16467840 in the Path of the Sidhas English Revised Edition

IN THE PATH OF THE

SIDHAS 1

In The Path of the Sidhas Revised Edition 2009 Agathiyan Production House Cover Photograph of Sivalingam in a temple built by a Scottish rubber tycoon William Kellie Smith in Batu Gajah, Perak, Malaysia

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ........................................................................................................................................ 7 The Human Birth.......................................................................................................................... 7 The Longing for Liberation ........................................................................................................... 9 Discipleship to an Illumined Teacher ..........................................................................................11 Be Grateful..................................................................................................................................14 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................17 Sage Agathiyar ...........................................................................................................................17 On The Birth of Agathiyar ...................................................................................................18 Saint Ramalingam ......................................................................................................................20 A Vision of Dematerialization of Ramalinga’s Living Body .................................................21 Supramania Swami of Thiruvanamalai .......................................................................................24 Supramania Swami Sees the Light ....................................................................................24 Supramania Swami Attains Samadhi .................................................................................25 CHAPTER 1 ....................................................................................................................................27 Mysterious India..........................................................................................................................27 Reading the Nadi ........................................................................................................................27 Performing Atonements ..............................................................................................................28 My Maiden Pilgrimage to India....................................................................................................29 Departure ....................................................................................................................................29 Arrival in Chennai .......................................................................................................................30 Day 1 - Paying To See Lord Vengadasalapathi ..........................................................................30 Kalahasti ............................................................................................................................31 Day 2 - Lord Nadarajah Draws Me at Egambareswarar Temple ................................................31 Thirutani .............................................................................................................................31 Kanchipuram ......................................................................................................................32 Day 3 –Vadalur and Sathya Gnana Sabha .................................................................................33 Bhuvanagiri and the Birth Place of Saint Ragavendra .......................................................33 Chidambaram and the Temple Of Thillai Nadarajah ..........................................................33 Vaitheeswaram ..................................................................................................................34 Day 4 – Thiruvenkadu and the Temple Of Buddhan ...................................................................34 Keelaaperampalam and the Temple Of Kethu ...................................................................34 Mayil Aduthurai ..................................................................................................................34 Suryanar Temple................................................................................................................34 Thiruvidaimarutur ...............................................................................................................35 Kumbakonam-Swamimalai-Thiruvalanchuli .......................................................................35 Rajarajacholan’s Famed Breehadeshwarar Temple in Tanjore..........................................35 Trichi and My Parikaarams ................................................................................................35 Day 5 – Guided Tour At Thiruanaika From Hanuman? ...............................................................36 Samayapuram – Turaiyur...................................................................................................37 Meeting Rengaraja Desigar of Ongkara Kudil ....................................................................37 Brahmaharti and Sangkalpa ...............................................................................................38 Day 6 – Appeasing Saturn ..........................................................................................................38 Day 7 – Palani and Twilight Zone ...............................................................................................39 Day 8 – Revisiting My Roots .......................................................................................................40 3

Viralimalai ..........................................................................................................................40 Kundrakudi – Pillaiyaar Patti ..............................................................................................41 Vayalur ...............................................................................................................................41 Day 9 – The Pinnacle of My Journey ..........................................................................................41 Day 10 - A Chance Meeting with Supramania Swami Or Was It Ordained? ...............................43 Day 11 – Returning Home - A Satisfied Pilgrim ..........................................................................47 Day 12 – Departure Day .............................................................................................................47 CHAPTER 2 ....................................................................................................................................47 Sacred Moments With Gurus ......................................................................................................48 Sacred Moments with Swami Nithyananda of Dhyanapeetam, Bangalore .................................48 The Guru - Disciple Relationship ................................................................................................51 Meeting My Second Guru, Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal ..........................................................52 Reading the Nadi Again ..............................................................................................................61 Seeing Swami Nithyananda Again ..............................................................................................64 Tavayogi Visits My Home ...........................................................................................................66 CHAPTER 3 ....................................................................................................................................67 More Revelations in the Nadi ......................................................................................................67 Sage Agathiyar Brings Forward My Trip to India ........................................................................67 My Second Pilgrimage to India ...................................................................................................67 Day 1 – Starting the Pilgrimage with Saint Ragavendra’s Blessing ............................................67 Melmaruvathur Athi Parasakthi Temple .............................................................................67 Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s Samadhi And Ashram ...................................................................68 Supramania Swami’s Hermitage ........................................................................................68 Prayers with Supramania Swami .......................................................................................69 Day 2 – Girivalam - A Second Time ............................................................................................70 Thiruveragam Sri Ranganathar Temple .............................................................................70 My Second Girivalam .........................................................................................................70 Day 3 – Meeting Up With Tavayogi In Kallaru ............................................................................71 Day 4 - In The Midst Of the Sidhas .............................................................................................72 Sivan Malai and Sivavakiyar’s Cave ..................................................................................72 Uthiyur and Sage Konganar’s Cave ...................................................................................73 Chennimalai and Sage Punakeeswarar’s Cave .................................................................75 Day 5 – Meeting Other Swamis ..................................................................................................76 Day 6 – A Day in the Life of an Ashramite ..................................................................................77 Day 7 – A Day of Doing Charity ..................................................................................................78 Day 8 - The Actual Journey Begins ............................................................................................79 Day 9 - Sage Agathiyar Welcomes Us at Agastiyampalli ............................................................79 Sage Agathiyar Opens His Eyes ........................................................................................81 Back at Breehadeshwarar’s Temple and Sage Karuvurar’s Shrine....................................82 Saraswathi Mahal...............................................................................................................83 Day 10 - Pothigai and Courtallam ...............................................................................................83 Overnight In Sage Agathiyar’s Cave ..................................................................................85 Day 11 - Roaming the Jungles of Pothigai and Courtallam.........................................................86 Lord Dhaksana Murthi’s Cave ............................................................................................87 Saint Ramalingam’s Cave ..................................................................................................88 Sage Agathiyar Opens His Eyes Again ..............................................................................89 Day 12 - Palani Amazes Me Again .............................................................................................91 4

Marudamalai and Pampatti Sidha’s Cave ..........................................................................92 Back to Kallaru ...................................................................................................................92 Day 13 – Another Day of Doing Charity ......................................................................................93 Day 14 – Another Day with Supramania Swami .........................................................................95 Day 15 – Annamalaiyar Up Close ...............................................................................................96 Accompanying Supramania Swami to Yogi’s Ashram, Ramana Maharashi’s Ashram and Seshadari Swami’s Ashram ...............................................................................................96 Day 16 – Returning Home From a Pilgrimage of a Different Kind ...............................................97 CHAPTER 4 ....................................................................................................................................98 After The Second Pilgrimage ......................................................................................................98 Further Surprises in the Nadi ......................................................................................................98 More Amazing Moments .............................................................................................................98 Tavayogi and Me ......................................................................................................................100 More Guidance through the Nadi ..............................................................................................102 Guru Pooja for Sage Agathiyar .................................................................................................102 Reading the Nadi Again ............................................................................................................103

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‘Now, there are many who may ask, "Why is there a need for these leaves and this system in the first place?" Well, the Sages stated that by the time man evolved himself to these modern times, his mind would have become so clouded by the things of this world that he would have forgotten his true spiritual nature. Consequently, this astrological system was created to bring people to a memory and realization of their true, divine nature.’ ‘The Sages also said, "That from the chaos of the modern times a yearning would rise within the heart of man to seek beyond the supposed limitations of this world." Thus, this system of truth was written by eighteen Sages for each individual soul and shows the entire role of the soul from the beginning of time.’ ‘Thus, whoever is destined to look into the leaves will find their way to a Nadi reader of their own accord. The very word Nadi in Tamil means, destined to come on own accord.’ ‘Thus, the enlightened Sages were instrumental in chronicling spiritual information onto these palm leaves for the benefit of humankind. Therefore, Nadi Astrology is a means to show us where we went wrong in respect of our duties, why we are experiencing the difficulties that we are having and offers a solution as to how to resolve these problems.’ ‘Furthermore, these ancient beings also set out to reveal a method by which each soul could discover the existence of God in this diverse universe. They knew that a Divine power existed, which was an infinite form of energy that existed in all creation. Consequently, they set about putting into place the prescribed paths of karma and devotion so that all human beings could have a guiding light to realize their true spiritual natures.’ ‘The Sages recognized the oneness of both science and spirituality! And just as students of science today know that atoms are the basic unit of every substance, the ancient Sages recognized that the Divine was present as the atom in the microcosm and as the largest of the large in the macrocosm. Thus, they believed that if you could understand this concept of the atom, you could in turn, understand the unity within everything.’ From Nadi Astrology: The Secrets of Life Revealed! By Annette Merle Cleveland http://www.alternativeapproaches.com/pnuke1/Article6.html

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PREFACE THE HUMAN BEING is considered the highest amongst all beings. In Adi Sankara’s words, he says, “Only through god's grace may we obtain the three rarest gifts: human birth, the longing for liberation, and discipleship to an illumined teacher.”1

The Human Birth One needs to understand the reason for his or her birth as a human being. He needs to know the mission that he has to accomplish in this world. He needs to prepare this body so that god is received into this body. God then resides in this body, in every cell and atom and brings changes to this body. The changes take place internally, which slowly influences one’s outer appearances, thoughts, and the way one sees things. Swami Muktananda in his book WHERE ARE YOU GOING? - A GUIDE TO THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, published by SYDA Foundation, 1989, says, 1 In an article that I read some time ago, the author mentions, Adi Sankara having said, “Only through god’s grace may we obtain the three rarest gifts: human birth, the longing for liberation, and discipleship to an illumined teacher (guru).” Sankara is probably the greatest intellectual India has produced. Although a staunch defender of jnana as the only way of liberation, he composed poems, prayers and songs to the gods, principally Shiva. Perhaps his loveliest prayer is this one, “Forgive me Shiva, my three great sins. I came on a pilgrimage to Kashmir forgetting that you are omnipresent; in thinking about you I forget that you are beyond thought, in praying to you I forget that you are beyond words.” In another article, the author says, ‘Shantideva, the eight century Indian saint wrote, these human leisure, opportunities, and faculties are very rare to obtain and easily lost; if one squanders the chance to fulfill the aim of human life, how will such an opportunity arise again? Human birth is a rare gift for only as a human can you are devoted to god, the creator. The body is the vehicle for longevity, while the spirit is the vehicle for immortality. The soul yearns to be free, and through our becoming aware of this we undergo what the mystics call awakening where we then begin to center our life on a high spiritual ideal. A new aspiration is born in the soul, which frees the need of a larger draught of air, a more expansive horizon, and which desires direct contact with the indefinite existence. In order to attain the highest illumination we all have to pass through a spiritual birth. Man as a creature, brought into being out of nothing, certainly is at the mercy of his creator. Man as a spirit, by becoming spiritually conscious he can control his destiny. The self is not known through the study of the scriptures, or through the subtlest intellect, or through much learning; but he who longs for him knows him. He makes us dead to our own existence and alive to his own. God appears when the ego dies.’

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‘For so many years, you have been living in the awareness ‘I am an individual,’ and for this reason it is very difficult for you to immediately accept the awareness ‘I am god’. You have been filling your mind with negative thoughts and feelings about other people and about yourself, thinking that you are small, that you are weak, that you are sinful. You have spent your life trapped in limited identification. This is ego, the sense of limited individuality, which has trapped you for innumerable lifetimes.’ The Swami in THE PERFECT RELATIONSHIP, published by SYDA Foundation, 1985, quotes Poet Saint Kabir, ‘Kabir wrote, “As long as I was looking for you, I did not see you. I went from door to door knocking, yet none of the doors was yours. I looked for you on so many paths, yet none of them led to your court. However, when I received Ramananda’s grace, when guru Ramananda erased me and I became completely pure, I saw that you were behind me like my shadow. Wherever I went, you were there before me.”’ Similarly, Sankara prays, “Forgive me Siva, my three great sins. I came on a pilgrimage to Kashmir forgetting that you are omnipresent; In thinking about you, I forget that you are beyond thought; In praying to you I forget that you are beyond words”. In QUIET MIND, FEARLESS HEART - THE TAOIST PATH THROUGH STRESS & SPIRITUALITY by Brian Luke Seaward, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken , New Jersey, 2005, Teilhard de Chardin is quoted, ‘We are not humans having a spiritual experience. Instead, we are spirits having a human experience. …..earthly existence is enshrouded in many veils of illusion. It is a brave soul on a noble adventure who attempts to lift these veils. .... If you recognize that you are indeed a spirit on a human path, then every situation that you encounter will be a learning experience. This is how consciousness evolves. The drive that inspires the human journey is a desire to have this view of life - a clearer understanding of life’s mystery and role or purpose in it.’ In GEMS FROM BHAGAVAN published by Sri Ramanasramam, 2002, Bhagavan Ramana says to a devotee, who was praying that she should have more frequent visions of Siva, “Surrender to Him and abide by His Will, whether He appears or disappears; await His pleasure. If you ask Him to do as you like, it is not surrender but command to God. You cannot have Him obey you and yet think you have surrendered. He knows what is best and when and how to do it. His is the burden. You have no longer any cares. All your cares are His. Such is surrender. That is bhakti.”

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The Longing for Liberation The body is needed to realize god. There is the common believe that the soul/ atma/ jivatma unites with god or paramatma after death of this body. However, Saint Ramalingam of Vadalur, South India (1823 -1874) says otherwise; there is no union with god after death. The union has to happen right now in this body, in this very birth. The sidhas having experimented on themselves and with the blessing and the guidance of god have proofed that this body of ours need not drop dead at the end of its lifespan. Sidhas are believed to be living until this day. Now how did they do it? This yearning for liberation which leads eventually to the yearning for god realization appears when one starts to consider all that is being seen, sensed, heard, touched and felt is not permanent. One then looks for THAT which is permanent. He then discovers from one, already on the path to god realization that what he is searching for, that which is permanent, is the bliss that is derived through devotion to god and eventually in realization of god. So can we know the very existence of god or of his nature at least? In REINCARNATION: THE SOUL’S SECRET JOURNEY – FROM ATMA – The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is written, ‘At the time of death the soul is considered to enter a new body either immediately or after a lapse of time. Hindu texts mention that there are 840000 species of life forms beginning with the aquatics and culminating in the human.’ ‘All species are manifested in the early stages of cosmic creation, when the living entities (souls) are impregnated within material nature. These indestructible and eternal souls gradually evolve through the different species or types of material bodies, beginning with microbes and amoebas, rising through the fish, plants, insects, reptiles, birds and animals to the human and superhuman (demigods) species. So the evolution process is really an evolution of consciousness.’ ‘The different categories of material bodies (species) exist because there are millions of categories of material desires. These different life forms are nothing more than machines designed by the material energy to fulfill different material desires.’ ‘One has to remember and ponder over the blessedness that the human being has gained for it is the human who is offered the chance to become free from the cycle of birth and death and no other organism or living form. We should not fail to make use of this human birth or human form to find ways to break this cycle of birth and death and to achieve liberation.’ ‘We have to appreciate this very birth and take steps to be liberated in this very birth for we might not get another chance to be born as a human for years to come. One could descend into the lower species.’

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‘Our entanglement in the material sphere is the result of an unending chain of actions and reactions developed in this and previous human lives. This is known in Sanskrit as karma, a law of nature analogous to the modern scientific principle of action and reaction.’ ‘Only the human species, however is subject to the subtle but exact law, for only in the human form does one have advanced intelligence and freedom of choice. In lower- than- human life forms the soul is covered by much grosser forms of mind and body; therefore the living beings within such bodies are totally under the control of nature. Because beasts, microbes, insects, and plants do nothing more than automatically serve their instincts, they are not held responsible for their activities. They do not incur karmic reactions.’ ‘In one human life, we can create sufficient karma to keep ourselves entangled in the cycle of birth and death for thousands of lives. As human beings, we also have the rare opportunity to become spiritually enlightened with transcendental knowledge and the chance to break the endless cycle of reincarnation. The term reincarnation means that I am a spirit soul who has entered a body. However, there will be suffering. These sufferings include birth, death, old age, and disease. It can take many lives, or you can do it in one lifetime.’ In THE ULTIMATE ANTIMATERIAL PARTICLE - FROM ATMA – The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is written, ‘The soul, known in Sanskrit as atma, being far more subtle than matter, endures the death experience without being harmed or injured. Nor is it subject to the laws of birth, growth, and deterioration.’ ‘One personal form of god is the super soul dwelling within the hearts of all living beings; witnessing every thought and action awarding the living beings the result of their karma, arranging for them to accept an appropriate physical body lifetime after lifetime.’ One needs to recognize the true path. The path of the sidhas is where one cares for this body to realize this mission of receiving god in him or her and eventually merge with god. Therefore, for one who dies a mortal death, he has not accomplished this mission successfully i.e. he has failed in his mission. It is a sad day then. We should shed tears for him for not fulfilling gods wish. God wishes everyone of his child to realize the truth that this body is immortal and take steps to prepare it to unite with him while still alive in this body. For one who has achieved this union we can rejoice at his or her achievement. Saint Ramalingam goes away from the normal explanation given where the soul unites with god upon death. It is usually thought that this union takes place eventually, with or without effort, the time taken depending on the amount of effort directed towards it. However, Saint Ramalingam says we have to bring god into us. That means preparing this body to receive god and eventually place him permanently in the various organs itself. That is the only way to remain alive and overcome

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death. If you do not drop death, you will not be born again. Saint Ramalingam did prove it by dematerializing and merging with god. Saint Ramalingam had achieved this feat. He had prepared himself. He had purified his thoughts, and body. He had performed deeds that drove away ignorance and brought him merits. He had yearned for god with utmost passion and god had to submit to him finally. God came into him; into his body; into every cell and atom. Then changes started to take place in his body. Eventually he dematerialized into LIGHT and merged with god. It is amazing to know that he made it happen right here and as recent as in 1874. Let us recall the message of the world’s great upanishadic Sages, retold by Swami Satprakashananda in his book MEDITATION - ITS PROCESS, PRACTICE, AND CULMINATION, published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, ‘Death is not your final end. Do not give way to despair. You are not destined to be subject to this play of dualities forever. There is the Supreme Being, The very perfection of existence, Which you can reach in this mortal life and where you can find life beyond death and complete fulfillment of your ideal. Therein is the culmination of your knowledge, Therein is the consummation of your love, Therein is complete rest and therein dwells unruffled peace. There shines the light that never fails, And there abides joy unbounded. How can man reach that? Through this very life, By regulating this mortal life he can reach the immortal.’

Discipleship to an Illumined Teacher In a biography of Yogi Ramsuratkumar, YOGI RAMSURATKUMAR, THE GODCHILD OF TIRUVANNAMALAI by Truman Caylor Wadlington, the author writes, ‘The master (Swami Ramdas) knew the Truth and the Way and knew as well that there was nothing he could say to provide a short cut for the disciple (Yogi Ramsuratkumar). By the law of occult causation all progress on the path must be won by the individual through personal effort. Thus, one who knows the way cannot speak; understanding that the aspirant constructs the path much like the spider spins its web out of its own being. In the relationship established between Yogi Ramsuratkumar and Swami Ramdas, there was little philosophical thought or practical guidance given. The rapport between the master and the disciple was on much subtler levels involving not so much principles of truth as the use of higher forces in bringing about actual transformation.’

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Another paragraph in the same biography describes, ‘After lifetimes of seeking out worldly experiences, and understanding, a man turns him back to the phenomenal worlds, and begins to search his inmost being in an effort to realize the source of spirit from whence he sprang and to which he must return. Gradually through the constant impact of dull and unadventurous lives, he becomes insensitive to the vibrations of the outer physical worlds, within which he is a functioning entity. He becomes aware of the interior spiritual vibrations and proceeds to journey inward to the kingdom of the soul. The outer world loses its desirability whereas the formless spirit nature assumes paramount importance. The individual reoriented himself to the higher mind and thus begins to touch upon greater awareness. Yet with his sensitivity still in but an embryonic state, spiritual struggle, hardships, and merciless trials of endurance assail him. The waters of purification crash down upon him, and threaten to carry him deep beneath the surface of the waves. But with the advent of soul consciousness, he stabilizes himself in spiritual life wherein he is responsive to the vibration of the subtler realms and directed by the purposes of the soul.’ The rapport between guru and disciple is on a much subtler level indeed, as mentioned by the author of the biography on the Yogi Ramsuratkumar, involving not so much principles of truth, but the use of higher forces in this case the workings of the sidhas, in bringing about actual transformation. ‘Ramsuratkumar once explained that some days all was clear to him, and he felt as if he was standing in the highest heaven, and he knew he was a son of god. While at other times he was dragged down from pure ecstasy into the depths of abysmal gloom.’ Swami Nithyananda of Dhyanapeetam, Bangalore too says, “No communication will happen here - only a deep communion between you and me.” The saints in Nithyananda’s words, “Speak about something which cannot be spoken about.” He adds, “Spiritual knowledge is knowledge that is neither of the mind nor of the heart, but of your Being! It is just a deep understanding beyond logic, which can neither be

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taught nor picked. It can simply happen out of a deep communion at the being level.” 2 On the subject of subtle forces, it was said that Bhagawan Nithyananda of Ganeshpuri made a similar statement towards the end of his life. It appears that there were many signs of his impending passing but his devotees were mostly unaware of them. One-woman devotee properly interpreted some of the signs and was distraught to learn of his plans to depart. He said to her, “Why are you crying? Do not cry. More is possible on the subtle than on the gross.” From the book DIVINE GRACE THROUGH TOTAL SELF-SURRENDER by D.C. Desai, Bhagavan Ramana read out the following quotations by Paul Brunton, ‘Divine Grace is a manifestation of the cosmic free will in operation. It can alter the course of events in a mysterious manner through its own unknown laws, which are superior to all natural laws, and can modify the latter by interaction. It is the most powerful force in the universe. It descends and acts only when it is invoked by total self-surrender. It acts from within, because god resides in the Heart of all beings. Its whisper can be heard only in a mind purified by self-surrender and prayer. It is a descent of god into the soul’s zone of awareness. It is a visitation of force unexpected and unpredictable. It is a voice spoken out of cosmic silence - It is ‘Cosmic Will which can perform authentic miracles under its own laws.’ ‘In truth, god and the guru are not different. Just as the prey, which has fallen into the jaws of a tiger, has no escape, so those who have come within the ambit of the guru’s gracious look will be saved by the guru and will not get lost; yet, each one should by his own effort pursue the path shown by god or guru and gain release. Each seeker after god should be allowed to go his own way, the way for which he alone may be built (meant). It will not do to convert him to another path by violence. The guru will go with the disciple in his own path and then gradually turn him onto the Supreme path at the ripe moment.’ Swami Muktananda in THE PERFECT RELATIONSHIP, published by SYDA Foundation, 1985, says,

2 Jon Kabat-Zinn in his book ‘WHEREVER YOU GO THERE YOU ARE- MINDFULNESS MEDITATION IN EVERYDAY LIFE’ narrates a fairy tale – The Water Of Life- from the Grimm Brothers collection and points out as follows, ‘The point here is simply that it is useful at times to admit to yourself that you don’t know your way and to be open to help from unexpected places. Doing this makes available to you inner and outer energies and allies that arise out of your own soulfulness and selflessness,’

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‘You will never hear the guru criticize you. Instead, when you are in his company, you will experience your own divinity. You will never be found guilty in the guru’s eyes. You will find in them only the praise of your hidden inner god.’

Be Grateful G. Valmikanathan in his book MAKERS OF INDIAN LITERATURE-RAMALINGAM, published by Sahitya Akademi (e-book at http://www.vallalar.org) traces Saint Ramalingam’s journey on the pathway to god dividing it into three portions, journey on the purgative way, journey on the illuminative way, journey on the unitive way. He explains further, ‘The purgative way is that part of the long path which, one treads towards the godhead and in which one purges oneself of all desires and attachments, of all imperfections, of all acts of commission and omission of shortcomings in renunciation, of shortcomings in the total love of god in the passion for the apprehension of the godhead.’ ‘The illuminative way is that part of the path, which comes after the purgative way, and in which one gains illumination, knowledge, and gnosis.’ ‘The unitive way is that part of the pathway in which the pilgrim marches on with buoyant and joyous steps, filled with hope and freed from doubt or misconception. The journey is characterized by a sense of urgency. The pilgrim, in this part of his journey, begins to walk fast, then breaks into a loping trot, finally, gallops on with increasing tempo towards the beckoning smile and the outstretched arms, and is soon locked in an eternal embrace with the beloved, the eternal being, the godhead, the ground of all being. The journey on the unitive way is composed of several factors of experience. Recollection and quiet, contemplation, ecstasy and rapture, dark night of the soul, and unitive life.’ ‘Of these three sections of the pathway, the first is painful and dolorous, the second a strange mixture of sorrow and joy, the joy increasing in intensity as ignorance is slowly replaced by illumination, and the last section of sheer delight, of mounting bliss.’ In QUIET MIND, FEARLESS HEART- THE TAOIST PATH THROUGH STRESS & SPIRITUALITY by Brian Luke Seaward, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, 2005, Teilhard de Chardin says, ‘The path of human experience would be mighty crowded if everyone embarked at the same time. Therefore, it makes sense that not only is there numerous paths,

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but we each move at a pace that is conducive for our own soul growth process. Brian describes what he calls ‘seasons of the soul’ as follows.’ ‘We begin the centering process (autumn), where we leave the known of the external world and enter the unknown depths of the mind.’ ‘Next comes the emptying process (winter), a time of clearing and a cleansing of thoughts and feelings that no longer serve us: this may involve some grieving.’ ‘As spring follows winter, so the grounding process follows the emptying process, a period in which new insights is gained to improve our quality of life.’ ‘The fourth season is the connecting process (summer), where we come back home to share the wisdom we have learned and to celebrate the sacred connectedness of life.’ SIX DAYS TO TOTAL TRANSFORMATION, published by Nithyananda Publishersion, 2004, is a beautiful book. Swami Nithyananda has given explanations on the various chakras in the body in a different perspective. Swami Nithyananda associates the chakras with emotions, beliefs, and behavior rather than with deities, color, and mantras as was the normal explanations by others. The emotions related to the chakras as described in his book are as follows: Table 1: The Chakras and the Corresponding Emotions. Chakra Mulathara

Manipura

Locked By Imagination; Expectation; Fantasy Fear; Especially Fear Of Death Worry

Anahata

Asking For Attention

Visudhi

Comparison And Jealousy Seriousness

Swathisthana

Ajna

And Finally When Discontentment, Taking You Are At Sahasrara Life For Granted

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Unlocked By Acceptance Of The Other; Acceptance Of Reality; [Drop your expectations of others] Acceptance Of Death; [Drop your fears] Think Positive; [Drop your worries; Do not react] Selfless Love; [Drop your want of acceptance and need for approval] Realizing You Uniqueness; [Drop comparison] Innocence And Simplicity; [Drop your seriousness] Gratitude and bliss [Learn to show gratitude. This final stage is very obvious in Saint Ramalingam’s ARUTPA where he sings songs of gratitude to Lord Arutperumjhoti]

Saint Ramalingam started worshipping Lord Murugan at the Kandasamy (Kandakottam) temple in Chennai and Thirutani, Lord Siva in Otriyore, and Lord Nadarajah in Chidambaram. Later he started the following establishments; the Sanmarga Sangam, the Sathya Dharma Salai where he fed the poor, envisioned and built the Sathya Gnana Sabai in Vadalur where he worshipped god in the form of LIGHT and called Him Arutperunjhoti. He finally settled in Sithivalagam in Mettukupam where he dematerialized. All his songs have been compiled as the Thiru Arutpa. When one reads the songs one would realize the amount of gratitude the Saint had poured forth. Be Grateful.

