I am an addict now. Yes, I guess I am addicted to writing. Though I might not become senile I might become "high" as my wife describes our state while carrying out the rituals back then. A new subject crops up after each posting prompting me to draft another. Once done, I read back what is written and am amazed at Agathiyar's work. Just as Acharya Gurudasan who in coming to fine-tune our Yoga practice, made us slow down and appreciate each moment in holding the various poses, in writing this blog I too am learning further.
If Agathiyar after raising the energies, told me that there was nothing further, be it a practice or method or ritual, to do but that the energies shall do their work, hence when he asked that I carry out Vaalai puja recently, I asked him what should I do in inviting and worshipping Vaalai. He simply told me to serve fruits, light a Homam, and garland, and recite the names of 108 Siddhas. That would suffice, he said. Then Vaalai came almost immediately and asked that I invite her in. She added that she wanted a green dress and Semiya Payasam or Vermicelli Kheer. I understood that this was for the children who shall join us in prayer. Tavayogi always says that we should substantiate our talks and writings with references to Siddha's works. He also says not to take the word of the Siddhas at face value and for granted but to ponder and understand their true meaning. Indeed now we realize how true it is. If Vaalai is worshipped as a 10-year-old Goddess by many and has temples built for her, Agathiyar reveals the yogic aspect of this worship for those keen to travel further and within in his "Saumya Sagaram". One who has passed the threshold of Bakthi can carry on the worship internally.
So let us try to see this through the lens of Yogic practice. Since Agathiyar in complementing these external worship brings us to dwell within and worship her as the breath, the Homam that is lit externally would represent the furnace within us that is generated due to the austerities or tapas done. As a blacksmith blows air with a pair of bellows to create a hot fire, the lungs are used to create a large fire. As Agathiyar says, "The flow of air is switched from going down to up", the hot air rises, moving up into the cranium, the seat of the 1000-petaled flower. As Agathiyar says, "Mother Tribhuvana shall feed one the divine nectar from the lotus flower chakra", and ambrosia shall ooze from the 1000-petaled chakra. One shall taste bliss and divinity.
Agathiyar keeps telling me to watch my anger, asking me not to sabotage his efforts just when we are about to see the result. He says that the energies that have risen in me shall fall back to the lower regions, telling me that anger shall disrupt the benefits of my austerities and tavam.
Pon Govindasamy reveals to us the Divine's plan in his book "Vallalaarum Brahma Gnana Sangamum", Bharath Book Bureau, Chennai. He states that it is the mission of the Divine to save the souls that are riddled, locked, and chained by Aanavam, Kanmam, and Maayai and bring them back to his state of purity. I am one of those souls caught in this mess. He is trying his level best to bring us to the state of Sakalar. Pon Govindasamy explains the different states of the souls and their process.
To the souls who were still tied down to the three Malams namely Aanavam, Kanmam, and Maayai, God comes (through Piralayaakalar) in the human form to guide them to achieve the state of a Jeevanmukta called Sakalar.
In dropping Maayai (but still retaining Kanmam and Aanavam), they evolve into Rishis and are known as Piralayaakalar. God comes as Shiva to the Piralayaakalar, who then educates the Sakalar.
The Maha Rishis who had defeated Maayai and Kanmam but were restrained by Aanavam are called Vignanakalar. To the Maha Rishis, God comes within to teach. With the descent of God, the Maha Rishis became one with God.
Gordon Matthews in his translation of Meykanda Devar’s "Shivagnana Botham" says the same too.
To Sakalar, souls immersed in all three impurities, God comes as a Guru of the human form; he imparts it concealing himself as a Guru.
To Pralayakalar, souls affected only by Anava and Kanma, he comes as a Guru in Shiva’s form; he stands before them as Guru imparts true knowledge.
To Vijnanakalar, souls carrying only Anava, he comes as the inner principle of the soul’s consciousness; he appears, as true knowledge.
Veeraswamy Krishnaraj in his comprehension of Arulnandi Shivachariyar’s "Shivagnana Siddhiyar" says the same too.
Lord Shiva appears to Sakalar with Anava, Kanma, and Mayai Malams in human as a Satguru.
To Pralayakalar with Anava and Kanma Malams, Lord Shiva appears as a divine God.
Those souls that are rising, Vijnanakalar - the highest class of souls among the three mentioned in "Shivagnana Siddhiyar" with only one impurity known as Anava Malam, do not need an external Guru to instruct them. Lord Shiva by remaining inside them as the inner guide rids them of the Anava Malam, bringing the merits and demerits to a resolution and conferring spiritual knowledge or divine grace known as Saktinipata, the descent of Sakti into the soul. Vijnanakalar receives Gnana from Lord Shiva himself as the incorporeal inner guide.
Agathiyar is the guiding light for many including us. Pon Govindasamy reveals that when the third land mass Kumari Kandam appeared, God sent Agathiyar, one of the seven Rishis, as its protector. Agathiyar then a Rishi and a Piralayaakalar, learned the sciences from God who came as Lord Murugan and imparted the true knowledge at Pothigai. Agathiyar mastered the five aspects of God which are creation, sustenance, destruction, veiling, and blessing, and also achieved all eight siddhis. He then stood as a Vignanakalar, as Lord Dhakshanamurthi, an epitome of Gnanam or true knowledge.
It is interesting to note that Agathiyar in his "Saumya Sagaram" compares the ritual of placing nine pots and worshipping Devi, with the 9 chakras namely Muladhara, Svadhistana, Manipuraka, Anahata, Vishuddhi, Ajna, Sahasrara, Dvadasantha (Brahmarandhra, a place at the distance of twelve fingers above the head), and then the all-pervasive state of Sakthi. I guess when one reaches the Sahasrara, the merits and demerits cancel out. The energies enter the cavity of Brahma, the creator, or Brahmarandhra or Susumna, arising out of it and merging into it.
"It has many different names such as Supreme Void (parākāśa), the Cavity of Brahmā (brahmarandhra), the Abode of the Lord of the Fettered (paśunāthāśraya), the Plane of the Transmental (manonmanapada), Emission (visarga), the Foundation of Suṣumṇā (suṣuṃnādhāra), the End of the Twelve (dvādaśānta), the sacred seat of Yoga (yogapīṭha), and Samvartāmaṇḍala. There Bhairava is Kubjeśa and the form of the power (which is his consort) is Kubjikā who is surrounded by sixteen energies. What are these sixteen? They are (the vowels, beginning with the letter A and ending with visarga”. (Source: https://www.wisdomlib.org/)
In the opening verse of "Bhuvaneshwari Kavacham" these 16 vowels are mentioned too.
அங்குச பாச மேந்தி அபயமே வரதம் தாங்கும்
பங்கயக் கரத்தள் பீதாம்பரமணி யிடையள் பொற்பூண்
பைங்கள நிரம்பப் பூண்டாள் பதினாறு கலையெழுத்துள்
பொங்கிய ஓரெழுத்தாள் புவனேசி பாதம் போற்றி.
The descent of the Sakthi or Effulgence takes place. We now understand why Ramalinga Adigal told us that he too took the hand of Vaalai to reach the state that he and all other Siddhas reached.
In the book "Mukthikku Moolam" by Kundalini Siddhar, we understand that the Jeevatma that takes residence in us is ruled by three bodies. If the Jeevatma stood pure and innocent, the Ego emerged from the seed that is the Karana Udal. The subtle body (Suksma Udal), when enticed by Mayai settles in life's pleasures. It drives the physical body to seek them out. If Kundalini Siddhar says that the Karana Udal is the seed and cause of a rebirth and that the physical body (Stula Udal) is a vessel that takes on all our experiences, Agathiyar previously told us that it is the Atma, in our case the Jeevatma, that takes on the experiences it has gained in life, as Neale Donald Walsch too wrote in "Conversations with God" that the souls are here to experience.
We need to drop the three Malams: Anava, Kanma, and Mayai. Drop the Ego (Anavam) and we shall come to know that we were all the time the Jeevatma a spark from the larger Paramatma. When the seed is destroyed, there is no reason (Karanam) for a rebirth. Burn the Vasanas or inherent desires and also those that keep rising anew and have us seek our pleasures, and we shall be rid of the Suksmam too and shall regain our lost purity and innocence.
Agathiyar is racing against time to save us. As death approaches our birth, the life we lived, the hours we burned the midnight oil and worked ourselves till burnout to bring bread and butter to the dining table, would all be but only a dream then. All the acts, deeds, and words uttered will be but a dream upon death. I now understand why my 96-year-old mother on her deathbed said "I want to sleep".
If in wanting to share the sights and the sounds, and my experiences in traveling to India, I started several websites, that are now defunct, these days Agathiyar wants me to share the experiences arising from an internal transformation that is taking place rather subtly. To assure me that it was all true and real, he came and stroked my hair recently telling me that the internal changes were pretty obvious now and showing on the outside referring to the white hair turning black again. Since 2019 he had stopped my visits to the barber and in 2021, stopped me from falling at the feet of others including holy men too telling me not to allow anyone to touch my head. I understand now his reason for doing so as he does not want anyone to disturb the energies swirling in the crown of the head.
