LISTEN TO THE WISE

When a new seeker asked Tavayogi about Kundalini during a Satsang in 2016, he shut him up saying it is too soon to dwell on it. When I told him on my first meeting with him in 2005 that I was called to the path of the Siddhas, he had me worship the Siddhas first. He brought me to the places associated with the Siddhas. He showed my charity by starting off by feeding the hungry at his ashram. Later during his visit to Malaysia in 2007, he showed a small group of us Yogasanas and Pranayama. Until he passed away in 2018, he never spoke about Kundalini. I guess he did not want us to play with fire. 

In "KUNDALINI, EVOLUTION, AND ENLIGHTENMENT" edited by John White, which carries a compilation of views of the spiritual masters, they discourage this "Power trip" where seekers and aspirants think that higher consciousness can result from forcefully practicing certain disciplines in a mechanical fashion." Instead, they ask us to,

"Seek to refine your character and cultivate your mind through selfless service, discriminating studies, and dedicated spiritual train­ing. Do that, and kundalini will awaken gently, automatically, and without the unhealthy effects that are being seen more and more frequently. Desiring something-even such a noble goal as the awakening of kundalini is misguided." It has to happen with the grace and guidance of a guru. 

When Ram Dass asked his guru Neem Karoli Baba "How do you raise kundalini?' he said, "Serve people."

M. P. Pandit writes "What is being laboriously attempted, dangerously pursued, and problematically achieved in kundalini yoga can be assured in a 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."

Sri Chinmoy says "A genuine seeker never considers the hidden powers or occult powers as his goal. He cares only for God. He longs only for God's loving presence in his life. When one realizes God, everything comes. At that time the centers automatically open, whether the seeker wants to utilize them or not. There are many Indian spiritual seekers who have said that when the kundalini is awakened, the vital heat, dynamic heat inside the subtle body very often causes them great discomfort. This energy comes from the subtle body, but it is felt in the physical body. Very often seekers who are about to develop spiritual powers find that the intense inner power is too difficult to bear."

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."

Though Tavayogi did not speak about Kundalini after that I realized that he had given us the means and the ways to arrive there by showing us the Yogasanas and Pranayama practices in 2007. These were a treasure house Agathiyar told me later in a Nadi reading on 25 April 2008.

I guess I must have been the only one diligently following this practice for Agathiyar sent one of the handful who learned from Tavayogi that day to me telling him in his Nadi reading that he had forgotten the steps and needed to learn from me. When he came over we re-learned together the steps. When we perfected and polished up these Yoga practices under the tutorship of Acharya Gurudasan, Acharya later asked me why I did not teach it to people. I replied that Tavayogi only taught a few of us that day and never ever asked me to teach another. later In later years, Agathiyar asked me to teach Mahindren and have the others learn from him. I am glad that in his physical absence these days I have Agathiyar, Ramalinga Adigal, and the rest of the Siddhas looking over my shoulder. 

PRANA

Just as food powers the physical body, prana powers the astral body. The astral body corresponds to the physical. It is neither solid, course, nor gross in nature but subtle. Is not seen by the physical eyes. For instance, the Ida and Pingala correspond to the left and right sympathetic cords in the physical body writes Swami Vishnu-Devananda in his "Meditation and Mantras", Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd, Delhi, Om Lotus Publications, 1978. The Sushumna is the astral body's counterpart to the spinal cord in the gross body. Now I understand what Agathiyar meant when he diagnosed my ailment back in 2011. Please bear with me for often repeating these in this blog but I am trying to comprehend and understand what took place and is taking place. "Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from our lower back through our hips and buttocks and down each leg. Typically, sciatica affects only one side of our body." (Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sciatica/symptoms-causes/syc-20377435)

"The pain can be accompanied by tingling, ‘pins and needles’, or numbness, and sometimes by muscular weakness in the leg. Sciatica is usually felt in only one leg at a time. Sometimes, a sensation like an electric shock can be felt along the nerve. The nerve pain can range from a mild ache to incapacitating pain. Sciatic nerve pain is often felt when you sneeze, cough, go to the toilet, or when you’re sitting and may be accompanied by lower back pain." (Source: http://www.mydr.com.au/sports-fitness/sciatica-symptoms-causes-and-diagnosis)

Indeed what triggered the pain was a cough to expel the phlegm the first time and a sneeze the second time. The pain in the lower back although seemed to represent sciatica but the doctors ruled it out. So what was this pain that crippled me for close to three years? The doctors gave me a clean slate but put me on physiotherapy which I attended twice a week. This only gave me momentary relief but the pain came back. I had to bear the pain for some 2 1/2 years beginning in late 2010. Throughout this period Agathiyar watched silently from afar. Finally, in November of 2011, when I decided to ask Agathiyar in the Nadi, only then did he reveal the real reason for the injury. Although it was generated by my action in clearing my throat, he told me it was subtle in nature. He told me what was going on in my body and why I had succumbed to the back pain. 

பாரிச (உடலின் ஒரு பக்கம்) பீடைகளும் வந்து நிற்கும்
உற்றதொரு மூலாதார சக்கரமும்
உயர் விதமாய் உஷ்ணம் அடைந்ததால்
உரைக்க வரும் சோர்வுகளும் தேகம் தன்னில்
உரைக்கலாம் முக்கூற்று திரிப்பும் இப்போ
முறையாகச் சமநிலையில் இல்லாதிருக்கச்
சோதனைகள் வந்து நிற்கும் அச்சம் மிகுந்து
செப்பலாம் தவம் தன்னை நிறுத்திவைக்கப்
பங்கம் ஏதும் வந்திடாது கலக்கம் கொள்ளா

He spoke about the chakras and the movement of subtle energies, which cannot be seen or measured by instruments, to be the cause of my misery. Although externally the cough triggered the chain of reactions, the cough was in turn the result of certain changes happening in the subtle body. He said I faced discomfort and pain in the body due to the heat generated in the Muladhara from my yoga practices. The three Dosas too have run haywire and out of proportion. Hence he asks to stop all forms of practice. He suggested several Siddha herbs to consume. He classified it as Sparisa Unarvu, something that I understood now was related to the astral body. The pain slowed me down. I had to pull myself out of bed and drive to work. The pain surprisingly left me in 2012 after I was asked to perform the exercises the physiotherapist gave me before her at the government clinic. It was magical for her to out of the blue ask me to do something that was shown to me and that I did diligently at home for some 7 months.  

Later the pain came back momentarily in 2016 and was treated by Dhanvanthri with his sacred ash. He too told me that Vata, one of the three Dosas was at its peak and causing me my agony. One fine day I realized that the pain had gone. The pain resurfaced in 2018 as a sneeze came on just as I was crossing the street. Lord Murugan came in the Nadi and through a devotee and treated me by stroking my back using the peacock feather. Later I learned that he had attended to my causal body then. Ruzbeh N Bharucha shed some light on what transpired that eventful day through his writings at https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/going-within.

"... disease first gets ingrained into our causal body and then moves into the astral and then resides in our physical body. That is why in the early days Fakirs and Sages, would caress the body of the devotee with peacock feathers, as they could see the illness lodged either in the causal or the astral body. Through their power and affirmations, they would clear the illness, which was still in the causal or astral body, and not allow it to enter the physical body. Or cleanse the auras so that the body would automatically heal." That is what Lord Muruga did that day using the peacock feathers. I guess all these pertain to either the causal, subtle, astral, or energy bodies, hence it is not detected through medical checkups. 

When I had the dengue fever I collapsed thrice at home but picked myself up. Later I collapsed at the private clinic. My daughter who was admitted for a night a year earlier was blessed to have Agathiyar and Tirumular come by her hospital bed and raise her platelet count. This message was surprisingly conveyed in Suren's Nadi reading. Suren was in India during this time. 

The other time I fell outside the bathroom and my body writhe in pain and bliss at the same time twisting and moving as a snake would. I do not remember what exactly triggered the fall. Neither do my wife and children. But Agathiyar confirmed it in a Nadi reading later on  5.9. 2019.

மும்மலங்கள் அற்றதொரு தேகம் என்பதாலே
முக்கணும் முறை திறந்து உட்சியும் திறந்து

குண்டலினி உயர்ந்து தான் கனல் எழும்பி 

அமிர்தத்தை இடை விடாது உண்டு கொண்டு இருக்கிறாய் 

குண்டலினி சக்தி எல்லாம் எழும்புவது எல்லாம் 

குவளையத்தில் பாம்பின் போன்று நெளிய நேரும் 

ஆனால் ஆனந்தம் ஆனந்தம் அதுதான் என்போம் 

மைந்தன் நீயும் நீ உள்ளே அமைதியுடன் இருந்து தான் 

ஆர்ப்பாட் டம் இல்லாது அமைதியுடன் பூசை இல்லமத்தில் செய்வாய் 

The following year upon taking Agathiyar Kuzhambu I went through a session of vomiting, purging and peeing, and pooping that cleansed my internals thoroughly having me crawl out of bed to the bath and toilet and vice versa. And most recently I fell down over two days as the chakras were activated in me, according to Agathiyar. He immediately came and explained the situation and forbade my wife from leaving my side. I had to be in her sight always he says as this is a joint journey for both of us. We are truly grateful for Agathiyar to be there always in our hour of need.  

From the site http://www.thekundaliniyoga.org/siddha_yoga/experiences_stages_of_siddha_yoga.aspx we learn that,

"Throughout this journey, although the Siddha Guru will always be there for specific guidance, the initiate will be guided automatically by his own awakened Kundalini energy. Consistent and diligent practice of meditation will gradually result in the opening and cleansing of the spiritual pathways (Nadis) needed for the Kundalini to eventually find its way to the Sahasrara Chakra (spiritual center in the brain) resulting in the Siddha yoga aspirant’s awareness merging with the Chaitanya, i.e. the Siddha sadhak achieving Self-Realization, and eventually, liberation."

In the initial stage or Arambha-avastha, 

"He will feel Prana in everything he touches with his skin. He will get a whiff of Prana in everything he smells with his nose. He will sense Prana in everything he tastes with his tongue. And he will hear the sound of Prana in everything he hears with his ears. In other words, he will begin to sense the entire material universe as manifestations of Prana Shakti."

In short, his senses are enhanced. 

In the second stage or Ghata-avastha,

"In this second stage of Siddha yoga, which usually overlaps with the first, the aspirant gradually begins to lose interest in material desires and begins to develop a sense of detachment from worldly attractions. This does not mean that he has to, or will, give up on material things (Samsaric). He may continue to live in the material world if he so chooses, but he will begin to develop a sense of non-attachment to material things. While the First Stage results in the aspirant feeling Prana within himself, the Second Stage leads the aspirant to sense Prana in everything. It is at this stage that he truly experiences the all-pervading universality of the Divine. By this time, many of the physical experiences will have been diminished and the aspirant will find himself sensing Prana within and outside himself, not just during Sadhan but at all times."

Ramalinga Adigal confirmed this. This is what Ramalinga Adigal meant when he told me I shall come to know if the Prana dwells, lives, and travels in me or if I live in the Prana. In other words, it's akin to what Agathiyar told us that he was the prapanjam and the prapanjam was in him.

