It is always a different experience every year. Each year I'm being taught something.This time as well I learned a lot from the trip to Sabarimala. Indescribable. The process started with the vrittam. The 14th year of travel to the abode of the son of Siva and Vishnu.
Rules are there. Rules are just to bring control to your mind and body. What has to be given great importance is the deep understanding of the self. All the activities done have got a lot of focus towards this one purpose. This purpose is attained only through discipline. Self Discipline. Thathvamasi.(Knowing the self)
On a fine day, decided by the guru, the holy garland was worn. After that my living changed. There was more of focus. Though it was not perfect as a devotee of Ayyapan would have to be, I tried to live the life of a devotee to the max. extent possible. More in my mind than in the outside world. Filled with only good thoughts.
There is a whole story to it. It is believed that Lord Ayyappa can save you from the wrath of Lord Shaneeshawaran. Shani is known for giving difficulties to people for them to become extremely resistant to the materialistic world. But when the period is over Lord Shani is known to give everything back to the devotee as a reward to the difficulties faced by him.There is a purpose to this as well. The devotee would know the real value of a world other than the material world. He would put all tangible things to good use after this. Everyone has to undergo at some stage of their life. A devotee of Lord Ayyappa also undergoes the same thing in 48 days. That is why we wear a black attire, do not clip out nails, do not cut or shave and undergo all the difficulties that one would undergo while Shani has an influence.
After the period of 48 days, we have the irumudi kattu tied on a very fine day. This is the day on which we begin our journey towards the Lord. In the period of 48 days, we try to give the highest service in the world, which is, giving food (Annadhaanam) to as many people as possible.
The irumudi kattu consists of coconut filled with Ghee and other pooja items for the lord. It also consists of all the items that are liked by Lord Ayyappa. As it says it is iru(Two) mudi (Knots). One consists of the Ghee filled coconut and the other is the one which has two coconuts.
After the pooja was over at home, we started the holy trip to a very holistic place, Sabarimala towards the Sannidhanam of Lord Ayyappa. It starts after bidding farewell to all the members of the home and getting the blessings of all the elder people of the family. As we move into the forest it is good to have all the blessings of the elder people of the family.
And the journey begins.....
We moved from Coimbatore through Walayar, Vaddakancherry, Perambra, Trissur, Angamally, Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha, Kanjirapally, Erumeli and finally to Pampa. When we reached Pampa, it was 3.45am on April 11th, 2014.
After reaching the holy river of Pampa, the next step was to have a holy dip in the river. The one that is of great significance. It is startling to know that Lord Ayyappa was associated much with the river 1000 years ago. It is a great feeling to know that you're part of that history.
After the holy dip we started the journey towards the idol of the Lord. We reached Pampa Ganapathy and got the blessings to guide us through the forest. There has always been good signs and one such was when the Ayyappan Suprabhatham started when we were just started moving into the forest. It was 5am. The journey into the forest started with the irumudi on the head. We were 6 devotees of various backgrounds moving with one purpose into the forest. A common one.
The first malai was Neelimalai.
The path was steep. Though it was the siruvazhi paadai it was equally daunting given the stressed lifestyle of today's world. There is very low physical activity and it makes it very difficult indeed. We moved slowly through the Neelimala. It is about 2.5 km. I was leading the group into the forest and it was an important responsibility for me to set the pace and make sure they get the Divyadarisanam asap. My guru, as he is aged and a heart patient takes the dolly(A chair on which he sits and he is taken towards the sannidhanam by 4 people for a fixed charge). We finally reached the end of Neelimala, slowly, and moved to the start of the next stage, Appachimedu.
We're almost 3/4th the distance to the top of the hill. The most difficult landscapes are only these two. The Appachimedu though less strenuous than the Neelimala was evident, but as the Neelimala had already taken out all the energy out, it was equally challenging. Another 2.5km was the Appachimedu which we slowly surpassed. Then another 2km was only plains. This is were I set the higher pace.
The Subramanya paadai after the Sabari Peetam. Sabari Peetam is the place were the lady called Sabari got salvation from a curse by Lord Rama, for which she waited and did penance for centuries.
My strength, the Subramanya paadai.....
There is one thing to notice here. The Neelimala, the Appachimedu and the Subramanya Paathai signify something. Success in life cannot be cakewalk. If it is easy then it won't taste good. You slowly understand the difficulties and overcome them by the focus of your mind. All that has been done in the trip has this very significance.
There is a very good feeling that you get after this stage. The feeling of getting a glimpse of the almighty. God is just 150m away. The god has got a legacy. It is a sign of the God on Earth. One which no one can deny. The abode of God, the Sannidhanam, is just meters away now. I started chanting the mantras of the Lord at the highest tone and guiding the others to the Sannidhanam.
There is a very good feeling that you get after this stage. The feeling of getting a glimpse of the almighty. God is just 150m away. The god has got a legacy. It is a sign of the God on Earth. One which no one can deny. The abode of God, the Sannidhanam, is just meters away now. I started chanting the mantras of the Lord at the highest tone and guiding the others to the Sannidhanam.
We reached the 18 steps of the Lord. The holy steps signify the 18 psychological and intellectual stages that one's mind has to overcome in life to attain the highest reward for a human which is Moksha(renouncement).
After the 18 steps, the only thing remaining is the Divyadarisanam. The one moment that we were waiting for for almost 50 days. The one for which all were done. All you get is a glimpse of the God for 3 secs maximum with the irumudi on the head. But all your worries, the path you'd tread, the difficulties that you'd faced, everything vanishes from the mind. The glimpse of the idol shows something beyond the Lord. There is more than an idol that is there. There is something more powerful than humans. There is something that controls the functioning of the world. All I can say is "Indescribable". No words can describe that feeling. A feeling that would make you come again and again.
-SATZ
