civic minded motorists ought to, suddenly veered and came head on at me, till in the end realized what he was doing and he skidded the scooter to his left and fell but didn’t get hurt as he was carrying a huge bag behind him which hit the ground first. I helped the chap up and he profusely apologized saying that he had no idea why he accelerated the scooter on to us. Minutes later I got a call from home that our Sai Baba of Shirdi’s statue had got badly burnt, with what appeared like wound marks on His feet and hands. This is another way the Master sometimes takes upon Himself the karma of His demented disciples.
When Tavayogi succumb to pain and suffering before he left his mortal body many questioned me how is it that a guru of his stature was suffering too. I replied that he had taken on him my karma, my family and others too. When he was knocked down by a bus while riding a motor some years back, I confronted Agathiyar saying that it was not fair of him not to protect his disciple. When I asked Tavayogi why it had to happen, he replied cooly that it was his karma. He added that he had to take on the karma of all who came to him for a solution to their problems too.
Ruzbeh says that "They are so merciful that our Masters seek no credit for the innumerable times when They have protected us from our own karma, our own stupidities and that of the world."
Just as Agathiyar listed out the benefits of Puja to me, and Lord Muruga wants me to start going within, to sit in solitude and silence, Ruzbeh explains at length about the benefit of meditation and going into silence as told to him by Baba Sai. Meditation is a way to,
... bathe the mind, heart, body and aura in the cool river of Oneness. Meditation or going within is the most subtle and sublime form of karmic cleansing. It is one of the fastest ways through which the Master helps in clearing the karmic backlog. We have karmic cleansing done via prayers and the dream state, but through meditation, we can actually have the power of cleaning our own slate and realizing our true self. Apart from healing the body, calming the heart thereby clearing the fog from the mind, through meditation one can attune oneself to the grid of Ancient Knowledge and realize our true identity and Oneness with The Great Spirit and while on this silent journey, most important of all, we clear all our karmic sludge.
Finally, Ruzbeh adds,
Sages brought down the Ancient Wisdom only through meditation. All the divine and mystical powers attained were via this silent method of going within. The greatest of discoveries, the most inspirational art and all the beauty that has been created by mankind, has come about, through this silent communication with The Creator.
The wise say that the past is History; the future is a Mystery and the present is a Gift. The only real thing is the ever-fleeting present moment, that waits for no man. The rests become a dream. The present recedes becoming the past while the future remains a dream. Only the present moment is real. This is where we are given full freedom to live the life we wanted living out the karma and bringing the desired change to our future. Tackle the present well, then your past settles. Tackle the present well and it shall take care of your future, preparing you for it. The present is the only moment available for us to work on, to bring the much-awaited results in the future and settle the past dues.
Only this moment is real - the present. But then time is a chain of present moments. The body is real, the pain is real, the suffering is real for us. But for a gnani who has transcended the mind, who is master of his mind like Yogi Ramsuratkumar and his disciple Supramania Swami, nothing bothers them. Nothing is a cause for concern. Nothing needs to be mended. Nothing needs to be changed. If at all they desire to move the chess piece it is with the approval of the divine. Otherwise, they rest in their place fully aware of all that goes on. Obvious to all that takes place they opt not to intervene and interfere.
All our troubles stem from and are a result of working towards our individual desires. If we switch these desires for that of Erai's and compliment the divine will, not intruding or disturbing the divine order, everything shall fall into its place beautifully. Ramalinga Adigal stands before Erai with folded arms waiting for his Guru to instruct him on what to do in the first verse of his Arutpa, "Tirupalli Yezhuchi."
Mahakavi Supramania Bharathi in his "Ninnai Charanadainthen" sings to Erai that the restlessness in thinking about the outcome of his acts stopped the moment he carried out the desires of the divine.
