Sathguru Venkatarama Siddha, the 1001^st teacher in Sri Agasthiar's spiritual lineage of Siddha Sathgurus, was inducted into this divine lineage by his Siddha Sathguru (divine teacher), Sri La Sri Idiyaapa Eesa Siddha.

Sathguru Venkataraman met his Siddha teacher at the tender age of eight. The great Siddha kindled the latent spiritual fire in the young lad and began the process of revealing the ageless wisdom of the Agasthiar Siddha lineage to him. He did this through practical everyday means by embedding each and every divine instruction in day to day experiences.

Experience, NOT Theory

Thus Sathguru Venkataraman received his divine instruction totally through the medium of personal experience. This is the perfect way of transmitting spiritual knowledge because the world of spirituality cannot be conveyed in words but must be experienced personally under the guidance of a Sathguru. [ Sathguru Venkataraman's experiences with his Siddha teacher alone have been printed in 22 volumes covering more than 1000 pages so far. By any measure, these experiences constitute one of the most interesting and revealing modern day "Gurukula" journeys.]

Theoretical knowledge is of little use in the world of spirituality. It is by passing through the fire of experience that one attains the pristine purity of spiritual perfection.

The great Siddha master, Sri Idiyaappa Eesa Siddha, thus revealed the secrets of the universe to the young boy through everyday experiences.

Spirituality in Everything

The Siddha conveyed to the young boy that the most ordinary of everyday occurrences is replete with spiritual meaning and consequences and that even the most mundane of activities must be performed with deep spiritual awareness. Such an attitude aligns the very core of one's being with the Divine Will and thus makes one ready for the ascent into the world of spirituality. This practical wisdom is the very foundation of spiritual life.

Siddhas, Blessings, Perfection

As an integral part of the training, Sri Idiyaappa Eesa Siddha took the boy on pilgrimages around India three times and introduced him to numerous Siddhas.

Herein lies the secret of spiritual training: It is not by cramming books that one makes progress in spirituality. It is not by reading or talking about spirituality that one gets the doors of the spiritual world opened. It is with the blessings of a Siddha that one attains spiritual perfection.

By the grace of his great Siddha teacher, Sathguru Venkataraman received the blessings of many great Siddha masters. This was an important part of his spiritual training because his teacher knew that the young boy would be given great spiritual responsibilities later on and he would need the blessings of many great Siddhas to execute his mission to perfection.

Induction into the Lineage (Guru Parampara)

Thus Sri Idiyaapa Eesa Siddha blessed the young lad with numerous spiritual experiences and molded him into a Siddha. By this time Sathguru Venkataraman was in his teens. The Siddha master, having transformed the young boy into a spiritual giant, knew that Sathguru Venkataraman was well suited for continuing the illustrious Agasthiar lineage.

The great Siddha commanded the teenager to spread far and wide the wisdom that had been revealed to him and ordered him to dedicate himself entirely to the service of the Divine. He inducted the teenager into Sri Agasthiar's lineage of Siddha teachers and instructed him to take on Agasthiar's Universal Mission - the spiritual upliftment of all beings - as his own. Thus began Sathguru Venkataraman's spiritual mission many decades ago.

[ Sathguru's Venkataraman's unique Siddha revelations on numerous topics of interest to the spiritual seeker have been printed in Sri Agasthia Vijayam, his monthly magazine, and in more than a hundred books and websites. More than 20,000 pages of these heretofore secret Siddha revelations have been printed and there are many more to come. Sathguru Venkataraman's experiences with his Siddha teacher alone have been printed in more than 22 volumes covering more than 1000 pages so far. By any measure, these experiences constitute one of the most interesting and revealing modern day "Gurukula" journeys.]

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Perfect Surrender

Sathguru Venkataraman executed the mission given to him by his Siddha teacher with an attitude of perfect surrender to the Divine.

He communicated the eternal wisdom of the Agasthiar Lineage through hundreds of free public lectures and thousands of printed pages so that the lay public can benefit from these priceless, secret Siddha teachings of his great lineage.

Selfless Service, Charitable Giving

He established the Agasthiar Ashram in Arunachala and served more than 10 million plates of food to the poor and to pilgrims in Arunachala and other kshetras (sacred spots).

Sathguru Venkataraman did every kind of charitable giving described in the scriptures (and many not described anywhere until he himself revealed them).

He made charitable giving and selfless service a foundational practice of his ashram, thus teaching the world the importance of this practice particularly in the 20th and 21st centuries. (Readers of the Sathguru's magazine, books and websites will know how much he emphasized selfless service and charitable giving in pretty much all of his articles.)

Adimai - Setting the Gold Standard

Shunning publicity and refusing to take any credit for any of his monumental spiritual contributions and achievements, he lived not like a Sathguru, but as an Adimai (devoted slave of the Universal Mother Angaali - Angaali Adimai), thus setting the gold standard for how a spiritual master should conduct himself.

Having done more than four decades of this kind of stellar spiritual service to God and man, Sathguru Venkataraman merged with his beloved Arunachala, the Lord he referred to exclusively as Father ("enga appa Annamalayar" which means "our father Annamalaiyar Arunachala").

The Cool, Casual, Consummate Master Siddha

To those who had the honor and privilege of knowing him, he was absolutely the most unique person they ever met - a Siddha, a bhakta, a Gnani, a teacher, a friend, someone who made them laugh even while communicating profound Siddha wisdom, someone who taught them about Kali Yuga life, someone who saw God in everything and was able to communicate the same to literate and illiterate alike, someone who could answer any question anytime anywhere with the casual, consummate ease of a confirmed expert, someone who could speak with the complete authority of a Master Siddha on on all aspects of spirituality and life in general.

The ultimate Mantra Yantra Tantrika Gnana Siddha, Sathguru Venkataraman oozed divinity. It cannot be explained; it had to be experienced. And we consider ourselves uniquely blessed for having been his students for decades.

His mission, seva and magazine are now being continued by his students to whom he has entrusted Siddha information to be revealed over the next few decades.
Ohm Shiva Shiva Ram Ram Ohm.
Ohm Salutations to Maha Guru Agasthiar's Siddha Guru Parampara Lineage.