History behind the worship of Sabari Sastha...

The customs of the pilgrims to Sabarimala are based on five worshipping methods; those of Shaivites, Shaktists, Vaishnavites, Buddhists and Jainists. At first, there were three sections of devotees – the devotees of Shakti who used meat, liquor and other drugs to worship their deity, the devotees of Vishnu who followed strict penance and continence, and the devotees of Shiva who partly followed these two methods. It was then that the Buddhists and Jainists entered, spreading the concepts of Ahimsa. Another name of Lord Ayyappa is Sastha which means Buddha. This is a prime example of the reach of the Buddhist beliefs to this part of the world. All these can be seen merged into the beliefs of pilgrims to Sabarimala. The chain the pilgrims wear comes from the Rudraksha chain of the Shaivites. The strict fasting, penance and continence is taken out of the beliefs of the Vaishnavites. Ahimsa is taken from the Jainists. The constant and repeated utterance of prayers reminds one of the Buddhists. The offering of tobacco to Kaduthaswamy can be considered to be taken from the Shaktists.

Those who decide to go to Sabarimala need to observe strict celibacy. The procession of Malikappurathamma to Saramkuthy and her return without any exuberance shows one the patience, endurance and mental strength a man can achieve. The ghee filled coconuts in the blazing fire hearth symbolizes the burn off of one’s selfishness. A bath in river Pampa stands for driving away the sins one committed in his life.

The striking significance of the beliefs about Sabarimala is the absence of the touch-me-not-ism among the upper castes of Hindus. All are equal before Lord Ayyappa. Even the deity and the devotee are known by the same name – either Ayyappa or Swamy. This is the only such belief in the entire world.

Through the observation of strict penance, fasting and continence, one learns to control his senses. He gives up his lust and other human desires. He remoulds himself. On reaching his destination, he realizes the meaning of Thathwamasi – ‘That is You’. Thus he recognizes the enormous power, restraint and resilience from within. Another importance which is more relevant these days is the oneness of diverse religious beliefs. It is one temple in the world, with doors open to all, whatever be their beliefs. The triumvirate of Ayyappa, a Hindu; Vavar, a Muslim and Kochu Thomman, a Christian speaks volumes for this factual truth. It is here that Sabarimala becomes more of a reality than a myth.

The reality of Sabarimala...

In my earlier post I had indicated the history or typically the myth behind the sacred shrine of Sabarimala. The reality as stated in the history books are as follows:

The Pandalam Royal Family has its roots in Tamil Nadu. The members of the Pandalam Royal Family are descendants of the Pandya dynasty of Madurai. The Pandya Kings fled to today’s Kerala in two groups, after losing the battle against Malik Khafer, the General of the then Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji. One group settled down in Punjar (Kottayam Dist) and the other in Pandalam in 1202 AD. The then ruler of Venad helped them establish the Kingdom of Pandalam. The Kingdom of Pandalam extended to over 1,000 square miles. The royal family of Pandalam belongs to the 'Bhargava Gothra' while other Kshatriya families in Kerala belong to the 'Viswamithra Gothra'. Secularism was one of the prime principles of Pandalam dynasty and they helped the other religious followers to build a mosque at Kadakkad and a church at Kudassanad. It is also believed that those who settled down in Pandalam had sympathies toward the Buddhist beliefs.

There is no clear evidence as to when did the pilgrimage to Sabarimala begin. After the instauration of the temple, it left unreached for about three centuries. One of the Kings in the later generation rediscovered the traditional paths to reach Sabarimala. He had many followers with him, including the descendants of the Vavar family. They refreshed their resources at Erumely and this marked the beginning of the famous Petta Thullal at Erumely. They laid down their arms at the place today known as Saramkuthy. Those who are on their maiden visits to Sabarimala thrust arrows at this place. The temple was then renovated. In 1821 AD, the kingdom of Pandalam was added to Travancore. 48 major temples including the Sabarimala temple were also added to Travancore. The idol was erected in 1910. The temple conflagrated in 1971 and underwent a major revamp.

