TRYING TO VISUALIZE THE 5 KOSHAS

The Siddhas have given me another topic to dwell on now. Bhogar came to mention that we have 5 Koshas or sheaths and that treatment at times is meant for the more subtle bodies rather than what we presume is for the physical. In saying thus he clarified that the treatment in Ayurveda that he advised a devotee to undergo as such would not be seen as effective and rid her physical pain and agony immediately but the herbal treatment shall work within to clear her problem and bring relief to her in the long run. She had stopped short of a day and ended the treatment for she saw no positive results. A famous master who has since gone into self-exile wrote about the many forms of treatment and their effects on these various bodies. He lists that Allopathy is ideal and treats the physical or Annamaya Kosha, Homeopathy for the Manomaya Kosha, and Ayurveda for the Vijnanamaya Kosha. He adds that Pranayama aids the Pranayama Kosha, and Meditation the Anandamaya Kosha.

The subject surrounding the various bodies can be quite confusing and difficult to understand and comprehend as it was to me for apart from the physical, the rest of the bodies are not seen nor are they tangible. How do you explain something that is not visible to the eyes and cannot be touched? 

Sally Kempton has simplified it for commoners like you and me at https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/philosophy/getting-know/. For instance, in penning this blog and its posts I could reaffirm my earlier belief that right from the subject till the choice of words and sentence construction it all came from a mysterious source within that stood by me as I penned each post on this blog. The author and administrator of the blog Siththan Arul, Thiru Velayudham Karthikeyan Aiya shared with me that he always felt a divine presence beside him as he penned the post in the early hours of dawn each Thursday. The blog has since being continued by Thiru Krishnan who goes by the pen name Agnilingam. 

Reading Sally's piece "If you become engrossed in a project like writing, painting, math, or even problem-solving, you’re accessing the Wisdom Body or Vijnanamaya Kosha or Awareness Body" enlightens us further, making sense now of what I encountered in this brief moments of inspiration in writing the blog. I would have my phone beside me and take notes as soon as it comes and work on the full text later. Once the post is written and posted I would get up and walk over to Agathiyar and hug him each time for a well-written post that enlightened me too. In giving me a subject he drives me to research it. Reading it for my understanding is one thing. But to make it simplified for the readers, it requires his touch and his hand in jointly penning the page. 

Sally explains further with a couple of examples. "A composer I know often plays random sounds until his ordinary mind (Manomaya Kosha or Mental Body) steps back, making room for the wisdom body to “download” music that is genuinely creative and new." The famous music director AR Rahman is said to have acknowledged that "You just grasp a film and start working, and something unpredictable comes out from a third element." Sally adds, "Another friend tells me that when he’s stymied or stuck on a personal or professional problem, he’ll formulate a question about it, then sit for meditation. At some point, as his thinking mind gets quiet, wisdom will arise." I believe we have all gone through these moments too.

Now for the various other sheaths or Koshas. We know very well what the Annamaya Kosha or Physical Sheath or body is and can do. But after taking up Yoga we began to become more aware of it and found that our present knowledge of our own body that was with us all these years was indeed shallow. Acharya Gurudasan in his introduction to a piece he wrote on Kriya Hatha Yoga for Siddha Heartbeat in the past, mentions, "Kriya Yoga is a 5 phased integral approach to attain God-realization. Each of them addresses one or more of the Koshas. Koshas are the 5 sheaths or bodies of our existence." Yoga dwells into these secrets of the body. In those brief moments where we enter and maintain a pose, we become aware and interact and communicate with these bodies provided it is not done as a regime to be completed within a said period or centered on gaining benefits. If prior to Acharya Gurudasan leading us and showing us Kriya Hatha Yoga we had hurriedly worked through the phases of Yoga picked up from the books and later from Tavayogi, Acharya showed us to wind down as in Sally's words become "grounded and consciously inhabiting the physical body." We become aware of our internals too. When we slow down and move into these asanas or positions, all the thoughts and energy is diverted from the mental body to the physical. The body begins to heal from within. Pranayama techniques come to aid the healing by bringing in large doses of prana or energy from the cosmos within. Pranayama techniques bring vitality and energize further the Pranamaya Kosha or Vital Energy Sheath. With practice, we feel the prana inhaled or the resultant energy expand within to the extent that we fear the body shall blow up. But the feeling is good, and we are invigorated and ready to go. The feel-good factor that comes about for no reason, without the need for a spur or an external catalyst or an indulgence as in our favorite food or in watching a favorite movie or being with a favorite person, and as Sally describes "And on good days, there was some part deep within me that was happy, really happy, about nothing at all", this then is the Sheath of Bliss or Anandamaya Kosha. Ruzbeh N. Bharucha writes that "Our aim in yoga is to reach a connection with the Anandamaya Kosha - when we reach that inner place where everything is silent and calm, we have found our connection with Anandamaya." 

As Sally writes, "Once you become sensitive to the energy within and around you, you will start to recognize the vibrational signature that you and others leave in a room, or even on a piece of clothing", this is where we connect with the other subtle and divine energies too, as Agathiyar finally tells us that he stands as "a vibrational signature" too that is ever-existent in all of creation. Here we can relate to the efficacy of Mantras recited and etchings on Yantras, sand, soil, or anything else for that matter that leaves a signature in the vibrational realm, changing, modifying, strengthening, or weakening the ripples that are generated and flow. Healing the energy body either through a medium or through meditation opens up the closed chakras or energy centers moving the stagnated energies, clearing the blockages, and supercharging this Vital Energy Sheath to top form.

The Manomaya Kosha or Mental Body that is filled with so many thoughts can be subdued either by replacing a thousand thoughts with one single thought as Buddha taught or by observing the breath without active participation as Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal taught.

My cardiologist friend who receives messages from Krishnaveni Amma of Kalyana Theertam shared the following from her where we see another perspective, that of worship and devotion and the transition from Bakthi to Gnana with the use of these bodies.

That worship of the Supreme, done by this embodiment (the gross body), is Bhakthi Yoga. When sufficient, diligent progress is made on the Path, with the Grace and Blessings of the Masters, that worship turns inwards, towards the Source, the Self, it is the beginning of Gnana Yoga. As one goes further inward, the process of internalisation gets more intense. The embodiment ceases to be relevant to sadhana.

Such a time period is measured by Prana. The external breath is not material or relevant to sadhana, though it is required in the beginning. When Prana takes control, the mind starts to die. Pulsations of the Prana is the only determinant that can be gauged but not controlled. If your sadhana is good, then, you feel the beat of Prana. The best way to know your progress is to be aware that as you enter deeper into meditation, the body reduces, and ceases to breathe. Watch this.

The Annamaya Kosam exists merely as a shadow. The sadhana is continued by the Sukuma Sareera... a combination of Manomaya Kosam and Pranamaya Kosam (Astral Body). This retains the wisdom and karma of sadhana, transversing the many births the soul takes, until, one fine day, in the suitable birth, Gnana is given to the soul, by the Masters and Lord Shiva. Oneness becomes a reality. Though the soul retains its identity and performs gross deeds, with the instrument of the body, in addition to the subtle deeds performed, it is no more under the sway of Maya. (ஆணவமும் கன்மமும் உண்டு; மாயை இல்லை). The science and tantra of creation, sustenance, and dissolution becomes clear, as is the role played so far, and henceforth."

Swami Saravanananda in this book, an English translation of Ramalinga Adigal’s "Aruperunjhoti Agaval" published by Ramalinga Mission, Madras, writes of illumination that brings on transitions in one.

At whatever age the aspirant gains illumination or the effulgence enters in him or emanates from within, some remarkable changes take place in the body-frame. The Divine Light seems to change the very cell of the body, with the result, that they seem to function in the opposite direction. With the advent of psychic head, more and more changes take place in the already purified body. The cells and thence the whole body begins to transcend the limits imposed on them by impure Maya (the grosser principle of nature) and try to break one more of its veils. The cells undergo alternate condensation and expansion for an unspecified period and the body slowly emerges out of its bondage and begins to grow. This expanding and ever prospering body, is called the subtle body or the body of Omkar or Pranava Deham or body. Consequently, the old body becomes middle-aged, then to the youth of eighteen years, to twelve years (pure body), to eight years, and finally five years (Pranava Deham). After five years the body grows to the size of the universe to become casual body or a body of gnosis (Gnana Deham) which is the natural abode of the soul.

From an article on the net, we are told of the various Koshas or sheaths that cover our body, running parallel to the various Dehams or bodies described above. The author speaks of:

The inward journey beginning the very moment he becomes aware of the divine presence working through him. He then surrenders to the will of God, hence surrendering the sheath of his intellect or Vijnanamaya Kosha. When the transformation from the influence of the mind-stuff begins moving towards the full surrender to the divine, the individual has begun to be liberated, becoming literally a beacon of bliss-light. As the divine attributes of the Atman or self that manifest in the very subtle Sheath of Bliss (Anandamaya Kosha) that surrounds the soul (Atman) come to be known, transforming the very subtle part of the being, he verily becomes a guide, a guru and a saint. When the transformation of that very subtle part of the being has been given fully to the divine, the individual becomes literally a beacon of bliss-light. Simply being in the presence of such a being is uplifting. Such an elevated individual is often acknowledged as a saint. Once aware of the divine presence, "he has already begun the transformational process and surrendered the sheath of the intellect (Vijnanamaya Kosha) where the analytical or intellectual component of the being is fully informed by the divine light attributes, accumulating experiences and knowledge enlightened by the higher deeper aspects of self. Such Sage has digested and integrated the informed divine light into the analytical aspects of the being. He moves from an ordinary man to become a saint. All his experiences and knowledge are then tailored to teach him the higher and deeper aspects of the self or Atman. The teachings that were focussed on gaining experience in life and knowledge for living in the physical world, shift to that of knowing the soul and one's true purpose and mission. He becomes well informed and knowledgeable not through the normal means of attaining them but is informed by the divine attributes within him. The divine attributes of the Atman or self manifest in the very subtle Sheath of Bliss or Anandamaya Kosha that surrounds the soul or Atman.