It is said that once a devotee came before Yogi Ramsuratkumar bowing to him and expecting the Yogi to touch his head and bless him. The Yogi did not bless him. Later his aids asked him the reason. The Yogi told them that since he already had had the blessings of another saint in Kerala, before coming over, the Yogi did not want to "disturb" the energies. I too did not receive the blessings of Thavatiru Rengaraja Desigar when I met him at Ongkaara kudil in 2003, just days before I was to meet my first guru in a rather mysterious way at Tiruvannamalai. I was told to go over to Ongarakudil since I will be in India carrying out my remedies by his devotees at a local affiliate of his Sangam here. I included the visit in my itinerary. He told me stepping into his kudil itself was a blessing. But I understood it differently at that time and felt unwelcomed, offended, and pretty much disturbed and asked myself if I was not fit to come before him. But the real reason I have come to believe is that I was destined to journey with Supramania Swami and later Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal in this life. Agathiyar coming in a Nadi reading in 2008, told me that I should have known more about him before stepping before him. Explaining who he was in my Nadi Agathiyar asked me to go see him again. I did not go again for my search had stopped the moment I held on to Agathiyar, Tavayogi, and Supramania Swami.
Today I realize there is a reason for all things to take place and happen right from missing the bus as we see in the movie 12B to venturing in partnership with others in business and even in matrimony. There is a reason that certain souls come together as family and friends and even business partners and colleagues. A couple of friends and devotees had to go through bitter experiences, the former ending his partnership with another and the latter leaving his job working with another. A relative too had to move on starting on her own after a breakup with her business partner. Sharing with me their stories, we learned a lesson in a much-overlooked matter of taking for granted that all devotees are good people, especially when it comes to business and work. I guess I understand now what Tavayogi meant when he said "Give according to the plate". Initially, I thought that it literally meant the bigger the plate the more the alms we need to give. Later I learned that it was regarding the sharing of knowledge or dispersing of wisdom. Do not share both further, the moment you sense a sign of disinterest in the other. After the recent experiences of my buddies in devotion, we learned not to show compassion, or give a helping hand, to any Tom, Dick, and Harry, and rope them in as partners, or enter an engagement or work with them even if they are devotees and pious. Just as money and greed change one, the other tends to live off our effort and earnings. But as devotees who frequent AVM, these three and many others have begun to show maturity and understanding. They see all happenings positively and move on knowing that with every turn in life, there is a lesson waiting to be learned from another experience. As Neale Donald Walsch says we all agreed to come together for these experiences, right?
Nothing is written in stone. Even if the predictions in the Nadi were to say that we would kill another or run over another or would end up tearing the face mask of holy men or others or for the matter the Nadi itself, using whatever little sense we have we would know that it is wrong to take a life or to cause damage to others reputation in whatever way. If remedies are given to avoid or overcome the sufferings, miseries, and pain that we go through associated with our past karma, similarly we could always tell ourselves that to carry out the abovementioned negative actions is wrong and make a plea to the divine to reverse them or take up a strong will not to be subdued by events that could lead to these actions. One can choose not to take it up as "the sole" purpose in our lives. The Siddhas would accommodate our wishes and help rewrite our ill fate as seen and revealed in the Nadi, and henceforth lead us accordingly.
Traveling with Agathiyar through the numerous Nadi readings I have had, he reminded me to know and understand the extent of karma, chart my life, and act accordingly. This shows that we have all the freedom and free will to live our lives out. We are the owners who envision our home and life. We are the architects who design our lives. We are the contractors too who execute the ideas of the houseowner and the plans of the architect. And we are also the recipients of our new home or our new lives. Every single thing that moves us starts with a thought bubble. If left to grow large it takes us far. Watching the Tamil movie "Parking" recently scared the hell out of me to see the extent neighbors go to, to frame and bring damage to the lives and properties of others out of anger and hatred and to please their individual ego. They fail to think rationally in these moments but let emotions take the upper hand. This is the reason Agathiyar keeps telling me to keep my anger in check too.
Many stand before Agathiyar for his blessings and also stand before him condemning and damning him for not helping or saving them. But they fail to realize that they carried the desire in the first place, fed the thought, worked towards it, and finally came for his blessings. What can he do but give his blessings? It was not Agathiyar who came daily and pestered us to enter an engagement or start a venture. It was our inherent desire or vasanas that we kept feeding till it mooted us to act. I was surprised when Agathiyar in sending three individuals to me told me that I had desired to be a guru. I guess unknowing to me, it was a seed or vasana from a past birth that Agathiyar had vested energy into and brought before me so that it could be exhausted.
All religions have spoken about Karma. Science too speaks about cause and effect. Though the effect in the subtle and energy world is less prominent and invisible to us, the natural world and nature showcases and sends out reminders of this phenomenon sending out ripples or the butterfly effect every moment. The natural calamities if studied in detail and their causes traced, would possibly lead them to man having played a role in interfering and bringing instability to what was a pretty design and masterpiece of the divine. We have spoilt the painting and are paying the price.
But the Siddhas on the other hand are tactful in bringing and making changes only as a last resort, without much tampering. We saw how the divine could interfere and bring favorable results when a plea or prayer is placed. If one has a guru all the better for he shall decide henceforth where our lives are heading. When I was contemplating how I was going to pay for a costly trip to India with my daughter to carry out her equally costly remedies after having settled the score on our home ground, speaking about this to Tavayogi on the phone, he surprised me by saying that it was not necessary. I listened to him and never executed them, though Agathiyar had asked us to do it. Agathiyar never brought up the subject again. When another devotee was not able to go to India to carry out her remedies too, Agathiyar switched the remedies asking her to feed 8 families for 8 consecutive months. They did it as told. Coming to know about we took it from there and continued feeding the unfortunate and poor residing in the flats through our charity arm Amudhas Surabhi till Agathiyar told us to go within. Voicing out our concern that the feeding and monthly groceries that we gave out if brought to a halt would jeopardize their lives just as we began to see their lives change for the better as money spent on these basic things was channeled elsewhere in a good manner raising their living standards to a comfortable level, Agathiyar told us not to fear as others shall pick up from there. True enough Pothihai Tharma Chakram continued this service.
When Tavayogi's guru Chitramuthu Adigal who had gone into Samadhi coming through a Nadi reading, motioned us to carry out the much-needed and waited Siddha puja in a temple in Taiping, Agathiyar in relaying Chitramuthu Adigal's wish told us that he wanted it to be done on a Thursday. But being a working day, gathering everyone at AVM and heading for Taiping which was some 266 km away seemed to be impossible. Hearing our rumblings Tavayogi told us to carry it out on a weekend as we requested, telling us that he would "speak" to his guru.
The Siddhas who are known to move mountains and the stars could definitely move our lives around provided we stay on the path of honesty and compassion. This blog carries many stories of wonder experienced by me, my family, and those of AVM family members, and stories and miracles shared by others or read in books and articles. Go on, turn these pages and explore and come to know the workings of the Siddhas and you shall come to love them.
If I had reluctantly carried out the fire ritual or Homam that Tavayogi asked that I do coinciding with the bigger Yagna or Yagam he did at his Kallar ashram initially, it needed Agathiyar to come in the Nadi reading later to convince me that it was for the greater good of Prapanjam. Now as Agathiyar, Ramalinga Adigal, and Vaalai herself want me to carry out the Vaalai puja, I needed to be convinced again all the more since Agathiyar had me drop all rituals, practices, and activities in September of 2019 and asked that I embark alone on my journey in going within. So as I browsed through the net, I came across a piece in Dr. Geeta Anand's blog at https://saumyasagaram.blogspot.com/, that I had followed for some time back when Jnana Jothiamma introduced me to her, where besides stating "Vaalai puja", as "the magical sword", and "the worship with intellect", Dr. Geeta quotes Agathiyar from his "Saumya Sagaram" stating it as the start and end of all pujas, காரணமும் பூரணமாய் நின்ற பூசை. She translates this verse as "The puja where the causality stood as fully complete." Going by her translation we understand that coming to the worship of Vallai is the fruition of all our previous tapas. We now understand why Ramalinga Adigal in coming to convince me to do it said that he and the Siddhas held the hand of Vaalai to reach the higher ground where they stood watch today. Vaalai is also revered to bless Sadhakas with Siddhis or the ability to perform miracles. I guess it comes as a package when we start worshiping her as Agathiyar had hinted at it.
If the verses of "Saumya Sagaram" seem to be a description of an external ritual and puja, Agathiyar places before us the yogic means and the inner meanings and understanding in this external puja that is an internal puja too towards realizing her. Dr. Geeta writes "If prior verses seem to be a description of an external ritual, that of placing nine pots and worshipping Devi, there is also an inner meaning for these verses. The nine pots may represent the nine aavarana or enclosures in Sri Chakra. These nine enclosures represent various concepts and their stepwise dissolution into the central point, the bindhu, the ninth enclosure, which Agathiyar says is omkara. The word “akshathai” refers to rice grain that was not pounded. Thus, it has the capacity to regenerate. It possesses “jivakalai”. Thus, this term may also mean the prana that does not die out. The term “ettu padi” means both, a measure and eight steps that correspond to Ashtanga yoga and the eight enclosures that end in bindhu. They also represent the nine chakra in our body, the muladhara, svadhistana, manipuraka, anahata, vishuddhi, ajna, sahasrara, dvadasantha and then the all pervasive state of Sakthi. This order represents creation as well as dissolution. “Kumbam” also means kumbaka or the cessation of breath, a state when the soul harmonizes with the Divine."
