DROPPING THE PHYSICAL FORM

In the last post we saw Srinatha Raghavan mention in his piece how Bhagavan Nityananda had wanted to shed his mortal frame several times but came back.

He had postponed his final going a few times before, as he did not get the "permission" from the higher circles. Many times before he would sit motionlessly for days together, breath perfectly suspended and body like one dead, making people totally confused whether he was alive or dead. But in time, He would always come back to the normal plane of existence and continue with his work.

Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal told me that we could chose when to leave. It was possible, he reiterated. When I was with Supramania Swami  of Thiruvannamalai, Swami did mention that his life would end when he was 76. He was 72 then. One 7.2.2007 he left his mortal coil at 76, just as he told me. His son, Ramajam later discovers Swami's diary where Swami had jotted down his passing - 7.2.2007.

After serving his Guru Chitramuthu Adigal; spearheading a bhajan group in his hometown of Tiropur; leaving the family and choosing a life of a mendicant and roaming the length and breadth of India; performing severe tapas in the caves and jungles; losing his eyesight and gaining it back after a year; Tavayogi finally came to Kallar to go into Samadhi some 15 years back. 

This yearning to drop his physical body I saw each time he sat at the caves and samadhis that we went to. He would sing a couple of songs in praise of Erai which included Ramalinga Adigal's,

தடித்த ஓர் மகனைத் தந்தை ஈண்டடித்தால் தாயுடன் அணைப்பள்தாய் அடித்தால்பிடித்தொரு தந்தை அணைப்பன்இங் கெனக்குப் பேசிய தந்தையும் தாயும்பொடித்திரு மேனி அம்பலத் தாடும் புனித நீ ஆதலால் என்னை அடித்தது போதும் அணைத்திடல் வேண்டும் அம்மை அப்பா இனி ஆற்றேன்.

"Thadittha or maganai, thanthai ein adithaal, thaai udan anaipal; thaai aditthaal pidithoru thanthai anaipan, ingu yenakku pesiya thanthaiyum thaaiyum podi thiru meni ambalat aadum punitha nee aathalaal yennai aditthathu pothum anaithidal vendum ammai appa ini aatrain"

and 

இன்று வருமோ நாளைக்கே வருமோ அல்லது மற்றென்று வருமோ அறியேன் எங்கோவே - துன்றுமல வெம்மாயை அற்று வெளிக்குள் வெளி கடந்து சும்மா இருக்கும் சுகம்.

"Indru varumo naalaige varumo allathu matrendru varumo ariyen yengkove thundru mala vemmaayai atru vezhikul vezhi kadanthu summa irukkum sugam"

But Agathiyar had a different plan and insisted that he travel to Malaysia, where both his Paramaguru and Guru had ventured and spread Erai's messages. Tavayogi kept returning to Malaysia several times just as did Chitramuthu Adigal. 

Throughout his recent stay in Malaysia, many a times did Tavayogi mention again his desire to go into samadhi, most of the time breaking into tears. 

Swami Rama in his LIVING WITH THE HIMALAYAN MASTERS, published by Himalayan Institute Press, writes about his Gurus intention to leave the mortal frame too.

When his master mentioned his intention to cast off his body, Swami Rama argued that he should stay on, quoting the scriptures, "It is written in the scriptures that the master who leaves a foolish disciple in the world is committing a sin and goes to perdition."

Just as his master replied that he would not cast off his body because Swami Rama was still a fool and ignorant, we too are still a fool and ignorant for Agathiyar had to direct Tavayogi to Malaysia  to help bring us out of this illusion.

Finally when Swami Rama was mature enough and ready to let go of his master, he went to his master to speak his mind, but the master already knew what he was going to say and asked him to call all his disciples around for his last sermon.

Swami Rama writes that witnessing the death of a yogi was encouraged as it shows that one can die voluntarily as and when he decides. The master was with 5 of his disciples. The master sat in the center while his students circled him. He asked if they wanted to know anything else. When it came to Swami Rama's turn to answer, Swami Rama held back his sorrow and requested that his master be with him whenever he needed him; whenever he was in distress; helpless; or could not deal with a situation. The master granted his wish and blessed them.

Swami Rama writes of the final moments of his master leaving the face of the earth, "He sat in the accomplished pose and closed his eyes. Gently he muttered the sound "Aumm" and became lifeless."

They all cried like a child. They did not know what to do next, whether to bury him or immerse him into the river. They debated for two hours and finally agreed to bury him, which meant having to travel several days, bringing his body back to his cave, some 63 miles away. After two nights had passed they figured that they had to bury him at the spot where they had camped for the night. They dug a pit 6 feet down and laid him in it. They were paralyzed with sorrow and could not bring themselves to cover him in earth and soil. That is when they heard their master's voice saying, "I am here, wake up. Do not be sad. Do you need me in my body again, or do you want me to help you without the body?" Swami Rama who had the final say in wanting to bring back his master's body to his cave, replied that they needed him in his body.

All five of them cried out that the master should return. Slowly the numbness in their body vanished. Their master got up and came out of the pit. The master said, "It is too bad that you still need me in the body. You still worship the form and cannot go beyond it. Your attachment to my body is an obstacle. Now I will see that you are not attached to my body anymore", and with that he began to teach the five about the relationship of the body and the formless soul and about detachment.

His master taught him that there are 3 categories of beings; the absolute being; the sages who have power over birth and death and who are born and die at their will; and finally ordinary folks who do not have mastery over birth and death and where the fear of death constantly lurks behind their minds. His master also revealed the three ways to extend one's life span; through highly accomplished yoga power together with a disciplined life; by changing the body, and bringing along the experiences from the previous body; and finally through enlightenment or total freedom, not having to cling to a body, hence not requiring a body.

When Yogi Ramsuratkumar was about to leave his mortal body he explained graciously,

‘“Father makes this beggar suffer for some cosmic balance.” But he added, “This beggar can do much better work without this body”, allaying fears of the devotees.’