CLEAN, CLEAN, & GO ON CLEANING

I love to clean and move things around, for only after you move them do you see the amount of dust that has come to accumulate over time behind these things. Agathiyar says a clean home invites Kuberan, the guardian of wealth. Dirt and squalor or the state of being extremely dirty and unpleasant, that is said to be due to poverty or neglect, on the other hand, can be symptoms of unhappiness or illness. We stand witness to seeing the strong bond or relationship between squalor and poverty as we make our rounds distributing food and groceries to the poor. Agathiyar says it is not enough that we feed them. Although it keeps them alive for another day, he adds that we need to help raise these souls too to a higher level.

The great sage Agathiyar then gracefully further informed to the gathered seers & sages of Tamil Sangam, that the ‘’no. 4 work’’ [chatush karma] for a human being is to dutifully aid and help, the ongoing evolution of all co-existing human beings upon this planet earth...

Shoukei Matsumoto, a Shin-Buddhist monk who belongs to Komyoji Temple in Tokyo, says that the cleaning practice is not a tool but a purpose in itself and that there is no end to cleaning.

Matsumoto in his book “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind,” espouses the fact that cleaning is transformative and restorative both for the environment and for us. "Matsumoto outlines the importance of cleaning in the monastic setting, how he cleans and why it’s good for the heart."

Cleaning applies to the mind too. In Japanese Buddhism,

It is said that what you must do in the pursuit of your spirituality is clean, clean, clean. This is because the practice of cleaning is powerful. Cleaning practice, by which I mean the routines whereby we sweep, wipe, polish, wash and tidy, is one step on this path towards inner peace.

Similarly, right after I feel peaceful with my ego-less mindfulness, anger or anxiety begin once again to emerge in my mind. The ego endlessly arises in my mind, so I keep cleaning for my inner peace.(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/05/buddhist-monk-cleaning-good-for-you)

He is of the opinion that a respectable religion does not exist to bind one’s values or actions. It is there to free people from the systems and standards that order society, exactly what Tavayogi said too, that we cannot be caged but allowed to fly free.

There was a culture among Malaysians to come together and clean, called bergotong-royong in the neighborhood and budaya rewang at weddings. But it is slowly fading away. Off course you cannot expect someone who employs a servant or maid to wash the cup that he drank from to come together in public to wash the plates of others, right? People rather call in the caterers to cook and serve at their events.

I had a neighbor and friend who had lived in Kumbakonam, India and would tell me that the local community of different faith would come together to clean and wash the places of worship. Doing this chore unites people. Similarly, Matsumoto who had returned from Hyderabad in India where he had completed his MBA, reached out to temples and monasteries across the country, wanting to help the younger generation of monks to better manage their temples. He wanted it to be an interfaith effort too.

Rakesh and his team at Thedal Ulla Theynikalai (TUT) go about doing a similar service at temples and ashrams regularly. https://tut-temples.blogspot.com/2019/07/blog-post_24.html

Bala Chandran and his team at ATM have always lent a hand in doing chores during prayers and other events, never shying away from hard work.

Sri Krishna and his team at Pothihai Dharma Chakram to come together to collect excess food at functions such as weddings, birthday parties, house warmings, etc, and repack and deliver them to the hungry on the streets, in the old folk's homes, and children homes. http://www.astroulagam.com.my/news/article/112304/food-going-to-waste-call-the-food-rangers

To all of them, I raise my hands in salute.

Moving within we have a need to clean our thoughts too. Mahakavi Bharathi laments at not knowing the means to cleanse his soiled heart, hence surrendering to Ma praying that she should do something about it. He sings that he is disillusioned by all that he has read and pleads for Ma to come within and clarify, telling her of his surrender to her and asking refuge at her feet.

உலகத்து நாயகியே, -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

உன்பாதம் சரண்புகுந்தோம், -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

கலகத் தரக்கர்பலர், -- எங்கள் முத்து

மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்துமாரி!

கருத்தினுள்ளே புகுந்துவிட்டார், எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

பலகற்றும் பலகேட்டும், -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி! பயனொன்று மில்லையடி, -- எங்கள் முத்து

மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

நிலையெங்கும் காணவில்லை, -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

நின்பாதம் சரண்புகுந்தோம், -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

துணிவெளுக்க மண்ணுண்டு, -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

தோல்வெளுக்கச் சாம்பருண்டு, -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

மணிவெளுக்கச் சாணையுண்டு, -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

மனம்வெளுக்க வழியில்லை, -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

பிணிகளுக்கு மாற்றுண்டு, -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

பேதைமைக்கு மாற்றில்லை, -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

அணிகளுக்கொரெல்லையில்லாய், -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

அடைக்கலமிங் குனைப்புகுந்தோம், -- எங்கள் முத்து மாரியம்மா, எங்கள் முத்து மாரி!

We understand that devotion or Bakthi does not come without His grace. Manikavasagar mentions that Lord Siva came to stay in his thoughts and with His grace he pays homage to His Holy feet. He begins to pen or sing the Sivapuranam that he says shall bring the soul to a blissful state and end all past karma. 

சிவன் அவன் என்சிந்தையுள் நின்ற அதனால் அவன் அருளாலே அவன்தாள் வணங்கிச் சிந்தை மகிழச் சிவ புராணம் தன்னை முந்தை வினைமுழுதும் ஓய உரைப்பன் யான்.

INITIATIONS

We have had the divine come many times into someone to bless and leave. But the recent episode of Lord Muruga coming to give initiation was something that intrigued us all. 

I have heard from Jnana Jhothiamma how mystically she was initiated at Kallar Ashram. Tavayogi had told her that he would initiate her and asked Mataji to make the necessary arrangements. As she took her place before Tavayogi, Agathiyar came through Tavayogi to initiate Jnana Jhotiamma instead. After Agathiyar left, and Tavayogi was back to his old self, he called out again to Mataji to prepare for Jnana Jhothiamma's initiation. Mataji told him that it was all over! 

The day before I was to return to Malaysia, Tavayogi called out to Mataji to prepare for my initiation, my third, having received the first two in Malaysia. The first initiation was on the same day I met him at the local chapter of his Agathiyar Gnana Peedham in Batu Caves in 2005. He told Perumal of the Peedham to make arrangements for me to receive initiation. Perumal replied that he shall include me with the other seven who were scheduled to receive their initiation that evening. Once we gathered behind the closed doors of a room at the Peedham in the late evening, Tavayogi offered to initiate my wife too. 

Just before Tavayogi left for India, I had a Nadi reading with Nadi Guru T.Ramesh, recommended by Tavayogi since I told Tavayogi that I was to check my Nadi after 3 years from my first reading in 2002. Agathiyar in the reading told me to meet Tavayogi and receive an initiation that same night. As I arrived at the Peedham and mentioned what was said in the Nadi Tavayogi too was equally surprised just like me as to why Agathiyar directed us so, as he had already initiated me. But he followed as requested. 

The third initiation came quite sudden after Agathiyar had asked Tavayogi what he was going to give me. As I joined him in his morning walk the morning after my arrival at Kallar Ashram in 2005, Tavayogi told me that Agathiyar had come the night before and put this question to him. When Tavayogi asked what was he to give, Agathiyar replied that he will let him know later. As Tavayogi spoke about this, I could only give him a look of disbelief and remained quiet, asking myself if all this was possible? Did Agathiyar really speak to him? Just before I left I asked him how Agathiyar came. He told me as light. And so Tavayogi gave me the initiation the night before my departure. 

As I am penning this post, Sanjiv messages me the following.

Tavayogi ji once told me ... a drop of nector is enough to survive on....dont require food, water...just a drop of nector....from the ajana. He said for months together he would be in state of meditation and bliss...while in Sathuragiri and then as soon as he came out of that state he would feel really hungry and then go out of his hut and hunt for food.

And I use to talk and laugh with him as if I knew him, whereas the truth was that he did not have to make effort to know about us...past, present, future. Once I asked him can you speak to Agathiar ji...and he laughed and said yes...just like I am speaking to you. So I told him I also want to see and speak to him and he again laughed...said if Agathiar comes infront of you and says I am Agathiar...you will not believe him....isnt it?

He had Konganar, although at that time Tavayogi too did not realize it, drop by his old ashram and stay overnight talking in Kannada the whole night long. In the morning he was nowhere to be seen at the ashram grounds. As Tavayogi went for his morning walk he saw him sitting on the road curb beside Turipalam. Bidding farewell to Tavayogi, only then did he reveal himself as Konganar.

Tavayogi had Lobha Ma drop in too, but this time he guessed it was her. She was talking only about Agathiyar.