The History of Sabarimala... Swami Saranam

Sabarimala was once under the regime of the Pandalam dynasty. So there can’t be a mythical history for Sabarimala without the mythical histories of Lord Ayyappa and Pandalam dynasty. Lord Ayyappa, the deity of Sabarimala had his human sojourn at Pandalam as the adopted son of the King of Pandalam. It is believed that the King of Pandalam, who didn’t have an offspring to assume his throne, got a baby from the banks of the river Pampa. The king heard an oracle that he should take the baby to his Palace and that the baby will show the intent of his birth at 12. Because the baby had a bell tied in a string around his neck, he was called Manikandan; meaning a person who has a bell around his neck. At 12, he would be known as Ayyappa. The King took the baby home and the Royal Family accepted the child as the Prince. But after some time, the Queen delivered a baby and the attention of all except the King in the Royal Family switched to the new born baby. The Minister in the Royal Palace told the Queen that unless Manikandan was thrown out of the Palace, her own son could not become the next King. He was playing on her jealousy. It worked out. According to the directives from the Minister, the Queen pretended to have fallen ill. The Royal Family doctor prescribed her the milk of leopardess. It was also a trick of the Minister. He knew that Manikandan would take up the challenge. As expected, Manikandan went to the forest in search of leopardess-milk, despite resistance from the King. He was around 12 now. In the forest, in a fierce battle, he killed the demon queen Mahishi, who used to attack and kill the people and their cattle. She was even feared by the Gods. After she was killed, all the Gods praised and worshipped Manikandan. Knowing the intent of Manikandan’s visit, the King of the Gods, Indra, transfigured into a leopardess and the rest of the Gods joined them, as leopards. Manikandan climbed on top of the leopardess and led the way back to the Royal Palace. Everyone was surprised to see the Prince coming with a group of leopards. Ayyappa took rest underneath a banyan tree. The Queen and the Minister were now frightened and confessed to the King about their misdeeds. Finally, the King came out himself with others to welcome his son to the Palace. Manikandan forgave the misdeeds of his mother, the Minister and others. Despite demands from the King that Manikandan should take over as the King of Pandalam, he nominated his younger brother to follow his father. He then took the King to the forest and told him that the intension of his human sojourn was complete and that he had to leave now. He then blazed away an arrow toward a hill. He asked the King to construct a shrine for him where the arrow alighted. He also requested his father to come annually to visit him at the shrine. Thus he gave up his human life and his divinity entered Sabarimala. Parasuram, another incarnation of Lord Mahavishnu, built the idol of Ayyappa and the architect among the Gods, Viswakarma built the temple in the Sabarimala (Sabari hills) at the place where the arrow alighted. This is the myth about Lord Ayyappa.

The Story of THIRUVANNAMALAI

Thiruvannamalai is one among "pancha bootha sthalam". Everyone would have heard about this story when you were all kids. Once Brahma and Vishnu wanted to see the feet and the top of Shiva's head (Adi and Mudi) and they started pursuing it. Even after going to the deepest possible place under the surface, Vishnu could not spot Shiva's Feet and he accepted that. But Brahma went up above a long distance and could not find it. But he lied to Shiva saying that he had spotted what he was pursuing and he claimed "thazham poo" to be a witness. Lord Shiva realised that he was lying and from then on, he banished any kind of Brahma worship in Shiva temples and ostracised "Thazham poo" for his poojas. Lord Shiva was angry and he turned into a mountain and vanished. Now that mountain is supposed to be the "Thiruvannamalai" or "Thiru Annamalai". Since Lord Shiva was angry, that place is really a hot place and it is designated for "fire" among the "Pancha Boothas". 

            Annamalai = arunamalai, aruna thirini anna aaidichi, arunachalam = arunamalai, achalam in sanskrit in mountain, everybody might be knowing this info. According to literature, the hill was of fire in the Kritha Yuga; manickam (a variety of carbuncle) in the Thretha Yuga; gold in the Dwapara Yuga and emerald in the Kali Yuga. The hill thus evidences the fact that He is the light, the all-illuminating and all-pervading glory.

