Many friends asked me why this obsession with Swamy Ayyappan. Matters of deep faith which transcends even ideological conditioning is very difficult to explain with logic. All that it boils down to is it’s not an obsession, it’s unconditional & uncompromising faith, an obedience to a practice , a holy place which harms no one and welcomes all irrespective of their denomination, religion, caste, creed, culture as long as the requirements of 41-day penance and complete obeisance to the deity of the place viz Swamy Ayyappan is hundred percent.
The power of astha and trust in Ayyappan revered as Kaliyuga Varadhan is such that it brings the mightiest, the most empowered and the strongest to bow and go down on their knees on the presence of will of the believers and the divine. This is the only holy site which treats the devotee wearing the rudraksha mala and having undertaken the 41 day penance as equal to Ayyappan, a Swamy himself.
When the heart is breaking, and the mouth can’t express, the eyes do the talking by shedding uncontrolled tears. Even the toughest of the toughest Men begin to show the soft side through the cracks. When the back is being broken and shoulders weighing down with the onerous task of balancing official responsibility being demanded by an adharmic state with the dharmic call of the soul. Even the strongest and the most powerful are shown their human frailty in the presence of living divinity who speaks through the voice of his people, his foot soldiers, his mothers and sisters and the promise of his devotees to keep coming till this world as we know it exists.
The act of keeping up the nerve and presence of mind calls for all the patience saved through sadhanas of lifetimes. A million salute to IG Of Police Sreejith for managing to steer and maintain a semblance of peace in and around Sabarimala for the past three days where the situation was explosive and simmering. Where thousands on the ground didn’t sleep a wink expecting untoward incidents. Also thanks to IG Sreejith’s efforts in counseling a few stray women who came unknowingly from other states as part of tourist groups who claimed they had no idea of the ongoing situation or the traditions of the place and who on understanding the reality voluntarily decided to retreat when they were explained the tradition and the boiling ground situation. He also escorted as he was duty bound the few feminazis non-hindu activists who insisted on going ahead despite the best advice cause they came with pre-planned agenda’s but fortunately were returned back by the sheer determination of the devotees despite the hundreds of riot police in riot gear and the will of the pujaris and the stance taken by the Tantri as conveyed to the IG at the bottom of the steps that the anushtanas of the temple would not be compromised. Some one in the State official machinery needs to explain why all this drama, high tension of last few days were artificially stoked when a review petition is already filed in the honorable SC.
At the altar today as the final puja ceremony is completed for this month and the main door of the holy shrine of Sabarimala is closed for a few weeks till manadala kaala reopening next month as we breath in relief watching this news clip of IG Mr. Srejit reduced to stance of seeking forgiveness and strength with joined palms with tears rolling in front of the deity reflects the heartfelt emotions of millions of believers and devotees. Swamy Saranam Ayyappan.
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