Tuesday 14 July 2015

THE SIDDHAS COME KNOCKING ON OUR DOOR PART 1

The Siddhas and Erai do come knocking our doors, literally speaking!

My mother and mother-in-law used to narrate a true story. Once a Sadhu turned up at their childhood home asking for food. The elders invited him as it was the customary to do so and offered him a seat and some water to drink. The occupants then excused themselves and retreated to the kitchen. They had no food to serve the guest. Their stock of grains had been used up, with only a few grains left in the vessel. They were in a dilemma not knowing what to do next. One of the family members picked up enough courage to address the Sadhu and apologized to him, telling him that there was no more grain in their home. The Sadhu immediately asked them to look into the vessel again. They all proceeded to the kitchen leaving the Sadhu behind. On examining the vessel, to their astonishment and surprise, the vessel was full to the brim with rice grains. They excitedly and eagerly came back to report to the Sadhu only to find him gone. In his place was a very old book!

My father too had a story to tell. As he was from India, once he was on a pilgrimage to Palani. He started on foot from his home at Kilsevalpatti, taking days to walk to his destination. One day as he approached the outskirts of a small village along the route, a pack of stray dogs surrounded him and began to bark ferociously. Fear crept in and he cried out the Lord's name, "Muruga!" Immediately a bee appeared from nowhere, and flew into the ear of one of the dogs and stung it. The dog gave a loud cry and ran away in pain. Almost immediately all the other dogs scampered away too!

Supramania Swami had a story to tell too. He had his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar knock on his door one day. It was 11pm. The Yogi stood at the doorway of his home in the village of Nachaananthal, grinning and holding a bunting of his painting in his hand. He handed it over to Supramania Swami and left immediately. Swami took after him but the Yogi disappeared into the darkness!

The Yogi dropped in again when I was at Supramania Swami's kudil at Thiruvannamalai. Swami lead me on a chant of the Yogi's name. After a few minutes into the chant I heard another voice, chanting together with us. I had my eyes closed, but I was pretty sure there was no one around then. Swami continued the chant for about twenty minutes and then stopped. The voice too stopped. I opened my eyes. There was no one around except for both of us. I wanted to ask Swami about this incident but the thought slipped my mind. On returning from Kallar Ashram after a few days, as I alighted from the car, Swami immediately reminded me about the puja, and asked if I had heard a voice. I recalled the third voice chanting with us and told him so, asking who it was. He laughed saying it was the Yogi!

In both this incidences surrounding the Yogi, it was amazing to note that the Yogi had already gone into samadhi!

Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal too has many stories to tell about the numerous moments when Siddhas came knocking on his door. A lad walked up the small hillock where his present Ashram is located on one afternoon, some time back. He took his time climbing up the hill, stopping to look around the surroundings as if analyzing and valuing the place. As he stepped into the Ashram, Tavayogi and Mataji invited him to join my brother's family and them for lunch. He answered that he had taken food and started talking continuously. Some things that he said, Tavayogi and Mataji could comprehend but the rest was incomprehensible and did not make sense to them. My brother, sister-in-law and nephew were at the ashram then. After some time he tells them that he had been in Kathirkamam, Thiruchendur and Palani. He has now come to assess this place. This statement sent shivers down the back of Tavayogi. Tavayogi recognized the lad and could relate these places to the abodes of Lord Muruga. The lad immediately hushed Tavayogi up by placing his finger on his lips, invited them into the inner sanctum of the Peedham and blessed all those present. He left shortly walking down the hill till he went out of sight!

Similarly Lobha Ma came visiting Kallar Ashram, introducing herself as coming from Andra Pradesh. Tavayogi and Mataji invited her to spent the night at the Ashram. She spoke many things about Tavayogi and the future of the Ashram. The thought of taking photographs had always slipped Tavayogi's mind, but that moment he asked someone to snap a couple of shots. She willingly posed for the camera standing proudly before the poster of Agathiyar. She excused herself at the break of dawn and walked away and out of sight!

Konganar Siddha too appeared as a vagabond, and spent the night at Kallar, conversing in Kannada throughout the night. The next morning he left the ashram and waited at Thuripaalam, ahead of Tavayogi who goes for his usual morning walk. He called out to Tavayogi and only then did he reveal himself as Konganar and vanished!