In her commentary, she writes,
"Agatthiyar describes the work of Sakti when the yogin performs the above-mentioned worship. When the yogin worships her as listed in the above verses, with love and devotion Mother Tribhuvana will grant her love and mercy to him. She will feed him the divine nectar from the lotus flower, chakra. She will grant him the magical sword, the sky where the self remains. She will offer it as the fully complete state of Vedanta poornam."
It is interesting to note that "In "SriVidya", Devi is worshipped as Bala first, then as Bhuvana, and then as Tripura. This represents an increasing order of energy. The flow of air is switched from going down to up." She writes that the Mantra kala vaasi Agathiyar speaks about is kundalini sakthi.
I am blessed and have reason to believe that the flow of air switched from going down to up on its own prompting me to observe and take notice of the change in the airflow that generally flows through the nostril and into the lungs, is now diverted into the space in the head causing a slight throb in the brain. In her commentary, Dr. Geetha writes that "the sukha jiva pranan will get purified. This is the pranan that is present in the body. Thus, sukha jiva pranan represents the limited soul while the prapancha pranan represents Supreme Being."
I do see the reason for the timely intervention of Agathiyar, Ramalinga Adigal, and Vaalai. Since Tavayogi officially came by to start me on this journey initiated by Agathiyar in my first Nadi reading, the guru has to come by and officially end it too. The time is right for me to start this phase of the journey as the blooming had begun in the crown Chakra and blossoming continues.
I gather that just as there are veils that cover and obstruct our true self, that drop by their grace as we journey and walk the path, and just as there is the horizon where the sky seems to touch the land or sea and the Karman Line, a boundary that sits some 62 miles (100 kilometers) where the sky ends and space begins, one needs to transcend the arc beyond which all three worlds are seen.
Speaking to Acharya Gurudasan who was our mentor and a Upaguru helping us refine our practice of Yoga taught by Tavayogi, over the phone recently he told me that he was glad that AVM did not turn out to be a temple and I did not turn out to be a Samiyar or guardian. He was glad that Agathiyar brought the shutters down for a reason and a purpose. I too am glad that I have been left off the hook in building a temple and can pursue the Vaalai puja now that I have come to know that it runs concurrently and parallel to an internal journey too.
Just as he had youths in their twenties and early thirties turn up at my home to watch and join in my family puja in 2013, I guess this time around it shall be children below 10 years of age, turning up for the puja with their parents. Let their energies run wild and bring cheer in us, just as I zapped the energies from the youths who frequented my home and became one myself.
It is only when we have traveled far in this journey that an understanding dawns on us. I guess this then is Gnanam, which Agathiyar spelled out is gained through our initial efforts. Soon the divine comes giving us numerous experiences that lift us off the ground into higher states of understanding. If one does not realize that there is life beneath the soil and under the oceans until it comes up from the soil as in a seed germinating, and as a whale surfaces out of the waters, so too it is with the divine energies within us. I did not know nor realize that the chakras had been opened as early as 2007 after carrying out the Asana and Pranayama practices given by Tavayogi during one of his visits to Malaysia the same year. The seed was planted that day. Watering it through daily practice with Prana, with worship of the Siddhas that fertilized the soil, and conducting Homam that warmth the soil, it created a very conducive environment for the seed to germinate and surface in 2022. Just as a river breaks its banks and the seed breaks through the soil, the dormant energy breaks the bund and makes its way up the Sushumna channel reaching the Sahasrara almost immediately. The whirlpool sensation that was felt a thumb's way from the navel though initially brought on a sense of nausea and the urge to pee and froze my body still like a block of dead wood, eventually settling down into a state of bliss over two days, was felt in the Sahasrara the third day, bringing on a chillness in the entire body over the three days.
"When water flows into a narrow, constrained space or when two opposing currents meet, spiral movements can occur. As water seeks the path of least resistance, the difference in water speeds causes a swirling motion. This motion is the birth of a whirlpool." (Source: lakeaccess.org)
It soon felt, not like water in a whirlpool, but that of minute and tiny flower petals opening. Apparently, the 1008-petaled flower blossomed and is blooming continuously. I feel bliss continuously in me and around me, in the food and drink I take, in the air that I inhale, and that that brushes by me, and in watching and touching the trees and plants, watching the skies and its continuous stream of dresses in a multitude of colors and design, in the sound of water in streams and rivers that flow, and in the vivid colors of the distant plains and mountains. Just watching photos and videos and holding conversations with others on the same wavelength, most recently even telephone conversations bring on immense bliss in both parties.
Reading Swami Saravanananda's English rendering of the original in Tamil of Ramalinga Adigal's "Arutperunjhoti Agaval", published by the Ramalinga Mission, Madras, we get to understand what takes place on this journey that starts externally and eventually goes internal heading for the holy abode within us.
As in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the Siddha prescribes Yama and Niyama to draw aside the first few veils so too does Ramalinga Adigal spell out the changes that came with this withdrawal.
As did Agathiyar asked us to know and live by the laws of karma, "Zeal or great energy or enthusiasm in the pursuit of the cause and objective" (that of merging in the divine) "brought on discernment or the ability to judge well" in Ramalinga Adigal. "Freed from religious bigotry, and freed from the clutches of religious scriptures, removing doubt and misconception made him pure". I guess the reason I was asked to drop all forms of worship, belief, practice, and Yoga picked up from books in my bachelor days, which led to 14 years of hibernation, cleared this vessel of all self-learning and prejudice. During the years of hibernation, I married and raised a family. Unknowingly, I was been prepared to go through first-hand experiences that would bring on direct knowledge. In 2001 he sent a messenger to bring me to worship again. The following year I got a call to read my Nadi, something that I was told of its existence way back in 1996 but did not move me enough to seek it. The break in the journey and the delays all happen for a reason. While we are ignorant or choose to look elsewhere, he keeps tabs on us all. So for those who had to put off the journey for the sole reason that they needed to look into their commitments and responsibilities, do not despair for when you are ready Agathiyar shall come for you just like he did with me.
Swami Saravanananda says, "Whenever He comes and initiates us, something happens within that is beyond our senses and control. It seems like he is working on another sheath of our body." This is where the divine effulgence comes within to do its work. Our effort is as much as keeping the house clean and inviting him over. He shall see to the rest. The act of effulgence includes "the repression and control of all impure tendencies. The various kinds of curtains or veils that surround the soul and prevent it from having a clear vision of the great effulgence" are removed. "With the removal of the last (standing) screen, the self stands face to face with the resplendence merging in the effulgence (that is the Atma) to become part and parcel of it (Paramatma) and perform all the functions of the effulgence to make other selves realize the same level (that of Agathiyar)."
The Agaval describes "the removal of the screens one after another as and when the entity rises up from one plane of consciousness to the next higher plane. By thus removing the veils the effulgence enlightens the beings of human and celestial origin and also deities high above the celestial origin. " Indeed just as the mother shows us to the father, and as did Ma show him to Lord Nadarajah, Ramalinga Adigal brings to Arutperunjothi. He goes beyond showing us the true nature of Arutperunjothi in his Agaval.
"The attributes of effulgence (Jothi); the various voids or spaces or spiritual planes which a soul has to pass through before attaining godhead; the attributes of the effulgence that abides in the inmost void, (declaring) the effulgence as the source of all elements"; breaking it down into minute details such as the various aspects of the nature of the earth, water, fire, air, and space; and goes further to describe "how space yields the other elements, the various partial spaces or voids; the various forces that activate the universe and the human body; the tattvas, and the primordial elements; and the dual or polar nature of manifestation. He describes "the modes of the birth of organisms, the male and female characteristics of the human being; the protection and sustenance of organisms".
Ramalinga Adigal goes on to describe in his Arutpa, "how the effulgence pervades through all the functions of the dynamic powers; the uniqueness of the supreme beings; the omnipresent aspect of the effulgence; the cosmic self which manifests everywhere; the manifold manifestations and activities of compassion; the motherly aspect, the paternal aspect, that of companionship, an finally that of kinship." Here we see the four stages of Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam, and Gnanam where the divine takes several roles to fulfill our desires and wants, initially in the first two and driving us to fulfill his desires and wants in the latter two.
He (re)moves us from living in his world as one of many of his creations or merely existing or only thinking of ourselves or merely acknowledging his existence and praying to him in Taatamaargam (Sariyai),
to realize him and worship him through carrying out rituals seeing him in others and giving them a hand in Sarputramaargam (Kriyai),
to become his companion in Sagamaargam (Yogam) passing on what is learned to others too as a mentor.
Eventually, he stands at the threshold of Sanmaargam (Gnanam) said to be the true path. I guess this is what Tavayogi meant when he told me "Only now the true journey starts, my son" as we started into the hills and jungles and caves in 2005.
Now the first of the four paths,
Sariyai is the rare gift of life, giving us a birth and the right to walk upright upon this earth or Salopam.
The next, Kriyai grants us Sameepam, or the great honor of living close to God.
The third Yogam brings on Sarupam or the exalted state of taking the form of God.
Finally, Sayujyam is the ultimate state of merging with God.
With divine grace, the divine effulgence from the Paramatma comes down to meet and receive the divine energy of the Jeevatma which is a spark of the bigger effulgence. Just as a matchstick sparks a bigger fire we are consumed in his effulgence and bliss. We lose our identity and ego and merely follow him till we disappear and merge in him, to forever be in him and as him. Ramalinga Adigal showed the world that it was possible. Both my gurus in physical form and their lineages and Siddhas and Rishis are in this state of light, in the effulgence. Just as the sun which is 149.60 million km away from the Earth can send its rays to keep us alive and warm, they continue to pass on their energies to us even after they have left their mortal frames.
