The third and final trial of Arvaarayan was the Trial of Meditation. This was the most arduous and difficult of tasks; infinitely more so than the Trial of Combat (Ankaamiyyan) and the Trial of Magic (Otikkukaayyan). To fully understand the complexity of the task, one must briefly describe it in relation to the two previous tasks.
The trial of Combat (Ankaamiyyan) was a supremely difficult task... to defeat all opponents in battle and then defeat all of them again simultaneously. Only the greatest of Yogic warriors could perform such a feat of power. It requires deep discipline, strength of will and the luck of the Gods. You have to master all fighting forms and weapons, as well as be able to heal oneself rapidly of all wounds and diseases. Please note: healing in the ancient times was relatively simple (compared to our age) as the ancient Aaiyyanist practitioners were enveloped in all dimensions (which were closer to our realm than they are now), and could harness the powers of Talas and Lokas at will. However, it was still an incredibly difficult task for almost all people to master.
To persevere in the Trial of Combat you must be blessed. A higher being, a segment of the universal OM made physical as its direct tool and not as a fragment of OM as most of all physical entities, living and non living are. Such a difficult task can be demonstrated in that only three other beings had completed this in one thousand years prior to the trials of King Nekaankilaan. (Most Aaiyyanists know of the rendition of the three warrior incarnations of Sadanandiyanal who completed the Trial of Combat, but who was not The Turappuyan (Brahman's instrument), as he was not interested in magic or meditation.)
The second challenge of Otikkukaayyan (i.e. the Dravidian Hindu Aaiyyanist Trial of Magic) was also a near impossible feat to complete. Just pause and ponder for a short while on how much practise one needs to open the Ararriaan Loka. How much psychic energy one must expend to form a resonant link with the numerous Talas and Lokas. In the ancient past, the Lokas and Talas were much closer to our physical realm than they are now. But as any Aaiyyanist will reveal, to keep a Loka open and to create such a powerful resonant bond such that physical matter and effects from the Loka/Tala are experienced in this plane of reality - such a task is a most extraordinary feat indeed! The difficulty of this task can be demonstrated by the simple fact that only Guru: Sage Nivedhayyan had managed to take the Veluupuyan flower and return it to Demon Tarakasura many years prior to King Nekaankilaan's challenges.
The final and most arduous of challenges was the Trial of Meditation (Arvaarayan). In this task one had to still the restless mind so much that one could form a mystical link with Brahman directly, to experience the full power of being everywhere (and no where) to become Brahman, the ultimate creator, preserver and destroyer... and then (more importantly) become more than the whole. No one had ever achieved this task in all of recorded Aaiyyanist history. For tens of thousands of years prior to King Nekaankilaan's challenge, not one human on this plane had formed the direct human conscious link to Oneness. It must be said that some entities, Gods and other beings had immersed themselves in Oneness, but no entity (in recorded Dravidian records) had ever completed the Arvaarayan (Trial of Meditation) since its creation. Also, it must be noted that there are many Aaiyyanists in the past that achieved Oneness by ascension and passing on from this life, but there was never anyone that exceeded Oneness. To understand fully this concept one must comprehend the nature of the Trial of Meditation.
The trial itself was simple. One had to meditate under the Tunnamayyan, an ancient Dravidian artefact/pillar that had inscribed onto it the symbols of Tunnamayyanal. As most Aaiyyanists know these inscriptions represent the Brahman Loka/Tala and encompass all the Loka and Tala inscriptions needed to penetrate all dimensions to reach the central point. The adept would then meditate under the pillar of Tunnamayyan and then still their mind, so that there were no distractions. They would then still their mind further such that their own bodily functions were stopped, the heart would stop and the blood would become still and flow no more. The adept would then leave the body and enter the ethereal form. They would then still themselves further such that time and space would stop. Distance and the aeons would compress into oneness. The adept would then still themselves more such that all the Lokas and Talas (dimensions) that separate us all in this Universe would collapse into a fixed plane. And at the plane, if the adept has logically, mentally and spiritually followed the correct path there will be only two separate structures, the adept and the essence of Brahman. Please note, as all Hindu Aaiyyanists and non Aaiyyanists understand Brahman is in everything and everyone. What we are talking about is the 'essence' of Brahman as described by the ancient Aaiyyanist scripture Orukkamayyan.
The final act in the trial of Arvaarayan (meditation) would be for the adept and Brahman to fuse together and then become whole once more... or maybe (as the sages say) something greater than the whole... something more than Brahman: a new being or an old being reformed. The flaws in the Universe that are part of Brahman, fusing together to create something that Brahman was not before and could not be, unless Brahman spread itself into creation and allowed the ripples of imperfections to become more perfect than the perfect being could have achieved if it had simple stayed the same. At this point the flame/power of Brahman (Orukkamayyian) is extinguished and then created anew to indicate a new paradigm.