The article continues,

As the intellect undergoes this transformation, the mental sheath (Manomaya Kosha), associated with the senses, is similarly transformed. Of course, this individual is fully aware of the divine as the prime mover. Since the ego has been given to the divine, every action related to the senses is observed and understood to be none other than the indwelling God or goddess doing the experiencing and enjoying. Such a Buddha can enjoy all the senses without fear of confusion or being lost spiritually in them. For the great tantric who have attained to this state, conventional rules which guide and provide stability, safety, and structure are irrelevant.

As the divine light descends into the sheath of energy (Pranayama Kosha) the entity becomes a Siddha in the truest sense of the word. As defined in the Upanishads, a Siddha is one who has progressed from the exalted ‘state of freed while living’ (Jivanmukta) to ‘supremely free with full power over death’ (Paramukta). This state is referred to in Siddhantha literature as Soruba Mukti or Soruba Samadhi. This Paramukta will rarely retain the transformed physical frame and when so, remains as an avatar. 

MODERATION IS THE WAY

The movie Dhanusu Raasi Neyargale comes across with a wonderful message from a mother to her son. 

The son who believed and carried his grandpa's words telling him that his father died because he did not carry out the remedy meted out in astrology, later becomes obsessed with astrology, seeking it out to make the right decisions and for directions. His mother finally reveals to her son that his father did not die due to that reason but rather they did not have money for the treatment. If everybody saw his death as sudden, his father knew he was dying and could not do anything about it. When the son asks why she did not reveal this earlier she tells him that if he believed in astrology only he shall be harmed whereas if he had believed that the reason his father died was because of lack of money, he would have conned or harmed many in chasing after wealth. She finally adds "that believing astrology is not wrong, but believing only in astrology is a mistake."

And so too it is with the Nadi. Many cannot seem to break away from their overindulgence and dependency on the Nadi even after coming to the path and worshiping the Siddhas for many long years on. I chose not to go back or be pulled into the discussion on Nadi and have refrained from promoting or recommending the Nadi to seekers. It is time we moved on. If I am to entertain the questions on Nadi I shall most definitely be tied down to the post and can never venture far into new pastures and territories. 

Overindulgence or extreme passion traps souls we are told in the Disney movie "Soul" where "the zone, a place that souls can enter when their passions create a euphoric trance, but which can also become a trap for obsessed lost souls" (https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Soul) exists. 

Moderation is the key. Buddha's middle way is the way. S.N.Kandaswamy writes in his book, "The Yoga of Siddha Avvai", Babaji's Kriya Yoga and Publications, Inc, 2004, that "It becomes apparent that the path of the Siddhas was deemed by Saint Tayumanavar to be the golden means between the two extremes of Saiva Siddhanta and Vedanta for the attainments and final liberation." He adds that "The Siddhas reconciled the apparent contradictions arising out of Jnana Kanda and Karma Kanda on the one hand, Vedanta and Siddhanta on the other." 

True to the saying that when we close a door another opens, the Siddhas have turned to another means or medium to communicate their thoughts. Bhogar came to clear the air today on the mystery behind my recent adventure with Ayurveda that I had covered in past posts. He told us that we had gone to the right place at the right time and that my wife was destined to receive treatment but only once. Hence, the reason for the cancellation of the scheduled 7-day continuation of the treatment. He told us that we are to expect variations in the treatment, although it was of the same practice. Hence, it is now understandable why there was a variation in the scope of treatment between the first physician and the second. As for those who are directed to a means of treatment by the Siddhas, Bhogar asked that we have faith in it and pursue it through although apparently, we do not see visible or obvious or drastic improvement or changes. No doubt should arise regarding the efficacy of the said treatment as at times the treatment is meant to treat the other bodies besides the physical body. Hence, the reason one does not see drastic change or relief in the physical body. 

WHEN DIVINITY COMES WITHIN 1

The migrant Indians having arrived from the Indian subcontinent during the colonial era, settled in numerous places in then Malaya, keeping within to their communities. They were mostly based in tea estates and rubber plantations. A few other communities like my fathers came over to do business. Each community built a temple or shrine in all the places they settled in and prayed to their ancestral deities that were exclusive to their clan and community then. The temples were run community-based and were frequented by the particular community with an occasional outsider dropping by. These communities each contributed to the upkeep of their temples. It was a continuation of their worship that began in India and came with them to the countries they settled in. There were temples built by individuals too and managed by their families. 

As the estates and plantations came to be bought over from the British by well-off individuals and became privately owned, the temples and the tradition continued to survive. But as these smallholders and their estates were taken over by larger corporations or taken over for the purpose of development and housing as in recent years, the workers were evacuated leaving the only place they knew that was home to them for generations. The temples were left standing though, welcoming the occasional devotee and the return of the workers and their families once a year to conduct its festivities. Nevertheless having moved out from the estates and plantations the tradition of erecting temples continued in their new places of residence. 

What was a gala-time full of festivities associated with the temple celebrations has dwindled down to a formal form of worship these days in the absence of the local devotees who stood as pillars of support to these temples. These days attending worship at the temple has become more of a formality made on particular days of the week and other auspicious days. It is seen as a requirement to substantiate our identity and faith. These days it is held that if we lose the temples we lose our identity. So too is the driven need to speak the mother tongue in current times less it is lost in time. 

So when Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal and Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar come to Malaysia and began to preach the Siddha way, they hinted at the need to move away from Bakthi or devotion and move to Gnanam, I told them that temples were an identity of our existence in a multiracial and multicultural society like ours. Take it away and we lose our identity. So when Mataji spoke to me yesterday about the wild elephants running on a rampage through her ashram grounds and surroundings knocking down walls and damaging the property and added that the wise men who frequented the ashram had advised her to install the statue of Lord Vinayagar who shall then supposedly ward off the elephants, she asked me for my opinion. She feared that it might offend Tavayogi who had solely preached and upheld the worship of Agathiyar in his times. I told her to go ahead and have Lord Vinayagar installed for many reasons. Besides the wading off of the aforementioned threat by the elephants, the general public is very much attached to temple worship and the worship of the deities. The Siddha way is alien and a mystery to many. But temple worship comes easy has it has been the norm to many for generations. Let them circumambulate Lord Vinayagar and go back in peace. Next, whenever the Siddhas begin to compose their songs they all start off with a prayer to Lord Vinayagar. Even the most radical and right-winged Siddha Sivavakiyar who opposes idol worship starts his song with a prayer to Lord Vinayagar. Agathiyar who is said to reside at the Adhi Kumbeshwar temple in Kumbakonam surprisingly is in the form of Lord Vinayagar. When I mistook the date of Lord Vinayagar's Chaturthi celebrations and arrived a day later to purchase the Arugampul garland to place and decorate Agathiyar as Lord Vinayagar during my puja at AVM, the florist pointed out to me that I had come a day late as the Chaturthi was observed and the festivities were done the night before. But since he had some Arugampul garlands left over, I purchased them and went ahead with my puja and worship to Lord Vinayagar that evening. A few days later Agathiyar called me for a Nadi reading. He lauded my move to worship him as Lord Vinayagar and told me that was the truth too. Lord Vinayagar or Ganapathy Dasan as Agathiyar addressed him, took a brief moment in the same Nadi to state his appreciation.

In the years before coming to the worship of Siddha my devotion was passive in nature. It revolved around daily worship at home and at the occasional worship at the temples in town. Worship at home was over in a jiffy, bringing the palms together to the chest and saying a prayer mostly for the self. Prayer was often self-centered then and mainly a must just before our examinations. Bribes, gifts, and prasad were offered to the deity in return for good marks. It just goes to show our innocence then. Although we were religious in a sense keeping abreast with the festivals that surround the deities and did observe them in our homes too, it did not touch the spirit then. It was void of the love or bond or closeness between the self and the deity. It was more cosmetic in nature, making us look good in society, giving the impression that we were god-fearing and devoted. Neither did we extend our arms to be of service, attending to the care and needs of the temple that was a part of Sariyai, that I came to know in recent years, as there were appointed committees to oversee the running of the temple and take care of its needs. I did know though, that my father was contributing monthly to the upkeep of a particular temple in our hometown as it was run and managed by his community. Then we had another old man stop by our house to collect donations to upkeep the running of another temple in town. 

As a young boy, I followed my friends to read the Thevaram under an elderly teacher from Ceylon. I frequented the Wat Phodhiyaram Thai Buddhist Temple that was next door each Sunday to listen to the many stories told of the Buddha and have a free meal. I took a Bible correspondence course from a Church based in Singapore to know about Christianity. A love to know the divine blossomed within. This love was shown where as a child I painted a most famous scene depicting Saint Avvai's encounter with Lord Murugan on the wall of my home. 

Avvaiyar, believing she had achieved everything that is to be achieved, was pondering her retirement from Tamil literary work while resting under a Naaval tree. She was then met by a disguised Murugan, who jousted with her wittily. He later revealed himself and made her realise that there was still a lot more to be done and learned. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avvaiyar)

Later in my teens, I would be invited to paint murals of Hindu Gods and Goddesses at the temples my brother-in-law help build wherever he was stationed, for the manual group from his public works department. When he helped build the temples in Simpang Empat, Semanggol, and Menglembu, Ipoh, he roped me in to paint its walls. After watching the movie on Sri Raghavendra he became an instant devotee of the saint and today runs the Jegathguru Sri Raghavendra Miruthiga Brindavanam Kinta, Ipoh. 

During my college days, a gardener of Pakistan origin at the polytechnic I studied in, and who accompanied me on the hour-long bus drive into town each morning would share his blissful state in following his faith. Ending my college life and taking up a job saw me frequenting the temples in the coastal town of Lumut that I worked in. As I had much time on hand after office hours, I took up reading about religion and took to worship of the deities in my bachelor home. I got hooked and addicted to worship as I woke up at dawn to perform a simple puja learned from books. I would prepare the night before picking flowers in the garden for the early morning prayers. I did the same in the evenings too without fail. I had senior consultants in the engineering firm like Sethumathavan, Sivaraman, and Kandaih who were a constant inspiration to me with their sharing of views on religion besides their sharing of their vast experiences in engineering.