The most astonishing story is yet of a Siddha knocking on the doors of Kallar Ashram and handing over the equally astonishing Rudraksham that is now worshiped at Kallar Ashram as a Shivalingam, to Tavayogi. A few days before Agathiyar's Jayanthi and Guru Puja, Tavayogi is startled by a knock on his Ashram door. A typically clothe Sadhu stood at the door with a huge bundle. He handed it over to Tavayogi asking him not to question him. When Tavayogi returns with some tea he realizes that the Sadhu is gone! 

Jnana Jyothiamma has numerous stories to tell too about her encounters with the Siddhas.

A very old man turns up at the residence of Jnana Jyothiamma provided by a staunch die-hard devotee of Lord Murugan in Palani.  Jnana Jyothiamma invites him in. He gives a loud laugh before stepping in. Suddenly and to her surprise he starts to speak about the mystical Rudraksham that was delivered to Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal at Kallar Ashram some time back. After awhile he asks Jnana Jyothiamma for water to quench his thirst. She fetches the water in a tumbler and hands it out to him. He drinks the water, thanks her and surprises her by giving her a peck on her cheek. After he leaves, she was 'driven' to look into the tumbler. What does she find? The water she served him in the tumbler was replaced with honey!

After descending from Palani and while waiting for her driver to fetch the car, she took a seat in the shade, slowly massaging her tired legs that had lately been torturing her. Out of the blues a kid appears and brings up a vel that he kept tugged at his hips. He uses the tip of the vel to massage her legs. After a while he turns around and runs up the temple steps disappearing from sight!

The Siddhas knocked Jnana Jyothiamma's door to extend an invitation to her to come to Vadalur. Jnana Jyothiamma had called an electrical company to send their personal over to replace the lamps in her apartment. Shortly a young chap appeared and asked if she had called for assistance. He gets to work immediately. Along the way he ask for a drink and continues working. While at work he brings up a conversation on Ramalinga Adigal and Vadalur. Jnana Jyothiamma is all excited learning about the saint. The lad leaves shortly. Only then Jnana Jyothiamma realizes that she had not paid him.  She calls up the electrical company and informs them that she had not paid their staff. The office personal who attended to her call informs her that the spare parts had been purchased and were at his office and that they have yet to send their staff over to replace the lamps! Who did come then?

She receives a mysterious call from a lad called Kandhan to come over to the Nattadreeswarar Temple in the middle of Kaveri river. True to what the lad had said all arrangements were made for her to be at the temple on Karthigai Deepam day to witness a special and extraordinary puja and yagam. An elderly priest and a lady await her arrival at the banks of Kaveri river at Kangayampalaiyam. The priest and Jnana Jyothiamma take the coracle to cross the waters of the Kaveri to the temple complex perched on a rock in the middle of the river while the lady stays on the bank. After witnessing and having participated in 8 Abhishekams and one massive yagam performed at the temple in a single day, Jnana Jyothiamma, dazed and exhausted, makes her way to the coracle to return to the opposite bank of the river and return back to her home. She lays her head on the lap of a woman as the coracle makes its way in the dark to the opposite bank. Upon alighting she questions who the lady was that she had placed her head on, and was jolted by the answer that besides her, the young priest who accompanied her and the boatman, there was no one else in the coracle!

Another shock awaited her when she enquired about the elderly priest who waited and accompanied her over to the temple. She was informed that the priest had already arrived at the temple as early as 8 in the morning, way ahead of her! Then who did accompany her in the coracle that morning upon her arrival at the river bank?

In her words,
When I thanked the elderly chief priest  (as he was the one who accompanied me in the morning while crossing the river) ..... after everything was over  and in a semi conscious state planning to leave the temple ... he told me that he did not accompany me that morning. "IT MUST BE YOUR APPA .... AGATHIYAN" HE SAID .... Even the ferry man  told me that I was alone that morning and no one had accompanied me? Then Who was this PERSON WHO TOOK ME OVER IN THE MORNING ?
Secondly, who was the lady on whose lap, I laid my head while returning from the Temple in the Coracle. SHE WAS EVEN KEEPING HER HAND ON MY HEAD. IT WAS SOOTHING ... SO SO SOOTHING. As I did not see the lady as I alighted, I asked for her to which the other priest who accompanied me told me there was no lady .. only we three were there!