Tamil tradition recognizes Sage Agastya to be an important Siddha. In addition, stories and astronomy point to Agastya’s antiquity. Agastya’s Tamil works better survived the ravages of time than his works in Sanskrit. Therefore, his Tamil works can provide better clues about the ancient link between the North and South than the presently available Vedic literature. Agastya Paripooranam is one of Agastya’s Tamil works. For example. in this work, he elaborates the need for a Guru. Further, he describes the benefits of meeting a Sadguru. Through this, we can conclude one thing. The attitude to one’s Guru was the same in the Dravidian and the Vedic traditions at the time of Sage Agastya. Let us take a look at a few verses from his work.
A Yogi has two goals. Firstly, a Yogi wants to reduce mental chatter. Secondly, he wants to cultivate the skill to keep the mind like a still pond. Agastya asserts in the verse below that such abilities arise only with the grace of the Guru. Subsequently, other talents start maturing. Vedic literature does not explicitly mention the role of silence. Agastya makes it explicit. Let us look at two verses
Translations from Paripooranam
“Maturity is needed to consult volumes of scriptures. Life span is limited to gain the required maturity. Age however is no limitation if one is in the right direction. Search for guidance from a Sadguru. Engage with full willingness in acts that the Sadguru would approve. Maintain happiness till the Sadguru showers his grace on you. He will initiate you to the discipline of Shakti and Shiva. He will elaborate the secrets.”
பார்க்கவென்று பலநூலும் தேடிப்பார்க்க
பக்குவங்கள் இல்லையடா வயதோ கொஞ்சம்
மார்கமுடன் கொஞ்ச வயடலென்ன
மகத்தான சதகுருவை தேடிப்பார்த்து
ஏர்க்கையுடன் அவர்மனதுக் கேற்க வல்ல
இன்பமுடன் தயவுவர நடந்தாயானால்
திறக்கமுடன் சக்திசிவ திச்சைவைத்து
செம்மையுட னுதியந்த த்திறஞ்சொல்வரே
“He will convey knowledge with dexterity. He will provide pointers to gain multifaceted skills, He will grant the skill for deep silence. He will tell about ‘para’. A Sadguru will point out the signs of ‘parapara’. He will grant the skill to gain unshakable silence. His talk will bring contentment. He will point you to the path of truth. He will tell about wealth and the cause of heartache. He will weed the harshness in you. He will explain the time scales of Brahma and others. Darling, listen with an open mind.”
கேழ்க்கையிலே நீசெய்த நன்மைபாகம்
கிருபையுடன் சொல்லிடுவா ர்ப்போதானும்
வாழ்க்கையுள்ள தேகமடா வலுத்துப்போகும்
மகத்தான புத்தியுமே சொல்லிக்கலாச்சு
தாழ்க்காமல் பதவியிலே மேவலாச்சு
சதாக்கலாம் போதையுமே தரிக்கல்லாச்சு
காக்கையிலே கால்வலுத்து நடக்கலாச்சு
கதிரான தீபவொளி காணலாச்சு
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