Lord Muruga too arrived at his ashram to have some fun. Tavayogi put the pieces together and gathered that it was the Lord, when he mentioned places he had been that related to the six abodes of Lord Muruga, besides talking gibberish all the time.

Similarly, Lord Shiva came to help identify and help pick some herbs for Supramania Swami at Parvatha Malai near Tiruvannamalai but Swami did not recognize him. He came as a shopkeeper whom Swami knew in town. After returning to Tiruvannamalai town, Swami dropped in at his store only to be told that he had never stepped foot on the Holy hill.

Such is the play of the divine on his children.

Supramania Swami too gave me a mantra initiation during the very first meeting with him. Dr. Krishnan gave me the mantra of Agathiyar that came over the phone as I sat at the Homa conducting an Amavasai puja at home. It's amazing how Agathiyar makes sure that both his children's material needs and spiritual needs are taken care of when the time is right. That is the compassionate father.

The fourth mantra initiation came through an email from Tavayogi.

Even prior to meeting my gurus and having my first Nadi reading, Agathiyar had sent my nephew to my home and initiated me mysteriously through him with the Vasudeva mantra, my very first mantra initiation, although my nephew revealed that it was from Agathiyar couple of years later.

When in an age where we rush to every holy man who sets feet on our shores to get initiated, collecting initiations as if collecting military awards and wearing them as medals or  service ribbon, medal ribbon, or ribbon bars, Supramania Swami warned us that if initiated into a path, technique, practice or mantra one should carry it out.

So the initiation that Lord Muruga gave came with a condition, that we surrender totally to him. He initiated the heart chakra in those who were ready.

Ram Dass at https://www.ramdass.org/chakras-in-the-body-2/ has this to say.

Jung is primarily concerned with the fourth chakra (the heart chakra). I would point out that there are still the fifth, sixth and seventh chakras, and these are in terms of other kinds of psychic spaces and ways of organizing the universe and understanding what’s happening. There are many theories that are nonmystical and there are theories that are mystical; there are theories that deal with transcendent states and there are theories that don’t.

And when Jung starts to deal with his archetypes, collective unconscious and so on, he is starting to deal with the fourth chakra, which is the same thing as Buddha’s compassion. He is still in astral planes and he himself is afraid to go on, that’s quite clear. He goes just so far and then he stops, because he’s afraid that if he goes the next step, he will no longer be able to do what he does as Carl Jung. That’s a very tricky place, to be able to surrender to your game which you have certain mastery in, in order to go for more.

But I’m afraid that everybody is driven to go for more until they can, in the depths of their inner being, say, “This is enough.” And they can only say that when it is. So the press of evolution on man’s consciousness is inevitable. There’s nothing he can do about it. He doesn’t really have much choice in the matter. He’s just got to wake up at the rate he’s got to wake up.

Ram Dass says Bhakti Yoga or the method of the heart is the easiest to work with in this age of Kali. 

In most relationships, when people come together and fall in love, they go towards each other until they come to a certain point where they see the writing on the wall and are not willing to go any further. Because if you surrender any farther into that love, then who you thought you were, the person making that surrender, has to be surrendered as well. And there is the thought, “Do I really want to die into this one so fast?” And it’s usually very subliminal.

For a person with a low tolerance for change, at this point they pull back and turn to go the other way. This liberates the other person to start and go forward again. It goes on like this and they both keep the same distance. Again, they come together and again they get to the point where one says, “Screw this,” and turns away, which liberates the other. They keep coming back together because they love each other and want to be together but they just can’t seem to do it because they can’t figure out what would happen when they surrender.

This all has to do with power, third chakra power. And love, as a vehicle, has to do with the fourth chakra. Unfortunately most of our relationships get stuck in the domain of power, which is the third chakra, the domain of ego power.

The fourth chakra is where it starts to get interesting, where you’re starting to see behind the veils, and you play out an incredible dance with the lover ...

So where is Lord Muruga taking us? 

THE HEART

How does the divine communicate? We have temples and other places of worship for devotees to congregate and offer their prayers to the divine. Then we have apostles and saints, men and women who sacrificed their lives to contemplate on the divine and carry out its wishes, while the common folk lived to fulfill their personal likes and desires. So the saints stood out among the people for their surrender of their soul and their sacrifice of their lives which otherwise would be echoing the normal lifestyle just like others.

We then look towards them to channel our desires, needs and wants to the divine. Do we need a channel then? Initially yes if we have no idea to go about it. But as we start the journey gurus and upagurus fill us up with knowledge about the divine and the means to attain what we seek of the divine. But a true guru will know when to let go of our hands and watch us walk by ourself. He would stand aside and watch us take a step, fall, get up, try again, take another step, fall, and it shall go on for a short while before he sees his student take leaps and runs. He will watch with a sense of pride and joy at having accomplished his work and take leave or work on another soul that comes along.

I had two such gurus Supramania Swami and Tavayogi. Today even if they are both not around physically I cherish and carry them in my heart. I carry Agathiyar in my heart. And I carry all the good souls I have met since my journey started in my heart too. 

If the heart is a "muscular organ in most animals, which pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system", the "Atman, the Spiritual Heart, has no physical or mental dimensions as such and does not express itself other than as a mere transfiguring tremor" states https://hridaya-yoga.com/hridaya-yoga-articles/what-is-hridaya-the-spiritual-heart/

We learn further the difference, as stated in the above blog.

According to Tantric tradition, anahata chakra, the heart chakra, is just a level or dimension of our being and of the entire manifestation. The Spiritual Heart is more than this. Hridaya: The Spiritual Heart is not just a spark of God; the Spiritual Heart is God. So the Spiritual Heart is not just a reflection of everything. It is the Supreme Consciousness, the essence of everything, the background of existence. The Heart of man and the Heart of the world are a single Heart.

Ramana is quoted as saying,

According to Ramana Maharshi, the great Advaita master, “The godly atom of the Self is to be found in the right chamber of the heart, about one finger-width’s distance from the body’s midline. “Here lies the Heart, the dynamic Spiritual Heart. It is called hridaya, is located on the right side of the chest, and is clearly visible to the inner eye of an adept on the Spiritual Path. Through meditation you can learn to find the Self in the cave of this Heart. What is essential in any sadhana (spiritual practice) is to try to bring back the running mind and fix it on one thing only. Why then should it not be brought back and fixed in Self-attention (to this feeling of ‘I’)? That alone is Self-enquiry (atma vichara). That is all that is to be done!”

To find the Self in the cave is to find Kuga (Lord Muruga). After conducting puja at the home of a devotee, Lord Muruga who came through a devotee told us that he was giving us something that day asking us to open our hearts and let him in so that he could deliver what he had come to give. To those who held on, he asked them to let go. He strictly told us that only those who had surrendered should step up and hold his hands to receive his initiation. As we all stood in line to receive initiation from Lord Muruga again he asked of us if we had surrender completely. Only after getting us to drop all fears and doubts and after we committed wholeheartedly, opening up our hearts, did he come within to take his dwelling. There was no mantra nor practice given, for henceforth it was not a matter of our effort in scaling and climbing but the divine lifting us. We just need to sit in silence and all else shall take place.

We "understand clearly that the essential awareness of our own being is not a function of reason. It is not the mind or a product of the mind, nor is it ordinary thoughts, but it is a radiance emanating from the region of the chest." We just need to watch this radiance. We are reminded in the blog that,

It is important to note that the rapport of something infinite, atman , the Divine Self, to something finite, such as the physical body or a point on or within the physical body, can only be a relative undertaking. Sages like Ramana Maharshi affirm that the awareness of the Supreme Infinite cannot be localized at a certain place in the body and that in the state of divine expansion, of diving into the divine ocean of Consciousness, we can no longer speak of a head, arms, body, and other areas. However, Ramana says that in the moment of returning to the consciousness of the physical body, when we regain awareness of our physical body, a memory endures of that state and it appears to be connected to the area of the physical heart, in the middle of the chest, slightly to the right. That Divine Infinity can easily be found again by centering in the region of the heart. 

Centering our attention on the region of the heart rather than the mind is one way to settle the thoughts. 

Placing the seat of witness consciousness in the brain is a sterile attitude. The ultimate witness is not the mind or a particular thought. We can imagine in our mind a witness of our thoughts and then we can easily imagine another witness of that first witness of the thoughts, and then a witness of the witness of the witness and so on….

Generally, the activity of the mind is governed by intentionality and implicitly is a movement governed by ego; it is activity that wants to grab information and to “conquer,” to keep control over the objects of activity and the process of self-knowing. When we withdraw the senses (pratyahara) and center ourselves in the chest area, looking for the deepest aspects of our being, we start to search “the interior” to the detriment of “the exterior.” In this way, we pass from the usual “conquering” attitude of the mind to a receptive, contemplative disposition. It is a kind of surrender, which implies lucidity, discernment, vigilance.

