Saturday 4 July 2015

AGATHIYAR ON TEMPLE & IDOL WORSHIP

Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal who had been educating us to step out of temple worship and onto the Jnana Margam, strangely was brought to perform rituals and conduct idol worship at his Kallar Ashram: Agathiyar instructed him to install the 6 Aadhara peedham; later devotees contributed the 6 feet tall fiber statue of Agathiyar followed by that of Thava Murugan; Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyaar was made to bring back to Kallar ashram the miniature granite statue of Agathiyar that he had directed her through a Nadi reading, to have it made and placed at a Nadi centre ; Tavayogi was asked to place a 3 feet tall granite statue of Agathiyar in the hills of Kallar, at the spot where Agathiyar had given him Darshan: later mysteriously, a Sadhu hands over to Tavayogi a majestic and mystical single face Rudraksham, 1 1/2 feet tall and weighing some 7 kilograms that carried instructions to worship it as a Shivalingam. When I asked Tavayogi the reason for Kallar ashram turning into a temple, he said it was for the public.

The 6 Aadhara Peedham, a granite abstract structure having 7 tiers with a lighted lamp placed on the topmost tier

Tavayogi with the 6 feet tall Agathiyar
Tavayogi with Thava Murugan
Agathiyar brought in by Mataji 
Agathiyar in the hills of Kallar

The Mystical Rudraksha, now worshiped as a Shivalingam
I had stopped going over to see visiting Gurus and masters and attending prayers and Satsang at Peedhams and other spiritual organisations, the moment Agathiyar showed me Supramania Swami of Thiruvannamalai and Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar and came into my life through the Nadi. Agathiyar had directed me to several Gurus and masters and ask to come over to certain places. I politely told him that I was going nowhere and I did not want to meet no one. I would not want to seek out another master in the physical form. I had him (Agathiyar). It was enough. I was satisfied. My journey had ended.

The only reason I went to see a master later was on the humble insistence of a dear friend Dr Krishnan. But regrettably it turned out to be a showdown with the master. I regretted having gone over in the very first place. I had gone to see him just to please the dear Dr, to whom I was very much obliged. The meeting was to take place at Dr Krishnan's office. The master and I exchanged greetings and I inquired about his ashram in a nearby town, as the Dr had briefed me about him on my earlier visit to his Siddha clinic. The master told me he had some 30 students under him. He then inquired what I was doing. I told him I had a statue of Agathiyar, and was worshiping him. Immediately he started condemning idol worship. He turned to Shivavakiyar's songs for reference,

நட்ட கல்லைத் தெய்வம் என்று நாலு புட்பம் சாத்தியே
சுற்றி வந்து முணு முணேன்று சோல்லும் மந்திரம் ஏதடா
நட்ட கல்லும் பேசுமோ நாதன் உள் இருக்கையில்
சுட்ட சட்டி சட்டுவம் கறிச் சுவை அறியுமோ  494

I tried to explain to him that it was not my choice but that I was directed to do so through the Nadi, but he refused to listen but instead continued churning out more songs of the Siddha. I told him that he might not need to worship an idol since he had put in 35 years, but I surely do need a point of focus to start with as I was only in my 5th year on the path of the Siddhas. As he kept harping on the same point, I just shut my eyes and kept quite. After a while I opened my eyes to see that he had left the place. I left the place sour and bitter that the incident had to take place. I was asking myself what was the lesson for me through this episode; and what was his lesson if there was one for him too.

That night I took out Shivavakiyar's collection of songs that I had had for some time now and read through the book in one sitting! Shivavakiyar, although was radical and vocal on idol worship, began this hymns, 551 in numbers, with the invocation to Lord Ganapathy! It was only in the 494th song that he condemns temple and idol worship, and not earlier.

I realized that there was indeed some good over these turn of events, as I began to understand Shivavakiyar better. One should understand Shivavakiyar's state of enlightenment when he sang these hymns. He too must have evolved from the lower rungs of the ladder of spirituality before he could have come to the state where he saw Erai within.

