Tuesday, 8 October 2024

THE MYSTIC(AL) JOURNEY

I had never visited any visiting gurus or masters but if they happened to be visiting the temples when I went over I would stand in line and receive their blessings with others. I had never had any high regard for them until Segaran from the office passed me Paramahansa Yogananda's "The Autobiography of A Yogi" as a parting gift together with a wonderful painting of Lord Siva and a wonderful piece of advice. This book blew my mind. I began to collect photos of such saints to adorn the walls of my family puja room. When my nephew surprised me by telling me that he had a message for me and not to question the source, I listened and received the Vasudeva mantra that Saturday afternoon in 2001. I was asked to chant the mantra for it shall pave the way to meet my guru, I was told. True enough the following year I saw myself sitting with a Nadi reader and going through numerous bundles of old dried palm leaves called the Nadi or Olai Suvadi. Agathiyar told me he was my Moola guru or Prime guru and that I would meet my guru in the physical form unexpectedly. My nephew then revealed that the Vasudeva mantra was asked to be forwarded to me through his Paramaguru Gopal Pillai by Agathiyar. True enough when I left for India the following year to carry out the remedies given by Agathiyar in the Nadi, I ended up with my destined guru Supramania Swami on the pretext of charting the horoscope and astrological chart for my daughter, after my wife reminded me just before I left Malaysia for India. Three years on Agathiyar sent me to Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal who was visiting Malaysia then. He took me under his wing and Agathiyar had me spend several days in his ashram in 2005. My search stopped there. Though Agathiyar told me to visit other gurus, I never went for I had arrived home I told myself. 

Recently when he too told me that I had arrived and that there was nothing further to do, I realized that I never left in the first place. All that transpired happened within this individual known and tagged as Shanmugam Avadaiyappa. What transpired was the dropping of the sheaths or covers that had concealed my soul or Atma and kept me ignorant. The guru came to uncover these thick sheets and exposed me. But their love and compassion and willingness to forgive me sent home a message that I too should learn to forgive myself and others. Then they began to fill me in with their grace and knowledge, giving me practices to adhere to. They nurtured the flame in me to burn brightly. They strengthened the gross body for without it we shall not know God. The Atma was revealed in due time as in Atma Darisanam. I came to know my true Self. Just as I stood stark naked before them ashamed of my past doings that were exposed in my Nadi reading, now I stood naked again before my Atma who knew every inch of me. My Atma led the way thenceforth connecting me to the farthest reaches beyond the physical limitations of the gross body to the Prapanjam. All this happened whilst still in this body. There was no time travel or out-of-body experiences to cry out about. 

Their desire or rather test for me asking me to build a temple for Agathiyar in 2002 and for Lord Muruga later in 2018 was shelved for good. This gross body and my home became a temple. The temple was lit as in Jothi Darisanam in Tiruvannamalai, not by oil lamps but by the Chakras which now became solar panels that received and stored the energy. Illumination of the mind or Arivu opened up the door to Gnanam. Words showered from beyond prompting me to write further. This showering is indeed Gnana Darisanam. 

A SIDDHA PATH FOR ALL

When overzealous devotees elsewhere who took charge were known to obstruct and send away devotees who were meat eaters and women who were menstruating from actively participating in the rituals, Agathiyar welcomed them at Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM).

In the days when my wife, two daughters, and I did frequent puja at home and gave notice about it to the AVM family, my wife would be pretty disturbed mentally thinking if it was right and proper to sit in on the puja and rituals as in conducting libation or Abhisegam to Agathiyar's statue and lighting the sacred sacrificial fire or Homam when either one of them was having their menstrual cycle and period. But Agathiyar came and assured them that that was the nature of the women's body and there was no harm in them participating. 

Recently when Agathiyar had instructed us to travel to my parent-in-law's house in another state and conduct a Homam, we had stopped over to have lunch. My daughters for a moment forgot that we were the ones who were going to carry it out, and began to take the fish and prawns that were so tempting and appetizing and pleasing to the palate. When we reached our destination and prepared to carry out the Homam, they distanced themselves feeling guilty that they had taken non-veg earlier. But Agathiyar who came called both of them up to light up the Homam and care for the fire making sure it did not die out. He had me sing the Arutperunjothi mantra while he personally offered the herbs into the fire. 

So who instilled these fears into the devotees and kept them away from the worship of the Siddhas? Overzealous devotees and followers who later took the stand and role of gurus. When these overzealous devotees who took charge placed codes of practice to adhere to and disciplines to take heed of, they drove away potential seekers. Agathiyar invited one and all and embraced them at AVM. Slowly did he bring them over and brought changes in them over time, having them let go of their earlier practices, either after educating them by giving them a proper understanding or by having the understanding come on naturally in due time, without any stress or pressure from outside. 

He tells us that if we intend to change this gross body into a light body we need to refrain from continuing to take meat. Turning vegetarian does not apply to every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the street. Neither does it apply to those disinterested in walking the path of this internal transformation. It does not apply to those who do not have any idea of the process involved in this transformation. The process calls for discipline and perseverance, in carrying out puja and rituals, and in practicing Yoga Asanas and Pranayama. The Siddha path is not in procuring the Siddhis that has been made out to be. Neither is it about publicizing and showing them off. It is all about returning to our original state, being one with God. To arrive there one initially makes good his past mistakes after learning about them and would eventually have to learn to let go of all that he had grabbed along the way and made his possessions.  Only a few shall stay to travel this path. Of this, only one shall arrive, for the path is narrow and one has to travel solo. 

THE CALM AFTER THE STORM

Agathiyar kept telling me that I had arrived. Talking to my second daughter last night about this and asking how is it that he says I have arrived, I realized that I was looking towards the state of others who had pursued the path earlier. Many seekers who climbed the ladder and eventually took on the role of a guru had set up missions, establishments, movements, societies, groups, etc. I came to realize now that I too have mistakenly seen this as the destination and end of the journey. Looking at their achievements I told myself that I had to travel far yet. But Agathiyar kept telling me that I had arrived and that there was nothing further to do. Lord Murugan too came to affirm this recently. My daughter surprised me and suddenly said that that must have been their desire. That makes sense. God delivers the wishes of those who have taken the effort and time to work towards it. As for me I had shied away from the public eye and publicity and was a reserved and quiet onlooker since a child. But the divine pushed me to the forefront and gave me the exposure to experience and learn which I did. 

I had never planned my life since day one. Come to think of it now I had followed the advice of Lao Tzu without knowing, "To go with the flow". I was a timid and shy boy who was creative and artistic back then. I was respectful of people, obliged them, and followed their wishes. After finishing school since I had no ambition, I applied to do Civil engineering following my brother-in-law who was in the field. When I was in college a book I borrowed from the college library turned my life around. I cannot exactly remember the title and author but I took in the message and adopted it. I learned to say no. That helped me a lot and kept me safe. 

I indulged in temple worship when I was with my parents and added on home puja when I was living on my own having taken on my first job. As I had much time on my hands I began to do puja to all the deities and read a lot. I had an urge to know about culture, traditions, beliefs, agamas, and religions. I guess this was the first phase that is spoken of as the phase of Sariyai. I had unknowingly stepped into it and followed it for some 29 years. But I was pretty confused and angry with God who made others around me suffer. Seeing the suffering I wanted answers. How can a God who is said to be loving and compassionate not prevent suffering, illnesses, and death? Then Lord Siva in a dream told me to keep my questions to a later date. I let go of all puja, temple worship, and readings. This I now come to understand was the phase of emptying the knowledge picked up from books. There came a long break of 14 years where I got married, had children, and focussed on my work 

Then the time came for me to be filled with their knowledge that came from lessons learned and gained from direct experience. I was called to the Nadi and called to the path of worship of the Siddhas. I took it up. I began to understand the reason for all suffering, illnesses, and death. I learned about birth and rebirth, Karma, and remedies. I learned about desires and wants and their hold and attachment to us. Agathiyar brought me to my first guru Supramania Swami of Tiruvannamalai and after two years brought Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram to our shores. I traveled with them and Agathiyar who came through numerous readings in the Nadi. 

Supramania Swami taught me Guru Bakti or devotion to one's guru. I who saw God in temple statues and the paintings at my altar until then was shown another aspect of God - God in the form of a living guru. Supramania Swami had five gurus: his own father Jayaram Pillai, Kollimalai Swami, Pundi Mahan (Atru Swami), Sathanandha Swami of Salem (author of Kandhar Guru Kavasam), and Yogi Ramsuratkumar (Visiri Swami). Tavayogi came under the following lineage of gurus: Agathiyar, Ramalinga Adigal, Jeganatha Swamigal, and his personal guru Chitramuthu Adigal.  

I shared my maiden pilgrimage to India in 2003, my journey with Tavayogi in 2005, and the journey traveling with co-seekers carrying out home puja, temple puja, and charity, all that transpired externally till 2019 in this blog. 

When Agathiyar asked that I build a temple for him, I was excited but that excitement died down and so did my effort, when temple committees I approached refused to even give me a square inch of their premises to house Agathiyar's shrine. When he came through me and took to task, healed, and sent off strangers, I voiced my concern and fear and asked that it stop. He asked me one question that shut me up and give in. "Where would you go if I were to close my ears to your pleas and prayers?" He told me to step aside and watch. He asks that I give in to his wish to use me and my home, as he had to see these people. I gave in. When he told me that he shall hand me his Nadi to be worshiped and read for myself and others, I did not want it either. When many who initiated and wanted to be gurus, would invite Tavayogi to officiate Peedhams on their premises, I never had that thought nor did Tavayogi initiate me into it. Instead, he started me off on Kriyai by having me light the Homam in my home. Tavayogi taught me and several others Yoga Asanas and Pranayama. Unknown to me this practice activated the Muladhara. But with the coming of Agathiyar in the form of a bronze statue that he had me commission and made in Swamimalai, India, that was originally meant to go to the Sri Raghavendra Mrithiga Brindavanam in Ipoh, Agathiyar sent several youths to my home to watch and participate in these pujas through their Nadi readings. Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) was born. It was a loose group of seekers and devotees who gathered to conduct puja and charity. He then decided to stay put. With the coming of the pandemic, Agathiyar having foresight of its coming, closed this group and had us all go our way. I was asked to go within. Meanwhile, Agathiyar used me and others as a medium to speak through, heal, initiate, teach Yoga, and dispense Gnanam. 