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INTRODUCTION Sage Agathiyar The following is based on an article on Sage Agathiyar –SAGE AGASTHYA – FOREMOST OF THE SIDDHAS by Dr. Mandayam Kumar of the Siddha Medical Research Institute, Bangalore. Dr Mandayam Kumar says, it was possible to find out details about Sage Agathiyar during the course of literary research on the Siddha medical sciences in a Tamil manuscript written on palm leaves about 3,000 years ago. The text is titled Prapancha Kaandam and runs into several volumes mentions the Dr. It is attributed to Lord Muruga. It was narrated by Sage Agathiyar while recorded by Sage Pulasthiya. The original Tamil manuscript is in the care of Pandit S. Jayanari of Vellore says the Dr. The Dr provides information extracted from this work. A Painting of Sage Agathiyar ‘Agathiyar Muni is considered to be the embodiment of one of the nine celestial intellectuals who came to this earth for enlightening human beings.’ ‘Siddhars are those who have attained perfection in yogic practices to ultimately reach the stage of immortality. Through higher-level yogic practices they attain a state of ultra luminosity that results in invisibility; thus they remain impervious to ordinary vision.’ ‘Such siddhars work incessantly for the propagation of knowledge and the evolution of souls.’ ‘The Prapancha Kaandam commences with explanations about the origin of the earth and the entire solar system. The earth is believed to be a fragment of the sun blown into space as a big ball of fire billions of years ago. This big fire globe, after spinning round and round at a very high speed for innumerable length of time, began to cool on its surface.’ ‘During the course of its voyage from the sun through different gaseous spheres of highly energetic particles the earth being attracted and repelled by different planets of the solar system, acquired the energetic potencies of all the planets.’ ‘Later it gained a constant movement rotating on its own axis having its path around the sun. It is stated that the earth took its origin 200 billion years ago.’ The Dr states that the world was not habitable having only land and water for half this period. 17

‘Gradually vegetation began to appear as the earliest form of life on earth. Subsequently aquatic living creatures followed by insects, reptiles, birds and animals came upon; with the last being humans.’ ‘Each species had its own genetic origin and human beings are considered the sixth in the order of original creation. It is stated that planet earth is the only place for the survival and existence of life in the entire solar system. As life began to exist time began to be counted.’ ‘The entire period was divided into yugas. The present Kali Yuga is stated to have started from 3100 BC and may correspond to 14 March 3100 BC.’

On The Birth of Agathiyar The Dr. reveals for the first time the parental heritage of the Sage. Sage Agathiyar was said to have been born about 4573 years prior to the commencement of Kali Yuga at a place in Gujarat, in the early hours of Tuesday, 14 of February 7673 BC. Belonging to the early Aryan race, his father Bhargava was well learned while his mother Indumathi was from Punjab. They were both devotees of the Pasupatha order of the Sage Rishabha Muni. Agathiyar had his early education in Gujarat. As his thirst for knowledge in particular on philosophy, yoga, medicine, and astronomy was immense, he traveled all over Kashmir, Tibet, China, Nepal, and Kailas in Manchuria. Mount Kailas was deemed to be in Manchuria those days. He became a disciple of Sage Nandi and Sage Dhanvantri. He then traveled towards the south to Cambodia and Malaya. In Cambodia, he established the very first of his many educational institutions for the propagation of philosophy and science. After establishing a similar institution and hospital in Malaya, he crossed the sea to the continent of Kumari Kandam. During Agathiyar’s time, Kumari Kandam occupied a vast area extending from the present day Sri Lanka to the Antarctic. Ravana, a great devotee of Lord Siva, ruled this continent. King Ravana gave away a portion of his kingdom to Agathiyar to establish more institutions. The foremost of these institutions in this region was known as Arunodaya Giri or Meozone. Here Agathiyar practiced yoga and taught it to his large following of disciples. He then went back north to Malaya where he was betrothed to the king’s daughter. He then ruled the kingdom of Vijayapuri. He returned to Kumari Kandam where he met Lord Murugan in the form of Sage Kandan or Supramaniar at Trikona Malai, present day Trincomali. At the hill station called Kadari Kama or Kadhirgama, Lord Murugan imparted spiritual knowledge to Agathiyar. In his meditation, he could see into the future. He could see impending calamities. As a result, he moved to the North Pole considering it to be a save place. This period of his move to the Arctic was said to coincide with the end of the Dwapara Yuga placed at about 6580 BC. Just as he had seen of an impending calamity and had decided to move north, a tremendous explosion in the planet, Mars sends a piece of debris towards earth. This impact caused a great deluge on the earth.

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Significant portions of Kumari Kandam submerged into the Indian Ocean. Continental drift resulted in the present day arrangement of this region. After the great flood Kailas was no more but instead the Himalayan mountain range had emerged in North India. Amidst all this geographical changes says the Dr, Sage Agathiyar went seeking for a place that would not be affected by future calamities. He located a mountain range in South India. This is the present day Courtallam. This spot is said to be the safest place and free from any future catastrophes. Here Agathiyar met Lord Siva and Uma in the form of Dhakshina Murthi and Shenbaga Devi. The spot where the meeting took place between Dhakshina Murthi, Shenbaga Devi, Lord Murugan, and Agathiyar was Mahadeva Giri. This meeting also signified the commencement of Kali Yuga. Other Sages then started coming to Mahadeva Giri. Lord Dhakshina Murthi revived the knowledge of the Vedas and instructed these Sages to propagate this knowledge at the appropriate manner and time for the benefit of humanity. The imparting of this knowledge was said to have taken place on the 21st day of the Tamil month of Kartigai, during the eleventh year, Eswara Samvatsara, of Kali Yuga. Agathiyar gave much importance to this day. All his dating was reckoned from this day. The Sages recorded their knowledge on palm leaves after extensive discussions held in Alagan Kulam and presented them to Lord Dhakshina Murthi for his perusal. This included the 64 kinds of learning, 18 Puranas, 96 Tatvas, and 48 branches of scientific knowledge. The entire literature in Tamil came to be called Sidha Veda. It was then translated into the four existing languages of that period vis Sanskrit, Greek, Hebrew, and Chinese. Sage Agathiyar on the instruction of Lord Murugan originated the Tamil language. Sage Bhogar from China, Sage Thaeraiyar from Malaya, Sage Yugimuni from Kerala, Sage Pulipani from Kantha Malai, Sage Pulathiyan, and Sage Kapiyan all served Agathiyar. A conference of sidhas called Sidhar Sabai was held during the 53rd year, Sidharti Samvatsara, of Kali Yuga at Courtallam. An institution known as Sidhar Gnana Koodam was inaugurated by Lord Murugan and was headed by Agathiyar. Sage Pulathiyan and Sage Kapiyan headed the literary section while Sage Pulipani in research. Sage Thaeraiyar who was into surgery headed a medical research centre established at Thorana Malai. Sage Yugimuni who was into herbal medicines headed an Ayurvedic hospital at Paradesi Kundai. Sage Bhogar who was in charge of all scientific researches established an alchemy research centre at Thiruparankundram. Sage Pambatti Sidhar was heading a team researching venom at Marudamalai. After having established these institutions Agathiyar again started on an extensive mission of propagating the wealth of knowledge gained by these sidhas in Tibet, Manchuria, Egypt, Palestine, Rome, America, Africa, Malaya and the Arab world. After satisfactorily completing their mission of propagating the said teachings the Sages went into Samadhi merging themselves into the cosmos. Sage Kandan went into Samadhi in Thorana Malai,

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Sage Bhogar in Palani, Sage Thaeraiyar, Sage Pulipani and Sage Yugimuni in Kantha Malai, and Sage Agathiyar himself choose to come back to Courtallam. He chose a spot called Dhakshina Meru in the Pothigai Hills. This spot is also the abode of Lord Siva as Dhakshina Murthi.

Saint Ramalingam Marshall Govindan in his book BABAJI AND THE TRADITION OF THE 18 SIDHARS (Govindan, Marshall, Babaji and the Eighteen Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition, 1991, KRIYA YOGA PUBLICATIONS (REG), 196 Mountain Road, P.O.Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, Canada, JOE 1PO, http://www.babaji.ca/, reproduced with permission via e-mail), says, ‘In 1867, Saint Ramalingam founded a house of charity to feed the poor and extend hospitality to travelers and indigent old persons in Vadalur. His mission in Vadalur has fed the poor on an extensive scale everyday for the past 132 years. The mission’s kitchen fire has not gone out since it was lighted in 1870.’ Saint Ramalingam as depicted in the movie Arutperunjhoti ‘In 1870 Saint Ramalingam moved into a small hut in the hamlet of Mettukuppam, about three miles south of Vadalur. This hut is known as ‘the Sacred Mansion of the Miracle’ (Sithivalagam Thirumaligai).’ ‘In 1871, he requested his disciples to conduct ‘a temple of wisdom’ designed by him. They did it within six months. It was inaugurated on January 25, 1872. It has a unique design, which in its form explains symbolically the process of self-realization as experienced by Ramalinga. Seven curtains representing human passion and ignorance conceal an eternal light and various inner spaces within. Beyond all these curtains stand a glass box, five feet high, representing the purity of the soul, and within it there burns an eternal flame, which represents the soul in its true splendor, merged with supreme grace light (Arutperumjhoti).’ ‘Towards the end of 1873, he placed outside the door of his room (in Sithivalagam Thirumaligai) the oil lamp that Ramalinga had been using inside. He asked his disciples to worship it and keep it burning forever. He asked them to imagine the supreme grace light manifested in it and to pray to Him for grace. He issued instructions to his disciples that except for the burning of camphor, no ritual be performed. Devotees should pray silently, filled with love of god. And enter into ecstasy.’ ‘On the auspicious day of January 30, 1874 at the age of 50, Ramalinga wrote and released to his devotees the following statement: “My beloved ones! I have to be out of

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your sight for a time. Do not worry. Keep the light of the lamp (gnana deepam) burning forever. Imagine that god is there and worship the light. You will be amply rewarded. I am in the body now and after a while; I shall enter into all the bodies of His creation. Close the door and lock it from outside. The room, if ordered to be opened, will only be void.”’ ‘Ramalinga then shut himself up in his room in the Sithivalagam hut. Later that night as the devotees outside the room were chanting suddenly a flash of violet light emanated from Ramalingam’s room, signaling the merger of Ramalinga into all the bodies of HIS creation. For when the room was eventually opened, it was found to be empty. Ramalinga had disappeared without a trace.” It has been said that Saint Ramalingam on his final day had entered a room in Sithivalagam in Mettukupam. He asked that his followers lock the door from the outside. On opening the door, at the directive from government officials, the room was found to be empty. It was also said that the Saint had become light (jhoti). The saint had mentioned to his followers that they would find nothing, as he would dematerialize in each being from that moment on.’ An article in the website http://www.ramalinga.com states that Mother Mira had seen, during her meditation, the happenings that took place on that Friday night when Saint Ramalingam attained the Jhoti in Sithivalagam. This is indeed a rare account of the mystery behind Saint Ramalinga's disappearance.

A Vision of Dematerialization of Ramalinga’s Living Body By Gangadharan, a disciple of Mother Mira Alfassa (aid of Sri Aurobindo of Pondicherry). Mother Mira said that Saint Ramalinga had achieved the Mukti. ‘On the first day of the Tamil month of Thai (14-1-1978) I had a continuous vision in my usual meditation in the night: the vision of dematerialization of the physical body of Swami Ramalinga into and as the Truth-Light of Supreme Grace which contains or possesses in itself Supreme Compassion and Bliss of Grace.’ ‘Though I have had occasions to ascend into and remain for sometime in the Truth-World of Grace-Light wherefrom I could see the earth as part of the universe, the said Vision came to me when my consciousness was on the earth itself.’ ‘To begin with, I sensed an ineffable Silence and Peace prevailing everywhere and I heard continuously Para Nada, the mysterious divine Sound. Then the Vision broke out.’ ‘A small village was seen in its simple and beautiful surroundings. There was the concrete Presence of the Supreme and Universal Divine with the beautiful Truth-Light of Grace and Fragrance, which enriched the place all the more and enraptured my heart with ever increasing aspiration for Grace. At the center of the village was seen a small house. Sweet Fragrance of Grace radiated everywhere from the house.’ ‘Vallalar (Swami Ramalinga) was seen entering the house. His face was calm and peaceful. His whole body was radiating the Light of Grace. Besides, his body was of silken or light golden shining color. He stepped into his room, closed the doors, and bolted inside.

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At that time there was the Concrete Presence of the Supreme and Universal Divine in the room. The Presence could be sensed even physically and even by the born-blind. There was also Silence, Peace, Fragrance, and the Light of Grace due to the Presence.’ ‘Vallalar sat on a white cloth spread on a low wooden plank and began to concentrate. In that poise, he was seen as a Mountain of Truth-Knowledge with the Truth-Light of Grace and Peace and Fire of Tapas. He was verily a supreme form of the Divine. Flood of Light was radiating from his pure and luminous body into all the directions.’ ‘Supreme Grace, Supreme Compassion, and the Light of Grace are expressive of the secret truth that they hold the key for transformation of physical body into the deathless physical body of Grace in its eternal youthfulness. One has to live in the depth of the ocean of blissful Grace-Light for being transformed into the divine nature and as the divine body.’ ‘The intensity of the flood of Light that radiated from his whole body was very powerful and one shall have the strength and capacity to bear and receive it. My whole body vibrated with a joy and pleasantness because of the Vision of Light of his body.’ ‘After sometime of concentration, he rose up and saw the physical sky. Full moon was shedding its blissful cool rays over the earth. A little distance away from the moon was seen a very bright dazzling star of Light. Ramalinga poured his concentrated gaze at it for some time. He became enraptured with blissful joy in the heart, which radiated on his face. A little time thereafter, he again sat on the white seat of the plank and entered into deep concentration.’ ‘Though Ramalinga was inside the closed and bolted room, he could see clearly the whole universe with its tiers of many worlds of mind, life and the physical including the physical earth and sky with its moon, stars and clouds.’ ‘When he was thus absorbed in deep concentration, an effulgent Truth-Light of Grace broke out from his heart and with its unique Heat began to burn his radiant physical body very slowly, as at a snail's speed, and that in an upward direction, from the heart towards the head. The burning of the body may be somewhat likened to that of an incense-stick which however burns downwards by its inner heat of fire, forming ash covering but without the falling down of the ash-form. When the upper part of his radiant body was burnt completely from heart to head, there was left in its place a form of pure white Substance, which also radiated its Light of Consciousness. The burnt part, however, showed all its features intact and clearly and even the burnt hair of his head was seen distinctly as luminous white hair. Then the Heat of the pure Light of Grace descended to burn the lower part.’ ‘After the whole body was thus burnt, Ramalinga was seen as a bodily form of pure white substance from head to foot, radiating it’s Light. The white form kept intact all the different kinds of cells of his body and all the distinctive features and formations of his interior and exterior body. His bodily form did not shrink in size after the burning. I saw no visible flame

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nor sensed its heat during the burning of his living body, nor smoke, nor any bad smell as of burnt tissues, nor heard any cracking noise as of burnt bones. Instead, there was a sweet Fragrance since the time his body began to burn and it spread everywhere. I sensed in my heart an ineffable Calmness and Silence, which gave me in turn a state of Bliss.’ ‘Now a second stage of burning began. The unique Heat of Grace-Light began to burn slowly Ramalinga's luminous Form of White Substance from head to foot downwards. When his white Substance-Form full of its radiating Light, was thus burnt completely, the white Substance became very fine sub-atomic conscious particles, which permeated and pervaded the entire universe and the farther pure worlds of consciousness beyond. The fine, white and conscious particles with its radiating Light also entered into and got distributed everywhere in the earth and even in matter and in the Inconscient. After the universal pervasive distribution of the particles, they could be seen no more and disappeared from my sight. Now there pervaded everywhere the sweet, soft and fine Fragrance of Camphor which gave my body a blissful sensation and enraptured my heart as well.’ ‘Then I had the rare vision of Ramalinga's universal luminous golden Form. In fact, the immensity of his golden form contained in it the whole universe. This form too disappeared from my view and was replaced by another vision in which I saw the Golden Light of TruthKnowledge and Grace entering into all the directions more speedily than the lightning. It permeated and pervaded the whole universe and the farther pure worlds of Consciousness. It entered into our earth and all its crores of the physical forms of beings and objects and in the apparently insensible matter and even in the very dark realm of the vast in conscience. All the forms that were permeated by the Golden Light of Truth changed into golden forms of beings and objects. The Golden Light entered into my whole adhara including the physical body. My body felt in all the cells vibrations of ease and pleasantness.’ ‘Then I heard some words of Grace. However, they were indistinctly heard and could not be deciphered, as I was absorbed in a rapture of Bliss due to the sublime vision and experiences. Thus, the Vision lasted an hour of time and ended.’ ‘The visible physical light is the concrete symbol of the Vast Truth-Light of Grace, which is the source of all lights. Camphor is verily a solid form or symbol of that Light. Ramalinga's soul is inseparable from the conscious white particles of Substance, which he has become, and pervading distributed everywhere. When the Supreme Truth-consciousness manifests in the physical world, it becomes the golden Light of Grace. The golden Light of Grace will purify and transform man and the physical body too will become deathless physical Truthbody, and the Sanmarga of Truth, Purity, and Goodness shall prevail on the earth. As Anma realizes the pure Spirits, the body too shall realize its truth as the true body of the Spirit.’

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Supramania Swami of Thiruvanamalai Supramania Swami's grandfather, Thuraisamy Pillai was born in Ladhavaram near Thiruvanamalai. He worked as an Accountant at the Arunachaleswarar Temple in Thiruvanamalai. His father, Jayaram was a teacher in Reddi Kuppam, Anaikoyil. Swami was born on Monday, 17 July 1943, at the Thirutani Murugan temple grounds. Swami lost his memory as a teenager and roamed the streets curing the public of their illness, with vibhuti, panjamirtham, and kunkumam that he produced out of sand. During this period, he indicated the site where a vel was buried. He kept that vel. Finally, a stranger woman gave him milk and rice that eventually brought him to his senses. Swami sold flowers to devotees at Thiruchendur to earn money to support his mother. For seven years, he pulled the chariot of Lord Murugan at Thiruchendur wearing spiked sandals and hooks on his back. He had adorned the costume of Lord Murugan and acted out in dance dramas too. Once when chopping down a kalli tree, the milk from the tree got into his eyes and blinded him. The politician MU.Karunanidhi who was undergoing treatment in Madras at that time sponsored towards the cost (Rs 950,000) of operation on Swami's eyes. He was married at the age of 31. Swami who was good in astrology predicted the future for those who came in search. Supramania Swami of Thiruvanamalai

Supramania Swami Sees the Light I could not get through to Supramania Swami for some time now. This evening there was someone trying to call me on my phone numerous times. However, each time we answered the line went dead or disengaged. I then thought if it could be Swami trying to get through. When I called he answered. Finally, I manage to get in touch with him after a long absence. “I have not forgotten you,” he said. “How can I forget you; you have given me a place to stay, referring to the kudil that we had built for him. You have been my son in the past birth,” he said. He asks that I meditate. He blessed me. Then he said, “I am seeing the jhoti. At times, it stays on for half an hour. My time is nearing. Ask Ramesh - referring to the nadi reader - to see when my day will come so that I can send you word and you can be present.” I cried like a child.

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He told me he wanted to start a fast where he would not speak to anyone and survive on fruits and milk beginning on 31 January 2007 for a forty-eight day period. The day he chose to start the fast would be the eve of the day that Saint Ramalingam vanished into light. I called Swami on 3 February 2007. He was already observing the fast. However, he spoke to me. When I apologized for calling him and making him break his fast, he replied, “No harm done. I shall talk to you.” He told me he had started the fast on wheat porridge, chapatti, and milk since the last full moon day, 1 February 2007 and would end his fast on Pangguni Uttiram day – a fast that would last 60 days. He did not speak to anyone, only writing out on paper if required. He told me I am letting loose of my senses. He asks me to meditate and be focused. He asks that I gather some funds from Thayalan and his father so that he could feed a thousand devotees when his fasts end on 1 April 2007.

Supramania Swami Attains Samadhi 8 February 2007 Mages calls me in office at 3.40 pm to inform she had received a call from Thiruvanamalai. Supramania Swami’s wife was crying over the phone saying, “I have to tell Swami’s wish that was not fulfilled". Mages asked me whether Swami had gone into Samadhi. I called Thiruvanamalai. Swami’s wife broke down and cried. I consoled her that we should be happy Swami had seen the Jhoti. Swami passed away at 10.20 am, 7 February 2007. On complaining of chest pain, he was taken to the clinic and later referred to the general hospital. They found nothing wrong with him and sent him home. Back at the kudil, he went into Samadhi and passed away. His son, Ramajayam who was a driver to another Swami in Thiruvanamalai informed his employer who arrived to assist. Twenty sadhus came forward to conduct Swami’s last rites. No one cried. Only songs of praise to God were heard. The sadhus took his body to the vicinity of Ramana Maharishi’s ashram and Easanya lingam where he was laid to rest the same day. When I was with him in his kudil, he mentioned to me he would like to be laid to rests in the spot where he had his altar in the kudil. Therefore, when I was informed by Ramajayam that he was laid in another spot and not in the kudil that he longed for, I was disappointed. That weekend Ramesh calls me over to have the nadi read. To my surprise, Sage Agathiyar reveals that the spot chosen by the sadhus at the foothills of Thiruvanamalai for Supramania Swami's burial was indeed a very auspicious spot. The Sage conforms that it was true Supramania Swami had indeed gone into Samadhi. “He shall gain fame. Devotees will gain by visiting his Samadhi, including you too,” the Sage tells me. The Sage adds further, “You have chosen a true guru. This was the right moment for him to go into Samadhi.” The Sage instructs me, “When the opportunity comes for you to travel to India, place a garland of flowers on his Samadhi. Do prayers, and meditate and feed the poor too.” Swami’s wish was to have him buried in a pit with specific dimensions, and filled with camphor and vibhuthi as instructed to his son, all to be done within eight hours of his expiry, and have a small temple erected above his Samadhi. Ramajayam wanted to put up a lingam and built a small shrine but was advised against it by some sadhus.

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Swami being an astrologer told me when I visited him last in 2005 that he would pass away when he was 65 years of age and that coincided with 2007. Ramajayam tells me later that they come across Swami’s diary where he had written down the date and time of his demise. This entry was done on 23 May 2005. Swami also had mentioned in the diary that he wanted his body to be buried within eight hours of passing away. He had also written down how to attend to his body. Supramania Swami went into Samadhi on 7 February 2007 at Thiruvanamalai. He leaves behind a wife and four children. Swami's Samadhi is at the foothills of Thiruvanamalai adjacent to Bhagawan Sri Ramana's Ashram. Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedham, Kallaru is establishing a Peedham for Sage Agathiyar in the kudil that was put up with donations by devotees in Malaysia. Prayers, meditation, and yoga shall be held here in the future.

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CHAPTER 1 Mysterious India Reading the Nadi Sivabalan of Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, remembers how as a six year old, he was dragged by his uncle to the Vaitheeswaran Temple in India to have his nadi read. When the readers refused to read for a young child of that age, his uncle insisted that they do so. Over the years his uncle who used to collect fingerprints of relatives and friends and have their nadi read in India, decided to bring these nadi readers to Malaysia instead. Following in the footsteps of his uncle Sivabalan brought in Sentilkumar from India to read the nadi. On 27 November 2002, Sentilkumar searched for the nadi pertaining to events and personalities in my lifetime. There was one that I thought was mine. That nadi revealed the father's name, mother's name, having seven siblings, having a government job, another sibling having a government job too, and owning a home. However, the wife’s name was read as Manohari. All other details except my wife’s name were true. It puzzled me. So was there another individual somewhere with these similar descriptions living with a wife called Manohari? After looking through three bundles, and questioning me for a sometime, Sentilkumar could not locate a reading that described me. I was asked to come back in two weeks time for he could only look through a maximum of three numbers of bundles at any one particular time.3 On 11 December 2002, going through the same pace and trend of questioning, Sentilkumar found the relevant, appropriate, and corresponding nadi in the very first bundle itself. I was astonished the nadi could reveal the following: my father’s name, my mother who had two names, that I had seven siblings, I had a government job related to a technical field, one of my sisters was also in the government, and one of my brothers had bethrowed someone outside our religion. I agreed it was mine. I was told to come back for the full reading of the nadi another day. On 14 December 2002, the actual reading of that particular nadi took place. I was both apprehensive and eager not knowing what was in store for me. I sat in awe as the nadi was read to me. Four out of sixteen chapters were read out. They were the Podhu Kaandam, Karma Kaandam, Parikaara Kaandam, and Gnana Kaandam. I was told Sage Agathiyar wrote it. The Podhu Kaandam mentioned about me, my family, my career, and what to expect until my last days.

3 The readers have their codes and ethics too.

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According to the Karma Kaandam, I was a Brahmin priests in Kerala, India in my former birth.4 The Sage mentions I had hurt many people then, and as a result, I had to take this birth. The Parikaara Kaandam told me to worship Lord Vinayagar for forty-eight days. I was told chanting the Lord’s Moola Mantra would help reduce the evil effects of my karma. I was asked to worship the sidhas and Lord Siva too. Generally the first (Pothu Kaandam), 13th (Karma Kaandam) and 14th (Parikaaran Kaandam) are read for all seekers. Sivabalan requested that I see the ninth Kaandam, Gnana Kaandam too. I was told the Gnana Kaandam was not available to everyone. Sivabalan told me to give it a try. There was a Gnana Kaandam for me. I had this kaandam read to me. It dictated my spiritual path. According to the Gnana Kaandam reading, I had to worship Lord Siva, Lord Vinayagar, Sage Agathiyar, and the eighteen sidhas. According to the ancient writings in these palm leaves, I have the blessings of the eighteen sidhas, the rishis, and gnanis too. The worship of sidhas was something new. I knew who Sage Agathiyar was, having seen the Tamil movie on him - Agathiyar. However, who were the rests of the sidhas? I asked of Sentilkumar if he could elaborate on the prayers for these sidhas. He immediately gave me a booklet on the worship of sidhas SRIDHAR POTRI PAADALGAL5. Sivabalan gave me a painting of Sage Agathiyar to aid in my prayers.

Performing Atonements One of the atonements or parikaaram was nadiku dhaanam, which was paying homage to the authors of the nadi – the sidhas. On 19 December 2002, I delivered the following to Sentilkumar: a vesti, tundu, sari, sweets, three varieties of flowers, and an amount of RM308 as was mentioned in the nadi. Sentilkumar performed archana to the 131 sidhas beginning with Sage Agathiyar with the flowers I had brought. Sentilkumar sang the hymns while I submitted flowers to Sage Agathiyar’s feet. Sentilkumar then blessed me with a verse from the Sivapuranam- Namashivaya Vazhga Naathanthan Vazhga Emai Poluthum Neengathan Thaal Vazhga. He handed me a leaflet informing that his father and he were

4 Astrologer Dr Krishnan did mention that I could possibly have been a priest or a medicine man in the last birth. 5 When I invited my guru Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal to my home in 2005, Tavayogi read a few songs from a similar booklet and he mentioned that he had compiled the songs and published them. Only then did I realize that Tavayogi had already come into my life much earlier in the form of this booklet.

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in the midst of building a temple for Sage Agathiyar in Kallaru near Ooti, South India in association with a saint named Taiveedu Thangarasan.6 I had to do parikaaram at a Siva temple and a Murugan temple. It was stipulated in the nadi the Siva temple had to be one on a hilltop. On 1 Jan 2003, I went over to Jalan Gasing Siva temple in Petaling Jaya. I did prayers and distributed food to the devotees. I presented three sets of offerings to the Brahmin priests at this temple. A group from the Agathiyar Sanmarga Sangam in Dengkil, who where collecting donations, stopped me at the entrance to this temple as I stepped out. This society was affiliated to the one run by Tavatiru Rengaraja Desigar of Ongkaara Kudil in Turaiyur, South India. I was given a VCD on the swami’s spiritual discourse at the grounds of the Siva temple. On 29 December 2002, I did prayers and lighted the ghee oil at the Murugan temple in Batu Caves.

My Maiden Pilgrimage to India I was asked to perform a pilgrimage to India by Sage Agathiyar. I was to conduct prayers and obligations at Utamar temple, Palur Sani temple, and Thiruanaika temple, all in Trichi according to Karma Parikaara Kaandam. I had to pray at the five elemental temples of Lord Siva, namely Kalahasti temple in Andhra Pradesh, Egambareswarar temple in Kanchipuram, Nadarajah temple in Chidambaram, Thiruanaika temple in Trichi, and Arunachaleswarer temple in Thiruvanamalai. I was instructed to go around the sacred hill of Thiruvanamalai during a full moon. I was also instructed to go to Palani Murugan temple. This was stipulated in the Gnana Kaandam. Prior to seeing the nadi, I had neither idea nor intention to go to India.