Then beginning in 1988 till 2001, there was a gap or void in my life where all worship, reading, discussions on religion came to a complete halt. All that was learned and practiced was put aside. It was just work and family. The equation that God was all-merciful, full of compassion, and kind did not balance in real life. Not that I was a victim of injustice but my friends and their families were really put to the test. I guess God thought that I needed a break or I shall harm myself. Hence he came in a dream and asked me to set my questions aside and for a later date. That later date came some 13 years later.

The years 2001 till now saw me turn to the path of the Siddhas after heeding Agathiyar's call, his second, through the Nadi in 2002. A year earlier he had come cloth in mystery and disguised calling me to take on the Vasudeva mantra and chant it. I did as told without questioning. The ride of a lifetime began. It has been an interesting journey of on-hands learning and experience as opposed to the years of reading and talking about religion. The Siddha path is not for the weak at heart I soon came to learn from the experiences shared and as seen in the life of my gurus Supramania Swami and Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal. The third calling came through Agathiyar and Tavayogi, inviting me over to his ashram to witness the many activities he had laid out for the benefit of seekers and the general public. I took up the call and a bonus was thrown in where Tavayogi personally took me on a pilgrimage of Siddha sites and together with the grandmaster Agathiyar showed me numerous miracles. 

With the coming of the guru in physical form, we engaged in rigorous and lengthy rituals at his ashram, in our homes, and at the temples that were Siddha friendly. Soon that was reduced to minutes and came to a halt bringing us to remain silent and go within. The Yoga practices that I picked up from the books in my early years of the search were strengthened by Tavayogi and Acharya Gurudasan. 

The Siddhas break our ego, giving us blows not to hurt or injure us but to wake us up from our dreams. In wanting to thank Tavayogi for stepping into my home, though I got a scolding when he told me, "You are living in Maya. I am a nobody. Hold on to the energy that resides both in you and me. I call it Agathiyan", I got enlightened eventually to see through and beyond the veil that shrouded my sight and vision. I saw the truth that lay beyond all the glamour and limelight that enveloped and surrounded Godmen. In asking for a blessing from Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar, though I felt rejected and came away in disappointment when he told me "To step into Ongakarakudil was itself a blessing", I was enlightened eventually to realize the power, spirit, and nature of his Ashram which was a true dwelling of the Siddhas. Agathiyar made me realize that I needed to become a proper vessel first to receive their blessings and teachings. 

The Siddhas break our hold and attachment on all things be it in the material world or the spiritual too. And so he ended the years of our attachment to the small humble group that we went by the name Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia, that was conferred the name Agathiyar Tapovanam Malaysia by Lord Murugan and later took on the name Gnana Kottam. 

Taking on the blows, if we stay long enough on the path they shall give us all the necessary experiences that shall make us shed the veil that we have falsely covered ourselves with; the veil that is forcefully placed over us; and the veil that surrounds us and suffocates us.

The priestly clan is seen to pass on their sole means of livelihood that revolved around conducting rituals at temples to their children as do many others from other professions train their children to continue their profession. If in the traditional art forms or businesses, the parents seek to see their children pursue and continue the tradition or see their wishes come true in engaging a study and a career or take over their businesses and take the trouble to educate and pass on their horned skills to their children, should not we see to it that apart from the material gains that came with a good education, job or business, the inborn spark, and spirit in our children is fanned up by personally tutoring our children and grandchildren in religious and spiritual matters? 

I sat with my family to watch Disney's animated movie "Soul" last night. What a marvelous depiction of two souls getting to know the difference between one's purpose in life and finding the spark in life. I could relate the movie to what we have gone through. In giving us the 5 tenets in life at the Tamil Sangam of years gone by, Agathiyar clearly listed the five purposes for which each human is born. This was only made known to us recently through Vashisht Vaid blog at https://holysageagathiyar.com/ and only after we had physically fulfilled them. In having fulfilled the call of the purpose in taking birth, Agathiyar then comes a-calling again, the fourth time, knocking on our individual doors now, bringing us to find the spark in each individual's life. As we are told in the movie fulfilling dreams and desires does not change life significantly; and that it is the experience that gives us the spark, Agathiyar exposed us to a flood of experiences, physical, emotional and subtle in nature. At times it was personal experiences. At other times it was retold by others who went through it.

Recently it did dawn on me as to who is going to guide our children and grandchildren who were a gift from the Siddhas, on the path of the Siddhas, as we had been instructed to refrain from all forms of rituals and charity and go within. Agathiyar told us that others will take over from where we left in both sectors. Come September 2021 it will be two years since we abstained from rituals and charity keeping to his word. I want these children to cherish the blissful moments that we had in invoking, and singing the praises to the Lord and the Siddhas. We cannot possibly send them to another, though in the path of the Siddha, to groom them for there are too many variations and a vast difference to their approach, ideology, etc amidst them. These children will return confused. We had come a long way in bringing drastic changes to the mindset and practice of Siddha Neri as vouched by Lord Murugan. Our next ideal would be to bring the divinity within us. We have managed to bring the Siddhas to reside in our minds, hearts, and our homes where they have taken residence permanently with constant puja, rituals, recitation, and chanting. We are currently engaged in connecting with and bringing the divine energy from the Prapanjam or cosmos within too with the blessings and guidance of the Siddhas. This is the spark that we have to sow and nurture in our children and grandchildren. We have to prepare the field and provide a conducive surrounding for the seed to germinate and grow into Siddhas. The stage shall then be set for them for similar divine experiences to create the spark of divinity within them too. When divinity comes within man becomes a saint. Just as the Siddhas always come and ask us to kindle the physical flame that we light in our homes to burn brightly, they come within to fan the flame that burns within to burn brightly with the aid of our breath enhanced by the breathing techniques that they show us. 

Just as Joe Gardner brings hope to an otherwise "soul 22 who feels hopeless and broken about her purpose, and Joe rides with her as far as he can as 22 finally enters Earth," (https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Soul) we are dutifully bound and have a responsibility towards these souls who the Siddhas chose to send to us as children and grandchildren to be tutored and nurtured in the way of the Siddhas. We cannot possibly let them struggle given the myriad of options and distractions out there. Hence I mooted the idea of reviving Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) recently to Mahindren for the sake of these children who are growing up fast and furious. He volunteered to spearhead the movement. Once the pandemic comes to settle we shall see a gathering of children singing the praises of the Siddhas as did the youths come together in 2013. This time around the gatherings will be entirely for the children and focus on their spiritual development. May Agathiyar bless all our endeavors.

THE WAKE-UP CALL

Man who is known to debate endlessly over every single thing retards his progress by doing so. I have seen devotees of Agathiyar in my days of seeking, debate at length as to which is right or wrong, dissecting and analyzing the factors thoroughly even before they embark on the journey. Some others need assurances before starting the journey. Many want to know the results to be expected and the fruits of their action first. They fail to realize that whichever way they choose it will enrich their experience, and they become wiser. They fail to realize that life becomes a teacher, teaching them through experiences. 

When people sit back and argue as to which syllable or word to use or recite as in namah, or namaha, or as in namah or swaha while reciting and chanting mantras; as to the right way or intonation in reciting or pronouncing a particular mantra; and as to which variant of the mantra is right, the good student takes hold of whichever tool given and makes quick and fast progress walking ahead of others leaving them to debate. He walks away from the debate leaving it to come to a closure which often it never does. Rather than engaging in fruitless debates and wasting precious time, he covers much ground meantime.

Similarly, I had received an e-mail from someone who wanted to know why the Agathiyar mantra I had received from Tavayogi which I had mentioned in one of my e-books was different from the one he had received from a Siddha elsewhere. Another devotee who like me had received a similar mantra from Agathiyar through the Nadi but with a slight variation was obviously disturbed and had my nephew call me up to inquire why there was a variation in the mantra and which he was to follow.

A story is told of the arrogant young monk who decided to apprehend an old man for reciting a mantra "wrongly".

A young monk after years of tutelage under his master finally was told by his master that he needed to leave the monastery to get to see the rest of the world. He was instructed to preach the teachings he had acquired at the monastery. The monk left the monastery that was his turf for years and came down the mountain. Upon reaching the plains, the young monk came across an old man chanting on a riverbank. The old man was chanting the mantra that the monk had mastered at the monastery. But it seemed different - with a slight variation. So he apprehended the old man telling him that he was going about the wrong way of reciting the mantra and taught the old man how it should be recited. The old man listened attentively. The young monk was proud that he had passed on what he was taught and that he had found his first candidate to whom he had started to preach.

Now the young lad had to hire a boatman to take him across the river to the nearby village where he could continue preaching. About halfway through the journey across the river, the young monk noticed that the boatman had gone all pale and was looking over his (the monk) shoulder with his mouth wide open. The young monk turned around. What he saw shocked him too. The old man whom he had met at the shores was now standing beside the boat - on the surface of the water! The old man whispered to the lad that he had forgotten the mantra he was taught. He requested that the monk repeat it. The young monk who was pretty shaken up, held the old man’s hand and asked for forgiveness for underestimating the power of his practice. He asked that he pardon him for being egoistic and arrogant and begged to be taken in as his disciple and be allowed to follow him back. 

Due to individuals feeling of insecurity, man has schemed and manipulated fellow men throughout the ages. Even in religious and spiritual circles, he has been made to depend on others for his spiritual-religious needs. Just as parents wrongfully use the fear factor to discipline their children to keep them under control some individuals, and religious and spiritual institutions instill fear in devotees to gain control and their respect. It is time we took charge of our lives and take another look at our relationship with God.