We have been continuously told not to have likes and drop desires. If these are dropped what is there in life to look forward too then? Dwelling deeper into these statements we begin to understand better. We are always told to live without attachment just as the drop of water on a lotus leaf. While there is a need to provide for a comfortable life, we are told to never become addicted to these pleasures in life. Agathiyar says he placed us here in this land that he terms as Sukra Bumi and Bhoga Nadu to feast on the pleasures it has to offer. But we need to let go if the calling comes. Similarly, the sufferings and misery too are only temporary and we shall come out of it, wiser. He tells us that both the joy and sufferings are his doing. Gaining these experiences is essential for the soul to develop.
Life is all about interpretation. So are the scriptures interpreted vastly with different understandings. The Nadi readings that did not make sense to me earlier are all beginning to take shape now. Lord Muruga told me to look at things from a different perspective, away from the norm. He is asking us not to be a flock of sheep but to take the bold step towards bringing change. Bharathi chose to be different and gained the brunt of his community. But he dares Erai to disagree with his actions as his society did, stating strongly that if he had wronged in his thoughts and behaviour, she was to be blamed for he tells her that the very thoughts were from her too. As she drives him to move, hence how could he be wrong? he questions her.
We are told that the world is not real and it is all an illusion. We are here to realize this, we are told again. If it's all false why did the Siddhas venture into all the sciences and bring forth and document their experiences and knowledge and truth attained and gathered through of these numerous sciences? What we need to know is that, as much as the physical world and joy, sufferings and pain is real, with the assistance of the mind using it as a switch or a lever we can leave all these behind and go back into a state of the void and silence, returning to the source - the origin. Mind acts over matter then. The mind-matter that resides in the soul leaves the physical body that drops once it has served its purpose. But if his purpose is universal and if one dedicates his life to the upliftment of mankind his physical body is maintained for a longer duration for his purpose now is holistic.
We are told that we are spirits in the real world. We are here to live out our desires and experiences. The right thing for us to do would be to live a fruitful life, not dropping our desires in its entirety, but replacing them with the desires of the divine and live out our lives without any attachments to its results. No karma gets attached to actions done in accordance with the divine will. Actions performed for the good of the masses carry no karma. On the contrary, it carries the respective karmas, good and bad, if done for the self and with selfish motives and purpose. The idea here is to drop individual desires and take up the desires of the divines. We then become apostles of Erai doing his work in society - doing his cause.
After doing our share of charity, as my wife, I and Roshan took to a midday meal together yesterday, Roshan opened up on many matters including having read two wonderful books by an author Ruzbeh N Bharucha. His retelling of the stories carried by Ruzbeh kindled an interest in me and once back home I did a search on the net. I came across many talks of his. Here are some interesting ones.
Mahindran who was introduced to me by Bala Chandran has been an ardent devotee of Agathiyar frequenting AVM, now ATM and helping in the daily puja for Agathiyar with Malarvathy, has also given himself to serving the poor through the many programs he has helped organize for PTS.
He has put down his thoughts in writing and the outcome is a wonderful narration of his journey before and after coming to the path of the Siddhas.
The guru comes in many forms and in many areas. Besides the obvious spiritual gurus, every other person is a guru for us when he leads us or we follow a certain aspect of his life.
When Agathiyar asked me to come to his path he showed spiritual gurus to me and I took up their teachings. Supramania Swami and Tavayogi guided me well. When asked to come to do charity I was shown several gurus too. Sri Krishna and his wife Sri Dewy, Bala Chandran and his team at Thondu Seivom, Vinthamaray and Stan and many others at ATM were gurus to me too.
Browsing the net we come across many Samaritans whom we admire for their stand and commitment. Their stories motivate us to follow in their paths. They too become our gurus.
Johnson Khoo Chong Sheng writes about his involvement in street feeding and jots down his observation and thoughts as he serves the homeless.