Departure I planned to go in December 2003 for the festival Kartigai Deepam but opted to go earlier, since the crowd would be tremendous during the Deepam festival. Then I planned to go in April, but my brother advised against it, as it would be hot then. Gowrisan from my office was back from India and confirmed it was hot during this season. Therefore, I planned for September as was suggested by my brother. I finally left for India on 31 August 2003. I was there from 31 August to 13 September 2003.

6 Never did I imagine that I would be seeing the Swami in the leaflet – Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal – in the years to come and that, he would be my guru.

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I checked in at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 10.30 pm on 31 August 2003. The plane took off at 11.15 pm. Surprisingly, Dhanu from Andhra whom I became acquainted with on board the plane sat beside me, started talking about his guru, Swami Ramachandra and his master’s master or Paramaguru and his mission in Chennai. We chat all the way to Chennai.

Arrival in Chennai On arrival at Meenambakkam Airport in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Devendran - my appointed driver - was waiting on me. He spotted me correctly. I spotted the name card he was carrying. He tells me later that another driver Raji was to fetch and accompany me throughout my journey in India but he had taken ill suddenly.7 Dhaksana Murthi, my travel agent in Malaysia, was waiting for my arrival at the Sindoori Hotel in Chennai. He tells me Vinayagar Chaturthi, the day I traveled to India, was an auspicious day to travel, as it was customary for Indians to plan travel on this Vinayagar Chaturthi day.

Day 1 - Paying To See Lord Vengadasalapathi I started the day having breakfast with Dhaksana Murthy opposite the hotel. After exchanging the currency I had brought with me, I dropped him off at the local bus depot at Egmore. I left for Thirumalai Vengadesa temple in Thirupati, Andra Pradesh at 9.30 am. I reached the Andra border at 12 noon. As Devendran was getting the papers sorted at the security post to enter the state of Andra, I spotted a sadhu walking towards the car. On approaching me, he stood by my open window. He began chanting Lord Murugan’s name. I gave him some money, which he happily accepted and walked back to a tent pitched up some distance away along the road. Further up along the road a small group of devotees stopped our car and asked for donations for the Vinayagar Chathurthi celebrations. I gave them some money too. At the entrance to the Thirupati temple at the foothill, the security guards collected entrance fees to drive up to the top of the hill temple. At 2.30 pm, I was at Varasidhi Vinayagar Temple at the foothills of Thirumalai. I reached the hilltop temple at 3.10 pm. I paid 1000 Rs for the special passes that Devendran purchased to have a darshan of Thirupathi Vengadesa. What happens when you pay is that you cut the existing queue and waiting time. Yet I had to wait in a line for 1 ½ hours before I had a view of Lord Vengadesa. I was told if you do not pay, it could take days to see the Lord. Devendran and I started queuing up

7 The switch was all for a purpose, for Devendran was destined to take me to meet my first guru, Supramania Swami later.

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at 3.30 pm and the Lord’s audience was over at 5 pm. It was a beautiful darshan although only for a few moments.8

Kalahasti I left for Kalahasti, also in Andra Pradesh at 6 pm reaching the hotel at 7.45 pm. After checking in, I walked to the Kalahasteeswarer temple nearby. Devendran accompanied me. I did archana at Lord Siva & Goddess Parvathi’s shrine. This was one of the Pancha Bootha Stalam of Lord Siva that I was asked to visit. That night I broke down in tears at the hotel room. I suddenly felt alone. Here was I heeding Sage Agathiyar’s words and made this trip. So where was HE? I was also disturbed. Had I to pay at each temple for entrance fees, parking fees, fees for special queues, etc? Why did we need to pay to see the Gods? Only then did I realize how easy it was to pray at the temples in Malaysia. It was free of charge. Was this how it was going to be for the rests of my journey?

Day 2 - Lord Nadarajah Draws Me at Egambareswarar Temple The next day, 2 September 2003, I visited the Kalahasteeswarer temple again, this time alone. I was there from 6 am to 8 am. When I decided to return to the hotel, I came round the temple complex a couple of times looking for the exit only to find one exit which was not similar to the one I had used to come in. I was pretty sure I had come in through another entrance. I asked the security guard but he told me this entrance was the only way in and out of the temple complex. Eventually as I stepped out into the open through that exit, I realized he was right and that I was disorientated. It was almost 8 am now and Devendran had begun to worry about me, as he did not find me in my hotel room. In the daylight, I noticed a flight of steps up a hill behind the temple and a shrine at the peak of this hillock. The hunter turned saint, Vedan Kanappa had paid homage to Lord Siva throughout the night unknowingly throwing down petals of the Vilva tree, onto a Sivalingam; leaves that he plucked off the tree he had perched on for the night. The hotel aid told me this was the spot where a king was driven ashore at the height of the great flood and was the starting point of humanity.

Thirutani At 8.15 am, I left for Thirutani reaching Thirutani Murugan temple at 10.20 am. Darshan was only possible at 11.10 am since the temple was closed to public for a special prayer. We queued up and

8 My nephew Thayalan who visited India later tells me he had to wait three hours to get the Lord’s darshan.

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waited. On opening, Devendran accompanied me into the temple. I did vilva archana at Lord Murugan’s sanctum. Saint Ramalingam had sung numerous hymns on Lord Murugan in Thirutani.9 At 11.50 am I started for Kanchipuram reaching the town at 1 pm. Devendran convinced me to take a tour of the cottage industries of Kanchipuram. I witnessed how silk saris were weaved while waiting for the temples to be reopened to the public at 4 pm.10 Upon coming out from the shop we realized the car had a puncture. Devendran got busy replacing the tyre.

Kanchipuram Dhaksana Murthy and the local tour agent in India Mahendren came over to my hotel at 4.15 pm. At 5.30 pm, I was at the Kanchi Kamatchi temple with Dhaksana Murthi and Mahendren. There was a slight drizzle as we came round the temple grounds. I had a beautiful view of Her. She was extremely beautiful. Later Devendran and Mahendren dropped me at the Egambareswarar temple. This was another of the Pancha Stalam that I had to see. The main sanctum was packed with people doing special prayers and was extremely noisy. As I came round the temple, there was a huge chamber on my left. As I stopped to have a look, there was a majestic statue of Lord Nadarajah in that chamber. A young priest who stood at its entrance ushered me into the chamber. As I stepped inside, I felt I had stepped into another environment. It was an entirely different atmosphere in here and I could feel a strong vibration too. The young priests lighted the camphor and started chanting. I stood in front of Lord Nadarajah, amazed and shaken up to see the size and beauty of my Lord. I broke down in tears. I cried aloud. I had the Lord all to myself that moment. I was invited by an elderly couple conducting prayers to Goddess Kali to sit and watch the Abhisegam. I saw Abhisegam for Lord Egambareswarar too. I saw the famed 3000-year-old mango tree now completely hollow but with green leaves sprouting - on the grounds of the temple. I was at this temple from 6 pm to 7 pm. It was already nightfall as we left for Kumara Kottam Murugan temple also in Kanchipuram. There is a marble statue of Saint Ramalingam here.

9 This temple grounds was the place of birth of my guru, Supramania Swami. 10 Temples in India are closed from 12 noon to 4 pm.

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Day 3 –Vadalur and Sathya Gnana Sabha At 5.30 am, on Wednesday, 3 September, we left for Melmaruvathur Athi Parasakthi temple. Dhaksana Murthi had helped build this temple when he was studying in a college in India. He insisted that I visit this temple. We reached the temple at 7.30 am. Devendran and Mahendren dropped me at the temple. The attendants only gave me a minute or so at the Goddess sanctum. Then at 7.50 am, we left for Vadalur reaching Satya Gnana Sabai at 10.30 am. Devendran and Mahendren waited on me. Saint Ramalingam had envisioned and built this structure. I was told that prayers were only conducted three times a day and lasted half an hour each time. I had to wait for the next prayer between 11.45 am and noon. The priests came in at 11.45 am and opened the door to expose a black curtain at the doorway. The flame from the camphor was shown to this curtain. I later came to know that all seven curtains in this temple were drawn aside to reveal the light (Jhoti) only on Thaipusam and Adi Amavasai each year. I told a woman devotee I intended to make a donation and she brought me to the administrative office. I visited Sidhivalagam Thirumaligai in Mettukuppam a few kilometers away. Saint Ramalingam walked into a room in this building and had himself locked in from the outside by his disciples. When the government authorities questioned the disciples of the whereabouts of the saint and insisted that they be allowed to enter the room, they found that the saint had disappeared into thin air. I had very much wanted to be here.

Bhuvanagiri and the Birth Place of Saint Ragavendra I dropped in at Bhuvanagiri, birthplace of Swami Ragavendra at 2.40 pm as my brother-in-law Arumugam and sister Ambi had requested I try to visit this shrine. Unfortunately, the building was closed for renovation. I managed to steal a peek at the image of the saint through the grilled doorway.

Chidambaram and the Temple Of Thillai Nadarajah At 3 pm, I reached Chidambaram town. The temple was closed. We adjourned to the Thillai Kali temple, which was some distance away. After praying at Thillai Kali temple at 4 pm, we went back to Chidambaram temple. On my return to Malaysia, I read in the net that one should visit this Kali temple first before entering the Chidambam temple. Therefore, it happens I did the right thing. Devendran and Mahendran dropped me off at the Thillai Nadarajah temple. I was here from 4.40 pm to 6.10 pm. To my disappointment, a young priest here asked me if I could part with my wristwatch. He then asked 20Rs from me which I gave. At every shrine there was a priest waiting with a receipt book asking for donations towards the temple fund and money to perform prayers. With no other option, I stomached the ways of these priests and conducted the prayers at the Adi Lingam sanctum. I paid 50Rs here. Every God had a price here. Part with your money and you shall be shown ‘Chidambaram Ragasiyam’. I told myself I do not need to know the secret by buying my way into the sanctum. I walked out off this temple disgusted at the ways of these young Brahmins. I could only imagine them in their forties and fifties-how corrupted would they be? I was

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told later that this temple sustains on the donations from the public and tourists. It does not receive government aid. Now I could understand why the priests were asking for donations.

Vaitheeswaram I continued to Vaitheeswaram where I checked in at the hotel within walking distance from the famed Vaitheeswaran temple. At 7.30 pm, I walked to the temple. Devendran had warned me of locals who would approach as tourist guides for a fee. True enough as I approached the temple, a man spotted me, asking, “Tourist?” and walked alongside me. Each time I stopped in my tracks, he stopped too. Eventually I told him off, either to go ahead or walk behind me and I do not need his assistance. At 8.40 pm, the huge doors to the temple were closed for the night. I returned to the hotel with the thought what if a tourist was locked inside the temple. Do the temple authorities go around ascertaining that everyone has left the temple complex before they lock up for the night?

Day 4 – Thiruvenkadu and the Temple Of Buddhan Thursday, 4 September 2003, I left for the Thiruvenkadu temple at 6.40 am. Shivabalan recommended that I include this temple in my tour of temples. He had directed me the kriyas to do at this temple. I followed his instructions. I dipped in the three tanks, Agni Theertam, Chandra Theertam, and Surya Theertam respectively. Devendran stepped into the tanks to ensure the steps were not slippery and the water was not deep before allowing me to go in. The first two tanks had some water but the last one had practically dried up. I lighted twenty-four oil lamps at the Buthan Temple. I prayed at the main temple of Lord Siva. There was a footprint under a tree in the compound of this temple. There was also a shrine of Lord Siva where I was told Lord Brahma had meditated.

Keelaaperampalam and the Temple Of Kethu At 9.25 am, I left for the Kethu temple at Keelaaperampalam. We came across the Mallava Rishilingam temple, also known as the Pathinathar Temple. Devendran accompanied me into the temple. There was a shrine for Sage Pathinathar here.

Mayil Aduthurai At 10.10 am, I left for Mayil Aduthurai temple at Mayavaram.

Suryanar Temple I arrived at the Suryanar temple in Mayil Aduthurai in the scorching heat of the afternoon, at exactly 12 noon. There was a central temple housing the Sun God and individual shrines around the main temple for the other planets. I had been advised against giving alms to the poor on this pilgrimage by my brother who had the bitter experience of having to ward off large groups of these beggars who turned up once they see a foreigner or visitor giving donations when he was in India earlier. Sivabalan had particularly mentioned to me to be wary of beggars in the guise of sadhu’s especially at this temple. So taking heed of their advice, I left the grounds of the temple hurriedly when a woman came after me asking for alms followed by a disfigured man. This couple, as if they 34

could read my mind, called out after me, “There is only two of us - please donate”. True enough no one was around in the immediate grounds of the temple. I dipped my hands into my pockets and handed whatever cash I had then to the woman who happily went away with her partner.11

Thiruvidaimarutur I made it just in time to pray at Thiruvidaimarutur Amman temple. The Siva temple though was already closed for the afternoon.

Kumbakonam-Swamimalai-Thiruvalanchuli At 12.50 pm, I left for Kumbakonam. We found our way to Thomas’s home. He is my neighbor in Malaysia. Devendran accompanied me. His mother greeted us as I introduced myself. She served lunch. Later her husband and son joined us. I was here from 1.30 pm to 5 pm after which we arrived at the Adi Kumbeshwarar temple. I witnessed prayers conducted for Lord Nadarajah and Goddess Sakthi. I was here from 5.10 pm to 5.50 pm. We stopped at Swamimalai Murugan temple from 6.10 pm to 6.40 pm. I rushed up the flight of stairs to get a darshan of Lord Murugan. The temple was packed with devotees. It was night as we continued to Thiruvalanchuli Siva and Vinayagar temples. It was dark except for dim lighting from one streetlight at the entrance to the temple. The Lord Vinayagar’s statue Suvetha Vinayagar - I am told is unique since he is made of sea froth. As I stepped out from the car onto the tar road and walked towards the temple, my feet sank into the ground. It felt like I was treading on sand. However, there was no sea around. Had the sea resided back over the ages? At 7.20 pm, I started for Tanjore and checked in at a hotel.

Rajarajacholan’s Famed Breehadeshwarar Temple in Tanjore Seven am, 5 September 2003, I visited the Breehadeshwarar temple in Tanjore. At this Siva temple was a huge nandhi and in the inner sanctum, a gigantic lingam where the priests had to stand on raised platforms on either side to perform the abhisegam. Sadly I could not witness the abhisegam as it was done behind the veil. Besides the main Siva sanctum, there was a shrine for Sage Karuvurar located at the back of the temple. Sage Karuvurar was the architect for this temple and the guru of King Raja Raja Cholan. On the left wing, there was a flight of steps leading up to a shrine of Lord Dhakshina Murthi.

Trichi and My Parikaarams I was off to Trichi at 9.15 am to perform the parikaaram. On the way, we stopped to watch how pottery was made by the villages on the insistence of Devendran. We continued at 11 am for Utamar temple. We reached the temple at 12.50 pm. Devendran went in to enquire if there were 11 Now who were these two people?

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any priests who could be of assistance in advising me on how to go about doing this parikaaram as the nadi did not stipulate in detail as to what I was to do and offer here. I had to donate to three Brahmin priests at this temple. Then as if God sent, Devendran appears with a priest willing to help at this temple and at the Thiruanaika Siva temple too. The priest told me we need to get to Thiruanaika temple fast before they close for lunch break. I made an appointment to come back to Utamar temple at night for the parikaaram.

Day 5 – Guided Tour At Thiruanaika From Hanuman? The priest took me to the Thiruanaika temple. He advised me on what to purchase. He used his contacts at the temple to open doors that were closed. Lord Vinayagar’s chambers were closed after 12 noon, as was usual in most parts of India. He had it opened for me. He caught hold of an elderly priest to perform the prayers. “You are the one to do the prayer,” he said to the Brahmin man who was squatted at a corner. I had the privilege to enter the main sanctum and be shown the lingam which was partially submerged in water. After the prayers, I fell at the feet of the elderly priest. As I picked myself up, I realized all those who followed me, the priests from Utamar temple, the temple caretaker and Devendran, had also fell at the priest’s feet following my gesture. The priests from Utamar temple insisted this elderly priest should conduct the prayers at the Dhakshana Murthi sanctum too. This priest then led us there. After the priests left, I broke down at Lord’s sanctum. I cried aloud here, to the amazement of my newfound friends, I suppose for the caretaker of the temple tried to console me. The priest from Utamar temple said, “Let him be, let him cry.” After a while, I picked myself up and we adjourned to feed the poor, a cow, and an elephant on the advice of this priest. I was literally pushed or shoved from one shrine to another, by this group performing each prayer to the utmost satisfaction. The priest whom we picked up at Utamar temple insisted that I dropped him off at a location that he chose. He did not want me to send him back to the Utamar temple saying he had errands to run. After dropping him off and giving him a token of appreciation for his assistance, we drove off. I looked back and realized that we had dropped him off at a Hanuman temple! 12 At 2.55 pm we drove to Turaiyur to meet Rendaraja Desigar hoping to be back in time for the prayers at Utamar temple.

12 I handed him the first of three offerings I had to give away at Utamar temple. I did not see him again at Utamar temple that evening when I was there performing the parikaaram! Why did he get down at the Hanuman temple? Who did come in the guise of the Brahmin priest and showed me around? Was it Lord Hanuman who accompanied me at Thiruanaika and with that much speed and velocity practically shoving me from one shrine to another? Who else but the son of Vayu could perform such a feat?

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Samayapuram – Turaiyur The food at Mani Aiyar in Samayapuram was excellent. We stopped at Samayapuram Mariamman temple at 3.15 pm. Devendran accompanied me. As the sanctum was under renovation, the idol of the Goddess was replaced with a painting.

Meeting Rengaraja Desigar of Ongkara Kudil We left for Turaiyur at 3.40 pm hoping to get a darshan and blessings of Swami Rengaraja Desigar, founder, and patron of the Agathiyar Sanmarga Sangam, at Ongkara Kudil, Turaiyur. I specifically wanted to come here. We reached his ashram at 5 pm. Nadarajah happily welcomed me. He was the one managing this establishment. On hearing that I was from Malaysia, he was overjoyed. He had very high respects for Malaysians. He said, “All these is possible because of you Malaysians,” pointing to all the structures and facilities put up with donations from Malaysians. I enquired if I could see the Swami. I was told he would be coming in a short while for the evening prayers at 6.30 pm and that I could see him then. While I waited, I was served tea. After a while Nadarajah, tells me Swami was coming down to meet a couple of businesspersons. I was given the opportunity to meet the Swami after them. However, before that he took me around to view all the facilities that they had at the ashram. As he ended the tour of the office, kitchen, and stores and other related buildings, he gasped aloud to find that the two visitors had left. He hurried me along to a building, praying that Swami should still be around to see me. And to our joy, there was Swami seated alone on the floor in one corner of that small room. There was an aid standing at the doorway to another room. I entered the room and prostrated in front of Swami. Devendran followed too. Nadarajah introduced me to Swami. Swami talked cheerfully about Kuala Lumpur and enquired from Devendran about my arrangement to tour India. I never expected to have an audience with Swami one to one. I asked that he bless me. He did not reply. Fearing he might not have heard me, again. There was no reply. I asked him thrice. Finally, he replied that coming to Ongkara Kudil in itself was a blessing. I did not know how to receive his answer then 13.

13 When Swami Rengaraja Desigar did not bless me as did the other gurus I felt sad and was confused. This incident had been troubling me. I began to question myself if I was not good enough to receive his blessings. I had high regards for the swami as his nadi, which was published by his followers for the public, carried praises for the swami from the sidhas. He was said to be the avatar of Saint Ramalingam. I had mentioned to Ramesh that I had yet to receive an answer as to why I did not receive the swami’s blessing. Later Murali who listens to the radio on his way to the office everyday mentions about Saint Avaiyar’s Kural that came on the air. It seems Saint Avaiyar had cautioned those who were doing meditation to refrain from cursing others, and to my surprise, to refrain from blessing others. It seems the strength of spiritual practice (tava valimai) would reduce by doing both. Finally, it dawned on me as to why Swami Rengaraja Desigar refrained from blessing me that day at Turaiyur. He was already nearing the end of his tavam. He was in his 27th year, with another three years to go. Some time later I realized the meaning of Swami’s answer when I read a book by Andrew Harvey where he (Andrew Harvey) asks Mother Meera (His Guru) “Can I receive your light?” and she replies “You are receiving it. One day you will see it.” 37

Nadarajah invited me to stay overnight but I had to turn down his requests because of prior arrangements to do parikaaram back at the Utamar temple. Upon returning to Malaysia, I narrated my visit to Ongkara Kudil and having the audience with Swami to the devotees at Agathiyar Sanmarga Sangam in Dengkil and they were surprised that I was allowed to see Swami that easily and in private too. I was told the organization had laid certain rules to restrict the inflow of devotees coming to see Swami, which was taking much of Swami’s time and hindering his meditation. In addition, those devotees were required to bring along fruits and flowers that were customary when visiting Swamis and cash of Rs1, 000. I understood later upon reading the nadi revelations of the Swami published by this organization, that it was the sidhas directive to lay down these instructions to aspiring devotees who wanted to have a darshan of the Swami. It did not occur to me to bring these offerings nor did Nadarajah enlighten me on the procedures. I suppose I was destined to meet the Swami.

Brahmaharti and Sangkalpa I started back to Utamar temple at 5.45 pm to perform the next parikaaram – prayers to Brahma, Vishnu and Siva and donations to Brahmin priests. Devendran accompanied me. Sivabalan told me since I had done harm to Brahmins in my last birth I should ask to do Brahmaharti at Lord Vishnu’s shrine. I asked to do Brahmaharti at Lord Vishnu’s chamber as advised by Sivabalan. The priests chanted some mantra and splashed some water on my face. Thinking I needed to do Brahmaharti at Siva’s chamber too, I mentioned to the other priest, at this chamber only to be told that he had done the Sangkalpa pooja that removes all my previous, present and the future karmas. I understood that I am a clean slate now. I have to ensure extreme precautions in whatever I do, say and think and to be very aware so as not to create fresh and new karmas.

Day 6 – Appeasing Saturn Eight am, 6 September 2003, and I am off to Paalur Navagraha temple to perform parikaaram at Sani Bhagavan’s sanctum. Devendran accompanied me. The uniqueness of this Navagraha temple is that all the planets are with their consorts here. On enquiring what I should do, the priests ask that I donate sesame oil and silk cloth for the nine planets. At 8.20 am, I am back at Trichi to purchase the items for the prayers as suggested by the priest. We rush back to the temple. Abhisegam was done at 10 am. The elderly priest mentions that his nephew was at the Palani Murugan temple and he asked me to look him up on arrival in Palani.

Later Sage Agathiyar reveals in the nadi reading on 19 August 2008 the greatness of Swami Rengaraja Desigar and tells me I was not ready for the meeting during my first visit to see him. The Sage encourages me to see the Swami now.

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Then I was off to Sri Rangam temple. It was just as crowded as Thirupati. Here Lord Vishnu as Ranganathar is in a reclining pose. I could not enter the main chamber to see Lord Ranganathar due to the crowd. Instead, I spent some time at the Ambal shrine where prayers were going on. As I was about to get into the car and drive away from Sri Rangam a holy man with a long white beard, long hair that was tied up neatly, and dressed in a white vesti, appeared from out of nowhere. He was fair, merry, and cheerful. He started blessing me, “You shall be fine.” He spoke fine English and Tamil. I bent to touch his feet, asked if he had eaten, and gave him a token before I bid farewell to him.14 Two pm, I start back to the hotel that was in the outskirts of town. Feeling rather bored at the hotel, I woke up Devendran who was having an afternoon nap and ask that he drive me into town. I shopped the streets of Trichi for books from four to five in the evening. Devendran accompanied me as we started climbing the flight of stairs up to the Rock Fort where the Uchipillaiyaar temple and Tayumana Swami temple is located. The electricity supply was interrupted in certain portions of this Rock Fort temple while I was here. It was an unusual experience, praying and moving around in the dark. It was a beautiful view from up here. I left for the hotel at 7.30 pm.

Day 7 – Palani and Twilight Zone 5.30 am, 7 September 2003 I left for Palani a day earlier than scheduled. I reached the foot of the hillock at 8.50 am. After a brief drive around the hill, Devendran dropped me off at the entrance to the Thiruavinankudi temple 15. After prayers at Thiruavinankudi temple, I started for the hill temple only to realize later that I was moving away from it. Realizing this I asked for directions to the hill temple. I bought prayer items for the abhisegam and started up the hill. After having taken only a few steps, I just could not move my legs any more. They were extremely heavy as if rooted to the ground. I had to force myself to lift my legs. The heart was pumping hard. I was gasping for air. I pushed myself determined to scale the hill. I had to break the climb though, stopping every few minutes. I eventually reached the top of the hill. On reaching the top, I was dizzy and had to sit. I dropped my belongings and leaned against the wall of one of the stalls that were lined up. As I sat there, I was sweating profusely on

14 So who was this person who appeared out of no where to bless me? 15 Tavayogi later told me when he accompanied me to Thiruavinankudi that this was THE temple those days where Sage Bhogar had lived and meditated. Sage Bhogar only moved to the hill temple later. He also mentioned that Sage Konganar had prayed and meditated on Lord Murugan in the present day Thirumalai Vengadasalapathi temple in Thirupathi. 39

the verge of fainting. The throat was extremely parched and dry. As I opened my eyes all was bright and white. I could hear the crowd and see silhouettes of people moving along. 16 Having regained my composure after some time, I stood up. I continued my way to Palani Murugan’s chambers. I stood in row to have the darshan of the Lord and did archana here. Leaving the Lord’s chambers, I followed the crowd ahead of me. I then came upon another room where there were four Brahmin priests. I enquired if it was Sage Bhogar’s Samadhi and they nodded. I entered and stood in prayer while one of the priests showed the flame. One of the four priests, a young man, reached for a tumbler on top of a closet in the room and handed it to me saying it was abhisegam milk. I drank the milk. I took the opportunity to sit for a while here, as there were no devotees around. Upon opening my eyes, I noticed the priest was still there in front of me, this time holding some flowers and vibhuti in his hand. He gave them to me. I took leave thanking him silently.17 I came out of Sage Bhogar’s chamber in a daze, not comprehending what had just happened back there. I walked around the temple grounds still in a daze but with a heart that was full, brimming with joy. I finally left the premises and found my way to the car at the foothill at 11 am. I was back at the hotel in Trichi at 2.40 pm.

Day 8 – Revisiting My Roots 8th September 2003, I had a day without any activity as we had covered all there was to be seen earlier than planned. Therefore, Devendran suggested I visit my late father’s village Kilsevalpatti in Putukkottai - Sivagangai district. I started for my father’s village at 7.20 am.

Viralimalai We stopped at Viralimalai Murugan temple. Here I saw a spectacular sight - flocks of peacock roaming freely in the wild.

16 I had no problem climbing the 272 steps at Batu Caves. Neither did I have problem climbing the numerous steps in the Gua Tempurung Caves back home prior to this trip. So why could not I climb Palani Hill? 17 I was alone with these four priests at Sage Bhogar’s Samadhi for some time without any disturbances from the public. Now where did all the people in front of me and those behind me go to? Sage Agathiyar reveals to me in the Aasi Kaandam nadi reading on 19 August 2005 that it was Lord Murugan who gave me the milk at the Sage’s request. What did I do to deserve such grace from the Lord?

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Kundrakudi – Pillaiyaar Patti 8.50 am, I was at Kundrakudi Shanmuganathar temple located on a small hillock. 11.40 am, I was at Pillaiyaar Patti Karpaga Vinayagar temple. Here was one huge statue of Lord Vinayagar carved on the face of a huge boulder that had become a famous temple now. 12.30 pm, I stopped over at Kaala Bhairavar temple. A very tranquil place. I left this temple at 1.20 pm for my late father's village. As we drove down a lane in between rows of houses, there was a large gathering in front of a house. We stopped three doors away from the crowd and stepped into a house. An elderly man was seated at a corner. I introduced myself and enquired if he knew my late father. He tells me he was related too and informed me my cousin had passed away the night before. The crowd that we saw three doors away had gathered for the funeral. As I was on a pilgrimage, I could not meet my relatives. I gathered whatever I could from this relative and snapped a few shots of the house my father was born and lived in and the street that he had walked through. I could not enter my father’s childhood home for lunch was been served for the relatives of the deceased. For some reason I was not allowed to mend or meet up with my relatives in India.