I had wanted to pay back for all his kindness, love, and compassion but did not know how to go about it. Neither did I know what would be the best means of giving back. Thinking that serving him in all my births and lives to come, I put forth this wish when he came around asking all these gathered their wishes. He then asked me, "If that was what I wanted?" I knew that instant that it was not what one should ask, remembering my earlier conversation with Tavayogi back then. When I had told Tavayogi that I wished to see Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal in the flesh. Tavayogi asked me back, "If that was what I wanted?" He continued telling me that they shall come easily but is that what I wanted? I knew that it was not what one should ask for. Speaking to Mahindren over the phone about this conversation with Agathiyar, and agreeing that we should ask for Gnanam which was stressed by Tavayogi often, Agathiyar eavesdropped on us and told me the next round he came that I wanted Gnanam. He went on to tell me that Gnanam was not gifted but we had to earn it. Contrary to associating Gnanam with wisdom and knowledge that is gained from worldly experiences, Agathiyar described it as an internal journey, traversing within through the numerous chakras and arriving at the Sahasrara. 

2 1/2 years later just as Lord Ganesa toppled the Kamandalam or water vessel and freed the river Kaveri who was held captive in it by Agathiyar for her disobedience, arrogance, and Ego, he freed the energies within that then stagnated and ponded at Manipuraka. Within days it reached its summit and swirled in circles as a whirlpool in the crown of the head, the Sahasrara. Asking Agathiyar if there was anything by way of practice that I should do further, he replied to do nothing. Lord Muruga too came to say the same. Each time I asked him if there was anything I should do, the answers were the same. DO NOTHING. BE STILL. As I re-live the calm after the storm, he has me share the experiences that are taking place with my readers. 

Since I had no desire, was not ambitious, and had refused to accept all the gifts that Agathiyar placed before me and never seized the opportunities that came my way, recently he put forth the idea, asking me "What if I made you a guru?" As I had refused him all this while, I did not want to hurt him further and agreed to accept this gift. He immediately told me, "No, I shall make you a 743342, instead". That made me dumbfounded and speechless. Agathiyar has shown me that one does not need a post, a mission, an establishment, a movement, a society, or a group. I can go on living the way I did, without any change to my lifestyle and manner of living. I do not need to walk out of the family, adorn a Kaavi or saffron robe, give discourses, gather followers, and feed my alter Ego further. All he is asking for, I came to understand, is love. He has even told me to drop my hold on him, for how else can I step out of the divide between Dvaita and Advaita and become one with him, he asked. Know that we have arrived when we are one. 

Monday, 7 October 2024

UNDERSTANDING LIFE

It is said in the Puranas of the past, that the Gods came down from the heavens or their realms to the earth. Myths and legends grew surrounding these stories. People began to sculpt and engrave into the recesses of walls of temples incidents from these stories. Over time man came to see God only in these images. 

Though they are not in flesh, their spirit and soul live among us in a different parallel plane I believe that is a subtle realm. Ramalinga Adigal like Agathiyar, Bhogar, Dhanvanthri, Lord Siva, Lord Murugan, Ambal, and the other deities, Bhagawan Ramana, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Supramania Swami, and Tavayogi too, come these days through their devotee, still keeping in touch with us. I think that the Gods still are very much present walking and working through us. But having taken the body we forgot our true nature and essence as the Tattvas keep feeding the false notion of the "I" and the Ego in which it is wrapped and sealed tight.

The Atma that desires to take a body builds for itself a body and its accessories to live out its desires and carry out its purpose from the elements of both its future parents. The ParamAtma in wanting to see the individual Atma gain the experiences it desires, aids in bringing this couple together, shooting the arrow of love through their hearts. Brahma breathes life into it. Sakti the Prana energy and force comes along hitching a ride on this breath, doing her work. Vishnu comes to sustain the body and its elements. The rhythm, dance, and cycle of the breath go on as long as Siva keeps dancing to the beat of each breath, coming and going. 

The very first breath that comes within is said to bring life to and bring alive the entity. The breath that comes within, if made to remain within forever, is said to keep one in the state of Samadhi. The breath that leaves, never to return, leaves us out cold to decay and rot, and dead. What then remains when we die? One has to die first to answer this, right. Otherwise, it is just either hearsay or shall only be theoretical in all manner. 

We do "die momentarily" each day in our sleep. The world we know and the body we know though exist is switched off for the duration of the sleep. Where does it go or where do we go? The sleep state shuts out everything that is usually consciously known to us. What is sustained and running are the unconscious workings of the body. When we close our eyes, our vision of the world and others is shut out, though we hear and sense our being and the surroundings. When we go into a meditative state, one is unaware of even the sounds and the body  I am told. 

Dreams though seem real do not leave a mark on us. Rarely do we remember them too. So Agathiyar too tells us not to get attached to what happens around us. Live the experiences from moment to moment with full awareness. Attend to what needs to be done at that moment and move on he says. Is the world and all that happens a dream state too?

We all die. Even all the Godmen who preached deathlessness and revealed the secrets and the doctrines of living forever and gave us the traits and the practices died too. So who are we kidding? Show me one person who has lived through the ages. Every creation ends. Every man and saint dies too. Period. The Siddhas too admit this. One can throw all the Siddha texts at us telling us about deathlessness and its possibility. But is there any living proof of such a person who has proved it is possible? This is the nature of creation. So what are we talking about sustaining life in this body to live for ages? Even the Siddhas take on another body to remain here after the first house becomes debilitated and useless to further remain in it to continue their purpose. One who has been living for ages has to come forward and tell us that it is possible and that he is the proof. Otherwise, it is just hearsay. Many have tried all means to stay alive. It has been futile. We do not see it happening before our eyes. It is said that Ramalinga Adigal entered his room at Siddhi Valagam in Methukuppam and never appeared again according to eyewitnesses some 150 years ago. Gnanabharathi in his well-researched book "Tamil Mannin Thantai" surprises us when he writes of families of eyewitnesses' having seen Ramalinga Adigal come back in the flesh after 28 years in 1902 before his disciple Kalpatu Aiya. The man on seeing Ramalinga Adigal in the flesh again left his body. Adigal placed him in his Samadhi and stayed around for several days before disappearing again. 

When I met Tavayogi the first time he was in Malaysia, I told him I wanted to see him achieve the state of light that many talk about. But Tavayogi very humbly replied that he too had to come back to attempt again. When I asked him what Ramalinga Adigal meant when he said the dead shall arise செத்தவர் எழுவார் என்று கைத்தாளம் போடு again he very humbly told me that he did not know. It takes a great man to admit that he knew not. It is said that when Agathiyar questioned the Siddhas who had gathered around on what they knew, each spoke his piece. When it came to Bhogar, he replied that he only knew Agathiyar. 

Just like there is a birth every moment, there is a death the next moment too. This transition of souls is going on every moment without our knowledge. I suppose there are souls in the waiting and waiting in line for the right moment to manifest their Karma and desires by taking on a physical body on this earth. The soul picks the time and space, its would-be parents, form, gender, the nation, and decides the extent to which it can shoulder and carry the Karma or the extent of desires it can exhaust in one lifetime. Besides the Karma, and the desires of one, there are other factors that determine or justify a rebirth. The parents could come back for the sake of the child. My daughter then reminded me that Agathiyar had mentioned to us that a child who cares for his or her parents, besides being an obligation, works out his or her Karma too as in giving back. A husband can come back for his wife or vice versa. One can come back for another, be he a saint or a pauper, with whom he or she had a relationship in the past, all to settle and fix the loose ends or make good, repair, and repay the score. A disciple could come back to the guru or the guru comes looking for his disciple to close the teaching. 

Agathiyar can speak about Karma. So can Tavayogi. But we should never speak about it, especially right to the face of another. For we too are an accumulation of the cumulative baggage of Karma from the past and have yet to place it down. It would be akin to the pot calling the kettle black. Tavayogi never spoke about Karma until someone came by and shared his troubles and suffering. Only then did he open up about Karma. He would tell me later how to differentiate between these two. All problems and troubles are of our own making in this life and shall go away with our quick thinking or as they say with the use of our brain as in problem-solving. Sufferings on the other hand are due to our Vinai or past Karma that either one can choose to live with or look for remedial measures. There are quick and immediate fixes, either in the form of taking some kind of medicine or going for a particular treatment. Giving cash aid, food, or groceries, or helping out those in need, helps both parties settle their respective individual scores. But these are only intermediate measures, and not long time cures or solutions. One has to find the root cause. This is where the Siddhas come into the picture. 

The Siddhas would gather together and carry out Satsangs sharing their findings and writing them down. These came to be the Siddha texts that have come to serve mankind. For those of us who want to know the means and ways to overcome suffering due to their Karma, the Siddhas can extend a hand for they have either documented our life story in the Nadi if they had followed us through our past births, or could look into the past, present and future to reveal them. Now we understand why Agathiyar has asked that we carry out Satsangs and document our experiences. They did the same too. 

Sunday, 6 October 2024

DOING HIS WORK

When I look back I am amazed at how Agathiyar prepared me to do his work even before I came to his fold. I was in the Engineering field looking after projects. This is when I got to handle my first desktop computer with Windows 3.0 at the site office. When an opening came my way to return to my HQ which would have me travel less from my newly purchased home I took up the offer. But I had to do the tasks of a working committee to a Secretariat which I did not mind for I saw it as a good deal. Sekaran at the office who before leaving to become a monk at Paramahansa Yogananda's Ranchi Ashram in India, left me a piece of timely advice, to take up the new challenges and learning that came my way, which paved the way for me to take up creating PowerPoint presentations. When the Secretariat moved back to the Engineering unit, I too moved with it. But it came under the Quantity Surveying subunit this time. I did not mind. Soon I became involved more in creating presentations rather than my core business. I did not mind. The knowledge gained from self-study and the availability of the latest hardware and software paved the way for me to try my hands at creating websites. I picked up HTML. I purchased my first laptop and the indianheartbeat came to be. It carried stories of my maiden pilgrimage to India and meeting my first guru Supramania Swami and subsequently my travels with Tavayogi. Soon I carried more stories at 

http://sidha-heartbeat.webnode.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/siddhaheartbeat
http://www.scribd.com/agathiyanproductions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathiyar
http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com

The following are defunct now.

http://www.indianheartbeat.fws1.com
http://www.indianheartbeat.20m.com
http://indianheartbeat.wix.com/agathiyan
http://indianheartbeat.wix.com/tavayogi
http://shanmugamavadaiyappa.wix.com/indian-heartbeat-songs
http://www.wix.com/tavayogi/agathiyan
http://www.tavayogi.webs.com
http://www.slideshare.net/shanmugam avadaiyappa

Just as Windows has come a long way by bringing us Windows 11 today, today I am a tool of Agathiyar posting "his writings and dictates" on this blog and continuing to create content and upload videos on YouTube. Rather than take the stage and speak like Tavayogi he has assigned me to write instead. I take pleasure in doing his work. He has the women folk, devotees, and readers to contribute to this blog too. I am grateful to readers and viewers for following these postings and uploads. 

Agathiyar Speaks On The Need To Document One's Experiences

When I began to document my maiden journey to India in 2003 and carried stories of my journey with Tavayogi later in 2005, Tavayogi was impressed and pleased that people with get to know and come to the path. Later Agathiyar asked me to document the internal changes since 2022 and their related experiences and share it with readers.  