We could also observe the breath for a start. Agathiyar taught me to do so. It works for me. Letting the thoughts come and go without grabbing it, listening to it, or stopping it, just by watching it, it loses its grip on us and we shall not be aware of them after some time. The mind soon settles. So I suppose that is the reason Lord Muruga, as I took my place in line before him to receive the initiation, he told me off in the face that he had nothing to give me, for Agathiyar was already guiding me. I stepped back. Some received the initiation that day while the initiation for others was deferred to another day, as they were not ready.

I remember why Yogi Ramsuratkumar refused to bless an American who had met Anandamayi Ma before dropping on the Yogi. The Yogi turned round to address his aids after the man left that he had already received her blessings and that the Yogi did not want to interfere. I remember why Rengaraja Desigar did not bless me as I stood before him in private back then in 2003. I suppose he knew I was to meet my guru Supramania Swami in Tiruvannamalai four days later. 

If we had searched high and low for the abode of the divine thinking that it is secretly lodged away in the wilderness, today we come to realize that his abode is so close to us, just a step away. If we open up our doors, open up our hearts, he would come in to reside. Invite him in.

“God is born in the Heart and the Heart is born in God,” as the great Christian mystic Meister Eckhart said. This vision leads us to understand that there is nothing to be searched in the interior or exterior. God is already there. 

As Agathiyar says, we need to build Atma Balam, we are told again that "The Bliss of Pure Existence, sat, is expanding the soul and the understanding. The Divine Reality is unveiling a mystery of love-awareness."

True to what has been held to, 

In Christian spirituality, and for the Fathers of the Desert, the Heart is not simply a physical organ, but is the spiritual center of the human’s being, his deepest and truest self, or the inner shrine, to be entered only through the sacrifice of individuality, in which the mystery of the union between the divine and the human is consummated,

Lord Muruga asked for the sacrifice of one's individuality too.

“The intellect of the Heart” does not function by formulating abstract concepts and does not reach conclusion through deductive reason. It understands Divine Truth by means of immediate experience or intuition. In the domain of the Heart, most of us are somewhat or entirely illiterate. The Heart knows through surrender, trust, and joy.

As Nakirar pleads of Lord Ganesh in his Thiruagaval to bring the guru within where both the guru and disciple shall spend hours in silence, connecting with each other in silence, receiving the direct knowledge and illumination in that sacred moment of silent discourse, 

மோனா ஞான முழுதும் அளித்து

சிற்பரிப் பூரண சிவத்தைக் காண

நற்சிவ நிட்கள நாட்டமுந் தந்து

குருவுஞ் சீடனுங் கூடிக் கலந்து

இருவரும் ஒரு தனியிடந் தனிற் சேர்ந்து

தானந்தமாகித் தற்பர வெளியில்

ஆனந்த போத அறிவைக் கலந்து

ஈசனிைணயடியிருத்தி

மனத்தே நீயே நானாய்

நானே நீயாய்க்

காயா புரியைக் கனவெனவுணா்ந்து

எல்லாமுன் செயலென்ேற உணர

நல்லா உன்னருள் நாட்டந் தருவாய்

காரண குருவே கற்பகத் களிேற

வாரணமுகத்து வள்ளலே போற்றி

the blog summarizes these moments beautifully.

Coming back to the Heart, all the vain noise of the world is quieted….The Heart is a sanctuary of silence. There, in the most sacred intimacy and solitude of the “cave of the Heart”, the moods of individuality fade away and the consciousness of unity is revealed. There, the world and man are one. So, in a paradoxical way, the solitude and intimacy of the Heart reveals the essential Unity of all existence.

If before we depended on the Nadi and the Guru for guidance and blessings, these days the divine comes in other forms too to continue the tradition of the Guru-Disciple. The Divine Sheppard has come to lead his lost children back to his kingdom. Amazing.

THE WORLD BEYOND NORMAL SIGHT

We learn all life long. Be it academic, general knowledge, administrative, matters of the heart and relationship, and learning to fill the stomach or feed the soul, the learning never ends. We have gone through all these too. Today Agathiyar and Lord Muruga have brought us to know the soul. 

While the learned try to figure out God, the common man and simpleton learn to see God in everything. Lama Surya Dass in his "Awakening the Buddha Within" quotes Neem Karoli Baba, "It's better to see God in everything than to try to figure it out." 

Our energy is been continuously used up attending to the matters of the world and the incessant activities of the mind. Besides exhausting our energy in this, we are trying hard to figure out something that is beyond our understanding and beyond this mind. Agathiyar nor Tavayogi never thrashed out theology, doctrines, or theory to us but instead had us get to the ground and dirty our hands, doing things. As we work they tell us a thing or two. We need to figure that out too. 

Today he has asked us to stop all forms of questionings. He has brought us to sit in silence. From learning lessons and gaining experiences in the outside world, he is bringing us within to gain new experiences. If we have had external gurus and upagurus then, today he personally guides our thoughts from within.

As Lama Surya Dass says, "As we learn to let go we see that our energy is returned to us", coming to the moment sitting alone doing nothing the energy stays within. Just as there is duality in everything, night followed by day, happiness followed by sorrow, etc, a full day of activity ends with some moments of rest and sleep. A life of activity will come to rest automatically as one age and loses his mobility and life soon perishes. Although life in the physical body ends with death, another journey takes off after that we are told.

On the contrary, the Siddhas do not sit back and wait for nature to take its course but work towards sustaining life in the physical body putting off or cheating death. The Siddhas began to share this secret and elevate other souls too. They stayed in the society bringing renewed hope to mankind of the possibility of extending one's life span. If they came out with kayakalpas (kayakarpam) or longevity recipes as P Karthigayan terms it, the divine on its part brings ambrosia to ooze from within, termed ambrosia of the gods, the medicine for immortality. 

Why would one want to remain immortal? Of what use is it to remain immortal only to stay away from society and just watch the world go by. Or of what use is it to remain immortal only to go back to the routine of daily living as before?

As we see it, those who have come out of near-death experience, sadly, talk about it excitedly for days only to go back to their daily routine. Should not they turn to become apostles of God and spread his word and love in appreciation for the extension or bonus years given? Why would God save you and not others bringing your soul into the lifeless body if not to do his work? 

We are so engaged in our work forgetting that we came to do his work. Today Agathiyar through his 5 tenets for taking human birth expresses the activities that we need to carry out to fulfill a well-lived and complete life in the eyes of the divine. These 5 tenets are the basic commands that one has to uphold. There is no mention about raising the kundalini, astral travel, gaining and performing Siddhis etc. 

1. He speaks of coming to know the reason we took birth. This was disclosed during our regular Nadi readings. 
2. He speaks of offering our gratitude and appreciation to our creator, which we have been constantly doing: worshipping, conducting rituals, performing the fire ritual, conducting libation, etc. He brought me to have his statue commissioned in Swamimalai and worship him. On 8 January 2009 Agathiyar gave me specific instructions on how his statue was to be made at Swamimalai and brought over to ATM (then AVM) to be worshiped. I had always had the thought, why Swamimalai and not somewhere else. Then Rightmantra Sundar in his blog explains why Swamimalai comes to mind when one needs a bronze statue, which I had posted on 27 September 2014. Sundar says that at Swamimalai these bronze statues are made using age-old traditional methods and according to the agamas, hence Swamimalai is preferred for making temple Urchava Murthis. Statues made at Swamimalai are renowned worldwide. The lost wax method of casting these statues are a specialty here. Clay or mud from the riverbanks of Kaveri used by bronze statue creators at Swamimalai is most suitable for making the molds as it captures even the most minute details, revealing even thumbprints! Over the years, Agathiyar explains why he wanted his image made in Swamimalai through Jnana Jyothiamma's Jeeva Nadi reading. Agathiyar reveals that it was the wish of Lord Muruga, Lobha Ma and Agathiyar himself that he should be made at Swamimalai. He enlightens us on the significance of Swamimalai and the Kaveri River and the reason for Agathiyar to be made in Swamimalai. Agathiyar explains that it is Lobha Ma's wish that his statues made on the banks of Kaveri (Swamimalai in Tanjai) and blessed by Swamimalai Muruga, should reach places all over the world. Although Agathiyar's image has been depicted in many forms over time, the image of Agathiyar from Swamimalai will eventually be his identity and worshiped the world over. Lord Muruga himself has conceived this image and blessed each statue made here.
3. He speaks about serving him and fellow humans. We carry out our responsibilities to our parents, and family, our ancestors, our gurus etc. We are asked to respect the divinity and its deities in all forms from the major to the minor. 
4. He speaks about our obligation towards society neither shying away from them or remaining indifferent to their needs. We undertook to bring food and aid to strangers, the hungry, poor and unfortunate, and the homeless.
5. He speaks about going further to help life in the lower planes to achieve a higher state through association with us, our thoughts and our actions. This is achieved through our rituals and the many sciences that came about as a result of their research and findings. He brought us to do rituals. Through these rituals, the materials and items used in these rituals served the divine. The flower petals rather than falling to the ground and decomposing, reached his Holy Feet gaining moksha. The flowers that made it become a garland that is used to adorn him. Similarly, all the rest of the items used in puja of the divine are elevated to a divine state, releasing them from their lower forms. They too are given an opportunity to serve the divine, to become holy and becoming prasad to his devotees, taking on the energies of the divine.  Besides bringing moksha or liberation to them, we appeased the unseen forces and energies in the other planes that receive our offerings through puja, libation, and the fire sacrifice. The items that are used to perform libation drain away and both along the way and finally as it reaches the sea, become food for many microscopic organisms. 