Shivavakiyar speaks about the four stages Sariyai, Kiriyai, Yogam and Gnanam, accepting it as means to attain Salokam, Sameepam, Sarupam and Sayuchyam respectively.

தெளிந்த நற் சரியை தன்னில் சென்று சாலோகம் பெறும்
தெளிந்த நற் கிரியை பூசை சேரலாம் சாமீபமே
தெளிந்த நல்ல யோகம் தன்னில் சேரலாகும் சாரூபம்
தெளிந்த ஞானம் நான்கிலும் சேரலாம் சாயுச்யமே  436

Strangely of late Agathiyar has been encouraging devotees to have his statue made and to worship Erai and the Siddhas. I myself was asked to have a bronze statue of him made and to install him at the then yet to be constructed Jegathguru Sri Raghavendra Mritiga Brindavanam. Meanwhile Agathiyar graced Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia beginning 2.1.2010 while waiting for the Brindavanam to be built. Later Agathiyar decided to stay put at AVM although the Brindavanam was already completed by 2013 for reasons only known to him!

Agathiyar at AVM
When Agathiyar decided to stay at AVM, he did not disappoint the Sri Raghavendra devotees and made sure of his continued presence at the Brindavanam through another devotee. She placed another statue of Agathiyar at the Brindavanam.

Agathiyar made for the Jegathguru Sri Raghavendra Mrithiga Brindavanam by another devotee
Jnana Jyothiamma with Agathiyar at the Jegathguru Sri Raghavendra Mrithiga Brindavanam in Ipoh
Agathiyar at the Jegathguru Sri Raghavendra Mrithiga Brindavanam in Ipoh
Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyaar through the Nadi reading too was asked to have Agathiyar's statue made and to install him at a Nadi center many years ago. Lately she too was requested to bring over this statue to the present day Kallar Ashram.

The Granite Statue of Agathiyar at Kallar Ashram
S.Baktha who fell and went into a coma some time back, narrowly escaped death when Agathiyar returned a favor. Baktha was instrumental in installing Agathiyar at the Sri Shakthi Karpaga Vinayagar Temple in Brickfields. Agathiyar decided to 'give Baktha his (Agathiyar) breath", thus saving him.  Baktha, a staunch devotee of Agathiyar, was also an instrument in bringing Nadi readers including Nadi Nool Aasan Ramesh to Malaysia.

The story behind Agathiyar coming over to this temple is carried in the Sri Agatthiyar Annual Pooja Committee's publication A DEDICATION TO SIDDHARS released in conjunction with the Annual Guru Puja. Amuthavalli KS Maniam, the Chairperson, in her Nadi reading in 2002 was told to place a statue of Agathiyar in the temple once the ongoing renovation works were completed. She was asked to go back for further readings but she never did. Shortly after she left for India where she passed away. Baktha who knew about this from both the late Amuthavalli and the Nadi reader AA Tharanibalan, took upon himself to place a statue of Agathiyar at the temple. With several friends of his coming to his aid, Baktha finally fulfilled Agathiyar's wish.

Sri Shakthi Karpaga Vinayagar Temple
Bala Chandran Gunasekaran at the Sri Shakthi Karpaga Vinayagar Temple
Uvaraj searched for a bronze statue of Agathiyar for himself for almost a year. When Uvaraj began frequenting the Sri Agathiyar Gnana Peedham at Wisma Keringkat in Batu Caves, he had mentioned his intention to have a statue of Agathiyar to worship to Vaalai Siddhar, founder of the Peedham. Within 2 weeks of mentioning his desire, Uvaraj received a statue of Agathiyar through Vaalai Siddhar, that he has been worshiping the past 4 years.