Vayalur I returned to Trichi at 4.30 pm and continued to visit Kumara Vayalur Murugan temple. I was here at 5.30 pm. A huge statue of Kripananda Vaariyaar greeted me upon arrival. I left for the hotel at 6 pm.

Day 9 – The Pinnacle of My Journey Six am, 9 September, I left for Thiruanaika temple again thinking I could take a dip in the tank. However, there was hardly any water in the tanks. 7.15 am, I started for Thiruvanamalai stopping over at Viradeswarar Temple in Thirukovilur at 10.40 am. I continued my journey to Thiruvanamalai at 11 am. I reached Thiruvanamalai temple at 1.15 pm. Devendran accompanied me. I was at the temple grounds until 1.50 pm. I had a beautiful darshan, and pretty close one too of Lord Annamalaiyar and Goddess Unna Mulaiyal. I performed prayers here, at the Siva Parvathi Urchavamurthy and at Lord Murugan’s shrine. I saw the underground (Patala) Lingam where Ramana Maharishi had meditated. I left for the hotel at 2.30 pm. This was the day of going around Mount Thiruvanamalai. According to the nadi, I was to go round this hill on a full moon night.18

18 Any full moon night will do according to nadi reader Sentilkumar. 41

So here, I was on 9 September 2003 in Thiruvanamalai. Full moon started at 10.47 pm and lasted until 10.48 pm the next day (10 September 2003). At 5.30 pm, I walked to the temple from the hotel. I joined the long queue to get another darshan of the Lord before embarking on the Girivalam. It was a long queue indeed, for I only saw the Lord at 9 pm. At 9.40 pm, I started on the Girivalam path finishing back at the temple grounds at 6.30 am on 10 September. I stopped over at the following places of worship: Tuesday, 9 September 9.45 pm Agni Lingam in the temple grounds 10.40 pm Seshadari ashram, Amman temple, Dhaskhina Murthi temple 10.45 pm Kali temple 11.30 pm Ramana ashram 11.40 pm turned back without visiting Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s (Visiri Swami) ashram as I thought the path was taking me away from the Girivalam route 11.55 pm Murugan temple, Sakthi temple, Adi Sankara Madam, Tank Wednesday, 10 September 12.10 am Cemetery, Yama Lingam 12.20 am Mrityam Or Jaya Lingam, Ganesar temple 12.35 am Tank, Dhurvasa temple, Nandi temple 12.50 am Tank, Jhoti Vinayagar temple 1.20 am Vallalar temple, Annamalaiyar temple, Unna Mulaiyal temple 1.30 am Anjaneyar temple 1.40 am Palani Andavar temple, Raja Rajeswari temple, Nandi temple 1.50 am Adi Mudi Sidha Samadhi, Kautamar Rishi temple, Surya Lingam temple, Rama temple, Varuna Lingam temple, Adi Arunachaleswarer temple 2.45 am Manickavasagar temple, Ganesar temple, Sakthi temple, Sudhananda ashram

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3.10 am Vayu Lingam temple 3.20 am Tank, Ramachandra Swami ashram 4.20 am Kubera Lingam temple 4.40 am Eduku Pillaiyaar temple, Panja Muka Darshan temple, Brahma Rishi temple, Esaki temple 5.00 am Arthanathiswarar temple 5.10 am Seenivasa Perumal temple, Cemetery, Ammani Ammal Peedham, Esanya Lingam temple 5.30 am Easanya Samadhi, Annamalaiyar temple 5.55 am Draupadi Amman temple 6 am Durga, Anjaneyar, and Perumal temples Finally, Erathai Vinayagar temple at 6.30 am ending the Girivalam at the eastern gopuram. I was hoping to come face to face with my guru at this holy event. However, I was not destined to meet him until a later date.19

Day 10 - A Chance Meeting with Supramania Swami Or Was It Ordained? After lunch that day at 12 noon, I went back to Ramana Maharishi’s ashram and sat at his Samadhi. Later I left for Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s ashram, which I did not get to visit earlier during the Girivalam. Unfortunately, Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s ashram was closed for lunch. Just before I left Malaysia for India, my wife reminded me that we had not consulted an astrologer on the astrological chart for our second daughter. Since I was going to India, she asked me to check it out once I was there. Since I had the rest of the day to myself, I decided to go eight kilometers out of Thiruvanamalai to meet Devendran’s uncle who was an astrologer. 20

19 I was told in the nadi that I would meet up with my guru in an unexpected way and in an unexpected place soon. He would guide me with further instructions for spiritual advancement. When I did not meet the said guru, I consoled myself it may be another moment, and another place. 20 When I left for India, Mages had asked me to check out the astrology chart of my younger daughter, Vimala. My older daughter, Praba’s astrological chart had been written but not the younger one. Therefore, I seized the opportunity to see Supramania Swami and have her future forecast when Devendran mentioned that he (Supramania Swami) was an astrologer. What I did 43

Supramania Swami with Arunachaleshwarar temple in the background Devendran introduced me as a tourist from Malaysia who was there for his (my) daughter’s astrological chart reading. I mentioned my name to Devendran’s uncle. He immediately took me into his prayer room, lighted the camphor, hovered it in front of all the portraits of the deities in his prayer room, and blessed me.21 We sat outside the house. I prepared myself to listen to the astrological revelation of my daughter’s future. However, what he actually did was to talk about my future and me. The first thing he mentioned was, “Now since you have arrived in Thiruvanamalai, all is over for you.” 22 I did not ask what he meant by that. He stressed this couple of times. He reminded me I had to put effort on certain practices, which he elaborated later.23 I did not question him nor interrupt him. I just sat there listening, waiting for each word to break out from his lips. He mentioned that he had been going around Mount Thiruvanamalai on full moon days, for the past thirty years now, but could not do it the night before due to ill health.24

not know was that seeing him over an astrological chart was only a reason to be with him. He was waiting for me. 21 Why did he bring me to his prayer room and bless me immediately upon arrival? 22 Did he mean I am home? I came back home. I came back to the shadows of my Lord after having strayed away for several births and 44 years of this lifetime. 23 Only later when I was back in Malaysia did it dawned on me that could this be the person I wanted to meet on the Girivalam path. 24 Even though he did not go on Girivalam that night, I was brought to him. 44

He told me, I might have all the relations with me but would still be alone. The only company for me is the company of Lord Siva. This he mentioned twice. He implied as did Saint Ramalingam that there was no death for this body reassuring me that I was right with my stand that this body was not meant to drop dead. He mentioned his masters. He had had five of them. Amongst them was his own father, Jayaraman Pillai, Pundi Mahan (Atru Swami), Sathanandha Swami of Salem25, Kolli Malai Swami and Yogi Ramsuratkumar (Visiri Swami). He narrated an incident involving Yogi Ramsuratkumar. The Yogi, he said had placed him under ‘house arrest’ once. Supramania Swami was asked to meditate at the Yogi’s residence for five days. The Yogi had asked him to stay at his (Yogi’s) place but later decided that he be with his family. Swami did mention another incident where once Yogi Ramsuratkumar tapped the door of his home at 11 pm one night. Swami woke up to be given a poster of the Yogi himself and the Yogi left laughing. He tried to keep up with the Yogi but the Yogi disappeared into the darkness.26 Swami also narrated the story of Guhai Namasivaya and his disciple Guru Namasivaya, where Guru Namasivaya drinks the vomit of his guru when his guru ask that Guru Namasivaya disposes off the vomit in a place out of bounds of human. Supramania Swami mentioned that the following activities have to be done in secrecy: prayers (pooja), consuming food (bhojanam), and sex (maithunam). 27 Swami Nithyananda, refers to Saint Ramanujam, on food intake in his book SIX DAYS TO TOTAL TRANSFORMATION published by Nithyananda Publishers, 2004, ‘Ramanujam writes that food can be contaminated in three ways [doshas] Jaati dosha where the food itself is toxic by its very quality; Food prepared unhygienic ally and contaminated with hair or dust has nimitta dosha; The person who cooks or handles food leaves the imprint of his thoughts upon it thereby contaminating it with Aashraya dosha.

25 Sathanandha Swami authored the KANDAR GURU KAVASAM. 26 I had the privilege to chant with Supramania Swami where Yogi Ramsuratkumar (Visiri Swami) joined us in spirit in 2005. 27 Now how did he know that I prayed loudly? I used to scream my head off when I sang prayers at my altar.

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Swami Nithyananda compares eating to a sacred religious rite. He says, ‘Just as we make offerings to the sacrificial fire in a ‘yagam’, we make this offering of food to our inner fire, the digestive fire - jatar agni.’ Eating is equivalent to a yagam. Be careful what things we put into the sacrificial fire, which turns into amirtham for the Devas [in the body]. Supramania Swami gave me mantra teecha to be recited, which was the guru upadesa. He asked that I chant the mantra for half an hour each day. “Just as a silversmith polishes his wares we too shall slowly work on IT till we achieve IT,” said Swami. Swami asked me to get a mat made of tharbai grass for use as a seat during meditation. As we sat there together Supramania Swami revealed new happenings that were about to take place in my life. He could tell a number of intimate things about the life and mission I was to face. As he was narrating all this happenings to be, I could not help but break down. I cried like a child. I cried for blessings I had received from God until that very moment. I realized how much God loved me then. As I, cried Supramania Swami added that I would be coming back repeatedly. Then he surprised me further when he mentioned that I would build a temple right here in India - in Thiruvanamalai; set up a Peedham and that I will have a place here too. I cried aloud again.28 “Take him back with you”, he said referring to Lord Annamalaiyar. Supramania Swami was by now seated up erect, in a meditative state as those words crept from his lips. I did not ask for clarifications. When Devendran did mention to Swami that it took me nine hours compared to three hours for others to go around Mount Thiruvanamalai, Swami replied, “Of course it would take that long for he (referring to me) had been stopping over at all the places of worship and ashrams.”29 As we left his home, he stood there, hands together in prayer for me. I in return stood there with my palms in prayer to him too, not knowing what was appropriate for the moment.30

28 Sage Agathiyar had told me in the nadi reading that I would have to assists financially in the construction of temples and after which I would have to build one for HIM. My confusion as to where I should build the temple had been cleared when Supramania Swami told me it was to be in Thiruvanamalai. Therefore, God has assigned the magnificent and majestic task of constructing a temple for him and in the land of my ancestors– INDIA - the land where miracles happen every moment. Andrew Harvey in HIDDEN JOURNEY-A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING says, “In India the miraculous is commonplace.” However, how was I to go about its construction when I am residing in Malaysia? 29 Now how did he know that? 30 Was I a stranger to him? Do we know each other? Had we met before?

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He was praying for my safe journey. We left him as night fell over this small village known as Nacha Ananthal. I reached the hotel at 8 pm.

Day 11 – Returning Home - A Satisfied Pilgrim Thursday morning, 11 September, I walked to Annamalaiyar temple at 6.30 am to have HIS darshan again. Today there was no crowd any longer. I took my time to pray and look around. I saw abhisegam being performed to Annamalaiyar’s ‘feet’. I splashed myself with water from the tank (Indra Theertam). As I came around the temple grounds, a woman was standing alone against the wall opposite Lord Egambareswarar’s sanctum. She indicated by hand gestures that she was hungry. I gave her money. I then fell at her feet.31 I returned to the hotel after breakfast. Devendran turned up at 10 am. I went over to Ramana Maharishi’s ashram to purchase some audio cassettes and over to Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s ashram at 10.40 am. I sat at his Samadhi. No one was around then except for an employee from the ashram who was stationed to distribute prasadham to devotees at the entrance. It was beautiful here. The calmness away from the hectic atmospheres in most of the major temples that I had visited earlier. I went over to Kubera Lingam at 11.30 pm. Devendran accompanied me. I followed Supramania Swami’s instructions and left for Chennai at 11.40 am. On the way, I chanced to see Swami Ragavendra’s Brindavan at Vemandhi in Pelakuppam, Tindivanam. Then I diverted to Thiruporur Kandasamy temple. I was there from 4 pm to 4.30 pm. I reached Chennai at 5.20 pm. I had planned to see a few more temples in Chennai but it was not important any more. After Thiruvanamalai and the darshan of Supramania Swami, nothing was important anymore. That night I ventured out of my hotel. Because I had much time on my hands, I dropped in at the Vinayagar temple next to my hotel.

Day 12 – Departure Day I went again to the Vinayagar temple at 5.30 am,12 September.Then I walked over to the adjacent Vadapalani Murugan temple and a Siva temple. At 8 am, I was back at the hotel. At 10 am, Devendran turned up at the hotel and I did some shopping in T Nagar returning to the hotel at 3 pm. At 8 pm, I started for the airport. I took the flight back to Malaysia at 12.05 am on 13 September 2003. It was a memorable journey and satisfying trip indeed.

31 Who was she and why did I fall at her feet? I do not know. 47

CHAPTER 2 Sacred Moments With Gurus Sacred Moments with Swami Nithyananda of Dhyanapeetam, Bangalore While reading through a book entitled A GARLAND OF MEMORIES on Swami Nithyananda of Thiruvanamalai by his devotees in my brother’s house, I happened to see a leaflet with the program of his talks. A friend of my brother had passed the book to him to read. I attended the talk given by the Swami at Bangi with my friend, Murali on 15 July 2005. It had been raining that evening. We arrived early. While waiting for Swami’s arrival the organizers ran some video clips of the Swami and his organization. We were given a free edition of the Tamil magazine VAANAMPADI that carried the biography of Swami.32 Swami Nithyananda stepped into the hall at 7.40 pm. He was looking so divine, dressed in orange robes with a headgear, young and handsome just like the photos of young Swami Vivekananda. I could see that he was in bliss. Swami Nithyananda was only 28 years of age, tall and elegant, with some feminine gestures. University and College students ushered him in as this event was being held in an institute of higher learning. The swami stopped awhile when a few devotees fell at his feet. No one stopped the devotees nor refrained them from doing so. He walked up the aisle to the stage where he sat on a settee. The talk was addressed specifically to teenagers. He talked on the problems faced by them and linked it to the lack of spiritualism. He talked about the influence of television and movies on the students. He says in his book, SIX DAYS TO TOTAL TRANSFORMATION, published by Nithyananda Publishers, 2004, “Modern civilization can be psychologically classified into two ages; the pre-TV age and the post-TV age. That is the importance given and influence of this ‘box’. Know when to switch it off.” He also means the internal TV that is constantly playing in our minds. He talked on the process leading from the senses to the subconscious (samskaras). “We need to reduce this involvement of the subconciousness. One who depends solely on the subconscious lives a live based on instinct. One who depends on the conscious rather than subconscious lives a life based on intuition. When samskaras are reduced, buddhi sets in. Meditation is the only way for samskaras to die a natural death.”

32 Rajasekaran was born to Arunachalam and Lokanayaki on January 1, 1978. On the tenth day after his birth, an astrologer was summoned to cast his horoscope and he declared, "Arunachalam, your family is honored! This boy will grow up to be a Raja Sannyasi (King among holy mendicants). I am privileged to have been chosen to draw this horoscope. I cannot sully my hands by allowing another horoscope to pass through them." So saying, he gladly retired from his profession.

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Swami Nithyananda in his book, SIX DAYS TO TOTAL TRANSFORMATION published by Nithyananda Publishers, 2004, he explains beautifully the meaning of subconscious, ‘Subconscious is nothing but the collective term for all the suppressed desires, suppressed emotions [unfulfilled desires-samskaras]. When energy is not allowed to flow, to take its natural course, it stagnates in your system. All these repressions are stored in your subconscious, and ultimately they can destroy the being. Whatever you suppress in the waking state appears strongly in your dream state. When you really get fulfillment you do not store even the seed of the desire inside anymore. However, we never get real fulfillment because we never enter into anything fully. If we get into anything fully, we will be out of it.’ When thought arises, we suppress it. “You can’t give expression to the desire; nor should you suppress it. Simply drop the desire,” he says. He also mentioned, “Do not be born in a church and die in a church”.33 He was using the computer and a Power Point presentation as a medium of instruction. He was practical, and down to earth and got his message across to the audience in an educational way. At 9.15 pm, Swami Nithyananda started giving blessings. We were told Swami would autograph books and posters purchased at the hall. I bought a book written by Swami SIX DAYS TO TOTAL TRANSFORMATION and stood in line to get his blessing and autograph. Murali was right in front of me. Swami was seated in a settee on the stage in the hall. We were queuing up on the floor of the hall, the line winding its way to the stage. When I came up to him, it was obvious that he was in bliss. I saluted him with the Vanakam gesture and called out “Swami,” Immediately he became attentive like as if he had come out of the bliss state he was in. I started again, “Let me experience the bliss that you are experiencing now.” As I uttered the words in Tamil, he took his right hand and moved it over my head. I closed my eyes. I could feel his hand on my head. Swami blessed me with these words, “Your wish will come true. Meditate.” I opened my eyes and worshipped his feet. Then I reached for his book that I had bought and handed it to him to be autographed. He took the book in his hands, paused for a moment, and wrote on a blank page. He handed out a card to me. I stepped back, my body was shaking, filled with joy. I walked away. I took a seat. Upon looking into the book that he had autographed, it was signed as ‘L.M.’.34 33 Tavayogi too reminded us in his talks to come out of temple worship (bakti marga) and move up into the path of knowledge (gnana marga). 34 One day as I was reading the book it dawned on me could that initial ‘L.M.’ mean Lahari Mahasaya? Was Lahari Mahasaya guiding me? Was the mantra OM NAMOH BHAGAVATHEY VASUDEVAYA NAMA, that Lahari Mahasaya revered with greatness, from him? Did he show his presence and bless me through my nephew Thayalan?

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The Swami was holding a two day meditation course – Ananda Spurana Program - on the 16th and 17th. Although he had asked me to do meditation when I approached him for his blessings, he had not asked that I attend his classes. To attend the class one had to make a deposit and settle the amount of RM400, which includes food and accommodation at the Gold Course Hotel in Klang. I had only RM60.00 with me then. Although I did not sign up for the course, I did buy his book SIX DAYS TO TOTAL TRANSFORMATION, which was about this course too. Murali and I stayed until Swami left. When Swami Nithyananda blessed me, he asked that I meditate; Supramania Swami always reminded me to meditate; even Tavayogi who does not instruct told me once to meditate. Why was so much importance given to meditation? Much has been written in books on meditation, but Nithyananda puts it simply in his book, “If you don’t know how to look inward, the outer world will reduce you to madness, sooner or later. We need meditation the way we need oxygen.” Swami Muktananda in KUNDALINI - THE SECRET OF LIFE, published by the SYDA Foundation, NY,1994, ‘Why should you meditate? Why should you awaken your inner Shakti? The answer is, to see this Blue Pearl. This is the goal of your spiritual journey. It is the Blue Pearl which puts an end to your bondage and makes you realize your own perfection.’35 ‘We do not meditate to attain God, because we have already attained him. We meditate so that we can become aware of God manifest within us’. Only when I reached home did I glance at the card that was handed out by Swami. In it was written, ‘I want you to know the power of Bliss (Ananda) which liberates you from the dilemma of the mind and depression of your Being, which gives tremendous freedom in the inner and outer worlds – Swami Nithyananda’. I realized then that I had wished for the right thing - Bliss (Ananda) when I approached the Swami and asked that he make me realize it too. He assured me it will be a reality - provided I meditate. SIX DAYS TO TOTAL TRANSFORMATION published by Nithyananda Publishers, 2004, was a beautiful book. It was the first time a saint had given explanations on the various chakras in the body in a different perspective, one more practical and feasible for one to follow and less complicated. He associates the chakra with emotions, beliefs, and behavior rather than with deities, color, and mantras as was the normal explanations by others. The emotions related to the chakra as described in his book are as follows. 35 ‘The Blue Pearl is subtler than the subtlest. It is the size of a sesame seed. Yet even though it is so tiny, it is very big, for the whole world of movable and immovable things is contained within it. …Within the blue pearl are millions and millions of universes. The blue pearl contains the entire cosmos’ – Swami Muktananda in KUNDALINI- THE SECRET OF LIFE.

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Table 1: The Chakras and the Corresponding Emotions. Chakra Muladhara Swadishthana Manipuraka

Locked By Imagination; Expectation; Fantasy Fear; Especially Fear Of Death

Unlocked By Acceptance Of The Other; Acceptance Of Reality; [Drop your expectations of others] Acceptance Of Death; [Drop your fears]

Worry

Think Positive; [Drop your worries; Do Not React] Anahata Asking For Attention Selfless Love; [Drop your want of acceptance and need for approval] Vishuddhi Comparison And Realizing You Uniqueness; Jealousy [Drop Comparing] Ajna Seriousness Innocence And Simplicity; [Drop your seriousness] And Finally When Discontentment, Taking Gratitude and bliss You Are At Sahasrara Life For Granted [Learn to show gratitude. This final stage is very obvious in Saint Ramalingam’s ARUTPA where he sings songs of gratitude to the Lord Arutperumjhoti] The Swami teaches us to be punctual. “Just by being punctual- we are showing respect to each other,” he says. “Come with a fresh mind. Listen without comparison. You will be able to receive my message totally,” he adds further. When I met my gurus, Supramania Swami and Tavayogi, I went with an open mind. I did not carry questions with me. Neither did I voice my opinions. I just remained in their presence. They talked, I listened. Nithyananda says, “If you already have some ideas, some understanding, those ideas are going to be confused with my own. Too much logic and reason will come in the way of your receiving me into yourself.” He says, “When we talk, most of us are just vomiting ideas.” Swami Nithyananda currently runs an ashram in Bangalore. He can be contacted at http://www.dhyanapeetam.org.

The Guru - Disciple Relationship Supramania Swami always asks if I was meditating. He once told me, “Meditate my son, only then will my meditation be realized.” Later when I saw the nadi in 2005, Sage Agathiyar says something quite similar, “Live with pride my son, for then I too shall live in pride.” I did not understand these statements then. Then Swami Nithyananda clears the air when he explains in his book SIX DAYS TO TOTAL TRANSFORMATION published by Nithyananda Publishers, 2004, that the child has given you the honorable status of a father.

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I am the father because I have a child. When the child appears in the world, it gives birth to the woman - ‘into motherhood’. Similarly, the wife has given you the status of a husband; the parents have given you the status of son or daughter. Respect each of them. In a similar way, the disciple raises the status of the guru too. Thotapuri and Ramakrishna helped each other. The guru and the disciple pray to the higher energy, one illuminating the other. There is transformation both ways. I have affected my gurus to a certain extent, and they have affected my life tremendously. As I left Nacha Ananthal to return to Malaysia, Supramania Swami brought his hands to his chest in prayer. He stood there, looking at me hands in prayer. I did not know what to do so I returned the gesture. When I left the kudil on my return to Malaysia on my second trip, he did the same. Nithyananda explains there is no ego at all in this relationship between the guru and disciple. He says, “There is just a beautiful mutual respect.”

Meeting My Second Guru, Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal I had happened to come across articles, consecutively over a few days in the local Tamil language dailies, about the opening of an organization called the Sri Agathiyar Gyana Peedham. Accompanying that article was a photograph of Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal [16]of Kallaru, India. I do not buy Tamil dailies but surprisingly during this period my neighbor, Augustine sends us a complimentary copy every day. I called Perumal whose telephone number appeared in the daily, and enquired about Tavayogi. I mentioned to him I had a leaflet carrying Tavayogi’s name that was given to me when I read the nadi in 2002. He referred me to Appana Nagappan for an appointment. I called Appana and asked to see Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal. I reached the Peedham in Batu Caves at 10.40 am, twenty minutes earlier then the appointed time. Tavayogi, Appana, and Perumal we already there at the office. Appana welcomed me while Perumal introduced me to them saying Tavayogi’s name was mentioned in my nadi (a misinterpretation on the part of Perumal that I did not care to correct).

Tavayogi - Photograph courtesy of The New Straits Times Tavayogi was dressed in the traditional saffron colored cloth (kaavi) of saints and gurus. He was bald with hair flowing on the back of his head, spotted a gray mustache and beard, and wore glasses. Appana told us to go ahead as he had some office matters to settle with Perumal.

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Tavayogi immediately lead me to the adjoining room and he sat down on the carpet. I followed him into the room and settled in front of him. The first thing Tavayogi spoke was, “Son, I have no connection with them – referring to Appana and the Peedham” 36. I took out the leaflet, which had his name on it and told him I received it from Sentilkumar when he read my nadi in 2002. I asked if he was the one mentioned in the leaflet. Tavayogi answered, “Its mine.” The leaflet had mentioned plans for the construction of a temple cum ashram for Sage Agathiyar in Kallaru, Coimbatore, South India. I asked if the temple in Kallaru was completed. He answered “No. We are still looking for a proper site.” He did not elaborate further. Neither did I dwell on the subject.37 I started narrating some portions of the nadi to Tavayogi: I told him that I was told in the nadi Sage Agathiyar was my prime master (moola guru). I read certain portions and questioned what it meant. Tavayogi asked me to read further. I continued. On listening to the nadi rendition, Tavayogi said that I had come to the right place. “Sage Agathiyar has sent you here,” he said. I asked him how I was to worship the sidhas. Tavayogi answered that I should frequent this Peedham where all that I am yearning to know would be taught under the tutelage of Appana.38 I read a portion of the Gnana Kaandam of my nadi to Tavayogi. Tavayogi again reiterated that I had come to the right place. I told him about my trip to India in 2003, meeting with Supramania Swami, and engaging in building the kudil for Supramania Swami in Thiruvanamalai. Tavayogi asked me if I came to Kallaru during my first tour of India. I replied I did not, to which Tavayogi said, “I (He) didn’t know.” Later he tells Appana, “We (Tavayogi and me) should have met in 2003”. 36 I still wonder why he said that when he had come all the way from India to officiate the opening of this Peedham? 37 When I saw Sentilkumar in 2002, after the nadi reading he had shown me a leaflet asking for donations to build a temple in Kallaru, which would be undertaken by Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal. Sentilkumar added that a nadi had indicated to see one millionaire in Chennai for donations and this man had pledge he would finance the building of the temple in Kallaru. Therefore, I was expecting the temple to be up and running by now. However, it was a puzzle to me when Tavayogi told me that there was no temple yet. 38 Sage Agathiyar says in the nadi that Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal is the guru for me. Swami Sivananda has this to say on the guru, “Let each man take the path according to his capacity, temperament, and understanding. His Sadguru will meet him along the path. Listen to all, but follow one. Respect all, but adore one. Gather knowledge from all, but adopt the teachings of one Master. Then you will have rapid spiritual progress. Once you choose your Guru, implicitly follow him. God will guide you through the Guru.”

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I mentioned to him my visits to Rengaraja Desigar in Turaiyur, South India, Agathiyar Sanmarga Sangam in Dengkil, and Agathiyar Sanmarga Kurukulam in Kampong Laksmana looking for guidance on the worship of Sage Agathiyar; and quite recently meeting Swami Nithyananda. He fetched into a pocket in his clothing, took out a packet of sacred ash (vibhuti) and blessed me by applying the ash on my forehead, and gave me some. He took down my address and telephone number too. I told him I had been asked to see the nadi again but could not locate any reader in Malaysia then. Tavayogi immediately gave me the telephone number of a nadi reader Ramesh. Appana and Perumal joined us at that moment. When Appana and Perumal enquired of me about the nadi, Tavayogi immediately replied that I was sent to learn breathing practices and told them that he, (Tavayogi) shall give 'Teecha'. Appana briefs me on his meeting with Tavayogi, which was destined and written, in his nadi. He talked about the Peedham that was newly set up. Appana handed a portrait of Sage Agathiyar and another of all the Sidhas to Tavayogi to have it blessed and given to me. I received THEM. Those were the same portraits that Appana had enlarged and placed at the Peedham meditation hall. I then noticed a pair of sandals placed on a pedestal in front of the portraits. I looked at Tavayogi and Appana and looked back at the sandals. They must have understood me for they nodded. I placed my hands on the ‘feet of my guru’ and grabbed on to them firmly. After that, I do not know what came over me as I was in tears, crying aloud. This went on for a while. I had no control over myself. The tears seem to pour on its own. Finally I moved away from the pedestal and lay flat on the carpeted floor, faced down, showing my respect and salutations to the guru. I heard Tavayogi mention to Appana, "We too did cry this way back then”.39 Andrew Harvey in HIDDEN JOURNEY-A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING, published by Penguin Books USA Inc., 1992, writes on his meeting with Mother Meera. ‘As she said my name for the first time a sob arose in me and shook my entire body. I tried to control it, but my whole being started to weep before her. The grief of my life’s loneliness, guilt, and sexual pain seemed to seize me and pour itself out at her feet. I wept for a long time. Slowly, in the huge and healing silence of her presence, I began to feel calm.’