Last March, he gathered the womenfolk and had them carry out an exclusive Satsang session. He asked that they share their experiences among themselves. At the end of the Satsang, Agathiyar who sat and heard them share their experiences, spoke about the need to document such experiences. 


"Everything that happens in your life is just an experience. See it as experience only. Don't become emotionally attached to it. (Ask yourself) What did the experience teach you? What did you learn? How do you feel about it? What changes are you going to make? If you take care of these questions, worldly life will not affect you. It only affects when you claim them as yours. It doesn't matter if it's seen as everyone's. Pain and suffering will do you no harm then."

உங்கள் வாழ்க்கையில் நடப்பவை அனைத்துமே அனுபவம் மட்டுமே. அனுபவமாக மட்டும் பாருங்கள். உணர்வு புறமாக அதற்கு அடிமை ஆகவேண்டாம். அனுபவம் உங்களுக்கு என்ன தந்தது? என்ன கற்று கொண்டீர்கள்? அதில் இருந்து என்ன உணர்ந்திர்கள்? என்ன மாற்றம் செய்ய போகிறீர்கள்? இதைமட்டுமே அறிந்துகொண்டு வந்தால் உலக வாழ்கை உங்களுக்கு எந்த பாதிப்பும் தராது. எனது என்று ஆகும்போது மட்டுமே அது பாதிக்கும். எலோருடையது என்றால் பாதிக்காது. அவர் அவர் பயணத்தை மட்டும் கவனித்து கொண்டு இருந்தால் வலிகளும் வேதனைகளும் உங்களை ஒன்றும் செய்யாது அல்லவா?

"Practice (Breathing and Asanas) regularly to protect yourself. If the body becomes pure, the mind becomes pure. When the mind becomes pure, thinking becomes better. Thinking skills improve with experience. Wisdom will dawn on you as your experience improves. Learn to make time for yourself. Blend in with your practice, when you eat, when you interact with the herbs. Don't do anything just as a duty. It doesn't go anywhere. You will also get no experience. You have to watch your journey. Start noticing it. Apply the wisdom we share in everything at home, with children, in education, in travel, etc. Don't make the mind a garbage bin. Don't keep it (the garbage). No matter how hard you try, worldly life goes on. Focus on your journey and the experience shall come. As happy as you are to see the lotus blooming in the pond, just imagine what it would be like if it unfolded within you? It is buried within you. Post your experiences. If it is in written form, it can be shared with everyone during the session. One month from today, you will share your experiences with Shanmugam in written form and he share them with his readers."

"பயிற்சிகள் தொடர்ந்து உங்களை நீங்கள் காத்துக் கொள்வதற்கு. உடல் தூய்மை பெற்றால், மனம் தூய்மை அடையும். மனம் தூய்மை அடைந்தால், சிந்தனை சிறக்கும். சிந்தனை சிறத்தால், அனுபவம் மேம்படும். அனுபவம் மேம்படும் போது ஞானமே உங்களை தேடி வரும்."

"உங்களுக்கான நேரத்தை செலவிட கற்றுக்கொள்ளுங்கள். பயிற்சி போடும்போதும் சரி, உண்ணும் போதும் சரி, மூலிகைகளோடும் உறவாடும் போதும் சரி, உணர்வு பூர்வமாக லயித்து போங்கள். கடமைக்கு மட்டும் எதையும் செய்ய வேண்டாம். அது எங்குமே பதியாது. உங்களுக்கு அனுபவம் தராது." 

"உங்கள் பயணத்தை நீங்கள் கவனிக்க வேண்டும். இல்லற வாழ்கை, குழந்தைகளின்  வாழ்கை, மன வாழ்க்கை, கல்வி பயணம், தொழில் பயணம் எல்லாவற்றிலும் நாங்கள் போதிக்கும் கல்வியை பயன்பாட்டுக்கு கொண்டு வந்து விடுங்கள்."

"மனதை ஒரு குப்பை கலமாக்க வேண்டாம். அதனை உங்களுள் பதித்து  கொள்ள வேண்டாம். முயற்சித்தாலும் முயற்சிக்காத்தாலும் உலக வாழ்க்கை நடந்து கொண்டே தான் இருக்கும். முதலில் உங்கள் பயணத்தை மட்டும் கவனம் செலுத்தி கொண்டு, உடல் பயணமும் உயிர் பயணமும் ஒன்றென கலக்கும் போது, அனுபவம் கிட்டும். அந்த அனுபவம் குளத்தில் தாமரைகள் விரியும் போது பார்க்கும் உங்களுக்கு எவ்வளவு மகிழ்ச்சியோ, அது போல் உங்களுக்குள் விரிந்தால் எப்படி இருக்கும்? உங்களுக்குளே புதைந்து கொண்டு இருக்கு. தட்டி எழுப்புங்கள். இன்று இருந்து ஒரு மாதம் உங்கள் அனுபவங்களை எழுத்து வடிவமாக ஷண்முகமடம் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளுங்கள். அதை அவன் வாசகர்களிடம் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வான்." 

He told them to write their experiences and pass them on to me to be posted on this blog. He also had me call another devotee who was at work to contribute her experiences too. He tells me "These three (women) shall pass you their experiences in writing in a month. You share it with your readers. Henceforth your postings shall be that of each person's journey. Let your readers read them." 

"இவர்கள் மூவர்களும் இன்றிலிருந்து ஒரு மாதம் கழித்து அவர்களின் எழுத்துக்களை உன்னுடன் பகிர்வார்கள். பகிர்வதை நீ வாசகர்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து விடு. இனி உனது பதிவு, ஒவ்வருடைய பயணமாக இருக்கட்டும். வாசகர்கள் படித்து தெரிந்து கொள்ளட்டும்." 

Mahin's wife wrote about her journey with Agathiyar.

I came to know about Agathiyar Appa in 2017 through my husband Mahindran after our wedding. I actually never heard or knew anything about  HIM. All I knew was that my husband kept talking about Agathiyar and told his stories. He used to go to Shanmugan Anna's house frequently and was involved in Pooja. Then, he will go to the ground and carry out activities such as charities, and distributing food and groceries to needy people. I used to follow him a few times. Later on, I also joined him for Pooja which was held in Anna's house, and started to learn devotional songs and recite the Potri.  

Before marriage, I was an Amman devotee and prayed to Amman as all used to do so. In the beginning, there were a lot of questions running in my head and sometimes I couldn't accept the changes surrounding me but whatever happened, it gave positive vibes in my life.  A few things happened to me that changed my perspective about Agathiyar Appa and I started to love HIM. 

During my 1st pregnancy, I could feel Appa's presence there who came and eased my delivery process smoothly without any complications. During my 2nd pregnancy, I was with severe joint pain and nerve problems. I would talk to Appa and ask for HIS help. He would come immediately to give me remedies and massage me through Mahindran. Then I came to know that Bhogar Siddha came. At that moment I asked myself who I was?  Why are they all coming and helping me since I never did anything for them. 

I started to follow all of Appa's advice, whose main concern was to take care of our own health by doing breathing exercises and yoga. I can feel changes that HE created within me, where I feel so calm, am patient in making decisions, have reduced my anger, and most importantly start to care about my mental and physical health. Being an Agathiyar devotee, I can feel the confidence that Appa is there for me and he will take care of everything and I just need to put my efforts and move forward. What I can say is HE keeps doing miracles and giving unconditional love and blessings to me and my family. 

Recently I  complained to Appa, the road which leads to my school had many holes and my car would be damaged if I passed by this road every day. Within 2 days, the road was repaired by the maintenance people. I feel shocked and just can only say "Thank you APPA". 

The second incident was that I felt exhausted with my school timetable where I needed to rush to classes without any break. After a while, I received a new timetable with a new schedule which is more flexible and comfortable to me. I feel so happy when APPA keeps doing good things and has been there for me. But I question myself, what  I'm going to do for HIM?

Another devotee wrote about her journey. 

சிறு வயது முதலில் எனக்கு இறைவன் மீது அதிதி நாட்டம் இருந்தது. நானும் சாதாரண மனிதர்கள் போல் பூஜை இல்லத்தில் செய்வது, ஆலயங்களுக்குச் செல்வது, பஜன் தேவாரம் பாடல்கள் பாடுவது, ஆன்மீக நூல்கள் படிப்பது, இறப்பு பிறப்பை எப்படி என்று எண்ணிக் கொண்டிருந்தேன்.

எனது 16ஆம் வயதில் என் கனவில் பாபா, பாபாஜியை வணங்குவது போல் கனவு கண்டேன். ஒரு வாரத்தில் தாய் பாபாவின் புகைப்படம் தோழியின் மூலம் வாங்கி வந்தார். பிறகு பாபாஜியின் படத்தை நானே வாங்கி வந்தேன்.

எப்பொழுதும் வியாழன் தோறும் விருதம் எடுத்து வந்தேன். செவ்வாய் தோறும் துர்க்கை தேவிக்கு ராகு கால பூஜை செய்து கொண்டுவந்தேன். எப்பொழுதும் பூஜையின் பொழுது அடியேன் இறைவனிடம் யாசகம் கேட்பது "எப்பொழுது எனக்கு முக்திக்கு வழி கிடைக்கும்" என்று.

18ஆம் வயதில் பள்ளிப் படிப்பு முடிந்தவுடன் எனக்கு விடை கிடைத்தது. அப்பொழுதுதான் எனக்கு ஓலைச்சுவடி பார்க்க வாய்ப்பு கிடைத்தது. அப்பொழுதுதான் எனக்குச் சித்தர்கள் பற்றி, முழுமையாக அறியவில்லை என்றாலும், சிறிதளவு தெரிந்து கொண்டேன். இதற்குமுன் புராணத்தில் அவர்களைப் பற்றி கேள்விபட்டுளேன். சுவடி வசிப்பின் பிறகு அகஸ்தியர் என்னைக் காந்தம் போல் ஈர்த்தார். அவரை பற்றி அறிந்து கொள்ள முயன்றேன். அவரைப்பற்றி நூல்கள் ஒரு சிலர் என்னிடம் கொடுத்தார்கள். அனைத்தையும் மறந்து தியானிக்க ஆரம்பித்தேன்.

எவ்வளவு லீலைகள் செய்துள்ளார். அவைபற்றி இங்கு என்னால் உரைக்க இயலாது. வார்த்தைகள் இல்லை. அவரை போல் சிறந்த தாய், தந்தை, நண்பன், குரு எவரும் இல்லை இவ்வுலகில்.

இன்னும் நம்முடன் வாழ்ந்து கொண்டு இருக்கிறார்கள். நாம் நினைப்பு பேசுவதனைத்தையும் அறிவார்கள். இன்னும் நம்முடன் இவ்வுலகில் மறைந்து கொண்டு நமக்கு வழிகாட்டிக் கொண்டு இருக்கிறார்கள். அதை நான் உணருகிறேன். அனுபவமும் கொண்டுள்ளேன்.

