The second trial, was the trial of magic: Otikkukaayyan. The basic foundations of Dravidian magic is to unlock the boundaries between this dimension and the many dimensions that surround us. These consist of Talas (negative dimensions) and Lokas (positive dimensions). The aim is to make energy (from these many distant realms) travel to our own to create the appearance of magical and material effects. As many Hindu Aaiyyanists know, in the ancient Dravidian lands the concept of magic was actually the physical effects of energy and matter transfer between different dimensions. For example, one could open up a negative Tala dimension by creating a resonant bond between our realm and that one (using the ancient Dravidian scriptures). The negative energy of this Tala could then be used to curse an enemy. Other Talic realms such as Utaaruyaan is a mixture (or combination) of deeply frozen and fiery realms/dimensions close to our boundary of existence. One can use this to freeze or burn either for good or evil purposes. Another example is the Raaguuluuyan dimension which is an ethereal plane of existence, of which the energy can be used to conceal yourself. One must note that in the age of the Dravidian Aaiyyanist Kingdoms (50,000 years ago) the boundaries between our world and the other realms (Talas and Lokas) were much closer than they are now, so the physical manifestation of energy was more readily visible.
So, we have presented the basic facts concerning Yogic Dravidian magic (or manipulation of the resonant energy fields that surround us). The ancient Seer Janeganianaa derived a simple method to challenge any Yogic master to determine the full extent of their comprehension of magic (i.e. to test their knowledge on how the Universe actually operates). As mentioned briefly earlier, Seer Janeganianaa (70,000 years prior) made a pact with the defeated Asura (Demon) Tarakasura to formulate this challenge. As most Hindu's know Tarakasura was the brother of the Demon Surapadman ('The Block') and was said to be only able to be killed by Shiva's offspring. It was said he (Tarakasura) was defeated and killed by Murugan many thousands of years prior to the events in this tale. However, most Aaiyyanists do not believe that Murugan-Aaiyyan killed the Demon but instead killed the ego-self and allowed the Asuric being to find its own path. In fact, according to Aaiyyanists, Tarakasura became a devotee and student under Murugan and trained with him after his defeat. Thus the Demon (that could only be 'killed' by the offspring of Shiva), in fact became a renunciate in the eyes of all Aaiyyanists.
Many Aaiyyanists know the famous tale of Seer Janeganianaa and Asura Tarakasura, so we will not repeat it here, but to summarise Seer Janeganianaa befriended the powerful Asuric being who wished to learn the Yoga of stillness. Seer Janeganianaa took this Asura as a student and taught it the ways of silence, and in return the Asura became a devotee. (Remember, Tarakasura was also a devotee and student under Murugan, but also took many teachers as he searched for his path in life). Asura Tarakasura asked Seer Janeganianaa what could it do to repay the Seer for imparting such great knowledge and Seer Janeganianaa directed her mind to the future and devised a plan to break the prophesied 'Block' Surapadman (Tarakasura's brother) which would occur 20,000 years into the future (or 50,000 BCE). In other words, Seer Janeganianaa proposed the challenge thousands of years before 'The Block' had established itself. The challenge was this: Seer Janeganianaa gave the Demon Tarakasura the Veluupuyan flower, which grants immortality and asked the Asuric Being to guard the flower and receive its bane, but in return the Demon must allow itself in the future to be a test or examination into finding 'Brahman's Instrument'. Tarakasura, after mastering the Yoga of stillness, resided (and still lives) in a place called: Amarttuyyan, which can simply be described as a void or hole in our plane of reality.
The traditional challenge of magic as described above was to face the Demon Tarakasura (Surapadman's defeated brother) and take the flower out of his hand. In the thousands of years prior to the Aaiyyanist King Nekaankilaan's challenge, only one other great Guru had managed to prize the flower from the demon by force. The great Guru Sage Nivedhayyan cloaked himself in the strength of Alavuyyan (from the Loka that was filled with binding strength energy). He use the Talic flames of Ararriaan, and other weapons to attack the demon. And then used the lightning of Kurrappamal to paralyse the demon. And finally used the Uyirpuyaanal wind (Loka) to blow the flower out of the demon's hand into his own hand. This was the only time that anyone had managed to pry the flower from demon Tarakasura. Sage Nivedhayyan then returned the flower for he knew that he was not 'Brahman's Instrument' and that another would take that path in the future. But for a thousand years more no one had been close to defeating the demon again.