MAKING FRIENDS WITH THE PRAPANJAM

Tavayogi instructed me to carry out the homam or a smaller version of the Yagam or Yagna in my home after I came to know him. I did but reluctantly. I was not captivated by rituals. But he urged me on telling me it was a simple affair and guided me as to what was required and how to go about it, all over the phone. When he visited Malaysia later he introduced more things and procedures into the ritual as I watched and learned from him. He too had started lighting the Yagam at his ashram grounds after the 2004 Tzunami hit parts of the world and devastated towns, destroyed property, and swept away lives. Prior to that horrific event and rage of Mother nature, he carried out the yagam but it was to honor the birth and guru puja of Agathiyar. Soon he introduced the Sarva Dosa Nivaarana Maha Yagam that accommodated prayers to heal the sick and rid the sins of devotees too. By being present at the ritual and by inhaling the smoke that emitted as a result of the herbs and medicinal plants offered into the sacrificial fire it was believed that the health of those who attended would improve. He initiated the move to let devotees sit at individual small Yagam pits that were prebooked for a small contribution and light their own fire as Tavayogi sang and lead the prayers. But due to lack of manpower to supervise and guide these devotees he discontinued it in subsequent years but retained the main Yagam pit that he presided over. The Siddhas were said to come down from their abodes and witness and bless the event. So did I light up the sacrificial fire concurrently with the rituals at Kallar Ashram. Many gathered at AVM while some made the journey to Kallar to participate. Agathiyar mentioned in the Nadi that the Siddhas did come down at both places.

Seeing that I was reluctant and wasn't fully convinced of the efficacy of the ritual, Agathiyar came in the Nadi and told me that I wasn't doing it for myself and my family but for the well being of all that existed in the Prapanjam or all of the manifestation of the cosmos, universe, etc. Only then I realized the magnanimity of the ritual and the great responsibility that was given to me and my family and the few who gathered at my home. We took up the task with dedication, and did the ritual regularly, on Thursday, Full moon and New moon days, and other auspicious days. The heat built up in us too as the fire was fed with ghee and other herbs and medicinal plants. Other devotees joined us and gathered together to carry out the rituals that soon found their way to selected temples that accepted Siddha worship. It brought on a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment knowing that we were doing a small part to give back to the cosmos. 

Although we are told in the many texts that the fire in the sacrificial pit receives and delivers our offerings to the deities in their realms, we never peered into the everchanging form of the fire to identify deities. We took it as an honor in being given an opportunity to honor prapanjam instead as Tavayogi and Agathiyar intended. We knew that our small effort would go a long way to heal and protect it.

This ritual was carried out through the years, beginning with our meeting with Tavayogi and getting initiated officially into the Siddha path in 2005, through to late 2019 when Agathiyar brought it all to a halt, asking us to drop it and move on into the many aspects of Yoga. Sariyai and Kriyai were brought to a halt as we embarked on Yogam and Gnanam. Surprisingly even the many programs of charity charted and carried out were brought to a halt as we stepped into going within. The pandemic and the lockdown that came into place ensured that we adhered to this. Hardly did we step outdoors except to purchase the essentials. 

Although we were rather unclear initially about Agathiyar's move in the closure and dissolving of the groups that came soon after, eventually he disclosed the motive of his move. He had come to tell us that henceforth it was a lone journey. We too figured his move and what he was up to subsequently. We learned that he was breaking our attachment to it all. We had grown fond of the group and the family. We had grown fond of the Satsang. We had grown fond of the rituals and puja. But if he allowed us to be, we would still be engaged in what we started doing in 2013. We understood that he meant well in dissolving all that was painstakingly put in place and organized, just as the Buddhis monks after painstakingly sitting together to create the Mandala destroy it after a small prayer. It was to drive the point that nothing was permanent in this world. 

Another reason I guess is that we had contributed enough to the Prapanjam. Now it was time to receive from it. The immense power of prayers, puja, and rituals was seen and experienced by all those who gathered, as it helped bridged both worlds, the Siddhas and ours. The Siddhas crossed over and came to bless and guide us, dropping the need to seek their blessings and messages conveyed through the medium of the Nadi anymore. Now they found another means and another medium to communicate and touch us personally through selected devotees. Soon they came to assist and show us the way to connect and tap into the cosmos. It came in torrents as in a torrential pour, unassisted and by their grace. The floodwaters were let out. The dam was opened. They helped bring the cosmic energy within us and showed us numerous practices to enhance the flow and retain the energy within. Amazingly when I was with Siddha physician Arivananthan he had shown us to stand on tip-toes and raise our hands to stretch and reach for the sky while at the same time planting both the feet firmly into the ground. But he told us it was a means to strengthen the nerves and keep the body fit. Similarly, though we could feel the prana surge within us as we practiced further, we never knew that the yoga practices Tavayogi showed us and that we adopted helped bring the prapanjam within until Ramalinga Adigal initiated us into it.

While the Yoga practices cleared the path of the nerves removing deadlocks and blockages and revived the chakras to perform optimum, the Prapanjam came within and energized the elements within the body. Just as Agathiyar had reminded us that we were not doing the homam for our sake but that for the wellness of the Prapanjam and all in it, the Siddhas, in return, helped bring the goodness of the Prapanjam to us. The fort that is the body or Kaya Puri was hence strengthened as the Prapanjam was brought within. The various bodies in turn were strengthened and energized too, the energy spreading out through the layers and beyond coming in contact with all those within reach and receptive to it.

As the saying goes a good deed deserves another, the task given to us that was done unselfishly and without questioning the fruits of our action or desiring rewards for carrying it out saw the Prapanjam return the favor in our deepest hours of need. Lord Dhanvanthri came and told my daughter that the Prapanjam shall heal her eyesight and that he shall heal her with his energy too. True to what he said, the doctors today certified that she was recovering well after her operation. The doctors and their deep knowledges were the tools and the method to perform the procedure and their effort end there. The healing has to take place from within often assisted and aided with continued monitoring and care, and with medicines and technology. The Prapanjam comes to take over and continues from where the doctors left. 

Today we fully understand the reason the Siddhas took to performing the Yagam. Besides amplifying its strength through the chantings that accompany the ritual, the very structure of the Prapanjam is preserved and strengthened to serve God's play or Lila. As the water evaporates and rises to form clouds by the heat generated by the Sun, smoke, and mantras from the Yagam pit reach out to the sky forming and becoming cloud storage from whence files could be downloaded when and as required to save a soul, to heal another, etc. As the saying goes "You reap what you sow", the merits and good deeds done for the continued sustenance of the Prapanjam return to us enriching our lives. Please do take up the practice of performing Homam in your homes. 

EVOLVING WITH THE SIDDHAS

Gandhi in writing about his acquaintance with religions writes in his autobiography that he came to know two theosophists who invited him to read the Gita together. A verse from Sir Edwin Arnold's translation of the Gita made a deep impression on him.

If one ponders on objects of the sense
there springs attraction
from attraction grows desire
desire flames to fierce passion
passion breeds recklessness
then the memory - all betrayed - lets noble purpose go
and saps the mind
till purpose, mind, and man are all undone.

In writing about passion that goes astray, he believes in the efficacy of prayers to cleanse the heart of passions.

"Supplication, worship, prayer are no superstition; they are acts more real than the acts of eating, drinking, sitting, or walking. It is no exaggeration to say that they alone are real all else is unreal. I have not the slightest doubt that prayer is an unfailing means of cleansing the heart of passions. But it must be combined with the utmost humility."

Gandhi writes "If an unbeliever he will attribute his safety to chance. If a believer he will say God saved him." To be humble is to believe that there is someone above us moving the chess pieces.

He adds that "Knowledge of religion as distinguished from experience seems but chaff in such moments of trial. When every hope is gone, when helpers fail and comforts flee I find that help arrives somehow from I know not where."

Tavayogi told us that when he was traveling the length and breadth of India seeking answers, often going hungry, there was a moment when a couple turned up before him giving him a hot meal. On the last leg of his travels to Sathuragiri before he began to camp in its jungles for 8 years, an "old man" who came by gave him a bun that reviewed Tavayogi who was on the verge of collapsing out of extreme fatigue and pain in his chest as he marched into the forest. The blessings showered on my gurus sprinkled on me too as I was served hot food by good samaritans, devotees, and neighbors bringing the food to my doorsteps as I stayed alone and to myself and in the comfort of my home for the most part of the past year and a half. Their blessings trickled to my family too as help came to my daughter when a private doctor who discovered her eye disorder wrote us a referral letter to see the specialist in the government hospital. The specialist while she brought forward her operation on the eye with the problem to an earlier date, immediately called for her presumed good left eye that was discovered to be in need of treatment too to be attended to the same day. In a matter of days, she was attended to and discharged. As Gandhi says somehow help arrives, indeed it did.

We are indeed fortunate to have the Siddhas as our gurus. Coming through their medium of communication, the written word on treated and preserved palm leaves called Nadi or Olai, Agathiyar called me to his abodes led by Tavayogi. A brush of the wind, a scent or aroma that lingered in the air for a while, a coolness or chillness that ran through the back in the hot summer; these were the signs that he showed me. This was the modus operandi of the ever-elusive Siddhas. A wink or a stare in his granite statue at Agasthiyampalli was a much-awaited bonus as he had promised me in the Nadi. From the unseen, he then showed himself in the physical form as the guru. Soon he came in the statues or paintings opening his eyes to capture our attention that is forever fixed elsewhere, opening our eyes to the reality of his existence. 

Gandhi wrote on the guru.

"An imperfect teacher may be tolerable in mundane matters but not in spiritual matters. Only a perfect gnani deserves to be enthroned as guru." Such powerful words. The Siddha fits his description aptly. The word Siddha is defined as the "perfected one".

Siddha (Sanskrit: सिद्ध siddha; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished". It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual perfection or enlightenment. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/)

They make their presence seen, heard, sensed, felt, and known in various ways according to the extent of our involvement on the path and evolvement in our various bodies. To the beginner whose sight is laid on the external, they perform countless miracles. Bringing his attention now to the path, they come as a beacon of light or a lighthouse safely guiding him from harm's way and the rapids and rocks that lie submerged beyond his sight in deep troubled waters. Furthermore, they come as food for the elements within us to keep us alive. In event our body fails us they come as medicinal herbs and prasad or energized food offerings that work on the physical body or level. They come through medical doctors and medicines as lifesavers. They become his saviors or guardian angels.