அடியேன் கும்பேஸ்வரன் ஆலயத்திற்குச் சென்ற பொழுது அந்த பண்டிதர் "இன்று கதவுகள் திறக்கப் படாது. வியாழன் மட்டும் தான் திறக்கப் படும்" என்றார். அப்பொழுது நானும் என் தாயாரும் மன வருத்தம் கொண்டு அகஸ்தியரிடம் பிரார்த்தனை செய்தோம். அந்த பண்டிதர் விறுவிறுவென வந்து கதவைத் திறந்து பூஜை செய்தார். நாங்கள் திகைத்துப் போனோம்.

பல நேரம் ஆறுதல், தைரியம், தன்னம்பிக்கை,  உற்சாகம் இது எல்லாம் அகஸ்தியரே கொடுத்தார். நான் இன்னும் துவன்றுபோகவில்லை. என் பயணம் சித்தர்களை நோக்கி இனி ஆழமாகப் போகும். அகஸ்தியரிடம் இருந்து என்னைப் பிரிக்க வேண்டும் என்றால் முதலில் என் உடலில் உள்ள பிராணன் போக வேண்டும்.

இனி எனக்கு எந்த ஒரு குருவும் தேவை இல்லை. அனைத்திலும் அகத்தியனைக் காண்கிறேன். உணருகிறேன். உதாரணம் ஒன்று கூறுகிறேன். சுவடி வாசிப்பின் பொழுது ஒவ்வொரு முறையும் அகஸ்தியர், ஷீர்டி சாய் பாபா, பாபாஜியும் என் குரு, மற்றும் அகஸ்தியரும் என் குரு என்பார். அவர் ஒரு பொழுது அவர்களை மறக்கவும், பூஜிக்க வேண்டாம் என்று கூறியதே இல்லை. அவர்களின் ஆசி எனக்கு எப்பொழுதும் உள்ளது என்பார். எந்த ஒரு குருவும் தான் சீடனிடம் மற்ற குருமார்கள் பற்றி பேச மாட்டார்கள். ஆனால் அவர்கள் அனைவருமே ஒரே ப்ரஹ்மம் என்று நமக்கு உணர்த்துகிறார்கள். அவர்களுள் பிரிவினை இல்லை. நாம் சித்தர்களை பின் பற்றினாள் அனைத்து மென்மையும் அறிந்து கொள்ளலாம். இது வெறும் கட்டுக்கதையில்லை. அடியேன் அவர்களிடம் இருந்து அறிந்தது. மெய்யை உணர்ந்தவனுக்கு அனைத்திலும் ப்ரஹ்மத்தை காணலாம். அடியேன் ப்ரஹ்மத்தை அகஸ்தியனிடம் காண்கிறேன்.

My daughter wrote her experiences.

Blessed Beyond Words 

When I sit back and think, I’ve journeyed quite a long time with Agathiyar Appa looking out for me. It makes me feel so blessed and think about what I have done to be this fortunate. 

I came into introduction with Agathiyar in my schooling years when my father, Mr. A. Shanmugam began his journey of Siddha worship. Initially guiding us through the Naadi, he then came into our hearts and homes in his stunning bronze statue form where we used to do Abhishegam and pooja for him.  

It started with only my parents, sister and me. Then joined by our friends, family, and new acquaintances who later became our Agathiyar family. We did Poojas and Homa every Thursday and on Pournamis, sang Bhajans for him and other deities on all their special days. We gave Annadhanam to kids/elderly homes and for the homeless people. I’d join in whenever possible as I was already studying away from home after that. 

There are many instances I can recall when we either felt his presence or had him guide us when we were in doubt and most of all he’ll be there to give us remedies for our health issues too. 

In 2010, I met in an accident where I had a clean fracture of my tibia and fibula and was asked to go through an operation for speedy recovery. While waiting for my turn for the operation, Agathiyar advised through a Naadi reading to only go through a small procedure and after some time another doctor suggested a procedure done very briefly without requiring an operation known as ACP Injection. I recovered soon after going through a few rounds of the mentioned procedure and started walking again. 

In 2016, the Siddhas graced and blessed my husband and me at our wedding. We were told about this by Tavayogi and MathaJi who attended our wedding. 

After getting married, having kids, and having a routine of my own, I’d continue to join the prayers held at my parents' place or other devotees' homes whenever I could.  

There was one time when I told Agathiyar that I had slipped and fell at the waterfall, and he asked another devotee to help massage. He also taught a few yoga poses which helped stretch and ease my pain. 

Earlier this year, my husband had a heart attack and had to undergo an emergency coronary angioplasty. Despite the fact that it was a very critical situation and with so much uncertainty, I had a calm come over me as the specialist briefed me on the procedure and risks while waiting for his team to assemble for the procedure. A few weeks later, at another prayer, Agathiyar told me that he was there looking after us and all would be okay. 

In recent days, Agathiyar has been strictly emphasizing us to practice the breathing exercise he had taught us a few years back. He insists that we take care of our health by consuming healthily and keeping ourselves physically fit too. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, I’ve not been religiously doing my breathing exercises but deep down I know it’s only for our benefit for he sees beyond what we can see in our bodies. 

I’m forever grateful for the countless blessings he’s given us all this while and for watching out for us.

Besides these women, Mahin too shared his journey, experience, and understanding while traveling the path of the Siddhas.

2014 இல் தொடங்கிய பயணம் இது. தற்போது வயது 34 காக இருந்தாலும் சித்தர்களோடு பயணத்தில் நான் இன்னும் பத்து வயது மாணவனே. இந்த பயணங்களில் பல ஜாம்பவான்கள் இருக்கையில் நான் என்னுடைய பயண மாற்றங்களையும், அதிலிருந்து நான் கற்றவற்றையும் விட்டவற்றையும் பகிர்வதால் ஏதேனும் பிழைகள் இருந்தால் பொறுத்தருள வாசகர்களைக் கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறேன்.

சரியையில் தெய்வத் தொண்டினை நாமே நம் கைப்பட செய்யச் சொன்னார் அகத்தியர் அப்பா. ஹோமம், அவருக்கு அபிஷேகம், அலங்காரம், நெய் வேத்தியம் மற்றும் தீபாராதனை என ஆலய வழிபாட்டினை நடுவராக ஒரு ஆகமம் முறை வந்த குருக்கள் இல்லாது நானே என் கைப்பட செய்ய ஊக்குவித்தார். இதில் எனக்கு கற்றுத் தந்த பாடம் சித்தர்களோடு இணைவதற்கு நமது உள்ள தூய்மைமட்டும் போதும் என்று. 

சித்தர்களோடு இணைந்து விடுகிறோம். சித்தர்களும் நம்மோடு உலவத் தொடங்கிவிடுகிறார்கள். எதற்கு? நாம் அவர்கள் வசம் இருக்கும் அவர்கள் நம்மைக் கண்காணிப்பர்.

கிரியையில் சக மனிதர்களுக்கு உதவிக் கரம் நீட்டக் குழந்தைகள் காப்பகம், முதியோர் இல்லம், வீதியில் வசிப்பவர், பிறகு குடும்பமாக வசித்தாலும் வருமான பற்றாக்குறையால் வாடுவோர் என எல்லா தரப்பு மக்களையும் நேரே கண்டு பசி ஆற்றும் பாக்கியத்தைச் அளித்தார். இதில் எனக்கு கற்றுத் தந்த பாடம் எனது வாழ்க்கையில் ஒரு போதும் குறை கூறும் அளவுக்கு உடலாலோ, மனதாலோ, சிந்திக்கும் ஆற்றலில் எவ்வித குறைபாடுகளும் தரவில்லையே பிறகு எதற்கு வாழக்கூடிய வாழ்க்கையைக் குறை கூறிக்கொண்டே வாழவேண்டும் என்று தான்.

சரியையும் கிரியையும் சித்தர்களோடு நமக்கும் உள்ள உறவினை வலுப்படுத்தவும், கர்ம வினைகளை போக்கவும், சிந்தனையை நெறிப்படுத்தவும், இருப்பதைக் கொண்டு நடப்பவற்றை அற்புதமாக மகிழ்ச்சியாகப் பார்க்கப் பழகிக் கொள்வதற்குத் தரப்பட்டவை. இதை நான் அரிந்து உணர்ந்துகொண்டு செயலாக்கம் செய்வதற்கு அகத்தியர் அப்பாவும் மற்ற சித்தர்களும் எடுத்துக்கொண்ட அவகாசம் 5 வருட காலம். 

உணர்ந்த பிறகு அதை மீண்டும் மீண்டும் செய்து கொண்டிருந்தாள் முதலில் பெருமகிழ்ச்சி நம்மை அறியாது நம்மை ஆட் கொண்டு கர்வம் கொள்ளச் செய்யும். அதுவே பிறகு நம்மை யோகத்திற்கும் ஞானத்திற்கும் செல்வதற்குத் தடையாக இருக்கும். எனவே அகத்தியர் உணர்த்திய உடனே என்னைச் சரியை கிரியை இரண்டையும் நிறுத்தி பயண மாற்றம் செய்தார்.

2019 யோக பயணத்தின் தொடக்கம். தவயோகி அப்பா சொல்லித் தந்த மூச்சுப் பயிற்சி குருவாக ஷண்முகம் அண்ணன் சொல்லித்தர நானும் தவறாது இடைவிடாது செய்துவர உடலில் பலவித மாற்றங்களை உணர தொடங்கினேன். வாத பித்த கபம் என்ற மூன்றும் சரி படும் போது என் உடல் தேக்கிவைத்துக் கொண்டிருந்த கழிவுகளை அகன்று போகக் கண்டேன். இந்த காலகட்டங்களில் உடலில் உட்கிருக்கப்பட்ட நோய்களை எல்லாம் வெளியே கொண்டு வந்து அதற்கான சிகிச்சை முறைகளையும் அவ்வப்போது வந்து காண்பித்து, மருத்துவரிடமும் அனுப்பியும் வைத்தார் அகத்தியர் அப்பா. இதில் நான் கற்ற பாடம் உடல் உறுதி பெற்று வலிமையுடன் இருந்தால் வாழ்க்கை சிறக்கும். ஞானத்திற்கான பயணம் எளிதாக இருக்கும்.