"Microscopic organisms are tiny life forms, often consisting of a single cell, and very sensitive to change. They are vitally important in the food chain and to the health of our planet. They are the base of the marine food web and, directly or indirectly, are food for everything else in the open sea."

"In addition, these microscopic organisms have a role in maintaining the Earth's atmosphere – they help remove carbon dioxide and release chemicals that help form clouds." (Source: http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/wildlife/microscopic-organisms)

Similarly,

"Floating and flying above us are not only the usual suspects - birds, bats, insects - but countless microscopic creatures as well."(Source: http://discovermagazine.com/galleries/2014/june/aerosphere)

Microscopic organisms in the pond water.

Microorganism in the sea.

Microorganisms in the soil.

Microorganisms in the air.

The 5 metals that originated from the earth, that was heated up by the fire element and poured into the mould made of river mud that originated out of the earth and water element, brought forth a wonderful and beautiful replica of Agathiyar's statue at Agasthiyampalli that today is housed at ATM, elevating these elements to the status of Agathiyar. The mud from the river banks of Kaveri at Swamimalai that was used to encase the wax figurine, and the hot molten metal that was poured into the mold giving birth to the bronze statue that came to be cast, gained a status to be worshipped as Agathiyar. By performing rituals on it for the past nine years the metal became Agathiyar in our eyes. It became alive and opened its eyes. Today he watches every activity from his small room at ATM. Agathiyar reveals in the Jeeva Nadi that many miracles will be shown through these statues of Agathiyar. These statues will become "alive". All these will take place with Lord Muruga's blessings. Agathiyar reiterates that these miracles had taken place in Jnana Jyothiamma's presence too, reminding us of the miracle he performed at AVM. In October of 2013, we at ATM (then Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia) held prayers almost every day during Jnana Jyothiamma's stay in Malaysia. During the libation or abhisegam, Agathiyar most graciously opened his eyes to bless all those present!

Similarly, the elements that made their way to places of worship such as temples served the divine and were elevated to a higher level of birth. Of course, owing to the reason that they cannot move into these sacred places on their own, we need to help elevate them by bringing them along. The building blocks of the temples too have attained permanent residence in the house of God serving him and his devotees well. 

It is wonderful to gain an understanding of the workings of the universe and to know our purpose here. Rather than aimlessly travel this journey Agathiyar threw the loop and roped us in at the nick of time bringing us to his fold, hence saving us and the soul within. We await more revelations from him patiently.

ARRIVING AT THE HEART CHAKRA

One day Agathiyar dropped by my home. He called out to me. I stepped out of my house to see who it was that was calling out my name. There stood a man who looked very wise. Do I know him? I do not think so? Now how did he know my name? He began to talk about me too. I was taken aback. How does he know about me and what I had done? Here was a stranger who seemed to know me pretty well. He asked me to join him for a walk. I took a walk with Agathiyar. He showed me many nostalgic places of interest to him that he thought might rekindle my past. Sadly I was so dumb to recognize any. The veil in me was too thick for me to see through. But he never gave up on me. After returning from our walk he came into my home to help me with removing the veil of ignorance. He brought others to my home too, having revealed to them too about themselves.

After Agathiyar revealed about us, he tasked us with numerous assignments that brought us to physically engage ourselves, giving ourselves to the service of Erai and the pantheon of gods and deities, family and our ancestors, fellow humans, the animals, plants and mineral kingdoms. He asked me to carry out many tasks with others whom he sent to my home, never revealing its purpose or the fruits of our efforts till just some days ago through a text that I came to sight. I had bookmarked it many years ago only to see it now. It was a translation of a document of his disclosure of the secret of taking human birth to the seers and sages gathered at the Tamil Sangam. The document cleared the air and brought me to understand that we have arrived, quite unknowingly, to achieving our purpose and mission here. Agathiyar summed it up under 5 tenets that each human had to adapt and accomplish here on the face of the earth.

The first and foremost task for man is to understand his purpose in taking birth. With his purpose known then, he shall come to thank the divine creator or energy that brought forth his birth through consultation with the lunar forefathers and their angelic hierarchies that co-exist with us down here. With the constant showering of his blessings that come to us by way of living a purposeful, meaningful and fruitful life, the soul grows in strength gaining Atma Balam. Showing appreciation to the divine that gave us an opportunity to take birth again to sort out our lives, we then thank all the caretakers both seen and unseen, in the present and the past. With all their blessings and grace showered on us, there is an obligation on our part then to "dutifully aid and help, the ongoing evolution of all co-existing human beings." The final task is to extend this aid and help, towards "the ongoing evolution of all co-existing beings and entities, existing upon the lower levels of the evolutionary ladder, dutifully supporting the manifested matrix or prapanjam."

I realized that Agathiyar had tasked us with several missions and gave us many experiences so that we could comply with the desire of Erai for man and his kind. I have carried excerpts from this document pertaining to the 5 tenets translated by Vashisht Vaid into English and posted in his blog https://holysageagathiyar.com/. Mrs Srividhya Rakesh of Thedal Ulla Thenikalai (TUT) took the trouble to translate my post regarding this at https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2019/07/understanding-life-our-purpose.html into Tamil beautifully.

Agathiyar had prepared us well and brought us to a state of readiness. Upon successfully completing phase one of the journey, that Agathiyar took us by the hand, for the grand finale of stepping into yet another journey, that of the soul, Lord Muruga has come to lead us on further. On the onset, he asked for commitment and total surrender from us. Upon taking the oath of surrender he initiated us into opening our hearts. The second phase of the journey will be an internal one. We do not have any idea though how it would be, besides a few clues he gave, he has asked us to fasten our seat belts for takeoff into the unimaginable frontiers of the universe.

P Karthigayan in his book "History of Medical & Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu", published by Notion Press Chennai, 2016, reveals, that during Dyanam, at its peak moments known as Mounam, Siddhas journeyed through unknown realms of knowledge and got answers for all unanswered questions revealed later by them as Jnana Sastras. Moving on and going into the state of Samadhi several times, they separated their spirit and traveled to unknown lands beyond the cosmos and worlds which did not support the physical body, acquired new experiences and knowledge. While in this state, they left their physical form in the custody of their disciples or hid them away from the eyes of strangers and wild animals, sometimes for decades.

P Karthigayan equates the Body to Earth; the Soul to the other elements water, fire and air; and the Spirit to the Sky. While the cosmos keeps renewing itself, the Soul that binds the body with the Spirit, takes on another body on expiry of the earlier. It is believed that we live in this body for a stipulated time after which the soul that carries all our qualities transforms into an astral body and either lingers around or goes through heaven and hell before it perishes leaving the Spirit to lead the astral body to take yet another body and birth. Throughout this reincarnation process, the Spirit lives on though.

As Karthigayan wrote, Lord Muruga too gave a hint of the journey that is quite similar to his revelations. The past comes to decide the form, material, and shape we take. The soul comes to take residence in it. The soul that is intrigued by the many possibilities of the physical body and the pleasures derived from its senses, is swayed towards it, falls into a relationship that is binding with it, ignoring the spirit that came bonded to it. We can equate this with Lord Muruga falling for Valli of earthly parentage when he had Deivayanai from the realm of the Devas all along. But Lord Muruga did not desert Valli but took her along in her original form. The Siddhas too had discovered a way to bring along their physical form to the other realms, without dropping it.