39 Later when I saw the nadi I was told that this Peedham is the place for me to learn about spirituality. I was also told to see Tavayogi immediately the very same night and get teecha from him. I could have brushed aside or delayed seeing Tavayogi. Instead, when I followed as instructed and I went over to the Peedham and got Tavayogi’s blessing that night, the reading was mysteriously ‘erased’. When the nadi was read to me, again there was no mention of the Peedham anymore. I figured that the moment I surrendered to the guru there was no need for the organization anymore.

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‘I came before you with question. But now I understand I only wanted to weep before you and sit with you.’ I asked Tavayogi if I had done much ‘karma’ since I only had to opportunity to know of the nadi and Sage Agathiyar when I was 44 years of age. Tavayogi consoled me, “Be grateful that at least you got the opportunity and came to this realization now at this age.” 40 Tavayogi asked that I drop the past and narrated the story of the guru-sisya on their journey where they meet a young attractive girl who would not cross the river for fear of drowning. Therefore, the guru lifted her on his shoulders and crossed the heavily swollen river with the disciple following behind. On reaching the other shore, the guru left the girl behind and continued the journey. The disciple who was very disturbed by what he had seen, eventually blurted out his uneasiness and unhappiness at what the guru had done just some time ago. He questioned his guru. The guru replied, “I had carried the burden on my shoulders and left it behind as soon as I had reached the shores while you have been carrying it with you until now.” I fell at the feet of Tavayogi to which Appana and Tavayogi told me I should only fall at the feet of Sage Agathiyar and no one else. I asked Tavayogi to pardon me for doing so since I was ignorant to which Tavayogi, replied, “Ignorance has left you. Body of Grace has replaced your Delusive body.” When Tavayogi mentioned those bodies, I went back to my collections of books for more information as to what he meant. I knew Saint Ramalingam had sang on the various bodies but the songs were incomprehensible. I looked towards translations of them. When one gains illumination of effulgence (Arutperunjhothi) his body becomes a pure or golden body. Swami Saravanananda in his English translation of Saint Ramalingam’s ARUTPERUNJHOTI AGAVAL published by Ramalinga Mission, Madras, says, ‘At whatever age the aspirant gains illumination or the effulgence enters in him or emanates from within, some remarkable changes take place in the body-frame. The Divine Light seems to change the very cell of the body, with the result, that they seem to function in the opposite direction. Consequently, the old body 40 Tavayogi had officially introduced me to Sage Agathiyar that day! It is mentioned in the Autobiography Of A Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda published by Self-Realization Fellowship, 1990, ‘It was not until the disciple (Lahari Mahasaya) had reached his thirty-third year that Babaji deemed the time ripe for reestablishing openly the never-severed link. After the brief meeting near Ranikhet, the selfless guru did not keep the beloved disciple by his side, but released Lahari Mahasaya for an outward world mission.’ Sage Agathiyar too waited till I was forty-three to reveal the nadi. Did Sage Agathiyar call me over to India so that I could see his greatness for myself and released me to return to Malaysia assuring me, “My son, I shall come whenever you need me?”

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becomes middle aged, then to youth of eighteen years, to twelve years (pure body), to eight years and finally five years (Pranava body). After five years the body grows to the size of the universe to become casual body or a body of gnosis (Gnana deham) which is the natural abode of the soul.’ ‘With the descent of sufficient Divine Light the psychic head begins to emerge. According to Vallalar, this psychic head (a crown or diadem of light) is made up of a special and highly refined type of brain called Omkar brain. As soon as it emerges, it draws more cosmic light; the more the light the greater the growth of the psychic head. With the advent of psychic head, more and more changes take place in the already purified body. The cells and thence the whole body begins to transcend the limits imposed on them by impure Maya (the grosser principle of nature) and try to break one more of its veils. The cells undergo alternate condensation and expansion for an unspecified period and the body slowly emerges out of its bondage and begins to grow. This expanding and ever prospering body, is called the subtle body or the body of Omkar or Pranava body.’ Swami Saravanananda adds, ‘With this perfection comes perfect knowledge. He (Vallalar) also seemed to have been bestowed with the third eye, after his body had attained perfection. This third eye enabled him to gain knowledge of the whole universe and all the individual beings contained in it. He assets that his knowledge penetrated and pervaded layer upon layer of the varied types of universes. , With the functioning of the third eye, the transformation of the Pranava body is completed and the next and final stage of transformation into the Gnostic body (Gnana deham) starts. As explained by Vallalar, the person whose third eye is active is verily God Himself because he can raise the dead into life and perform the fivefold primordial functions.’ ‘According to Vallalar, it takes a long time to perfect the Pranava body; the minimum period required is twelve years and the maximum is 108 years,’ writes Swami Saravanananda. ‘The transformation of the Pranava body into a Gnostic body begins with the functioning of the third eye. With the advent of this eye, the body sheds whatever subtle impurities it possesses; consequently, it becomes nearly invisible. The third eye enabled Vallalar to have tier upon tier of divine experiences.’ ‘Slowly his body through the intensity of concentration of the mind begins to generate the flame of lapses, popularly known as psychic heat. Slowly the quantity of psychic heat is increased due to intense meditation and concentration on the universal effulgence. The extreme heat generated in the body produces smoke at first; this smoke gathers up in volume and escapes through the junction of the parietal bones of the skull (Brahma Randhra). During this period, the body and mind undergoes untold stress. Vallalar often mentions about the sufferings that he had undergone since he was twelve years old. The psychic smoke clears off and

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enhanced illumination results. This light (Tegas) is also called as the aura or nimbus.’ Marshall Govindan in his book BABAJI AND THE 18 SIDDHARS KRIYA YOGA TRADITION (Govindan, Marshall, Babaji and the Eighteen Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition, 1991, KRIYA YOGA PUBLICATIONS (REG), 196 Mountain Road, P.O.Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, Canada, JOE 1PO, reproduced with permission via e-mail), says, ‘Ramalinga (Saint Ramalingam) described several successive transformations: The transformation of the mortal human body into the perfect body (suddha deham), achieved by universal spiritual communion and devotion to god; The transformation of perfect body (sudha deham) into the body of grace and light (pranava deham); In addition, the transformation into the body of wisdom (Gnana deham) and into the body of god supreme. In many verse [in the Thiru Arutpa] Ramalinga sings of how his ‘impure body’ of ‘impure elements’ was transformed into a pure body of pure elements, called a golden body of immeasurable carats (swarna deham). 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 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 the grace, in the form of light. When this occurs, the material body of impure elements is transformed into a ‘body of pure light’, emitting a golden hue. This ‘golden body’ appears to be about twelve years of age. The body of grace (pranava deham) according to him can be seen visually but it cannot be touched. It appears to be a heavenly child of about five to eight years of age. 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).’ In the foreword to Kumara Devar in Marshall Govindan’s BABAJI AND THE 18 SIDDHARS KRIYA YOGA TRADITION (Govindan, Marshall, Babaji and the Eighteen Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition, 1991, KRIYA YOGA PUBLICATIONS (REG), 196 Mountain Road, P.O.Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, Canada, JOE 1PO, http://www.babaji.ca, reproduced with permission via e-mail), it was stated again, ‘This saint, Kumara Devar, [the author of Sudha Sadhagam], has sung of the progressive transformation of the darkness abounding human body (Irul deham) into delusive body (Marul deham) then into the Pranava Deham which could be seen and felt. In an advanced state it is transformed into body off grace (Arul deham), which could only be seen as a mirage or a rainbow, but with his grace, it merges with Shiva and enjoys eternal bliss in shivadvaita union.’

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Dr C Srinivasan, in his foreword to Ramalingam Swami, in the same book says, ‘Accordingly, the impure human body, susceptible to disease and death, can, by the grace of god, be transformed into a pure and perfect body of love, then into a celestial body of grace and ultimately into an invisible body of bliss and merge with god supreme.’ In the foreword to AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF SAINT RAMALINGAM by Dr C Srinivasan, Rao Saheb K. Kothandapani Pillai BA says: ‘These transformations occur in the body of the aspirant according to the intensity of spiritual warmth produced in him. The body is deprived of all its dross or impurities and made pure, fit for divine absorption (sudha deham). These are the practical transformation, which came over the body of the swami stage by stage on the way to union with the absolute. Not only did he preach this science of deathlessness (sudha sanmarga) but actually attained this deathless state. None of the four saints, [Appar, Sundarar, Thirugnanasambanthar, and Manickavasagar] dropped their bodies on the earth nor was buried or burnt. They bodily vanished into the ether or into the lord divine. Conquest of death by imbibing supreme grace is the quintessence of his philosophy. The more he ascended in his holy pursuit the more was the descent of divinity in him.’ Table 2: The Various Bodies As Explained By Saint Ramalingam And The Experiences Gained. Types Of Bodies Equivalent In English Body Of Love Body Of Grace Body Of Bliss

In Tamil Sudha Deham Pranava Deham Gnana Deham

Also Known As Anbu Uru Arul Uru

Experiences Gain This Body Uyir Anubhavam Arul Anubhavam

Enba Uru

Siva Anubhavam

Through

Swami Nithyananda says we have seven bodies, which corresponds to seven chakras. The dream body (suksma shareera) and causal body (kaarana shareera) meet the physical body at seven points or chakras along the length of the physical body. In an article in the net, the author of the article says, ‘As an individual begins to be liberated from the influence of the mind-stuff, the divine attributes of the atman or self manifest in the very subtle sheath of bliss (anandamaya kosham) that surrounds the soul (atman.). When the transformation of that very subtle part of the being has been given fully to the divine, the individual becomes literally a beacon of bliss-light. Simply being in the presence of such a being is uplifting. Such an elevated individual is often acknowledged as a saint.’

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‘Anyone whose spiritual practices have thus resulted in the awareness of the divine working through them has already begun the transformational process and surrendering of the sheath of the intellect (vinjnanamaya kosham). “When the analytical or intellectual component of the being is fully informed by the divine light attributes we may through the divine grace be in a position to recognize such a being as the Sage that they are. Such an individual is truly a muni or one who has had their accumulated experiences and knowledge enlightened by the higher deeper aspects of self. Such Sage has digested and integrated the informed divine light into the analytical aspects of the being.’ ‘As the intellect undergoes this transformation, the mental sheath (manomaya kosham), associated with the senses, and is similarly transformed. Of course, this individual is fully aware of the Divine as the prime mover. Since the ego has been given to the divine, every action related to the senses is observed and understood to be none other than the indwelling god or goddess doing the experiencing and enjoying. Such a buddha can enjoy all the senses without fear of confusion or being lost spiritually in them. For the great tantrics who have attained to this state, conventional rules which guide and provide stability, safety, and structure are irrelevant.’ ‘As the divine light descends into the sheath of energy (pranayama kosham) the entity becomes a siddha in the truest sense of the word. As defined in the Upanishads, a siddha is one who has progressed from the exalted ‘state of freed while living’ (jivanmukta) to ‘supremely free with full power over death’ (para mukta). This state is referred to in siddhantha literature as soruba mukti or soruba Samadhi. This para mukta will rarely retain the transformed physical frame and when so, remains as an avatar. The physical body of the siddha glows with the fire of immortality.’ G. Vanmikanathan in his English translation of the TIRUVACAGAM published by Amudha Nilayam, Chennai, 2002, says, ‘The temple has usually five prahaarams i.e. courtyards separated by high walls and inter-connected by entrances, four in number, on the East, West, North and South in the outermost wall, and only one on each of the other walls, usually on the eastern section thereof.’ ‘These five courtyards represent the five sheaths of a human body viz., the annamaya kola, the pranamaya kosa, the manomaya kosa the vignanamaya kosa and the anandamaya kosa.’ Tavayogi then lead me outside and showed me photos of his hut cum ashram in the mountain region of Kallaru near Ooti in Coimbatore, India. Tavayogi was running the mission at Kallaru, feeding the aboriginal children who had settled at the surrounding spot.

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Tavayogi began to mention a list of things to be acquired for teecha when Perumal interrupted that he would get everything ready for that evening. Perumal told me I need only be present. Perumal asked me to dress in a light color so that I could absorb the full benefit of the teecha when receiving it. Tavayogi asked me to come back in the evening with the family. I went back to the Peedham at 5 pm with my wife and children. When Tavayogi joined us I asked him why we do not remember our last birth for would not that be helpful for us to pick up from where we left in the previous life. Tavayogi said the reason we forget is due to Maya. Only those who are in the way of meditation will know their past. Children often remember said Tavayogi. However, they lose all trace of memory of the past life, as the thin piece of skull on top of the head grows thicker and closes up as years go by. Tavayogi then told us his past. In his past life, he was a Sheppard boy looking after goats in India. He had the opportunity to meet Sage Agathiyar and was assisting the Sage. As a result, the Sage gave him a Mantra. This boy, who wanted to test the effectiveness of this mantra, tried it on two horses. These horses were burnt to ashes. When Sage Agathiyar enquired what had happened, the lad lied that he had been doing 'Yagam' and had sacrificed the horses in the fire pit. Because of this karma, Tavayogi was temporarily blinded in the present life. During this period, he stayed at a Mariamman temple near Mettupalayam and eventually regained his sight after a year. Tavayogi asked me which Kaandam of the nadi I saw earlier. I replied, Podhu Kaandam, Karma Kaandam, Teecha Kaandam, and Gnana Kaandam. He asked what was mentioned in the Gnana Kaandam. I told him I was to worship Sage Agathiyar, Lord Siva and the Sidhas. Tavayogi tells me the ninth Kaandam mentions about the guru. Tavayogi said he had received numerous nadis from people where his named was mentioned in these nadis. I asked if we could keep the nadi after each reading and Tavayogi replied, “Yes, if the whole life’s prediction has been said.” If the reading was not complete, or if you were told to see again at some other time or to continue the reading later, then the nadi would not be returned. He showed me a nadi that was destined for the Agathiyar Gnana Peedham kept at the present premises in a glass case. This is the kind of respect that is given to these nadis. They are revered as the spoken words of the Sages.41 I told Tavayogi my daughter, Vimala, seven years of age, had asked me a rather difficult question. I asked my daughter to repeat the question to Tavayogi. Her question was, “Why the soul kills the body.” Tavayogi was surprised and commented how many of us actually ponder this question? Tavayogi asked her if she wants to retain this body and see God or drop this body and the soul goes to God. She replied she wants to live. My wife narrated her dream where she saw Saint Ramalingam and Sage Agathiyar. Saint Ramalingam said in the dream, “We (THEY) are here”. Tavayogi explained to Mages, “The saints are ever protecting you and they have brought your husband to the worship of sidhas and are convincing you too of their existence.

41 Sage Agathiyar mentions to me in my nadi reading on 24 July 2007 that the nadi predictions are sacred and not to belittle them or the authors of these nadi - the sidhas. 60

By this time, other devotees started to trickle in for the evening prayers and talk.42 Tavayogi gave Kara teecha to my wife and me that evening. Mages did not need much coaxing, as Tavayogi only wanted her to refrain from taking meat, which she agreed to adhere too. There were about ten of us in the room. All of them were women except me. The teecha was given behind closed doors. All those who did not have reason to be there were asked to leave by Perumal. Perumal handed each one of us a slip of paper on which was written a mantra to be recited and meditated on. I was surprised to see the 'moola mantra' of Sage Agathiyar written on the paper. I had received this mantra from astrologer Krishnan back in November 2004. We had to take an oath of promise to Sage Agathiyar we would not reveal this mantra to anyone and refrain from taking meat from that moment on. As I approached Tavayogi last after all the women got the teecha, he blessed me by touching my shoulders in a peculiar way. He then blessed us all with a good future. Tavayogi during his stay at the Peedham mentioned on numerous occasions, to let things be. Swami Nithyananda too says, “Tell yourself nothing can be done about it. Do not allow yourself to react. Drop your resistance, drop your negativity, and drop your reaction” Tavayogi invited us to the opening of Agathiyar Gnana Peedham on Saturday, 23 July 2005.

Reading the Nadi Again I called Ramesh -the nadi reader Tavayogi had asked me to contact. I introduced myself and said I wanted to have my nadi read. I told him it had been 2 ½ years since I last saw the nadi with Sentilkumar. I told him Tavayogi had asked to see him. He said Tavayogi had called in the morning and mentioned I would be coming in to see the nadi. He said he shall call me later to inform of a date when I could see the nadi.43 Murali who had also seen the nadi came over to my house immediately after seeing his nadi. He played the recording of the reading on tape for me. He had the blessings of Sage Agathiyar and

42 Tavayogi was holding a series of talks at the Peedham at the request of Appana. Appana after meeting Tavayogi at Kallaru took him as a guru. He invited Tavayogi over for the inaugural opening of the Peedham that he had started in Batu Caves. Appana had very much wanted to head an organization. Sage Agathiyar made his wish come true by setting up of this Peedham. This was mentioned in Appana’s nadi. 43 I waited for Ramesh to call. I had asked for a date to see the nadi as soon as Tavayogi told me to see him. He had said he would call me. It was already 27 days since I called him. There was no reply from him and Tavayogi was leaving for India at 4 am on Saturday morning, 19 August 2005. I had to see the nadi before Tavayogi leaves.

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sidhas. To our surprise, Sage Agathiyar mentions Murali taking teecha the day before from Tavayogi Thangarasan, in his nadi reading.44 Since there was no call from Ramesh, I called him again on 13 August 2005. He apologized for not calling earlier. He gave me an appointment on Monday evening at 6 pm. I arrived early in Brickfields at 5.20 pm. I went over to the Sithi Vinayagar temple after which I stood in front of Ramesh’s apartment door. I waited for Ramesh to appear. After awhile Ramesh came out from one of the rooms and crossed the hall. That is when he stopped suddenly. He looked at me and he appeared startled. He asked if I was Shanmugam and let me in. As he was serving a client at that moment, I waited at the living room. When his client left, he called me into the room. He apologized a couple of times for not calling me to fix an appointment. He asked if I was mad or angry. I told him I had surrendered to the lord. I will see the nadi when HE wants me to see. However, I added that I also wanted to see the nadi before Tavayogi leaves for India that weekend. We talked about half an hour on various matters related to Tavayogi Thangarasan, Appana, and the Peedham. He played the earlier reading of my nadi that was recorded on tape by Sentilkumar. When I saw Sentilkumar, he took my thumbprint to enable him to find my nadi. However, Ramesh did not do so, this time around. He played back the end portion of the last reading on the tape. He asked for my date of birth and time and lagna. Then he went out of the room into an adjacent room to get my nadi. He asked if he should transcribe the reading. I told him to do as he wished. He then taped the whole session without transcribing. Throughout the reading, I was in tears. Sage Agathiyar was so kind and generous to me. HE pardoned me for the past mistakes, removed the guilt I had, saying all was HIS doing and he added that I needed those experiences too. HE accepted me into HIS circle and blessed me for a better future. Andrew Harvey writes in HIDDEN JOURNEY – A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING published by Penguin Books USA Inc., 1992, ‘Over and over, with dazzling variations and images, the voice said” You cannot transform what you have not blessed. You can never transform what first you have not accepted and blessed.’ I could never repay Sage Agathiyar’s kindness. HE was extremely pleased with me. Moreover, as promised HE was delivering this reading.45 44 This incident and the incident where my cassette recording of the nadi got erased made me realized that the nadi is being re-written at precisely the very moment based on whether we are adhering to the instructions stipulated in the nadi by the sidhas. 45 The last reading was in 2002 and the Sage had promised another reading when I was in my forty-fifth year.

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I had performed the prayers well said the Sage. The sidhas are pleased. I had the blessings of Lord Supramaniam and Saint Ramalingam too. I was to make a trip to India within the next year. I was to spend three days at Tavayogi’s hermitage in Kallaru. Then I was to go to Palani. I had to see Tavayogi for another Kara teecha and ask him to accept me as his disciple that very night itself. Ramesh did not want money. Upon insisting he agreed, only to accept the cost of the cassette he provided. Ramesh asked me to call Tavayogi immediately and inform that I was on the way to see him. I did just that. Prayers were going on for Lord Vinayagar at the adjacent temple as I stepped into the temple again. I left the temple at 8.30 pm to get some fruits and flowers and made my way to the Peedham. I reached the Peedham at 9.15 pm. Tavayogi was in the midst of a discussion subject with the other devotees in the living area. I entered the meditation hall and waited to see Tavayogi in private. When Tavayogi stepped into the hall, he asked, “Son, what is the matter you wanted to see me immediately.” I handed over the flower garland and fruits. I told him I had just seen the nadi and asked of him to take me as his disciple to which he replied, “I had already taken you in the other day.” I told him Sage Agathiyar wanted me to see him and receive kara teecha again. He looked at me and said, “Hmm... Right…. I have clearly understood. Have you understood?” I nodded my head. He picked up the flower garland that I had brought and placed it around my neck. Tavayogi gave me teecha again. He asked what was said in the nadi. I told him ‘lots of things’. However, at that moment I only told him that I was asked to go over to his hermitage in Kallaru. He also asked if there were parikaarams mentioned in the nadi reading. There was no mention of any parikarams. He said I would have to rough it out for he could not give me the pleasures I was used to right now. I asked Tavayogi what I should do now. He asked me to attend Appana’s classes and he (Tavayogi) would guide me too. I later thanked Appana for bringing Tavayogi to Malaysia and giving us an opportunity to be with him. I was back home at 10.15 pm. That eventful day was 15 August 2005. On reaching home, I played back the cassette recording of the nadi reading. To my surprise after a few minutes into the recording, nothing was heard except for the loud hiss of the audiotape. All that was heard was the crackling sound of the tape. How could that be? I was puzzled since Ramesh had recorded a small portion and did rewind the tape and played it back to ascertain that the recorder was functioning and the audio level was acceptable. Even after taking such care and caution, the recording ended blank. I called Ramesh to inform him and he was equally puzzled and asks that I bring the cassette back to him.46 46 Ramesh had taken precaution by reading out a small portion, rewinding the tape to ascertain it had recorded and the volume was set correctly. So how was it the tape was empty now?

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I saw Ramesh again two days later. Ramesh played the cassette and was baffled. He made a transcribe of the nadi this time and read it out to me again. To my surprise, this time around the reading included more instructions. I was to visit additional pilgrimage spots now. Besides Kallaru and Palani, which was mentioned earlier, now I had to go to Thiruvanamalai, Vetharanyam, Pothigai and Courtallam hills too. The Agathiyar Gnana Peedham in Batu Caves was not mentioned any more. In the earlier reading, it was mentioned that this Peedham was the place for me to learn about spirituality. I was told in the reading the problems that I had to face in office (which was highlighted earlier) would vanish.

Seeing Swami Nithyananda Again My friend asked me to accompany him to collect the book SIX DAYS TO TOTAL TRANSFORMATION from Sam in Shah Alam. He was hoping he could get another darshan of Swami Nithyananda as the Swami was conducting a class for healers before leaving for Bangalore that afternoon. Upon reaching Shah Alam we were told that Sam and Swami too where at the Gold Coast Hotel in Klang. We rushed to Klang. We arrived at 12 noon. Swami was conducting a close door session for healers who had taken ASP and NSP with him, on the eighth floor of the hotel. His bags were being brought down and we were told he had to leave at 2 pm to the airport to catch the flight at 4 pm. We bought a red sandal rosary each to have it blessed by Swami. His assistants told us they would assist in getting us an audience with Swami and have the rosary blessed. At 1.45 pm, Swami came out of the hall. He was looking down as if in deep thought. He started walking towards the lift bay immediately. We were astonished that Swami did not look up at the devotees who had gathered there to have his darshan. The devotees, seven of us I think, started following him in silence and hoping he would turn around and stop to bless us. However, Swami went up to the lifts and stood there facing the lifts. None of his assistants was around to introduce us to him. I was pondering whether it was right to approach the Swami afraid if we might intrude on him. Surprisingly I found myself edging slowly to the lift bays. I finally stood towards his left at the other end of the lift bay. There were three lifts. Swami was standing at the far right lift and I stood at the far left lift. Slowly Swami moved towards the center lift and I paced towards him with my rosary beads in my hands. That is when Swami looked up and saw me. His gaze moved towards my upheld hands. Immediately he approached me as I too start walking towards him. He picked the beads out of my open palms with his right hand and placed it over my head and my neck. I closed my eyes. I heard him say, “Be Blissful.” Upon opening my eyes, I saw my friend already on the floor in front of the Swami and was picking himself up. Then the thought ran in my mind that I too should fall at Swami’s feet. I fell at his feet. By the time I picked myself up, he was blessing the others, a couple of women, another woman, a couple, and Rajandran whom we met while waiting for Swami. He exchanged a few words to the two elderly women, one of whom had a neck support. Then the crowd dispersed just as it had gathered, and Swami was left alone for a moment or two, and he stated moving slowly away from the lifts, turned a corner, and disappeared. We were overwhelmed. The couple that had the darshan and blessing of Swami were in disbelief and practically in tears. The woman approached me saying, “He saw us!” They exclaimed in

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excitement, “Swami blessed us.” They cried in disbelief. I replied, “Not only that he blessed us with bliss.” Rajandran asked us to follow him down to the lobby of the hotel as Swami was leaving for the airport. We told him to go ahead and we shall join him shortly. We turned back towards the seminar room looking for Sam. We could not meet Sam as the participants were still in the room. We then decided to go down to the lobby and catch up with Swami. We stood at the same lift bay that Swami was standing earlier to take us down to the lobby. The lift opened and two Indian men came out asking if Swami had left. We told them he had just gone down to the hotel lobby and we were going down to see him off. The men told us that those three lifts do not go down to the lobby of the hotel. Those lifts took one from the eighth floor to higher floors. It does not go down.47 They told us we had to take the lift around the corner and lead us to it. We followed the two men around the corner where Swami disappeared. There was a single lift going down to the lobby. This was the lift Swami took after blessing us. Swami had already settled in the front passenger seat of a four-wheel drive by the time we reached the entrance to the hotel. After his disciples packed the luggage into a couple of cars, the entourage left. Swami raised his hands to us as he was driven by. We walked back to Murali’s car feeling joy at having got another moment with him. This was on 18 July 2005. After receiving Swami’s darshan and blessing, I was pondering as to what actually took place. I was still in a daze as to what transpired that day. The next day I asked Murali to narrate what actually took place. He told me we were all worried that Swami would walk away without blessing us. He thanked me for stepping in front of Swami, after which Swami started to bless all those present. He told me after Swami had placed the rosary around my neck, he placed his hand on my head saying, “Be Blissful.” According to my friend, Swami and I were both smiling away, looking at each other as if in communion. My friend was getting impatient, he told me, since I was taking too much time with Swami. He was afraid that the lifts would open and Swami would step into it even before he (Murali) had a chance to be blessed. Then it seems I fell at Swami’s feet and that is when Swami turned his attention to Murali. Did I take up so much time? I do not remember a thing. I realized now that I had lost a few moments there. I do not remember Swami touching my head nor me falling down at his feet. I only came to my senses when Swami said ‘Be Blissful’ to Murali and he fell at Swami’s feet. That is when I came to my senses and fell at Swami’s feet AGAIN!

47 Now if this lift did not go down to the lobby of the hotel, why did Swami Nithyananda walk up to it? Why should he stand in front of these lifts? He was staying in this hotel during his duration of stay in Malaysia and was conducting ASP classes the past two days on that floor. Did not he know by now which lift to take to go down to the lobby? Did he purposely wait upon us then, hoping we would build up sufficient courage to approach him?