பிராண சக்தி ஊடுருவிச் செல்கிறதே, அதுவே பிரணவ தேகம். முதல் படியில் இருக்கிறாய். பிரணவத்தின் சக்தி உணரும் தருணம் பிரணவத்தின் நீயே அதைக் காண்பாய். உன் பிரணவத்தால் ஊடுகிறாயா? அல்லது பிரணவம் உன்னுள் ஊடுகிறதா என்ற குழப்பம் ....என்று அப்படியில் காலடி வைகிறாயோ அன்று உமக்கு விடை பிறக்கும். இன்பத்தில் ஆழ்ந்து கொண்டுவா. அது பேர் ஆனந்தம். இன்னும் இருக்கிறது.

In the third stage or Parichaya-avastha,

"His perspective of the universe changes to where he constantly sees the universe as nothing but a manifestation of Prana. He sees that oneness in everyone and everything." 

In the fourth stage or Nishpatti-avastha, 

"This is the fourth and the final stage of Siddha yoga, where the Siddha yogi, having achieved Self-Realization liberates himself from the cycle of birth and death. He achieves a state of bliss (Samadhi) where he is completely beyond the physical confines of this universe. He feels neither hunger nor thirst, nor heat nor cold. His Awareness no longer dwells in the material, but constantly resides in Prana. He rests in his own essential nature – Self (the Atma-swaroop). When he chooses to depart from his body he does not need to be reborn and his Awareness stays merged with the Chaitanya forever."

உனது எண்ணத்தை நீ சற்று விலக்கு. நான் அங்கிருந்து உனக்குப் பதில் அளிப்பேன். அழுத்தமான உன் எண்ணம் தளர்ந்து போகும். அது தளர்ந்து போகும் நிலையில் நானே உள் இருப்பேன். நீயாய் சுவாசித்த பிராணவ வாயு இனி உன்னைக் கேட்காமல் உன்னுள் ஊடுருவும். எப்பொதுதெல்லாம்  அது ஊடுருவதை நீ உணறுகிறாயோ இருக்கும் இடம் அறிந்து அதனுள் பயணம் செய். கலந்து போ. அதனோடு நீ கலக்கும் தருணமே தியானம். 

If in the past he started us with pranayama by asking us to concentrate on several spots in our head and torso, then both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal asks that we just follow the trail of the breath. The trail shall end when the breath subsides. Just as the force of water calms down as it travels farther away from its source into the plains and eventually settles into the ocean, "When your thoughts die down or lose their intensity what remains is me", says Agathiyar simplifying the means to an end. As the thoughts hitch on our breath, we are asked to ditch it. As the manam takes a ride on it when the breath subsides the thoughts die with it and vice versa. What remains is the Self, the Atma, and Agathiyan as the inner flame and Spirit. When our thoughts die that is "Summa erupathu" or Stillness. Thoughts are the seeds of action. The thoughts fed with prana result in action. Drop the thoughts and the actions shall seize. As it is the Prana that energizes the astral body, the Prana accumulated within then shall not be lost through the senses and its organs. 

Claire Dederer in her book "Poser", Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012, candidly speaks of the moment when she touches the state of stillness or "the seat of little ease."

"Stillness. I was in it now and it was scary. I was incredibly uncomfortable and there was nothing I could do about it. I could not move more quickly or focus on the next transition. there was no task to complete, no clock to watch, no child to cradle, no dinner to make, no mother to call, no sad husband to cheer up, no friend to comfort, no father to lend an ear to, no school to clean, no car to fill with gas, no deadline to meet, no editor to appease. there was nothing I could do to solve this. All I could do was be with it. There was just this discomfort."

How true. It is indeed pretty scary. We have been so used to doing something, anything all the time except when we doze off that taking all this away from us as in sitting still is indeed scary. I too backed off initially from sitting alone to be with myself. It was scary.

We often have wondered how saints perform feats that are magical and deemed impossible. These are referred to as Siddhis. We can understand now reading what Swami Vishnu-Devananda has written. "When prana moves through Ida and Pingala man is bound by time space and causation. However, when the Sushumna operates he is beyond such limitations."

The very idea is to have the prana traverse through the Sushumna and hence the magic happens.

SHARING

I cannot seem to have a decent conversation with others these days. When the only thing they talk about was current affairs, politics, money, and others, I on the other hand can only talk about Agathiyar. Hence I decided to live the life of a hermit keeping away from people and events. A friend and reader of this blog from Europe always calls me and each time his talk moves to the topic of the Nadi which interests him a lot as an academician. Yes, I started my journey reading the Nadi. I had moved on since. He has not been able to move away from the mystery of this mystical oracle. Another new reader messaged me and we spoke over the phone some days ago. He had seen and carried out the remedies. At the onset, he asked me my opinion on the Nadi. Yes, I have read Nadi numerous times. It has guided me to this day. To someone who asks if the Nadi is true, I would put forth the following. A medicine works only if we have faith in both the drug and the doctor. Then again it only works if we take it in the precise amount or prescribed dosage and at the precise times. Otherwise, we would not recover. If the fault lies with us can we say the medicine did not work or the doctor is a quack?

Similarly, it is with the Nadi too. It works if we go with faith. It works if we follow what is said and predicted. We make it happen. We bring these predictions to life. Just as Agathiyar asked me to give life to his murthy or statue at my home, we give life to these predictions of the Siddhas. Just as we draft our ambitions and work tirelessly towards achieving them we have to move to make the predictions come true. If we do not lift a finger as when we doubt it, can we then blame the Siddhas and their oracle? Someone asks me why their parents should carry out remedies for his inadequacies. When we visit a doctor he usually asks for our family health history. Some genetic diseases are inherited we are told as we may share genes. Similarly, since we are all connected as blood relations even remedies extend to extended families. It is only when we step out of our suspicion, negative assumption, prejudgement, and prejudice and look at the oracle with awe and mystery shall we reap the said benefits.

When someone is given a mantra for instance as a solution to their problems or illness, they do not immediately execute it but begin to explore, investigate and seek opinions further. If they finally decide to recite it, they do it a few times and expect results immediately. They want instant results. It does not happen. We were asked to recite Agathiyar's name some 100,000 times when he came as a bronze statue to our home in 2010. The mere mention of that number of chants to sing gave me shivers. How was I to fulfill Agathiyar's directive? Back then we did not have the following that we had in later years. Consulting with Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar she asked me to gather others too and have each participant contribute to the number. That advice came as a relief to me. I gathered family, relatives, neighbors, and friends and chanted Agathiyar's name. But as we were a tiny group we only managed 45,000 among us which took us 2 solid hours. We gave up as our throat was dry and parched and our vocal cords became irritated and inflamed. But the most compassionate father accepted our prayers acknowledging our effort in a subsequent Nadi reading.

One who is filled with divine energy might light a fire with his mere look but we still need a matchstick to do so. As long as we are on earth we are at the mercy of the stars and planets, nature, and society. The saints managed to stay aloft though. They are indifferent to what goes on around them. We marvel reading the lives of the saints and wish we could be like them. But we are not ready to walk the path they had trodden. We have a foot in the greenhouse and another in the scorching sun. We bathe in pleasure and also yearn for a paradise that lurks elsewhere. I guess it takes many births for us to let go of our hold on the three pleasures that are: ownership of grounds; craving for wealth, gold, precious gems, and stones; and the lust for flesh. 

In writing on Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, BKS Iyengar in his "Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali", HarparsCollins Publishers India, 1993, says Patanjali lists four padas: Samadi pada, Sadhana pada, Vibhuti pada, and Kaivalya pada.

"The first pada deals with the science of disciplining the fluctuations of consciousness. For this reason, it begins with the code of conduct. The second pada gives detailed information regarding the practices. The third pada explains the hidden wealth which comes through these practices. The fourth pada speaks about cultivating actions that cannot produce reactions so that consciousness may dissolve in the light of the soul for the very being." 

Similarly, a common man is asked to visit the temple and pray before the deity. This brings him to focus on the statue momentarily. He is momentarily engaged with the prayers conducted forgetting his surroundings for those brief moments. If my parents had launched the Samadhi pada that was devotion to the deities, the guru came to bring us to carry out sadhanas in the Sadhana pada by having us carry out rituals and practice yoga. In carrying out rituals ourselves we build focus and concentration even before we sit in Puja. Having gathered all that we need to conduct the rituals for instance the homam, in repeating the names of the Siddhas we are focussed further on the chore or task on hand. In carrying out the other half of Dharma which is charity and service to others compassion builds in us for another being. This compassion envelops all of creation in the saints as Iyengar writes the central thread of Patanjali's philosophy is the relationship between the self (Purusa) and nature (Prakrti). Agathiyar then brings us into the Vibhuti pada moving us to the inner quest (Antaranga sadhana) or Jnana marga by having us go within on an internal journey that gives insight into the very purpose we came thus fulfilling each individual Dharma. It surprises me that Agathiyar has given me the green light to share my inner experiences with readers as he takes me on this new journey. Agathiyar has shut me up completely. First, he gave me the sanction for me to retire early in 2016. Then he had me devout my entire time to carrying out puja, Satsang, and charity. Then he stopped all this in 2019 and asked that we go in. He gave some techniques for that purpose. My interaction with others ended when he closed the social media groups that I had. He gave me pain so that I would not move around unnecessarily. My outside engagements came to a stop.  Then he had noisy tenants move in as my neighbors. The smell of cat poo that they raised and the din they made, made me shut all the doors and windows too. Recently as my body froze like a log, he told me to shut the windows that I kept open throughout the night till morning too as the cool breeze would do harm to me. I am practically living in a cave in the city now. He has kept me from the public eye except for a handful of his devotees who come by to see him at AVM regularly. 

Finally, "In Kaivalya pada we lose our identities and merge in the soul (emancipation)" says Iyengar. If Agathiyar had given the 5 tenets for mankind in general as his mission and purpose, our mission is to be free from the gravitational pull of the Gunas says, BKS Iyengar. This is the summit of yoga. 

We had read about Agathiyar's extensive travels in the past. But a thought struck me if the myth and legend that follows Agathiyar's travels was actually a journey within like what Tavayogi told of Ramalinga Adigal's song "Aani Pon Ambalathil" as a journey traversing the chakras within.

We follow this internal journey that appears to be an external journey initially as translated by S Vanmikanathan.

"It is the aani-p-ponnambalaththe kanda kaatchikal, the visions I saw on the magnificent golden hall, the 109th decad of the VI th Book. He sings in 32 stanzas of jubilant verse, all of which end with the refrain: "The sights I saw in the Hall of Prime Gold are wonderful sights, O mother, wonderful sights are they!"