As P Karthigayan writes, "The body's actions are in fact the result of the Spirit's commands", Agathiyar on the onset of our meeting forgave me for my past actions telling me that it was all his doing and that I needed those experiences too. Although obstacles that we come across on our journey in life is said to be a result of our past karma, after the Siddhas take us into their fold, karma is duly absorbed by them. If obstacles persist after we take hold of them, it is solely their doing for know then that they do not favor our decision. The planets that are said to rule, dictate and take possession and control of our lives too turn to become our guide and gurus once we catch hold of their feet. All actions that the body performs can continue to be performed by the soul too, says Karthigayan, if need be, either alone or through another body. Hence the reason saints continue to guide after they leave their mortal frame.

At https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/05/buddhist-monk-cleaning-good-for-you we are told again that human birth is sacred.

Humans stand at the top of a hierarchy as the agent or messenger of the creator. The characters for “human being” in Japanese mean “person” and “between”. Human being is “a person in between”. Thus, you as a human being only exist through your relations with others – people such as friends, colleagues and family. You as a person have some particular words, facial expressions and behaviours, but these arise only through your interaction and connections with other people. This is the Buddhist concept “en” or interdependence.

But we as always are never grateful or ignorant of our blessings. Vashisht Vaid reveals Agathiyar's lament on the state of mankind.

The great sage Agathiyar gracefully further added for the Tamil Sangam, that most of humanity while vitally living in their automated states of animated consciousness, thus foolishly waste the most precious cyclic time of their rare human birth, which birth is rare indeed among all other vitally manifested visible species [rupa pranis] of this physical world [bhu loka], as all of the established human species were given the most rare gift of an individualized soul [atama] with free will, to vitally act out as a limited power co-creator, through intellectual activities [karmas] in this physical world’s [bhu loka] of planet earth, and thus dutifully help out its evolutionary spiritual future.

But most human beings of all races, foolishly just live out their incarnated lives, by constantly indulging in the non-spiritual works, which are similar to those of all lower species, vitally having only animal life passions upon this planet earth, which all such animal life passions also vitally utilize the five senses [pancha jnana indriyas] of their incarnated forms, which under the gripping cover of vitally manifested denser material thoughts, vitally originate out of lower mind passions [lower mind passions related to three lower centers of Mooladhara chakra – root base center of vitality, Svadhishthana chakra – sacral or procreation center and Manipura chakra – solar plexus inner sun, originating source center of all fiery passions], and thus also get constantly operated upon by the five ray’s [panchama rashmi’s] of intellectual activities [karmas].

Vashisht Vaid in his blog https://holysageagathiyar.com/ enlightens us on the sermon that Agathiyar gave at the Tamil Sangam that includes an explanation of the heart chakra and the other chakras.

The great sage Agathiyar further disclosed to the Tamil Sangam, that Rudra Agni is also the great lord of all Anahatha energies [the unspoken or unstruck universal energies] in the universe, which upon this objectively manifested planet earth also vitally corresponds to the heart center [Anahatha chakra] of the incarnated human form, which vitally existing in the vital body [Pranamay kosha] as the fast moving vortex of lotus petal shaped energies, which are formulated in their such lotus shaped petals due to continuous basket weave formative motion of the intersecting vertical electric energies of the cosmos [Antriksha], coming to this planet earth, which then upon entering the vital body [Pranamay kosha] of the incarnated human form, vitally interacts with the life controlling horizontal magnetic frequency energies of different wave lengths, which all vitally originating from the very center of this planet earth [Prithvi greha], thus formulate these lotus petal shaped energy appearances, to vitally exist in this fast moving heart center vortex of energy [Anahatha chakra].

The great sage Agathiyar also added, that this phenomena of vitality, which formulate the lotus shaped vital energy petals due to the different short and long wavelengths of intersecting frequencies, in the various centers [chakras] of the vital body [Pranamaya kosha], is thus true for all other chakras [circular vortexes of energies], which exist vitally manifested as the 7 main large chakras [centers] and many subordinate small chakras [circular vortexes of energies], in the vital bodies [Pranamay kosha] of all incarnated human bodies, and thus stay formulated as such during the entire tenure of their life cycle until death.

In https://rosegardenyoga.com/2011/01/satgurus-and-upagurus-teachers-and-teachings/ we are told of some rare births who do not put any attempt at negotiating the road to freedom from the clutches of society, space and time. I believe they had put in all the work and toiled the fields in many previous lives of theirs.

The very rarest of individuals do not have to make any effort either through the various yoga practices (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, etc.) or practices in another spiritual tradition to experience the fullness of consciousness unbound by self, or time, or space.  The rest of us must engage in shifting our lives to align better with nature to experience the highest bliss of being.  For this, we need teachers and we receive, if we are paying attention, teachings. 

As for us we shall work on it with further guidance from the Siddhas till they find us ready to be lifted into orbit. Let us stay with them. 

FEEDING THE SOUL

Thomas Moore in his book "Care of the Soul", HarperCollins Publishers, 1992, tells us giving us a reminder that  "It's easy for consciousness to become lodged in the material world and to forget spirituality." So the soul then becomes neglected for the physical body takes precedence and importance.

Agathiyar tells us that we are here to gain Atma Balam, or strengthen the soul. So what is food for the soul then?

As early as in my very first Nadi reading in 2002, Agathiyar and lately Ma, Aiya, and Lord Muruga, have been giving us constant reminders on the need for a particular experience for only then the soul tends to grow. Moore too says, "Just as the mind digests ideas and produces intelligence, the soul feeds on life and digests it, creating wisdom and character out of the fodder of experience."

As Moore writes, "Renaissance Neoplatonist said that the outer world serves as a means of deep spirituality and that the transformation of ordinary experience into the stuff of soul is all-important", the soul comes to learn and grow from its experiences. The spirit of God is in all things and we learn to pick up the essence of these individual spirits in his creation. Having collected sufficient experience for it to grow, the soul then it shifts into a silent mode contemplating on all that it had absorbed and begins to digest them while in solitude. Having done with the absorption, it takes on a new perspective of the world and returns to address the world and its issues from a different angle, and to educate others on true living, sharing the wisdom gained from its period of hibernation and silent contemplation. They become gurus in the eyes of others. Rather than ignore the world and hideaway on the onset, we need to live life to the fullest and after having had the experience, learn to differentiate the good and the bad, drop all that hurts the self and others, and extend all the best towards oneself and others. The rebirth takes place here itself.

Moore says of rituals as "Action that speaks to the mind and heart, it doesn't necessarily make sense in a literal context, meaning when Agathiyar gave us the 5 tenets to live a fulfilling life in the eyes of the divine some facets of it might be hard to swallow but as Moore says some action may not have an effect on actual life but speak instead to the soul. We come to realize that everything we do besides serving us serves the soul too.

Just as "rituals maintain the world's holiness" Moore says "The soul needs an intense full-bodied spiritual life as much as and in the same way that the body needs food.

"In https://blog.good-will.ch/WordPress/2010/10/23/rishi-agastya-a-little-miracle-and-some-stories, we read that Agathiyar loves to cook and to serve. "Through serving food he likes to spread himself into the people and thus to adjust any imbalances in the mental, emotional, and physical bodies. He lives in tune with the universal consciousness and in such a tune-up the food is given to all the elementals around him with himself as the channel." As Agathiyar stressed on the need of food to us too, Moore too says, "Communion, union with divinity, is accomplished by means of food. Taking food into the body is a ritual way of absorbing the god into oneself."

We might not think about the soul right now, but Moore says "Growing old is one of the ways the soul nudges itself into attention to the spiritual aspect of life." Thus the reason Agathiyar encourages us to start early while we are fit and healthy. His Harinarayana composition brings to light the need to call for God now and not later.

When Lord Muruga told me that we at ATM shall bring reformation I understood pretty well the reasons for the tiny changes we had been working on at ATM for some time now. Thomas Moore too writes that the traditions in the world religions were subjected to reformation too. Then we read that Agathiyar "In his spiritual activities he never treads any trodden paths, but gives new trends and directions, being full of freshness. His life is always accompanied by will, spreading be-ness and presence. He is very humorous and his teachings are very powerful, but nevertheless humorous, thus uplifting the people."

PHASE 2 ACT 2032

It looks like these writings have bonded our souls forever. Many readers were taken aback when I titled my earlier post "SAYONARA." I wrote in the Whatsapp group.

As I have written in my LAST post Agathiyar has revealed the way and showed us the escape route from the cycle of birth and death. The truth has been revealed. For those yet to come on board it is now up to them to place the effort and comply to the 5 facets of lives. For the others I pray that we can all continue with the task given to us. I believe we all shall. So it is time to say Sayonara for this group ATM too. Let us meet up sometime in the future and exchange notes of how we are faring in our spiritual journey. Thank you very much for being with us all this while.