Agathiyar who came through Vaalai Siddhar

Meanwhile Uvaraj had seen a statue of Agathiyar sitting idly on the shelves of in a shop in Chennai, 2 years back. The proprietor did not want to sell it as it was an order placed by someone else. As the client did not pick it up, the shopkeeper soon passed it to Vaalai Siddhar to be given to Uvaraj eventually! Amazingly Uvaraj's wish to have this particular statue of Agathiyar came true. This statue together with Lobha Ma is currently in Palanisamy Aiya's house.

Agathiyar at Uvaraj's home who has now been handed over to Palanisamy Aiya

Agathiyar now at Palanisamy Aiya's house

Uvaraj had bought yet another bronze statue of Agathiyar some 1 1/2 years ago to be presented to his friend from Australia. But Agathiyar in his dream asked Uvaraj to pass it on to Nadi Nool Aasan Ramesh. Agathiyar is currently at the Nadi centre in Brickfields.

Nadi Nool Aasan T.Ramesh at his Nadi centre

Palanisamy Aiya too was asked to have a granite statue made and worship through the Nadi. After 7 years he was asked to pass the statue that he had worshiped to Uvaraj, lately. This statue is currently at a temporary venue in Kepong. Meanwhile Palanisamy Aiya was told to have another statue made, this time a bronze one for his personal worship. Uvaraj was mooted to pass his bronze statue (above) to Palanisamy Aiya to worship while waiting to place an order for a new one.

Agathiyar worshiped by Palanisamy Aiya has recently moved to a temporary residence awaiting to move to the yet to be built Sri Agasthiyar Shakthi Nyaanaalayam

Vijayalakshmi Ravichandran Amma after visiting AVM commissioned Varadaraj of the Bronze Creative to make a similar statue of Agathiyar for her. She now worships Agathiyar in Chennai.

Agathiyar at Viji Amma's home in Chennai

Later Varadaraj informs me he had an order to make 8 bronze statues of Agathiyar similar to Agathiyar at AVM for 8 Malaysians.

Agathiyar at AVM and another 8 numbers created by the Bronze Creative of Swamimalai
Agathiyar's statue made and ready to be shipped to Malaysia
KP from South Africa too was told to have a statue of Agathiyar done and to worship him when she went to India recently and had a Jeeva Nadi reading at Kallar Ashram. I have posted her mail in my last post at http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-arrival-of-our-bundle-of-joy-devotee.html

KP at the new site of the Kallar ashram
Agathiyar in KP's home in S.Africa
Agathiyar had revealed through the Jeeva Nadi reading for Jnana Jyothiamma earlier that his image at Swamimalai will become prominent and be worshiped all over. It was the express wish of Lobha Ma, Lord Muruga and Agathiyar himself that statues of Agathiyar made on the banks of Kaveri in Tanjore take president.  

Agathiyar at Swamimalai


In the latest Jeeva Nadi reading for Jnana Jyothiamma, speaking passionately about Courtallam and Pothigai, Agathiyar reveals why he is bringing us to devotion or Bakthi, and Agamas first and slowly leading us to Jnana and Suddha Jnana. He explains the concept of temple worship and why the need for statues too. He explains the purpose of temples revealing the mystery of "which came first? the statue and worship or the vortex and energy". He guides us as to how to pray at the various temples.

Agathiyar tells us that temples did not spring up by chance but were built as an extension to express the energy vortex or vibration of a particular place. The temples are places where Erai sakthi or power of Erai would flow and flood the devotees. The Siddhas went to these auspicious spots and only after analyzing the energy at these places did they build the temples. Agathiyar defends the need to go on pilgrimages to these temples, exemplifying himself and the Siddhas. The Siddhas travelled long distances in search of these energy vortexes and built temples above them. Temples, Agamas and statues helped intensify these energy and vibrations. Agathiyar says the first one to step into the temple was always a Siddha. The Siddhas are overjoyed to be at places where there are statues installed. Agathiyar ask us to realize that they are forever in the vicinity of temples and near these statues. He ask us to meditate at these spots and he promises his Darshan.



Agathiyar beautifully answers all queries, questions, doubts and confusions through this exceptional Nadi reading.