            Thayar's name is unnamulai amman.In Arunachala Mahatmyam and Arunachala Puranam, Parvati, known locally as Unnamulai, unites with Siva to such an extent that each shares the other's form. Unnamulai means, 'She whose breasts have never been suckled'. Traditionally, Siva and Unnamulai appear as a half-male and half-female figure, the left side being Unnamulai and the right side Siva. In this merged or unified state Unnamulai becomes Siva's sakti, the divine energy which brings into existence all manifestation. Iconographical representations of their combined form, which is known as Ardhanariswara, show a half-male and half-female body, with the dividing line being the vertical axis running down the middle of the body. Parvati (Unnamulai) earned the right to this union by performing intense tapas over two lifetimes, the first as Sati, and the second as Parvati.

Social Security and Responsibility

Wen v talk of security, the first thought that comes to my mind is that “whether v ever had secured society??” reason goes back to the early post independence period... On Jan 30^th 1948, wen our mahatma was shot dead, the British stated something to the Indians who were enjoying their newly gained independence... The statement was

“Hey u Indians, u termed us as brutal, cruel, inhuman greedy souls on earth, but v succeeded in something which u cudnt... inspite of the various riots n the controversies that arose, V saved Mr. Gandhi’s life for a long period... N u ppl cudnt save his life even for a year... “

Isn’t the statement true... V cudnt save his life even for a year... It hurts badly... Our society has never been a secured one... as time goes by, the extent of insecurity has risen gradually... V haven’t paid the necessary attention to this growing weed in the society over time n suddenly v stop to wonder at this massive growth...

People mite judge that i belong to a minority by reading this blog. But isn’t the truth. Its the other way around. There is a constant increase in the working women population and this is directly proportional to the growing insecurity. When I think abt our society all that comes to my mind is the increase in murders and rape, the latest being the murder of TV journalist Sowmya. Though everyone wud blame the police force at the outset, it isn’t the duty of the police alone to safeguard the society. It is the duty of every individual. How many of us wud stop on seeing an accident r stop a thief trying to escape? All that v think is “Why the Hell shud I, wen I am not affected?” I wud tell u people - wen it strikes u; it wud strike harder...

As citizens we shud ve some social responsibility. If a majority of the Indians have a heart and b true to it, organizations like RSS and VHP wud ve been out of the window. These assholes (pardon me for the language) think they are the guardians of the country and the culture. They believe in violence and dadagiri. The followers of these organizations enter the houses of these innocent people, rape them and murder them, finally providing justification for their activities. These people shud b shot on sight. The first one on the list shud be the Thackareys. The poor nun was raped in the centre of the market and the so called responsible citizens of the society keep watching the hungama.

I had a personal experience with one of my friends, thought I don’t wanna name him. He met with an accident. He had a head injury and if any person wud ve stopped the car to help us, v cud ve saved his life. Today v stand without him. Why is this society so selfish without any concern for others? I also live in this society. I help persons in which ever small way I can. Infact many of my friends and family members do it. V read in papers that Indians lend out money and aid to the affected people in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia etc. Why don’t we do the same when it comes to our own country? I think this is reflective of our human behaviour. We try to be nice to the outside world, but to our loved and dear ones – we show our anger, our aggression and arrogance.

To put it in one straight line, “Helping hands are the requirement of the hour than praying lips”. Be alive to the society, react and respond to our country. I suppose that, one day our country wud become the best place in the entire world to live.  

FRIENDSHIP - NATPU - DOSTI

Hmmm... Friendship... eh.. Everybody thinks that its the simplest topic that anybody in this world can talk of. Even a 5 year old child could do it. But, as the saying holds good, “Everything simple is important and most difficult to understand and implement.”