He goes on to describe in detail the sights he saw. I omit the repetitions and refrains and give, in his own words, of course, the details of the sights which met his eyes. The refrains are evidence of the irrepressible joy bubbling in his heart. He says: "There appeared a mountain of effulgence and on that was a street. I went along that street and in its center, there was a platform. I climbed onto that platform and on that platform, there was a hall. When I approached the hall, on top of that hall I saw a seven-storeyed tower. What shall I say of the wonders that were on the seven storeys? On top of the seven storeys there was a golden pillar. When I beheld the pillar and climbed on it, what shall I say of the novelties I saw! It is not within my capacity to describe what met me as I climbed on. At the several stages, Sakthi-s, in thousands and thousands, came, They came and tried to bewitch me, but, that I may not be bewitched, I gained the power of grace. With that power, I climbed up that pillar and spied the jeweled crest. On top of the crest there stood a dome, that I saw. On top of that dome, there was a temple of one thousand and eight-carat gold. On seeing the temple, I went unhesitatingly inside the portal in the tower. At the portal in the tower, there were Sakthis-s and Saakthaa-s in crores. Their hues were white, red, and scarlet. There, all of them asked, “Who is this man?”, but I went past them. I went past them, and there, at a sacred doorway, were five persons. With them showing me the way, I went to a jeweled doorway farther up. At that doorway, which I remember well, there stood two, a man and a woman. With them pointing it out to me, I beheld with love welling up in me the private sacred entrance (which leads to the sacred presence of Lord Civan)."

Speaking about a private sacred entrance, I tend to believe now that I was led through this sacred entrance that I deemed as a portal during my very first visit to Palani where I had a private moment in the samadhi of Bhogar. 

"At that sacred door, stood Aanandhavalli, my Mother. I beheld the Mother, Her grace I received, and ambrosia I partook of."

I was given the sacred milk at Bhogar's samadhi back then in 2003 and again in the company of Tavayogi in 2005.

"By Her Grace which held me up, I saw the presence of Natarajar, O mother, I saw the presence of Natarajar! The boon I received on going into His presence, God knows it, O mother, God knows it. In the Hall of prime gold, the sights I saw, wonderful sights they are, O mother, wonderful sights they are." 

All these sharing is not to boost my ego or have readers assume or think that I am special. It is out of love for the divine that we share as Swami Kriyananda says in the video. 

Swami Kriyananda shares his bliss

When I started off with my home puja solo in 2002, after some years those moments with our personal God became so blissful. I used to come out of my prayer room in a daze and tell my wife if only I could touch her and share the exalted state I was in. In later years after Agathiyar and the Siddhas started speaking to us through others in 2019, Agathiyar would hold the hands of all gathered and share this bliss with us. Ramalinga Adigal would draw the energy from the cosmos and have us feel the bliss. When I saw the above video of Swami Kriyananda telling his audience that he wanted to share his bliss, standing in front of them close to tears and many a time on the verge of breaking down, I could connect with him. I felt the bliss in him as we have had the same experience. When Gowri Arumugam and her husband were at Kallar Ashram recently, they connected me to Mataji Sarojini  Ammaiyar and streamed live the ashram. I could connect with the ashram by just watching the video. A stream of energy/current kept passing through me throughout the streaming. I did not know that we could feel this energy by merely watching videos. But it is happening. 

SIDDHA HEARTBEAT

Dr. Swami Shankardev Saraswati wrote at https://bigshakti.com/my-personal-journey-into-the-chakras/

"Having graduated from medical school at Sydney University I had the opportunity to write several books on Yoga Therapy under the guidance of Swami Satyananda. Swami Satyananda instructed me to look after his library and to write books on various medical and yoga therapy topics, along with editing many of the early books from the Bihar School of Yoga. While writing these books I had several powerful experiences. One of the most profound was the experience of direct transmission from my guru. It was while writing the books that I would often fall into a trance and feel a kind of dissociation. I felt knowledge streaming into my brain, like a current or flow of understanding that I could translate into words in my mind and transmit onto paper. At the same time, I could see my pen writing the words onto paper (there were no computers in those days) but it was as if I was reading them for the first time as I wrote them. I believe that this was a direct transmission from Swami Satyananda via third eye chakra activation."

It gives me comfort and assurance that the divine was moving my thoughts and my hand on the keyboard too. I had strongly felt that it was his writings having given me the subject and the content and surprising with the relevant references either from my collection of books, the internet, or stories shared in a timely manner by my wife and others who call or drop by. It was pretty exciting each time I began to write for as Swami Shankardev says indeed "it was as if I was reading them for the first time as I wrote them." I used to read and reread the post as it was new to me too. It was as if I too was a reader of the blog taking in the gist and message given in these posts. I became more knowledgeable about the subject with each reading be it my post or after reading the references. Agathiyar was educating me and at the same time asking me to share what I came to know and experience with readers. 

I had not shared many intimate and personal readings from Agathiyar's Nadi following in the way of my guru Tavayogi who did not share many secrets for what I believe was that he did not want us to have high expectations and become frustrated in the event what was told did not work for his students. I saw the dismay and disappointment in a couple of friends and devotees of Agathiyar who messaged me after reading the blog and communicating with me hinting and asking if Agathiyar includes them in all the messages given to me and related in the blog. At that juncture, I told myself that henceforth I shall not share further my experiences and the messages and contemplated bringing an end to the blog. days later Agathiyar comes through a devotee and tells me that I had written enough praising him and he asks that I write about the inner experiences that were flowering within me so that those who worshipped the light and yearn to become it shall know of the trials and tribulations and also the bliss and enchantment in treading the path and the way and the methods. So you now see me typing these words again. I guess this blog is a means for him to keep in touch with his devotees. It is assuring to know that these are his words as I do not want to say or write the wrong things as I am pretty new to the subjects discussed in this blog. Only those with these said experiences can truly write or talk about them. A gathering of information from numerous sources is purely academic. That is why we stay at the feet of a guru for 12 years learning from watching him. His experiences become ours too. We can fully understand our own experiences when the time comes for us to engage in living out his teachings. 

In engaging in all the previous activities that we were directed to carry out, we never for a second looked within for salvation. We thought that all the good deeds that we did would automatically grant us salvation and a place in the kingdom of God. Both Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal told us that we had to place the effort in the many practices given first. In faithfully putting into practice the many Yoga techniques given we sort of felt that we had hit a wall. We were not moving further and became frustrated expecting the much glamorized and spoken about results that we have read all these years and heard people speak about it. It was not to be. We failed to understand that the changes were happening in a very subtle manner and not as advertised in books, the internet, and by masters. The time had to be right for us to progress further. The Pilgrim's Progress was halted just as Agathiyar had halted all our external activities in the wake of the pandemic. 

Though what we did all this while was purely of external in nature that was packed with much activity, the worship of the Siddhas, the many pilgrimages undertaken to their abodes and temples and samadhis, the Homams done at home, and the Yagams at temple grounds and the charity that was done all unknowingly contributed to enhancing the soul power to a certain extent. But the all-knowing Siddhas had us do it without given explanations. It all came as directives to us either through the numerous Nadi readings or through our gurus in physical form. We abided by their directives. Soon they began to explain the subtle and far-reaching consequences of all these actions that began to amend and doctor our past karma and traced a new destiny, utterly changing our fate.

Having us pick up on the Yogasanas and Pranayama techniques given and shown, a new journey emerged that of focusing on the body and its inside. From the external, we moved within. 

The torment that came by way of the new tenants who moved next door as my noisy neighbors frustrated my attempt at going within as directed by Agathiyar during the 2 1/2 years of the pandemic. Lamenting it Ramalinga Adigal tells me that all these inconveniences were preparing me to reach the state of Gnana. I asked myself how could that help me attain Gnana? அவைகளை உமக்கு இன்னல்கள். அவைகளை உமக்கு ஞானம். பொறுத்துக்கொள். தனது முயற்சியால் உமது ஐம் புலன்களை அடக்கிடுவாய். அது நடக்கும் வண்ணம் இவைகள் உமக்குத் தொந்திராவு வழங்கும். Ramalinga Adigal in asking me to stomach all the inconveniences that I faced as soon as Agathiyar asked me to go within tells me that they were hindrances placed by them. The experience gained will bring about Gnanam. Effort (in going within) is needed to overcome the troubles. It shall exist until we are lost within ourselves.

Veronica Hope in walking us through each Chakra at http://veronicahope.com/hope/index.php/muladhara-chakra/ writes that,

"The Root Chakra is the seat of the unconscious. All our fears “live” in our first chakra. All memories about wars, hunger, or any disasters that threaten the survival of humanity, are imprinted in the energy of the Muladhara Chakra. The wise regard all fears as valuable and beneficial experiences. When one learns from them and begins to work on him/herself, one makes progress in the spiritual development."

"நீ என்னிடம் கேட்டது ஞானம். ஞானம் என்பது நான் தருவதல்ல. நீ கற்பது. ஒருவன் தனக்குள் உள்வாங்கி அவனுள் பயணம் துவங்கும் நேரம் அப்பயணம் தரும் பாதிப்பே ஞானம். அவை ஒவ்வொருவருக்கும் மாற்றம் பெரும். ஆகையால் அவை நான் இதுதான் என்று சொல்ல இயலாது." Agathiyar says of Gnanam that, "Gnanam is not gifted but has to be earned and experienced. When one goes within, as the journey brings upon subtle experiences these shall translate into and become Gnanam. It defers for each person. As such I cannot possibly define it."

This is the final journey cutting oneself completely off all actions both physical and mental. Here a thorough cleansing takes place. Eknath Easwaran in "Dialogue with Death - A Journey Through Consciousness", Jaico Publishing House, 2002, suggests that, "If we can learn not to act on a samskara by severing the connection between stimulus and response, that particular chain of karma will no longer have a hold on us." So in sitting alone oneself, the stimulus is shut off. Hence there is no need to respond to anything. This breaks the chain. What we go through in these silent moments is the remnants of our past karma that still lingers. Watching it take place or happen within will bring an end to even these last vasanas, roasting them in the fire of meditation, depriving them of germinating forever. If earlier we had exhausted all external means to rid karma, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami in "Merging with Siva - Hinduism’s Contemporary Metaphysics", Himalayan Academy, 2005 enlightens us further as to how meditation does wonder in ridding us of the last vestiges of karma.

"When we cause a traumatic disruption within ourselves or within others, the action is imprinted in the memory patterns of the Muladhara chakra. The seed has been planted and will remain vibrating in the depths of the mind even though consciously forgotten. We carry it over from life to life, from birth to birth until one day it blossoms into the fruit of our action-reaction. There are thousands of things vibrating in the Muladhara chakra, and from those memory patterns, they are going to bounce up into view one after another, especially if we gain more Prana by breathing and eating correctly. When meditation begins, more karma is released from the first chakra (Muladhara chakra). Our individual karma is intensified as the ingrained memory patterns that were established long ago accumulate and are faced, one after another, after another, after another. In our first four or five years of striving on the path, we face the karmic patterns that we would never have faced in this life had we not consciously sought enlightenment. Experiences come faster, closer together. So much happens in the short span of a few months or even a few days, catalyzed by the new energies released in meditation, and by our efforts to purify mind and body, it might have taken us two or three lifetimes to face them all. They would not have come up before then, because nothing would have stimulated them." I guess they wanted me to have it done and over with hence these troubles that cornered me in my home. 

Equally frustrated that I had not achieved a thing in the 2 1/2 years of us living in fear of the dreaded killer virus, as the restrictions came to be lifted so too were the bunds of the pond that had collected the energies, a result of all my practice, gave way and the water was released making its way, in our case upstream to higher chakras in the body. True to what Tavayogi said the guru came to take us by the hand, beyond the second chakra. 