And so the trial began. This time, there were only a few competitors in the trial as most beings at this time were not conversant enough with the Universal language to attempt to become one with Brahman. (Or they knew with hindsight that this was a supremely difficult task). As before, the usual protagonists took part in the trial. There was the Head of the Kalaiyyan Temple: Sage KalShivayan. There was Aaiyyani Asweenikaaya the great philosopher and teacher of the Aaiyyanists. There was also the wandering Sage Sri Janeganian that found Murugan all those years before.
At first a few other trialists attempted the Arvaarayan, but failed to go deep enough to the required level. Of all their powers and strength Sage Sri Janeganian and Sage KalShivayan also found themselves lacking. Even the great Aaiyyani Asweenikaaya also tried to go deep within herself, but kept finding herself being brought back this plane of reality.
At last it was Delviniyan's turn to face the Trial of Arvaarayan (meditation). Delviniyan meditated under the Tunnamayyan. He focused his mind on the symbols of the Tunnamayyanal and began to open all Lokas and Talas that separated himself from Brahman's oneness. Delviniyan's body stopped flowing, his blood slowed down and his heart stopped and Delviniyan found himself outside of his body and outside of this material Universe... he focused more and more until all dimensions fused into one fixed plane of reality.
Until finally Delviniyan found himself face to face with Brahman's immense oneness. All things, matter, dimensions and souls had been compressed into a single frame of reference. Delviniyan faced Brahman in all his glory, mystery and infiniteness and was at last ready to merge his oneness and individuality into the sea of Brahman. Time passed, a moment drifted into thousands of years and was swept away into infinity as both the adept and the One perceived each other fully. It was in this moment or moments that Brahman knew that Delviniyan's role was not to be unified just yet but had a deeper goal... another journey before he would be fully assimilated in the final Mahapralaya (destruction and oneness at the end and beginning of time).
Brahman granted Delviniyan his wish and extinguished the flame of Orukkamayyian thus indicating that Delviniyan was linked with Brahman. OM then imparted onto Delviniyan the glow of the new Orukkamayyian which revealed a golden light that encompasses all and shows to all that the Universal one is deeply embedded into the most special of individuals.
Delviniyan had finished the trial, it had ended... but yet as always in most tales of revelation, it had just begun. The power of the extinguishing and creating of the new Orukkamayyian indicated to all creation that Delviniyan had completed the Trial of Arvaarayan (meditation). All the assembled crowds of dignitaries knew this too: Kings, Queens, the Princess and the Princes, the people of the city states and the Swamis, Gurus, Priests and Sannyasins. Everyone stood in silence and awe. In fact, it was so silent that the air itself sang of oneness with all, a silence so deafening that if one took a moment, even the most untrained souls could look back into themselves and find some part of the truth that had yet to be awakened.
The great King Nekaankilaan, paused for a moment at this momentous time and then focused his mind on why the Trials were taking place. The King stood up and said: "Reveal yourself. Do not run again. Who are you stranger, are you Brahman's instrument that will rid us of the Demon Block Surapadman?"
Delviniyan finally fully understood his purpose in the Universe at this point in time. He understood that self identity did not matter. All that was important was to lose oneself in the will of Brahman. Become one with all and yet become the individual tool that defines us all in the role that the Universe has laid out before us. Delviniyan slowly removed the hooded mask of Murugan's, and everyone gasp in recognition and amazement.
"You?!?" Shouted the King. "You who have rejected our ways, who were a lowly servant, a clown. How is this possible?"
"Everything is possible if Brahman wills it." Delviniyan replied.
"But surely you must be a reincarnation of a God, a descendent of greatness, an incarnation of Shiva or a demon? You must have royal blood in you?" The King cried.
Delviniyan replied: "I am simply a boy who wishes the Universe to align. I was not chosen but chose myself to act... when others did nothing."
The wise King Nekaankilaan paused and said: "You have done well. Will you rid us of Demon Surapadman and marry my daughter Kabilanyaa, if the Princess wills it."
"I do will it." shouted the Princess with joy, as her soul had for years directed her to this moment of truth.
The King continued: "Even though you are lowly born, you have transcended yourself and us, and it would be our honour for you to become part of our family..."
Delviniyan paused for a moment and said: "For honour's sake I must consult with my teacher."
"Good." said the King, "We will accompany you."
At this point the Tantric Kalaiyyan's interrupted. Queen Sironemaniyaa and Sage KalShivayan were also shocked that the supposed Turappuyan (Brahman's Instrument) was in fact the young Delviniyan that they had brought up as a child. Queen Sironemaniyaa also said: "We will accompany you also, for we wish to meet your teacher."
So Delviniyan, the Aaiyyanist King and Queen, Prince and Princess and the Kalaiyyan Queen and the Head of the Tantric temple travelled to the forest to meet Murugan.