AGATHEESA, MY LOVE

Would you believe if I told you Agathiyar came in our midst to address us during one of our PTS committee meetings just as he had addressed the Tamil Sangam back then? And he stayed for a good half an hour and eventually held hands asking us where would you find him holding hands with his devotees in quiet contemplation? After he left the assistant secretary cheekily asked me if we should add him to our attendance list in the minutes of the meeting?

There were the days and times when we used to sit in awe and amazement as Agathiyar's devotees talked about his miracles and how he came to them. Today we are witness to similar happenings each day. All this was possible because we listened to him. As Bala Chandran spoke in the opening address at our "Agathiyar Geetham" Audio CD launch some years back, if I had shut the door many would not have had the privilege to have the darshan of Agathiyar in his statue, I opened up my home to others to join in on the rituals and puja. Lord Muruga blessed us for this act of making my home his home. When I opened up my heart and my home to other devotees whom Agathiyar sent over, Lord Muruga, the Siddhas and all of the divinity began to move in too. When we at AVM, and later ATM opened our hearts to the cry and pain of the unfortunate poor and hungry souls, Agathiyar came within our souls bringing about compassion and love in us. Today he has asked us, some forcefully, to open our hearts in surrender to the divine. Only he knows what is in store for us after our surrender. 

All these were possible because he opened his heart to us, to let us in. When I came to the Siddha path in 2002 being invited by Agathiyar in my very first Nadi reading, I did not know anything about the Siddhas. But I took up the invitation. The Nadi Nool Aasan Sentilkumar who read my Kaanda Nadi gave me a book "Siddhar Potri Thoguppu", a compilation of names of Siddhas, published by Thaaiveedu Thangarasan MA. He asked me to read it for a start. Sivabalan who accommodated the Nadi Nool Aasan in his home sold me a painting of Agathiyar for RM11. That was the first picture of Agathiyar I worshiped. This picture is now being worshiped by my father-in-law at his home.

I wanted to find out more about the Siddhas and their worship. I recalled seeing individuals collecting donations and funds from pedestrians, shoppers, and passerby in prime areas in the city, to feed the hungry and poor. They used to distribute pamphlets and leaflets carrying the picture of Agathiyar. I too had donated towards their cause. So I found my way to their center in Dengkil. I learned that they solicited donations to send over to their parent body in India Ongarakudil where the hungry were fed. Similarly, they supported many poor families with groceries locally. Their emphasis was, of course, sourcing funds and channeling it to charity. But I wanted to learn about the worship of the Siddhas.

Then I made my way to another center in Batu Caves. Here I was told that they had moved from the worship of the Siddhas to worshipped the Jhoti and sang the songs of Ramalinga Adigal. But I wanted to learn about the worship of the Siddhas.

I made my way to a temple/ashram in Rembau learning that Agathiyar was worshipped there. I did not get to meet anyone who could tell me more as I wanted to learn about the worship of the Siddhas.

I wanted to know how to worship the Siddhas as Agathiyar told me to come to their worship and their path. Hence as these places did not carry out worship of the Siddhas, and they could not satisfy my hunger to learn worship to the Siddhas, I continued worshiping his painting and reciting the names from the booklet I received, on my own in my home. 

The following year when I went to carry out the remedies given in the Nadi in India, I dropped in on the parent body of its affiliate in Dengkil, the Agathiyar Sanmarga Sangam in Turaiyur. I met the man adored most by them - Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar. I spent considerable time with him alone except for the manager Thiru Nadarajan, my chauffeur Devendran and another aid-in-attendance of the guru. But sadly even as I was driven to meet him, as he was the initiator of the Siddha path in post-independent Malaysia, I came back disappointed and confused as to why he did not bless me when I asked him. Neither did he fill me with or talked about the Siddhas. The talk revolved around my trip, details of which he learned from asking my chauffeur. 

A couple of days later I landed at the doorstep of the man who would become my very first guru in the physical form - Supramania Swami. Today I understand why I did not get a blessing of Ongkarakudil Aasan. I was fated to become Supramania Swami's disciple - the only one he had.

Three years on I meet Tavayogi Thangarsasan Adigal who was in Malaysia to officiate an affiliate Peedham in Batu Caves. With his book the "Siddhar Potri Thoguppu" in my hand and a pamphlet of his that I received from Sentilkumar, I made my way to see him. Tavayogi was on the path of the Siddhas. When I told him that I was asked to come to the path he replied that I had come to the right place, telling me that I shall learn everything from the local affiliate, and initiated me and my wife later that evening. We took him as our guru too. Before he left for India, Agathiyar asks that I get initiated "again". I did as told, immediately after the Nadi reading. Tavayogi then took me directly under his fold.

Meanwhile, I frequented the bookshops picking up books that carried anything and everything about the Siddhas. Slowly I began to compile my own list of names of the Siddhas based on these books and included songs of praise to the Siddhas that I came across in these books. I recited them during my puja that would take some 2 hours, which included lighting the sacred fire or homa and bathing his statue, dressing him up and singing his praise. Many came over to join and learn to worship the Siddhas. I had filled the void that existed, the lack of literature and the ways to conduct rituals in the worship of the Siddhas, something that I had had been searching for too when I came to the path.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dp5hxfCGULlttFkbZo0j-5Et03tqqAw5/view?usp=sharing

When Supramania Swami passed away the following year in 2006, I looked up to Tavayogi to guide me. Tavayogi too has since passed away. I then looked towards Agathiyar solely and his Nadi to guide me. I stopped seeking other gurus and other establishments. When my seeking stopped, the divine seeked me out instead. When my seeking stopped, the divine set up home in my home and moved in with us.

Today after 17 years I still do not know the Siddhas. But I do know that they are with us. Just as Agathiyar says that Tirumular was with the Mughal Emperor Akbar and revived his son, Agathiyar and the Siddhas have shown their presence numerous times. I worshiped him as I did all these years, although since 2010 he has come to us in the form of a bronze statue. As water and air do not have forms but takes on a form according to the vessel it is stored in, Erai who has no form takes a form in this bronze statue. Soon he would take residence in this vessel that is a mortal physical body too.

But if someone was to ask me anything about Agathiyar or the Siddhas I am afraid I do not have anything much to say apart from what we have read in the tons of books on the Siddhas published to cash in on the sudden interest of people on the Siddhas. I do not know if he is male or female, fair skin or dark, short and stout or tall and thin, bald or otherwise, etc. Neither do I care. But I know him. He knows me. He is there in my times of need. That is enough. As Ramalinga Adigal sings, "He can be realized only by that divine experience stretching beyond even the supra-mental consciousness", it is through experience that he shows himself.

தனுகர ணாதிகள் தாங்கடந் தறியுமோர் அநுபவம் ஆகிய அருட்பெருஞ் ஜோதி

As Ramalinga Adigal reveals the Effulgence of the Jhoti, drawing each curtain aside, as depicted at his Satya Jnana Sabai, so do we need to traverse the path peeling each layer or veil or curtain till the Light is seen without any effort on our part.

There are seven curtains that conceal the light within. The first curtain is nothing but the veil which surrounds the individual. This is not only supposed to prevent him from having the inner awakening but it drives him into the materialistic worldly affairs. When this is removed by the opening of the door, there is found a blue curtain representing the veil that hides the very life itself. When this is also removed a green curtain is seen. This is made up of two parts, the inner golden green, and the outerdarkish green. All these three curtains are so strong that they are directing the human beings into the worldly affairs.

The inner four when lifted will lead one to divine experiences. The next inner curtain is red which hides 'the space of miracles'. The curtain behind this is of the golden hue. This conceals the space of reality. There is another inner white curtain hiding the space of the Lord Supreme. The innermost multi-coloured curtain is preventing the experience of the desired enjoyment.

By this descent of  Divinity,  the curtains veiling the greatness and  power of the spiritual light in the human individual gradually begin to fall. 

(Source: "An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ramalinga Swami" by Dr C. Srinivasan, Ilakkia Nilayam, Trichy, 1968)

Similarly, I would not know about my purpose in coming here if he did not tell me. Neither would I understand my experiences and the internal changes taking place within if he had not explained. He dictated to me what was to be my call of duty henceforth, often calling me over to have his Aasi Nadi read. He has kept me and my family well. He has come to the aid of us many times. He did not expect anything from us except our love and devotion and surrender to him. To surrender to him is to not worry about anything else anymore. 

But I find it difficult to believe that the divine has come down within our reach as I know pretty well that I do not deserve even an inch of his grace. Carrying so many "malams" or dirt in me, yet he came to me. Filling my thoughts with all kinds of rubbish yet he stood in my thoughts firmly. Speaking ill of others yet he stood and watched over me. Today I understand that he only cares for our souls, not our behavior, habit nor characteristics. He only saw our souls. He has come to work on our souls eradicating the three malams, karmam, anavam, and maya. For that to happen, we need to let him in.

சபை எனதுளமெனத் தானமர்ந் தெனக்கே அபய மளித்ததோர் அருட்பெருஞ் ஜோதி

Dr C. Srinivasan retraces Ramalinga Adigal's footsteps.

He says that he has tasted the bliss of all the sixteen stages contemplated by the Vedas, by the permutation and combination of the four paths, such as Devotion  (Sariyai), Action (Kriyai), Meditation (Yogam), and Wisdom (Jnanam), one after another and attained higher and truer perfection with the aid of the Supreme Grace, besides the ultimate goal of all the six heavenly avenues including Vedantham and Siddhantham, leading to Divinity. He has further given an exposition of his admittance into Sanmargam by the bounteous and boundless descent of the auspicious Supreme Being in him which has resulted in his immortality.