You will be reminded of how fortunate you truly are, It suddenly makes all your troubles seem small and insignificant, You open your eyes to what's really happening in your city, You'll realize that there's a whole different world out there, It helps you stay grounded and contented, It reminds us that success is fleeting, It reminds us that true happiness comes from being content, You learn not to judge, You learn to be humble, It renews your hope and faith in humanity, and finally you shall meet some awesome people,
he says of his experience.
Can you even imagine having to wait until the shops close before you can “go home” because your “home” is actually a busy street by day? Sleep on nothing but cardboards and hard cold floors on sidewalks, exposed to the wind, noise & street lights and always be prepared to shift when it rains or take a trip on a truck in the middle of the night when the authorities come raiding? Once you start realizing that, that’s when you truly start to understand and be thankful for how lucky you are to at least have a proper roof over your heads.
But when you find out the troubles the poor and homeless face every single day, you’ll suddenly realize how trivial and insignificant our problems are compared to theirs.
I have always thought that what they really needed was food because that was more expensive and water should be quite easily available to them. But then I realized that I was wrong. I suddenly realized that they din’t have a home, and hence no tap to collect water from to drink, let alone find the utensils to boil it. They probably get the bulk of their water supply from the tap water in public toilets.
But the reality is that most of us are living in a protected bubble, one that is built by society’s natural class system and social dynamics. Your life probably revolves around your comfortable home, offices, malls, restaurants and the occasional vacation. The poor & homeless seem to be living in another universe altogether.
Because society has already labeled me as hopeless, I have no other alternative, no access to education, help, and no other way to survive. My life would probably be no different than theirs if I was born into their circumstances. It is easy to say what we would do today with the exposure and knowledge that we already possess, but if we were really to be born into their situation, our lives, choices and attitude would probably have been exactly like theirs or even much worse.
Johnson describes his feelings as he walks the streets handing out the food and drinks.
I don’t know how to describe this. But as you walk the streets and back alleys carrying boxes of food and distributing them to the poor & homeless, you’ll just feel happy, a sense of quiet joy that stirs in your heart, although you’re sweating from all the walking and carrying, you somehow just feel happy that you’re doing something meaningful and making a difference.
Finally, he has a sound piece of advice for us, "Learn to be grateful for what you have today and not take things for granted."
We attend school to learn. Many lessons are taught at school. The teachers' device the lessons to test our comprehension of these teachings. We are given tests to answer. We are accessed by the answers we provide for these questions. We are given report cards or scorecards that monitor our progress.
Similarly, we learn many lessons at home and in life too. The learning never ends.
The Siddha path too is a path of learning. Ma came and said the same too. Agathiyar creates numerous situations and steps aside to watch how we figure and act in these situations. One extreme test he had for me was when I was called up for a reading, just like we are called into the Headmaster's office. Agathiyar had my Nadi before him, the report card. My mother had me in her prayers and had asked that the divine do something about my anger. So who does she ask? She knows pretty well that I would listen to Agathiyar. Chitragupta had reported to him that I was losing my temper way too often. Agathiyar summoned me and lectured me on anger management that day.
Then to see whether I took heed of the hour-long advice he gave me, he put me to test immediately. As I stepped out of the Nadi reader's office to my car, I was agitated to see another car parked alongside mine when there was umpteen number of empty parking bays on that hot Sunday afternoon. My temperature rose in the heat of noon. After honking my car horn and seeing no one respond I tried to push the car. After several attempts, it budged a little. Finally having the whole family help me out we made our way out of the parking bay. As we parked in the other side of town and walked to have our lunch, a celebrity at a local radio station stopped me and my family and lectured how small my children had kept the bindi on their forehead compared to their mother. Now I did not need another lecture from someone who was dressed in pants and shirt and told him off, asking him to walk around in vesti first before talking about upholding the culture. I had failed miserably in both tests that day.
And so Agathiyar has been placing hurdles, obstacles and tests in the paths of his devotees to see how they respond to these catalysts and what we learn from these events. He is basically nurturing the good elements in us, bringing it forward from within us, forming good habits that later become our characteristics.