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Tavayogi Visits My Home 31 July 2005 - I prepared to receive Tavayogi at my home. I did spring-cleaning and kept the home spotless to receive Tavayogi. Appana had informed me that no one was to fall at Tavayogi’s feet. Neither were we allowed to do Patha Pooja-the customary ceremony where the feet of the holy one is washed in milk before he steps into any home. Tavayogi does not approve of these I was told. I left with my nephew behind the wheels to fetch Tavayogi at Appana’s house in Kampong Laksmana, Batu Caves at 10.45 am. Appana could not come. We picked Perumal on the way from the Peedham. I told Tavayogi how glad and happy I was that he agreed to come to my home. I had never had the opportunity arise where a swami visited my home and Tavayogi was the first one. I mentioned this to him. Tavayogi replied, “You are caught in Maya, my son. You think this saffron clothed swami has got something hidden within his cloths. There is nothing in me.” My brother, my sister-in-law, their son, Murali and his family had all gather at my house waiting in anticipation for Tavayogi. I had requested each family to prepare some food so that they too got the privilege of serving food to Tavayogi. Tavayogi got down from the car and walked briskly into my home. I had asked my daughter to shoot the arrival of Tavayogi on video. When Tavayogi saw her he said this was only for politicians and he does not need this much coverage. I had placed a white sheet of cloth on one of the chairs for Tavayogi to sit on but he chose to sit on another chair. He then requested the others to take a seat. When my family and friends began to sit on the floor, immediately Tavayogi got up from the chair and sat on the cold floor too. My mother came down from upstairs. Seeing my mother, Tavayogi said, “Only now I am seeing my mother.” I invited Tavayogi to the prayer room to start the prayers for Sage Agathiyar. Tavayogi took water and circled thrice the offerings.48 He then showered the portraits I had at my altar with flowers. He sang five songs while lighting the camphor and holding the flame at the altar. He held it out to all those who had gathered around the room too. My wife, Mages and I wept. She suddenly swayed to the side. My nephew’s wife, Easwari had to hold her. Tavayogi asked Mages if Sage Agathiyar had appeared. Tavayogi knelt at the altar and worshiped the painting of Sage Agathiyar. Mages later tells me all she remembers was seeing the picture of Sage Agathiyar swirling round and round. Then food was served. Tavayogi enjoyed the food asking for more helpings. My brother asked Tavayogi to explain some verses from the GNANA KOVAI. Tavayogi immediately took him to the prayer room where he started explaining to him. Murali, my brother and I gave Tavayogi a small token together with fruits and flowers as was customary when one invites a guru to the home. On the way back I asked him, if all was satisfying. He answered, “Yes.”. 48 Swami Nithyananda says this is done to energize the food.

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CHAPTER 3 More Revelations in the Nadi 19 August 2005, I called Ramesh. He asks that I see him for he has news from Sage Agathiyar’s Aasi Kaandam. Sage Agathiyar assures me that I have the blessings of Lord Murugan, Saint Ramalingam and him. He explains what happened at Palani when I was there in 2002.

Sage Agathiyar Brings Forward My Trip to India On 26 August 2005, I called Tavayogi on the phone at Kallaru. He recognized my voice immediately. I told him I am arranging to come to India and Kallaru. I continued, “I have to go to Palani…” However, even before I could complete the sentence Tavayogi replied, “I shall take you wherever you want to go.” Then all of a sudden, he put forward a question. He asked, “Are you coming next month.” I remained quiet for a moment and said I have to arrange for finance etc. to which he said he understood. He was disappointed I think that I could not come in September. I could tell from his response to my answer. I told him I would try to come as requested.

My Second Pilgrimage to India Day 1 – Starting the Pilgrimage with Saint Ragavendra’s Blessing I boarded the plane for India from Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 9.05 am on 16 September 2005 on a pilgrimage a day after my 46th birthday. I had been directed to make this pilgrimage by Sage Agathiyar through the nadi. I arrive in Chennai at 10 am IST. Jiva, the tour agent in India and Prem, my driver received me at the airport. I confirmed my return ticket at the Jet Airway’s counter before heading for the moneychangers in Saidapet. I changed the currency I had brought. I called on Amman Satyanathan at Triplicane to collect herbs for my brother-in-law. Amman Satyanathan was a staunch devotee of Saint Ragavendra. He is an author and publisher of many books on the saint. I started my pilgrimage with a prayer at Saint Ragavendra’s Brindavan opposite Amman Satyanathan’s publishing company cum bookshop. I had lunch at Hotel Saravanabhavan and I left for Thiruvanamalai at 1.20 pm.

Melmaruvathur Athi Parasakthi Temple I stopped at Melmaruvathur Athi Parasakthi temple. This is the second time I was here. There was hardly any crowd this time around and I had the Goddess all to myself. Trying to find my way out of this temple complex, I chanced upon a building that caught my attention. As I looked to see what was inside, an elderly men invited me in saying it was the meditation hall. The meditation hall had a large portrait of Bangaaroo Adigal. There was no one around. I sat to meditate. I saw an aura around the portrait of the saint and the altar.

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After coming round the temple grounds a couple of times trying to find my way out, I finally find the exit. I was not the only one. There were some women too who asked me for directions to exit from the temple grounds. I left the temple at 3.15 pm. I reached the outskirts of Thiruvanamalai at 5 pm. I had the first view of the hill here. I went looking around for Supramania Swami’s kudil but eventually decided to call Swami’s son Ramajayam, over to Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s (Visiri Swami) ashram and have me taken to the kudil.

Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s Samadhi And Ashram While Prem tries to contact Ramajayam, I prayed at Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s temple and Samadhi. As I entered the temple complex prayer was going on. A small group of devotees were chanting the Yogi’s name Yogi Ramsuratkumara, Yogi Ramsuratkumara, Yogi Ramsuratkumara, Jaya Gururaya and going round the Samadhi. I joined them. I was given prasadham that I eat and fed a dog that stood looking at me.

Supramania Swami’s Hermitage

Supramania Swami’s kudil with Thiruvanamalai in the background Ramajayam was already waiting as I came out of the ashram grounds. We hugged each other. He took me to Supramania Swami’s hermitage or kudil. We stopped the car a short distance from the kudil and I hopped onto Ramajayam’s motorcycle as the path had narrowed down from here on. I saw the building that I had helped put up for Swami for the first time. It was thirty feet by eleven

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feet built on a small plot of land thirty feet by sixty feet. Swami’s wife greeted me at the door. She said I looked different. As I stepped into the kudil, Supramania Swami came out of the prayer room. On seeing me, he backed away against the wall. He too said I looked different. I handed Swami the offering of flowers and fruits that I had bought and fell at his feet. I suddenly cried. Swami picked me up and ushered my into the prayer room. He handed over a dhoti (kaavi) to adorn and had me sit on the carpet. Ramajayam tells me Swami was waiting since morning for my arrival with excitement. Later Swami tells me that he heard the sound of Ongkaram and a loud blast as I arrived at the kudil. He told me I was ‘heavy’ as he tried to pick me up. I could not help notice that he had covered an existing window with a gunnysack. When I enquired, he told me he had closed up the window, which was in the living area directly opposite his bed, because he could not continue to see the hill any longer, as it was too ‘fiery’.

Prayers with Supramania Swami Later that night at 7.30 pm, Supramania Swami led me on a prayer in his kudil. The Swami started chanting his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar's (Visiri Swami) name. The chant went Yogi Ramsuratkumara, Yogi Ramsuratkumara, Yogi Ramsuratkumara, Jaya Gururaya. After about a few minutes into the chant, I heard another voice - that of a male chanting together. I could hear Swami’s voice. I could hear mine too. Therefore, who was this third person chanting with us? There was no one else then in the kudil. Swami's wife and son had gone out. I did not open my eyes. Eventually after about twenty minutes of chanting, Swami ended the chant and the voice was not heard again. I had wanted to ask him about this third voice but completely forgot.49 Supramania Swami in his village home

49 Swami initiated me into the repetition of the Yogi’s mantra, Yogi Ramsuratkumara Yogi Ramsuratkumara Yogi Ramsuratkumara Jaya Gururaya. Swami tells me later it was his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar (Visiri Swami). Swami almost immediately brings down the guru whose name was chanted from his throne to sit together and chant with this aspirant. How marvelous?

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His wife and granddaughter were already asleep as we talked into the early hours of the morning. They had stayed back at the kudil while Ramajayam went back to the village that night. Swami and I spoke throughout the night and early morning. Swami’s wife had retired for the night sleeping in the kitchen of the kudil. Ramajayam had ridden off to his home in the village where his family stayed. I finally retired for the day at 2.40 am while Swami kept on with his chanting.

Day 2 – Girivalam - A Second Time 17 Sept 2005 - I woke up at 5 am. Today was the first Saturday of Puratasi Sani. Swami asked that we go to Lord Sri Ranganathar temple in Thiruveragam that morning. However, he asked to delay the journey and told me we should leave at 10.30 am after Rahu Kaalam. I was asking myself why Swami should bother about ‘time’ having being a gnani. I thought I should read my nadi to Swami while waiting, since he was the first guru I had met. Swami was excited when I talked about Sage Agathiyar and the nadi. He listened attentively. After listening to the nadi reading Swami mentioned to me why he had asked that we delay the trip to the temple. He had wanted me to share this reading, he said. That is when he narrates to me the incident that took place in the wee hours of that morning after I had gone to sleep. According to Swami, a mother and a child came into the kudil and seated themselves beside me as I slept through that morning. Swami was watching from his bed and listening on their conversation. The mother was dressed in a rainbow colored sari and was carrying a feeding bottle of the same color. The child was placing his hand on my belly button. After a while the child told the mother, “Lets see if the oil lamp in the altar has sufficient oil.” He took her to the adjacent prayer room. “The mother and child had followed you to the kudil and never came out of the prayer room,” said Swami. He cried. I too cried. Swami was so excited he too wanted to see his nadi. I gave him Ramesh’s contact number in India and told him I shall ask Ramesh to read Swami's nadi once Ramesh was back in India.

Thiruveragam Sri Ranganathar Temple We left for Thiruveragam Sri Ranganathar Temple, a 500-year-old temple near Swami’s village. Only then did I notice how the few kilometers that we drove to Sri Ranganathar temple that morning, had taken its toll on him. I had requested Swami to follow me on my pilgrimage but then I was questioning myself if it was wise to do so. He was not in good health to travel such a vast distance. Ramajayam too mentioned that Swami had recently returned from a trip to Palani only to be bedridden later. Therefore, I told Swami on the way back that I would go alone to which Swami agreed and added that he did not want to delay my trip in any way.

My Second Girivalam It was a full moon day and I had planned to circle Mount Thiruvanamalai with Swami but he was not fit and instead asked Ramajayam to accompany me. I got the blessings of Swami and his wife before I started on the Girivalam from Swami’s kudil at 6.40 pm. Swami asked that we go next to Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s (Visiri Swami) ashram before joining the Girivalam path. We did as

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requested. We prayed at the Yogi’s temple. We went in and out of all the temples and ashrams lined throughout the Girivalam route. Mysteriously at the entrance to Vallalar’s ashram and temple, an old man hit me with herbs as I came alongside him. Later a young man popped up in front of us enquiring us as to where he could purchase books on Sage Agathiyar. We could easily show him the way because we had stopped over at that stall only a moment ago. At 1.40 am, I was in front of the main temple. Surprisingly and sadly, it was closed. I finished the Girivalam after having taken six hours to cover 14 kilometers. On the first trip in 2003, it took me nine hours.

Day 3 – Meeting Up With Tavayogi In Kallaru 18 Sept 2005 - I am back at the kudil at two in the morning. Swami and his wife were awake waiting for Ramajayam and me to return. After exchanging a few words we retired for the day. I woke up at 5 am and l left for Kallaru at 7.40 am. Before I left Swami told me I would get Goddess Amman’s blessing adding, “You will receive the blessings of sidhas where you are headed. You shall get the blessing of a sidha at a place where the waters from Lord Siva’s head meet this earth.” He gave me a blanket to use in Kallaru. He prayed for my save journey. We hugged each other as I bid farewell. I was headed for Coimbatore. I cut across a forest before reaching Salem at 11.15 am. I called Tavayogi to inform him I was coming over. I crossed the Kaveri River at Bhavani. There were lots of lorries and buses on this route, which leads one to Kerala too. I reached Methupalayam at 3 pm where I bought fruits and flowers as offerings to Tavayogi. I reached Turipalam, a halt at 3.30 pm. Tavayogi had sent out his helpers and disciples to wait on me at the row of shops that lined this halt on the way up to Ooti. In fact, I came to know from them that he had sent word about my arrival and asked his disciples in Madras, and Thiruvanamalai to offer all the assistance possible. They too had been waiting for me, I was told. Tavayogi was waiting for my arrival at his ashram steps. He greeted me just as a father would have received his son. He hugged me. Tavayogi pulled up a couple of chairs and offered me some fruits. Some of his devotees had stayed back after the full moon prayers. These devotees come down to his Peedham just before full moon to hold prayers and help with the feeding of the poor. He asked me if I would like to take a dip in the river or take a bath in the shed that was constructed at the Peedham grounds. I opted for the river. We had to come down a flight of steps onto a railway line serving Mettupalayam and Ooti. After some distance we stepped into a path that took us down to a river were we took our bath. After prayers and meditation, we set off to the wholesale market at Methupalayam. I was told Methupalayam was where greens produce from the Ooti and Nilagiri hills where sold to retailers and dispensed throughout India. When we returned Nadarajah, Tavayogi’s faithful cook had already prepared dinner – idli and sambar. My nephew, Thayalan called while we were having dinner. As the Peedham did not have electricity supply, Tavayogi and I chat under the luminosity of a gas light for a while before retiring to bed at 8.15 pm. Tavayogi slept in the Peedham prayer room. He gave me the option whether I wanted to spent the night in the prayer

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room or with the others in the cabin. I chose to rough it out in the shed rather than intrude on Tavayogi’s privacy.

Day 4 - In The Midst Of the Sidhas 19 Sept 2005 - I woke up at 4.40 am. Nadarajah was sound asleep on the concrete bench outside the Peedham. I sat to meditate. Eventually one by one each disciple woke up. Tavayogi and I were served milk. Throughout my stay at Kallaru, I Nadarajah, prepare two tumblers of milk in the mornings and the evenings before bed and served it to Tavayogi and me. I felt odd that he should ignore the rests but did not question him. Tavayogi invited me along on his usual morning walks and bath at the river. He threw his shawl over to me asking me to cover my body, as it was a cold morning. We came down the slope onto a railway track, stepped on a path that took us to a road before passing some homes in this small village known as Agathiyar Vanam. This road led us to the Ooti-Methupalayam road. Tavayogi pointed to me the place where he met Sage Pampatti Sidha on one of his regular morning walks. The Sage had talked to him about an hour in Telugu before eventually revealing himself. We walked up until the Forest Rangers posts and turned back to the ashram. We then collected our clothing and headed down the railway track again for the river for our morning bath. On the way to the river Tavayogi told me Sage Agathiyar appeared to him the night before and asked what he (Tavayogi) was going to do for me? Tavayogi in return asks of the Sage what he was supposed to do, to which the Sage replied he would let Tavayogi know the day after. At the river, we placed our sandals aside and stepped into the river to wash our cloths. After having our bath and drying ourselves, Tavayogi decided that we take another route back to the Peedham. He went back across the river for my sandals even though I told him I shall get them myself. Along the way back, Tavayogi showed the spot on the riverbanks where elephants had come for a drink. The tracks were still fresh on the riverbank. He showed me an inscription on a wall officiating the opening of a clinic with the words Agathiyar Vanam on it. Tavayogi apparently during his days of wandering was told in his nadi to set up his ashram at a spot where he would find this inscription. Tavayogi went in search of this place that eventually brought him to this village. He has since then been in Kallaru for the past five years. The aborigines settled here later. The Indian Government is currently in the process of building homes for theses aborigines beside the Peedham. (These homes are now completed) Prayers at the Peedham were simple. Tavayogi lighted camphor and started singing a couple of hymns on the sidhas, followed by the rests of the disciples singing the sidha potri hymns. After prayers, the ever-faithful Nadarajah served breakfast consisting of idli and sambar. Later in private, I showed Tavayogi my written copy of the nadi reading. He read it. He pondered on the places that I had to go as mentioned in the nadi. He then said, “We shall think about it.”

Sivan Malai and Sivavakiyar’s Cave That morning, the first day of my stay in Kallaru, Tavayogi asked if I wanted to go to Ooti or Sivan Malai. I chose Sivan Malai. An elderly man who had come to the ashram for the full moon prayers and had stayed back, wanted to follow us. We left for Sivan Malai in Kangayam at 10 am, passing

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through Tavayogi’s hometown Thirupur. We reached Sivan Malai and had Lord Murugan’s darshan. Sage Sivavakiyar had meditated in a cave beside the temple on this hill. The temple authorities have sealed off the entrance to the cave. We meditated at this entrance, which was adjacent to the main shrine of Lord Murugan. Very strong winds prevailed at this locality as we circled the temple, which was atop one of the numerous hills in Coimbatore and we were practically blown off our feet. We left at 1.45 pm. We passed Vathamalai Vinayagar temple. Tavayogi told me Pothigai, Courtallam, Kallaru, and Sathuragiri were places where Sage Agathiyar had set his foot before. We stopped for lunch at Kangayam.

Uthiyur and Sage Konganar’s Cave

Tavayogi at the steps leading to Konganar’s cave We came to Uthiyur where we walked up a flight of stairs to a deserted Murugan temple. We crossed the hills passing through undergrowth, treading the rocky terrain to the cave where Sage Konganar had meditated. Tavayogi told me Sage Konganar installed the deity at the present day site of the famous Vengadasalapathi temple in Thirupathi. Strong winds blew as we scaled the mountain on our way to Sage Konganar’s cave with Tavayogi saying, “Right, hold one, we are coming” and turning around to me he added, “They are inviting us”, referring to the sidhas. After climbing a couple of hillocks, we stood at an opening to a cave formed by several huge boulders. There were a few compartments in this cave. We crawled into an opening that turned out to be just large enough for both Tavayogi and me to sit. Tavayogi told me he occupied this cave during his earlier days of search, when he was roaming the length and breadth of India in search of answers.

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Tavayogi meditating in a cave he used to occupy during his earlier days of searching for the truth

Tavayogi entering an opening to Konganar’s cave

Tavayogi broke down in tears as he started to sing some hymns on Sage Agathiyar. I cried too. Then Tavayogi took me to the adjacent cave where Sage Konganar had sat in meditation. He slides down a small opening between several boulders to reach a large cave followed by the elderly man and me. Here as elsewhere Tavayogi sang a couple of hymns on Sage Agathiyar. He then asked us both to recite the Sidha Potri hymn. The elderly man was well versed in singing this hymn and was reciting it at a fast beat track. As I could not keep up with him, I chose to let him sing alone while I closed my eyes in meditation. Upon opening my eyes, Tavayogi was holding the

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sacred ash in a piece of paper in front of me. He applied the ash on my forehead and the old man and gave us some to bring back with us. Tavayogi meditating at Konganar’s cave After a photography session, we prepared to leave. That is when I asked Tavayogi why he was leaving behind the sacred ash. He questioned me if I had brought the ash along. I answered in the negative. We both looked at the old man who accompanied us from the Peedham. He answered he did not bring it along either. That was puzzling. If we did not bring it along, from where did it appear? I was sure it was not there when we stepped into the cave. What we saw on arrival was a photo of Lord Rama and Sita and remnants of charred firewood and bricks. Then Tavayogi reveals, “The Sidhas had come. They had blessed us, by showering flowers on us. They were extremely happy,” he added. He then asked me, “Do you now understand the reason for your journey?” Although I nodded my head to his question, I was still puzzled. We started back the trail into a small township where Prem was waiting and drove towards our next destination, Chennimalai.

Chennimalai and Sage Punakeeswarar’s Cave Tavayogi in front of the entrance to Punakeeswarar’s cave Chennimalai was where the Samadhi of Sage Punakeeswarar is situated. We passed through a temple ground to reach the Samadhi on top of the hill behind this temple. There was a narrow opening in the rock face, which Tavayogi tried to enter but could not. It was pitch dark inside and we

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decided we would sit outside the opening and meditate. On the way down the hill, we had to come around the temple as the temple was closed for the night. Monkeys had begun to gather here for the night. Later I came to understand that the Kanda Shasti Kavacham was first offered to the world in this temple by Balan Devaraya Swami. The sun had already set as I returned to Kallaru in joy after having seen the Samadhi of the sidhas, thanks to Tavayogi. On the way back we stopped at a Mariamman temple near Methupalayam where Tavayogi had taken shelter when he lost his eyesight earlier in life.[1] The temple was closed for the night. This temple was famous because the Goddess here had cured devotees who had lost their eyesight including Tavayogi.

Day 5 – Meeting Other Swamis 20 Sept 2005 - Tavayogi suggested we go to Ooti to drop in on some of the local living saints. With Suresh from Thiruvanamalai, who was at the Peedham for the full moon festivities, we went looking for Mani to take us to see these saints. We picked up Mani and his son-in-law too and headed for the first stop - Sargurunathar’s cave and ashram on the face of a cliff just along the Ooti Methupalayam trunk road. Sage Agathiyar himself had blessed Sargurunathar. After Sargurunathar’s demise, one Ramasamy Swami had taken over and done much charity in and around Ooti. On Ramasamy Swami’s demise last month, his disciple Suyam Jhoti Swami was now leading this organization. His ashram was in the slopes of Nilagiri Hills in Ooti in a place called Kasolai. Tavayogi and he were engaged in a long conservation regarding their movements. We had lunch at this ashram. Suyam Jhoti Swami’s disciples served us food. We were served simple food – rice and a soup cooked with lots of grains and nuts. Suyam Jhoti Swami took us to the prayer room and blessed us. I gave Tavayogi Rs 2,000, which Tavayogi handed to Suyan Jhoti Swami as donation for his ashram activities. The Swami gave us some books on songs about his parama guru, Sargurunathar, written by him (Suyan Jhoti Swami). Then Mani took us to another priest who runs a Mariamman temple in the middle of a field. The priest conducted prayers, questioned us a lot, talked on his temple and festivities, and blessed our entourage, even Tavayogi, and me by applying kungumam on our foreheads. We had some bites here offered by the priest. His helpers served us. The last stop was to Dayananda Swami who lived alone in his ashram in some woods in Ooti. A volunteer cum caretaker informed the swami of our arrival. Adi Sankara’s portrait in the hall of this house greeted us, as we were lead into a room where the swami was cuddled on a bed in a corner of the room. He adorned a woolen cap on his head, a woolen shawl around his neck and a blanket wrapped around his body exposing only his feet to us. He asked many questions and also talked about Ooti - past and present. He told us he was going to leave the world and we shall see him as a star in the sky soon. Initially this saint did not allow me to photograph him but as we were having this conversation with him, he eventually told me I could snap a picture or two. We were served hot tea, which brought some relief in this cold weather. Tavayogi had planned to return a visit by a swami who dropped by at Tavayogi’s Peedham sometime back. However, as it was a cold and wet night out in the hills of Ooti and as it was

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already late we decided to head back to the Peedham. Strong winds and drizzle prevailed throughout our journey. On the way, back Tavayogi explained to me the spiritual state of each of these Swamis.

Day 6 – A Day in the Life of an Ashramite The Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedham built by Tavayogi in Kallaru 21 Sept 2005 - It was in Kallaru that I saw the moon extremely big and close with a very wide radiant circle around it. It was extremely beautiful. A noise woke me up in the early hours one morning. Upon lying in bed and paying attention to it, it sounded like the walk of heavily built person with a walking stick. I was not sure what it was. I narrated to Tavayogi that I heard sounds in the night. He then narrated stories where elephants used to walk right up to the Peedham and stand in the bushes watching; a leopard having come into the Peedham grounds and killed a dog that was tied up to a post; and numerous occasions where snakes were spotted in the grounds. During the time I was in Kallaru, I used to wake up each morning at 4 am and tried to meditate until sun break, which occurs early in India, around 5 am. I then picked the flowers for the morning prayer. I spent the day at the ashram with Tavayogi, Vimalan, Suresh, and Nadarajah where I did some reading besides chatting with these folks. Tavayogi was with the local village headman sorting out allocation of the housing for the local aborigines that the government was building adjacent to the Peedham. Tavayogi related to me the anxiety he had to go through trying to put up the Aaru Aatare Peedham and his hermitage. The Peedham was fashioned based on exact measurements and guidance given by Sage Agathiyar to Tavayogi. It was one massive piece of granite weighing 1,250 kg that was cut into seven numbers of receding steps. It was made out of a solid piece of granite elsewhere and then transported by lorry to the foot of the small hillock where the hermitage was perched on. The Aaru Aatare Peedham had to be carried across the railway lines that were running from Coimbatore to Ooti passing the small village of Kallaru. When he was lost for ideas trying to bring the Aaru Aatare Peedham, all the way up the small hillock over the railway lines, Sage Agathiyar appears to him asking Tavayogi not to worry and sends someone with an elephant to pull the Aaru Aatare Peedham up the hill slopes.

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Tavayogi spoke about Arutprakasa Swami, Jeganatha Swami, and Chitramuthu Adigal all of whom followed Saint Ramalingam’s teaching. Chitramuthu Adigal was both Arutprakasa Swami’s and Tavayogi’s guru. Jeganatha Swami was Chitramuthu Adigal’s guru. As I was sitting at the Peedham, I had a thought that since the next day, being a Thursday, an auspicious day for Guru worship, I wanted Tavayogi to carry out a special prayer for Sage Agathiyar followed by serving food for the locals. I mentioned this wish to Tavayogi. Nadarajah and Tavayogi were overjoyed. In the evening, we went downtown to purchase groceries and vegetables for the feast. Later that evening Tavayogi brought out bundles of nadi that were in his possession. They were of various sizes and lengths; some with very fine writings and others with big writings. He read to me some transcribes of the nadi written in notebooks. He passed me the one on his daughter. In it, Sage Agathiyar consoles Tavayogi’s daughter who was saddened since Tavayogi had left the family to become a monk. Sage Agathiyar says Tavayogi was a sidha and on his demise, his soul would be lead away by Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathi themselves in a craft called Puspavimaanam. Vimalan came over to me and whispered close to my ears that Suresh and Mani’s son-in-law were waiting at the village below and wondered if I would like to follow them into town. I excused myself from Tavayogi who did not stop me nor questioned me. I dressed up and we headed for Methupalayam in my rented car. Only in the car did they mention they wanted to go to the famed Kil Thirupathi temple out of town. This temple was a miniature of Thirumalai Thirupathi temple of Andra. It was on a privately owned property in the middle of a mill. It was beautiful and well maintained. Vimalan had to leave his cell phone with the security. Once inside the temple they wanted to wait it out until closing times where the God and Goddess are put to sleep. When we came back to the Peedham, Tavayogi was waiting up for us. Upon seeing the car, he sent Nadarajah down with a torch. Nadarajah passed the torch without saying a word and went down to the village, apparently angry with us for turning up late. Tavayogi asked me why we were late. I told him we went to the temple. He asked why we did not call him. Vimalan replied he had surrendered the phone with the security. Tavayogi told us Nadarajah had prepared dinner and had waited on us. “The food has now gone cold. Help yourself,” he said. He watched us as we ate in silence feeling guilty for staying out late and not informing him. I could envision him as a father who was worried sick and nervously plying the room waiting for news of his children and looking out for signs of a car approaching with his children returning home.

Day 7 – A Day of Doing Charity 22 Sept 2005 – Suresh and Vimalan cooked the food with some assistance and supervision from Nadarajah. Word was passed on to the villagers that prayers would be conducted and free food would be served. Tavayogi conducted prayers at exactly 11 am followed by serving food at noon.