சரியை நிலை நான்கும்
ஒரு கிரியை நிலை நான்கும்
தனி யோக நிலை நான்கும்
தனித்தனி கண்டறிந்தேன்
உரிய சிவ ஞான நிலை நான்கும்
அருள் ஒளியால் ஒன்றொன்றா அறிந்தேன்
மேல் உண்மை நிலை பெற்றேன்
அரிய சிவ சித்தாந்த வேதாந்த முதலாம்
ஆறந்த நிலை அறிந்தேன்
அப்பால் நின் றோங்கும்
பெரிய சிவ அனுபவத்தால் சமரச சன்மார்க்கம்
பெற்றேன் இங் கிறவாமை உற்றேன் காண் தோழி.

Similarly, Agathiyar showed us Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam and today we stand to wait to receive his Jnana, having brought us to Sanmargam. As Dr. C. Srinivasan says of Ramalinga Adigal, "He has pointed out that it is a progressive evolution of the speck of light manifested in the human-being into the greatest light-the Supreme Grace Light", so has Agathiyar brought us into the presence of the divine light. As Ramalinga Adigal desired to "develop the greatest fire from the smallest spark of a flame", we had fed the fire in the stomach with fuel from the food we have been taking for years, with following austerities, the heat generated, Tava Kanal, has cleared the path for the dragon or serpent that remained coiled up and asleep in its den, to rise and make its way easily to the trove of his master where it spits out its venom now turn to ambrosia for the soul and body to feed on. The soul burns brightly and the body shines in luminosity, fueled by this ambrosia. Ramalinga sings on this state, "The supremely sweet Lord dancing in the arena of pure knowledge and wisdom is in me in a state of blissful ambrosia". What else can we ask for?

Just as Dr. C. Srinivasan wrote of Ramalinga Adigal's journey of personal experience and "how he was picked up by God, how he was tried, how he stood the test, how the Light of Grace was infused in him and finally how he became blazed with the Supreme Grace  Light", we too have been picked up by Agathiyar, tried and tested, his grace light infused in us so that we too shall one day stay ablaze in the Supreme Light.

Dr. C. Srinivasan writes that "To understand that the human soul is several million times radiant as the sun and that it has been veiled for generations together, is by itself enlightenment in this theory of light or ஒளிநெறி"

Ramalinga expounds that only God would know what he experienced, "சந்நிதியிற் சென்று நான் பெற்ற பேறது சாமி யறிவாரடி."

How can we keep these experiences within and not share it with others? When many chose to not reveal God's grace working in and through them, Ramalinga beats the drums and blows the horn at his achievement and God's grace in his songs.

"The Swami proclaims in ecstatic delight," writes Dr. C. Srinivasan, "Blaze with the drum that I have become one with the Supreme Blaze of Grace; Blaze that I have acquired the kingdom of Grace Supreme".

அருட்சோதி ஆனேன் என்று அறையப்பா முரசு
அருளாட்சி பெற்றேன் என்று அறையப்பா முரசு
மருட்சார்பு தீர்ந்தேன் என்று அறையப்பா முரசு
மரணந்த விர்ந்தேன் என்று அறையப்பா முரசு.

Just as the battle cry and eventual victory cry is let out amongst the beat of the drums and the blow of the horns upon the conquest of a domain we too eagerly await that day when we can proudly blow the horns and beat the drum at having fought the neverending war of taking birth and rebirth. Would not this amount to boasting about one's feat or achievement or blowing up one's ego? One might think that Ramalinga Adigal was full of egoism or boasting by revealing, shouting and crying out to the world his achievements. But how else is he supposed to bring everyone to his fold, to his Sanmargam if he is to keep all the blessings and gifts that Erai had showered on him under wraps? Many before him have kept many things a secret and out of bounds to new seekers and adepts. We would have to go through austerities and hardship to even come close to knowing God. Losing interest after some years, these seekers then move away seeking greener pastures or seeking those who would offer immediate access to God's kingdom. Many tell us that it is all possible but never shed a clue on how it is to be achieved. Many tell us that it's all there in our sacred texts and scriptures but leave it at that. Some say its all there, go look it up. These were the frustrations I went through too during my years of reading and seeking before there came a 14-year gap, a period of hibernation and before I came to the Siddha path. Coming to the Siddhas, they took me by the hand and revealed all that I needed to know, not by discourses but through gaining experiences. The only pre-condition laid to us by Tavayogi was that our apprenticeship would take some 12 long years. This was to test and see how many a patient enough to wait. 

Following the Siddhas, Ramalinga Adigal revealed and shared his experiences with whoever was willing to listen. He broke the silence. He revealed everything he knew and had experienced, but yet very few came, many we disinterested in his achievements. Several others challenged him and opposed his teachings that were solely based on his experiences. How can another shoot down someone's experience? B. Kamalakkannan writes in his "Footsteps of Saint Ramalingam", Vanathi Pathippakam, 2014, the sadness Ramalinga Adigal went through in his last years finally giving up on the society around him. I strongly believe he came too early for his time. If he had come now we would all have benefited directly. But fear not if what is mentioned by Kamalakkannan is true Ramalingam will make a comeback in 2024.

Ramalinga Adigal had to face so many enemies while bringing the word of the good Lord to his people. The Saivites who seemed agitated and feared the popularity of Ramalinga Adigal declared war against him using and hiding behind Arumuga Navalar of Ceylon instigated him to protest against the Arutpa, the divine songs or revelation by Ramalinga Adigal that was gaining a popular hold among the Tamils, and that was frequently sang in the temples, uprooting and unsaddling the position of Othuvar's and their Thevaram that was the norm earlier. Arumuga Navalar tried to defame Ramalinga Adigal through his writings. Another opponent Kadiraivel Pillai, continued the attacked even after Adigal's disappearance. Kamalakkannan writes that sadly none of Adigal's followers came to his defense. Thozhuvur Velayudham Mudaliar is said to have had the green eye for Kalpatu Aiya seen as a favourite of Adigal having given him many responsibilities. His miseries did not end there. Having moved to Vadalur from Chennai he had to face some who were instigated to defame him. As the attack from the Saivites continued, some brought the dead bodies and carcasses and placed it in his presence, challenging him to bring the dead back to life. Some lodged complains that Adigal had hoarded gold bars. Some set fire to sheds during the inauguration of the Satya Gnana Sabai. Adigal sings that he was poisoned too. The village headman of Methukuppam invited Adigal to camp in his village to prevent further harassment and danger to the life of Adigal.

Many saints of the past had been put through the death row only to be saved by the divine at the eleventh hour bringing fame to them. So indeed there was good that came out of all the troubles they faced, and eventually, we were made to understand that it is all God's Lila or play. It is a test for both the true disciple and genuine gurus. 

Agathiyar has come to share his grievances with us. He tells us his devotees are caught in the illusion and the entrapment of Maya. If Ramalinga Adigal calls it MaMayai, Manikavasagar describes Maya has having 60,000,000 (sixty million) powers or forms or manifestations. When he is dishing out miracles and cures here, right before their eyes, many are looking elsewhere. Many are looking out to others and their venues in amazement not realizing that all that they seek is already within their grasp too in their own hearts and homes. When he is here to grant all their desires many are seeking elsewhere for instant rewards and gifts, recognition and fame, riches and wealth. When he is here to heal and alleviate pain and suffering, many seek elsewhere spending their life savings. Agathiyar has told us to walk tall, never submit to anything or anyone, except to love. He does not want us to beg for alms, treasures or gifts. What is it that others can gift us, that Agathiyar cannot, I ask myself? Agathiyar will have your interest in mind when he gifts you with something, scanning through your past to see if you deserve it and only give it to you if he is pretty sure that it does not harm you. He monitors our progress so that we are safely brought out from the dangers of the practices or brought out of the entanglement that pursues the rewards and gifts. Others might give you quick and immediate relief and flee, leaving you to fend for yourself or manage the energy as a result of the initiation or rising of the power, without a master's further guidance.

How long are we going to look towards another to uplift us spiritually? Would it rather not be wise and proper and logical to seek the one that can remove all veils and grant the Light rather than depend on agents? He wants each man to take responsibility for his life and seek the divine and bring it within his heart and home. There is no easy way or another option. One has to begin to start worshiping the Siddhas. One has to communicate with Erai directly. Then he comes at the least expected moments and in the least expected ways.

I was not a writer. But he made me write and today I know pretty well that these are not my writings. He points me to the necessary references too. I am not talented to write nor trained to write, but it is happening due to his grace, kindness, and compassion. After I publish each post I go to him in amazement and thank him for the subject, content, phrases, and power of his vocabulary. I am amazed too at his writings that I read it again and again for its knowledge and learning for me too. What can I say, but remain mute seeing him play chess or Lila using us as chess pieces?

தன்னுரு என்னுறு தன்னுரை என்னுரை என்ன இயற்றிய என்தனித் தந்தையே 

GOING BEYOND LOGIC

I have lived the first cycle of the 60 years of my life living for me and fulfilling my likes and desires. Now as I have stepped into the 2nd cycle I consider this as a new birth which means I am 22 days old now. I have become a child. I shall live this life for Agathiyar carrying out his desires. Each day is a bonus. As I look back on the first cycle and ask myself what did I achieve by following my heart's desires, I realize I gained only self-satisfaction. The indicator is the objects I owned. But the moment I took on his work I realize that I gained soul satisfaction. The indicator here is the many moments of bliss that I derived.

When Sanjiv and Monica went over to the Kallar Ashram to spend some time recently on their anniversary, a peacock came over to him. He thought if it might be Lord Muruga himself but brushed off the thought telling himself he was not fit to receive the darshan of the Lord even when he takes the form of his vehicle. Later there was a Nadi reading and Agathiyar addressed him. He startled Sanjiv asking him, "You are quick to accept miracles happen to others but why is it difficult to digest them when it happens to you?" Agathiyar also said that Lord Muruga came twice and blessed them both.