All the good virtues shall bring us to do good. Hence we tend to build on our merits that help us sail through life.
We are told that Erai governs us. We are asked to worship him. Yet when we go through tough times, we begin to ask if it was fair of him to make us suffer. This is when we begin to compare with others and become more miserable for we think the one who does not pray lives a better life than we who tend to pray often. We begin to think that Erai and life are not fair. Wanting answers to lives questions, we are shown a discreet room that stores these secrets of Erai. We come to know of the Akashic records. This excites us for we are told that the Siddhas shall address all our problems by looking into these records. We sit before them and they begin to relay the whole journey of our soul that has been taking birth again and again since time immemorial. We are either saddened or elated by these revelations. Now we know the reason why Erai was not fair to us. Erai is unbias. His common law applies to everyone. So when we mess up our lives, we need to correct the mistakes by coming back again and again till we get it corrected. We stop blaming Erai. We then begin to approach him, asking if there is a way to set things right. As we cannot possibly go back in time and set things right, he offers solutions in the present where if adopted can bring an enormous change in our lives. We begin to heed his advice. We begin to pay homage and gratitude to him for helping us out. A bond is forged. We come to serve him. We follow his dictates. He takes hold of our lives. He leads us. We are in safe hands. The cycle of birth and death breaks. We are freed. He becomes our saviour.
He teaches us through others too, telling us not to follow their ways. For instance, when we had handed over the month's grocery to a lady, she asked if we could help another three families. That was good on her part to show us to others. It so happened that I met one of the ladies she had mentioned and told us that we did not have extra this time as she was not accounted for, but we would bring her groceries on our next visit. Then comes along this lady pushing her groceries in a trolley she had borrowed. As we walked together I was watching if she would share her groceries with her friend whom she had recommended. Sadly she took her cart of groceries for herself. I realise that it takes time for people to actually want to give to another or share with another.
I realize finally that all this is a play staged by Erai to mould us into a better person.
The above song is listed to have been written by Agathiyar. He places himself in our position and sees himself face old age and death. At that moment of inability, immobility, and gone senile, or with acute illness, he says he might not be able to utter the name of Lord Narayana, hence he reminds us to take the opportunity to sing the praise of the Lord right now at this very moment while we are hale and healthy, quite akin to saving for a raining day.
At that hour when death approaches me I am not sure if I will remember you, hence I am remembering you now Narayana, please take heed of my calling,
When kapam or phlegm arises and my tongue quivers, I am not sure if I will remember you, hence I am calling you now so that you would appear then to save me, Lord Narayana,
When vayu or the vital air comes to a halt, and all senses seize to function, and my soul begins to leave, I am not sure if I would be thinking of you, hence I call out to you now so that you come to my aid then,
When all that I thought was mine suddenly is of no significance and importance at the time of death, I am not sure if I will remember you my Lord, but nevertheless, I pray that you would come then Lord Narayana, hence I am calling you out now,
When Yama's servants appear to bind and take me away, I cannot promise that I would think of you, hence I call you now my Lord,
When my next of kin surround my death bed and wail and cry out, I don't know if your thought will arise in me, hence I cry out for you my Lord this very moment, so that you would appear to save me during my final moments! and so the song goes on.
This is what we should be doing daily for we might not be even able to say his name, let alone call out to him to save us in our hour of need. The Siddha songs we used to sing during our prayers are making some sense now as we travel this long journey that started some 17 years. It is truly amazing to realize that those words are coming true and that we are experiencing exactly what has been sung. The Siddhas who wrote these songs in praise of Agathiyar have shown us that Agathiyar is living with us and in us.
These songs are not mere recitations during our prayers but these very words have materialized into energy and have brought tremendous change in us. We can attest to the efficacy of prayers or puja, recitation of the names of the divine or Nama Japam and the chanting of specific mantras for the divine or Mantra Japam. Today his thoughts run through our minds 24/7. His breath runs through us 24/7. His name rings in our ears 24/7. We see him in others. We see him in us. We see him in nature.