I can clearly see the divine play as well as the transformation taking shape.
If Agathiyar came to give us a formula to keep our lungs clear from the onslaught of viruses and respiratory infections, he also told me to take up puja again after a long time. He asked me to carry out puja to Vaalai and open my doors to seekers whom he would send over. As such he asked that the Pornami or Full Moon puja be carried out. The next full moon coincides with the Thaipusam festival. It also brought back memories of our annual prayers for Agathiyar each year on this day. This year though his murthy or statue is elsewhere, nevertheless, the puja shall continue, now for Vaalai. Vaalai Thaai too asked me to invite her into my home and serve her, her favorite dish, Semiya payasam or vermicelli kheer.
Vaalai was mentioned by Mataji during her brief moment of meditation at my home on her last visit just a couple of months back. As if to remind me again Agathiyar in a Jeeva Nadi reading that followed, and Ramalinga Adigal through a devotee came back to back and told me to invite her and conduct puja for her with Ramalinga Adigal telling me that she was the reason he was in the present state.
However given that I had dropped puja and all other related activities with the closure of AVM in September of 2019, I was reluctant to go back into worship. Then Mataji told me that worship of Vaalai was in fact worship of the breath. It was a relief and I continued to observe my breath. Reading the following at https://www.agastiarpeedam.org/, "The Siddhar language would define the word Vaalai as life, soul, breath, and life energy", reminds us of Agathiyar's memo to us regarding the body, breath, and soul or Udal, Uyir, and Atma.
Speaking to Ariva Aiya, my friend, astrologer, Siddha practitioner, and head of an Agathiyar group, as Agathiyar said, he told me that a new set of seekers would come by wanting to know about the puja. Ariva Aiya added that it was our duty to give a hand to seekers keen on knowing the path. It reminded me of 2013 when Agathiyar in Bala Chandran's Nadi reading asked him to come by my home and watch and participate in the Pornami puja that I did with my family then. Soon he brought his former schoolmates and friends along and Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) was born. I guess now I understand why Tavayogi in building the temple cum ashram told me that it was not for him but for the people when I cornered him asking about the need to build one when since day one he had told us to move into Gnana from Bakthi.
When I asked Agathiyar what I should do on that day, he told me to light the Homam and recite the 108 names of Siddhas besides offering fruits and sweets. So I guess it all adds up. Here is another chapter of AVM opening its doors to seekers keen to know Siddha and Vaalai puja.
Agathiyar did confirm too as to the flowering of the 1008 petals in the crown of my head that I had mentioned "I am continuously becoming aware of the tingling sensation that is akin to the 1000-petaled flower opening ever and ever" just hours ago at 11.39 am in this blog.
He seemed pretty happy for me. I guess that is the reason he comes each time to remind me not to get angry telling me that the energies that he worked on in me since 2007 and set free to travel to the Sahasrara in 2022, should not drop back to the lower chakras, otherwise it would be a wasted effort he stresses.
I received a message from Agathiyar just some moments ago. He came through a telephone call intercepting my conversation with a devotee on the other end. It reminded me of the many times Agathiyar would intercept my conversation with Jnana Jothiamma on Skype in the past and I would stay on the line that would suddenly go silent. When she returns she would tell me that Agathiyar spoke to her. As I was given a jolly surprise, he noted it and quipped, asking me if he should not use modern-day gadgets too like us, and gave off a loud laugh feeling amused himself I guess. He added that he too knows how to use modern gadgets. Speaking to another devotee, Siddha practitioner, and head of a following, later, Ariva Aiya said that he was not surprised knowing that the Siddhas, besides knowing the past and present, could even access the future and seen these gadgets and technologies invented and in use beforehand. I had read somewhere many years back that the Rishis invented and tested them even before men discovered these gadgets. Man then tapped into their realm.
Coming back to our conversation, Agathiyar warned us of the worrying trend of the Covid-19 virus and Influenza that is making its rounds now. Ariva Aiya too shared that many have turned up to him seeking relief. He was dispensing some herbal preparations too, its formula given by Agathiyar at the start of the pandemic. He told me that he shall add this to his list too.
Agathiyar has given us a list of 7 items to be purchased and brought to a boil. The final ingredient the 8th, is to be placed in the bowl before inhaling the steam. It shall bring relief and clear the lungs. Agathiyar asked that I share the formula with the readers of this blog.
Manjal or Haldi (Turmeric)
Thulasi or Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum, commonly known as Holy Basil)
Karpooravalli or Karpuravalli, Omavalli, Doddapatre, or Panikoorka (Indian Borage)
Neem (Azadirachta indica, commonly known as Margosa or Indian lilac)
Tippili or Thippili (Long pepper)
Black pepper (Piper nigrum)
Sukku (Dried Ginger)
all brought to a boil and placed in a bowl. The final ingredient
Paccai karpooram (Edible Camphor) is then placed in the bowl and the steam is inhaled.
We have settled into comfort and our comfort zones these days. If the search for God needs us to go through ordeals we back off or put it off. We prefer to attend gatherings and pujas at temples and centers and return home to our comfortable lives. At home, we air-condition the rooms to create a conducive environment to pray and meditate. The retreats and centers also cater to seekers and accommodate their needs seeing to it that their stay is comfortable. In short, no one sweats it out these days. Molly Menon who later was known as Jnana Jothiamma in writing to me from the USA in 2011, asked if there were facilities at the Kallar ashram that she wanted to visit after reading my blog. I told her not to expect the comfort of a hotel. Eventually, she hit the dirt and slept on the floor too in her travels seeking Agathiyar. We have heard of saints and monks surviving grueling ordeals to achieve what they came for. Tavayogi told me with a surprised tone that Agathiyar had come easily to us while he too had to survive ordeals, the weather, the animals and reptiles, and the troubles given by troublemakers. I wonder how Arunagiri who was asked to do nothing and not to speak managed to do it for 12 long years. If I get agitated at the slightest noise, I wonder how Supramania Swami could stand the din and noise that came from the neighbor's automotive shed. I wonder too how the young Venkataraman Iyer who came to be known as Bhagawan Ramana later, leaving his hometown in Madurai for Tiruvannamalai, could sit for so long inside the underground vault where the Patala lingam was housed in the Arulmigu Arunachaleswar Temple.
"He shifted to an underground vault known as Patala Lingam, where the sunlight never penetrated. Without moving he sat deeply absorbed in the Self and was unaware of being bitten up by the ants and vermin living there." (Source: https://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/)
Sogyal Rinpoche in his book "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying", HarperSanFrancisco, 1994, shares the story of Asanga, a famous Indian Buddhist saint, who lived in the fourth century, that puts us to shame our lack of dedication to the cause.
Agathiyar came and took to task the new host of his statue asking him why a Siddha needs comfort. He asked that we off the fans, air-conditioning, and even air purifiers. The late famed Nadi reader of Chennai, Hanumathdasan Aiya who fled indoors with his companions when it started to drizzle whilst visiting a temple directed by Agathiyar, was taken to task asking how one can become a Siddha if he fears the rain. Imagine if a guru who was addressing scores of people makes a dash for it the moment the weather turns unfriendly and batters all at the gathering.
We recall Osho's story of angels asking God what to gift a Sufi saint. Osho begins with,
Let me tell you one very famous Sufi story, “The Holy Shadow.” There once lived a saint so good that the angels came from heaven to see how a man could be so godly. This saint went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the scent of the flowers, without being aware of it. His day could be summed up by two words — he gave, he forgave — yet these words never passed his lips. They were expressed in his ready smile, his kindness, forbearance, and charity.
The angels said to God, “Lord, grant him the gift of miracles.”
God replied, “Ask what it is that he wishes.”
They said to the saint, “Would you like the touch of your hands to heal the sick?”
“No,” answered the saint. “I would rather God do that.”
“Would you like to convert guilty souls and bring back wandering hearts to the right path?”
“No, that is the angels’ mission. It is not for me to convert.”
“Would you like to become a model of patience, attracting men by the luster of your virtues, and thus glorifying God?”
“No,” replied the saint. “If men should be attracted to me, they would become estranged from God.”
“What is it that you desire, then?” asked the angels.
“What can I wish for?” asked the saint smiling. “That God gives me his grace; with that would I not have everything?”
The angels said, “You must ask for a miracle, or one will be forced upon you.”
“Very well,” said the saint. “That I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it.”
The angels were perplexed. They took counsel and resolved upon the following plan: every time the saint’s shadow fell behind him or to either side so that he could not see it, it would have the power to cure disease, soothe pain, and comfort sorrow. When the saint walked along, his shadow, thrown on the ground on either side or behind him, made arid paths green, caused withered plants to bloom, gave clear water to dried-up brooks, fresh color to pale children, and joy to unhappy men and women.
The saint simply went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the scent of the flowers, without being aware of it. The people, respecting his humility, followed him silently, never speaking to him about his miracles. Soon they even forgot his name, and called him “The Holy Shadow.”