Sanjiv wrote, 

"Infact that trip was a blessing...so many things happened....let me share another incidence ... Mona, myself and dr. Ramasubramaniam drove down to marudhamalai on kartik poornima day..when there is quite a rush at the temple....while going we were greeted by a six feet or so long snake...when dr told me ..pambattisiddhar cave is here... u r lucky. Quite a que we cd see but we kept moving till we reached the entrance and took tickets....while moving for darshan idk what happened but only the three of us were there standing infront of lord muruga in his swaran avtaar...and we kept standing there for a few good minutes watching in awe till we realised no one was behind us . After we completed our darshan the que came in....all of looked at each other and smiled.He has his ways....doesn't he?"

I would not blame him for when it is too good to believe, we begin to doubt its existence. I doubted many things that took place as logic and common sense dictate our everyday thinking. What the Siddhas do is beyond the comprehension of our logical mind. We hesitate to believe it. We need a lot of convincing from them to really, really believe that all these are happening. But Agathiyar and Lord Muruga, Ma, Aiya, and the Siddhas all come to tell us that it is for real.

But we cannot possibly share it on a public forum. Hence many secrets lie in the darkest corner deep within the heart of the devotees or buried in the deep recesses of the mind, never to see the light for fear of being ridiculed. We have seen how the saints of the past have been pounced on, attacked physically, abused verbally, tortured, placed on stakes and fire pits or attempts made to drown them by many quarters just because their opinions differ or they are unable to accept what another sees or senses or realizes. The divine in these instances creates a scenario where trouble brews for the saint only for the sole purpose of exposing and bringing the saint to the limelight and public attention, bringing them to acknowledge his state - that of a saint and to honor him. Many saints have been put through these trials and tribulations by the divine so that they would shine just like the diamond that is cut and polished to maximize its natural brilliance. Hence the reason Tavayogi immediately hushes us the moment a miracle takes place. Tavayogi was never an attention seeker. 

Let us explore some of these trying moments the saints went through in saving their insanity from the assault of those who chose not to believe.

The saints were given the gifts of performing miracles but they did not exhibit them openly as a magic show or to impress others, rather they regarded themselves only as conduits to appeal and harness the divine energies to bring about miracles if totally necessary as in saving lives. The divine comes within the master or the devotee, as a conduit, to work its miracles too.

Agathiyar speaking about transmigration of the soul in the Jeeva Nadi of the late famed Nadi reader from Chennai says of the Siddhas and their ability to do so where the soul transmigrates into another body leaving the previous.

ஒரு உயிர் விட்டு ஒரு உயிர் பாய்வது என்பது கூடு விட்டு கூடு பாய்கின்ற நேரம். அதை போகப்பெருமான் மிக அற்புதமாக செய்வான். திருமூலரும் செய்வார், இன்னும் கோரக்கர் கூட ஒருமுறை செய்திருப்பதாக கேள்வி.

Bhogar and Tirumular were adepts in this Siddhu or Siddhi while Korakkar (who accompanied Bhogar throughout his stay in China) is said to have done it too.

B. Kamalakkannan in describing the life of Bhogar in his "Siddhar Uruvil Sivaperuman", Vanathi Pathippakam, 2007 writes,

Kalangi who performed austerities at Siddhagiri in Saturagiri, continued his tapas in mainland China. As after preaching to the Chinese, he chose to go into samadhi, he sent the word out to his student who at that period of time was observing austerities with Korakkar in Palani, to return to take over his post at his Peedham. Both his student and Korakkar left for China. Following the dictates of his master Kalangi, the student hid his physical body in a cave and had some students stand guard over it while he transmigrated his soul into the body of the Chinese scholar Po-Yang. Hence he came to be known by the name Bhogar. He began to sign off as Bhogar in all his writings too.

Bhogar began preaching in place of his guru at the Peedham. Then he shed the form of Po-Yang in samadhi and entered his original body and lived for some time. Again following the dictates of his guru he moved into the body of Lao Tzu and continued his preaching. He is said to have originated the symbol yin and yang. He spoke about Kundalini to the Chinese and depicted it as a dragon. Taoism then came to be defined. He dropped that body that he had hitched on and returned to his original body. He did the same feat of transmigration in further few bodies and is said to have lived some 500 years.

Agathiyar conveys the message to me through an Aasi Nadi reading for Suren when he was in India some years back, that he (Agathiyar) and Tirumular came to raise the blood count when my daughter was admitted for dengue.

From Velayutham Karthikeyan Aiya's posting in his blog Siththan Arul at http://siththanarul.blogspot.com we understand that the Siddhas are forever willing to guide man back to Erai's abode. That was the wish they put forward to Erai out of compassion towards humanity. Karthiyen Aiya’s blog entry brings us back to time immemorial where the Siddhas, being compassionate and kind, put forward to the Almighty, who they prefer to call Erai, their wish to guide and save humanity. The Siddhas had wished that whoever seeks them out for solutions to their problems and surrenders to them, he shall be pardoned for his past deeds, however bad and evil they may be. The Siddhas asked that man shall not be put through the trial and tribulations and made to face the consequences of his actions but instead will be saved. Although Erai granted the Siddhas their wishes, Agathiyar tells us elsewhere that the Siddhas themselves have to knock many times on Erai's door, for the divine to change what has been written.

Simply said coming to the worship of Siddhas helps to break the chain of karma. The Gnana Thiravukol or key is provided by the Siddhas. After the audience with Erai, the next instant the Siddhas wrote down; the reasons for each individual’s sufferings; listed out solutions and remedies; wrote down ways and means to overcome or end the seeker's problems, sins, diseases, illnesses, and sufferings. They wrote them in Tamil prose on dried palm leaves. These writings came to be known as the Nadi. Hence the Nadi came to be written for every individual.

Velayutham Karthikeyan Aiya says,

“The Siddhas are those who knew the past, present and the future. They were gnosis. The Siddhas were similar to a company’s secretary. The Siddhas were God’s messengers. The Nadi has been written by Siddhas for us to know about our past, the present and the future. Many have corrected their lifestyle after listening to the explanations, heeding the instructions and carrying out atonement. Many more had regained their health and peace of mind. When those who had prayed to God and had yet to receive God’s blessings, approached the Siddhas instead, they immediately received God’s blessings.”

Though the Siddhas are waiting to help mankind, Karthikeyan Aiya adds that one has to seek out the Siddhas to solve his problems.

GAINING SOUL POWER

Coming to the Kaanda Nadi and Agathiyar, first, he reveals who we are, who we were and where we are headed. Then he speaks about the past karma that we did which necessitated another birth - this birth - after taking numerous other births earlier. He then predicts what is in store for us in the future and the many possibilities available. He does not influence us nor compel us. The choice and the options are given for us to choose either to listen and follow accordingly or to turn a deaf ear and carry on with our lives. Nevertheless, he shall list a whole lot of remedies or parikaram to be executed in good time to see some positive changes if we desire. If we chose to follow diligently every command of his he comes again and again through the Aasi Nadi to guide us further. He comes to shelter us from the storm and rain. If we choose otherwise we are left to battle our foes and fight the war all alone.

He shall recommend several measures in the form of performing remedies to soften the effect of our past karma on us. He helps us shift our karma. He helps us dissolve them. He helps us thin it. He wipes it completely for some. For some, he would suggest rituals like personally lighting or conducting the sacrificial fire or Yagna or Homa. For others, he would ask them to sit in and participate in his puja conducted elsewhere. For others, he shall ask that they conduct specific pujas that of course would need them to engage the temple priests. Many will be sent on a pilgrimage of temples to pray and ask that they are pardoned and get the blessings of the specific deities. Many more will be asked to cook and feed the hungry. All these measures that he stipulates out of love and compassion for us are for our good and to uplift us from the pains of life, a result of bad karma or insufficient merits and good karma.

If money is used to settle our material depts, virtue settles karmic debts says Dr. Zhi Gang Sha in his book "The Power of Soul", Atria Paperback, NY, 2009. Hence the reason all saints, masters, and great men harp on building good virtues. Tiruvalluvar, Avvai and their sacred texts that have come to us over time ask us to uphold great virtues and to be exemplary models to others.

Tiruvalluvar gave us the "Tirukkural" reminding us to be righteous; be kind in speech; be grateful; maintain self-control; do not desire another man’s wife; be forgiving; do not envy; do not covet; do not slander; perform charity; be truthful; abstain from anger; and be courteous.

Avvai gave us the "Avvai Paadal", "Aatthi Chudi" and "Kondrai Venthan". Avvai in "Aatthi Chudi" has 109 advises for us, amongst them: do good; control anger; do not hinder aid to others; feed the hungry; help the needy; keep reading; do not be jealous of other’s achievement; help your relatives and friends grow with you; look after your parents; do not forget those who have come to your aid; do not secure what does not belong to you; do not venture into things that are degrading by nature; abstain from using harsh language; refrain from thinking degrading thoughts; do not harm others; give your best in every venture that you undertake; lead an honest life; respect others. Similarly Avvai in "Konrai Venthan", has 91 advises for us. Through her "Avvai Paadal", "Muthural", she has 30 advices and another 40 in "Nalvazhi."

Pathanjali gave us the "Yoga Sutras". Pathanjali lays out eight stages: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. They start with the very basic – characteristics of a good person. They speak about good morals and attributes.

Agathiyar through his Agasthiyar Gnanam spells out the attributes that one should seek and become. Svatmarama gave us the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika".