True to what Yogi Ramsuratkumar said, "All the rituals and religious practices prescribed in the Vedas should make one reach the feet of the Guru if these rituals and religious practices are done with all sincerity. Once you attain the feet of the Guru, then you need not worry about your spiritual growth. You need not do any rituals also. It is enough to listen to your Guru and remember your Guru. Your Guru will take care of you and he will take you to the destination" the guru unleased the hidden dormant power that is much spoken about without my least effort. My effort in doing worship, rituals, dharma and Yoga, as Tavayogi says brought me to the second chakra. Taking on the Yoga asanas and Pranayama practice as shown by Tavayogi in 2007, Agathiyar in the Nadi reading on 9.8.2010 tells me that உண்டான ஞான கனல் மிகுந்த காலம் உயர்வான காலம் இது இந்தக் காலம், the heat of the tapas or austerities had peaked in me. Weeks later seeing my agony in having pulled a nerve that gave me excruciating pain in my lower back right till the right toes, Agathiyar on 17.10.2010 gives me the good news and consoles me on the bad too. அடையோகம் தன்னில் கிட்டும் சித்தி அவையனைத்தும் தவமொடு வழிபாட்டில் பெறுவாய். ஆனதொரு ஆரோக்கியம் மட்டும் சோடை. ஒளடதமும் பிடகனை அறிந்து ஏற்க்கவே மாற்றங்கள் ஏற்றம் கிட்டும். என் அருளால் பூரணமாய் பரிசுத்தம் காண்பாய். What is generally achieved through Hathayoga is now possible through Tapas and Puja. But he points out to my health that was declining. He asked to see a physician who can bring it back to its former state. With his grace, I shall recover well. He came again on 16.1.2011, வாகடன்கள் தேகத்திற்கு மட்டும் வளத்துடனே அரை மண்டலாம் எடுத்துக் கொள்ள தேகமத்தில் குறை வாரா. Agathiyar who continued to monitor my situation assured me that all shall be fine. He asked me to continue taking the prescription for another half a mandalam.

I was referred to the Orthopedic Specialist at the general hospital who put me on physiotherapy. In the நடைமுறை பிரசன்ன ஆசி நூல் read on 26.11. 2011 Agathiyar addressed the issue clearly. தரணிதன்னில் எங்கள் வழி மார்க்கத்தில் தப்பாது பூசையும் தவமும் செய்து தான் உயர்வு அடைந்திட்ட பாலகன் உனக்குத் தரணியே உயிர் பிணி ஏது சொல்வோம் உடல் பிணி ஏதுதான் அச்சம்கொள்ள. பாரிச பீடைகளும் வந்து நிற்கும். உற்றதொரு மூலாதார சக்கரமும் உயர் விதமாய் உட்டனங்கள் அடைந்ததனாலே உரைக்க வரும் சோர்வும் தேகம் தன்னில். உரைக்கலாம் முக்கூற்று திருப்பும் இப்போ முறையாகச் சம நிலையில் இல்லாதிருக்க சோதனைகள் வந்து நிற்க்கும் அச்சம் மிதந்து. சிறப்பு தரும் வாகடமும் செப்பலாம். செப்பலாம் தவம் தன்னை நிறுத்திவைக்க.  சிறப்பு இருக்கு வழிபாடும் முறையே மாறாது சூரிய வழிபாடும் செய்ய வழிபாடும் வேலவர்க்கும் முறையே செய்யப் பங்கம் ஏதும் வந்திடாது கலக்கம் கொள்ளா. Agathiyar spelled out the reasons and the solution in the form of several Siddha herbs and prayers. He classifies my agony as Paareesa Peedai or உடலின் ஒரு பக்கம் that was external and "superficial, existing or occurring at or on the surface and  appearing to be true or real only until examined more closely." He says the Muladhara chakra had attained intense heat resulting in my condition leading to immobility. The three dosas too have gone haywire. He asked to consume Amalaki and Triphala. He asked that I stop all forms of tapas and yoga practices for the time being. He asked that I pray to the Sun God and Lord Murugan to bring relief. 

On 15.2.2012 the physiotherapist asked me to show her the exercises, she had taught me and that I had put into practice over the past seven months. As I moved into position to began to raise my right leg behind me and stretch my back, there was something like a latch released, a dam burst, a knot that was untied or loosened, as if something gave way, and it brought instantaneous relief and joy to the extent I shouted out and cried in joy. The excruciating pain left magically and mysteriously just as it had come on upon me. All was well as Agathiyar had said. 

Agathiyar tells me that the energy from the Muladhara chakra that was activated back then in 2010, had ponded at Svadishthana collecting moss. This was revealed in July 2020. 

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. உடலில் பல மாற்றங்கள் கண்டறிவாய். பயம் கொள்ள வேண்டாம். இச்சக்கரங்களில் புணர்ச்சியால் உன் உடலில் ஏற்படும் மாற்றங்கள் துர் நாற்றம் வீசும், மலச்சிக்கல் ஏற்ப்பட்டு கழிவு ஆகும், சிறுநீர் அதிகம் வெளியேறும். அன்று நீ உண்ட குழம்பினாள் உன் உடலிலிருந்து வாதம், கபம், பித்தம் சற்றே அகன்றது. இன்னும் இருக்கிறது. அவை அகலும். Currently your Muladhara and Svadhisthana is open. The breath is currently lodged in Svadhisthana. The time of its opening is near. Now is the right time to start your practice. This would open up the chakra completely. You will see many changes take place in your body. Don't be afraid. In activating these chakras your body shall smell foul, you shall have constipation, and you shall urinate often. The Agathiyar Kuzhambu you consumed earlier (on 27 June 2022) helped stabilise your Vata, Kapha and Pitta. Yet these Dosas need to be expelled further.

Layer by layer as in an onion, our prior understanding of all things was peeled away and we were shown newer perspectives and standpoints. The numerous veils were drawn aside and we had a better and clearer understanding and vision. Layer by layer we accumulated newer experiences moving from the physical body inwards and equally moving to the outer reaches of the body and beyond. We began to understand slowly the subjects and the theory behind the occult sciences that go hand in hand with spiritualism and the journey within. But there is much to be learned as Ramalinga Adigal told us and as the grand old lady and saint Avvai has said. We are only on the first rung of the ladder that reaches into and disappears into the clouds.

THANK YOU DEAR GOD

Though we are one we take on the role of many - son, student, follower, disciple, father, teacher, grandpa, etc. So too the Siddhas though one, take on many forms for specific purposes and reasons. Agathiyar once told us that though they are one they take on the form of these various Siddhas for specific purposes. Agathiyar told us ஒரு காலத்தில் ஒரு காரணத்திற்காக நாங்கள் வடிவெடுப்போம், நாங்கள் உரு எடுப்போம், ஒரு நாமம் எடுப்போம், that they take a specific form, and name and take on certain powers in specific times for specific reasons and purposes. 

Last night Dhanvanthri came the moment a mother brought her child who was colic before Agathiyar at AVM. From https://familydoctor.org/ we understand that "when your baby cries, they can swallow air. This may give your baby gas. It can make their tummy look swollen or feel tight. They might show some relief in symptoms after passing gas or having a bowel movement (pooping)." Dhanavanthri said the same about the gas (wind). He treated her with sacred ash and massaged her and blew the soft of her head. He asked to keep her warm and her belly button covered always as air enters through here in babies.  பிள்ளைகள் பால் உண்ணும்பொழுது தொப்புள் மலரும். மலர்ந்த வாயில் காற்று அங்கு அடைபெறும். தொப்புளுக்கு துணி கட்டி வா.

In 2016 Dhanvanthri came and treated my back pain. A couple who had just returned from Dhanvanthri's temple in India dropped in at my home in a timely manner bringing over his sacred prasad. Dhanvanthri used this sacred ash to rub it into my back and massaged me. He told me to heat up some sesame oil and apply it and sleep on level ground for the next few days. The pain eventually subsided and one fine day I realized it was gone. 

As Agathiyar told us many years back when giving us specific breathing techniques to adopt and follow in the Nadi, they are only sharing what they had carried out, and only after having seen positive results, Ramalinga Adigal came on 29.11.2019 and hugged us all inviting us to invite the light within.

அருட்பெருஞ்சோதி ... வாரும் ஐயா …  அருட்பெருஞ்சோதி ஆட்கொண்டானப்ப ... மற்றவர்களும் வாரும் ... உங்களையும் ஆட்கொண்டானப்ப … உங்கள் ஆத்மவை திறந்து வையுங்கள் ... உங்கள் இதயத்தைத் திறந்து வையுங்கள்... ஜோதியினை உன்னுள் பதிந்தது. ஜோதியினை நீ இணைந்து விடு.  ஜோதியினை பிரகாசிக்கச்செய். ஆழ்ந்து போ. அனைவரும் ஜோதிக்கு அடிமை. அடியேனும் அடிமை. Arutperunjothi has taken possession of you. Open up your Atma. Open up your heart to receive him. The Jothi shall come within and embed in you. We are slaves to this Jothi. I am a slave too.

இதுநாள் வரையில் நீ கடந்து வந்தது இவ்வுலக வாழ்க்கையின் பயணம். இனி நீ கடக்க போவது உமது உல் பயணம். ஆதாவது நீ பிறந்ததன் நோக்கம் அறிவாய். உமது மூச்சி உனது சுழுமுனை தொட்டு உமது ஏழு சக்கரங்களில் பயணம் செய்யும் கால் ஏழாவது சக்கரம் தொடும் நிலையில் நீ உனது பிறவிக்கான பலனை அறிவாய். உனது நிலையை நீ தொடும்போது அக்கணம் உன்னை அறியாமல் உன்னை நோக்கி ஒரு  சக்தி உன்னுள் இறங்கும் - அதுவே சுழிமுனை. நீங்கள் உள் பயணிக்கும்போது எல்லாம் தெளிவாகத் தெரியும் சமயம் திரை விலகியத்திற்கு அர்த்தம். அதுதான் ஞானம். Your journey till this day was external and was for worldly existence. Now you shall tread a journey that takes you within. You will come to understand the reason you were born. When your breath rises through the சுழுமுனை or Sushumna Nadi engaging with the chakras, upon reaching the seventh chakra, you shall get the answer. At that moment a Sakti will come within. That is சுழுமுனை or Sushumna. When everything is clear that is Gnanam. 

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. உடலில் பல மாற்றங்கள் கண்டறிவாய். பயம் கொள்ள வேண்டாம். இச்சக்கரங்களில் புணர்ச்சியால் உன் உடலில் ஏற்படும் மாற்றங்கள் துர் நாற்றம் வீசும், மலச்சிக்கல் ஏற்ப்பட்டு கழிவு ஆகும், சிறுநீர் அதிகம் வெளியேறும். அன்று நீ உண்ட குழம்பினாள் உன் உடலிலிருந்து வாதம், கபம், பித்தம் சற்றே அகன்றது. இன்னும் இருக்கிறது. அவை அகலும். Currently your Muladhara and Svadhisthana is open. The breath is currently lodged in Svadhisthana. The time of its opening is near. Now is the right time to start your practice. This would open up the chakra completely. You will see many changes take place in your body. Don't be afraid. In activating these chakras your body shall smell foul, you shall have constipation, and you shall urinate often. The Agathiyar Kuzhambu you consumed earlier helped stabilise your Vata, Kapha and Pitta. Yet these Dosas need to be expelled further.

