Every mind has a potent energy hidden in it. This energy is indeed powerful. It has the ability to convert the mind with a hard core attitude to a soft and sublime one. One can thus see the divine light. It can give a delightful experience of the body blossoming with fragrance along with a distinct halo around it. Such a person is said to be in touch with Divinity. He can make others too experience this divinity. He is righteous and truthful throughout his life and experiences true happiness.
Where is this super energy in the mind situated? Who identifies it to be so? And who spots this energy in us? How can we be made to feel and experience this divinity? Who helps us achieve this? Is he divine? Is he God? The answer is simple. It is none other than the teacher or the Sathguru who can spot this divine energy within each one of us and help us channelise this energy thereby making us bloom and blossom into flowers that can never wither or fade away.
A Sathguru is sent by the Almighty. He is the guiding force on this earth. He is born from time to time. He is himself divine a creation. His duty is to nurture and look after the people who need help. He upholds Dharma, Truthfulness and Righteousness. He guides the people in the right path and helps them realise and see the Almighty. This is done through a set of carefully laid down guidelines, as prescribed by the Sathguru, of meditation and penance that will help achieve the goal of experiencing divinity. He helps to remove the restlessness in the minds of people and attain everlasting bliss instead.
He is quick in identifying a true and sincere disciple and guides him through the selected path to attain the state of tranquility, thereby leading him to the experience and feel of God. None other than the Sathguru can take up this stupendous task. It is a difficult task and he decides upon the different paths laid down for the different disciples. He does not propagate or make one practice a theoretical or mathematical formula to attain the ultimate. Instead, his is a meticulous approach framed after a careful understanding of his disciples, his abilities and his needs. He keeps observing, following and blessing his disciple with abundant love throughout his life span, protecting him and making him attain his main objective. He is selfless beyond comprehension.
Sri Dattareya, Sri Pathanjali, Sri Aadi Sankara, Sri Ramanuja Acharya, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Sri Gnanananda Swamigal, the Sixty four great Nayanmaars or the great seers who sang in praise of Lord Siva, the famous Vaishnavite saints who sang in praise of Lord Vishnu, each and everyone of them was born in this world during different eras and during difficult times, to help, teach, correct and guide people on the path of Truth. These teachers were revered then and were held in high esteem. They are revered and held in high esteem and worshipped even till date. Humanity acknowledges their knowledge and divinity. They are immortal.
One such divine soul who gave his all to mankind, to help them achieve and attain happiness is Mayiladuthurai Parabhrahma Sathguru Om Siddhar Swamigal .
Om Sri La Sri Siddhar Swamigal was born on the 18th of May, 1904. It was a new moon day and a Sunday. For the astrologically inclined, the star on the day he was born was Krithiga. Aries or Meesha was the rasi and Mithuna the lagna or the ascendant. He was born to Sri Rathnaswamy and Smt Dhana lakshmi Ammal at Srinivasanallur near the temple town of Kumbakonam. His parents christened him Narayanaswamy. But he was better known as Sattaampillai, which translated from the Tamil means group leader or monitor. His ancestors were all devout followers of Lord Siva.
Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal was married at a very young age to an even younger girl named Rajam. They were blessed with a daughter and a son. In an environment that abounded in spiritualism and divinity, it was only natural that both the children would choose the same path as was done by their ancestors . With the blessings of their father, grandfather and great grandfather well upon them, both the youngsters embarked on their path of truth and selflessness and surrendered themselves at the lotus feet of the divine and attained divinity.
Blessed are we for we have them in our midst to guide and help thousands of devotees far and wide, at home and abroad.
Sri Siddhar Swamigal's grandfather took to ascetic life at the age of 40. He would meditate for long hours in his little ashram, enclosed within the confines of his garden at home. He made it a habit to sit under the Vilva tree while meditating. He practiced meditation as a way of life and restricted food intake to once a day. This strict discipline with himself was a major influence in the life of the young Siddhar Swamigal during his formative years.
Sri Siddhar Swamigal’s father, Sri Ratnaswamy was a man with a frail body. A very pious man, he was a scholar well versed in the scriptures and the Upanishads. A landlord by birth, he looked after his day to day affairs. He was a much respected man in the village, and was sought after to settle any issues in the village. His decision was accepted without any comments as he always made it a point to settle things in an amicable manner. The sudden loss of his wife while he was just 38 left a void in his life. He took to an ascetic life and started wearing white clothes. A man of few words, he hardly ever showed his emotions to anybody and people hardly ever remembered seeing him laugh, cry or get angry with anyone. This greatly influenced Siddhar Swamigal and his sister.
Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal completed his schooling and decided to follow the footsteps of his grandfather. He was well versed in martial arts, especially so in “silambattam”, a sport or art where the stick of a particular length is used deftly and dexterously.
Fair of face, there was a golden glow about him. He had a majestic personality. He sported a pigtail. While at home he wore the minimum of clothes and when going out he resorted to wearing a white dhoti and white kurta. The local farmers sensed the divinity in him and made it a habit and a point to come to him and have the seeds blessed before sowing them so that they were assured of a bountiful harvest.
Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal was a deep thinker and spiritually inclined from a young age. He considered it to be a waste of time worrying about the materialistic world and its mundane happenings, as he considered them to be nothing more than dust.
He was deeply influenced by a number of his teachers. He learnt various mantras under the guidance of Modi Abdul Khader also known as Pattalathhu Vaidiyar. Kumbakonam Ucchipillaiyar Kovil Subramaniya Devar taught him how to deal with spirits and spiritual forces. The 18 seers of Tamil Nadu known as the “Padheenettu Siddhargal” have not only blessed him but have also graced him with their presence.
Three days prior to leaving the materialistic world, Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal’s grandfather gave him deeksha.
Om Sri Siddhar Swamigal had a clear mind. He was quiet and at peace with himself. He was endowed with spiritual powers which helped him know and ascertain happenings at far off places. With the help of his spiritual powers, he was able to cure diseases given up by the practitioners of medicine . He could read a person's mind with startling accuracy.
A well built, physically endowed man, with a gigantic appearance, he kept himself healthy. Like his grandfather, he had only one meal a day. His main diet consisted of milk and fruits that he took twice daily. Then again, there were days when he went into a strict and rigorous fast for days altogether. He constantly worked to keep his mind and body pure. He would always tell people how important it was for one to keep his body clean before seeking the Almighty.