The virtues that we bring live too are registered in the Akashic records and the Soul says the Dr. Gaining virtues will help pay our spiritual debts in our Akashic book little by little he says. The dark records will then be erased too little by little. The lessons that are supposed to come to us and we are to receive in the form of sickness, broken relationships, financial challenges, and all other blockages, says the Dr, are canceled when we start to build and strengthen our vault of virtues.

Again the Dr reiterates that the only tool to escape from the hold of karma is to offer unconditional universal service. Let us not allow others to hijack our plans to achieve oneness with divinity. Let us not allow our weaknesses to take control of our mind, body, and soul. Let us instead work on gaining virtues and merits to offset our karma. 

For those of us who have completed these remedies and taken the stand that we would not accumulate fresh and new karma through our deeds and look towards Agathiyar for further guidance, Agathiyar now sets us on doing charity and feeding the hungry, this time not to save ourselves from the effects of their past karma, but to help eradicate the karma of the receivers. Those whom we feed will tend to win their war against the ill-effects of their bad karma through assistance from us and through the food that we serve them. We become the tools of the divine to answer their prayers.

Hence the act of feeding others has a twin purpose in that it cuts through karma for the giver and the receiver alike. While the giver, besides shedding his karma, gains merits and plus points, the receiver sees his hunger, illness, and sufferings go away. With compassion on the part of the giver to do more the life of the receiver changes for the better. The giver begets satisfaction at having done something purposeful.

Then we are told that doing charity and dharma will ensure success in our austerities or spiritual practices tavam and tapas. The benefits acquired through the years of tavam can be accomplished easily through doing charity. For some, they need not engage in subjecting themselves to tedious and long hours of strict regimes. They only need to opt to do charity and they shall gain the same results expected from the former. Some are asked to cook and serve people while others are asked to serve the master or guru that is said to be sufficient. As the Gods are pleased by this divine act of charity hence there is a need to be focused on one path that of charity. Following the path of Dharma and taking it as a tool, tavam is assured says Lord Muruga. Dharma can be equated to Tavam. Karma is shattered using Dharma as a tool. Just as karma is worked out by traveling to places of worship perched on hilltops, and in places least accessible, having to endure long walks and climbs, similarly participating in the preparation, cooking, packing and distributing food to the hungry helps shed our karma too. The essence and benefits derived from doing these acts of charity and dharma enter the body subtly. The soul of the one receiving the food rejoices and the soul of the one giving food attains an equal state as well. Siva then comes within to execute the work. With the blessings of the receiver and the essence of the act on the part of the giver, the soul of the giver grows and expands in magnitude.

The Dr summarizes our journey here saying that the physical journey is to serve the soul journey. The soul needs to grow and expand or gain soul strength or Atma Balam. It grows proportionate to the extent of charity and service done. The more you serve, the higher the soul standing exerts the Dr. The higher the soul standing, the more soul power you receive to serve. When the soul begins to grow compassion or daio arises. With it, Sivam comes within. With the coming of Sivam within one cheats death or Kaalan. Furthermore, we are told that the state of mukti comes easy for those engaged in charity.

FULFILLING A TENET

The Siddha path is all about learning Ma told us once. True to her words we have come to realize that it is a great institution of learning.

When we were initiated to do charity by Agathiyar, we targeted the children and old folks homes for our ease and convenience in giving out aid. We gave them cooked food and served them and handed out groceries. Then we began to realize that not all were orphans or elderly deserted by their children. Some children were picked up by their parents while some elderly left to visit their children, coming back again to stay at these homes.

Then we were shown dire poverty, on the streets as Sri Krishna and Sri Dewiy of Agathiyar Universal Mission (AUM) took us to the spots in the city where they provided pre-packed cooked food to the hungry. Taking the cue from them, we at Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM), began street feeding and occasionally held medical camps on the streets and in these homes. But slowly we realized that too many NGO's we focused on helping the homeless by giving them food and conducting similar medical camps.

In https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/05/26/seniors-livingoff-the-streets we read that,

“Few are truly homeless. Most of them have children with homes. Some of them visit their children’s home during the day and return to the streets in the evening,” Phee said. He said that in the past, during integrated operations with the police, welfare workers rounded up vagrants and those with children were persuaded to contact them.

“We counselled their children and they went home together. But a few days later, the old folks were back on the streets. They get bored in their children’s apartments. Out on the streets, they have their friends. They sell recyclable goods and earn enough to buy food,” he said.

Phee said many of them revealed that they grew up in the heritage enclave, usually in homes they had rented for decades. After their children moved out and landlords took back the property, they did not want to leave their familiar surroundings. As for the truly destitute, Phee said welfare workers would constantly try to persuade them to be placed in old folks homes. However, they refused. “They are terrified of old folks homes, no matter how we describe the happy living conditions there,” he added.

A senior citizen, who declined to be named, said he could earn between RM200 and RM300 a month from selling what he picked up from the bins.

In our rounds feeding those on the streets, we never failed to see a senior citizen engaged with another playing a board game under a flyover while his grandson ran around the streets. One day I asked the kid if he was schooling? He replied "No," and that his parents could not afford it. I was surprised as only a minimum token is collected as school fees in Government schools and it was compulsory to send children to schools. He told me his routine each day was to leave his home at Gombak, some 13 kilometers away. He would follow his Grandpa into the city once his parents went to work. They would have free breakfast at the Pit Stop Community Cafe, a Soup Kitchen (https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/291333/pit-stop-community-cafe-serves-comfort-food-kls-elderly-homeless-and-poor) stationed in a shop lot, that dishes out free food to anyone hungry and head for this safe and comfy spot that has concrete benches laid out under the shade of the flyover. His Grandpa would play the board game whole day long and leave for home before the kid's parents return from work. Meanwhile, their lunch is taken care of with other mobile soup kitchens providing food or in the event they do not turn up, the grandpa-grandson duo head back to Pit Stop to have a meal before heading back home.

Once as we had given out the buns and packet drinks to the folks on the streets we waited to observe how the established mobile soup kitchens ran their affair. As the tables were set out for the medical camp, another sector of the volunteers prepared to serve food from their food truck. As this organization named Pertiwi (https://pertiwi.org.my/) was a regular face on the streets, the homeless began to queue up for food, having been disciplined by their sponsors. As I stood watching a man addressed me from behind. Turning around he engaged in a conversation with me. He told me his story. Three generations have been living off the streets and return to it for the night slumber. He worked collecting waste food from several restaurants and dumped it elsewhere. He would earn RM70 a day that bought him a couple of bottles of cheap liquor. He would receive food delivered regularly for four days in a week, by this and another 2 established NGO's.  He seemed extremely happy living this life.  

During the month of Ramadhan as many Muslim organizations and individuals begin to do charity, we saw food stocked in access by the recipients and go to waste, dumped in the rubbish bins, while there were groups who left whole pile of food on the walkway for people to take.  

Seeing the abundance of food given away by charitable organizations and charitable individuals to those living off the streets and on the streets, we moved to provide the food to the poor in their very homes. When the estates that brought a livelihood were taken over and sold to developers, these people found themselves evicted from their estate homes to longhouses as a transit point while waiting for the promised homes to be built or left to fend for themselves entirely. Some new homes materialized while many did not. 

One such scheme is the PPR Kampong Muhibbah homes that we have begun to serve its tenants with pre-packed food now. Apart from having to source the income to save to buy these units or rent them, the tenants had the utility bills to worry about, besides having to bring food to their dining table. Many are single mothers and grannies who had to care for their children and grandchildren and attend work too.  

Picking them at random we began distributing cooked food and groceries. Seeing their plight we continued giving those who we figured deserved while stopping aid to others who we saw were slightly better off. Agathiyar who brought us to serve others told us to get started and find out along the way, from experience, if we needed to continue aiding others rather than think and contemplate about helping them. He told us that our experience will help us identify who deserves the aid and who does not. He continued that if we were to think too much at the onset of any service orientated program we will never get off the ground in bringing aid to others. 

And so following his guidance we have come to identify many who needed a helping hand. At the same time, we dropped aid to those who we figured was slightly better than the others or well off. Today we help many hardcore poor families in PPR, besides feeding and giving them groceries, we try to uplift their standard of living and bring them self dignity, hope, healing, and our prayers. 

We have begun to see the results. Last evening while on our rounds to deliver the food, a single mother told us that since the day we started giving them food all their sickness has gone. She and two of her children were earlier prone to fits. The mother-daughter in another household thanked us mentioning that they were alive today only because of our contributions. Another grandma and her daughter are forever grateful for providing food supplements and milk to their granddaughter and daughter respectively, that has given her strength to stand, walk and now run. 

Food is made available more regularly and distributed to these families, at times as many as 14, after Sri Krishna and Sri Dewiy took on the task of sourcing excess food from the host of marriage events and family and private functions. Whenever there was excess, the host would notify them, and their dedicated Food Rangers or they themselves would head for the venue, pack and bring them over to be repacked into smaller quantities for individual distribution, topping up the menu if necessary, or sending them in bulk to large families.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=643364452819489
http://www.astroulagam.com.my/news/article/112304/food-going-to-waste-call-the-food-rangers
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-i-came-to-agathiyar.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-ideal-couple-ideal-devotee.html

Although we do not hand out cash aids or engage in long term commitments like rental or paying utility bills, the money saved from having to buy food and groceries is used by the tenants to settle their bills and debts. Serving these homes we see results and we have come to see a change in their lives something that we could not possibly monitor when we fed the homeless and those living off the streets.