This is the ultimate: one has to become the holy shadow, just a shadow of God. This is the greatest revolution that can happen to a human being: the transfer of the center. You are no longer your own center; God becomes your center. You live like his shadow. You are not powerful, because you don’t have any center to be powerful. You are not virtuous; you don’t have any center to be virtuous. You are not even religious; you don’t have any center to be religious. You are simply not, a tremendous emptiness, with no barriers and blocks, so the divine can flow through you unhindered, uninterpreted, untouched — so the divine can flow through you as he is, not as you would like him to be. He does not pass through your center — there is none. The center is lost.
This is the meaning of this sutra: finally, you have to sacrifice your center so you cannot think in terms of the ego again, you cannot utter “I,” to annihilate yourself utterly, to erase yourself utterly. Nothing belongs to you; on the contrary, you belong to God. You become a holy shadow.
Last Sunday, Mahindren, my wife and I visited a devotee and his family some 140 kilometers away who recently had met with an accident. His mother passed away on the spot. His wife sustained major injuries. His son broke his leg while the other had injuries on his forehead. His son could walk though with a limp, while his wife was still bedridden. His daughter escaped from injuries while the devotee tells me that his knees still hurt. We were truly surprised to see their faith in Agathiyar never losing hope even after going through this tragedy. I wonder if I would be this strong in spirit. Agathiyar surprised us by coming there. Telling him that he bows to his devotion he asked what he wanted. When we expected him to ask to heal the family, his reply was that he only wanted Agathiyar. As the Sufi saint in Oshos's story asks for God's grace, “That God gives me his grace; with that would I not have everything?”, Agathiyar surprised us by calling Bhogar to bring relief to his wife and children. This family is indeed a rare breed. Agathiyar and Bhogar came for a true devotee.
Agathiyar had told a man who was bedridden for some 2 years to keep up his spirit while his kin did all the remedies he gave. But the man died. Agathiyar in a rare Nadi reading tells them what was he to do. His soul had given up. He had to take him. A relative who lost his wife in a case of hit and run right outside the temple where she had offered prayers for her safety and that of her family too, just moments before, lost faith in God and turned atheist immediately.
As I look back I understand how Agathiyar and Tavayogi trained us, unknowingly building up the spirit as we traveled and journeyed in life learning skills and trades that came in handy and useful later in life, coming to learn from the numerous experiences that come our way, making gains and loses too, and coming to terms and accept certain things in life. Experiences are given accordingly, and at the right moments, taking into consideration our maturity and understanding. Otherwise, it is delayed or postponed to a later date. At times these experiences are given and seen as needed to bring the desired change in us.
Hence I have come to believe that nothing is written in stone. Everything is fluid just as the river flows. Everything is evolving in the present moment, taking shape and also going through destruction each moment. It is only that we only see the gross and bigger things and not the subtle and minute miracles. A flower blooming is a perfect example. We only see the bud or the flower after it has bloomed. We hardly observe the flowering process for it needs us to allocate our time and watch the process without moving anywhere. So is it with the internal transformations and the opening and blooming of the chakras. It is only when alone and quiet that we tend to be absorbed into these processes. Hence the reason to take a break from all external and active participation in family matters and society. I too have kept myself away from them. True enough I am continuously becoming aware of the tingling sensation that is akin to the 1000-petaled flower opening ever and forever. Yes, if a flower opens only to wither soon, here the flower is increasingly and continuously flowering. The body aches have all disappeared too though the 3 dosas are still being expelled. The frequent urination has subsided and returned to normalcy. If I was constipated some weeks back, that too has returned to normalcy and it's loose now. If there was chillness felt at the crown in the initial days of awakening the dormant energies, by Agathiyar's grace, there was a continuous chill that was felt in the feet and legs initially, that has begun to traverse to the upper torso these days. I have come to believe too that the body heals itself, something that the late astrologer and Siddha physician Dr.Krishnan, looking into my horoscope pointed out back then.
Supramania Swami once told me that there are 3 things one has to do in privacy, namely Puja, eating, and having sex. I could understand the last as sex was a taboo in Asian culture and one could get arrested if performed before others or in public, but how and why do the former 2 have to be done in private? I believe I know now. When I sit to eat, even before taking it into my mouth, I tend to feed on the prevalent energies in it. The essence of the food reaches every cell in me. I enjoy the food to the extent that I tend to show off and express the bliss derived from eating, through facial and bodily reactions. Imagine, if done in public, I would invite stares from the other table. Similarly, it is with Puja. We tend to go into a state of ecstasy, bringing on spontaneous tears, and laughter, where we are not in control of our body and senses, and not being ourselves. The external energies either take over or the inherent energies burst their banks. Imagine if this happens in public. People would stare at us awkwardly. As for sex, it too reaches a zenith or point where we truly immerse in the moment. Have you wondered why we tend to close our eyes in prayer, while eating and when engaged in sex? When we reach a state of bliss we lose ourselves and completely immerse in the moment. If too much food and sex can make us sick, devotional bliss makes us crazy in the eyes of the ignorant. Tavayogi compares bliss derived from interaction with the divine and interaction with people as similar to a certain point and extent, except that the former is multifold and beyond limits. He calls the former Per Inbam, that which is everlasting, and the latter Sit Inbam that which is momentary.
I am truly grateful to Agathiyar for coming into my life as a messiah and savior. Of course, with him came the entire TiruKootham, or assembly of Siddhas. Looking back it amazes us that it all started with worship. True and genuine worship. Together with it, holding on to the path, and with a little effort on our part towards the given Sadhana shall bring us a long way and far. Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal constantly reminded us to put in the effort or the Sadhana. "Sadhana is the technique by which alone such a sacred inner temple can be built by each one of us within us," says Swami Chinmayananda in describing an accomplished yogi in his book "As I Think", published by the Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Bombay 1985. Reading this again now, I am wondering if the temple that Agathiyar asked for and that Lord Murugan asked for himself later and that recently Lobhama asked us to gift Agathiyar was not an external one but as Swami Chinmayananda says a sacred inner temple for him to dwell permanently.
"An accomplished yogi is one who has ended his contact with these inert matter assemblages and has regained his native glow as the pure infinite consciousness. Such a godly one may for the benefit of the world come to express through his previous equipment for a short number of years singing the song of the divine felt by him expressing the majesty of the infinite song rising in him roaring the victory of the spirit over the matter which he has accomplished. Such a one is called a real saint, prophet, messiah, buddha. After serving the world for a time.... the equipment of expression around him withers away and he the infinite exists. As spirit, he expresses thereafter through all functioning in the entire universe."
I guess this is what Agathiyar wants us to become too. In asking us to drop our actions, desires, and wants and take up his tasks, wishes, and mission, the all-knowing transfers his energies, thoughts, and wants as and when required. He wants us to sacrifice our center and become his shadow as in the story of the Sufi saint. Emptied of our wants but enriched with emptiness so that he can come to dwell within and flow in us, lighting up the path and the surroundings, healing by just his touch or mere presence, and passing on divine knowledge without even the need to learn.
Andraz from Slovenia mailed me an extract from the book "Outer Chapters" of the Zhuangzi, a parable that mentions a conversation between "Cloud Chief" and "Big Concealment" many years back, that explains it all.
Cloud Chief: "Heavenly Master, it has been hard indeed for me to meet with you—I beg one word of instruction!"
Big Concealment: "Well, then—mind nourishment! You have only to rest in inaction and things will transform themselves. Smash your form and body, spit out hearing and eyesight, forget you are a thing among other things, and you may join in great unity with the deep and boundless. Undo the mind, slough off spirit, be blank and soulless, and the ten thousand things one by one will return to the root—return to the root and not know why. Dark and undifferentiated chaos—to the end of life none will depart from it. But if you try to know it, you have already departed from it. Do not ask what its name is, do not try to observe its form. Things will live naturally end of themselves."
Cloud Chief: "The Heavenly Master has favored me with this Virtue, instructed me in this Silence. All my life I have been looking for it, and now at last I have it!"
He bowed his head twice, stood up, took his leave, and went away. (Chapter 11, tr. Burton Watson 1968:122-3 source http://en.wikipedia.org/,)
In Chapter 12 of the said book,
The true sage is a quail at rest, a little fledgling at its meal, a bird in flight who leaves no trail behind. When the world has the Way, he joins in the chorus with all other things. When the world is without the Way, he nurses his Virtue and retires in leisure. And after a thousand years, should he be weary of the world, he will leave it and ascend to the immortals, riding on those white clouds all the way up to the village of God.
It looks like this is how we should live and end our lives, live to do his work, hence living in peace, and also leaving in peace, with no hype or seeking attention and publicity. Though generally, it would be difficult to follow this instruction for we have been on the move and doing something all life long, I have come to terms with accommodating Agathiyar's directive in asking me to withdraw myself unless there was a need and do nothing henceforth. I shall then be at peace with myself and the rest of the world.
When does the life breath come into a body and give life to an otherwise lifeless chunk of meat? Agathiyar explained this to us in a memo some time back. The Pranavayu which is the primary cause of the conception of an embryo and a fetus flows in with the elements from both the parents, shaping a form that has the potential to become alive. Life then is given to the embryo.
பிறக்கும் சிசு கருவுற மூலமாக இருப்பது பிராணவாயு. பிராணவாயு ஆணின் அணுக்களிலும் பெண்ணின் அணுக்களிலும் ஊடுருவி ஒன்றெனக் கலந்து பிரதான பொருள் வடிவம் அடையும் தன்மை உண்டானால் அங்கு உயிர் சக்தி உருவேற்ற படுகிறது.