All the previous practitioners of magic (from the last 1000 years) had followed the footsteps of Guru Sage Nivedhayyan, i.e. in order to defeat demon Tarakasura one had to master the elemental arts of fire (Ararriaan),storms (Kurrappamal), wind (Uyirpuyaanal), strength and speed; and had to be able to summon mystical weapons from the warlike Talas and Lokas in which the Demi-Gods inhabit.
In the trials of King Nekaankilaan, all the magnificent practitioners of the Dravidian arts were assembled... lined up and solemn in their gaze, as they faced the hole of Amarttuyyan where demon Tarakasura lay waiting with the flower of Veluupuyan. The first challenger was High Priest KalShivayan of the Kalaiyyan empire, the advisor or Queen Sironemaniyaa. He initiated his attack by invoking the mystical weapon of Darukayyanal that was handed to him from Darukayyan in his Tala. However, demon Tarakasura was also 'known' to the Darukayyan Tala and easily blocked the weapon and its user. Demon Tarakasura erected a spiritual mirror/wall that physically blocked all attacks emanating from the Darukayyan Tala, and then rebounded the negative energy back to High Priest KalShivayan.
The famous Gurus Janeganian and Aaiyyani Asweenikaaya were also defeated quickly and quickly retired from the trial.
Finally it was Delviniyan's turn to take the flower. As before, he was hooded so as to mask his identity, and the ego-self. The young adept also had no fear as he was trained by Murugan in all the Universal Dravidian arts for the equivalent of one thousand human years (when the forest dweller stopped time as part of his training). Delviniyan stepped forward and wrote in his mind the first inscription that Murugan taught him (Ataantain)... to stop time. This lead onto the inscription that only the Murugan and his adepts know. The hidden combined Tala-Loka Ataantain-Aruguyaanal that describes the domain of infinite stopped time. By creating a link to that realm and allowing the time energy to flow into our own, Delviniyan manipulated time and space to his will.
Remember though, Demon Tarakasura was also an adept of Murugan, having trained under him also. Tarakasura sensed what Delviniyan was doing and tried to stop time himself. So for an age, both Demon Tarakasura and Delviniyan attempted to pause time before the other and prevent the flower from being taken. One cannot quantify the time it took, some Aaiyyanist historians and sages say it was a tiny, minuscule moment of time. Others say it was a million years (or the duration of the Treta Yuga age), that they both battled time while the world (or our plane of reality) stood still. Eventually, Delviniyan broke from the paradigm and remembered the words of Murugan: "Do not stop time, let it flow backwards and forwards. If you go far enough back or forward you will eventually reach the point where time ends and starts again and at that moment the flow will come to a rest".
Delviniyan did not understand the words when they were first spoken but did now. He allowed Demon Tarakasura to stop time and direct the flow in Demon Tarakasura's direction. He then added his own resonant power to the flow to speed up the process. The demon lost control of the flow and time sped backwards. Delviniyan did not stop time, he simply allowed demon Tarakasura to reverse it and went back into the distant past and quickly and quietly plucked the flower out of the Demon's hand.
Delviniyan then allowed the flow of time to return to normal and returned to the present where he unveiled the flower for all to see. Demon Tarakasura laughed and bowed his head and spoke: "You are the instrument of Brahman!"
The assemble court were all amazed, when the hooded Delviniyan returned from Tarakasura's void (Amarttuyyan) with the flower of Veluupuyan. And with that triumph he was crowned the winner of the Trial of Otikkukaayyan (magic). Delviniyan, took the flower and threw it back into Amarttuyyan so that Tarakasura could wait for the next challenger to present themselves if the Turappuyan (Brahman's instrument) was not himself. Remember, Delviniyan tried to detach as much as possible from his ego-self, thus returning the flower indicated that he was not sure that he was Brahman's instrument, and that he may have another hidden purpose.
The hooded Delviniyan once more rode off into the forest and did not reveal himself. This greatly perturbed King Nekaankilaan and the royal court of the Aaiyyanists. On the Kalaiyyan side, Queen Sironemaniyaa and Sage KalShivayan were also confused. Both sides meditated together to find the solution to this dilemma, but could not break though the powerful magic that Delviniyan had erected to mask himself.
If you would like a more in-depth reading of this chapter we recommend the Otikkukaayyanal as a good starting point.