14.5.2020  தேக மாற்றம் உணருகிறாயா? இதுவே துவக்கம். முதல் படியில் இருக்கிறாய். நீ கற்பதற்கு இன்னும் இருக்கிறது.  உன்னுள் ஜோதி எறியும் வரை நான் உன்னோடு வருவேன். தவயோகி, ஆத்ம ஜோதியாய் உங்களைக் கடைத்தெர இன்னமும் முயற்ச்க்கிறான், உங்களலோடு பயணிக்கிறான். அவன் வழியில் நடந்து முழுமையாய் கடைபிடித்து வரும் சீடன் நீ. அவன் புகழை பரப்பியும் உன் தவ வலிமையால் அவன் ஜோதி நிலை தொட்டு விட்டான். தற்போது அவன் உங்களை வழி நடுத்த உங்கள் அருகில்தான் இருக்கிறான். இன்னும், என்றும் உங்களோடு பயணிக்கிறான். Ramalinga Adigal who was closely monitoring us came and asked if I saw changes in me. This is only the start he says.  You are on the first step. There is lots more to learn. He gives me courage that he shall travel with me on this journey till we attain the state. He says that Tavayogi too is traveling with us trying his level best to save us too. In spreading his fame and carrying out the tapas that he showed us, he has reached the state of Jothi. He is currently with you and shall always be.

When Supramania Swami told me to carry on my tapas diligently, stating that only then can he reach higher states, I was puzzled. How is that possible. It is always the other way round right? The blessings of the guru raise the state of the disciple. How can the prayers of the disciple help raise the energy in the guru? Ramalinga Adigal says the same of Tavayogi too as having attained the state of Jothi thanks to whatever little austerities we did that helped him reach the state. This answers the reason why we are asked to worship the Siddhas too. It is a two-way relationship. They gain greater heights just as we tend to gain from their worship. Agathiyar says that the Siddhas still sit in tavam before Lord Siva to this day. Shiva too is portrayed as gazing upwards. Who or what is he meditating on? I guess in sitting in prayer and meditation we all contribute towards the superpower that creates, sustains, destroys, veils and graces us.

என் அப்பன் அகத்தியன் உங்களுக்குள் இருந்து வழி நடத்தி வருகிறார். அவன் வழியிலே நடந்து வாருங்கள். இத்திரை விளக்குவதற்கு அவன் அருள் புரிவான். அகத்தியன் அருட்ஜோதியை நோக்கி அழைத்துச் செல்வான். If Ramalinga Adigal has high praises for Agathiyar whom her addresses as his father, telling us that Agathiyar is guiding us, and that we should continue in his way, and that he shall help draw the veil aside, and bring us to Arutperunjothi, Agathiyar on the other hand too has lots of praises for Ramalinga Adigal. 

வள்ளலும் வருவார். அவன் ஞான குழந்தை. ஆகையால் யாம் போகும் இடந்தோறும் அவன் என்னோடு வருவான். உனது பயிற்சியில் அவனும் உமக்கு வழி நடுத்துவான். Agathiyar says that Ramalinga Adigal whom he addresses as Vallal shall come everywhere he goes. He is a prodigy for Gnana.  He shall assist you in your practices.

We are truly blessed to have two Jambavans or giants in the spiritual sphere looking over our shoulders. I cannot possibly take the stage and declare that I have achieved a certain mileage on this journey for it is not my doing nor my effort. It is solely the grace of the Siddhas who chose to turn and lay their sight on this sinner. If it was not for them and my gurus in physical form and the many upagurus who came in numerous forms I shudder to think where I shall be this day. Maybe rotting in someplace dark and cold, a dungeon possibly. Today they have given us hope by telling us about the light and telling us that we too can attempt at reaching it. How wonderful. Even if I were to pass away tonight I shall rest in peace. I am truly obliged and grateful to the divine.

JOTHI VAZHIPAADU

Finally, Agathiyar has revealed in simple terms to simpletons like us the purpose of taking birth, the meaning of life, and the purpose of this journey. It is nothing new but has been mentioned and achieved by many saints before us. We know of it but were never committed to the course for the lure of pleasure was too great to ignore, so we kept postponing the journey. I guess there are three questions one could ask of one coming to the path of the Siddhas. We could ask someone how he came to the path, and next when he came and finally the BIG question is why he came. Many are clueless. One might just be following another and be a passive witness. Another might come out of curiosity to know. Another might come in his quest for answers, to deepen his knowledge or seek advanced methods and practices, etc. As in any race, many back off or remain behind, though this is not a chase or a race, many seem to lag behind on the path, giving attention to things that come flying their way. Many choose to put off the task given by Agathiyar for another day. But when Agathiyar tells us to begin, for instance, a venture when told, குறித்த நேரத்தில் செய்யும் அனைத்தும் ஜெயம் it only means that constellations are in their right places bringing on success; people are placed to help and assists you; and the environment is conducive and productive. Delay it and you are not assured that things will fall into place again.

Tavayogi in referring to Agathiyar's "Sowmiya Saagaram" states our mission here is to understand the origin and end of Param or Para Sorupam or Siva or Siva Rupaa Rupam or Vettavezhi, the void that shines as Jothi. One who has attained the knowledge of the secrets of the Vettavezhi Prapancham will transform their physical form into a subtle form, and settle in the Jothi that is the source of the subtle too.

வெட்டவெளி பிரபஞ்ச ரகசியம் உணர்ந்தவர்கள் தன்னுடைய தூல உடலைச் சூட்சுமமாகி அந்தச் சூட்சும உடலுக்கு ஆதாரமாக மற்றும் காரணமாக இருக்கின்ற முதலும் முடிவுமாக இருக்கின்ற ஜோதியில் ஜோதியாக இருப்பார்கள்.

Tavayogi explains further that when Siva initiated creation in association with the Jothi that stood as Paraaparam, Sivam came forth from the Param neither with form nor formless, registering itself only as a sound. The first sound created was sustained in space. From Siva came Sakti. Sound (Natham), Sivam, and Sakti, identified as AUM, gave forth seven forms namely: Sivam, Sakti, Sadasivan, Maheswaran, Rudran, Vishnu, and Brahma. The manifestations of the divine energy that takes various forms for its purposes are from the one source and finally merge into it once it serves its purpose. That source is light or Jothi or Sivan.

A friend and a reader of this blog sent me the following message some time back.

I read your post on Jyothi. Some time ago, Amma (Krishnaveni Amma of Kalyana Theertam) spoke about Lord Shiva as effulgence itself. That was how He stood at Tiruvannamalai,...A pillar of light. His true nature. But, how could the rest of Creation visualise Him? The light as we know it, is impure. The internal jyothi that the Masters want us to "see", is the same effulgence, and, is pure. Creation comes forth from the Divine Mother, and for any creation to take place, it needs space and time to incubate, mature and be released. Such is the nature of the Divine Mother. She is the heat, of that effulgence. Together, as Lord Arthanareeswara, they incubate and bring forth Creation. All possible forms and sources of light in the cosmos has heat, as an indispensable accompaniment. He, in His pure form , is pure effulgence. Out of His infinite Grace, He brings forth Shakthi, and begins Creation, for our salvation.

The source and end are the same, that of coming from Light and returning to it. This is the gist of this journey. As growing children, we saw our parents light up an oil lamp and pray to multifold paintings of Gods and Goddesses placed at the altar in our family home. Later when we started our own families we followed suit. Visiting the temples we saw lamps lit everywhere. We prayed to the idols in these temples. We lit oil lamps at these various sannadhis of the various deities too asking for favors. Our ancestors included the sun and the moon in their prayers since these were sources of light too. We still have elders bring their palms together in prayers when the lights are switched on in the homes. Coming to worship Agathiyar in the form of a bronze statue in my home he asked that devotees light up oil lamps and place before him their wishes. Coming to Supramania Swami he told me to keep the flame from the oil lamp at my altar burning continuously as he shall watch me through the flame! He was in Tiruvannamalai and I was in Kuala Lumpur! Coming to Tavayogi he had me start lighting the homam in my home. It is a smaller version of the Yagam or Yagna lit in temples. When the Siddhas visited us they had the oil lamp in our prayer room brought up to take center stage and had us kindle it so that it burns large and bright. Ramalinga Adigal came to ask us to kindle the flame within us through chanting the Maha Mantra Arutperunjothi. Adigal himself had built the Satya Gnana Sabai and advocated the worship of the flame that he had lit in the Sabai. Just before he left his mortal frame and himself became light he had the oil lamp that he had in his room in Siddhi Valagam in Mettukuppam placed outside and told those gathered to worship it. Everything is centered around the light.

In 2018 Lord Murugan asked me to build a temple for him. As questions ran through my mind as to why he wanted another temple as he already had many, Lord Murugan told me that though there are many temples for him in Malaysia, he was portrayed differently. He said I shall show him in a different light. எனக்கு நீ ஆலயத்தை அமைக்க வேண்டும். நிற்கவே இம்மண்ணில் எந்தனுக்கு ஆலயமும் அமைத்து உள்ளார். என்னை வேறு விதமாய் காட்டித்தான் வைத்துள்ளார். என்னை நீ காட்டுகின்ற காட்சி வேறு. In the most recent visitation of his, I understood from Agathiyar what Lord Murugan meant then. It is clear now.

Agathiyar who had encouraged me to write all these years தக்கதொரு எழுதிடுவாய் சித்த மார்க்கம் பற்றி. எழுத வைப்போம் சிந்தையிலே கலந்து நாங்கள். கருணையுடன் கருத்துகளை உலகிற்குப் பரப்பிக் கருணையான நிலை தன்னை பலர் அடையச் செய்தாய். உண்மையான மார்க்கத்தை உலகிற்கு ஓதி உயர் நிலையைப் பலர் அடைய வைத்தவன் நீ. அருள் நிலைகள் பெற்றிருக்கின்றார் பல மாந்தரும். மாற்றங்கள் பலர் அடையக் காரணமாய் இருந்தாய். இந்தத் தேசத்தில் சத்தமின்றி அகத்தியரைப் பலருக்கு நீ காட்டினாய் அப்பா. உன் தொண்டை மெச்சுகின்றேன்.

Recently he told me "enough of writing about him" and instructed me to write about the experiences taking place within me henceforth so that those who worship the Light and yearn to become it shall know what to anticipate and encounter on this journey.

I understand what Agathiyar meant in his Nadi reading on 28.3. 2015 where he says நீ உலகில் என் ஜோதியைப் பெற்று விட்டாய். தேகத்தில் மாற்றங்கள் பெற்று இருக்காய். அகத்துக்குள் அகத்தின் ஜோதி பெருகி தேகத்தில் பல மாற்றம் பல சக்தி கிட்டி முனை திரண்டு இருப்பாயே.