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Nadarajah out of the blues commented that the day’s event was even greater than the usual feeding done on full moon days. He added that the day was also auspicious because it was Kritigai, a special day for Lord Murugan. Later Tavayogi tells me it was not Nadarajah who had made the statement. He indicated that the sidhas were communicating through Nadarajah and THEY were happy. I did ask Tavayogi if the sidhas were present at the altar in the Peedham to receive our prayers. Tavayogi questioned me back, “What! Do you think they are not around?”, since he must have thought I doubted their presence by asking each time if they were around, at the Peedham, in the caves and at the Samadhi that we visited. That night Tavayogi and myself sat done to plan our journey according to Sage Agathiyar’s Aasi Kaandam. My brother, who was a journalist with a local English daily in Malaysia, was also in India having just arrived on September 17 for a convention cum visit to farms. He was reporting on methods of farming adopted in India. He was with a few other journalists and some farmers from Malaysia. We arranged to meet him in Trichi the next day. Feeding the poor at Kallaru

Day 8 - The Actual Journey Begins 23 Sept 2005 - “Only now our actual journey begins,” said Tavayogi with a big grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, as we left on the second leg of our tour. We were headed for Agasthiyampalli in Vedharanyam, Pothigai, Courtallam, and Palani as instructed in my nadi. He was just as excited as I was too. We reached Trichi at 2.00 pm where we had lunch. Then we went over to the hotel where my brother was staying. Tavayogi excused himself to visit his friend in Trichi while my brother and I went to a book fair. Tavayogi returned shortly to the hotel. Subarao, Mano and others who accompanied my brother for a seminar in India met Tavayogi and exchanged views. Tavayogi and I wanted to find accommodation in the same hotel but we were told all rooms were taken up. On the way to the adjacent hotel, the local organizer of the seminar insisted that he would arrange for all of us to stay in the same hotel.

Day 9 - Sage Agathiyar Welcomes Us at Agastiyampalli 24 Sept 2005 - Tavayogi and I left Trichi for Vedharanyam at 6.00 am. We stopped over at Tanjore at 7.30 am for breakfast. We saw the salt lakes where Mohandas K Gandhi had carried out his famous salt walk. We also saw the places where the tsunami wave had hit on 26 December 2004. We reached Agastiyampalli, Vedharanyam at 10.30 am. A temple priest who was sitting with two other locals at the entrance of the temple, on seeing us alight from the car, came forward to greet

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and usher us into the temple grounds. He took us straight to Sage Agathiyar’s shrine. This shrine was on the left of the entrance and was facing the main temple of Lord Siva. He lighted camphor and showed the flame. Tavayogi and I sat on the floor. Tavayogi started singing the hymns as usual. Tavayogi meditating at Agathiyar’s shrine The priests interrupted him, asking us to go around the temple ground and then to the main temple first. He insisted we prayed at Lord Siva’s shrine first as he was going away to another temple to conduct prayers. 50 He gave instructions on how to go around the temple grounds. Tavayogi told me, "Lets oblige him.” Tavayogi and I came round the temple grounds as the priests had instructed. We stepped into Lord Siva’s shrine where the priest was waiting for us. He showed the flame. He explained that this was the very temple where Sage Agathiyar pressed his thumb into the ground to balance the earth that had tilted due to the Devas, Gods, and Goddesses converging in the Himalayas for Lord Siva-Goddess Parvathy’s wedding. Marshall Govindan in ‘BABAJI AND THE 18 SIDHA KRIYA YOGA TRADITIONS’(Govindan, Marshall, Babaji and the Eighteen Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition,1991,KRIYA YOGA PUBLICATIONS (REG), 196 Mountain Road, P.O.Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, Canada, JOE 1PO, http://www.babaji.ca ), explains this episode: ‘At the time of Siva’s marriage to Parvathi on Mount Kailas, the assemblage of gods and goddesses was so great that the equilibrium of the planet was disturbed. The north sank low under the weight of the crowding celestials while the south rose up. To restore a balance, Siva asked Agastiyar to travel from Mount Kailash to southern India. The most famous ashram site in the Tirunelvely district near the Courtallam waterfalls in the Pothigai mountains of southern Tamil Nadu, is where he is reported to be living to this day.’

50 It was almost noon and temples would be closed in the afternoons. So why was he in a hurry to go to another temple for prayers? Later in the nadi reading Sage Agathiyar tells me HE was the one on hand to greet us cheerfully at Agastiyampalli that day. 80

After praying at Lord Siva’s shrine, we came back to Sage Agathiyar’s shrine. Tavayogi picked up singing the hymns from where he had left. I continued with the Potri songs as usual. As I started reciting the Pranavam-AUM, at Sage Agathiyar’s shrine I could hear and feel the Pranavam reverberate, and bounce off the granite walls. I felt a cool breeze sweep over me even as I was sweating away at the shrine. As I uttered the last line of the Potri song, OM MAA SIDDHARGALE POTRI, I broke down in tears. I cried and cried. I asked Sage Agathiyar to open his eyes and see me.51 He did not respond. I shut my eyes as I wept. I opened my eyes after some time. Tavayogi who was earlier seated opposite me was not there anymore. I turned towards the entrance. He had moved to the open air and was standing there observing. The author in front of Agathiyar’s shrine

Sage Agathiyar Opens His Eyes As I got up, he ushered me to his side and told me, Sage Agathiyar had opened his eyes twice. “There is the aroma of sandalwood in the air too,” he added. He asked that I stand at the same spot he had stood. “Concentrate looking at the Sage's eyes,” he said. I peered at the granite statue of Sage Agathiyar but I could hardly make out his face much less see him open and close his eyes. The shrine was dark. I could sense Tavayogi’s disappointment that I could not see the Sage open his eyes. This I knew from the tone of his voice when he consoled me, “Never mind, son. Let’s snap some photographs, shall we?” I entered Sage Agathiyar’s shrine again and was about to sit when Tavayogi motioned me to sit with Sage Agathiyar in the inner sanctum sanctorum saying, “Go in and sit at Sage Agathiyar’s feet at the inner sanctum. He is our father. Who dares object?” That is when Tavayogi throws his shawl over to me asking me to lay it on the floor to sit on as the floor had oil spills. As I laid his shawl and sat, I glanced at Sage Agathiyar’s face and what do I see? The Sage is observing me with an eye open. I looked hard in disbelieve. Only a moment ago I had seen him with both eyes shut. The eyes were engraved into the granite and I was sure they were engraved shut as I entered his shrine this morning. I was overcome with joy seeing Sage Agathiyar look at me and I called out to Tavayogi, “Swami…” Even before I could complete my sentence, Tavayogi understood and told me, “Right! he has seen you, has he, come! They will show (themselves) you only for a moment.” Even as I came out from his shrine the Sage was looking at me with one eye shut, grinning away. 51 Sage Agathiyar had promised to open his eyes and see me at Agastiyampalli in the nadi reading.

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We left Agastiyampalli at 11.15 am. Tavayogi tells me it has been ten years since he came to Agastiyampalli. In the nadi prediction, Sage Agathiyar had promised that he would look at me when I came here. I was convinced the vision I had was possible only with the help that I got from my guru Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal. Only after he had thrown his shawl over to me to sit on did this miracle take place.

Back at Breehadeshwarar’s Temple and Sage Karuvurar’s Shrine Tavayogi at Breehadeshwarar temple We had lunch at Tanjore and proceeded to Breehadeshwarar temple at 3.00 pm. As the temples in India are closed from 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm, Tavayogi took the opportunity to take a nap in front of the huge Nandi at the temple grounds while I went around snapping some photos of the temple. I walked up the flight of steps to Lord Dhakshina Murthi’s shrine. Then I walked to the back of the temple grounds where Sage Karuvurar’s shrine was located. The caretaker who was cleaning the oil lamps got up, called me in, lighted the camphor, showed the flame, and gave me the sacred ash. 52 I came back to the spot Tavayogi was napping. He invited me to share his shawl that he had spread on the ground to lie down. At 4.00 pm when the temple doors were opened to the public, Tavayogi went straight to Sage Karuvurar’s shrine and the same man who attended to me earlier attended to Tavayogi too. Tavayogi sat at the shrine in meditation. I followed suit. Some pilgrims who had taken shelter away from the scorching sun at Sage Karuvurar’s shrine were conversing loudly. The

52 Marshall Govindan in his book BABAJI AND THE 18 SIDHAR TRADITION (Govindan, Marshall, Babaji and the Eighteen Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition, 1991,KRIYA YOGA PUBLICATIONS (REG), 196 Mountain Road, P.O.Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, Canada, JOE 1PO, http://www.babaji.ca, reproduced with permission via e-mail ), says: ‘During the construction of the Breehadeshwarar Siva temple in Tanjore, around 900 AD Boganathar advised its builders as to how to raise the eighty ton capstone to the top of the temple, more than two hundred feet high. This was done through his disciple Karuvoorar. About this time he also advised the king of Tanjore to build a small shrine dedicated to Karuvoorar behind the Breehadeshwarar Siva temple.’

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caretaker drove them away saying there were people meditating, referring to us, and creating a peaceful environment for us to meditate.53 As we came around the temple complex, Tavayogi must have sensed my yearning to see Lord Siva for he told me to go ahead while he stood in the shade of the temple structure. I rushed up the flight of stairs to the inner sanctum of the temple where was housed the largest Sivalingam. I joined Tavayogi shortly and we left the temple complex.

Saraswathi Mahal Tavayogi suggested we visit the Saraswathy Mahal hoping to show me some old scripts and collections of King Sarobhoji. It was 5.00 pm as we got into the car and rushed to the museum before they closed for the day. Tavayogi purchased a couple of tickets and we entered the museum. The palace of King Sarobhoji was now converted into a museum that houses his vast collection of English books, portraits, and old writings. Tavayogi was saddened that most of the writings that were kept here earlier were no more to be seen now. We returned to Trichi. Tavayogi still insisted on sleeping on the floor although he relented to accept a blanket to be spread on the cold floor and a pillow under his head.

Day 10 - Pothigai and Courtallam 25 Sept 2005 - My brother checked out of the hotel. His visit to India to participate and cover a seminar had ended and he had extended his visit to follow us. Tavayogi, my brother, and I left for Pothigai Hills at 6 am. We had breakfast in Tanjore and lunch on arrival at Papanasam, Pothigai. Here was the famous Agathiyar Falls. This place was packed with holidaymakers, as it was a Sunday. Tavayogi and I washed our cloths in the stream and laid them out to dry on the rocks. We took a bath under the falls, dried ourselves, and started our climb up a long flight of stairs to a lake known as the Kalyana Theertam. On the way, we passed a house built into the cliffs where a woman saint, Krishnaveni Ammal was staying. I was told she has been staying in solitude since coming up to this spot following a sidha when she was barely thirteen years of age. She never went back. Tavayogi stopped to enquire if she was around only to be told that she was having her

53 Why did Tavayogi wait until 4.00 pm if he only wanted to visit Sage Karuvurar’s shrine and not the main temple? Only the main temple was closed between 12 noon and 4.00 pm. Sage Karuvurar’s shrine was accessible to the public anytime of the day.

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afternoon nap. Tavayogi told us we could try our luck on our way down. Further up perched on a cliff was a Siva temple. There was a shrine for Sage Agathiyar too.54 Tavayogi meditated at this spot. Tavayogi tells us this was the spot were Sage Agathiyar himself had meditated and attained Mukti. I was told this was also the spot where the sidhas come down in the form of light after 11.00 pm daily. Impressed by the talk that one could see sidhas in light form in this spot, I requested Tavayogi that we stay overnight to watch them but Tavayogi preferred to stay in the caves of Courtallam for the night. Swami Saravanananda in his preface to his English translation of the ARUTPERUNJHOTHI AGAVAL published by Ramalinga Mission, Madras does mention about these lights. ‘A vivid description of the phenomenon of floating lights has been given by John Blofeld in the 'Wheel of Life', who had spent months on the sacred mountain Wee Tai Shan in China.’ ‘Shortly after midnight, a monk, carrying a lantern, stepped into our room and cried;”The bodhisattvas have appeared!” There in the great open space beyond the window apparently not more than one or two hundred yards away, innumerable balls of fire floated majestically past. Fluffy balls of orange colored fire, moving through space, unhurried and majestic, truly a fitting manifestation of divinity!’ Swami Saravanananda himself says he was fortunate enough to have had the darshan of these balls of light. The first vision he had was when he was meditating in a dry riverbed. ‘At about midnight, he would see balls of fire of the size of the headlight of a car, balls of varied hues and also of pure white. They moved majestically here and there and sometimes seem to be playing with each other. At other times, they hovered around the meditator (Swami Saravanananda) and came towards him within ten feet where he was sitting and then retreated. Infrequently, they stood above his head and seemed to be watching his thoughts. He had a similar experience though less spectacular than the previous of witnessing the balls of fire while he was keeping night vigils in Pothigai hills, the abode of Sage Agastiyar.’ As we started on our way down and approached Krishnaveni Amma’s ashram, the ashram door was still closed. Tavayogi did not want to disturb her and lead us away from there. Then we stopped at a large temple dedicated to Sage Agathiyar further down. Here Sage Agathiyar was enshrined in the form of a granite statue sitting in a similar pose to that of Ayappa Swami in Kerala. 54 Maran tells me the statue of Sage Agathiyar was not there when he visited the temple recently in 2006. My nephew who had spent a night here only saw the statue of the Sage the next day. So was the Sage playing games with them?

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Then we returned to Agathiyar Falls where there is a large and old Sivan temple. It was closed. We waited for the temple to open at 4.00 pm. We then left for Courtallam. We had tea at Courtallam and later purchased a candle and torchlight as we were going to stay in the caves overnight.

Overnight In Sage Agathiyar’s Cave Tavayogi stops at one of numerous houses lined up in this small town and enquires about the caretaker of the caves. We are told she was at the temple in the hills. Prem drops us at the famed Courtallam picnic spot. I picked up my bundle of laundry that was still wet. I took along my bag of fresh clothing and blanket and we rushed to the caves on foot, as it was almost nightfall. Strong winds blew again as we hiked up the hill behind the Courtallam Falls. It was a three km walk uphill to Sage Agathiyar’s cave. Eventually the night set in. We trotted in the dark with Tavayogi leading the way with the aid of torchlight. At Agathiyar’s cave It was pitch dark as we reached the Shenbaga Devi Amman temple, which was in total darkness except for a light inside the Devi's shrine. Tavayogi calls out in the dark through the metal grills. I see some movement on the floor of the temple. Apparently, some folks were sleeping in the temple. He introduces himself and they seem to know him. He asked them to open up Sage Agathiyar’s cave, which they obliged readily. A man led the way while we followed. It was pitch dark and I could not make out the surroundings although I knew we were walking on the banks of a lake and could hear the roar of a waterfall nearby. The caretakers were three elderly women. Their brother Supramaniam who was from out of town was the one who showed us to the cave. He unlocked the iron grills to the cave. He lit the hurricane lamp, tidied the place so that it was conducive to spend the night, and even prepared hot tea for us in the cave. The drink was a blessing in that cold weather. There were a few statues including a statue of Sage Agathiyar, pictures and the Vaasikol that Sage Agathiyar used. The Vaasikol is placed under ones arms to retain the flow of the breath through a particular nostril. Tavayogi told us there was even Sage Agathiyar’s sandals earlier but

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now was missing. The caretaker woman drops in to check if all was conducive for our night out in this cave. They then leave. We could hardly stand up in this cave. It was small, cozy, and warm in here. The adjacent compartment of the cave, which was empty except for an oil lamp burning, was where Sage Agathiyar had meditated. We entered this chamber and seated ourselves. Tavayogi was sad to notice that a portion of this cave had now become a store filled with pots and pans. Tavayogi was also saddened that the cave had now been named Avaiyar’s cave when in actuality it was Sage Agathiyar’s cave. As usual, Tavayogi sang the hymns, which I have now become familiar with, followed by me singing the Potri. Tavayogi then left my brother and me to continue with the prayers and retired for the day. I dried my cloths outside the cave and locked up the grilled door to the cave entrance before retiring for the day. We laid blankets on the ground and used our bags and clothing as a pillow. We were so exhausted that the moment we laid our heads on the ground we had dozed off. I did wake in the middle of the night though and saw rats scurrying away in the crevices and sides of the cave. I had a good night’s sleep and was refreshed the next day. The author with Tavayogi at Agathiyar’s cave

Day 11 - Roaming the Jungles of Pothigai and Courtallam 26 Sept 2005 - I woke up early as usual and came out of the cave to realize that we were next to a huge waterfall and a lake. In the early morning sunlight, I could make out some movements in the surrounding jungles. I sat and watched the day begin. As the day dawned and there was more light, I noticed it was monkeys that had been perching on the cliffs and trees. Tavayogi woke up shortly. Supramaniam and the caretaker woman turned up early to prepare tea for us. We took our bath at the falls under the watchful eyes of Tavayogi. He cautioned us to be careful, as the rocks were slippery and asked that we hold on to the railings that had been put up. I washed and dried my cloths again! After drying my cloths, I came up the steps to the cave. I was taken aback to see a sadhu squatting at the entrance to the cave and having tea. He resembled the photograph of Sri La Sri Pundi Mahaan Aatru Swami who was one of Supramania Swami's guru. He had long matted hair and was beaming a smile. He invited me in. I gestured Vanakam to him and sat down beside him. I had

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my tea. He remained quiet as Tavayogi talked with the caretakers. This sadhu then tells me he would be at the temple below and leaves the cave.55

Lord Dhaksana Murthi’s Cave

The author with Tavayogi at Dhakshina Murthi’s cave Tavayogi suggested we go over to Dhakshina Murthi’s and Saint Ramalingam’s cave. He asked me to get the blessings of the elderly women and give a small contribution to her, which I did. We came down the hill to Shenbaga Devi Amman’s temple.56 I saw the sadhu again. He was at the temple just as he had promised. I told him I was going to the caves and asked if he would like to follow. He jumped down from his seat he was perched on immediately and led the way to Lord Dhaskhina Murthi’s cave. He opened up the grilled gates to the cave entrance for us. He lighted the oil lamp inside the cave. The sadhu having lighted the place for us, went out and sat on a rock outside the cave. We entered the cave, which was large enough to allow us to stand. There were statues of Sage Agathiyar, his wife Lobamuthirai and Sage Visvamitra in this cave. In the inner chamber was a statue of Lord Dhakshina Murthi. We sat in meditation for a while.

55 Who was he and why did he need to tell me that? 56 Yogi S A A Ramaiah in his book BABAJI GITA says, this shrine is built on the exact spot where Sage Agathiyar initiated Baba Nagaraj into Kriya Kundalini Pranayam.

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Saint Ramalingam’s Cave

A painting of Saint Ramalingam superimposed on a photograph of the cave he had occupied during his travels The sadhu closed the grilled gates to Lord Dhakshina Murthi’s cave as we came out. Tavayogi then lead us to Saint Ramalingam’s cave. The sadhu followed us some distance but eventually turned onto another path. I caught up with him to thank him. He gave me a wink.57 I turned to join Tavayogi and my brother who were already some distance ahead. Tavayogi left us at a spot to check out the route to the saint’s cave. He reappeared from the opposite direction and led us away from the spot. The entrance to the saint’s cave was secured with metal grills too. Tavayogi told me it was locked. I inspected the door and tried to unlatch it. Surprisingly the latch gave way and I could slide the grilled door aside quite easily. It was pitch dark inside. We had to light up the candle. The outer chamber was large enough to stand around. Tavayogi and I crawled into the inner chamber, which was rather small. I grasped Tavayogi’s hand. Tears ran down my cheeks. I was grateful and appreciated Tavayogi for having guided me to these auspicious spots and places. I would not have

57 What was that wink for? Was this the sidha that Supramania Swami told I would meet on my journey?

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seen and experienced this much if I had undertaken this journey alone. We closed the grill to the caves and headed back for Sage Agathiyar’s cave. We prayed at the Shenbaga Devi Amman temple on our way back. This temple was where Maha Avatar Babaji had sat for days in meditation. His guru Sage Bhogar had instructed him to go to the Pothigai hills to meet Sage Agathiyar. Babaji left Kadhirgamam in Ceylon for the Pothigai Hills. Babaji adamantly went into penance until Sage Agathiyar appeared in front of him. M. Govindan in BABAJI AND THE 18 SIDDHAR KRIYA YOGA TRADITION, (Govindan, Marshall, Babaji and the Eighteen Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition, 1991,KRIYA YOGA PUBLICATIONS (REG), 196 Mountain Road, P.O.Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, Canada, JOE 1PO, http://www.babaji.ca, reproduced with permission via e-mail ), narrates this episode, ‘Boganathar inspired his disciple, Babaji, to seek this objective of Siddhanta Yoga, and so directed him to seek initiation into Kriya Kundalini Pranayama or Vaasi Yogam from the legendary Siddhar Agastiyar at Courtallam in the Pothigai hills of Tamil Nadu. Babaji traveled on foot to Courtallam and on arriving there at the Shakti Peedham, one of the sixty-four shrines throughout India dedicated to god as the divine mother, he made a solemn vow to remain at that spot until Agastiyar would initiate him into the secrets of yoga. On the forty-eight day, when Babaji was on the verge of complete collapse, with great longing, he simply repeated over and over again the name ”Agastiyar.” Suddenly the eminent Siddhar stepped out of the nearby forest and came up to where Babaji was sitting in prayer.' ‘Agastiyar emphasized the strict conditions under which it was to be practiced and its potential for awakening the higher levels of consciousness, spiritual enlightenment and ultimately the transformation of all five bodies. He then directed Babaji to go to Badrinath. Babaji made the long pilgrimage to Badrinath and then spent eighteen “long, lonely months” practicing intensively all the yogic kriya taught to him by his gurus Agastiyar and Boganathar.’ We bid farewell to all the caretakers who had gathered at the temple. Tavayogi again insisted on carrying my bundle of damp cloths. We started down the mountain to the spot where Prem left us the day before. Prem had been worried sick having no idea about our whereabouts in the jungles of Courtallam. He had been calling Tavayogi on the cell phone but there was no signal in the mountains. He was relieved to see me, as he was answerable to his agency on my safety and wellbeing. We then continued on our journey to Palani.

Sage Agathiyar Opens His Eyes Again Before we left Courtallam Tavayogi took us to a Sivan temple, Lord Kutralanathar in town. At the Siva temple was a shrine for Sage Agathiyar. Tavayogi narrated an incident that took place here during his travels through India. He was at Sage Agathiyar’s shrine at the spot we stood today. He heard a melodious hymn. On tracing the source of that hymn, he chanced upon Somasundareswarar Swami who was standing at a shrine of Lord Siva. Later Tavayogi met

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Somasundareswarar Swami often at Shenbaga Devi Amman temple. Somasundareswarar Swami maintained Sage Agathiyar’s cave and the surrounding caves until his demise. We sat at Sage Agathiyar’s shrine in this temple and Tavayogi started singing hymns. Tavayogi broke down as he sang Saint Ramalingam’s ‘Indru varumoh naalaiku varumoh allathu mathendru varumoh.’ That is when I thought I saw Sage Agathiyar open and shut both his eyes. I got up to move closer, to get a better view and to confirm what I had seen. True enough there was Sage Agathiyar opening and closing, both his eyes, which were very human. Back at Agastiyampalli the sculptured granite figure of the Sage had both eyes sculptured closed. However, as I left his shrine his left eye was wide open watching me. At Courtallam, the Sage's eyes were sculptured wide open. Now human eyes were watching me. I stood still, amazed, my sight fixed on the Sage's eyes. That is when Tavayogi called out to us saying, “You have seen, have you? Come on lets leave.” 58 Andrew Harvey in his book HIDDEN JOURNEY-A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING, published by Penguin Books USA Inc., 1992, has the following conversation with Mother Meera, which I can relate to Tavayogi hurrying us away each time a miracle takes place. “You have come to give the Light to all people, so all can awaken in whatever way they choose, in whatever situation or society or religious discipline they find themselves.” “Yes.” “You do not want disciples in the old sense.” “No. If people want to come to me, I can give them the light. If they want to be taught by me inwardly, I will teach them. If they want to take my light and be taught by someone else, they can.” “Daniel said a beautiful thing yesterday,” I went on. “He said you never treat any of our visions of you or the light as special, because you never want us to rest at any stage or state.” “Yes,” Ma said. “There is always more. Always. Even for the greatest of yogis, even for Sri Aurobindo, there is always more. You must go on and on aspiring, praying for more and more light.” 58 Tavayogi again hurried us out of the temple having witnessed that spectacular event. He never gives us a moment to dwell on the mystical. I presume he does not want us to be stuck with those images and be at that stage or level forever. Adi Sankara was always afraid that the devotee or the yogi might become so infatuated with his God that he would never get to the Reality behind the Gods.

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“Realization is not, you have been showing me, one marvelous moment. It is a Process.” “Yes. A journey without end. There are different stages in the journey, but the journey has no end.” “The great danger for me,” I said, “is that the ego will seize what the soul is learning for itself, to make itself proud.” “It will try. However, the soul’s joy will break it down, no? The divine will not use you unless you are humble. My power passes through those who are clear. Keep yourself clear at all times. If they work with the light, it will transform them and give them the power to change themselves and so change the world.” It was nightfall when we checked in at a hotel in Palani. Tavayogi told us we shall climb Palani Hill first thing in the morning. He again insisted on sleeping on the floor.

Day 12 - Palani Amazes Me Again This was the second time I was invited to Palani by Sage Agathiyar through the nadi reading. At 5.00 in the morning, we started for the Palani temple. The streets were quiet. Shops were still closed. We walked from the hotel in town to the temple on the hillock. We had to wait in queue, as the temple was still closed. At 6.00 am, we were allowed to enter. We stood in front of Palani Murugan and offered our prayers. I still cannot recall what I saw here just as I cannot recall what I saw the first time I was in this temple in 2003. We went down some steps to the open and crossed over to another temple structure, which housed Sage Bhogar’s shrine. Palani had puzzled me earlier in 2003. I wanted some answers then. Now it was clear to me. This was definitely not the route I took to Sage Bhogar’s shrine in 2003. In my earlier visit, I walked along a passage from Palani Murugan’s shrine to Sage Bhogar’s shrine. There was no necessity to go into the open air. The shrine walls now were beautifully painted with murals depicting episodes from Bhogar’s life in color. In 2003, there were no paintings on the wall. Tavayogi sat along the corridor outside Sage Bhogar's shrine in meditation. I wept in silent. When he came out of meditation, we entered Sage Bhogar’s shrine. There were four temple priests when we stepped into the chamber. One of them showed the flame in front of the Maragatha Lingam and another figurine of Goddess Bhuvaneswari that Sage Bhogar had worshipped, both placed on a raised dais. The priests then pointed out the opening where Sage Bhogar had entered and is still believed to be in Samadhi. They narrated the history of the temple to Tavayogi and my brother. I cried again here. After gaining control of myself, I moved to a spot in the room to sit for a while as the three priests continued filling in Tavayogi and my brother on the temple’s history. The fourth priest who was very much younger than the rests was standing in attendance observing the others and me without uttering a word. As we came out of this chamber, this young priest intercepted us at the corridor away from the others. He passed a tumbler that he was holding to Tavayogi who was right in front, saying, “Abhisega Paal”. I was overjoyed. I told myself, “My God it was happening again. I am being given

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the abhisega paal again.” I was given a tumbler of milk on my visit here in 2003. Today I was receiving it again. Tavayogi drank a portion and passed the tumbler to my brother who was behind him. My brother drank a portion and in turn passed the tumbler to me. I emptied the tumbler and gratefully handed it over to the priests who look pleased. Surprisingly no one questioned him nor did he say anything further. 59 As we came down the steps into the open again, Tavayogi stopped and turned back to look at me. He questioned me, “What is it, my son.” I went up to him and placed my head on his chests. Tears quelled in my eyes. He had this twinkle in his eyes and gave me a broad smile. I remained silent as we walked around the temple grounds. We left the temple premises. Later we checked out of the hotel.

Marudamalai and Pampatti Sidha’s Cave On the way back to Kallaru, Tavayogi took us to Marudamalai Murugan temple where Pampatti Sidha had meditated at an adjacent cave. We had to leave the car behind at the base of the hill because renovation works were being done in and around the hill temple. We hopped onto a bus that took us to the top of the hill. This was my first ride on a bus in India. We stood all the way to the top as the bus was packed. We had a quick darshan of Lord Murugan. The temple priests brought two garlands of flower and placed them around Tavayogi and my brother. Tavayogi removed his garland and placed it around my neck. We went down a flight of steps to the cave of Pampatti Sidha. Here the temple priests explained to us about Pampatti Sidha and his penance at this spot. We sat for a while. Tavayogi meditated. Some of the devotees and the tourists come over to Tavayogi for the sacred ash. This was the first time I saw the Indian public approach Tavayogi for his blessings in public. We took the bus back down the hill.