யோகமும் ஞானமும் தனிப்பயணம் அல்ல. இரண்டுமே ஒன்று கலந்தே இருக்கும். உடலை வளைக்கும் போதே உள் பயணம் செய்ய வலியுறுத்தினார் அகத்தியர் அப்பா. தியானமே முதல் படி உள் பயணம் கொள்வதற்கு. அதற்கு உடலை வருத்திக்கொண்டு அமரக் கூடாது. எனவே உடல் வளைக்கக் கூடிய பயிற்சிகள் தந்த பிறகு அமரச் செய்யும் போது உடல் இலகுவாக இருக்க மனதைக் கட்டுப்படுத்த மட்டுமே தியானம் இருக்கும். அதற்குச் சுவாசத்தை மட்டுமே கவனம் இருந்தாலும் அலைபாயும் மனதைக் கட்டிப்போட எண்ணத்தை மட்டும் திரும்பத் திரும்ப சுவாசத்திற்குக் கொண்டு வந்து, கவனம் கொண்டு உணர்தளோடு செய்ய வேண்டும். இப்படிச் செய்ய நம்மை அறியாது நமது சிந்தனைகள் காணாமல் போக வெறும் சுவாசம் மட்டுமே நிலைத்திருக்கும். அவ்வப்போது புருவ கூச்சல்கள் வந்தாலும் தள்ளி வைத்து விட்டு மீண்டும் சுவாசத்தையே கண்காணிக்க வேண்டும். இதில் நான் கற்ற பாடம் தன்னை அறிந்தால் இன்புறலாம் மற்றும் அதன் தந்திரத்தையும் உணரலாம்.

சரி இப்போது அகத்தியர் அப்பா என்னை எங்குக் கொண்டு செல்கிறார் என்ற கேள்வி வரலாம். தற்போது யோகத்தையும் ஞானத்தையும் செய்துவர அவ்வப்போது அகத்தியர் அப்பா வாக்கு உரைக்கப் பக்தர்கள் மீது வருவதையும், என் மீது வருவதும் நடைபெற்றுக் கொண்டிருக்க, மும்மலம் ஆகிய ஆணவம், கன்மம், மாயையிலிருந்து விடுபடத் தனது பக்தன் பரிபூரணம் அடைந்தபின் அவர்களுக்குள் வாக்கு உரைக்க வருவதையும் ஒரு மாயை என உரைத்து அதனை அடக்கி கொள்ளும் வல்லமை பெறவும், அதற்கு ஆன்மீக பயணத்தைத் துவக்கியுள்ளார். 

ஆரம்பக் கல்வி ஆகவே இதைப் பார்க்கும் வேளையில் இதுவரை நான் பலமுறை நான் நான் என்று என்னை அடையாளப் படுத்திக்கொண்டதை நிறுத்தும் வகையில் ஒரு புதிய அனுபவ பயணம் நடைபெறுகிறது. நான் என்ற ஆணவம் அழியும்போது மாயை என்ற திரை விலகி எப்படி ரமண மகரிஷி நான் வேறு அல்ல நீ (இறைவன், அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி, பிரபஞ்சம்) வேறு அல்ல என்ற நிலைக்குக் கொண்டு செல்லும் நிலை தற்போது. கன்மம் மட்டும் சரியை கிரியையில் முற்றிலும் சித்தர்களின் அருளால் போக்கப்பட்டு யோகத்திற்கும் ஞானத்திற்கும் பயணிக்கச் சித்தம் ஆகிறோம்.

சித்த பயணத்தை இருவகைகளாகப் பிரிக்க, ஒன்றாவது மனித நெறி பயணம் இதற்கு குருவின் தேவை சரியை கிரியையோடு நின்று விடும். பிறகு அந்த சீடன் கற்றவற்றை வாழ்க்கையில் கடைப்பிடித்து வந்தாலே போதும். உணவிலோ உடையிலோ மாற்றம் தேவை இருக்காது, மனத்தினையும் ஆசைகளை மட்டும் கையாள வேண்டும். தொடர்ந்து சரியை கிரியை செய்து வரலாம். உலக வாழ்க்கைக்கான ஞானம் கிட்டுமே தவிர ஒளி பயணத்திற்கு வழிவகுக்காது.

இரண்டாவதாக ஞான பயணம்/ஜோதி பயணம். இதற்கு உடல், உள்ளம் தூய்மை பெறுவது அவசியம். புலால் உண்ணுதலை தவிர்க்கும் பட்சத்தில் முதல் உடல் தூய்மை ஆரம்பமாகிறது. பிறகு கடுமையான வைராக்கியம் வேண்டும். சித்தர்கள் கொடுக்கும் பயிற்சிகளை விடாமல் செய்வதும், சொல்லிய பொழுதே செய்வதும், ஏன் என்ற கேள்விகள் இன்றி நிறுத்தவும் வேண்டும். இது அடுத்தகட்ட தூய்மை. பிறகு, மனத்தூய்மை செய்யத் தியானம் செய்து வர ஆன்மாவோடு பேசத் தொடங்க வேண்டும். இவ்வகை செய்யும்வண்ணம் சிந்தனை தூய்மையும் செய்தாக வேண்டும் எனில் இங்குதான் சித்தர்களும் பூதகணங்களும் தேவலோகர்களும் நம்மோடு மாய விளையாட்டைச் செய்யத் தொடங்குவார்கள். ஆகவே இதற்கு நாம் குருவைத் தேடுவதை விட நாம் செய்யக்கூடிய சரியான கிரியையைக் கண்டு நம்மை குரு தேர்வு செய்வார். அவர் நம்மை அந்த மூலப் பொருளுக்கே கொண்டு செல்லும் வரை வழிநடத்துவார். தான் வழிபடும் மூலத்தையே நமக்கு அடையாளம் காட்டிவிடுவாரே ஒழியத் தன்னை போற்றிட ஒரு போதும் சொல்வதில்லை. இவ்வாறே நம்மைத் தேர்வு செய்த குரு யார் என்று நாம் கண்டு கொள்ளலாம்.

எந்த பயணத்தை நாம் தேர்வு செய்கிறோமோ அதன் படியே பயணமும் ஒவ்வொருவருக்கும் வேறு படும். ஒப்பிடுதல் ஒருபோதும் ஆன்மிக பயணத்தில் இருக்கக் கூடாது. நாம் வாழும் வாழ்க்கையில் ஒவ்வொரு பொழுதிலும் சித்தர்களின் ஞான பாடங்களும் அற்புதங்களும் இருப்பதை உணர்தலே நமது பயணம் சிறப்பு மிக்க பயணமாக அமையும். அதனை நம் சிந்தை கொண்டு தவயோகி அப்பா சொல்லியதுபோல் “மாயையின் விளக்கம் புரிந்து அதை மனதிலே இருந்து ஒடுக்கித் தள்ளித் தத்துவ விசாரத்தால் வெற்றியடைய வேண்டும்”.

NO COMMENT

Agathiyar is teaching us what not to be by showing us many things. Religious and spiritual figures are giving us the shivers. It gives us the shivers and fright to even come close to them these days. We see an emergence of self-made gurus like mushrooms after a shower. Going by history we see how innocent folks are manipulated by a few. These few have damaged the purity of the status of gurus. Gurus these days are ambitious. If gurus are meant to shed their hold on things, we see modern-day gurus accumulate more and more. Money like other corrupts, even the gurus. We have seen a number of gurus who have disappointed us with their behavior and speech. It makes you want to stay clear of this field. It makes you want to step out of the field for the game has been tarnished by these few. Those players who seem promising have disappointed us. 
 
Where have the genuine ones gone? Where have the gurus like Tavayogi's guru Chitramuthu Adigal, who Tavayogi says never touched money, gone? I guess this is why Tavayogi says one would be tested for some 12 years before being admitted to their folds. 

I am glad that Agathiyar brought down the house after some six years, at its height of growth. Already there were many suggestions coming in wanting to take AVM to greater heights. Fame and popularity would have corrupted us for we have not the Vairagya or determination or standing to stay aloft of these traps.

One needs maturity to take on the role of a guru. I do not have that. I am glad that Agathiyar decided not to confer on me the role of a guru. How can I take on the role when I carry so many weaknesses in me? I have vices and addictions that I have to shed. I have a temper that I still have to work on. I have dormant Vasanas which are cans of worms that given the opportunity would rear its head. I have to burn this house down and have the Siddhas rebuild it anew. Only then can I safely take on the role. It might take another 1000 births.

Saturday, 5 October 2024

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

I have seen a small group sit and meditate among the blasting of the songs that accompany the aerobic class conducted by an inconsiderate group right beside at the park that drowns the meditative music played by the former group. I had told the latter to be a bit considerate but she argued back giving reasons and justifying her stand. I left it at that. Today I managed to pick up a chat with this small group and came to find out that they were following the Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong. I had taken it up from the chief clerk at our office back then, who had a small group of colleagues practice it before we started work. I told them that I was amazed at seeing them sit amidst all the din and noise. They told me just what Agathiyar told me when I was called to go within and faced the din and noise from my neighbors. They told me that though it would be pretty easy to meditate in silence, this was the true challenge. Thinking that one senior citizen among them was the Sifu, I was surprised that there was only one Sifu, their leader and master Mr. Li Hongzhi. All the rest were students who gathered among themselves to practice what they learned. When I asked them to tell me more they very humbly turned me down telling me that it has to be heard from the master and they did not want to distort the facts. They referred me to their website, videos, and materials available online. I was truly amazed by the humbleness in these souls. I guess in this school, there is no question of the Ego arising and one dominating the others. They are all students of one grandmaster. As in our tradition, the skills and techniques are handed down to some and they are made gurus to teach others, Agathiyar who initially wanted me to take up the role of a teacher has shelved it for something else that does not need me to interact with the public, hence killing the Ego even before it emerges. Agathiyar had recently revealed that Tavayogi had gifted me his state of a guru or Guru Stanam just as my first guru Supramania Swami left behind the merits of his 40 years of Tavam or austerities. But Agathiyar had since then dropped the role of a guru that he intended for me, switching it for the state of a Siddha. I could not believe it asking myself if I was qualified and would fit the role or state. I guess we have been told, shown, and portrayed an image of a Siddha by others before us that we think we too need to fit into. It is not so, says Agathiyar. Asking Agathiyar what I should do further to attain this said state, he tells me to do nothing and emphasizes again and again that I have arrived. I am grateful to him. I am grateful to them for their confidence, belief, and faith in me though I have so many weaknesses to work on further. 

When I began to rub on my fears of rain and water on my 4-year-old granddaughter days ago, asking her how were her parents going to fetch her from my house in this rain, she replied cleverly "Aren't they driving?" Even family, friends, and colleagues used to say "You are inside the car, right?" while others would brush it off saying "Ah, It is just water droplets. Not spears." This morning seeing the sky darken, as I hurried back from my morning walk in the park towards my car, I told a Malay lady who was making her way to the park that it was about to rain. She too brushed it aside saying it was only water. Agathiyar had directed Hanumathdasan Aiya, the famed Nadi reader of Chennai, and his friends to a particular temple and told him to open up the Nadi at a particular spot on the temple grounds. Just then raindrops fell and this group packed up and made a dash for cover. Agathiyar asked, "How can you be a Siddha if you are afraid of the rain?" Indeed Agathiyar is said to have carried out his Tavam or austerities on the seabed for some 12 years. 