To those who come under the tutorship of a guru in physical form, he is both master and guru. The guru lifts him from his practice of Sariyai and leads him through the other stages namely Kriyai, Yogam, and Gnanam. To those who begin to worship them within, they make their presence felt not seen. The momentary sense of extreme earth-shaking vibration that takes place under our feet; the bliss within oneself as their energy passes through momentarily and at times to stay to gesture or convey and say a few words to those gathered; are a couple of ways to realize their presence around us and within us respectively. If and when necessary the Siddhas' energy comes through a person or medium to heal as in healing the chakras in the energy body. Soon they come in others and speak too, the energy now verbalized. They make us aware of their energy that is ever prevalent and present in all of matter. They bring the prapanjam or cosmos to aid and heal us. They come as a receiving tower reaching out to the skies that taps the cosmic energy from the cosmos and turning into a transmitting tower that now passes on the energy onto others in need, hence bridging the two bodies - the energy and physical bodies. 

If we are told on the onset that God was in all things around us, we would neither accept nor would we recognize him and walk past him or through him. It is said that those who know the truth dread to step on the slopes of the holy hill of Arunachala for there are said to be sages in samadhi underneath. The saint Karaikal Ammaiyaar was said to have walked on her head to Lord Shiva's abode not wanting to tread the holy place with her feet. So did I find it difficult to digest it when Tavayogi pointed to the skies and told me the Siddhas showered flower petals on us as we made our way to their abodes in the jungles. I looked up towards the sky and saw nothing. The sky was not falling. I used to take deep breaths trying to inhale the smells and aromas that he pointed out to me that he said lingered in the air in these places. Of course, I could not possibly have seen and taken in the aroma. I had not even a fraction of Tavayogi's experience in the field. It was my maiden journey following my guru into the woods to discover the Siddhas. Try as he did to make me aware of their presence and gain the experience I failed badly in recognizing the traits of the ever-evasive Siddhas. When Tavayogi pointed out to me that Agathiyar was opening and closing his eyes in his granite statue at Agasthiyampalli and I was struggling to see the miracle, I sensed his disappointment as he let me inside the shrine again and have me sit closer to Agathiyar. Maybe he thought my glasses and poor sight were interfering with my vision of the miracle shown. But the most compassionate Agathiyar did not let me return to my homeland empty-handed. As I crossed my legs to sit on the floor, Tavayogi threw me his shawl and motioned me to spread in on the floor and sit. That was when I saw Agathiyar open an eye, his left in the granite statue of his installed by King Kuberan at the very start of Kali Yuga! 

And so it was that they placed a marker or stone at the spot wherever God materialized his energy form and was seen or felt or heard. These soon became shrines and temples and places of worship that showed the locals, God with form. Tavayogi too placed a statue at the spot in the jungles of Kallar where Agathiyar gave him darshan in the form of light, only to be removed later by the authorities. 

A friend lamented to me that some senior devotees whom he knew and who had come to the path some 30-40 years ago, had taken up the path of the Siddhas had come one cycle and were seeking the Nadi to solve their issues. They had started with the Nadi but after many years on the path seem not able to lose their dependency on it. Haven't the institutions they were aligned with and the gurus taught them to let go of the tools? Tavayogi often asked us, "Why do you need the Nadi (when Agathiyar was with you)?" The Nadi is sought to gain ground on the path. The Nadi is akin to the farmer irrigating and watering the field. Once we germinate we can safely let go of our dependence on it and take up the faith in Agathiyar as our roots grow deeper into the soil or Marga or path. Once we have covered sufficient ground and depth and come to know the Siddhas through the Nadi, we can drop our hold on it and engage in direct talk with them. But true to what he highlighted, they are still hooked to the medium, freezing in time.

We were fortunate to be shown the practice and the tools. We learned, gained the experience, and were willing to let it go only to pick the tools again if and when necessary. When we excel in a practice the guru weans us out of it bringing us to yet another practice. As Sadguru says the Siddha path is about sadhana, there is no end to sadhana in the Siddha tradition. Tavayogi even after living the life of a mendicant and attaining the state of a Tavayogi kept on practicing pranayama in the early morning hours. He would call for a puja or lighting the sacrificial Yagam when the need arises. If and when there is a necessity they take up the tools to implore Lord Siva or to show us the way, as Bhogar implored Siva while conducting libation or abhisegam, to open his door and let us in. Similarly, Goddess Ma showed us how to please Agathiyar and gain his blessings. Agathiyar told us that hearing our plea they had taken up the fire ritual or yagam to implore Siva to save Tavayogi's life the first time he was battling with life. Ramalinga Adigal out of compassion for us too was willing to come down from his stand on not indulging in the worship of lesser deities and those arts and practice related to them. Although it wasn't his turf yet he stepped out of his way to satisfy our pleas. But as we did not have the things he asked for on hand he referred the devotee to another deity.

I had stayed away from such worship that took place in my neighborhood as a child. I would see a goat slaughter from afar and the deities invoked. They were fierce and frightening, holding up whips and swords. But I would attend the feast that followed and would savor the goat that was sacrificed. As a student, I witnessed similar sessions of trance. To our surprise, the energy came on my brother but minus the sacrifice in the temple that my brother-in-law help built while stationed there to oversee the public works projects. The deities left my brother one day informing us that they shall not come through him henceforth. 

My first close encounter with Ma Kali was when my colleague invited me to his home and Kali manifested in someone. I was reluctant to meet her for fear of her but upon insistence, I stood before her. The moment she lifted her hand and placed it on my head I fainted not before I felt a surge of heat go through the crown of my head. 

When Agathiyar sent youngsters to AVM to learn puja or worship to the Siddhas, we witnessed the many manifestations of the deities in succession paying homage to Agathiyar. Contrary to what was potrayed on Tv, and media they were all gentle. We saw the other side of them. They did not acknowledge our presence, neither did they address us. They came to see Agathiyar and pay their respects to him. Soon they began to address our cause. Then the Siddhas stepped into our homes together with the divine. We never knew that what started as a small prayer to the Siddhas could go a long way in bringing divinity into our small homes. I guess the size of the home was insignificant to them. They only saw the size of our hearts. 

A BIG THANK YOU

With God's grace, the timely intervention of the Siddhas, the vast knowledge, and the numerous state-of-the-art medical technologies including diagnostic medical equipment, durable medical equipment, the countless treatment equipment, life support equipment, the medical laboratory equipment, etc made available to care for patients and the life-saving procedures conducted by the skilled hands of the medical team, and with your prayers, my daughter went through the procedure to correct her eye disorder successfully yesterday. Now she shall need time to recuperate. Thank you again.

She was the one who brought me to the Siddha path says Agathiyar in the Nadi. She would spearhead the bhajans we had at AVM whenever she was around. In a past birth my wife, me, and she were at Papanasam selling fruits at the temple grounds. She would offer fruits to Agathiyar in this temple. When she was down with the dengue fever Agathiyar in the Nadi told us that he had come to her with Tirumular to increase her white blood cell and platelet counts when she spent a night at the hospital.

While we were wondering what triggered her disorder, my cardiologist friend deduced correctly. He wrote to me,

I read your latest post. My prayers and best wishes to your daughter. It is rather unusual to have retinal detachment at an young age. At that age, it is usually associated with severe eye strain. Do have her thoroughly investigated. I am sure your doctors are going to do that.... just my concern.

She is a student in Bachelor of Social Sciences (Media Communications), a fusion of journalism, broadcasting, film studies, and media literacy. Her studies involved long hours before the computer. With the lockdown, there was even more exposure watching the screen as lessons were carried out online. My first guru Supramania Swami had predicted correctly that her eyesight would be affected as he looked into her horoscope the very first time I met him in 2003. As Tavayogi used to tell us obstacles and problems shall arise but with the blessings of the Siddhas, they give us the means and the ways and the strength to overcome them, we see the truth in his saying. But the timing could not be better, as she had completed her thesis and is now undergoing her internship in a company. She is required to produce promotional videos. All that has to come to a halt while she recovers. Ironically my elder daughter too met with a road accident and broke her leg while doing her internship. She too recovered with the grace of the divine. The four-month study she was offered by a university in South Korea as a part of an annual student exchange program between the two universities was postponed to her advantage. We dread to think about how and what she would have done if she discovered her eye disorder while there. 

She told me that she wants to write about her experience once she recovered fully just as her sister had written her experience on her blog. Her sister wrote a letter to a local daily too.

http://berrysweetprincess.blogspot.com/2011/04/caring-malaysians-kindness-helps-ease.html

http://berrysweetprincess.blogspot.com/2011/04/learning-to-walk-again.html

http://berrysweetprincess.blogspot.com/2011/04/autologous-conditioned-plasma-acp.html

http://berrysweetprincess.blogspot.com/2011/05/feelings-of-discomfort.html

http://berrysweetprincess.blogspot.com/2011/10/year-went-by.html

We cannot put in words our gratitude to the divine for looking over our shoulders at all times. Thank you, dear Lord.

WORKING TOWARDS THE IDEAL

Let it happen and I shall believe says the man. Belief and it shall happen say the Siddhas. Man needs a miracle to convince him. The Siddhas ask us to believe in miracles and it shall materialize. The Siddhas do not perform miracles for show. Instead, deep faith brings forth miracles. The divide between God and man is broken with the coming of the Siddhas. They are the hand that raises us and prepares us to meet God. They bring God down to us. Their concern is for humanity to discover God. Hence they come as angels, guides, and gurus. They stand like beacons, lighthouses, libraries, and a place to turn to when all hell breaks loose. They come to support, give a shoulder, take on our pain, lift our burden off our shoulders and relieve us of its weight. Even before we come face to face with impending danger the Siddhas wait ahead of us ready to assist, save, comfort, and bring relieve us. Traveling their path and as they come down from their heavenly residence to join a sinner like us on our journey, the path of thorns disappears, and in its place roses bloom. These are words from someone who has seen their magical touch in every moment of his life. 