Besides Sri Krishna and his wife, we have Bala Chandran and his family, Rajah and his family, Mahindran and his wife, Malar, Shahalini, Dyalen, Suren and a host of others from what was originally Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) that took on the name Agathiyar Tapovanam Malaysia (ATM) given by Lord Muruga, and renamed as Agathiyar Kudumban (AK) recently, spending their private time in the service of others. Members from abroad: the Kugan-Koggie family from South Africa; Sanjiv-Monica family, Sandeep-Rakhi family, Raakesh-SriVidya family and several others from India, all have contributed towards helping the unfortunate in their own places of residence. Master Arunan from our AK family, an exponent of the art of Varma healing is aiding a 20-year-old boy who has been crippled since birth to at least help him stand and use crutches to walk.

Seeing the smile on the faces of the poor, hungry and unfortunate brings contentment and joy in us, although we would very much like to rid off all of their troubles. If only we had a magic wand. Speaking of a magic wand, a university colleague of my daughter showed us the Pranic Healing wand and told us she was healing herself and others after seeking to be cured of her medical problem with the Pranic Violet Healers.

We are proud that we have taken up the call of Agathiyar to fulfill one of the five tenets that he revealed for the purpose of taking human birth at the Tamil Sangam. These days I have come to believe that the reason he has given us a perfect body and limbs and good health is to help another. As we march on, under his shadow and protection, we believe he shall bring us to do more for mankind. 

https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/12/feeding-over-ages.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2019/08/selfless-service.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/07/annadhanam_23.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/09/annadhanam-2.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/11/prayers-at-bangsar-eco-city-temple.html

https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/08/thondu-seivom-part-3-multifaceted.html

https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/01/devotees-of-agathiyar.html

https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/09/mentors-role-models.html

https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/09/bringing-ideas-into-action.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2017/09/annadhanam-in-south-africa.html
https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-congregation-of-beautiful-atmas-at_35.html

SOUL TALK 4

Agathiyar, Aiya, and Ma have told us that we are here to learn lessons and gain their blessings. Ma told us that the path of the Siddhas is one of learning. She said my learning will be wisdom or jnana for another. Then Agathiyar says that with the lessons learned from the experiences that he gives, we will attain wisdom or jnana that shall answer all our doubts and questions. Hence he asked us to stop questioning. Dr. Zhi Gang Sha's writings in his book "The Power of Soul", Atria Paperback, NY, 2009, attests to all that was told to us.

Reading Dr. Zhi Gang Sha's book brought me enlightenment and understanding of what is currently taking place in our circle too. All the ancient texts tell us that we keep taking birth over and over again, coming back for some sort of experience. Life is all about gaining and having and living out experiences says the Dr. too.

In one life you may learn many lessons and you will gain some wisdom from them. In hundreds of lifetimes, you will learn many lessons but you will gain much more wisdom. Your soul will gain more and more intelligence. A soul has intelligence in all its lifetimes. A soul has wisdom and knowledge in all its lifetimes. Your soul is the greatest resource for your intelligence. To realize this is the first step. To receive soul intelligence, wisdom and knowledge to transform your life is the second step. To develop your soul intelligence, wisdom and knowledge further is the third step."

The Dr reveals that the soul gains blessings when it provides universal service unconditionally to others. On the other hand, it learns a lesson in the form of "sickness, broken relationships, financial challenges, mental confusion, and emotional imbalances", from the universe and the divine when it provides unpleasant service to others.

Dr. Zhi Gang Sha is a healer who considers himself as a servant of the divine carrying out the wishes of the universe or prapanjam and the divine or Erai. The divine comes within as Soul Power to guide him in healing others.

We have Martial Arts exponent and guru Khru Pedro Solano from Spain who currently is running Muay Thai classes at his ashram in Chiangmai, tell us that Agathiyar comes within him to guide his movements and tells him to share them with others.

   

On the local front, there is Prana Violet Healing https://www.pranaviolethealing.org/ serving many. A collegemate of my daughter told us last night that she went for healing with them, recovered and does self-healing now.

Closer to home, we have Master Arunan tag along on our visits to feed the poor at the PPR Flats and heal the sick through Varma point therapy.

   

Ruzbeh Bharucha ask us to bring the cosmic consciousness into our causal body that would immediately reflect healing in the physical body. Similarly Dr. Zhi Gang Sha asks us to call out to the divine to aid in healing us. Agathiyar asks me to call out for Bhogar to heal another.

Many come to healers expecting miracles. Many come to them thinking paying for their services was sufficient. So is it, when they come to the Siddha Medicine practitioners too. They fail to follow instructions and restrictions and taboos given. Even allopathy and modern drugs only work if taken on time and for the stipulated duration. Sadly people lack discipline in all fields. They avoid anything that needs effort or work on their part hoping for instant miracles.

We understand from Dr. Zhi Gang Sha that everything in the physical world has a soul, be it each organ in the body, the house, the ring, the business, etc. The Dr. on speaking about plants and herbs and their medicinal properties, says that "The soul or message of the herbs carries the healing power of the physical herbs. People can and have applied the message or soul of the herbs for healing and received great results. The soul of the herbs knows exactly what needs to be done for healing. We do not need to tell them what to do. The soul stores its own intelligence and has its own abilities to serve." We understand pretty well now when we are told that the plants responded to Agathiyar and revealed their properties or tanmai to heal.

The Dr says that physical beings such as a family member or a pet come as a Yang companion while divinity in the form of divine souls come as our Yin companions for life, staying with our souls forever.

"Even after your physical life ends, these divine souls will continue to accompany your soul into your next life and all of your future lives."

"To pray is to ask a soul to heal, bless and transform", says the Dr. We at AK have taken to collective prayers through our Whatsapp group to help heal those close to us, taking the cue from Agathiyar who asks that we do Kuttu Prathanai for them. Agathiyar has advocated the ritual of lighting the Yagna or a smaller version of it the Homa, to heal the universe and all its inhabitants. Tavayogi started it at his Kallar Ashram and asked us to follow suit at ATM. We have seen the results. We understood from Agathiyar that even the Siddhas, upon hearing our prayers for Tavayogi, went to the ground and performed a Yagna so that Tavayogi could live. He survived the first time but he relented to leave the second time. Dhanvantri tells us that he is doing soul work within our circle today.

Once, my mother began to look at her hands long. My brother, who was quietly watching her, asked her what she was doing?  She told him she was giving thanks to her hands for working for her all these years. She was appreciating her body parts. My brother who is a journalist wrote an article about it titled "Mum's Secret Formula for Happiness" that was carried in the online daily, the New Strait Times some years back at http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/mum-s-secret-to-happiness-1.75017. Sadly the link does not work now. Today she is a year younger to the Malaysian Prime Minister.

Dr. Zhi Gang Sha says of this, "Always remember gratitude and respect. If you do not give sincere gratitude and respect (for instance) to the souls of your knees your knee souls will not listen to your order and will not serve you very well. You can offer healing, prevention, and rejuvenation to every part of your body in the same way."

SOUL TALK 3

B. Kamalakkannan describes the life of Bhogar in his "Siddhar Uruvil Sivaperuman", Vanathi Pathippakam, 2007. 

Kalangi who performed austerities at Siddhagiri in Saturagiri, continued his tapas in mainland China. As after preaching to the Chinese, he chose to go into samadhi, he sent the word out to his student who at that period of time was observing austerities with Korakkar in Palani, to return to take over his post at his Peedham. Both his student and Korakkar left for China. Following the dictates of his master Kalangi, the student hid his physical body in a cave and had some students stand guard over it while he transmigrated his soul into the body of the Chinese scholar Po-Yang. Hence he came to be known by the name Bhogar. He began to sign off as Bhogar in all his writings too. Bhogar began preaching in place of his guru at the Peedham. Then he shed the form of Po-Yang in samadhi and entered his original body and lived for some time. Again following the dictates of his guru he moved into the body of Lao Tzu and continued his preaching. He is said to have originated the symbol yin and yang. He spoke about Kundalini to the Chinese and depicted it as a dragon. Taoism then came to be defined. He dropped that body that he had hitched on and returned to his original body. He did the same feat of transmigration in further few bodies and is said to have lived some 500 years. Korakkar accompanied Bhogar throughout his stay in China.

In “The Guiding Light of Lao Tzu”, Henry Wei, writes that a recluse Wei Po-Yang believed that "man could attain immortality by reforming his personality and sublimating his vital force" and "he set forth the method by which the ancient saints and sages attained the status of Hsien or immortals or spiritual beings.

"The method he set forth involves repose in quiescence and desireless-ness, withdrawal of the light inward, stopping up the openings of the senses, and preservation of the vital force – all for the purpose of developing an inner pearl, a symbol for some spiritual entity. If this method is diligently followed for three years accompanied by the practice of breath control the inner pearl will emerge.. Eventually, the spiritual entity will ascend to heaven and take its place among the divine beings."

In http://www.subtleenergies.com/ormus/historical/thelab.htm we read that "Wei Po-Yang was a Taoist philosopher and alchemist, a native of Wu in the province of Kiangsu. In the year 121 A.D. he was offered a position at court but refused this honor. In the epilogue of his Ts'an T'ung Ch'i he describes himself as "a lowly man from the country of Kuei, who has no love for worldly power, glory, fame or gains, who wastes his days leading a simple, quiet, leisurely and peaceful life in a retreat in an unfrequented valley."

The earliest known Chinese treatise on alchemy was written by Wei Po-yang, the "Father of Alchemy." His work, called Ts'an T'ung Ch'i, was written about 142 A.D., in which he refers to earlier traditional manuscripts on alchemy. The three or four centuries before Wei Po-yang were spent in trying to transmute base metals into gold, though not for its intrinsic value, but because it was thought that this synthetic gold could produce longevity. Even to eat from dishes made from synthetic gold insured one of this ideal state. Cinnabar, or red mercuric sulphide, was also thought to be another elixir of immortality. This Chinese classic of Wei Po-yang is really a thesis on the preparation of the Pill of Immortality."