 They wanted to know the reason.

The theory is over. He is asking us to move on to practice what he has preached all these while, now. Or you can take it the other way too, after putting into practice all his tiny bits of advice, he has revealed the theory behind it. Now he is moving us to another platform from the physical to that of the soul. That has to take place in the hearts and homes of each individual. He shall guide further. From within each one of us individually,  customised, and just for you.

Then the emails and messages came in.

• Sir you and your blog has been like digital sage for me. Guiding on behalf of Appa. I feel this Sayonara is bit sudden and there is never a good bye but meet you again... Thank you for taking out your personal time to write wonderful blogs. Om Agathisaya namah.

• Looking forward for ur next post sir. The write ups always refresh our faith and that keeps us moving...

• The blog has been a guiding light for me. Thank you.

• Vannakam Shan aiya. Saw your last post. Saw your decision   coming. We cannot stand in your way after the wealth of knowledge you imparted to us. It is now your time. My only regret and disappointment is that I did not give you something back. But this is not goodbye. For now I shall give you my tears....tears of joy. Thank you for growing and nuturing us with such love and care.

• Shan Sir, The five facets spoken of have to be intensified and the pace must increase. All the five facets spoken of have to be intensified. What achievments ànd pace a group of like minded people can achieve for the same cause...individually it may not happen for everyone, many more seekers may be there..... but then Father knows how to make his children reach the destination. Its a journey in which all have to move .... those who keep pace .... and follow the five facets...must move together.... those who have to seperate will automatically fall prey to Maya. As I said earlier... the blog has been a guiding light for me. I feel saddenned that no more writings or theory...but practicality on five facets should continue....Agathiar ji will show the way. Once again to tell u the blog is an inspiration...a path which takes you to Agathiar... a guiding light. I understand Father has paved a path for you to walk on.... I wish you to achieve the very purpose of birth with flying colors. God bless you, Shan Sir, and mind it....ur going to keep on hearing from me.

• Thanks for the wonderful post sir..I still believe appa to communicate through you as we require guidance.

Now how can I ignore such love and care showered by these wonderful family of mine? Welcome to Phase 2. Read on ... my 2032nd blog posting.

I and many others at ATM (Then AVM) had a calling many years back. Agathiyar asked us to come to his path and follow his way. We took up the invitation. He sent two wonderful personal gurus and several other upagurus to guide us. He gave us many task and chores to do as we traveled with him, never elaborating further or describing the benefits or results that one gains from doing it, until later after we had put in hours of work and effort. He was not one to hang a carrot in front of the carriage to lure us on. He would direct and leave the option to us whether we wanted to carry out his dictates. We did as he asked without questioning him. After years of apprenticeship to him finally, he reveals to us that all the tasks he gave us, were indeed the way and was indeed the journey. We have read many stories of seekers coming to gurus and their monasteries to learn the way to liberate the soul but instead were told to carry out chores and tasks. These seekers after some time would rebel and confront the master only to be told that doing the tasks at hand had elevated them unknowingly. Similarly, he made us walk the talk. Rather then show us the overpowering mountain that we are to tackle, that on the onset drives us to believe that it is beyond our reach and would very rightly put us off in wanting to scale its height at the onset, he led us by the hand bringing us along on his walk, talking to us as we traveled, allowing us to stop to view the surrounding, permitting us to stop to take a rest, continue the walk and keeping us engrossed in the present that eventually without we realizing he had brought us to our destination were we stood atop the very mountain enjoying the magnificent view. We did not realize that we had walked the long-distance and had arrived atop the mountain peak!

The seeking over the many lives and births stopped the moment we came to Agathiyar. Today, "the actual and true journey" in the words of Tavayogi on the start of my journey in the Siddha path,  has come to an end with this revelation made by Agathiyar during the summit of the seers and sages at the Tamil Sangam where he revealed the purpose of birth and what man was to do. He had introduced the 5 facets of life to us, one at a time, bringing us to carry them out. 

A Zen Koan is often used to explain this experience.

A Master who lived as a hermit on a mountain was asked by a monk, “What is the Way?”

“What a fine mountain this is,” the master said in reply.

“I am not asking you about the mountain, but about the Way.”

“So long as you cannot go beyond the mountain, my son, you cannot reach the Way,” replied the master.

(Source: https://mindmastery.wordpress.com/2007/02/22/zen-koan-the-way-and-the-mountain/)

It is individual moments that come together to make time. Just as the monk was brought to observe the mountain, we were brought to observe the 5 facets of wholesome living as desired of the divine for every man taking birth. These were not merely tools but a purpose in itself. Just as we were taken aback to realize that we had already reached the summit, the purpose of taking human birth was only made known to us after completing the journey.

Coming to Agathiyar the seeking stopped. Coming to Tavayogi the true journey began. When one comes to end his seeking for a path among the many available out there, only then is his true path revealed, his true journey begins, from where he has arrived and stood. Tutorship under a guru, learning compassion, doing charity, conducting puja, reciting the Siddha's names, performing the fire ritual or homa and yagam, performing the bathing ritual or abhisegam on the idols, all these were components of the first phase of our journey that we were asked to carry out. A massive task was made easy when he broke it up into tiny assignments. The first phase has ended now.

The sayonara was to bid farewell to the first phase. We now move into the second phase. In the second phase of our journey, we start working on the soul and its journey back home. We shall connect with our soul and that of others that reside in the heart chakra, with the grace of the divine. If traveling the journey to the heart chakra needed the divine's assistance and our effort, from henceforth there is no effort on our part. As Ramalinga Adigal begged of Lord Siva to open the door, Lord Muruga came to do us justice in opening the heart chakra in us, asking of us only to surrender. With the opening of this wonderful space, the divine comes within to reside in our hearts forever making it his abode and temple.

Lord Muruga repeatedly asked of us if we were ready to receive his initiation and if we had surrendered totally. To those who came with a confused state of mind and unsettled problems, he deferred the initiation to another time, saying it would do no good if given now.

Bala Aiya shared a story that he came across some time back which I had posted in this blog. The story illustrates the state of a surrendered heart.

Once upon a time, a cow went out to graze in the jungle. Suddenly, she noticed a tiger racing towards her. She turned and fled, fearing that at any moment the tiger would sink his claws into her. The cow desperately looked for some place to escape and at last saw a shallow pond. Barely evading the tiger’s reach, she jumped into the pond, and in the heat of the chase, the tiger blindly leaped after her. 

To the surprise of them both, the pond was extremely shallow yet filled with deep recesses of mud. After toppling over each other, the cow and the tiger found themselves a short distance apart, stuck in the mud up to their necks. Both had their heads above water but were unable to free themselves no matter how much they writhed. The tiger repeatedly snarled at the cow and roared, “I am going to enjoy the sound of crunching your bones between my teeth!” He thrashed about in a fury but soon became fretful as he found no prospect of escape. The cow thoughtfully laughed as the tiger struggled to free himself and asked him, "Do you have a master?”

The tiger disdainfully replied, “I am the king of the jungle. Why do you ask me if I have a master? I myself am the master!”

The cow said, "You may be the king of the jungle, but here all your power has failed to save your life.”

“And what about you?”, retorted the tiger. “You are going to die here in this mud too!”

The cow smiled mildly and said, “No, I am not.”

“If even I, the king of the jungle cannot free myself from this mud”, snapped the tiger, “Then how can you, an ordinary cow?”

The cow gently replied, “I cannot free myself from this mud, but my master can. When the sun sets and he finds me absent at home, he will come looking for me. Once he finds me, he will raise me up and escort me home sweet home.”

The tiger fell silent and coldly glared at the cow. Soon enough, the sun set, and the cow’s master arrived. He immediately recognized the plight she was in and lifted her to safety. As they walked home, the cow and the master both felt renewed gratitude for one another and pitied the tiger they both would have been happy to save if only the tiger had allowed them.

The Purport of the story:  The Cow represents a Surrendered Heart, the Tiger represents an Egoistic Mind, and the Master represents the Guru. The Mud represents the World, and the Chase represents the Struggle for Existence therein. No matter how many troubles appear to be created by the egoistic minds of the world, who are themselves as stuck as the surrendered heart, ..the surrendered heart has faith that the Guru is always going to come at the right time to save her and take her back “home” - the inner happiness in us is pure and true home. So when totally stuck and helpless, when one has already done all one can and has no more means left, when every other effort fails, the surrendered heart still does not give up hope. She will just wait patiently until sundown.

From Agathiyar Vanam that was a family home where he came as a bronze statue; to Jnanakottam where he stopped over on transit; Lord Muruga came to confer the name Agathiyar Tapovanam since he now resides and spends his time in tavam. 