And so it hurts when those who had been in the Siddha path for years turn against them to scorn and blame the Siddhas for their losses, failures, and suffering. The irony is that breaking their ties with the Siddhas, wondering in search of other paths and what it has to offer, they come back and knock on the door again. Those who have vouched their lives for the cause sadly are the ones to leave first. But the Siddhas are not the least disturbed for they know far too well that they shall come back one day. I guess Agathiyar is showing and teaching us a lesson by orchestrating all these happenings before our eyes.

There is always a lesson to be learned behind every encounter. If it is hurtful we are reminded not to repeat them. If it hurts to see another fall and hurt himself, we are reminded not to follow suit. 

I use to wonder why should these great beings who are at par with God come to us meager humans who have so many flaws in us? Was it to give us riches that are perishable in a split of a second? What is their message for humans? 

Trying to figure out our purpose in life on earth, we moved from one goal to another, realizing that that was not IT as we saw them brush each goal of ours aside. Finally, they revealed from within that to join their institution or assemblage is THE goal that we should strive for.

Along the way, we engaged in puja, what was solely done for the self and family, expanding to cover the wellness of all and for the good of prapanjam or the universe. In engaging in rituals too, we were in actuality praying for all the contributors whose produce came to be used in the sacrificial fire that reaches out bringing these offerings to the deities. We engaged in charity feeding the hungry and stocking their homes with sufficient groceries to sustain them for a period. In savoring good food we never failed to think of others who missed the meals that we enjoyed hence bringing the essence to them through our thoughts. Showing us the way to keep fit, they shared the ancient art of Yoga and correct diet and living. This soon expanded to others as it was passed on to them too. With the little understanding we had, partaking a drop from the vast ocean of divine knowledge that they sat upon, we shared them too to those keen to know, not wanting to dump this precious knowledge to those who window shop.

The Siddha institution or assemblage that has a large following however speaks about a small number of sages, Siddhas, rishis, munis, and saints. Why only some came into the limelight? For instance, while Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar lists the names of 131 Siddhas in his Siddhargal Potri Thoguppu, and Tavayogi lists out 207, it is common to mention only 18 Siddhas. My wife gave me the answer. She told me although there are many only a certain number will be shown to the outside. Many will not be shown to the public.

Becoming at par with them, as fellow Siddhas was their ideal dream for us too. Of course, this is only possible for those who equally cherish this dream too. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. One needs to have vairagya or determination. Otherwise, he needs to have self-discipline or be prepared to be disciplined. They then move us towards achieving it. Having either or both never then is a day where they let their guards down and let go of the noose, letting us loose. They watch over us, groom us, mold us, nurture us to shine just like them. All it takes on our part is a little bit of commitment to their cause. Soon their cause becomes ours too. We sail together bringing down barriers and erecting monuments that tell a tale to those yet to follow.

Let us not rest on our laurels, fame, and fortune but instead turn our sights on the ideals of the Siddhas. Let us strive to become Siddhas too.

A SHARING

Reading my previous posts my cardiologist friend shared the following.

(W)holistIc medicine is the answer to health issues of the people. 

Allopathy reveals effects of a particular treatment, both good and bad. We mostly know what to expect. Other systems refrain from revealing the same.

I am open to use other systems. My good friend is a homeopath and we use his services often. I have found profound effects for skin and joint problems.

I only wish the practitioners of other systems don't have a prejudice against allopathy, and join hands for the common good.

He had shared some tips on maintaining good health which I had posted earlier.

According to Indian traditional medicines (ayurveda and siddha), one can be healthy by balancing three life humors and seven body humors. Drugs that contain all six tastes can do this. For example, amla (gooseberry), triphala, etc. But, in today's lifestyle, these two are not sufficient as you feel and I also agree with you.

Once in a six month, you need to subject you for body service. It means purgation, vomiting (vamanam) and sweating or sputum expectoration are the three procedures to balance vaatham (vata), pitham (pitta) and kapham respectively. This can be effectively done under ayurveda or siddha physicians.

In ayurveda, they do it in panchakarma therapy.

In siddha, it is done in two phases :

Phase one is to balance three life forces by giving a single dose of Agathiyar kuzhambu (The formula of sage Agastya). This will cause vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, sputum expectoration, etc., according to the vitiate humor. This is a one day therapy and it has to be taken once in six months.

Second phase is to balance seven body humors. This is done by taking Kaya kalpam drugs. Ancient Yogi especially Agastya muni and Dhanvantari consumed this Kaya kalpa therapy for long living.

Currently available Kaya kalpam drugs are Triphala tablet, Karisalai karpam tablet, Bhringaraj karpam powder, etc. You can take the first tablet for five months in the morning and evening and then give one month gap.

Then start second or third tablet for the next five months. Again, leave a gap of one month. This should be continued for life long.

I have been using these two tablets. This Triphala karpam tablet is different and enriched with other herbals as well.

Weekly once, you need to use pancha karpa kuliyal choornam. This powder is boiled in milk and then applied over the scalp at morning.

Wait for one hour and then take bath. On that day, you never feel sleepy instead you will be more brisk or refresh.

In addition, once in six months take Agathiyar kuzhambu just once for balancing three dhoshas. I feel this regimen is cheaper and effective than regular Panchakarma.

Early stage brownish or white hairs will also become black. This is the kaya kalpa regimen for a healthy individual.

BATTLE OF THE SCIENCES

Looking back on the events mentioned in the past two posts, I am still wondering why Bhogar who is a Siddha sent a devotee for treatment in Ayurveda instead of sending her to the numerous Siddha physicians we know. I can only come to an understanding that he acknowledged that Ayurveda treatment was best for her problem. Calling up my friend and Siddha physician Arivananthan, he told me he did not see any difference between the two - Ayurveda and Siddha traditions. The only difference was in the language - one in Sanskrit and the other in Tamil.

Searching the net I came across a beautiful explanation by Sadhguru at https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en/wisdom/article/health-a-holistic-perspective

He explains in plain and simple terms that we commoners can assimilate and digest and that is both logical and practical. He says in cases of emergency to head for the emergency ward in hospitals and seek allopathic medicine and treatment. 

Go for Ayurveda if only you have time to recover says Sadhguru. Ayurveda therapy diagnoses, identifies, and heals medical problems that have set in. As it takes time to treat and heal it is best that we come in for treatment on the onset of the disease or illness, or when it is mild or just evolving. We see this truth in the growth of fungus around my daughter's toes that was a result of something else happening within her when Isha explains that "But the manifestation of the disease in the form of a symptom is very minor. What is happening is at a much deeper level, which cannot be treated with external medicine."

As for Siddha therapy the Siddhas chose to keep medical problems at bay with the intake of medicinal herbs, exercises, yoga, etc. As and when problems arise they deal with them through numerous means. 

Sadhguru says it beautifully, "Ayurveda is more disease-oriented, whereas Siddha is more health-oriented."

The study of the Panchabhootas or five elements and the three Dosas is common to both sciences of Ayurveda and Siddha. The holistic approach taken in Ayurveda as explained by Sadhguru applies in Siddha too says Arivananthan. Sadhguru though says that Siddha treatment has an additional component that of Sadhana or practice and Bhuta Suddhi. He says it is simply about "rejuvenation, strengthening the inner sources of the body and activating the body in a certain way." He adds that they deal with the fundamental material of the body - the elements. Here we see a distinct difference in that if allopathy and Ayurveda inject and infuse medicine respectively to heal the problem, the Siddhas ingest herbal preparations or Kaya Kalpam, that supplement the body, strengthening it from within, and bringing on Kaya Siddhi or immortality. Sadhguru hints that to become a Siddha needs internal mastery.

Just as Agathiyar told my daughter in the Nadi not to go for alternative treatment but to pursue the treatment at the general hospital for her fractured leg; just like he switched her from continuing to apply a cream for the fungus between her toes given at a clinic and instead seek Siddha treatment with Dr.Krishnan, a Siddha physician and later revealing further Siddha medicines and treatment in her Nadi; just as he had my other daughter admit in the wards of the general hospital after she succumbed to the dengue fever, where he reveals in the Nadi later that he came with Tirumular to increase her blood count and bring on a quick recovery; just as my wife has all these while been directed by him to the general hospital for all her ailments; and when I succumbed to extreme and excruciating pain in the lower back relief came by in a combination of therapies and treatments - through the administration of Siddha herbs revealed in Agathiyar's Nadi; the divine touch of Dhanvantri who applied the sacred ashes that his devotees had brought our from his temple "coincidently" at the precise time; exercises given by the physiotherapists at the hospital; an injection given by a friend and devotee who was a medical doctor; further exercises from a friend and devotee who was a gym instructor and finally through the medium of the Jeeva Nadi of Lord Muruga where he spoke and walked us through the treatment while a devotee healed my back with a bunch of peacock feathers - so it seems that each science either works on its own or complements the other.

Sadhguru sums it all up beautifully, "I am not committed to any system. My commitment is to human health. You may be committed to Siddha, you may be committed to Allopathy, you may be committed to Ayurveda, but when a man is sick, he wants health, he doesn’t care how. Do you care how you should become healthy? When you are not healthy you want health, you don’t care how it happens. This combination of things has been working wonderfully."

Let us have an open mind and keep it that way. Everything has a place in this beautiful world of ours and this wonderful journey of ours. Let us not tear each other down.

NO END TO LEARNING

After the unprecedented chain of events that took place on our visit to an Ayurveda center recently, that I had written about in an earlier post at https://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2021/03/when-man-meets-siddhas-6.html, I am still reeling over and trying to digest what went on and why we were "called" over. As usual, I went through the chain of unprecedented events in my mind and prodded over what is the message and learning for me as in all unusual happenings and those beyond the norm there was always a new learning, quite similar to the many morals embedded in the famed Aesop's Fables. 