Swami Saravanananda in this book, an English translation of Ramalinga Adigal’s "Aruperunjhoti Agaval" published by Ramalinga Mission, Madras, writes, "At whatever age the aspirant gains illumination or the effulgence enters in him or emanates from within, some remarkable changes take place in the body-frame. The Divine Light seems to change the very cell of the body, ..."

The inward journey begins the very moment one becomes aware of the divine presence working through him. He then surrenders to the will of God, hence surrendering the sheath of his intellect or Vinjnanamaya Kosham. Once aware of the divine presence, "he has already begun the transformational process and surrendered the sheath of the intellect or Vinjnanamaya Kosham where the analytical or intellectual component of the being is fully informed by the divine light attributes, accumulating experiences and knowledge enlightened by the higher deeper aspects of self. As the intellect undergoes this transformation, the mental sheath or Manomaya Kosham, associated with the senses, is similarly transformed. As the divine attributes of the Atma that manifest in the very subtle sheath of bliss or Anandamaya Kosham comes to be known, a subtle transformation begins in the very subtle part of the being. All his experiences and knowledge are then tailored to teach him the higher and deeper aspects of the Atma. The teachings that were focused on gaining experience in life and knowledge for living in the physical world, shift to that of knowing the Atma and one's true purpose and mission. He becomes well-informed and knowledgeable not through the normal means of attaining them but informed by the divine attributes within him.

We are told that when the divine light descends into the sheath of energy or Pranayama Kosham,

"The cells and thence the whole body begins to transcend the limits imposed on them by impure Maya (the grosser principle of nature) and try to break one more of its veils. The cells undergo alternate condensation and expansion for an unspecified period and the body slowly emerges out of its bondage and begins to grow. This expanding and ever prospering body is called the subtle body or the body of Omkar or Pranava body."

Swami Saravanananda writes that when the transformation of the Pranava body is completed the next and final stage of transformation into the Gnostic body (Gnana deham) starts.

Though it might seem like the effulgence had come within through our efforts, rituals, worship, dharma, etc, in reality, no matter how much effort is placed in the spiritual field things are only possible with divine grace. If I have arisen to this stage it is not my doing but the 40 years of collective merits of the tapas and austerities of my first guru Supramania Swami that inherited and the blessings of Tavayogi and the grace of the Siddhas and the divine. I would return to dust to be tramped upon if I claimed that it was solely my effort that I rose to this state. It's only with the grace of the divine can man come to him. His efforts minus the divine grace go nowhere. The Divine Light awakens the Atma and draws the veil aside. The Atma shows itself. The Atma then takes the lead, provided we surrender the "I". It takes over the wheels. The Atma is now captain of the ship and helps us stay clear of the rapids, whirlpools, and rocks, bringing us to calm waters. As peace and calm settle in, the journey back home begins.

Marshall Govindan in his book "Babaji and the Eighteen Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition", 1991, Kriya Yoga Publications (Reg), 196 Mountain Road, P.O.Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, Canada, reproduced with permission via e-mail), details the format, nature, and extent of devotion that was exemplified by Ramalinga Adigal.

"He (Ramalinga Adigal) sings that one has to think incessantly until he feels and melts with love for God. In such a melting mood one bursts into tears and sings the praise of god and soothing warmth is produced in the aspirant. When this universal love and sacred warmth develops, the body, as well as the soul, became prepared for the descent of grace, in the form of light." Ramalinga Adigal came later to help us to enhance the Jothi in us by asking us to travel with the breath. "Let the Jothi burn brightly within you. Put in the effort. To those who are aware, I shall come within." That is the only thing that they expect from us. It will bring us to merge in the Jothi.

உமது பிரணவத்தை கொண்டு செல்லு. முயற்சி செய். ஜோதி அதனைச் சுடர்விட செய்யுங்கள். ஜோதியோடு கலப்பாய். உன்னுள் ஜோதி எரியும்வரை நான் உன்னோடு வருவேன். ஆழ்ந்து இருப்போருடன் நான் சேர்ந்து இருக்கிறேன்.

Agathiyar told us to follow the Magnetic Wave that prevails in these moments where we remain connected. உங்களுக்குள் ஒரு காந்த அலை அதனோடு பயனீங்கள். Tavayogi asks us to reach out to those who have worshipped the Jothi to reach the state of Jothi eventually. Only those who have been there can tell us the means and methods to it. Agathiyar reveals to his student Pulastyar that the Siddhas are in the form of Jothi, in the Jothi, and as the Jothi and, that Jothi is Sivan.

கருணையுள்ள தவப்பெரியோர்கள் ஆகிய சிவஞானம் உணர்ந்தவர்கள், அதாவது வெட்டவெளி பிரபஞ்ச ரகசியம் உணர்ந்தவர்கள் பெருமையை வாய்விட்டுச் சொல்ல முடியாது. அவர்களெல்லாம் தன்னுடைய தூல உடலைச் சூட்சுமமாகி அந்தச் சூட்சும உடலுக்கு ஆதாரமாக, காரணமாக, இருக்கின்ற, முதலும் முடிவுமாக இருக்கின்ற, ஜோதியில் ஜோதியாகி இருப்பார்கள். இந்தப் பூமியில் சிவயோகியாக வந்து அவதரிப்பார்கள் என்று அகத்தியர் தன்னுடைய சௌமிய சாகரம் (111), தன்னுடைய மாணவனான புலத்தியருக்கு, ரிஷி முனிவர் பிறப்பைப் பற்றிக் கூறும்போது, கூறுகின்றார். சித்தர்கள் வெட்டவெளியில் ஜோதியில் ஜோதியாகக் கலந்து நின்று மரணமில்லாத பெருவாழ்வைப் பெற்று வாழ்கின்றார்கள்.

Ramalinga Adigal describes the Jothi to us as follows.

என் பெருமானே என்னுள் வந்து அருளிய ஜோதி அது....என் பெருமான் அருளிய ஜோதி அது....

The Jothi comes through Divine Grace.

திரை எனும் திரை எனும் என் பெருமான் காட்டிய திரை அது....என் அருள் அப்பன் அருள் ஜோதி அது...

Layers upon layers of Jothi are shown by his Grace.

சீர்ஜோதி அது பெருஞ் ஜோதி அது...

From the smallest speck to the largest Effulgence.

ஏறும் பெரும் ஜோதி அது...என்னுள் அது ஏறும்போது திரை அது விலகியது...என்னுள் அது ஏறும் நிலையில் ஜோதி அது ஜோதி அது...திரை எனும் திரை அது அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி அது...

It is forever rising in me, drawing back the veil in each instance.

Ramalinga Adigal has on a couple of instances asked that we continue to hold on to the Holy Feet of "Appan Agathiyan" as he addresses Agathiyar. He went on to inform us that Agathiyar shall come within as the Jothi to draw the veil aside. Agathiyar shall set aside the veil that hides Arutperunjhoti from us, he promises. Agathiyar shall lead us to Arutperunjhoti. Since we came to Agathiyar and his path, he will be the guiding light, he says. He asks that we continue on his path saying, "His holy feet shall be salvation for you. He is all. Go deeper. He shall take care. He shall bring you to the light."

அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி ஆண்டவர் உங்களை ஆசீர்வதித்தார். செல்லும் வழி சரி. நீபற்றிய பாதை அகத்தியனின் பாதை. நீபற்றிய பாதம் அகத்தியனின் பாதம். நீபற்றிய பாதம் உன்னைக் கரை தேற்றியது. இனி காண்பவை அவனை மட்டும். ஆழ்ந்து போ. அகத்தியன் பார்த்துக்குவான். அகத்தியன் அருட்ஜோதியை நோக்கி அழைத்துச் செல்வான். திரை விலக உங்களில் இருக்கும் ஜோதி அதனைச் சுடர்விட செய்யுங்கள். என் அப்பன் அகத்தியன் உங்களுக்குள் வந்து அத்திரையை விலக்கிவிடுவார். அதுவே இப்பாடலின் பொருள். என் அப்பன் அகத்தியன் உங்களுக்குள் இருந்து வழி நடத்தி வருகிறார். அவன் வழியிலே நடந்து வாருங்கள். அத்திரை விலக்குவதற்க்கு அவன் அருள் புரிவான். அருட்ஜோதி உங்களை ஆசீர்வதித்தது. அருட்பெருஞ்சோதி ஆண்டவர் உங்களை ஆசீர்வதித்தார். செல்லும் வழி சரி. அகத்தியன் அருட்ஜோதியை நோக்கி அழைத்துச் செல்வான்.

We are blessed firstly to be called to the path. We are blessed to be given an opportunity to worship them. We are blessed to be admitted to their fold. We are blessed to have their Nadi and gurus in the physical form guide us. We are blessed that they choose to come to us and speak through others. Agathiyar remains a guiding light to us, then, now, and forever. 

MORE UPDATES

Due to the intensity of the heat in the body some time back I had piles that appeared and soon subsided. The breath has been cool and sweet for several days now. I am drawn to notice the breath that exerts itself catching my attention. I am forced to sit and contemplate then. If initially, it was in diaphragmatic breathing that we placed our effort, the breathing is effortless now. The breath is short running from the throat to the forehead. It is full and satisfying. The energy that came on with such intensity as a whirlpool in the region of my abdomen some weeks ago (தேங்கி இருந்த நீர் வெளி கொண்டது. சக்கரங்கள் திறந்தது) is now felt in the region of the top of my head though with less intensity. Though it numbs the region, it is blissful.

I guess like Swami Vivekananda said, "You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, and none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul”, in letting go of the "I" the soul comes back to reclaim its son from the clutches of attachment to the material world. 

As Agathiyar said of the soul, ஆன்மா உடலையும் உயிரையும் தனது கட்டுப்பாட்டுக்குள் வைத்துக் கொள்ளும் ஒரு சூச்சமம். இந்தச் சூச்சமத்தை பிறந்த குழந்தைகள் 1  முதல் 5 வராகை வரையிலும் உடன் இருந்து மறையும். மறைத்தலின் காரணம் இன்னதென்று இப்போது உனக்குச் சொல்ல இயலாது, the Atma keeps both the Udal and Uyir under its control in a secretive, subtle manner. This subtlety stays from 1 to 5 Varagai with the child before it's veiled. I cannot tell you the reason for it to be veiled now.

ஆனபோதிலும் ஆன்ம ஒருவரின் செயலைப் பொறுத்தே மீண்டும் அவனை வந்து சேரும். Nevertheless, the Atma will return unto him depending on his actions.

ஆன்மா உன்னோடு இருந்து உன்னை ஒரு பாதைக்கு இழுத்து செல்லும் அப்போது நீ அதனை உணர்ந்தாள், உன்னில் அதிர்வாய் தோன்றி மறையும். அந்த அதிர்வினை நீ உனக்குள் நீடிக்கப் பழகினால் உன்னால் ஆன்மா என்னும் உனது அதிர்வுகளில் ஊடுருவி என்னுள் (இறை / அகத்தியன்) வந்து சேர ஒரு வழி. When the Atma in you pulls you to a path and if you realize it, it appears as an Athirvu or vibration and disappears. If you practice extending this vibration in you, you shall merge in this vibration that is the Atma, and arrive at  Erai/ Agathiyan.