The Chinese biography of Immortals says that he entered the mountains to make efficacious medicine. With him were three disciples, two of whom he thought were lacking in complete faith. When the medicine was made he tested them. He said, "The gold medicine is made but it ought first to be tested on the dog. If no harm comes to the dog we may then take it ourselves, but if the dog dies of it we ought not to take it." (Now Po-Yang had brought a white dog along with him to the mountains. If the number of treatments of the medicine had not been sufficient or if harmonious compounding had not reached the required standard, it would contain a little poison and would cause temporary death.) Po-Yang fed the medicine to the dog and the dog died an instantaneous death. Whereupon he said, "The medicine is not yet done. The dog has died of it. Doesn't this show that the divine light has not been attained? If we take it ourselves I am afraid we shall go the same way as the dog. What is to be done?"

The disciples asked, "Would you take it yourself, Sir?" To this Po-Yang replied, "I have abandoned the worldly route and forsaken my home to come here. I should be ashamed to return if I could not attain the Hsien (immortal). So, to live without taking the medicine would be just the same as to die of the medicine. I must take it." With these final words he put the medicine into his mouth and died instantly.

On seeing this, one of the disciples said, "Our teacher was no common person. He took the medicine and died of it. He must have done that with special intention." The disciple also took the medicine and died. Then the other two disciples said to one another, "The purpose of making medicine is to attempt at attaining longevity. Now the taking of this medicine has caused deaths. It would better not to take the medicine and so be able to live a few decades longer." They left the mountain together, without taking the medicine, intending to get burial supplies for their teacher and their fellow disciple. After the departure of the two disciples, Po-Yang revived. He placed some of a well-concocted medicine in the mouth of the disciple and in the mouth of the dog. In a few moments they both revived. He took the disciple, whose name was Yü, and the dog, and went the way of immortals. By way of a wood-cutter, whom they met, he sent a letter of thanks to the two disciples. The two disciples were filled with regrets when they read the letter."

Dr. Zhi Gang Sha shares many secrets in his book "The Power of Soul", Atria Paperback, NY, 2009. He divulges a secret. A human being has three major souls. Tian Ming, a soul from the Heaven and Akashic records that comes within us as we are born. It guides us and assists our soul's journey.  

Ren Xing is our soul, that comes from heaven too, that can lodge in one of seven specific "houses" or places in the body that corresponds with the chakras. "Where your Ren Xing or body soul resides depends on your spiritual standing in Heaven. The higher your spiritual standing the higher the "house" your body soul will reside within." For the enlightened, it sits in the heart. This soul is the one that reincarnates. Our work and effort are recorded both in this soul and the Akashic records. 

Finally, Wu Shen and its other souls form the souls of the five organs. Wu Shen comes from Heaven the moment we are born and stays for life. Upon death, it leaves first.

It is believed that every person's soul is tasked by Heaven to do a particular work here. This is soul work as opposed to what we do daily to sustain and keep us alive, taking in the pleasures of life as we go about living. After accomplishing our soul's task we are elevated to a higher level of soul standing. Making great contributions can elevate the soul standing in a lifetime. 

So what is the soul's journey then? The Dr explains, "The soul's journey is the journey to uplift your soul standing in Heaven until it has reached its ultimate destination which is the realm of the divine. The soul journey includes purification of the soul, the transformation of the soul and finally enlightenment of the soul." He says the soul can grow to boost its power with blessings from the divines exactly what Agathiyar has described in the 5 tenets he gave at the gathering of the Rishis and Siddhas at the Tamil Sangam.

A recap of the 5 tenets and the reasons to pursue it follows. 

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, we gain soul strength or 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."

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.

Thomas Moore in his book "Care of the Soul", HarperCollins Publishers, 1992, 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 further, "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 "The soul needs an intense full-bodied spiritual life as much as and in the same way that the body needs food."

Dr. Zhi Gang Sha says that the transformation of the soul brings transformation in all sectors of life.

"To transform the soul is to cleanse karma, purify, accumulate virtue, become a total GOLD and unconditional universal servant. When these are done all blockages in every aspect of life are removed." 

Man has been given numerous downloads from Heaven through the saints and gurus who came as the receptacles or agents of the divine over time. But we have ignored the call for we were too busy watching the show put on by Kaalan or Maya. As Thomas Moore says "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. Only when we take several knockings after falling for the lure of this world we turn our sight to the divine seeking solace and solution.

"If one does not move one's soul life further during one's physical life it is a great pity", writes Dr. Zhi Gang Sha. He answers both Sanjiv's and my question as to why there is a sudden urgency to fast forward the process, as observed in Agathiyar's directives to us. The Dr tells us that we are living in a historic time - the beginning of the Soul Light Era. 

SOUL TALK 2

Dr. Zhi Gang Sha in his book "The Power of Soul", Atria Paperback, NY, 2009 shares soul secrets having received these insights from uplifted souls.

He brings to us to realize that the soul's journey is forever, revealing that the upliftment of the soul from Jiu Tian to Tian Wai Tian, is hard to come by and difficult with the only known two souls that attained it having taken 40,000 lifetimes and 55,000 lifetimes respectively.   

Agathiyar keeps us abreast of the future, not that the future is engraved in stone, but as an indicator of what man can achieve. After carrying out the 5 tenets he has indicated to us the possibility of attaining the next stage that of a Jeevan Mukta. But bear in mind that it is still only a possibility. Many factors can come together to disrupt the journey or likewise aid it.

Dr. Zhi Gang Sha attests to the need to know and be aware of the ultimate goal, "If you can see the ultimate goal far, far into the future you will have a different view of the world. You could transform every aspect of your life much more easily."

All the saints too keep on speaking about this goal that man needs to strive for. Whether we achieve that in this lifetime is immaterial, at least we had placed the effort and walked the mile. Both my gurus Supramania Swami and Tavayogi too told me that we can continue from where we left in the next birth. 

When Sanjiv called me from New Delhi and mentioned that he sensed a certain and sudden urgency in Agathiyar preparing us to move further, I had to agree with him too. This is the Era of the Siddhas we are told and that Lord Muruga would reign over us, although some lunatics began to sarcastically ask "Where was Murugan all this while then?" Dr. Zhi Gang Sha too speaks about a New Era, the Soul Light Era.  In this era, many more souls will be uplifted to the divine realm as opposed to only two as he explained earlier.

"You and everybody have an equal chance to move up on your spiritual journey." For this to happen the Dr says there is only one way - "Offer universal service unconditionally.  The more you serve the higher you will be uplifted." It brings great joy to read this and associate people we know who have given their lives in service. On the local front, I can say Sri Krishna fits the bill. His journey on the Siddha path started when as an orphan teen he grew up with his uncle who used to bring Nadi readers over from India. His uncle's house used to house the readers and their Nadi. Krishna used to sit in on translations for non-Tamil seekers of these Nadi. After his marriage both the couple used to bring over the seekers to carry out their remedies or parikaram. Inspired by his wife the couple began to cook and serve the hungry in the streets. Today they collect leftover food from private events, temples, gurudwaras, meetings etc and replenish the menu and repack them before their dedicated team of Food Rangers pick it up from their house to distribute to the poor, hungry and homeless elsewhere. 

http://www.astroulagam.com.my/news/article/112304/food-going-to-waste-call-the-food-rangers

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=643364452819489

I used to think that they were rather obsessed in serving others, often shunning rest and sleep and taking on several events on the same day. They often got us asking, "What is the hurry? Is the world going to end tomorrow? While we were an occasional tourist to annadhanam and doing charity here was a couple where Seva or service was their very breath. We all know where this couple is headed now. Many are following them either joining up with them or taking them as role models doing it on their own. Thank you, Sri Krishna and Sri Dewy for showing us the way too.

Following them close on their heels is Bala Chandran and his team of schoolmates, friends, and family. Rakesh from Chennai has his colleagues, family, and friends at TUT help him serve the hungry. Many individuals in AK have taken up the tasks to serve others in their own capacity too. Bravo to them all.   

SOUL TALK 1

When we are in the midst of soul talk in the past several posts, a cleaner picks up several books that her owner threw away and passed it to my daughter. She passes it to me. Now in my hands I have "Life of Sri Ramakrishna" and "The Power of Soul". What a timely entry. Books have always come in handy at the right time for me. When Segaran left for Yogananda's Ashram in Ranchi to become a monk he passed me a copy of Yogananda's "Autobiography of A Yogi" that introduced and gave me an insight on the lives of many saints, bringing me to explore more about their lives. 

C. Norman Shealy in his foreword to Dr. Zhi Gang Sha's book "The Power of Soul", Atria Paperback, NY, 2009 wrote,

My insight for many years has been that love is the desire to help others. Indeed I sense that our most essential instinct is to assist others. Unfortunately some individuals have not felt nurtutered enough to allow this instinct to blossom.

True. I was one of these individuals where the plight of others never registered an effect on me. I would stay away from a dying man without even wanting to go near him; I would walk past a man begging on the street, not the least concerned for him; and I would eat the meat of the very chicken that I carried, petted and fed having raised them in our backyard.

Then it all changed when I went over for a Nadi reading, my very first.  Agathiyar revealing the reasons for my problems, obstacles, illness etc brings me to do remedies that took the form of doing puja and rituals and conducting prayers besides carrying out acts of charity. I continued doing it even after the stipulated period was over, imbibing these acts into my daily life. Later I began and continue feeding the birds, "Pulligal" or  Lonchura punctulata or commonly known as Pipit that came to my home the very day Agathiyar told me to feed them, to this day. 