When I think of this word, I reassess my “thought approach”. Should I try approaching this word like I always do. Start off with “Definition”... Nope. I adopt a different approach because I have a notion that when you define a word, you normally fill it with constraints.. Friendship is something beyond all these constraints. It is characterized by small fights, arguments, sharing emotions, fun, sorrows, smiles, laughs, tears, hugs, kisses, affection and moreover holding on to each other.

The other aspect of friendship, everybody in this world, including me, can talk of philosophies and give a long lecture on friendship. Do we actually implement what we preach? Is it right on our part to preach something and practice something else? I have certain friends who differ with me... I have a notion that, “You should always accept friends as they are, and not ask them to change to your wishes and then accept them”.  Put it across in simple words, “I am what I am, U are also what I am” is what most people want. My friends, some of them say that the other person should change as per your wishes. I have been pondering over it for years and still I don’t find an answer to this. Is it in reality possible for us to put “our friends and their interests” in front of “our ownself and interests”?? I doubt. I have been trying to do it over years and I in my life feel that the success percentage is somewhere around 70 to 80 %.

I feel that friendship is all about 3 Fs - forget, forgive and fun. Many of us expect the others to do the first 2 Fs and keep the last F for themselves. This is where the relationship starts getting sour. Empathizing with the other person’s feelings is enough to keep the relationship alive and healthy. But the reality is dependent on how this is executed.

“Friendship is not measured when both take care of each other, it is measured when one ignores and the other still continues” – William Shakespeare. The man was absolutely correct. What the big heck in measuring something when everything is perfect, the skill and the strength are best when the assessment is made in a chaos. It is a fact that more often in life we lose people because of sheer misunderstanding and impatience. I feel that we should reassess ourselves and focus in not losing our dear ones because of misunderstanding.

 “Paasam vekka nesam vekka Thozhan undu vaazha veikaa, avana thavira uravukaaran yaarum ingilae... Ullam mattum naane, en usura kooda thaane, en nanban ketta vaangikena solluvain........

NATPAI KOODA KARPAI POLA ENNUVAIN...... “

To sum it all, I feel that friendship is all about identifying the hidden lies in your smile and the hidden truth in your tears. Friendship is as sacred, infact more sacred than one’s virginity. One thing in life which can never be replaced or substituted is FRIENDSHIP. I am fortunate enough to have lot many friends in life and I promise that I will live upto the trust they have on me.

Sachin is GOD

Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon as well. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses, anticipation. If he doesn't have a signature stroke - the upright, back-foot punch comes close - it is because he is equally proficient in each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will.

Though he has adopted a noticeably conservative approach in the last quarter of his career, there are no apparent weaknesses in Tendulkar's game. He can score all around the wicket, off both front foot and back, and has made runs in all parts of the world in all conditions.

Some of his finest performances have come against Australia, the overwhelmingly dominant team of his era. His century as a 19-year old on a lightning fast pitch at the WACA is considered one of the best innings ever to have been played in Australia. A few years later he received the ultimate compliment from the ultimate batsman when Don Bradman confided to his wife that Tendulkar reminded him of himself.

Blessed with the keenest of cricket minds, and armed with a loathing for losing, Tendulkar set about doing what it took to become one of the best batsmen in the world. This was after he was turned away from a fast-bowling camp in Chennai by Dennis Lillee.

Tendulkar's greatness was established early: he was only 16 when he made his Test debut. He was hit on the mouth by Waqar Younis but continued to bat, in a blood-soaked shirt. His first Test hundred, a match-saving one at Old Trafford, came when he was 17, and he had 16 Test hundreds before he turned 25. In 2000 he became the first batsman to have scored 50 international hundreds, and in 2008 he passed Brian Lara as the leading Test run-scorer and the first to 12,000 runs. He currently holds the record for most hundreds in both Tests and ODIs - remarkable, considering he didn't score his first ODI hundred till his 79th match.

Tendulkar's considerable achievements seem greater still when looked at in the light of the burden of expectations he has had to bear from his adoring but somewhat unreasonable followers, who have been prone to regard anything less than a hundred as a failure. The aura may have dimmed, if only slightly, as the years on the international circuit have taken their toll on the body, but Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world.