உங்களுடைய ஆத்மா உங்களிடம் பேசும். எப்போது உங்களுடைய காரியத்தை விட்டு விடுகிறீர்கள் அன்றுதான் உங்களுடைய ஆத்மா வெளிவரும். அது தன் காரியத்தைப் பார்க்கும். அகத்தியன் உங்கள் ஆத்மாக்குள் செலுத்துவான். உங்கள் ஆன்மாவைத் தன்னுடன் கூட்டிச் செல்வான். 

Your Atma shall speak to you. It is only when you let go of the hold on yourself that the Atma comes to the forefront to lead you on. Agathiyan shall merge in and bring your Atma with him. 

ஆன்மா உனது கர்ம வினை தாங்கி வருவது அல்ல, ஆனால் ஆன்மாவே உனது கர்ம வினையைச் சரிசெய்வதற்கு உதவி புரியும். The Atma does not carry our karma, but the Atma shall help rectify our karma. 

கர்மவை சரி செய்தபின், ஆன்மாவின் தேடல் அதிகமாகி மனிதனின் அன்றாட தேடல் தீர்ந்து போகும். அவன் தேடல் முழுதாய் என்னையே தேடி வர முயற்சி செய்யும். When the karma is rectified, the Atma's seeking shall be hastened to the extent that man's daily seeking shall exhaust. His entire seeking shall shift towards efforts on reaching me (Agathiyan). Once karma has cleared the search to know the Atma intensifies. His search for his selfish gain loses its intensity. His seeking would be solely on knowing the Atma (Agathiyar) and reaching him. 

உடல் என்பது ஐந்து உலோகங்களின் நுண்ணுயிர்களின் அளவுகளைத் தாங்கிக் கொண்டு பிண்டம் ஒன்றினை உருவ வடிவமாய் கர்ப்பகிரகத்தில் நிலை பெறுகிறது. பஞ்சபூதம் ஆகிய நீர், நிலம், ஆகாயம், காற்று, நெருப்பு அனைத்தும் தாய் தந்தையின் உடலிலிருந்தே  எடுக்கப்பட்டு சிசுவின் உடலைப் பிறப்பிக்கின்றது. We are a composite of the Pindam or Udal or body, Vaasi or Uyir or breath, and the Atma. The Pindam is made of Tattwas. So are the Uyir and Atma. The Pindam made of the elements derived from the Pancha Maha Bhutam in a specific proportion takes a form that begins to reside in the womb. The 5 elements are taken from each parent's body to shape the body of the fetus.

பிறக்கும் சிசு கருவுற மூலமாக இருப்பது பிராணவாயு. பிராணவாயு ஆணின் அணுக்களிலும் பெண்ணின் அணுக்களிலும் ஊடுருவி ஒன்றெனக் கலந்து பிரதான பொருள் வடிவம் அடையும் தன்மை உண்டானால் அங்கு உயிர் சக்தி உருவேற்ற படுகிறது. The Pranavayu is the primary cause of the conception of an embryo and a fetus. The Pranavayu that flows in with the elements from both the parents move to take a shape that has a potential to become life. Life is hence given to the embryo. Air is breathed into the Pindam.

உனது உடலைப் பிரதானமாகக் கொண்டு இயங்குவது சுவாசம், அதுவே உயிர். உயிர் என்பது செயல் அற்று இருக்கக்கூடிய உறுப்பைச் செயல் பெறச் செய்வது. The breath that is Uyir takes the body as its vehicle to move and execute its actions. It primarily drives our body moving the limbs that are otherwise motionless.

உடலும் உயிரும் சேர்ந்து செயல்படுகின்ற ஒரு பொருளைதான் ஜீவன் என்கிறோம். The Jeeva is the merger of Udal and Uyir. 

உடல் என்பது பஞ்ச பூதங்களில் உரு பெற்று மீண்டும் பஞ்ச பூதங்களிடம் சென்று விட்டால் உயிராகியது ஆன்மா வோடு கலந்து ஜோதிநிலையில் எம்மை வந்து அடையும். உடல் கூறு தத்துவமும் இதையே உமக்கு உணர்த்தும். When it is time for the Udal which takes its constitution from the Pancha Maha Bhutam, to return to its source, back to its elements, the Uyir henceforth merges with the Atma to become the Jothi. It shall reach me then. 

Ramalinga Adigal had previously asked us to travel with the breath. He helped us realize the need to enhance the Jothi in us.

உமது பிரணவத்தை கொண்டு செல்லு. முயற்சி செய். ஜோதி அதனைச் சுடர்விட செய்யுங்கள். ஜோதியோடு கலப்பாய். உன்னுள் ஜோதி எரியும்வரை நான் உன்னோடு வருவேன். ஆழ்ந்து இருப்போருடன் நான் சேர்ந்து இருக்கிறேன்.

Let the Jothi burn brightly within you. Put in the effort. That is the only thing that they expect from us. It will bring us to merge in the Jothi. To those who are aware, shall I come within. 

Tavayogi too has told us to extend these moments. Agathiyar too had mentioned that one needs to be aware of the vibration that comes within in these moments. He adds that he is this vibration. Agathiyar too mentions the need to place a concerted effort towards gaining this awareness and with it realization and enlightenment.

பிரணவத்தை கொண்டு ஜோதியை சுடர் விடச்செய். சுஷும்னா வழி சென்று ஆக்கினை தொடும். பின்னர் ஜோதி தெரியும். Fan the flame using this breath. It shall reach Agya traveling through Sushumna. One shall then see the Light. 

நாடி சுத்தி செய்து பிரணவத்தை உயர்த்தவும். இப்போது இரு நாசியில் செல்லவில்லை. இரு நாசியில் செல்லும் கால் பிரணவம் இடைகலை பிங்கலையில் சீராகச் செல்லும் தருணம் சுத்த பரிபூரணத்தில் நீ ஆழ்ந்து விடுவாய். தியானம் என்பது உனது பரிபூரணம் ஆகும். 

For that to take place one has to do Nadi Suddhi to raise the Pranavam. When the breath travels equally in both nostrils, in Ida and Pingala, one shall reach the state of Pure Completeness Sudha Paripuranam. The state of Dhyana would then become your possession. 

உனது பிராணவத்தில் கலந்திருக்கிறாய். பிரணவத்தில் கவனம் செலுத்து. We are asked to focus on the Pranavam and merge into it.

Swami Rama in "Sushumna Awakening" at  https://sites.google.com/site/swamiramateachings/swami-rama-sushumna writes,

"As long as the mind is outward, only Ida and Pingala remain active. But when the mind is calm and tranquil, Sushumna, the central channel, is awakened. The joy derived from the mind traveling through the Sushumna channel is unique; it cannot be compared with any sensory pleasure. Because of that inner joy, the mind loses its taste for worldly pleasures."

"The moment Sushumna is awakened, the mind longs to enter the inner world. When the flow of Ida and Pingala is directed toward Sushumna, and distractions are thereby removed, meditation flows by itself."

Following what Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal told us, Swami Rama too states that "According to our school of meditation breath awareness is an important step for the awakening of Sushumna."

"When the breath starts flowing freely and smoothly through both nostrils, the mind attains this state of joy and calmness. Such a mental condition is necessary for the mind to travel into deeper levels of consciousness, for if the mind is not brought to a state of joy it cannot remain steady, and an unsteady mind is not fit for meditation. The process of awakening the Sushumna is possible only when a student starts enjoying being still by keeping the head, neck, and trunk straight. This means that the student does not allow any uneasiness to occur in the three cords along the spinal column - the central, sympathetic, and parasympathetic ganglionated cords", the reason each time they come they ask us to sit straight and straighten the backbone. முதுகு தண்டை நேர் படுத்து.

"The Sushumna Nadi is centrally located and travels along the spinal canal. At the level of the larynx, it divides into an anterior portion and a posterior portion, both of which terminate in the brahmarandra, or cavity of Brahma, which corresponds to the ventricular cavity in the physical body. The Ida and Pingala nadis also travel upwards along the spinal column, but they crisscross each other and the Sushumna before terminating in the left and right nostrils, respectively. The junctions of Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna along the spinal column are called chakras or wheels."

"The student can notice when his breath starts flowing freely through both nostrils, and this symptom is an indication of Sushumna awakening."

"When Sushumna flows, the occasion is unsuitable for external actions, and only meditation and contemplation should be done."

"When both nostrils flow freely, that is called sandhya, the wedding of the sun and the moon, or between Pingala and Ida. Once this experience can be maintained for five minutes, the student has crossed a great barrier, and the mind has attained some one-pointedness. Then the mind becomes focused inward."

"When the nostrils flow evenly, the mind cannot worry, because it is disconnected from the senses. The mind does not know how to worry then. It attains a state of joy called Sukhamana, the joyous mind. That state of mind is conducive to deep meditation."

"When Sushumna is applied, the yogi feels a sensation of fire going to the brain as if a hot current of air is being blown through a tube from its lower end to its upper end."

"In Samaya, which is the highest of all yoga paths and tantra, Sushumna awakening after Bhuta Shuddhi (internal and external purification) is the first requisite. Then kundalini is awakened, and in the third step, it is led to Sahasrara and not allowed to flow again to the lower levels of consciousness."

"Application of Sushumna and awakening of kundalini are the two most important aspects of yogic practice before union between jiva and Shiva is accomplished."

IS THE GOAL IN SIGHT?

After his revelation in the Nadi on 3.1. 2019, Agathiyar began to speak to us directly through devotees. Our relationship now became pretty close and personal with the divine. Lord Murugan too spoke to us on 23.7.2019. Agathiyar came through a devotee on 15.9.2019. Ramalinga Adigal came on 29.11.2019 and later on 1.12. 2019. These were interspersed with a couple of Nadi readings. The last Nadi reading was on 24.12. 2019. They managed to squeeze in a couple of visitations and revelations through devotees on 30.1. 2020, 8.2.2020, 21.2.2020, 8.3.2020, 14.3.2020 just before Malaysia saw a full lockdown on 18 March 2020. Messages from Goddess Ma, Lord Siva, Bhogar, Dhanvantri, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Tavayogi, kept coming in throughout this period, 14.5.2020, 29.6.2020, 4.7.2020, 5.7.2020, 9.7.2020, 10.7.2020, 20.7.2020, 1.8.2020, 13.8.2020, 19.8.2020, 22.8.2020, 1.9.2020, 29.10.2020, 19.11.2020, 30.11.2020, 10.12.2020, 12.12.2020, 14.12.2020, 8.1.2021, 9.1.2021, 26.2.2021, 8.3.2021, 11.3.2021, 16.3.2021, 28.3.2021, 3.4.2021, 17.4.2021, 26.4.2021, 6.5.2021, 15.5.2021, and 22.5.2021. I soon lost count of the moments they came and delivered their messages. 