Sadly many follow what has been stipulated in the Nadi by Agathiyar and stop at that without taking it as a cue to continue these noble and charitable acts. Man - the day he recovers, forgets Erai. Man - the day his life changes for the better forgets Erai. 

When I met Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal first at a local affiliation of his Agathiyar Gnana Peedham in Batu Caves he showed me photos of poor native children whom he fed at his ashram and invited me over to his ashram in India. I took up the invitation arriving at his ashram after a month of his departure back to India. He arranged to feed the people when I asked to carry out a feeding session. We shopped together for the vegetables and groceries. He picked the goods, filled it in a sack and threw it over his shoulder and walked away heading for the car. He called over Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar who was Mrs. Sarojini then, from her hometown to help out with the cooking. It was truly satisfying to see the smile and laughter and the spark in the eyes of the kids who had turned up to savor the food.

Back at the office, I had Mrs. Rasidah Abu Bakar feed us all. She used to take orders to cook food for our office events. She would always give more than requested for the price. At times we would keep eating till evening and even pack it home. She would take the trouble to cook vegetarian for the only solo vegetarian there - me. Once as we traveled back home from work, as she used to carpool with me, she told me that she was blessed by the almighty in many ways. "When I give more I received more", saying thus she shared her secret.

Soon I would buy food, taking it to the office and share it with my colleagues. I shall leave it at the pantry for any hungry soul who drops by. I would delight in seeing them savor the food.

Then I began to pass on packaged food and drinks and fruits to the garbage collector, the drain cleaners, the grass cutters and other workers who come by my house. With the coming of Bala Chandran and his schoolmates to AVM, we began to feed and furnish groceries to the orphanages and old folks homes. When I came to know Sri Krishna, I joined him in street feeding that jolted me out of my senses. There were hundreds of homeless and hungry sleeping under the open sky. When we took off from where Vintha left in feeding the poor in the PPR flats we were surprised to know that there were still many who went by with only one meal a day, where children were put to sleep early so that they would not need to be fed another meal and did not have even the very basic needs like water and electricity as they could not afford to pay the utility bills and many more. There was a multitude of problems that these single mothers and grannies encountered, besides having to work and also manage the kids. Most householders had to care for the sick, disabled and mentally and physically challenged too. 

Seeing those on the streets and visiting the homes of the poor and unfortunate brought us to never complain about our shortcomings. We are indeed blessed to have a roof over us, a vehicle to travel in, good health, can afford the best medical attention, have a job that pays well. Many do not have these.

The acts of "nurturing, serving and helping others" brings great joy and satisfaction. Besides these acts going a long way to "assist in dissolving our karma, it empowers us to shape our destiny and our lives" says Norman. Agathiyar set us on a course to carry out various acts or tasks that slowly worked on dissolving our negative karma (hence changing our fate) besides enhancing the positive. These positive acts and its merits, with the grace of the divine, began to work out a new destiny for us. We have come to shape our lives. Soon we would be masters of our destiny rather than being a puppet. If we were marionettes that were moved by the strings attached to them, these strings are snipped the moment we come to the fold of the Siddhas. The Siddhas give us the liberty to be free to explore and gain experiences that in turn become lessons from which dawns Jnana or divine knowledge that shall explain all that needs to be known.

Malar who in her own words, "Anna i was reading the blog again..that day i read but forget to jot down important notes. Rereading again. Appo than ithu ennathu parthen. Anna ennaku inthe line puriyale. Could you explain to me? சன்மார்க்கம் நன்மார்க்கம் நன்மார்க்கம் சகமார்க்கம் துன்மார்க்கம் துன்மார்க்கம்.

I gave my understanding of it. Then she shared Mahindran's understanding, "எம்மார்க்கமும் துன்மார்க்கம் அல்ல சகமார்க்கமும் சன்மார்க்கம் அடைந்தால் நன்மார்க்கம் ஆகுமே." All the teachings and experience has come to Mahindran as this verse. Looks like I cannot make a living no more with so many budding novices in the AK family blooming and flowering into intellectuals and Jnanis. But it brings me great pride and joy to see them grow into great atmas. Mahin, Malar, Suren, and Rajah to name a few are turning into great receptors to receive and pass on the words of Agathiyar. It makes me so happy.

Walking us through his 5 tenets for life and its purpose, that brings us to rise about our karma and the hold of the tatvas on our physical body, Agathiyar now takes us to the study of the soul.

Norman says, "the soul is the door to divine light, to assisting us in creating and experiencing enligtenment" adding that we are giant piezoelectric crystals that are capable of receiving, storing and sending electromagnetic energy." If we call it an initiation  Dr. Zhi Gang Sha calls it Divine Soul Download. Lord Muruga is known to download the software into us, as many in the AVM and later ATM family can testify. The password that starts the download is "I Surrender". The moment one verbally announces his surrender to the divine, the divine download begins though he wants us to be ready to receive it for otherwise it would be wasteful. Ruzbeh asks us to bring the cosmic energy down within us into our causal body that will see the physical body heal immediately.

Dr. Zhi Gang Sha says "Soul enlightenment is the final destiny of one's spiritual journey." We should not rest on our laurels but move to bring everyone to the status of an enlightened being. "To enlighten humanity is the direction of the divine for service to humanity. To enlighten humanity is to uplift the soul standing of every human being." He is then a Jeevan Mukta.

TIME TO REAP THE FRUITS OF OUR EFFORTS

Roshan Sekhon wrote on fb today. ·

When the Divine Mother whispers thru her Smile & Love saying "The only things we want from all of you, Is your LOVE, FAITH AND DEVOTION. The same manner how all of you need water and food to survive, OUR FOOD & WATER IS YOUR LOVE, FAITH AND DEVOTION, nothing else we need or yearn for.

Love is not about buying all the flowers, offering and saying how much you love me, LOVE is about feeling and loving your fellow mankind, FOR I AM IN EACH AND ONE OF THEM.

Faith is not about having faith In ME to give you everything in life and that life should go your way, have FAITH In the ME with the understanding of everything happens for your own good and happens WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT THRU MY WILL !

Devotion is not about spending hours in prayers, doing many rituals trying to satisfy ME. Devotion towards ME is DEVOTION TOWARDS MY WORDS AND WORK.

Reach out to mankind, help, serve and do service and most importantly BE A GOOD HUMAN BEING THRU MY GUIDANCE.

🌟 SOUL OF ROSHAN 🌟
- My Beloved Mata Rani -

Such wise words can only come from someone totally devoted to Ma.

Photo courtesy of Roshan Sekhon

As I am known to churn the ocean often by throwing surprises in our Whatsapp group "Agathiyar Kudumbam", I posted two questions today.

How many of you are doing Siddhar puja at home? How many of you are feeding the poor on an individual basis or in association with a group? Knowing pretty well that some smart alec will have something to say, I posted the following note too. Please don't tell me you are praying in silence or prayers are a personal matter or tell me that the left hand should not know the right-hand giving. It's a very simple question - do not manipulate it. This will show us how many are really committed to following the tenets of Agathiyar. These tenets are the stepping stone to bigger things to come says Agathiyar. If you haven't started yet get going now while you are still breathing, hale and healthy. Do not regret later when your health fails you or you do not have the means and money to help others.

We are reminded of Agathiyar's song singing the praise to Lord Narayana.

நாராயணா ஸ்ரீமத் நாராயணா
பத்ரி நாராயணா ஹரி நாராயணா
நாராயணா ஸத்ய நாராயணா
சூர்ய நாராயணா லக்ஷ்மி நாராயணா

நொந்துடலும் கிழமாகித் தளர்ந்தபின்
நோயில் நடுங்கிடும் போது – ஜீவ
நாடிகள் நைந்திடும் போது – மனம்
எண்ணிடுமோ தெரியாது – இன்று
கசிந்துன்னைக் கூவுகின்றேன் அருள் செய்திடுவாய் ஹரி நாராயணா

நீடு கபம் கோழை ஈழை நெருக்கி – என்
நெஞ்சை அடைத்திடும் போது
நாவும் குழறியபோது – மனம்உன்னை
எண்ணிடுமோ தெரியாது – நான்
அன்றுனைக் கூவிட இன்றழைத்தேன் எனை
ஆண்டருள்வாய் ஹரி நாராயணா

ஐம்பொறியும் கரணங்களும் வாயுவும்
ஆடி அடங்கிடும் போது – எந்தன்
ஆவி பிரிந்திடும்போது – மனம்
எண்ணிடுமோ தெரியாது – இன்று
நம்பி உனைத் தொழுதே அழைத்தேன்
ஜகன் நாயகனே ஹரி நாராயணா

உற்றவர் பெற்றவர் மற்றவர் சுற்றமும்
ஒவென்று நின்றழும்போது – உயிர்
ஓசைகள் ஓய்ந்திடும்போது – மனம்
எண்ணிடுமோ தெரியாது – இன்று
பற்றி உனைப் பணிந்தே அழைத்தேன் – ஆபத்
பாந்தவனே ஹரி நாராயணா

என்பொருள் என்மனை என்றதெல்லாம் இனி
இல்லை என்றாகிடும் போது – மனம்
எண்ணிடுமோ தெரியாது – நீ
அன்று வரும் பொருட்டின்றழைத்தேன் அருள்
அச்சுதனே ஹரி நாராயணா

வந்தமெதூர் வளைத்து பிரித்தெனை
வாவென்றிழுத்திடும் போது – மனம்
எண்ணிடுமோ தெரியாது – அந்த
அந்தியம் நீ வர இன்றழைத்தேன்
ஸச்சிதானந்தனே ஹரி நாராயணா

Agathiyar places himself in our shoes 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. It is time to leave the classroom and get our hands dirty doing the practical and real thing. Of course, we understand if you are ill or your mobility is restricted or you are not in a financial position to help. But there are other ways to compensate. Prayers and motivation help too.