After taking the cue from Bhogar who showed a devotee to the Ayurveda center for her medical problem I called to make an appointment for my wife too for her frozen shoulder. Upon arriving at the center we were invited in and immediately had a consultation with the resident physician. He made known to us the treatment that was to be administered. He added that it could only start once the said Ayurvedic poultice was made, and that would take some time. Just as we were about to sign up for the treatment I received a call from the center. The person on the other end asked me why I had not come in for the treatment as it was nearing the end of my appointed time. I told her that I was already in consultation with their physician. But she insisted that I walk over to her center. As I needed some clarification I asked the physician and the staff attending to us if the centers were not aligned or under an umbrella and were run by different management. They replied that they were one, and it was fine that we saw them, adding that this center was a later annexment to the main center since they had space constraints in the main building. I placed everything on hold till I got a clear picture from both parties and headed to the main building. 

This was a valuable lesson I learned in my early years of worship to the Siddhas. When people came over to my home with problems both my wife and I would listen patiently. It should have ended there. But due to our over-enthusiasm and eagerness to be of help we started to dish out advice that backfired on us. Referring to this matter to Tavayogi over the phone, I got a good scolding from him. He asked why did we get involved? We should send them to Agathiyar to plead and cry their heart out. At times the husband would come over alone and talk his heart out. When we meet the wife we would get a completely different picture of the events. We decided henceforth to see both husband and wife together.

So I headed to the main center wanting to hear both sides of the story and to verify and make some sense of the whole episode. A masseuse was in waiting and invited my wife in for the treatment. I asked her should not she first see the report from the physician who saw us at their annexed block. She replied asking us to drop that consultation and referred us to another in-house physician instead. As I stood trying to make sense of the whole turn of events, she kept inviting us for the treatment. Deciding to go with the flow, we met yet another physician. He prescribed an entirely different approach and treatment for her pain. He told us that he shall contact us as to when we could start receiving the treatment. As we were about to leave, the masseuse invited and led my wife into a room to begin the treatment! After about an hour she saw us out having treated my wife the same day. I stood baffled. Why was there a sudden urgency in treating her that day that came about quite mysteriously without the need for the sanction from the physicians? There was a predetermined treatment laid out for her and waiting. I knew that there was a hidden hand manipulating the whole series of events. 

When the center sent me the seven-day schedule for treatment to confirm I did not make any changes to it as they had tried to accommodate to their best the mid-day and noon timings I wanted. This was a requirement set by the center for all forms of treatment. But as a turn of events unfolded with my daughter requiring to be treated at the eye hospital during the same time, I called to inform the center and asked that her schedule be postponed. The girl took note and told me that they shall get back to us. Meanwhile, a fellow devotee who had brought in his father for a similar treatment was told that the ladies slot were all taken up. He had intended to bring his mother over too. Figuring that the time they allocated for my wife previously could be filled by his mother who had the same problem as my wife, I put in the suggestion when the center called me. This time it was a man on the other end. But the person on the line insisted that she see the physician and has to come half hour earlier. I told him that can be arranged and if there was any change to the treatment it could be decided then. Only then did he introduce himself as a physician and kept saying the same. Seeing that there was an obstacle in the way, I asked if he did not want business? I understood that the center was badly impacted during the first lockdown and subsequent partial lockdowns over the past year and a half. Then I told him that I was shown to the center by Bhogar. There was a hint of ignorance in his voice when he asked, "Bhogar?" repeatedly. I asked him if he knew Bhogar. He surprised me by telling me that he did not know Bhogar. I could not believe that someone practicing alternative and traditional medicine has not heard of Bhogar. I explained to him and yet he was ignorant. I then asked him if he knew Dhanvantri? He said he knew. I then asked the million-dollar question that erupted the volcano in me. I asked if he knew Agathiyar? He replied, "That is Siddha practice. We are into Ayurveda!" If Bhogar did not see any distinction between the two and had recommended us to receive treatment in Ayurveda, why should a practitioner see it as alien? I told him that all sciences originated from one and that if he was to see disparity in them I shall not want to go ahead with the treatment. They canceled the schedule shortly after. 

As I was pondering over this chain of events I was saddened to see an unhealthy pattern develop among practitioners of alternative medicine too. If we see the profound divide between the Vaishnavite and Saivaite; and in other worlds religions, after coming to the Siddha path and in my search I became uncomfortable and disturbed when many non-followers saw Siddha worship as alien to the mainstream religions and viewed it from a negative perspective. The Nadi of the Siddhas too drew flak and negative comments from many. Coming into the inner circle I saw a large divide between the Siddha worshippers themselves and the mushrooming of several distinct sets of followers too within this inner circle, upholding numerous disciplines, codes of practice, and rules. Even the goal varied amongst them. Sadly patrons of Siddha establishments too chose to divide and rule as in politics. 

Here is where I saw the whole picture coming into place. It was an eye-opener for me though it came as a rude shock. 

Seeing vested interests, hard and fast rules laid, doctrines, and codes that strangled and chained souls in other establishments made me shy away and seek on my own the messages, teachings, and practices of the Siddhas. I took on a lone journey, not in covering a remarkable distance or making considerable mileage in the external world but instead we made fast and much progress through the rituals given. I did them initially with my immediate family in the confines of my home. With the coming of seekers who were shown to my home by Agathiyar in the Nadi, my home gained a name and reputation as Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM). Lord Murugan came later to upgrade the version naming our home Agathiyar Tapovanam Malaysia (ATM). Soon the Siddhas congregated and named it Gnana Kottam, an honor that was showered on us. 

We were well-groomed in Sariyai. With the advent of the Siddhas and the Gurus in physical form, we have weaned away from temple worship that is the foundation and stepping stone laid by our ancestors and carried on by our parents and in turn introduced to us. Supramania Swami introduced me to the guru-disciple relationship. Tavayogi came as a guru on the Siddha path and initiated and introduced us to rituals. These were initially done personally by us in our homes and later expanded into select temples that respected and accommodated Siddha worship. The divide was broken. We saw the acceptance of the Siddha Marga in families and temples. 

Going by the queries I receive on the Nadi, I believe, this blog and the many posts on the Nadi has shed new light on this ancient and mysterious means of communication by the Siddhas too. I believe that readers are now well informed about this medium.

In the early eighties, I was shown a Siddha physician by a friend who treated my heaty body constitution with a Siddha preparation that was commercially available over the counter. It was called Chyawanprash and was made in Kerala. Getting to known the late Dr. Krishnan in the late nineties, he saw my horoscope and commented that I shall excel in astrology and Siddha medicine and offered to teach me. Although I did not take up his offer and although I was never keen to learn both officially, I read much about both sciences. My perspective of the astrologers who squatted on the walkways and pavements and dished out the future to passersby for a meager fee changed the moment I began to draw up a horoscope from scratch beginning with mine and referring and verifying with the chart that was drawn for me by previous astrologers and the Dr. I understood it to be a great science. Drawing up the horoscope was only half the battle won. One had to interpret the movement of the planets or Gochara Palan and predict and forecast the future happenings correctly. So was it with medicine. I read through the books and had my wife prepare the herbal portions mentioned in these books making me a guinea pig. 

After the happenings at the Ayurveda center, I realized that if we had had a taste of Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam, and Gnanam, the multifold paths laid by the Siddhas, there was one outstanding field that the Siddhas indulged in which we had not ventured into that of medicine and astrology thoroughly. The million-dollar question has started me to venture to know about Ayurveda and Siddha practice and if indeed there is a difference as held by others. I shall share with readers once I understand the subject well. 

Tavayogi had taught us well. He made us look beyond the superficial, look beyond the fringes, and look beyond the mass byproducts of religion and spiritualism and search for the core and the center, and search for the source and origin. Introducing the Siddha path and Agathiyar he stepped aside and went into oblivion for fear that we might hold on to him and see him as God instead. This lesson was carried by us in seeing all further things and in all our further ventures. It has helped us from falling into traps laid out all along the journey of life. If there are many traps in the material world so too are there many traps in the religious and spiritual world. We shall fall prey to them never to arise again unless we have a guru who forewarns us or helps us sail through without getting attached to the lures of all three worlds. We are lucky and fortunate to have Agathiyar and his entourage guard over us. We are truly indebted to him.

AMAZING STORIES

As I drove my daughter from the eye clinic yesterday, I told her that we have had sufficient stories of miracles performed by Agathiyar and the Siddhas that we could write "The Book of Amazing Stories". She being an ardent reader too, together we have read many books on amazing stories in the past. We talked over that it was time we compiled one on the Siddhas.

Several days back as she was tightening the screws to the frames of her spectacles she mentioned that she saw a curtain partially hide the vision on her right eye. I looked through the net to search for eye clinics in our vicinity. We picked one just a short distance from our home and decided to call them the next day. Surprisingly we were given an appointment the same afternoon. After several tests, we were told by the Ophthalmologist that she had a detached retina in her right eye and was immediately referred to a government hospital. As it was a weekend we waited to see the doctors first thing on Monday. On our arrival, and driving around for a while we managed to find a parking spot that I came to find out on my subsequent visits was difficult to come by at the hospital complex. Was the spot waiting for us? 

As my daughter and I stood in line to be allowed entry to the eye clinic where we were told to register our first visit, a doctor looked at the referral letter from the private eye clinic and tested her eyesight while we were waiting and directed her to a particular numbered room. He left the place shortly after we made our way to the room. Was he waiting for us? After numerous tests were done on her eyes we were asked to wait as the specialist was in the operation theatre. The specialist on seeing us told us that her good eye was also showing signs of detachment and suggested that they strengthen this eye through the procedure of laser the same day. As for the other eye, she made a couple of suggestions laying out the procedure that she had planned for her but quickly added that it shall all be decided once they see her in the operating theatre on the day of operation. When informed by her assistant that the earliest slot was on 27 April, she moved the chess pieces and slotted her for 6 April. 