It was revealed to us on the onset that if we had faced obstacles before it was because of our karma. But today we have come to understand that after coming to Agathiyar if you face obstacles it is Agathiyar's doing. Understand then that he is not in favour of your venture hence the obstacle.

If earlier we were put through regimes and had to place much effort in the tasks given, in the second phase we step aside for there is nothing for us to do except to offer and give ourselves to the divine and let him work his way and raise our consciousness to that of his. There is absolutely no effort on our part but just total surrender allowing the divine some space to work on our soul. 

You shall be surprised by seeing the results. What was seen with the external senses and its accompanying perception is altered and reversed when one goes within. For instance when Supramania Swami placed a gunny sack over a window, specifically and strategically placed in his kudil, opening out to the majestic Annamalai hill in Tiruvannamalai town, so that he could view the sacred hill lying from his bed, why did he then close the view I asked. He told me it was too fiery, burning strongly and brightly that he could not see it no more. When he said he saw Siddhas, Rishis, Munis and holy men moving around doing their chores atop the mountain, I turned my gaze towards the opening only to see a plain solid rock that stood as a hill. When Ramana came out of an opening in the same hill he asked his followers to close the opening. He saw a hollow hill that had a paradise within, green meadows and blue skies. When I trailed behind Tavayogi he hurried me on saying the Siddhas were waiting for our arrival, often all around us, showering flower petals on us, as he pointed to the sky. I only saw a blue sky and clouds.

Maybe someday we too shall see what Ramana, Supramania Swami, and Tavayogi saw.

THE PASSING OF ANOTHER GURU

Today I lost yet another guru. Dr. Krishnan, a medical astrologer, Siddha medicine practitioner, a friend and a guru to me. I have written much about him in this blog. I had known him since 1996, often consulting him on my horoscope and the families, and for herbal prescriptions. During my days of crazy search on any material, information, doctrine, method, practice, and technique that could bring me to know the Siddhas, I came to him and told him too, that I was asked to worship Agathiyar. He replied instantly that he would make me a yantra, a mystical or geometric diagram related to a divine being, an abstract symbol or form of it, with syllables, etched on a copper foil. As promised he gifted me the yantra having performed the relevant puja for a duration of time, before handing it over to me. It would summon the Siddhas to our homes he added. He told me he would pass the accompanying mantra of Agathiyar another day. I performed puja for it. He did pass me the mantra that came as an initiation to me through the phone, as I was conducting the fire sacrifice or Homa at my home, during Amavasai.

He was one of the rare Siddha practitioners who knew the art of solidifying mercury with herbs, making the Rasamani. I own one thanks to him. He never charged me or my family for the consultations, the many gifts of life he passed on be it herbs, yantras or mantras, or precious stones. Neither did he charge for the many appointments we have had with him regarding the horoscope or treatment, vending out the advice, treatment, and medicine without any consultation fee or charge or only taking a minimum token, if the need arised.

As the hearse pulled out of his home, it showered suddenly and mysteriously on an extremely hot afternoon. I took it as a sign that the Siddhas came to bless his soul and take him with them. Aum Agatheesaya Namaha.

https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2015/07/siddha-vaidyam.html

A RECAP - A BONUS POST

He told us our past. In it was the cause. He told us our present. In it was the reason to take birth. He told us our future. In it was our mission.

Then he showed us to our Father asking us to worship him and give thanks for giving us the human birth, a rare commodity, amongst all his creations.

He asked us to pay our respects and dues to our parentage, lineage of gurus and ancestors, the Siddhas, guardian angels, kula deivam, kaval deivam, and yellai deivam sending us off to worship them too.

He then opened our eyes and hearts to those around us who were less fortunate than us. He asked us to extend a helping hand to them. Rather than see them as a stepping stone to appease and rid our karma he made us lift their living standards to a bearable state from their former pathetic state.

Then finally he made us lift the souls in the lower animal, and plant kingdom too by feeding and caring for them and planting and watering them respectively.

In the final revelation, he shows us that all these moves he made us do constitute the five facets that are required of a human having taken birth.

The seeking over the many lives and births stopped the moment we came to Agathiyar. Today, "the actual and true journey" in the words of Tavayogi on the start of my journey in the Siddha path,  has come to an end with this revelation made by Agathiyar during the summit of the seers and sages at the Tamil Sangam where he revealed the purpose of birth and what man was to do. We have served our purpose well here. We have fulfilled the divine's mission for man well. We have made and left our mark here. We can leave in peace that we have accomplished what we came for.

SAYONARA

As Sowmiya from Chennai messages me now as I pen these words, that "The two posts regarding the duties of the soul really have big insights on the kind of life we have to live", Agathiyar has revealed the formula for living a fruitful life, one that conforms to the desire of the Divine too, to see us and all those we help and extend aid to, to rise up the evolutionary ladder. 

In his address at the summit of the seers and the sages at the Tamil Sangam Agathiyar took the stand and revealed the 5 facets of life that one born as a human should adopt to make headway and progress on this evolutionary journey that we have taken. 

He showed us these steps too and we have been doing that without question till now. 

I guess that there is nothing much to say or write or further to elaborate. The last two posts said it all. Hence I shall wind up here for now. 

For those not living according to the 5 facets as mentioned, please take some time to digest the last two post. For the others, let us continue these 5 tasks outlined for our spiritual growth. 

This blog has served its purpose well, I gather, from all the emails I received from its readers and the messages in the Whatsapp group. 

I thank you for being with me all these years. Bye for now. Sayonara.

THE REVELATION

Finally, life and its purpose has been revealed by Agathiyar through the blog postings at https://holysageagathiyar.com. I have posted excerpts of it in my last post, which is exactly as what Agathiyar and Lord Muruga told us and guided us accordingly too, through 5 facets of life. We are grateful to Vashisht Vaid for sharing Agathiyar's address to the assembly of seers and sages at the Tamil Sangam. 

To recount the revelation, the first and foremost task for us is to understand our purpose in taking this birth. With our purpose known then, we come to thank the divine creator or energy that brought forth our birth through consultation with the lunar forefathers and their angelic hierarchies that co-exist with us down here. With the constant showering of his blessings that come to us by way of living a purposeful, meaningful and fruitful life, the soul grows in strength gaining Atma Balam. Showing appreciation to the divine that gave us an opportunity to take birth again to sort out our lives, we then thank all the caretakers both seen and unseen, in the present and the past. With all their blessings and grace showered on us, there is an obligation on our part then to "dutifully aid and help, the ongoing evolution of all co-existing human beings." The final task is to extend this aid and help, towards "the ongoing evolution of all co-existing beings and entities, existing upon the lower levels of the evolutionary ladder, dutifully supporting the manifested matrix or prapanjam."

If our seeking stopped the moment we came to know Agathiyar, our journey has come to an end with this endorsement of the 5 facets to living a fruitful life as listed by Agathiyar at the summit of the Tamil Sangam, that was slowly instilled in us too right from the beginning when we came to know him. It gives us great joy and brings us great honor to be part of the divine's scheme in bringing the souls, back home. Knowing why we came and what to do from Agathiyar's address at the summit has helped us shed and drop the veil that covers our soul, (or otherwise commonly stated as the act of purifying the soul). With this clarity, we shall begin to intensify the 5 facets spoken of and make the accent and head back to his kingdom. It brings us joy, satisfaction, and peace at having being given the opportunity to live life as it was meant by the divine.

UNDERSTANDING LIFE & OUR PURPOSE

We have been singing the Lord's praise and always end the puja with songs stating our surrender to the Lord at ATM. But I guess we were not sincere for the Lord who knows all, saw through our heart and soul and threshed and bashed us for merely repeating this commitment, that we had surrendered to the divine - superficially. He came and asked us to commit ourselves to surrender to him. Then he went on to reveal what was in store for us, expressing again and again that we had to live through this birth and take in the experiences that will become learning and knowledge to us. Earlier Ma and Aiya said the same too. Vashisht Vaid in his blog https://holysageagathiyar.com/ too shares this revelation of Agathiyar, as seen in the last post.

The basic reason for all human incarnation’s in a nut shell, is to gradually attain maximum number of spiritual experiences, which all such gathered experiences then dutifully prove to be extremely beneficial, for the vital conscious expansion of their liberation desiring soul. The radiant heat of these spiritual experiences, also greatly expand the holding sack of causal body, making it possible for a quick release of the bound soul.

As Agathiyar addressed the assembly of seers & sages at the Tamil Sangam, so did he address us through various mediums to carry out in his words, "the vital performance of mandated righteous duties." We have been blessed to hear from him and Lord Muruga, either through the Nadi or through another, our purpose and mission and the guidelines to follow towards accomplishing the mission.