What is the basis for my fear of water? The horoscope tells me that I have a Kandam or Danger in water. True enough I had slipped and fallen into the water as I alighted a boat at the stroke of midnight after shopping on the mainland with others from our construction team for the island where we were putting up a school. What saved me was the two huge bags that acted as life jackets and kept me afloat after I took a dip initially. I was then a student at an engineering college doing my internship with the Public Works Department. But this fear goes back to the days of my ancestors in India. Looking back at the history of the Chettiars in whose community my father was born, a flood had forced the original residents of Kaveripattinam in the past to move inland until a king offered them land to pitch their homes and stay. That is present-day Karaikudi. Though they are inland now, it is interesting to note that even today the entrance to their homes has a wall built to keep the waters out in the event it rises. This practice was prevalent in Malaysia too. The one my parents rented had one too, though when it rains, water from the river next to our home would still flood our home. I guess the fear lives on. So there goes my chance at trying to reach this state. Sorry, Agathiyar. It looks like I do not qualify even in this first round. I have to come back and attempt again too, just as Tavayogi told me when I asked to see him become Jothi or light. Thanks anyway for the opportunity.

KNOW WHEN TO SPEAK

Tavayogi once told me to speak about the Siddhas in the midst of others during the opening of a new Peedham in a house in Banting during one of his earlier visits to Malaysia. I was figuring out what to say for I knew so little as I was new to the path. Upon his insistence, I hesitatingly began to speak a few words about him and set off with chanting of the Maha Mantra Arutperunjothi where all those gathered followed suit. I escaped the trial and test cunningly. 

I remember the moment when I spoke about religion to a new colleague of mine at the office back then during my bachelor days when I read a lot. He seemed intent on listening and I continued on. Eventually, he yawned and bid goodbye. Tavayogi used to tell me to preach where what we have to say is received well. As I had experienced it, I was always careful to speak. But I guess I slipped when just like Tavayogi, Agathiyar some time back told me to speak to a gathering of devotees after the puja. Again I started with some hesitation. I called upon those gathered to share their experiences with Agathiyar. When I ended my talk touching on the subject of vegetarianism, Agathiyar who always apprehended me if I stepped out of line, came later and told me that it was not an appropriate venue to speak on it as those gathered were not ready to change their eating habits and switch their diet. 

When I was heading the Parent-Teachers Association at my daughter's school back then when she was studying there, I would be given a script to read and address the students, teachers, and parents whenever there were events. Following the advice of my gurus that one before taking the stand or stage must study the audience and the target group and his speech should reach the target group, I would study the audience first. Whenever they seemed inattentive or distracted, I would cut short my speech and give way for the next event on the agenda. 

Many love to talk. They can go on for hours without ever asking if the message got across. They keep rattling even if it is pretty obvious that the audience was disinterested, distracted, or lost their attention span. I love the scene from the movie "Sakuni" where when a guru sitting under a tree preaches and people keep talking among themselves, two youths who observe this from afar walk up to him and sell him an innovative way to "Package and Market" his "product". People start to turn towards him seeking his attention when he begins to keep quiet. The youths had taught him to shut up and in doing so gain their attention. So it goes that Lord Dhakshanamurthy used to preach to his students under a tree too. They would ask him questions and he would answer them. But it simply did not register in them for they carried on asking more questions and it kept going on. Finally, he kept his silence, and the knowledge dawned from within them. 

When Dr.Krishnan who knew my passion for Agathiyar insisted that I meet the head of an establishment in the name of Agathiyar from a neighboring state who had pitched himself in the office space of the doctor, I hesitatingly pulled myself over just to oblige my good friend, astrologer, and Siddha Practitioner. The head asked me what I was doing and I replied that I had a statue of Agathiyar and was worshipping him at home. He then threw at me the songs of Sivavakiyar stating his disapproval of idol worship. I replied that I needed it because I was a beginner and above and beyond that it was Agathiyar who directed me to do so. But my reasoning fell on deaf ears and he went on rattling. As I figured it was useless knocking sense into him, I shut up and closed my eyes. That is when the Siddhas stepped in, something I did not anticipate nor knew then. A loud laughter echoed, that shut him up. Upon opening my eyes he was not to be seen again. I left the premises as I saw that the doctor was still engaged with his clients unaware of what had transpired in the waiting room. They saved me yet again. 

When I began to edit videos and upload them to YouTube, and carried news on Tavayogi's Kallar Ashram on several websites in the beginning years, coming across an ugly comment about a photo of my first guru Supramania Swami that a friend and devotee had posted on his Facebook page, I deactivated all these accounts. When I told Tavayogi about my actions, he said to me, "Why son, let it be. Many shall come (to the path) watching and reading what you upload and post." I began to upload the videos again and create the websites from scratch, again.

Agathiyar had told me when he broke the group in 2019 having us go our way after giving each the tools and showing the method and the way, that henceforth it would be a solo journey as the path had narrowed and not to wait for others to catch up and time was running out for me and I shall miss the train. Agathiyar who tasked me to write this blog, asked that I share the transformation and its related experiences taking place within me in 2022 with readers. Most recently Lord Muruga came to remind me and reinforce this, asking me to do nothing and that he shall take care of his subjects, lifting the blind notion that I had of having a responsibility towards bringing others to the fold too. Knowing my anger, I guess Agathiyar who initially wanted me to take up the role of a teacher has shelved it for something that does not need me to interact with the public. I am grateful for his kind consideration. Then when we see all the chaos going on around us, we are reminded that what we say or write can get us into trouble with others or the authorities. I pray that I have not stepped on other's feet nor crossed the limits. If I have please forgive me. 

FEAR NOT

It is 4am and I am awakened by an intense hunger. I seem to have a good appetite which is good. I guess all the morning and evening walks are creating these hunger pangs. While I spend my day doing nothing, my mind seems to churn out new understandings. I get to jot them down immediately otherwise these are lost. And so is it that these postings have come to be.

Everything is so institutionalized. There is no space for the soul to grow. The child who should learn from experiences is dictated what to do and what not to do. How is he going to gain these experiences if he or she is not given the space to live out his or her life and experience it? 

If I had wanted to experience some cherished moments in this birth or had cherished these desires but never got to it in a past birth, those close to me seem to have carried certain desires that needed me to be around them in this birth too. Agathiyar too on his part threw in many instances where I would trip and fall and gain these experiences too. So do not blame yourself entirely for all that comes your way. There are many factors that came into play for you to take the stage and act out your roles. Do not be dampened by the long list of Karma that is revealed either through the Nadi or other means. Take all the remedial measures given and walk away from it renewed. Ensure that you do not step into the puddle again after having cleansed yourself. That is all that is required for life to blossom and grow beautifully. The soul that came to experience this world of duality has to walk through all the facets of life to mature and return. The methods and the ways are but only tools to use to achieve its objective. Do not hold on to it lifelong. One has to walk away from it all to step into and experience other terrains. 

Friday, 4 October 2024

WITNESSING THE ATMA

We have seen, heard, and read of so many upheavals in the spiritual scene and are still seeing, hearing, and reading about them. It seems like no one is exempted from the divine play. I guess that is the Divine, unbiased and not taking sides, the Supreme Judge, or does he in fact judge us? I do not think so. If he starts judging us then what is the difference between him and us? We are our own judge. We have to either judge our own actions now or after death. There is no escape.

He is the Watcher. He has set the mechanism into play and this is setting the scenes and the stage and the situations and the play into motion. If we are mere puppets in his hands what then is the motive in coming to take the stage and play out these individual roles, for we are told that we are individual Souls having come here from his abode and side to live out the experiences that we as Souls had desired. Once its desires are fulfilled it sheds the body and returns to where it came from. The cycle begins again when it builds another shed and comes within to dwell and live another life. This would only mean that we should go with the flow, and accept all that happens not as God's will but as what our Souls had intended and desired to be and experience. So we can't possibly blame God, can we?

So where does God come into the picture then? He does not, right? But if the Souls are supposed to have been a part of the whole before building this gross body and its components to live out its dreams, it would only mean that God is going through this moment and every moment, be it the misery, the hardship, the pain, the pleasure, the joy, etc living in "us". Is it then, that the Soul living in us is that which is going through all these moments, that we mistakingly think are happening to "us". 

Since we tend to relate this "us" with the gross body, where then is this "us" the moment the body is dead? What keeps it alive? This has to be something that is beyond the material plane for we have laid the material and gross body to rest. So is this the Soul then? Is the Soul keeping us alive? Is this the reason the saints are not the least perturbed, disturbed, or bothered by what happens to this dwelling knowing that there is another waiting once the job here is done? I guess when this identification with the body drops, the Soul arises. That would be Atma Darisanam or Witnessing One's Atma. When the identification with the Soul arises we know we are one with God, the ParamAtma.

So the JeevAtma in me engineered this body for its needs and purpose, came to dwell in it, and experiences the joint play that God, the ParamAtma, and its siblings that are the other Atmas or the other drops of rain, have come to put together and shower as the Divine Play. So where then is "our" part in it? The I, mine, we, ours, us, does not exist then, does it? The Ego drops of its own accord without fighting back. I guess that is the reason the saints laugh it off in the face of adversaries and danger.

We have a long way to go towards becoming a Siddha and Gnani. We are still perturbed, disturbed, and bothered, by any speech or action taken against us, or any inaction on the part of others that we wish they did. We are so concerned about this abode and dwelling even after knowing that it is temporary. We stand up for the right, condemn the wrong, and voice our opinions knowing fully that what is deemed right now might be declared unlawful later or vice versa. 

Just as the knife can be put to good use or used to cause harm, the net too is choked with good, the bad, and the ugly. If in the days of the past, we only had access to what was conveyed by eyewitnesses, these days we do not even know the source of the many news that reach our ears. It is for us to verify them. 

It is interesting to realize that just as there are two sides to a coin, while some would see the wearing of amulets and gemstones to ward off evil and bring luck and charm, having statues in vehicles, pictures in homes, and Yantras in offices, on the other hand, some might ask "If I believe in God, why do I need these protections." 

All of the former is required for beginners. These are not required as one reaches the apex of his spiritual standing. So it is only understandable that Tavayogi and the Siddhas discarded them only when they reached this state and not earlier. I guess Tavayogi must have thought that I was ready to discard these for he had me drop everything after our first meeting and the days to come. I guess he must have thought that I was ready too for the implant of his teachings. Agathiyar came later and had me drop whatever remaining attachments that I had too. He asked that I divert my attention within and look at my Soul thenceforth. The Siddhas do not see Tom, Dick, and Harry, but only the Souls in this vessel. Life is like water that is held in a vessel. We have come to fill crores of vessels and have ended up smashed and broken in doing so and returned to the earth and the other elements. What has come along in this long journey is the Atma. We are all Atmas living a life on the face of the earth. Let us see others as Souls too, and then a major portion of all our troubles will cease to be. 