Back to Kallaru As I was coming to the end of my tour, I realized I needed something more than the sights and sounds that were shown to me. I pondered a lot on the way back to Kallaru about this fabulous tour of religious spots and places. I was extremely blessed to have Tavayogi escort and show me around. Many miracles had taken place since I was here in India on my second trip just as Sage Agathiyar had promised me in the nadi reading. Yes it was fine for me to return to Malaysia and tell my family and friends that Yogi Ramsuratkumar had joined Supramania Swami and me in chanting his name; that Sage Agathiyar had opened his eyes to see me - first one eye at Agastiyampalli, then later both eyes at Courtallam; I cherished all that I had seen and heard on this pilgrimage. I could talk about them for some time but eventually talk would have to end too. What next after I reached the shores of Malaysia? Do I go back to my routine life? This journey should not be a mere tour of pilgrimage spots. I needed something that I could take back with me besides these memories. Therefore, I told Tavayogi, as we had tea, on our way back to Kallaru, I did not want the journey of mine to end just like any other tour of India. I wanted 59 I had the gift of receiving this milk when I was on my pilgrimage to this temple in 2003. I came out of Sage Bhogar’s shrine in a state of bliss then has I did now.

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something more out of this journey. Something that could bring me advancement in my spiritual path. He looked at me for a moment and then asked if I had been chanting the mantra that was given to me by him at the Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedham back in Malaysia. I told him that I had received that mantra of Sage Agathiyar way back in November of 2004 and I have been chanting it since then. Tavayogi asks me from whom I received it. I mentioned I got it from Astrologer Dr. Krishnan. Tavayogi tells me briefly there are other practices and mantras that need to be undertaken and mentioned some of them.

Day 13 – Another Day of Doing Charity At dawn I went for a bath at the river with Tavayogi, my brother and the local children while Mrs. Sarojini (now Mataji) and a local woman prepared food to feed the locals, sponsored by my brother. Back from the river, I cleaned and decorated the prayer room, which I took it upon myself to do as long as I was in Kallaru. My brother took the opportunity to show the transcribe of his nadi that he saw in Trichi some days back. I had very much wanted my brother to read the nadi because I feel he is someone special. Each time before the gods and saints appeared in my dream, my brother was always there. I did mention this to Supramania Swami. He interpreted my brother appearing in the dreams as Lord Vinayagar himself - the elder one. I had also mentioned to Tavayogi and requested Tavayogi to advise my brother to see his nadi when he was in Kallaru. In fact, when I was in Kallaru Tavayogi did ask me if I wanted to read the nadi. He could arrange for people to come over from Avinasi to the Peedham. I declined because I had yet to go on the tour with Tavayogi as instructed by Sage Agathiyar. Once I had fulfilled the instructions in the latest reading of the nadi, I would consider seeing it again for further directions from the Sage. Mrs. Sarojini told us much has been said in her nadi about Tavayogi to which Tavayogi stopped her from revealing more. Later when she came into the cabin that was our lodge, I asked her to continue on Tavayogi and the nadi readings pertaining to him. She brought more transcribes of the nadi on Tavayogi, on her, and some others kept in notebooks. She read to me the greatness of Tavayogi that was mentioned by the sidhas. She told me it was stated in her nadi that she could achieve enlightenment just by serving Tavayogi. That afternoon we had a prayer for Sage Agathiyar and the sidhas, followed by serving free food for the locals. Then my brother on seeing the pitiful sight of the native Indians suggested to me if he should buy them clothing too. I told my brother we could try mentioning to Tavayogi. I was surprised when Tavayogi happily agreed. Tavayogi added that he was pondering as to how he was going to manage the children who would come around asking for new clothing since Deepavali was around the corner. Only a couple of days ago when I had arrived in Kallaru I put forward my wish if I should get these children some shoes. I noticed they go to school bare footed. Tavayogi told me it was not necessary. His priority was getting them textbooks and stationeries. Anyway, they would lose those shoes eventually, he added. This event reminds me of an episode that I read in the book FRAGRANT PETALS - A REPRESENTATIVE ANTHOLOGY ON SRI BHAGAVAN published by Sri Ramanasramam, 2005, Thiruvanamalai. TPR writes in the chapter, The Approach through Songs in this book as follows,

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‘Bhagawan turned to me and said: "He is Kanappa, the disciple of Vallimalai Swami. He sings beautifully, even better than his guru does. He brings tears to one’s eyes.” Bhagawan went on praising Kanappa, which was something quite unusual, so a real urge to hear him came over me, and I begged him to sing. He began to sing Thiruppugazh. I have never heard such a vibrant voice. He even brought tears to my eyes. For an hour or more, we all listened spellbound. I went out of the hall just behind Bhagawan and he suddenly turned around and said to me, "All this is unnecessary. If you gave your mind to it, it will lead you astray- no use". This was a shock to me, as he had just been praising Kanappa sky high.’ ‘On another occasion, the famous singer Dilip Kumar Roy spoke as follows; "I know no meditation or Samadhi and no sadhana to attain it. I follow the devotional approach of bakti. I worship god through my songs. By crying to Him I seek to attain Him Bhagawan, is this way right? Please guide me, master." Bhagawan looked graciously at him and said with immense love and compassion; "Yes, what you are doing is just what you have to do. Carry on and it will certainly lead you to your goal. Through devotion to god we discharge our emotions and that is a sure way to reach him." Again, I went out to lunch just behind Bhagawan and again he turned to me. This time he said, "Tell Dilip that our Tamil saints have said that bakti is the mother of jnana. Therefore, bakti margam is supreme. The essence of bakti is in merging with the universal being through emotional devotion." ‘I was perplexed. The other day he had praised the singing of Kanappa but then advised me not to follow that way; and now again he was saying that the devotional and emotional way of bakti was the supreme and almost the only way to reach god. I pondered over it for a time, and then it flashed on me that he praised this way to Kanappa who was already following it under instructions from his guru but cautioned me against it and the caution applied only to me personally. Moreover, he alone can judge what path is right for me. Now again he was commending the bakti path as supreme because for Dilip it was supreme.’ The disciple eventually realized that Bhagavan’s reply and the advice he gave were meant solely for each individual and not to be generalized. Osho too had on many occasions contradicted his own sayings. When questioned he would give an answer that was true and appropriate for that disciple and for that moment only. Sadhu Natanananda in SRI RAMANA DARSANAM published by Sri Ramanasramam, 2002, has this to say, ‘In this case and in all the other exchanges I have just given, the attitudes and assumptions of the devotees that manifested in Bhagawan’ presence determined the response.’ When Tavayogi told me, it was not necessary to spend on clothing for the poor at Kallaru but when my brother proposed he readily agreed and appreciated the move to buy new clothing, I too

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realized that every word said by a saint or guru is meant only for that individual; only for him alone. This I realized again, when I mentioned to Tavayogi that Appana had wanted me to be the secretary of the Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedham and that I had refused the offer. Tavayogi agreed I did the right thing in refusing to accept the offer. “It was not necessary for us. It might be appropriate for Seelalli, who accepted the post, for he has a purpose that is to spread the greatness of the Tamil language,” he added. In an article on the net, ‘Babaji and Mataji, in their own time, melt all hearts, expand all minds, and transform the consciousness of each of their devotees. Babaji teaches that all paths are glorious and each is appropriate for the soul guided to follow it.’ Therefore, we took along Mrs. Sarojini to shop for clothing at Methupalayam. We purchased some 39 pairs of clothing for Rs 4,200.00. The shop owner of Kumaran textiles was kind enough to give us a discount. My brother paid Rs 3,500.00 for the lot. Earlier we did enter a shop two doors away but picked up only two pairs as the shop owner after learning that the clothing were for the poor started to dump stained, old cloths on us saying he was giving us at a discounted price. Tavayogi walked out of the shop angry at the very mindset of the owner. On our return to the Peedham word went out that Tavayogi was giving away Deepavali clothing. The villager’s children crowded around Tavayogi and each received a pair of shirt and pant for the boys and dresses for the girls. That night we started packing to leave Kallaru first thing in the morning. Tavayogi handed some things to be delivered to the disciples back in Malaysia. He then called me into the prayer room at the Peedham saying he owes me something. He asks that Mrs. Sarojini bring fruits on a tray and asked me to place some coins on it. He then gave me a second teecha, which was in the form of a breathing exercise. The earlier teecha was a mantra. Later Mrs. Sarojini and Tavayogi reminisce on their days together in the Patti Mantra team having spoken throughout Tamil Nadu and on various interesting topics. We listened attentively.

Day 14 – Another Day with Supramania Swami 29 Sept 2005 - After a night's rest in Kallaru, I woke up early. Mrs. Sarojini heated up the water for our bath, as it was too early and dark to have a bath in the river. She prepared breakfast too. My brother and I bid farewell to Tavayogi and Mrs. Sarojini. We left Kallaru for Thiruvanamalai at 6.00 am. We reached Thiruvanamalai at 2.30 pm. I introduced my brother to Supramania Swami. Supramania Swami then asked me, “Did you see your Guru?” I was simply amazed at this man who knew from my nadi that I had to accept Tavayogi as a guru did not feel deleted nor discourage me nor stop me from visiting him. He then asked, “Did you hear the voice?” triggering my memory back to the first day at the kudil. Suddenly I remembered that I had actually heard a third person chant along with us the first night I spent in this kudil upon arriving in India. I asked Swami who it was. He answered with a laugh, “That was

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Visiri Matai” referring to his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar (Visiri Swami). He also said, “You have undertaken this pilgrimage for me.” I had the sidha’s blessing and Sage Agathiyar’s too, he added. He had a few predictions for my brother. Swami handed him a five-faced rosary that he had been using and asked us to split into two. I told him to give it all to my brother without breaking it up. Ramajayam drove my brother to Chennai at 4.00 pm in a four-wheel drive that my brother hired. That evening I took Swami to his village, Nacha Ananthal, eight kilometers from Thiruvanamalai town. We returned the same night. That night I contacted Vimalan whom I met in Kallaru. He dropped in at the kudil. I introduced him to Swami asking him to look into Swami’s needs since Vimalan and Suresh were locals. Vimalan wanted to take us to a few temples the next day, including that of Arunachaleswarer.

Day 15 – Annamalaiyar Up Close At 8.00 am, Vimalan comes to the kudil to take us to two small temples run by Suresh and he around Thiruvanamalai. The first was where Esaki Sidha pulled the caretaker of this temple through a crack in the wall of the inner shrine of Lord Siva. There was a bright light on the other side of the crack in the wall. The caretaker panicked and let go off Esaki’s hand. The caretaker and his friends invited Swami and me for Pradosham prayers that evening. The second was a temple where numerous statues including a Lingam and that of Goddess Amman were unearthed. Both these temples were being rebuilt. We went over to Lord Arunachaleswarer temple, lead by Vimalan, and one of his friends from the first temple. Suresh joined us at the temple with the local flower dealer. I had a pretty good and close look at Lord Annamalaiyar thanks to these locals. We returned to the kudil after packing lunch at 11.00 am. Suresh, Vimalan and his entourage bid farewell asking Swami and me to go over to the first temple for Pradosham prayers at 5.00 pm. Later when we were alone Swami asked me if we had to go over to that temple? I sensed he was not keen on going over to that temple so I suggested we go to the Yogi’s (Visiri Swami) ashram, Ramana’s ashram, and Seshadari’s ashram instead, to which he gladly agreed.

Accompanying Supramania Swami to Yogi’s Ashram, Ramana Maharashi’s Ashram and Seshadari Swami’s Ashram The Pradosham prayers were being conducted at the Yogi’s ashram that evening. Supramania Swami sat and watched the Abhisegam to the Lingam and Nandi silently without even moving an eyelid nor an inch. We spent an hour and a half at the Yogi’s ashram. As we came out of the temple the chanting of the Yogi’s name was being played at a booth selling books and cassettes at the ashram. I bought the cassette but Swami insisted he paid for it.

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It was night now as we moved on to Ramana’s ashram where Bhajans was being sung at the Maharishi’s Samadhi. We sat for a while and moved along to Seshadari Swami’s Ashram were Supramania Swami paid for the book on Seshadari Swami’s biography and his photo that I picked up. We went back to the kudil, packed over bags, and started for Supramania Swami’s village. I put up a night with Swami in his village home.

Day 16 – Returning Home From a Pilgrimage of a Different Kind Preparations were done to conduct a prayer in Supramania Swami’s home in his village. As the women folk were preparing the dishes Swami charted my astrological chart. He was eager to know why I had made this trip at this particular moment in time. It seems that the planets were favorable for this travel overseas to see my guru. I had to make this trip according to the charts and Swami foretold that there is a possibility I will be back in India before February 2006. He mentioned an eight-year period when Kethu buddhi sets in, when I would be 71 years of age, where this period would be extremely favorable period for me and I will see spiritual advancement. Today was the third Saturday in the Tamil month of Puratasi. Swami conducted the prayers to Lord Narayanan. His family prepared lots of food and offered it to the Gods after which they gave me the honor of distributing the food to all those present. After prayers and lunch, I bid farewell to Swami and his family. I left for Chennai at 12.00 pm. Swami’s wife accompanied us until Chennai were she would visit her second daughter. I was taken to the tour agent’s office in Kodambakam, as it was only 4.30 pm. I had Tiffin with Jeeva, the tour agent. Prem sent me to the Meenambakkam Airport at 7.00 pm. I took the flight back to Malaysia at 11.00 pm. I arrived in Malaysia at 5.30 am and took a cab home. I reached my home at 7 am. It was yet another memorable pilgrimage.

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CHAPTER 4 After The Second Pilgrimage Further Surprises in the Nadi The nadi reading made known the possibilities in spiritual realization that was open and available for me. The choice was also given to me, whether to pursue in the direction laid out in those nadi readings, or I could turn a deaf ear and go my way. When I decided to see Tavayogi that night as instructed in the nadi, the previous reading was erased mysteriously. The second reading revealed much more and there was reference to the earlier reading too. I was slowly made aware of the plan and purpose of my birth through the nadi. 19 December 2005 - Ramesh, the nadi reader, told me he had news for me from Sage Agathiyar’s Aasi Kandam. Before I went to India, I was informed in the nadi what to expect. It was unbelievable at that moment. I am still wondering why me? Do I deserve it? Could it be a mistaken identity? Could the nadi be for someone else? So then, I leave for India following the directions given in the nadi. Whatever stated in the nadi did take place. Now upon returning to Malaysia, Sage Agathiyar lays bare all those incidents that took place in India as if to confirm and tell me it was for real. It was truly amazing. 25 December 2005 - Maran, a friend of my nephew, Thayalan calls me to say he had just seen Ramesh that morning. Maran tells me my name appeared in his nadi. I was to brief him on my experiences and sights that Sage Agathiyar had given me while on my trip to India recently. I was amazed to hear Sage Agathiyar mention this in Maran’s nadi. I asked Maran to meet me at my nephew’s home that evening. I told Maran all that I had seen and had been shown and asked him to make the trip too as soon as possible. 27 December 2005 - I called Ramesh stating my surprise that my name had been mentioned in Maran’s nadi. He repeated the reading in Maran’s nadi to me, “I have shown certain sights and visions to my son Shanmugam. You should come. I will show you too.”

More Amazing Moments I had adopted the prayers by Tavatiru Rengaraja Desigar and Sage Kunangkudi Masthan Sahib while conducting my prayers to Sage Agathiyar. Rengarajar says you have to ask the Lord for your needs. Some might argue saying, “Does not the Almighty know our needs.” Andrew Harvey quotes Mother Meera’s reply to Adhilakshmi in a book she (Adhilakshmi) was writing: ‘Ma replies: “Ask for everything, everything. Do not stop at peace of mind or purity of heart or surrender. Demand everything. Do not be satisfied with anything less than everything does. Our Yoga is the transformation of human life into Divine Life here on earth. For those who ask shall be given; for those who dare to be hungry the Food will be brought. In burning with love for Her I will be burned with the Fire I have been calling for constantly all my life”

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Kunangkudi Masthan Sahib asked of Sage Agathiyar that his (the Sage) disciples should accompany him (Masthan) to the Sage’s abode in the Pothigai hills and the Sage should accept Masthan as a disciple too. I used to repeat this prayer each time I sat at prayers in front of Sage Agathiyar. Later in the nadi reading, the Sage asks of me to come to Pothigai. Who should accompany me but my guru himself - Tavayogi. My prayers were answered. I called Tavayogi on 28 May 2006. The first thing he asked was if Sage Agathiyar came. Tavayogi again assured me Sage Agathiyar was with us. Later I pondered as to why Tavayogi should ask if Sage Agathiyar came unless Sage Agathiyar did actually come! I asked my family members if they saw Sage Agathiyar or dreamt about him. My children did not see. My wife replied she could have seen him but quickly added she was not sure. Then she narrated the incident. I was doing the Ammavasai Pooja while my wife was meditating outside the prayer room. Suddenly she saw a light. For a moment, she did not hear Praba and me singing hymns in the prayer room. She was lead away to this source of light. When her thoughts deviated, from the source, it was forcefully brought back and she saw the light again. She thought she saw a figure in the light that she could not make out. Could that be Sage Agathiyar, we asked ourselves? To confirm I called Tavayogi again and Mages spoke to him. She had not even gone into the details when Tavayogi assured her Sage Agathiyar came and she saw him. Blessed is she to have seen Sage Agathiyar. 2 June 2006 - My family and I were at prayer at 6 pm. We started singing Vinayagar Agaval, Thiru Arutpa Agaval and Kandha Guru Kavasam. Midway through Kandar Guru Kavasam, I broke down in tears but managed to complete the song. Later my wife asked us if she had laughed during prayer. We did not hear her laugh. She tells me someone was laughing in her. It was a male voice and he was overjoyed. This was just before I stopped the song midway, she says. 6 June 2006 - I called Supramania Swami. He was on his way back from Annamalaiyar temple with his wife. He had performed archana for me at the temple. I cried when he said, “You shall be fine.” He asked me not to cry and added, “No harm will befall you. Why should you cry? I am here. You are my child. I prayed to Arunachaleswarer to take care of you. One’s past doings might give problems. I shall not leave you alone to fight this battle.” Jayaseelan had an appointment with astrologer Dr. Krishnan. He asked that I follow. Krishnan on seeing me asked if Sage Agathiyar came. I replied, “Yes” and thanked him again for the yantra and mantra that he had given me. He answered, “It was time for you to know him (Sage Agathiyar).” He went on to describe Sage Agathiyar. According to him, the Sage was not the short hermit that he is portrayed in most paintings. The Sage was of medium height, fair and beautiful. The Sage had taken the form of a short hermit for a mission. The full moon day was auspicious for the worship of the Sage. Tavayogi too had told me the closest representation of the Sage was in one painting released by the Sage Agathiyar Gnana Peedham. This painting and another of the other sidhas was given to me by Appana and blessed by Tavayogi earlier at the Peedham in Batu Caves. Sage Kunangkudi Masthan has described Sage Agathiyar in a song: Sage Agathiyar of reasonable height, fair adorns a Kridam over the head and he wears a garland of flowers.

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Tavayogi and Me 19 June 2006 - Tavayogi mentions in a letter to me that among all his disciples, he has a special spot in his heart for me. I am blessed indeed. When Tavayogi a great saint picked my sandals and we crossed the river at Kallaru; carried my dirty linen at pothigai; and of course the sack of vegetables on his shoulders back from the market, his ego died. He was god. He was showing me by example how a saint should live. He also says the website that I created and hosted on the Peedham had attracted the attention of a Canadian. In one of the e-mails to me, a Caucasian wrote that he was ill and crippled and was on his way to India seeking treatment. He asked if Tavayogi could help. I replied I have not personally seen Tavayogi heal people but he could try meeting Tavayogi. He could see Supramania Swami too. Otherwise, he could meet Swami Nithyananda of Bangalore and I prayed he would be healed. This man eventually turned up at Tavayogi’s Peedham. However, Tavayogi later told me he could not help him. When I read a biography of Yogi Ramsuratkumar, YOGI RAMSURATKUMAR, THE GODCHILD OF TIRUVANNAMALAI by Truman Caylor Wadlington on the net recently, I could see the resemblance to the relationship between Tavayogi and me perfectly. The author writes, ‘The master (Swami Ramdas) knew the Truth and the Way and knew as well that there was nothing he could say to provide a short cut for the disciple (Yogi Ramsuratkumar). By the law of occult causation all progress on the path must be won by the individual through personal effort. Thus, one who knows the way cannot speak; understanding that the aspirant constructs the path much like the spider spins its web out of its own being. In the relationship established between Yogi Ramsuratkumar and Swami Ramdas, there was little philosophical thought or practical guidance given. The rapport between the master and the disciple was on much subtler levels involving not so much principles of truth as the use of higher forces in bringing about actual transformation.’ Tavayogi did mention I was hasty in my journey to know God. He did not ask that I sit in front of him and lecture me for hours on spiritualism. Neither did I question him on those subjects. What he gave me was practical guidance. He did not preach much but instead got me on the path of the sidhas. I was taken to the jungles of Kangayam, Pothigai, and Courtallam. I had the rare opportunity to visit these spots and stay overnight in some of these caves, which I would not have done if I were touring on my own. I was taken back in time to places where modern means of transport could not reach, where there were no facilities such as in the modern world. This was one experience of going back in time to live in hamlets where there was no water supply and electricity. I realized the rapport between guru and disciple was on a much subtler level indeed, as mentioned by the author of the biography on Yogi Ramsuratkumar, by the use of higher forces, in this case the workings of the sidhas, in bringing about actual transformation. Swami Nithyananda too says,

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“No communication will happen here - only a deep communion between you and me.” The saints in Nithyananda’s words, “Speak about something which cannot be spoken about.” On the subject of subtle forces, it was said that: ‘Bhagawan Nithyananda of Ganeshpuri made a similar statement towards the end of his life. It appears that there were many signs of his impending passing but his devotees were mostly unaware of them. One-woman devotee properly interpreted some of the signs and was distraught to learn of his plans to depart. He said to her, "Why are you crying? Do not cry. More is possible on the subtle than on the gross"’ Tavayogi was living in the dark moving with the aid of hurricane lights, torchlight, and the moonlight. One had to ease in the bushes although in Kallaru, we had a latrine put up especially for foreign devotees-the locals do not use it preferring to go into the open, bathing in the streams and falls.60 Another paragraph in the same biography of the Yogi, describes the exact state I am in: ‘After lifetimes of seeking out worldly experiences, and understanding, a man turns him back to the phenomenal worlds, and begins to search his inmost being in an effort to realize the source of spirit from whence he sprang and to which he must return. Gradually through the constant impact of dull and unadventurous lives, he becomes insensitive to the vibrations of the outer physical worlds, within which he is a functioning entity. He becomes aware of the interior spiritual vibrations and proceeds to journey inward to the kingdom of the soul. The outer world loses its desirability whereas the formless spirit nature assumes paramount importance. The individual reoriented himself to the higher mind and thus begins to touch upon greater awareness. Yet with his sensitivity still in but an embryonic state, spiritual struggle, hardships, and merciless trials of endurance assail him. The waters of purification crash down upon him, and threaten to carry him deep beneath the surface of the waves. But with the advent of soul consciousness, he stabilizes himself in spiritual life wherein he is responsive to the vibration of the subtler realms and directed by the purposes of the soul.’ Just as it happened to the Yogi, as narrated above I underwent this same emotions too. ‘Ramsuratkumar once explained that some days all was clear to him, and he felt as if he was standing in the highest heaven, and he knew he was a son of god. While at other times he was dragged down from pure ecstasy into the depths of abysmal gloom.’ 60 Only recently, the Peedham was connected with electricity and water.

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After coming back from my second trip to India, I could not fit into society anymore, my family and friends. Suddenly we did not have anything in common. There was hardly any conversation. I tended to stay away from functions, gatherings, and the crowd. I wanted to be alone. I felt miserable that the people should fall further into this chaotic order of the world. I sympathized with them. I prayed that they too should realized there were bigger things in life just as Bharathi had begged of the Divine Mother, “Mother! Please release me from these petty things in life”.

More Guidance through the Nadi Ramesh called me on Friday, 11 August 2006 immediately upon his arrival in Malaysia, telling me he had news and he would call later to fix an appointment once he finds a place to rent. He told me, “You shall cry in joy on hearing what Sage Agathiyar has to say in these nadi.” Finally, Ramesh asked me to go over for the nadi reading on Saturday 9 September 2006. The Aasi Kandam was read. Ramesh took some time to make a transcribe of the nadi into a notebook in my presence. While I waited, I burst weeping as I saw Sage Agathiyar's portrait and Saint Ramalingam’s portrait. Ramesh who was writing stopped writing for a moment and read out the line that he had just copied. To my amazement, the Sage was watching me. The Sage revealed my thoughts in the nadi in real time. Now I was convinced even further that the nadi was not written back in time but was being written even at this very moment. It was truly amazing. I cried further as Ramesh started reading the full text of the nadi. To my amazement again the Sage Agathiyar asked me, stop crying, “Cry no more, for if you were to cry further my son, than I too would have to cry.” I stopped crying since then.61

Guru Pooja for Sage Agathiyar 7 January 2007 - I conducted Guru Pooja or Jayanthi for Sage Agathiyar in my home. I had been asking around when was Agathiyar’s Jayanthi since reading the nadi in 2002. However, sadly no one could help. Then Tavayogi tells me in 2006 that the Jayanthi will fall on Ahilya Natchathiram in the Tamil month of Margazhi and that was on 6 and 7 January 2007. He wanted to celebrate it in a big way. Tavayogi sent me the program of the celebrations in Kallaru. I invited my brother's family, Thayalan’s family and Murali’s family. Mages broke down during the prayers. I cried but eventually turned to laughter. Thayalan sang a couple of songs. Tavayogi told me he would conduct the prayers at exactly 8.20 am on the seventh and asked that I start prayers exactly 2 ½ hours later allowing for the time difference. I started at 10.50 am. We then served food. The painting of Agathiyar at the author’s altar 61 In the earlier reading, the Sage had mentioned that I should ‘walk tall’ so that he too could walk tall. Supramania Swami had mentioned that I should do tavam so that he could gain mukti.

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Reading the Nadi Again 11 January 2007 - I called Ramesh. He had just arrived from India that morning. He told me he has the nadi prediction of Sage Bhrigu and Lord Murugan and asked that I come over on Saturday to have it read out to me. He was surprised to see its contents, he told me, and that I would be overjoyed too. 13 January 2007 - I was with Ramesh. However, today Sage Bhogar’s Aasi Kaandam carried the message for me. I realize the messages in the nadi are in a state of fluid, ever evolving such as we are from day to day. In my opinion, the nadi is being written there and then in our presence. The sidhas talk about the state of mind at that very moment. It is frightening to know there is someone reading over minds right at this moment. The sidhas are around us this very moment. The key word here is to have faith in them. BELIEF! 20 January 2007 - I headed for Ramesh’s place to have my nadi read again as I was instructed to come in every week to have a reading. Each of the sidhas would predict what was in store for me as instructed to them by Sage Agathiyar. Today Sage Sugabrahma blessed me through the nadi. 27 January 2007 - I was sad that I would miss this week’s reading of the nadi because I had to be in Ipoh over the weekend for my nieces wedding. Surprisingly when I called Ramesh to inform him I would not be seeing him, he tells me he was also in Ipoh and asks me to come around. Sage Bhrugu Munivar delivered the nadi. Subsequently I went to see the nadi 31 times, the last reading was on 8 January 2009. Besides Sage Agathiyar, Sage Bhogar, Sage Bhrugu Munivar, Sage Sugabrahmar, Sage Kagabujandar, Sage Patanjali, and Sage Thirumular too have blessed me through the nadi. What have I done to deserve THEIR blessings, I still wonder? This Journey Will Continue

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