During this period of the pandemic, we were asked to go within and explore the Self in solitude. All rituals and acts of charity were brought to a halt. If prior to this we saw a spontaneous outburst of cries and laughter interspersed during our pujas, and in singing their praises, and at their abodes and temples, which we could not comprehend the least, we expected something of that sort to happen too in going within. But nothing happened throughout the 2 1/2 years of the pandemic where we were locked inside. Agathiyar too mentioned that I had stagnated. But I could not comprehend its inner meaning then. Voicing my sadness in not achieving anything at all during this time to Mahindren, he told me to see the other side of the coin. We were so used to expecting add-ons in life that we fail to realize that in going within, staying at home, and keeping to ourselves we had dropped many of the things that we were used to doing earlier. He taught me a lesson that day that it was all about letting go. He congratulated me for letting go. After the pandemic gave way to the endemic and life slowly returned to normalcy, Agathiyar decided to visit his devotees, only those who called him over to their houses. Rituals were done by the hosts and I and my wife stood as a spectator. Children were put in charge and given the space and freedom to carry out the rituals with supervision from their parents.

Then Agathiyar tells me that the stagnated pool (energy) had been released when a sensation akin to a whirlpool spinning in the region of my abdomen brought on a coldness followed by numbness throughout my body. But it was blissful. The following day my body froze like a corpse. Last night I was awakened as I felt I had swallowed something solid. Immediately my airways were clear. Before this, I felt I had something in my throat. I coughed so hard trying to clear it over the days. But it could be the phlegm or mucus too as I had caught a cold taking the train ride back home after visiting relatives n another state. As the coach was fully airconditioned and as I was balding in the middle I could not escape the cold air. Agathiyar recently told me to close the windows when I sleep at night as the chill night air wasn't good for me. Sometime back when I had scanty urine, upon arising to go to the loo one morning, similarly I felt something solid expelled as I urinated. In 2011 I felt as if a knot was untied in my lower back as I took up my position to carry out the exercise my physiotherapists gave. I was relieved of the pain that I endured some 3 years instantaneously.

I guess in calling me to his path, he is taking me through a cleansing process. Could this be part of a transformation from Marul Uru to Inba Uru, from Asudha Deham to Gnana or Oli Deham, from ChitInbam to PerInbam? This transition from the gross back to the subtle where we started once upon a time is our sole purpose to be here. This is what we should strive to gain. Our job now is to trace the route back to our origin. To trace our origin the Siddhas ask us to go within. Would we succeed, at least this time around, after having taken numerous births? 

மனிதனான ஜீவனிடம் அனுபவமும் சிந்தனையும் கூடி அறிவு பெருக்கம் ஏற்பட்டு தன் காரண நிலை நாடி ஆராயும்போது புறநிலை நாடி ஆராயும் பொது அந்நிலையில் தத்துவ விளக்கம் ஏற்படுகிறது, writes Tavayogi.

The manifestations of the divine energy from the one source of light or Jothi or Sivan that takes various forms for its purposes finally merge into it once it serves its purpose. Tavayogi in referring to Agathiyar's "Sowmiya Saagaram" states our mission here is to understand the origin and end of Param or Para Sorupam or Shiva or Shiva Rupaa Rupam or Vettavezhi, the void that shines as Jothi. One who has attained the knowledge of the secrets of the Vettavezhi Prapancham will transform their physical form into a subtle form, and settle in the Jothi that is the source of the subtle too.

வெட்டவெளி பிரபஞ்ச ரகசியம் உணர்ந்தவர்கள் தன்னுடைய தூல உடலைச் சூட்சுமமாகி அந்தச் சூட்சும உடலுக்கு ஆதாரமாக மற்றும் காரணமாக இருக்கின்ற முதலும் முடிவுமாக இருக்கின்ற ஜோதியில் ஜோதியாக இருப்பார்கள்.

In terms of experience, we stand to gain Udal Anubhavam by first engaging in the pleasures of the body and its senses. This could be equated to Marul Uru in Asudha Deham. Moving up the rung we tend to gain Anbu Uru in the body of love (Sudha Deham) that gives the experience, Uyir Anubhavam. Gaining Arul Uru in the body of grace (Pranava Deham) we experience Arul Anubhavam. Finally, we gain Inba Uru attaining the body of bliss (Gnana Deham) as we experience Siva Anubhavam. 

But sadly we end up distracted by the previous vasanas and desires, and karma. Needless to say, we acquire new taste and interests that add to the existing baggage we brought with us and extends the journey of returning home or might derail us forever. The guru comes to remind us of our destination and shows us the path and steps aside. To those who heed the call, he comes again in several forms and guides and oversees our journey.  

FROM UDAL ANUBHAVAM TO SIVA ANUBHAVAM

Marshall Govindan in his book "Babaji and the Eighteen Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition", 1991, Kriya Yoga Publications (Reg), 196 Mountain Road, P.O.Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, Canada, reproduced with permission via e-mail), explains the nature and extent of devotion as a tool to prepare the physical body for the descent of the grace in the form of light or illumination or effulgence that Ramalinga Adigal calls Arutperunjothi.

"He sings that one has to think incessantly until he feels and melts with love for God. In such a melting mood one bursts into tears and sings the praise of god and soothing warmth is produced in the aspirant. When this universal love and sacred warmth develops, the body, as well as the soul, became prepared for the descent of grace, in the form of light.

Dr. C Srinivasan writes in "An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ramalinga Swami", published by Ilakkia Nilayam, Tiruchi, 1968 of Ramalinga Adigal melting in love and yearning for God, a classic example of how we should yearn for the divine too.

"One has to think and think incessantly, till he feels and feels, till he melts and melts, till love for God fills in him. As love fills and fills, the aspirant of the melting mood bursts into tears. As the tear glands pour out profusely the body becomes wet by the overflow. When this is uninterruptedly repeated and repeated, the heartthrobs and the mouth sob the praise of the God Supreme. This is the type of emotional spiritualism which is needed for the prayer at the moment. When this is achieved the Grace of God is sure to descend. Not only does the Light of Grace dawn on the aspirant but sets aside the inevitable death. In other words, the conquest of death is realized (as the mortal body will be converted into an immortal body). The aspirant thinks of the greatness of God and the smallness of his being. He thinks of the transient nature of the world and worldly objects and of the truth of God and the Soul. He is aware of the bounteous Grace and its benevolent flow in the loving individual. The pangs of hunger, disease, and poverty of the majority of mankind and fear of death harrow out his very life. He trembles at the forces of lust and the shackles which not only cover and conceal the greatness of the soul but impel him into the ocean of desires. The sufferings of the poor and the horror of the mighty touch his very nerves. Therefore, he thinks of God Supreme to redeem the miseries of life and in his prayers, he finds solace and solution.

Rao Saheb K. Kothandapani Pillai BA in the foreword to Dr. C Srinivasan's "An Introduction to the Philosophy of  Saint Ramalingam", writes, "These transformations occur in the body of the aspirant according to the intensity of spiritual warmth produced in him."

Srinivasan translates those moments when Ramalinga Adigal goes through a total internal transformation that is translated into words and described by Adigal in his Agaval. 

"The Swami says that the skin-the dermis and the epidermis have become extremely soft. All the nerves and the tendons have become gradually loosened. All the bones membranous and cartilaginous have become automatically pliable. All the muscles and the muscular tissues have become loosened. All the blood has become internally coagulated. The semen has become not only hardened but concentrated in a unit. The brain and all its parts the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the medulla oblongata have loosened as an opening blossom. Throughout the body, an elixir oozes out and flows and fills up all the parts. Externally the forehead perspires. The face becomes brilliant. There is a delicacy, soft and mild, sweet and harmonious in the tender and cool breathing. 

"The internal beauty is evident outside," writes Srinivasan. 

"The hair splits. The tear glands are so profusely pouring in the eyes that it flows through the feet. The mouth gasps with a trembling note. The ears and their delicate parts are filled with melody. The entire body has become cool. The chest and the heart are throbbing. The palms are folded. The legs are staggering. The four different aspects of the mind have respectively attained a melting mood, have the sparkling filled, have harmoniously heartened, and have then and there, the repercussions put down. The heart swells with anxiety to see the whole world (of love). All the visible parts of the body are blooming with ecstasy. The life-bound ego which spurts out through the senses has vanished. All the blemishes that surround the heart and the mind have been extinguished. The tender and soft loving and affectionate, mercy and compassionate quietism stand out. All the world and worldly affairs are hidden. The ardent desire for receiving the Supreme Grace is increasing and overflowing. Now the God Supreme in the form of Supreme love fills up the body fully enshrining divine life."

Swami Saravanananda in this book, an English translation of Ramalinga Adigal’s "Aruperunjhoti Agaval" published by Ramalinga Mission, Madras, takes us on this internal journey further. 

"At whatever age the aspirant gains illumination or the effulgence (Arutperunjhothi) enters in him or emanates from within, some remarkable changes take place in the body frame. The Divine Light seems to change the very cell of the body, with the result, that they seem to function in the opposite direction. The cells and thence the whole body begins to transcend the limits imposed on them by impure Maya (the grosser principle of nature) and try to break one more of its veils. The cells undergo alternate condensation and expansion for an unspecified period and the body slowly emerges out of its bondage and begins to grow. This expanding and ever-prospering body is called the subtle body or the body of Omkar or Pranava body."

From the universe, we took the five elements to become the embryo and fetus. We grew into a child, a toddler, a kid, a teen, a youth, a man, and thus ends our lives. The saints teach us to reverse the process. 

Swami Saravanananda writes,

"Consequently, the old body becomes middle-aged, then to the youth of eighteen years, to twelve years (pure body), to eight years, and finally five years (Pranava body). The transformation of the Pranava body into a Gnostic body begins with the functioning of the third eye. After five years the body grows to the size of the universe to become a casual body or a body of gnosis (Gnana deham) which is the natural abode of the soul."

Marshall Govindan says of these successive transformations,

"The transformation of the mortal human body into the perfected body (Suddha deham), achieved by universal spiritual communion and devotion to god. When this occurs, the material body of impure elements is transformed into a body of pure light, emitting a golden hue" 

This ‘golden body’ is followed by "the transformation of the perfect body (Sudha Deham) into the body of grace and light (Pranava Deham)" he says. "The body of grace (Pranava Deham) according to him can be seen visually but it cannot be touched. 

The ultimate and greatest transformation in human evolution: a transmutation into the Godhead, which he referred to as merging with the body of supreme wisdom - the body of God supreme (Gnana Deham)."

Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal speak of the gradual progression as beginning with Asudha Deham turning it into a cleansed Sudha Deham and becoming Pranava Deham to finally attain Gnana Deham. From Asudha Deham becoming a purified pure physical body Sudha Deham and furthering to become a blissful Pranava Deham and finally attaining in the words of Ramalinga Adigal, "the ever-growing or ever-prospering Knowledge-body of the divine Conscious Force" Gnana Deham or Oli Deham. The extreme heat generated in the body gives untold pain and agony. But Agathiyar defines that as bliss too. It is all part of the process. 

Goddess Ma once told us that the Siddha path was one of gaining experiences. In terms of experience, we stand to gain Udal Anubhavam by first engaging in the pleasures of the body and its senses. This could be equated to as Marul Uru in Asudha Deham. Moving up the rung we tend to gain Anbu Uru in the body of love (Sudha Deham) that gives the experience, Uyir Anubhavam. Gaining Arul Uru in the body of grace (Pranava Deham) we experience Arul Anubhavam. Finally, we gain Inba Uru attaining the body of bliss (Gnana Deham) as we experience Siva Anubhavam.