Where do I begin to tell the story
Of how great a love can be
The sweet love story that is older than the sea
The simple truth about the love she brings to me
Where do I start
With her first hello
She gave new meaning to this empty world of mine
They'll never be another love another time
She came into my life and made the living fine
She fills my heart
She fills my heart with very special things
With angel songs and
With wild imaginings
She fills my soul with so much love
That anywhere I go I'm never lonely
With her around who could be lonely
I reach for her hand
It's always there
How long does it last
Can love be measured by the hours in a day
I have no answers now
But this much I can say
I know I'll need her until the stars all burn away
And she'll be there
How long does it last
Can love be measured by the hours in a day
I have no answers now
But this much I can say
I know I'll need her until the stars all burn away
And she'll be there
As Andy Williams sings "Where do I begin to tell the story of how grateful love can be", lyrics by Carl Sigman with music by Francis Lai sang for the movie Love Story, so do I ask myself where do I start to tell my tale of love for Agathiyar?
The lady of his dreams that Andy sings about can safely be replaced with Agathiyar for us. Meera expressed her love for Krishna. Radha and the Gopis were in love with Krishna too.
Krishna's youthful dalliances with the 'gopis' are interpreted as symbolic of the loving interplay between God and the human soul. Radha's utterly rapturous love for Krishna and their relationship is often interpreted as the quest for union with the divine. This kind of love is of the highest form of devotion in Vaishnavism and is symbolically represented as the bond between the wife and husband or beloved and lover.(Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/love-stories-from-hindu-literature-1770571)
Travelling the journey of worship to Agathiyar, we can comprehend Ramalinga Adigals love for Arutperunjhoti Andavar now when we sing his Arutpa.
He is eager for the mystic union which is the goal of bridal mysticism. This is the result of the affinity - a spiritual rapport between Raamalinga Swaamikal and the Godhead, which has grown stronger and stronger with the years, a rapport that has grown into the relationship of bride and bridegroom.
In this span of about fifteen years, what was unrelieved misery had become metamorphosed into joy. The emphasis has changed. It is no more on his foibles, failings and faults. The Swaamikal shifts the blame from himself to the Lord Whom he accuses of delaying the bestowal of grace.
We see a major change in the mode of worship of Ramalinga Adigal as we travel the pages of his Arutpa, experiencing what he went through.
With the 24th decad of the Sixth Book (with which ends our Swaamikal’s journey on the First Stage of the Unitive Way) cease all self-accusations, self-denigrations, weeping and wailing. Even petitions cease. The later decads are sheer paeans of praise of the Lord,
writes G.Vanmikanathan.
We can realize the extent of his love for Siva when we go through Manikavasagar's Thiruvasagam and Sivapuranam. We can immerse in the love for Erai in its many forms when we sing along the hymns of the deities.
Agathiyar came into my life one day in the guise of an astronomer, drew out my planetary chart, throwing out the conventional horoscope that I had held on for years. He reversed my horoscope that day. He showed me to my first guru, himself an astrologer too - Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai. Just as Agathiyar revealed my past, present and future during the Nadi reading session, Supramania Swami too revealed my past present and future without the need of drafting my charts and horoscope!
I was his sole disciple. We had more of a father and son relationship, I should say. I fulfilled his long-standing wish to build a temple for Lord Muruga by sourcing funds from well-wishers in Malaysia. But for reasons not known to us, a "stranger" stopped him even before the temple project could take off. What remains today is a kudil we built for him. I had a debt to settle with him I guess. But he gave something that no other guru would ever dream to give his disciple. He gave all his merits gained from his 40 years of tavam. He left his mortal frame on 7 February 2006.