GO WALKING

While taking my morning walk at the park yesterday I picked up a chat with a Malay lady in her seventies from the East Coast. She surprisingly told me that as she had discharged her responsibilities now she took the time for herself. She indulges in walking and after her walk chatting with some friends. This reminded me of Agathiyar who in carrying out our 60th birthday told my children to drop their dependency on us and told us to step into another phase of discovery of one's soul. On my evening walk around the neighborhood another Malay lady who was also from the East Coast state of Kelantan, stopped me to chat outside her home. She told me that though her grandma was in her nineties, she who was only 34 found it tough to climb stairs after succumbing to the recent Covid. It reminded me of a friend and devotee who felt the same being a victim of COVID-19 but managed to regain his strength and spirit and is now walking far. So I asked her to begin walking too, around the neighborhood for start. I have a Chinese neighbor who without fail would wake up at 5am and after looking at the needs of the Chinese deities at his home altar would leave his home at 6am for his daily walk and return an hour later. 

We have to drive the point to others for the need to exercise or at least walk some distance each day. Much of our work revolves around the desk and office. As for the housewife, hours are spent in the kitchen and at home. Take some time off to take a walk. I was blessed that my work for the most part involved walking and climbing stairs and field work as I was in the projects. I guess that contributed to my good health. My father-in-law who is 87 and was in the estates still engages in his morning walk. My daughter and son-in-law take their children for hikes and walks whenever possible. One should realize that the freedom to walk is a blessing, and appreciate this freedom, after having had to stay indoors during the pandemic. Go walking and burn your illness and worries away.

ARRIVING THERE

I have seen many come and go. Most come seeking an end to their sufferings, cures for their illnesses, a means to end domestic violence and troubles, a solution to their debts, fulfillment of marriage longings, fulfillment of desires, monetary gains, career upliftment, and a long list of wants. They failed to realize that the Siddhas are not here to give them these. They are here to enlighten us about Karma, the law of cause, and its effects through the Nadi reading or other means. They are here to make us realize our past mistakes, carry out remedies to balance the score, and atone for them, never to repeat them again so that there would be no seed or Vasana to bring and carry forward that could summon the need for another birth. They are here to teach us to become independent and take it up with the divine directly through rituals and puja or worship, taking it up by oneself or guided by the guru, which bridges both worlds and reconnects us with them. They are here to reveal to us the existence of the Atma or JeevaAtma or Soul in us that has been hidden, masked, veiled, and thrown into the dungeon in our hearts, by our ever-growing and hungry Ego, through the coming of the guru who helps us reconnect with it. They are here to bring us to take notice of our breath and use it as a tool to arouse the energies, which unfortunately due to our ignorance are being used at a minimum, to attain greater intensity and reach greater heights. They are here to help us connect with Mother Earth and the Prapanjam, dealing directly with her for all our needs, thus breaking all barriers and bypassing the need for further mediums, instruments, and tools. I understand now why Tavayogi at one point told us that we did not need the Nadi. I understand now why Agathiyar stopped all rituals at AVM too. When a battery is fully charged, why would we want to charge it further? I understand now why Agathiyar in bringing down the shutters on AVM in 2019 in the wake of the approaching pandemic told me henceforth it shall be a solo journey and most recently Lord Muruga told me not to get uptight and angry that others care less to bring about the much-awaited upliftment of their souls that was the desire of both Tavayogi and Agathiyar. I understand now why Agathiyar and Lord Murugan told me that there was nothing else for me to do, be it any effort, practice, or observance thenceforth. They tell me to do nothing further. Agathiyar tells me that I have arrived. There is a state of Contentment. Completeness. Bliss. Joy. Peace. As Saint Arunagiri finally tells Lord Muruga, "I am speechless after attaining the state of PerAnandham or Extreme Bliss", I am to take in the bliss and remain in this blissful state. I am grateful. 

Wednesday, 2 October 2024

LET IT BE

Know that your end is near if you have no appetite to eat. I always wake up with a hunger. The hunger sometimes wakes me up even at odd hours of the morning at 4am or when these hunger pangs come on towards midnight. I can eat and eat. My grandchildren are good eaters too. I love buying food for them. I love buying food for others too. I teach them to appreciate and not waste. Eating is something very religious for me. I eat in silence, as my 3-year-old grandson says one should savor and enjoy everything except when there is company to entertain. I have never fasted in my life though I had to go on fruits and raw vegetables during the day for one month during the Muslim month of fasting, as the Malay settlement or kampung Teluk Muruh or Cape Muruh where I was posted was predominantly Malay, and all shops were closed during the day. The good I gained from this diet was that my eyesight had improved tremendously.  

Exercising is a culture that I have come to adopt. In many families, you hardly see anyone exercising. You see the obese and sick yet it does not move another to take up exercising and stay healthy. We are all slaves to our tongues. There might be many good nutritious foods out there but we ignore them and our eyes or rather tongues look for the tasty but that which eventually is detrimental to health. We know a lot of things but somehow keep making these mistakes knowingly. We forget that our desires and likings will bring trouble later. When the house is near ruins only then do we go looking for help, first from the doctors, then alternative practitioners, Siddha and Ayurveda practitioners, Shamans, and medicine men, Siddhas, Deities, and Gods, even the dead souls and spirits. But by then it might be too late to reverse the condition. Even if these invisible angels and those in human forms were to help us recover, we go back to our old ways and routines forgetting what we had gone through, never learning from these experiences. We are all here to learn from experiences, both the bitter and sweet. It is sometimes pointless to help those who do not help themselves. I guess this is what Lord Muruga in coming recently told me not to get uptight with others who do not follow even after using me as a laboratory animal to show them. He said he would take care of them and asked me to do nothing. Let it be, he told me. I guess I shall let things be. This might be a break for me too.

Tuesday, 1 October 2024

THE TRANSFORMATION

Though Tavayogi never gave a hint about what to expect if we put into practice the Asanas and Pranayama techniques that he showed us on his visit to Malaysia in 2007, it triggered the dormant energy that came to lie asleep after doing its job of creating this body and its accessories. Though he gave us this wonderful tool that Agathiyar says was a treasure later, none of the few who were present to watch him show us and did it that day continued this legacy. They have missed a chance of a lifetime. It is not every day that a guru or master comes to give us a treasure. 

What this practice did was to bring in excessive Prana within each breath, expanding the capacity of the lungs that was used to sedentary living, never pushed to its limit. This was the very first and obvious difference that was noticed. Soon many transformations took place in the physical body and its internals. Later subtle energies were released once the house was cleared of its impurities. This energy created both pain and bliss as it made its way up on its path with eagerness to join with her lifetime mate whom she left to start a new home in each one of us. Now that we are in her clutches she brings us to know her soulmate. We are a family once more again.

Swami Muktananda sheds some light in his book "Kundalini - The Secret of Life" published by Siddha Yoga Publication, 1994.

"The basis of all disease and pain is the impurities that block the flow of Prana in the Nadis. These blockages are caused by imbalances and disorders in the three bodily humors - wind, bile, and phlegm. She (Kundalini) penetrates all 720 million Nadis, consumes all the old decaying fluids, and then releases vital energy into them all. The Nadis become filled with Prana. It is only after the body has been purified that the Shakti can work with full force."

"On her journey to the Sahasrara, Kundalini passes through all the sense organs, purifying them and investing them with new powers. As Kundalini rises to the ocular center, she purifies the eyes. As the Kundalini purifies the sense of touch, one begins to feel thrilled of love through every pore and hair of the body. One becomes immersed in the joy of touch. When Kundalini reaches the center of smell it purifies that, and one comes into direct contact with the essence of smell. When the Shakti moves to the auditory center, she purifies this too. When a shower of nectar is released and begins to fall dropping onto the root of the tongue, the taste buds become extremely refined. Even the simplest food is relished."

Swami Muktananda writes "Because the Shakti is subtler than the subtlest some people may not be aware of it during the initial stages of practice." 

Swami Kripananda, in writing the introduction for Swami Muktananda's "Kundalini - The Secret of Life" published by Siddha Yoga Publication, 1994, says that,

"This knowledge (of the Kundalini) was so well hidden, in fact, that when Swami Muktananda received Kundalini awakening from his own master Bhagawan Nityananda and began experiencing its effects, he had no idea what was happening to him. He wrote his first great work the spiritual autobiography "Play of Consciousness" to prevent his own students from running into the same confusion and to help them understand the process unfolding within them." So did Agathiyar too, ask that I share my experiences in beckoning and coming face to face with this powerhouse with my readers so that we shall come together to know her majesty."

Tavayogi never wanted to touch that subject nor initiate the public into this energy. But although he never initiated us into arousing the Kundalini directly in whatever manner, select yogic postures and practices that he taught a handful of us during his visit in 2007, did magic in us in bringing us to experience it unknowingly over the years. Agathiyar revealed later that the techniques we picked up from him and with practice did just that over time. He surprised me in a Nadi reading on 13.10.2007, mentioning that the Siddhas were delighted to see the Kundalini Sakti arise. உண்டாகும் குண்டலினி சக்தி உனக்கு உயர்வதைக் கண்டு நாங்கள் வியந்தோம் அப்பா. With the Muladhara activated in 2007, Agathiyar monitored my progress more closely. 

There is no written rule and a path for this energy to travel and traverse once aroused from its slumber. The Yogic practice did help me, though I had no idea it was the reason I went through some 2 1/2 years of lower back pain until Agathiyar revealed it in 2012. On 30.1. 2020 Agathiyar told me that I had stagnated in my worldly affairs and told me, "You cannot possibly break the shackle alone. Hence follow the practices that I am to give you." நீ உலக வாழ்க்கையில் நீர்தேங்கிறாய். இவ்கடிவாளத்தால் உம்மால் மீண்டு வர இயலாது. ஆகையால் யாம் சொல்லும் வழிமுறைகளைச் செய்து வா.

When these energies stagnated at the next chakra the Svadisthana for some fifteen years, Agathiyar broke its banks in July of 2022. It had begun to stagnate and pond at the Manipuraka until 2022 when I guess the time was right to break the bunds and let the waters free. Since then there was no looking back as the waters made their way to the river mouth and estuary at the crown of the head. With Agathiyar watching us every moment, the process though painful at times went on smoothly and we saw its results, to my bewildment and to his excitement and satisfaction. 

He told me "Currently your Muladhara and Svadhisthana are open. At present your breath is at the pond (lake). The time of its opening is near. Now is the right time to start your practice. This would open up the chakra completely." 

இத்தருணம் உமக்கு மூலாதாரம் திறந்தது, ஸ்வாதிஸ்டானம் திறந்தது. இப்பொது மான் மூச்சி குளத்தில் இருக்கிறது. அவை திறக்கும் தருணம் வந்தது. இப்போதுதான் நீ உமது பயிற்சியினை தொடங்க வேண்டும். இந்த நிலையில் அச்சக்கரம் முற்றும் திறந்துவிடும். 