After I posted the questions to the family, it was wonderful to see so many engaged in carrying out the teachings of Agathiyar. I thanked them for their participation in the questionnaire and their services. Here we get to know what and how each of us is doing to be of service to Agathiyar and the poor, the sick and the animals. Thank you for all your efforts in bringing light to the unfortunate and making this world of ours a better place to live through your prayers. I always believed that you do not need an organization to do good. You can do it individually on a small scale. But to cover a larger area of recipients this is where we need to rope in others of the same thoughts.

Chitragupta is keeping a tab on all our activities and is keeping account of all our deeds. He reports to Agathiyar regularly. Our fate changes with our service and involvement in wanting to create a new destiny. Erai comes to our aid by opening up new opportunities. Agathiyar says he shall create the experiences for us to grow. The lessons learned will become wisdom. Through this wisdom, all our doubts and questions shall be answered. Hence he has asked us to stop questioning. No need to seek answers elsewhere. He will answer through us from within us as gnana.

The way has been shown. The rituals have been shown. The benefits have been told. The reasons have been given. Agathiyar has reached the end of the line in guiding us as far as life in this material world matters. All our efforts end with the 5 tenets. You have all done your part doing puja and dharmam. This is sufficient. The 5 tenets helped us with our karma and prepared us for the next journey. Now he wants us to take a huge step into the world of the soul. He wants us all to attain the state of a Jeevan Mukthan. From here one the Siddhas will come within us to prepare us, to bringing drastic changes and elevate us to the next level. No more effort on our part. Agathiyar shall work in you from now on. He is truly toiling to bring us out of our karma and maya. If only we spend time with him he shall communicate. The ball is in your court. You have to create the time. Allocate some time for him. Just sit and listen. He speaks in you. No need to search no more. No need for rituals. No need to chant mantras. Just begin to sit alone. Miracles will happen. Miracles will be shown. Lay back and watch the miracles unfold within. Having completed the external journey successfully to his satisfaction, the journey within starts. Embrace yourself for a journey of a lifetime.

This family has the grace of Agathiyar. The name has been switched to bring us closer to him instead of regarding it as being a place of tapas or austerity. Agathiyar wishes to engage with you directly. Start reaching out to him. Start talking to him. He has already removed the barriers. He has done away with the formality and distance that kept us apart from him. From a servant to a son/ daughter he has taken us as his companion. Bring him along on your walk. Invite him into your home. Spend some time with him. Chat with him. Watch a movie with him. Listen to music with him. Eat with him. Sense his presence 24/7.

Nalini shared how she came to see Agathiyar.

I use to say GM, Good day, GN, am going out for work and you take care of home, am back, what are you doing now.. 😂 All these conversations will happen daily to appa who is seated right in our house.. many times through naadi reading, he has told me that I am your Guru, am there for you, am available at your home and he use to say that close your eyes, am there within you.. 

Sometimes I put a chair in front of him and will look into his eyes... whenever i cross the hall, i will have a look at him.. some times i will give him a flying kiss.. some times a small pat in his cheek.. 🤣 Appa is getting tortured by me on a daily basis.. 

To those who are not regular in their worship please do it daily. You shall be amazed at what Agathiyar can do for you in those moments when you shut your eyes in his presence. Let him into your hearts and your home. He will tell you when its time to let go of everything including these pujas and prayers.

The time is now where we reap the fruit of our efforts. We did his asking without expectations for results. We just adhered to his commands. But the most compassionate father Agathiyar has decided to reward us with a state he calls Jeevan Mukti. Thank you Agatheesa.

SECURING THE KNOT

It saddens me to see how people have used Agathiyar for their selfish purposes. Just as Supramania Swami told me many came to him for their purpose, and he would hand out advice, amulets, the sacred ash and chart their horoscopes, but none asked what he wanted in return. Similarly many come to Agathiyar asking their desires to be fulfilled but never even bothered to ask what he wanted. Today he has brought us to drop our asking and desires and instead wait in attendance to carry out his wishes, desires, commands, and directives.

Would not it be better if we could have him for a companion? Imagine Erai is our companion for life. Would not it be better if we shared out life and time with Erai? He is not asking us to entirely devote our time to him at the expense of our family but as Agathiyar told me to allocate equal time to both. 

Man needs to receive a knock to wake him up from his deep slumber. He has to be abruptly jolted out of his comfort zone to get him to notice Erai. The classic tale is that of a man who after taking a Nadi reading lightly and having ignored the advice of Agathiyar in the Nadi, desperately seeked a place where he could participate in the Purnima puja. Having contacted his friends he was finally referred to AVM. He called me and after asking who showed him to me, I called him over. As he was from a neighboring state I fetched him from the train station. He told me that he had seen the Nadi nine months ago in February of the year and he was told to participate in the Purnima puja before his 60th birthday. He came to AVM on the eve of his 60th birthday! After ignoring the call, now fear suddenly set in as he was about to turn 60 the next day. I invited him to participate in the Homa and Abhisega and gave him a meal before I sent him back to the station. I never heard from him nor his friends who recommended him to me, till a year later - a month ago. He called to ask if I knew a Nadi reader in India by a certain name. I guessed he had seen the Nadi again. I asked him if he was worshiping the Siddhas after participating in the Purnima puja a year back. He replied he would chant Arutperumjhothi mantra 9 times daily. I asked if that was sufficient? He replied he had no time. That blew my top. He was a pensioner and I could not accept that he did not have time to sit for a few hours daily in Siddha worship. What made me sick was that he had frequented another centre for Agathiyar worship many years ago. The reason he was there was that his son was diagnosed with an illness. When his son's condition improved he forgot Agathiyar. These are those occasional bhaktas who only look towards God and remember him when faced with trouble. I refused to talk to him further and ended the call in disgust.

Another young man in his thirties suddenly stood at my doorway one day. He asked if it was AVM. After coming in he told me that he was from another state. He had been aimlessly driving around the country visiting temples and places of worship after having deserted his family. Being an ex-jockey in Australia he was asked to retire after having a fall. Having gone through hell in the family he was contemplating and intended to settle into the life of a monk. He told me that he had already booked the flight after having cancelled it several times earlier.  He wanted to go over to Kallar to meet Tavayogi. I told him that Tavayogi has since passed away. He went into a state of shock. After a long moment of silence, I encouraged him to go over. He went to Kallar Ashram but came back in a couple of days. The pull of his karma that came in the form of his attachment to the family was too strong for him to battle. He had seen the Nadi earlier but sadly did not follow the advice of Agathiyar. I have not heard from him since.

Another man battled the rain and was going in circles trying to find my house. He participated in the puja with others. When I did not hear from him for a very long time, I called him. He answered "That's the way" (Athu Apadi Thaan.)

These occasional tourists and baktas really cheese me off. They can manipulate Erai for their purposes. They would bribe and make deals with him just to get what they wanted. They forget Erai when their asking is done. I would have expected them to hold on to the feet of Agathiyar when he has saved your life when he has granted your wishes. That is the biggest contribution or repayment one could ever give back to him. Many have been granted an extension in life, a bonus period to live thanks to others' prayers and his grace. But they return to their normal routine after coming back from the near-death experience. Of what use is it for Erai to give you back your soul if you are going to continue to live life as before? Should not you devote that extension period in your life in service to him and humanity, to carry out his wishes and desires? 

Today I have refused to see new aspirants and seekers. I have made my blog private. I have dropped many from ATM and AS Whatsapp group. Fearing that I might have erred in doing this, I always pray to him to continue to guide me in all my decisions. He came out totally in support of all my recent actions although some devotees of his, close and dear to him and me, asked me the reasons behind all these closures and appealed to let things be for the sake of many newcomers. I replied that we have to move on to greater and newer frontiers and face the challenges up ahead. We cannot afford to keep our door and our home open waiting for someone to pop up seeking solace or asking for guidance one day. I decided to pull the shutters down, shut the windows, draw the bridge up and start to sail. We are not going to wait for those not committed to the cause and have yet to book the pass or ticket. We are not going to wait for the onlookers and wayside seekers. We have gathered sufficient souls to serve Agathiyar and carry out his wishes. We have gathered sufficient steam to set sail. He has sent the cream of the lot. Numbers are not important to us, as Agathiyar said once "Even if there are only 4 to carry out my worship, I shall gladly accept your prayer." Initially, he had big plans for me, hinting that we establish a Peedham to conduct rituals and an establishment to preach his teachings and serve the poor. Lord Muruga came to remind me that he wanted a temple built, a request that was placed in my very first Nadi reading and often surfaced many times. He even sent Agathiyar to coax me into doing it. I took a firm stand that I was not interested in establishing any structure nor was I interested in having a following. Today granting my wishes he has dropped his wish asking me to stay put in my current place. If earlier he had mentioned that he would send many to ATM to participate in its festivities today taking heed of our displeasure he says everything will shrink, beginning with the rituals and the numbers of devotees. But he assured that the feeding programs shall grow.

It is so lovely to have Erai communicate with us, listening to us, understanding us, and granting as we please. The reason is that we stopped seeking him elsewhere. The reason is that we stopped asking for our needs but rather are living to carry out his asking. Contrary to common belief and all the hype that goes with the worship of the Siddhas, in actuality it is just a simple way of life; living a balanced life; enjoying life and at the same time spending some precious time in the company of the divine; after all our desires are exhausted we then are asked to turn our attention towards fulfilling his desires. When we rope in Erai into our lifes he fastens the knot so tight that both he and you can never separate - forever.