These five types of main works, which should be dutifully performed upon daily basis, by the evolving humanity during the given term period of their incarnated lives, of which ‘’no. 1 work’’ is to find out the very reason, for which they came over to exist in this human form life of ‘planet earth. An incarnated human being after finding and properly figuring out his reason to be in this physical world of planet earth, only then afterwards, should indulge in any type of work for his livelihood, which work should also greatly advance his reason to be in this physical world of planet earth.

We pretty well understand our purpose here now, fulfilling "no 1 work".

The ‘’no. 2 work’’ for a human being, is to devoutly meditate upon the one and only unknowable universal father lord, who apart from vitally creating his numbered soul, also gracefully provided him various quality attributes, to survive and righteously perform his various duties, toward the vital basis of the manifested matrix.

Indeed, the divine has asked us to go within to fulfill "no 2 work".

The ‘’no. 3 work’’ for a human being is to dutifully pay respects and obedience to this physical world dutiful caretaker’s, which all caretakers especially include

• their physical world parents and grandparents, who tirelessly raised them right from their incarnated birth with unselfish love, and

• also to the lunar forefather’s, whose angelic hierarchies gracefully created their vital bodies and physical forms in their mother’s womb,

• and also pay respect to all invisible angelic and demonic hierarchies, who as integral part of their prescribed duties upon this planet earth, also dutifully support  various types of life aspects, invisibly working among all incarnated human beings, upon this physical plane world of planet earth.

So it is an essential work for all human beings to also dutifully support the invisible co-existing angelic hierarchies, through the prescribed offerings of fire sacrifices. These fire sacrifice offerings [yajna] of various prescribed products, gracefully shared by oral and written down tradition’s, gracefully compiled by the inner mind wisdom’s of the great seers & sages. Since the very ancient times of planet earth, all of these offerings through the inherent fiery heat support of flaming frequencies, which all are a part and parcel of the material fire, vitally create changes in their embodying matter, and thus gradually release those elemental essences, from their embodying matter, to exist as the string type smoke appearance’s in the atmosphere of troposphere, which elemental essence’s vitally nourishes and thus willfully support the life cycles of all these co-existing invisible beings and entities, whose vital existence is also of utmost importance for their own human survival, so that they all can widely continue without undesirable mutation’s, in their this current form of human existence, upon this significant planet earth of our solar universe.

We are all householders and children who take care of our parents, carrying out our responsibilities without default. We have been guided towards performing homa, a smaller scale and version of a fire sacrifice in our homes and the Yagna in the temples, hence fulfilling "no 3 work".

The ‘’no. 4 work’’ for a human being is to dutifully aid and help, the ongoing evolution of all co-existing human beings upon this planet earth, as all human races widely living in their differentiated aspects of sub and branch races, upon various continents of this physical world bhu loka. The best way to dutifully perform this no. 4 work in this physical world, is to regularly and faithfully do charitable giving’s of at least 1/10th [thith] of their earned incomes, during the entire duration of their incarnated lives, making sure to give to only those religious institution’s, who daily feed the needing humanity, all day freely and with respectful love and care, and also vitally provide all other types of physical and spiritual assistance, which should include the free shelter, clothing’s, and health aid to all needy human’s.

Agathiyar had us engage in doing the above-mentioned charity too, fulfilling "no 4 work".

The ‘’no. 5 work’’ for a human being is to dutifully aid and help, the ongoing evolution of all co-existing beings and entities, who all vitally existing upon the lower levels of evolutionary ladder, also dutifully support the manifested matrix, and many of the lower kingdoms, vitally exist like the minerals having precious and semi precious crystals, who also having basic aspects of vitality, also gradually evolve by increasing in their sizes, in correspondence to the vital energies of celestial organs of time and space relationships, and many of whom get gracefully embodied in various types of ‘’jewelries’’ to be prestigiously borne as specific remedies by evolving human’s, and also various types of living herbs and plants of plant kingdom, especially the signature plants with magical and supernatural powers, get vitally planted gracefully in their house’s and in their surrounding garden’s, and various types of working and pet animal’s of the animal kingdom. Other visible kingdom’s, who all during their own ascending evolution’s upon this objectively manifested planet earth, finally get vitally qualified to have a human tutorship, so that they all by being in close contact with the human race, being a part and parcel of the manifested matrix, can also learn about his evolutionary mind’s tonal frequencies, which gets vitally depicted to them through the tonal frequencies of their language sounds, and also through their vitally performed mental and physical actions - reactions, so that they all can also get qualified to become a human being, in some distant future evolutionary cycle, with the graceful attribute of an individualized mind and a numbered soul. Through this ‘no. 5 work’ of incarnated human life, every incarnated human being of this planet earth, also unknowingly becomes a teacher of some or many members of the co-existing lower kingdom’s, who also being a part of the illusory matrix, thus also vitally becomes a vital part of his evolutionary life upon this planet earth. Such a training from an member of the highest species upon this physical world, thus greatly help the vital consciousness of all lower kingdom specie’s, upon this evolutionary planet earth of our solar universe, whose lower specie vital consciousness till then vitally exists in a non individualized manner, only as a very tiny part of their collective consciousness group container.

We have been respectful of nature and its beauty, working in tandem with us, in a win-win situation, while taking from it we give back to it too. Hence fulfilling the final "no 5 work" too.

These 5 main works of above mentioned group, which are supposed to be vitally performed by all human beings during their incarnated lives upon this planet earth, the ‘’no. 1 work’’ is of utmost importance, as without properly understanding the main reason for his human incarnation, an evolutionary human being cannot dutifully perform the other 4 main works.

When by properly understanding his reason of incarnation, an incarnated human being then vitally performs all these ‘’five works’’, then he gets a spiritual award of higher wisdom, which makes him vitally understand this basic fact, that in this flux matrix of physical world, a true love for any finite being or an material object, cannot help him in his true goal of higher conscious ascension’s, so his true love should only be vitally developed for the venerable grace of immortal controllers Lord Vasudeva Ishvara and Rudra Maheshvara, the two immortal lords of the two universal immortal worlds, widely known among all exalted conscious seers and sages as the highest universal worlds of Tapah loka and the Satyam loka.

Such an true understanding of true love gets vitally embedded and firmly rooted in the gradually evolving soul consciousness, through his very tiny investment of personality consciousness, in this nursery school of spiritual learning, which is also the most dense physical world, of the three worlds schools, vitally established for spiritual learning’s, in the segment of righteousness, then the evolutionary soul, after gracefully gaining the desired liberation, does not any more desire for salvation in the next great world of enlightening wisdom which solar plane world of higher wisdom vitally corresponds to the universal world of intuitive wisdom in our infinite universe, but instead want to quickly proceed further with an undiluted aim, and non failing attitude, first towards the next higher world of Brahma loka, which directly corresponds to the universal world of tree of life Brahma loka and then faithfully still proceed further towards the next higher solar world of radiant heat, which also directly corresponds to the universal immortal world of Vaikuntha loka, and if possible then to also gracefully attain the highest solar plane world of Satyam loka, which also directly corresponds to the universal immortal world of absolute truth, where he can gracefully receive all of the needed teachings, about the otherwise unknowable outfinite universe. 

Today we pretty well understand why all the saints regarded this human birth as rare and a privilege. It is through this physical body and the bodies that revolve around it that we can place the effort to "see God." It is through association with others that we can learn and serve humanity. It is through association with us that the mineral, plant and animal kingdom can rise and ascend the evolutionary ladder or cycle, towards higher conscious ascensions, as in Agathiyar's words : "By being in close contact with the human race, being a part and parcel of the manifested matrix, can also learn about his evolutionary mind’s tonal frequencies, which gets vitally depicted to them through the tonal frequencies of their language sounds, and also through their vitally performed mental and physical actions - reactions, so that they all can also get qualified to become a human being, in some distant future evolutionary cycle, with the graceful attribute of an individualized mind and a numbered soul". He tells us that while we are here to learn life's lessons, each and everyone is a teacher too in his own right and leaves his mark here when he leaves. We are both proud and blessed to have taken this human birth. We can never thank him enough.

Beautiful. Wonderful. Amazing. Agathiyar has answered so many questions that went through our minds. It is truly a wonder to see him respond to our thoughts, queries, questions, and discussions and answer promptly, clearing the air and our doubts and enriching us further. The Siddhas have clearly defined and chartered the path for us. One thing is clear to us, there is never an end to learning. Even at the feet of the Mauna Guru, Lord Dhakshanamurty, we shall be learning. Life is a process indeed.