The breath or Uyir that primarily drives our body, moving the limbs that are otherwise motionless, is moved to execute actions drawn up and driven by past karma and present desires, using the body as a vehicle.
உனது உடலைப் பிரதானமாகக் கொண்டு இயங்குவது சுவாசம், அதுவே உயிர். உயிர் என்பது செயல் அற்று இருக்கக்கூடிய உறுப்பைச் செயல் பெறச் செய்வது.
Having explained about the body and the breath, Agathiyar went on to brief us about the soul or Atma. The Atma that keeps both the Udal and Uyir under its purview, loses its grip and hold on us, between 1 and 5 Varahai, says Agathiyar, a time period used in the ancient days that I have yet to find an equivalent terminology or reference to present times. Although Agathiyar said he could not reveal the reason for the Atma to be veiled, after several readings we figured out its reason. The period where the Atma is veiled is where the process of karma takes its course. What is said to be the divine Lila is the play of karma on one's life.
Tavayogi wrote in his book "Atma Gnanam" that the individual soul that is the Jeeva Atma brings together the body or Udal and the breath or Uyir. உடலும் உயிரும் சேர்ந்து செயல்படுகின்ற ஒரு பொருளைதான் ஜீவன் என்கிறோம். The Atma that originates in the realm of the divine that is known as Paramatma comes as the Jeevatma to care for the new life that is taking shape in the mother's womb, hovering and staying with the Pindam and Uyir for a period of time that Agathiyar says is between 1 and 5 Varahai and then veils itself once karma is set into motion and play. I guess it is the will of the most compassionate Lord that karma does not affect a child until he or she attains puberty when it can make decisions on its own. The late Dr.Krishnan told me that a child's karma initially affects the parents giving them for instance undue stress and worry if the child is sickly or joy if he is healthy. Karma only begins to affect the child when the child reaches puberty. By this time the child can figure out the right and wrong, distinguish between the good and bad, and begin to make his or her own decisions. His or her "I" comes to the forefront pushing the Atma behind the veil. It is an eye-opener to note that the "I" comes later to send the Atma behind the veil. He or she then invites karma into life to chart the course to be taken accordingly. When karma asserts itself, life takes its toll and he or she is lost for a solution and surrenders to the divine, or when life gives a trashing and he or she begins to question why his or her life was moving the way it did and tries to ponder and figure it out, as Agathiyar says, only then the Atma makes its presence known. The Atma appears to help him or her out.
He is then told of karma. But how many realize or are aware of karma or the existence of the Atma and acknowledge it as the reason for their lives to move in a particular direction? Those who had been in the proximity of the Siddhas or have had their blessings in their past lives might be referred to see the Nadi or pointed to the Nadi reader or come to know of its existence at the right moment. He or she then has a calling from the Atma that leads them to have a reading. The Nadi reveals the past karma. Solutions are given too. It is now the moment of the great battle between one's "I" and the word of the Siddhas. While many take up the word of the Siddhas and follow some might tend to leave decrying that it is a hoax. Those who come to know the Nadi could brush it aside or venture to correct their karma. Here is where we come to understand Agathiyar's statement that the Atma draws aside the veil and appears before him to help navigate the rest of his life according to the direction and action that one takes. If the "I" that thought it was master and in charge all this while, now beaten and wounded, subdues and surrenders to its savior, the Atma. The Atma heals and cares for him or her. The Atma returns to save him or her bringing salvation. This applies to those who believe and take the necessary actions to correct their past that shadows them, follows them, and impacts the present moment.
Agathiyar reveals a misconception that many, including me, have had and that I had carried in many of my earlier posts that the Atma carries the imprints of karma. It is not so. I remain corrected. Agathiyar reveals that contrary to this understanding, the Atma helps clear our karma by showing us the way.
ஆன்மா உனது கர்ம வினை தாங்கி வருவது அல்ல, ஆனால் ஆன்மாவே உனது கர்ம வினையைச் சரிசெய்வதற்கு உதவி புரியும்.
Once karma has cleared the search to know the Atma intensifies. His search for his selfish gain loses its intensity. His seeking would be solely on knowing the Atma (Agathiyar) and reaching him.
கர்மவை சரி செய்த பின், ஆன்மாவின் தேடல் அதிகமாகி மனிதனின் அன்றாட தேடல் தீர்ந்து போகும். அவன் தேடல் முழுதாய் என்னையே தேடி வர முயற்சி செய்யும்.
The grace of the guru, if he has one, could point us too, to our inner guru which is the Atma. It then comes to the forefront and takes the reins again. Just as Acharya Gurudasan told me that the outer guru or one in physical form's role was to point us to our inner guru the Atma, David Godman in his blog https://sri-ramana-maharshi.blogspot.com/ says the same.
"The outer Guru appears to tell us about the reality of the Self, who is the inner Guru. With our defective vision, we cannot see or experience for ourselves that this is true. The inner Guru pulls us towards the Self and establishes us there. The inner Guru is waiting at all times to perform this function but he cannot begin until we turn our attention towards him. It is the outer Guru who tells us, ‘Turn within. Put your attention on the inner Guru and let him pull you back into your source.’ In addition to giving these instructions, the outer Guru transmits his grace to us, cleans our minds, and pushes them towards the inner Guru, the Self. All Gurus are the Self. All Gurus are formless. And all Gurus are ultimately one and the same. The outer forms of the Guru may appear differently to different people but there is really only one Guru, and that Guru is the Self. When we reach spiritual maturity, the Self manifests to us in the form of a Guru in order to help us to make further progress with our sadhana.'"
If his seeking henceforth is intensified towards knowing the Atma, the guru too tightens his grip on his disciple. Speaking to Acharya Gurudasan about the grip that the guru has on his disciple, if he shared Bhagawan Ramana's sayings, I added that Yogi Ramsuratkumar too had spoken about the guru's grip.
S. Parthasarathy in his book, "Biography of Yogi Ramsuratkumar - The Godchild of Tiruvannamalai (Amarakaviyam)", quotes the Yogi.
"Even if you want to escape from the Guru, the Guru will not leave you. Like a frog in the mouth of a King Cobra, the disciple cannot escape from Guru."
Today speaking to Prabhakaran, who with Silambarasan and Karthick took my family on a hike to the hill where Tavayogi had installed Agathiyar's statue when we visited Kallar ashram in 2013, he equated it to that of a hawk circling from above eyeing its prey or in our case keeping an eye on us.
David Godman describes the true nature of the guru.
"All Gurus are formless. And all Gurus are ultimately one and the same. The outer forms of the Guru may appear differently to different people but there is really only one Guru, and that Guru is the Self. When we reach spiritual maturity, the Self manifests to us in the form of a Guru to help us to make further progress with our sadhana. The relationship with the outer Guru lasts as long as it is necessary. It lasts until the sishya [disciple] knows from direct experience that the Self alone exists."
He goes on to narrate his story.
"In my case, a time came when it was no longer physically possible for me to be with the form of the Guru. Bhagavan severed the physical relationship because he wanted me to be aware of him as he really is. When you pass your exams at school, you graduate to the next class. We cannot enter the same class again. I graduated from regarding Bhagavan as a form and came to regard him as the formless Self. After that, I was never given the chance to have a relationship with Bhagavan’s physical form again. After I had learned to make contact with the formless Self, Bhagavan gave me a kick when I still tried to carry on drinking the grace from his physical form. He wanted to wean me from his form. He wanted me to get all my spiritual nourishment from the formless Self."
I too had to move up the ladder and drop seeing Agathiyar as existing only in the bronze statue at AVM and in the numerous temples and in the paintings. Agathiyar told me that the moment his statue leaves to another devotee's house he shall bring down the Prapanjam, having told us earlier that he was the Prapanjam and that the Prapanjam was in him. I was only too willing to let him go. I began to pack his things and waited for the day. It was not that I was bidding good riddance to him but having made known to me that he was beyond this piece of metal and was present in all, I was elated at the possibility of finally reaching out to the Prapanjam that Ramalinga Adigal had attempted to bring within our reach in each of his visits.
If Agathiyar worked his miracle in breaking the bund and releasing the energies ponded at Manipuraka and answered that there was nothing else for me to do or work on as the energies will do their work, Yogi Ramsuratkumar too has mentioned the grace and will of the gurus that work in us the magic of transformation.
"All your tapas and efforts will make you reach Guru’s Feet. Thereafter you need not bother about your spiritual growth. The Guru will take care of you. The Guru will see that you reach God. The only thing the disciple should do is remember the Guru and the Guru Mantra all the time. That is sufficient. Do not try to practice any method to reach God. Remember your Guru. That’s enough. Once you reach your Guru your sadhana efforts end here. Listen to your Guru and have faith in our Guru. Your Guru would take the responsibility of you and take you where you ought to reach. After reaching Guru’s feet, you need not worry about your spiritual growth. Just remember my Name. That is enough.”
Once the present is taken care of, the future takes care of itself. There is no need to intercept. We need only correct the present and the future will present itself in its best attire. Everything falls into its place.