On our second visit yesterday, for the second session of laser on the good eye, we saw the Anesthesiologist too. After dropping my daughter off at the clinic I like many others was driving in circles trying to find a free parking spot but to no avail. The security guards who guided the traffic could not help either. But the last one I stopped to asked pointed me to a mall across the street. As I arrived at the parking bays, my daughter messaged me asking if I had parked. I stopped the car to reply. Just then an elderly couple of Chinese origin was about to drive away. She asked me if I wanted to park at their spot and walked over to me with a parking ticket that she had previously etched out and that was still valid. It was for an hour from 10.30am on. But it was only 9.30am then. As the parking came under the jurisdiction of a different council and I had no tickets on me, she returned shortly with another ticket covering the duration from 9.30am till 10.30am. I was close to tears in seeing the unseen divine hand of Agathiyar at play. As I parked and alighted from the car I saw a signage "Parking Tickets Sold Here" The only and sole restaurant operating at the Mall sold parking tickets. I purchased a book of tickets and etched out more tickets sufficient for the day in anticipation of a long wait and left them on my dashboard before walking across to meet my daughter.

We now see the postponement of my daughter's trip to South Korea to study in an university as a blessing in disguise. She was supposed to leave latest by 12 February 2021 so that she could be quarantined for two weeks before her classes started in March. We do not know what she would have done if she had realized the problem in her eye then in a foreign land. As a friend told me no one is spared, I fully understood Tavayogi's words of solace in the face of life's test that the obstacles will never go away but with faith, the divine shall lessen our troubles, and help shoulder the load and pain. The divine shall show a way around the obstacles, sent samaritans and good souls to hasten the process including the healing. Many sadly have belief but not enough faith.

We have seen his divine hand in many of the events that have taken place after Agathiyar came into our lives. My many past posts on this blog will attest to this. Then Agathiyar tells us that he was there all along, in all our births and all our lives. Of course, it makes sense that the divine does not appear overnight but has been with us all along. It is just that we had failed to see him all this while. A curtain had veiled our sights all this while. It has now been drawn aside and we have begun to realize his presence 24/7.

On my very first visit to the Nadi reader in 2002, he assisted me in determining my Nadi by skimming through the "pages" of the Nadi and reading out details and personalities of scores of people that was etched out in the treated palm leaves called Nadi or Olai by the Siddhas in the past. I accepted the brief details that pertained to me and rejected those details that did not describe me. Only when I could safely acknowledge that all the details read out to me described me fully and completely could the Nadi reader and I jointly come to terms and accept that the Nadi leaf was written for me. As we were into our third stack of Nadi, there was one that described my name, my parent's name, the number of siblings, my job, my dwelling, and number of children correctly. It came so close to describing me that just as I thought that that palm leaf that particular we had singled out was mine, it was revealed and read out that my wife's name was Manohari. I stopped short of acknowledging that the Nadi was mine. My wife's name was not that. We moved on to look further but never found my leaf. We took a break. My Nadi was only available on another visit some two weeks later. Going through a similar routine of question and answer, we came to arrive at a leaf that accurately described me and we went on to read the Nadi in full. The question raised then as to who was this Shanmugam Avadaiyappa that fitted my description in all other aspects but was living with another lady named Manohari? Are there parallel worlds and is this one of many? On a similar note, it is said that we are made in seven similar images. Many have told me that they have seen me when in actuality I wasn't anywhere near them. Then there was an instant where as I waited for the signals to turn green a pedestrian crossed in front of me. I was taken aback to see one of my seven clones walk by. I then began to believe the others who had mentioned seeing me.

Before I even laid eyes on my gurus Supramania Swami and Tavayogi, I was at Ongakarakudil waiting for Tavathiru Rengaraja Desigar's blessing. After several attempts to ask for his blessings, he told me that stepping into Ongkarakudil in Trichy was itself a blessing. I felt offended then not understanding the truth behind what he said. I took it that I was not supposed to be there. Today I understand that his place had the potential to shower blessings on all who arrived without him having to raise his hand in blessing. I saw the divine hand of Agathiyar at play. The Siddhas had stood in the way. But it was a blessing of another sort for I met Supramania Swami who was to become my guru the next day at Tiruvannamalai. If I had been blessed by Rengaraja Desigar or initiated for that matter my journey would have stopped there. He must have foreseen that my destiny lay with Supramania Swami and Tavayogi later. He let me go. I understood later that I had a bond and a previous engagement, and a dept to settle having owed Supramania Swami in the past birth, that had to see the light of the day and needed to be fulfilled. 

THE UNSEEN HAND OF AGATHIYAR 1

My parents fearing that they shall lose me too after losing two boys before me stood before a Chinese deity asking that I be saved some 61 years ago. After chanting sacred verses in Chinese and hitting his back with the blind side of a sword, inflicting red marks on his naked back and shoulders, the medium wrote out several Chinese characters with red ink on yellow rice paper, burned it, and collected its ashes in a glass of water. I was given the magical potion to drink. I was asked to be given in adoption to him. Thus, I was spared my life that day.

The astrologers predicted that I shall meet a Kandam or face a life-threatening situation that hinted to death by drowning. As a young intern from an engineering college, I was placed on an island for two weeks in the seventies to have practical experience and learn further. As the piling team and I were returning from making some purchases on the mainland on the stroke of midnight I stepped onto the shallow boat berth at the wooden jetty that served the 300 odd villagers of the island to go about their daily life crossing the waters for essentials, etc. My foot slipped and I fell into the water. The worker's quick response and action in reaching out to my extended arms and pulling me up spared my life that day.

Having my parents introduce me to Sariyai, I had a yearning to know more about religion. I read a lot. I picked up home puja and performed it at dawn and dusk besides visiting the temple daily. Many questions arose as I saw contradictions between the written word and what was happening around me to my friends and others. The Divine who was described to us as being the most compassionate was beginning to appear and was shown to me as the one orchestrating the events and inflicting all the pain and suffering in their lives. I could not accept the fact that the most compassionate divinity could do such a cruel thing. It bothered me much as I did not get answers. In the nick of time, I was saved from going cuckoo when Lord Shiva came in a dream and asked me to keep my questions to a later date. I stopped all forms of worship and further reading and discussions. It wasn't until some 14 years later that I came back to take up worship from where I left. I was spared all the mental torture. This was in the eighties. 

Coming to know the late medical astrologer and Siddha physician Dr. Krishnan in the nineties he explained the reason I never had a life-saving in terms of monetary funds. The divine spared my life by converting the life-threatening dangers and circumstances in my life with expenses. I was spared my life again.

The very first mention of the word Siddhas and their written word the Nadi or Olai was made by Dr. Krishnan. Asking him if his predictions could go wrong, he explained that it would if we had earned curses. He told me to refer to the Siddhas to learn if I had wronged in the past and earned the wreath and curses of my elders and others whom I had come across in all my previous lives. It was only at the start of the new millennium that I was shown the existence of Nadi readings on our local shores. My friend who had seen the Nadi some two years prior made an appointment for me to see mine. Agathiyar confirmed what Dr. Krishnan told me and sent me on a pilgrimage to temples both in Malaysia and India to right the wrong that I had done. I was spared the dreaded arm of karma and its whippings.

Just as I stepped out of my house to the waiting taxi, my wife asked me to see if I could have my daughter's horoscope charted while in India. Raji was assigned to pick me up at Chennai Airport and take me to all the religious destinations listed by Agathiyar in the Nadi. But by a mysterious turn of events that I saw as the working of the unseen hand of Agathiyar, the poor chap took ill and was replaced by Deva all for a reason. As I had completed my remedial prayers at all the designated temples as stipulated by Agathiyar ahead of time, I had a day to spare. I asked Deva if we could see an astrologer once we arrived in Chennai before I board the plane back to Malaysia. He told me why go far when his uncle was an astrologer staying some eight kilometers away from our hotel in Tiruvannamalai. We headed out to his village of Nachaananthal. His uncle Supramania Swami was to become my very first guru in physical form. Supramania Swami who never missed the Girivalam or circumambulation of the Holy Hill of Tiruvannamalai was taken ill the night before and had to stay indoors. Coincidently (or was it planned by Agathiyar too), I arrived to see him on the pretext of charting my daughter's horoscope. Again I saw the unseen hand of Agathiyar work wonders in bringing guru and student together.

Agathiyar again played his game in introducing me to Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar ashram while he was in Malaysia to officiate a local chapter of his Agathiyar Gnana Peedham in Batu Caves. For one who never subscribed to the Tamil dailies, I had my neighbor pass me a copy of the surplus papers that he distributed every day. I kept seeing daily the advertisement informing the public of the said opening. I called the number advertised and asked to see Tavayogi. The reason this advert caught my attention was that I had received a leaflet some three years back from the Nadi reader after my very first Nadi reading, that carried the name Thai Veedu Thangarasan M.A who had the intent to build a temple/ ashram for Agathiyar in Kallar. I wanted to verify if Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar ashram and Thai Veedu Thangarasan M.A were the same. Hence, I came face to face with my second guru who was on the path of the Siddhas. Again I saw the mysterious unseen hands of Agathiyar at play. 

If Supramania Swami introduced me to the ideal guru-sisya relationship, Tavayogi introduced me to the worship of the Siddhas officially. After taking up Agathiyar's call in the Nadi to come to his path, and given a long list of names of the Siddhas to be recited by the Nadi reader, I searched for more information about them. The existing organizations at that time each had an agenda and could not satisfy my yearning and hunger. That is when Agathiyar sent Tavayogi to our shores. He initiated me and my wife into the path and asked me to frequent his branch here in his absence and upon his return to India. But Agathiyar switched the deal having me see Tavayogi again for another initiation and erased the earlier Nadi reading. He instead brought me under the direct tutorship of Tavayogi and had me visit his ashram in India and journey with him to the abodes of the Siddhas. Again we saw Agathiyar's hand at play. 

And so my journey was laid before me. Tavayogi volunteered to take me along to all the Siddha abodes in India. Agathiyar was shown to me in his myriad forms as sight, smell, sound, touch, form, and breath during this visit and over the years of tutorship under Tavayogi. 

Teaching me the basics Tavayogi stepped aside to give me space to grow, learn and experience. He gave me the freedom to experiment, change and modify the Kriyai and Yogam lessons that he taught. Agathiyar in turn with the other Siddhas groomed us further, initially through the Nadi, then through Tavayogi, and in his physical absence, has come to direct us through others.