Simultaneously Agathiyar shows me to Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram, a name I came to know right after my first nadi reading. The nadi reader passed me a leaflet mentioning Tavayogi and his intention to build a temple for Agathiyar. I got to meet him three years after receiving the leaflet. We travelled together on a journey troding the path of the Siddhas. We at AVM contributed towards the temple fund which stands today at Kallar. I guess again I had a debt to settle with Tavayogi.
Today both Lord Muruga and Agathiyar want me to build a temple. When I asked Lord Muruga why he needs another temple when there are so many all across the country, he tells me we would show him from a different perspective. Initially, I thought he meant that his form represented at this temple would differ from the many avatars of his depicted in the temples all over India and Malaysia. But I understand now it is neither the form nor a traditional temple that he is talking about. He is talking about bringing changes. Bringing changes in all areas of devotion. Then I realized that it is not something that we will do in the future but have already started doing. We have brought tremendous changes in the method of Siddha worship. We had brought change in the method of doing charity. We have brought change in our understanding of the Siddhas. This is what he meant by showing him in a different light.
Along the way, Agathiyar sent many good souls to AVM now renamed ATM. Together we shall sail to greater heights. There is no guru-disciple relationship here at ATM but that of comradeship. There is no one leader but anyone can lead at any time. This is the changes he was talking about.
When we are told that the relationship with Erai is to be kept secret by the orthodoxed masters and many others, Ramalinga Adigal exposed it and invited others to come forward to love Erai. When Ramanujar revealed to the masses the sacred mantra given by his guru, he showed his love for Erai in public. He wanted all to come to his fold. He wanted to share the cake with the rest.
Ramanuja knew he was disobeying his acharya, Tirukkottiyur Nambi, knew that the latter would find out, and for the sake of uplifting his fellow beings, was willing to pay the consequences.
Ramanuja’s chief contribution to philosophy was his insistence that discursive thought is necessary in humanity’s search for the ultimate verities, that the phenomenal world is real and provides real knowledge, and that the exigencies of daily life are not detrimental or even contrary to the life of the spirit. (Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ramanuja)
Following their footsteps, we shall share our journey with others too. Of what use is all the grace or Arul showered on an individual if he does not share it with others? That would only amount to selfishness on our part. As Agathiyar told us to walk tall and be proud that we are children of his, we are proud to walk the path of the Siddhas. We shall shout it out. We shall share all that comes our way. After all, it is all Agathiyar's doing. When his community and society came hard on Supramania Bharathi for having gone against traditional beliefs, Bharathi confronted Ma and tells her in strong terms that he could not have done wrong for the very thoughts and knowledge came directly from her. So how could he have erred?
Similarly, Agathiyar brought us to do his asking. He works through us. We are greatly honoured to be his tool in performing his wishes. We shall bring the change he wants, both in us and society.
Agathiyar has been with me all the while. When I performed the agamas as a Namburi priest in a Siva temple in Kerala he came as Lord Siva. When I served fruits at his sannadhi in Papanasam he blessed this fruit seller and his family with another birth in Malaysia. He was with me in Shringeri and Batu Caves. With me was Bala Chandran.
When I received the Vasudeva mantra he came to me as Lord Vishnu. When I received the painting of Lord Dhakshanamurthy he came as the Adhi guru. When I came to Supramania Swami to chart my daughter's horoscope he came as my guru in physical form. When I met Tavayogi he came to me as a guru on the path. When he came as a statue made in the image of him at Agasthiyampalli to then AVM, he gave his darshan as Lord Siva and Parvathy as how the divine gave darshan to him at Agasthiyampalli. He came as Ganapathy, Muruga, Siva, Vishnu, Rama, Narasimha, Sakthi, and as Dhanvanthri, Pamban, Ramalinga and Raghavendra. He came as the prapanjam. He came to teach, guide, mold, care, save, bless, and change and turn us into his image. As he told me many walked the face of the earth in his name, he works through all the good souls at ATM. We are his children. He is our Father.