Prabhakaran too enlightened me that once the search ends it means we have moved to a higher chakra. He also mentioned that if at one time we had gone visit the deities' abodes and temples, as we moved up the chakras, they come to visit us. Indeed all these were taking place at AVM. It needed these good souls to point it out to us as to how and why it was taking place. The internal journey along the chakras was verified by these wonderful souls besides Agathiyar coming often to verify. While speaking to them I had this urge to hug them as they began shedding light on some of the experiences that I could not comprehend until then. Both these souls told me that they could feel my joy in knowing though we were miles apart and speaking on the phone. It brought tears to my eyes. If our bond could transcend space imagine that of the Siddhas who are light years away but yet within our reach. I am amazed that the moment Agathiyar calls out to a particular deity or Siddha they are there the very next moment as energies. The devotee too can reach the state where he can summon them. If Yogi Ramsuratkumar came to join Supramania Swami and me in chanting his name, Lord Muruga came when my daughters and grandchildren led others in singing his songs on Agathiyar's Jayanthi. He told us he came since we called (sang) him singing the song "Pachaimayil vaganene" and "Adi meethu Adi Vaithu". He blessed us and left shortly telling us that as it was Agathiyar's big day, and that he would leave us with him. Shortly after Ma Kali came when the children sang "Kali mageswari".
Agathiyar on Monday assured me that he would take care of my family besides monitoring me closely. He reminded me not to lose my guard and not to bring to waste the effort and work that they had put in on me. I guess if Ramalinga Adigal shared his experience through his songs, though I cannot possibly equate with him, I believe Agathiyar wants me to share my comparatively minute and tiny weeny experiences through my writings for the benefit of my readers.
If Lobhama threw in a surprise making known to us Agathiyar's wish for a temple on Saturday and immediately turned to Sri Krishna who is housing Agathiyar's bronze statue that was formerly at AVM, and told the same, Agathiyar came the following day and exempted me from executing the humongous task asking that I focus on my solo journey even more aggressively. I was truly relieved to get this clarification.
He pointed out what I had observed taking place within and confirmed those changes were indeed taking place. Pointing out that my hair was turning black again and changes in the cellular level were taking place, he asked me to continue on my practices, the occasional pranayama and asanas that I do to keep fit and stay healthy, and the short periods of attempting to sit still and still the mind and still the breath. He gave the commitment that he would take care of the family while I did my thing. He reminded me to withhold my anger telling me that the energies that had arisen within and now dwell at the Sahasrara should not slip down back to the lower chakras. It is truly wonderful to have him come and guide and watch over us so closely. How can we repay his kindness, compassion, and grace?
Though Acharya Gurudasan whom we address as Master Gowri Varadhan had already shared many details in one of the many visits to AVM when he was working in Malaysia, speaking to him over the phone last night was an eye opener where I understood these experiences further.
He had served in Malaysia where we got to know him and learned Yoga as taught by Babaji to Lahari Mahasaya. Currently, he is in Kerala.
Though much of what he shared in the past seemed mere theoretical knowledge to us then, after putting it into practice and gaining these experiences we have begun to understand what he was trying to tell us. Last evening he broke the bubble and understanding that had formed around us further. Acharya Gurudasan told me that the guru's (in the physical form and external) role was only to show us to the internal guru (the Atma). But the trouble is, if we tend to hold on to the physical form of the guru as God, the guru too projects himself as such and hides us from knowing our true selves. This too is a work of Maya I suppose. To come to know one's Atma is true liberation. I am glad that Tavayogi did not portray himself as God and have us worship him, but instead had us worship Agathiyar who on his part showed us our Atma and the Prapanjam.
Sharing with him what Agathiyar had defined Gnanam as, which is, the outcome and experiences in traveling within, traversing each chakra till we arrive at Sahasrara, Acharya Gurudasan brought greater understanding to this. In describing this journey as we traversed the various chakras, the experiences that I had had, were confirmed by Acharya Gurudasan. Starting at the Muladhara chakra that denotes survival, and scrambling to stay alive, we arrive at Svadishtana that of procreation as we settle in some form of comfort. Arriving at Manipura we seek pleasures and treasures and begin to crave and hoard them respectively. At the heart chakra, Anahata, love and compassion arise in going beyond the individual self and serving others. At Vishudhi, one begins besides tapping into hidden talents, as in singing and writing, he taps the knowledge that is in abundance and abounds. At Ajna one gains visions, foresights, and Siddhis. Finally, if and when we make it to Sahasrara, the "I" that experiences, the experience, and the object of experience drops or disappears. It is the state of oneness with our creator and in all of creation. Ramalinga Adigal mentioned that henceforth he would be in everything and disappeared from our sight.
Acharya Gurudasan in acknowledging that all paths lead to oneness with God, explains that in Bhakti too, the individual self is dropped or disappears eventually, leaving one to realize that the divine that he sought and saw as separate was all the while in him and as him.
Mentioning to him how Agathiyar came around asking what we wanted and heard our desires and wants, Acharya Gurudasan posed a question to me, whether he was addressing the individual Shanmugam or the Atma that resided within. This made my mind race to the moment when he had asked a sick devotee to ask her Atma what it wanted. She chose to live. It was granted but she is still suffering. On the other hand, Agathiyar asked the next of kin of a dead man what was he to do when the soul that they were trying to save gave up and wanted to leave. When my brother was undecided about whether to bring my mother back home from the hospital where the doctors, considering her age was 96, did not want to intervene and would only help her as much as prolonging her breathing with the aid of ventilators, Agathiyar made the decision telling him to let her go as she had another birth waiting.
The day has arrived. Today is a day of celebration for Agathiyar in numerous places both in Malaysia and India and other places I might not be aware of. We at AVM were introduced to Agathiyar's Jayanthi celebrations by Tavayogi who made it an annual celebration at his Kallar ashram. We followed suit at AVM following his advice. Later Agathiyar in the Nadi guided us often. Today Pothihai Tharma Chakkram or PTC, the new host to Agathiyar's statue that was formerly at AVM hosted the festivities. A homam and abhisegam were done for both Agathiyar and Lobhama.
We were pleasantly surprised to see Lobhama accompany Agathiyar at PTC today. If some time back Agathiyar had told us that henceforth he shall come with Lobhama, I wondered how it was to be. Today seeing her as a bronze statue accompanying Agathiyar, I understood Agathiyar's message. The couple Sri Krishna and Sri Dewiy were drawn to Lobhama's statue at a sales outlet at the Temple of Fine Arts while dining at Annalakshmi. They immediately purchased the statue. They were truly surprised to hear me relate to them that Agathiyar had quipped that henceforth he shall come with Lobhama. Lobhama came through a devotee and guess what, wanted us to build a temple and house both Agathiyar and her. She asked that we fulfill Agathiyar's wish. It amazes us that just days back Agathiyar in a Nadi reading for Krishna had hinted that he had a big task lined up for him. When I called Senthil over the phone to catch up on the missing years since my first Nadi reading was read by him in 2002, he too said that Agathiyar was looking for several souls whom he could rope in to build his temple in Malaysia. It was Senthil too who had relayed Agathiyar's wish to see his temple built in Kallar in Tavayogi's Nadi. I guess Krishna and I have to consider and work towards it. There is no way we can ignore or dismiss or prolong their requests any further. If Agathiyar had asked for a temple in my first Nadi reading in 2002, and Lord Murugan came in another Nadi reading in 2018, asking for one too, and sent Agathiyar to convince me, Agathiyar later told me that they had tested me. Now Lobhama has asked for it on behalf of Agathiyar. But could this be a ploy to test us again? Or is this to fulfill a desire of us from the past just like Agathiyar sent a couple of devotees over telling me that I desired to be a guru.
Meanwhile, several devotees of Agathiyar did Homam and puja in their homes while some visited Kallar ashram. They sent in photos.
Flag hoisting ceremony at Kallar ashram this morning
Homam in a devotee's home in Klang
Puja at another devotee's home in Chennai
Lighting the Yagam at Kallar Ashram later in the afternoon
Another devotee chose to sought the assistance of a Nadi reader to conduct the Homam.
In my travels with Tavayogi, he never made a fuss even when a miracle took place, and neither did he allow me to stay long enough to investigate. He brushed it off and we moved on to our next destination. If it was us, we would reach for our smartphones and start clicking. We would gather many and talk about it for days on end. We would post our experiences on social media and make videos of them. These experienced old souls were humble to the core while we being the excited new kids on the block that we are, are forever eager to show and tell and share every single moment of our lives with others.
Reading Yogi Ramaiah's "Babaji Gita" I could see many similarities between these gurus.
Ramaiah writes that "Yogananda was meditating on the terrace of the Serampore ashram with Yukteshwar doing his evening walk on the terrace. Suddenly Swami Yukteshwar stopped and beckoned Yogananda to go over to him immediately. Yogananda did not move. Instead, he replied that he was meditating. When eventually he walked up to his guru, Yukteshwar tapped his forehead which awakened his Kundalini Sakthi to experience Vijnana Samadhi. When he came back to the ordinary level of consciousness his guru Yukteshwar was there watching him, remarked "Get the broom. Let us sweep the floor." The guru was teaching him to be humble and not be carried over by the lofty experience.
It reminds me of the miracle that Agathiyar promised me that he shall show at Agasthiyampalli in the Nadi reading. I was fortunate to be taken to this temple in 2005 by Tavayogi where Agathiyar performed the miracle of opening his left eye before me in this granite statue.