R Venugopal writes in his "Soul Searchers - The Art of Breathing", Health Harmony, New Delhi, 2000, "The Svadishtana is regarded as a blockage to the awakening of the kundalini. He says the actual awakening starts from the Manipura chakra only. Till the time Manipura chakra does not get purified and awakened the Kundalini cannot rise fully."

Shortly after on 22 August 2022, I felt a pull of a nerve and a tug right below the navel immediately upon waking up and stretching myself in bed at 6.40am. It brought on a swirling sensation followed by a chillness. My whole body became numb right to the tips. But it was blissful. Soon I felt nauseous and had the urge come on to pee and urine. I collapsed twice on the way to the toilet picking myself up each time. Back from the toilet, all was fine. 

The next day, I woke up at 7.20am, to go to the loo but I could not piss. I collapsed again. I called my wife asking her to bring the peacock feathers over. I picked myself up and climbed onto the bed. She stroked my body with it. My body became numb from the shoulders down. I lay like a deadlog on my bed. Although I could not move even an inch of my torso I was able to see, hear, and talk and was aware of what was happening to me. I asked myself if this was what a dead body would feel like. Soon it went away.

Seeking answers to what had taken place, Agathiyar cleared the air later. He told me not to worry and said that the pond water had been released. கவலை கொள்ள ஒன்றுமில்லை. தேங்கி இருந்த நீர் வெளி கொண்டது. Previously he had told me that energy had stagnated which I understood as at the Svathisthana. It was released now and the energies continued their journey further, by their sheer momentum and flow, without any effort on my part. But he warns me that I have to maintain it at the crown of the head and never do anything that jeopardizes this state, otherwise, it shall fall back to the Muladhara. He says it then shall be a wasted effort on the part of the Siddhas to assist these energies to move to higher chakras. If that happens Agathiyar says that he shall have to reprimand me. This was a stern warning from him. 

On 9 October 2022, Agathiyar clarified further, "Due to man's inappropriate lifestyle, the Muladhara chakra or Kulam (pond or lake) has been dammed and prevented from flowing. With continuous practice of breathing techniques over time, the chakras gain power or energy or Shakti. By continuing this one can become light and continue living as light, can become Brahmam in the Paraveli and reach the Holy Feet of Sivan who drank the poison."

மனிதனின் முறை அற்ற வாழ்வியல் முறையால் முடக்க பட்டுக் கிடக்கும் மூலாதார சக்ரம் (இங்குக் குளம் என்பது சக்கரத்தைக் குறிப்பதாகும்)
காலத்தினால் மேட்கொள்ளும் மூச்சி பயிற்சியினால் சக்கரம் சக்திகொள்ளும்
அப்படி செய்து வரவே ஒளியாகி வாழலாம் பரவெளியில் பிரமம் ஆகலாம் விஷம் குடித்த அந்தச் சிவனின் பாதம் அடையலாம்

This reminds us of Swami Muktananda saying the same. 

"It is only after the body has been purified that the Shakti can work with full force. The basis of all disease and pain is the impurities that block the flow of Prana in the nadis. These blockages are caused by imbalances and disorders in the three bodily humors - wind, bile, and phlegm. She (Kundalini) penetrates all 720 million nadis consumes all the old decaying fluids, then releases vital energy into them all. The Nadis become filled with Prana."

Just as Agathiyar says once it is aroused it does its work and there is nothing for us to do further, M. P. Pandit writes "What is being laboriously attempted, dangerously pursued, and problematically achieved in Kundalini yoga can be assured in yoga, like Sri Aurobindo's, in a very natural way by throwing oneself open to divine consciousness and grace, letting it descend into oneself, and letting it decide which centers of consciousness are going to be operated upon, which one is most open and ready. It is more in the natural way of evolution to let things develop in this manner rather than having a systematized procedure."

Alice A. Bailey writes that "When this process is carried forward with care and due safeguards, and under direction, and when the process is spread over a long period of time there is little risk of danger, and the awakening will take place normally and under the law of being itself."

Swami Muktananda writes "When Kundalini awakening takes place through grace it will rise of its own accord and become established where it should be established. Kundalini will take care of herself... when the Kundalini is awakened by the grace of the guru the grace itself will guide it in the correct manner. There is absolutely no danger in such a case."

Just as a student prepares himself to sit for an examination, a seeker and aspirant on the path of Light, seeking to become another Siddha and Light, has to prepare himself with the guidance and help of his teacher. He starts by purifying his physical body, both externally and internally, correcting his diet, taking care to keep the three Dosas in their respective proportions, and simultaneously keeping his mental health under continuous surveillance and check so that it does not deviate from its course. Though a teacher is not necessary to build and maintain these virtues, one is required to teach us Asana and Pranayama. Prayer and worship to the Siddhas bring a master along in the physical form who gives us the method and the way and has the Siddhas come to us in the subtle form to monitor our internal transformations. With diligent practice subtle changes begin to take place under the supervision of the Siddhas. They set the journey within moving according to our state of body and mind. Soon we see the results. The body attains purity. The Divine comes within. The merger of energies takes place bringing calm to the rapid and turbulent waters.

Just as water transforms from liquid to gas to vapor, to the ether, the mortal frame is transformed slowly first into a Siddha deham or perfect body, which is the body of the Siddhas. Solely relying on our efforts might not produce the expected results. This attempt to achieve a perfect body is only possible by the grace of God and the guidance of those who have been there and back.

LIVING IN THE SHADOWS OF THE SIDDHAS

I had always questioned why God who is all-loving was depicted as demonic and worshipped. In bringing us the story of the origin of Karupanasamy, a devotee and medium of his tells us that Karupanasamy was assigned to bring down several Asuras or beings with demonic characters. Hence he had to become one of them to destroy them. This answers why some of the Hindu Gods are depicted with weapons and take up arms to destroy these demons. These "Avatars" return to their original Self after these battles. But man, held on to these instances of transformation and began to worship them in these forms, depicting them in arms and offering them the food they took then till this day. 


Just like there is one energy that runs various appliances, the one prime divine energy takes many subtle and visible forms. It is in the gross and the subtle. Initially, we deal with the gross and as we evolve spiritually we come in touch with the subtle. From the denser vibrations, we move on to the finest. But sadly we remain in the gross both bodily and what is worshipped. 

Man pegs God and the Siddhas and traps him in his timeline. This is the reason Tavayogi says the Siddhas are beyond time and space. Imagine then the expense of the Prapanjam and the Divine energies. They cannot possibly be contained in a vessel or space without shrinking their powers. And so we have come to be little Napoleans carrying the Buddha within. We are capable of carrying out divine acts to a certain extent. The Siddhas through their practices and lifestyle upgrade the gross body of theirs to tap into the Prapanjam and receive its full nature and state and powers. Hence they are seen performing the unimaginable. These are tagged Siddhis. This is no magic but hard work and effort.

Coming under their shadows one gets to taste a bit of these powers. But his Ego soon steps in and takes on the credit. The Siddhas then back off. But just as, people carry on worshipping the deities in the Avatar, form and role they saw, even after the deities returned to their original state and Self, people keep coming to the gurus and masters who had demonstrated these powers once, not knowing that the Siddhas or deities had backed off, and were absent. These masters thrive on their past image. 

Honesty is the cornerstone of devotion and spiritual standing. Once we lose this the Gods leave us to pay for our crimes. The Siddhas especially expect us to be honest. One lie no matter how trivial shall lead to more and more till we are branded a liar. It is a crime in their eyes to use the names of Siddhas to promote ourselves and our agenda. We should only have their agenda in our lives and execute them to their satisfaction. 

Monday, 30 September 2024

WHERE DO WE STAND?

We all die. Even the Siddhas die too. But death is different for them compared with us. Generally, if we need a reason to die and not to be born, looking deep we realize that there is always a reason for something to take place. The reason to die might be succumbing to a disease or an illness, a tragedy, or a road mishap, and at times it comes in unimaginable ways as in freak accidents. Then to those who believe in Karma, it is reason enough to take a birth. 

If we are caught unaware by the missionary of death, Lord Yama, the Siddhas, saints, and sages tend to decide when to leave. My first guru Supramania Swami knew about his death and wrote it in his diary that was discovered by his son upon his death. The date coincided with his passing. He had told me that he would leave when he was 76 when I saw him last in 2005. The Siddhas welcome death while we fear it. Agathiyar too told me to welcome death for it was passing into another realm and world, and another body, gathering more experiences from further learning.

To borrow Gordon Matthew's words from his translation of Meykanda Devar’s "Shivagnana Botham", "By reason of the soul’s virtue in previous births", we are born anew into this world to our worldly parents. With the realization of the ever-existing Atma that had engineered this body, bringing in the breath and Prana and the elements from the Prapanjam, and forced to withdraw from the stage and moved behind the stage by the Ego, comes a renewed birth in this life itself. For those ignorant of the Self, a Guru comes by and points us to the Real Us, our Atma, and sets us on a discovery of a new birth and a new life. 

First, there are the Sakalar, having come to rid the three impurities in them, Karmam, Mayai, and Anavam. It could come by through a guru in the physical form.

“To Sakalar, souls immersed in all three impurities, God comes as a Guru of human form, he imparts it concealing himself as a Guru.”

"By reason of the soul’s virtue in previous births, God, who has been immanent in the soul, making it known, now vouchsafing to take the form of a Guru, initiates the soul in the Saiva mysteries. The primal one himself teaches these souls as a Guru: for in the form of consciousness, he is in union (with him)."

"When because of the soul’s meritorious practices, the primal one enlightens the soul as a Guru… When God comes as a Guru and teaches the soul, the soul is made to see that the world of experience, evolved from Maya, is non-real. It ceases then to identify itself with the non-real and to depend upon it; and in so doing it discovers its oneness with God."

Then we have the Pralayakalar. They have Karmam and Anavam, the former being Vasanas that need to ripen and the latter the distinction that God and they are two entities, still remaining intact in them. It could come by through a guru in the form of deities and Gods and Goddesses appearing before them. 

“To Pralayakalar, souls affected only by Anava and Karma, he comes as a Guru in Shiva’s form; he himself standing before them as Guru imparts true knowledge.”

Then there are the Vijnanakalar who do take birth too, but not due to past Karma but to realize his Self as one with the Divine, which he failed to see before. It could come by through as the dawning of Self-knowledge. Veeraswamy Krishnaraj in his comprehension of Arulnandi Shivachariyar’s "Shivagnana Siddhiyar", writes that, 

“To Vijnanakalar, souls involved only in Anava, he comes as the inner principle of the soul’s consciousness; he himself appears, as true knowledge.”

"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."

These are the souls closely associated with God and practically sit at their feet and think about them day and night to the extent the very essence of God prevails in them. They are seen as God and Divine too.

Now where do we stand in this hierarchy of souls?