On 23 September 2005, as we set on this awesome journey Tavayogi turned around to me and said, “Only now our actual journey begins,” with a big grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, as if he knew beforehand or could foresee whatever was to take place on our journey. It was the second leg of our tour. Chauffeured by Prem, we were headed for Agasthiyampalli, Pothigai, Courtalam, and Palani as instructed in my Nadi. Tavayogi was just as excited as I was too. He tells me it has been ten years since he went to Agasthiyampalli.
We reached Agasthiyampalli, Vedaranyam at 10.30 am. A temple priest, who was sitting with two other locals at the entrance of the temple, on seeing us alight from the car, came forward to greet and usher us into the temple grounds. This unexpected gesture of his surprised us. He took us straight to Agathiyar’s temple which was on the left of the entrance and facing the main temple of Lord Shiva. The priest lighted the camphor and showed the flame (arati) to Agathiyar. Tavayogi and I then sat on the floor. Tavayogi began to sing the Siddha hymns and Potri as usual. The priest suddenly interrupted him. He asks that we circumambulate the temple first, giving instructions on how to do it the proper way. He insisted we pray at Lord Shiva’s shrine first as he was going away to another temple to conduct prayers. If my mind that was taught to think logically was asking, "It was almost noon and temples would be closed in the afternoons. So why was he in a hurry to go to another temple to conduct prayers", Tavayogi turned to me and said, "Let us oblige him."
Tavayogi and I came round the temple grounds as the priest had instructed. We stepped into Lord Shiva’s shrine where the priest was waiting for us. He lighted the camphor again and showed the flame. He led us to the open ground and touched a spot telling us that that was the very spot where Agathiyar had pressed his thumb into the ground to balance the earth that had tilted due to the Devas, Gods, and Goddesses converging in the Himalayas for Lord Shiva-Goddess Parvathy’s wedding. Tavayogi and I came back to Agathiyar’s shrine. Tavayogi picked up singing the hymns from where he had left. Since Agathiyar had promised to open his eyes and see me at Agasthiyampalli in the Nadi reading, I began observing him. He was carved in granite with both eyes shut. His image had been worn down, missing all the details, due to years of conducting libation or Abhisegam on him.
As Tavayogi ended his prayer with a couple of hymns, I continued with the Potri hymns as usual. As I started reciting the Pranavam - AUM, at Agathiyar’s shrine, I could hear and feel the Pranavam reverberate, and bounce off the granite walls. I felt a cool breeze sweep over me even as I was sweating away at the shrine. As I uttered the last line of the Potri hymn, Aum Maa Siddhargale Potri, I broke down in tears. I cried and cried. Sadly, he did not open his eyes even after all the praise to him. Agathiyar had yet to look at me. I begged Agathiyar to open his eyes and see me. However, he did not respond. I shut my eyes as I wept continuously. After some time, I opened my eyes. Tavayogi who was earlier seated opposite me was not there anymore. I turned towards the entrance. He had moved to the open air and was standing there observing from the outside.
As I joined Tavayogi where he was standing, just like Yukteswar ushered Yogananda, he ushered me to his side and whispered to me, “Agathiyar had opened his eyes twice. There is the aroma of sandalwood in the air too”. He asked that I stand at the same spot he had stood. “Concentrate now. Look at the Siddha’s eyes,” he said. I peered at the granite statue of Agathiyar but I could hardly make out his face much less see him open and close his eyes. The shrine was dark. I could sense Tavayogi’s disappointment that I could not see Agathiyar open his eyes. This I knew from the tone of his voice when he consoled me, “Never mind, son. Let’s snap some photographs, shall we?”
Agathiyar too in coming through a devotee tried to initiate something similar, the details of which I am not at liberty to share openly or disclose nor reveal as he had asked that it be kept within the four walls of our prayer room. Though he did try numerous times to show us out of love for us, both my wife and I failed to see. I guess we had not reached the state that Agathiyar aspired for us.
Yogi Ramaiah narrates a similar incident. When Yukteshwar went to Kasi to see Lahiri Mahasaya, he "pointed to the bright sunlight near his room and remarked look but Yukteshwar could not see anything special. Lahiri Mahasaya tapped his forehead pulled up his kundalini shakti and saw in the bright sunlight the immortal Paramaguru Babaji." Ramaiah writes that unless the Kundalini Sakti is raised to the level of the 6th Anjana chakram one could not see the Siddha Kriya Babaji Nagaraj."
Tavayogi too would look towards the skies and point out to me that the Siddhas were ushering and showering us with flower petals. I would look up into the sky and look back at him with bewildered eyes, yet I choose to believe and we moved on.
I entered Agathiyar’s shrine again and was about to sit at the same spot when Tavayogi motioned me to sit with Agathiyar in the inner sanctum. “Go in and sit at Agathiyar’s feet in the inner sanctum. He is our father. Who dares object?” That is when Tavayogi throws his shawl over to me asking me to lay it on the floor to sit on as the floor had oil spills and grime.
Swami Muktananda in his KUNDALINI - THE SECRET OF LIFE, Siddha Yoga Publication, 1994, (Muktananda, Kundalini - The Secret of Life, 1994) describes a true guru as follows,
“The Guru is the grace bestowing power of God. The entire body of such a Guru has become permeated with Sakti. In fact, the Guru becomes the embodiment of Sakti to such an extent that the hat he wears, his clothes, and the mat on which he sits become permeated with it, and just by touching them, a disciple can receive Sakti.”
Often Jeganatha Swamigal used to be seen in a loincloth and people made fun of him calling him a lunatic. At other times he dressed in white like Ramalinga Adigal. It is said that he never took a bath but there was always a sweet aroma emitting from him. It is said that Jeganatha Swamigal in passing to one Gurusamy Pillai his loincloth told him that he would not know the auspiciousness of that piece of cloth then but asked that he keep it with him.
As I laid his shawl and sat, I glanced at Agathiyar’s face and what do I see? The Siddha is observing me with an eye open. I looked hard in disbelief. I was sure they were engraved “closed” as I entered his shrine this morning. I was overcome with joy seeing Agathiyar look at me and I called out to Tavayogi, “Swami…” Even before I could complete my sentence, Tavayogi understood and told me, “Right! He has seen you, has he, come! They will show (themselves) you only for a moment.” Tavayogi hurried me from the spot. Even as I came out from his shrine, the Siddha was looking at me with one eye open, grinning away.
Agathiyar decided to perform the same feat and miracle that he did at Agasthiyampalli shortly after at his shrine at Papanasam. This time he opened both his eyes and saw us. Again Tavayogi herded me and this time my brother too who had joined us at Trichy out of the temple grounds.
As we alighted from the ambassador at the entrance to Breehadeshwarar temple, a peddler approached Tavayogi and asked how is it he (Tavayogi) was there at Breehadeshwarar temple again? He mentioned that Tavayogi was there the day before too. Tavayogi turned around to me and gave me a puzzled look. How could Tavayogi be there when he was traveling with me? He made no fuss about it.
While at Konganar's cave at Uthiyur, Kangayam, an old man who followed us from Kallar, and I was blessed to receive the sacred ash or vibhuti that appeared mysteriously. After entering the cave, as usual, we each picked a spot on the ground and started chanting the Siddhas' names. As I was not proficient in chanting the Siddha names then, and as I could not keep up with the speed the old man was chanting the names, I chose to just close my eyes and listen. Upon opening my eyes I saw Tavayogi holding out the sacred ash or vibhuti in his hand. He applied it on my forehead and the old man too. He gave me some to take back. As we were about to leave the cave, I asked Tavayogi why he left behind the rest of the vibhuthi. Only then did he realize there was vibhuti on a piece of newspaper. He turned to me and asked whether I had brought the sacred ash. I shook my head, "No". He asked the old man. He too replied he had not brought any along. Tavayogi gave a puzzled look and told us to let it be (the ash). He made no fuss about it.
As we stood in line for the gates to Lord Murugan's chambers at Palani to be opened for the day I felt elated that I was seeing Lord Muruga again after 2003, accompanied by my guru Tavayogi this time. As the senior priest began explaining to Tavayogi and my brother the origin of the temple, I walked across the room to the exit door and sat down again. Again a young priest was in attendance. As we stepped out of the chambers into the corridor the young priest reappeared in the corridor. Again he had a tumbler in his hands. He passed it to Tavayogi who was in front. Tavayogi took a gulp and passed the tumbler to my brother who was behind him. He took a gulp too and passed it to me. I emptied the milk down my throat and passed the tumbler back to the priest with a nod of thanks. I hurried behind Tavayogi and my brother who had already moved out into the open. That is when it happened again. I was in a state of bliss exactly as I had experienced on my first trip. I began to lag behind as Tavayogi and my brother walked ahead having a conversation. Suddenly Tavayogi stopped and looked at me asking, "What Son?" I was literally walking on air! That moment I knew that he knew! He knew what was happening. There was a sparkle in his eyes as he turned towards me and asked the question with a grin. I just walked right up to him and laid my head on his chest. After a moment he turned around and continued walking.
I guess these gurus have seen much in their lifetimes and as such witnessing or performing miracles are very much part of their daily lives.
Returning from my pilgrimage to India, Agathiyar in a reading on 20 December 2005, mentions the reason he hurried me to leave for India a month after Tavayogi's departure and the numerous Siddha spots, samadhis, and caves, he brought me to. He confirms how he appeared at Papanasam, Courtallam, and Agathiyampalli. Just as he had performed miracles in India, Agathiyar promised to perform the same in Malaysia. And he kept his word till this very day.
