Swamiye Sharanam Ayyapa!
I haven't been active here for quiet sometime. Being a new year, I am starting this on an auspicious note.
It is that time of the year again. Staunch devotees from all over the world perform Puja and fasting rituals in celebration of Lord Ayyapa, for that one glimpse of Him atop His mountainous abode. There are so many things devotees should follow.They should refrain from smoking, consuming alcohol, swearing, eating meat... It is a long list. Others who are not taking this trip of devotion must, nevertheless, give those who are due respect. In that, try to avoid having meat with them around, not call them names or use any bad word on them as during this period, they are regarded as the Lord himself.
Now, coming to my point. And you thought there was none. :P
I am no historian or 'The Wise One' to tell you who is the brains behind these procedures and rules. But, I feel that the very point of this whole exercise is that, however one is during the rest of his life, at least during this period he is forced to be the almost ideal human being. The kind who would be the 'Perfect Man' if only he would follow and uphold these principles throughout his life.
Sadly though, I have to say that this doesn't stop some of them.
I was driving one night and this guy was coming in the opposite direction on a bike. Nothing great about that. Only, he was driving on the wrong lane. That is, he was coming in the opposite direction on my lane, even though a divider was present. Sir was apparently saving time to cross over to the other side of the road by driving on this lane so that he can pass easily.
It was night and the road lights, as usual, were not too good. Our sir wasn't even driving with his headlights on. If I hadn't noticed him right on time, I would have banged into him head-on. Now here is the best part - he glared at me as if I just broke a hundred traffic rules. Just as he went past me with the glare on his face, I got so infuriated that i let out a loud expletive. Whether he heard me or not, he just drove away. As he went away, I noticed his attire and realized he was all set to go to Sabarimalai.
I turned red. I was fervently saying under my breath 'Sorry, Ayyapa. I didn't realize. Please forgive me' and on and on. Cos' to be frank, he is one God that I am scared about, in that he is known for his powers to both fulfill and punish suitably.
As I drove on, I spoke out aloud all of a sudden. 'Hey you just saw what he did. He did deserve it. If you are going to take his side just because he is coming to see you at your place, well you can do what you please with me. What is wrong is wrong, and you of all people should agree', I finished and drove with some consolation to my conscience.
There are so many guys out there who are like this. We cannot even vent out our anger if we want to. Which is completely unfair. We have done nothing wrong. It is them who are neither being good people nor good devotees. If they are just doing it to follow protocol and don't bother being good otherwise, they might as well at least be true to their self by being bad all the time. :-\
Devotion is not defined by the amount of fasting you do or how many temples you visit. It is what you are, your actions toward yourself and others, what you believe in, your principles. Even Ravana was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. In the end, it was his actions that decided his fate. Every word we utter, every action we perform, goes into being who we are. It would do good to both us and others to remember this at all times.
Whether we go heaven or hell, it is not decided by the number of times we chant 'Swamiye Sharanam Ayyapa', but the values we uphold with sincerity while chanting them. For, we cannot stand at the gates and argue 'Hey I have been to Sabarimala since I was five and have been chanting His name every year at the top of my voice so much so that during my last trip my grandpa went deaf.'
Well, what would be the point when you never gave a hoot to how your grandpa was the rest of the year.
It is that time of the year again. Staunch devotees from all over the world perform Puja and fasting rituals in celebration of Lord Ayyapa, for that one glimpse of Him atop His mountainous abode. There are so many things devotees should follow.They should refrain from smoking, consuming alcohol, swearing, eating meat... It is a long list. Others who are not taking this trip of devotion must, nevertheless, give those who are due respect. In that, try to avoid having meat with them around, not call them names or use any bad word on them as during this period, they are regarded as the Lord himself.
Now, coming to my point. And you thought there was none. :P
I am no historian or 'The Wise One' to tell you who is the brains behind these procedures and rules. But, I feel that the very point of this whole exercise is that, however one is during the rest of his life, at least during this period he is forced to be the almost ideal human being. The kind who would be the 'Perfect Man' if only he would follow and uphold these principles throughout his life.
Sadly though, I have to say that this doesn't stop some of them.
I was driving one night and this guy was coming in the opposite direction on a bike. Nothing great about that. Only, he was driving on the wrong lane. That is, he was coming in the opposite direction on my lane, even though a divider was present. Sir was apparently saving time to cross over to the other side of the road by driving on this lane so that he can pass easily.
It was night and the road lights, as usual, were not too good. Our sir wasn't even driving with his headlights on. If I hadn't noticed him right on time, I would have banged into him head-on. Now here is the best part - he glared at me as if I just broke a hundred traffic rules. Just as he went past me with the glare on his face, I got so infuriated that i let out a loud expletive. Whether he heard me or not, he just drove away. As he went away, I noticed his attire and realized he was all set to go to Sabarimalai.
I turned red. I was fervently saying under my breath 'Sorry, Ayyapa. I didn't realize. Please forgive me' and on and on. Cos' to be frank, he is one God that I am scared about, in that he is known for his powers to both fulfill and punish suitably.
As I drove on, I spoke out aloud all of a sudden. 'Hey you just saw what he did. He did deserve it. If you are going to take his side just because he is coming to see you at your place, well you can do what you please with me. What is wrong is wrong, and you of all people should agree', I finished and drove with some consolation to my conscience.
There are so many guys out there who are like this. We cannot even vent out our anger if we want to. Which is completely unfair. We have done nothing wrong. It is them who are neither being good people nor good devotees. If they are just doing it to follow protocol and don't bother being good otherwise, they might as well at least be true to their self by being bad all the time. :-\
Devotion is not defined by the amount of fasting you do or how many temples you visit. It is what you are, your actions toward yourself and others, what you believe in, your principles. Even Ravana was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. In the end, it was his actions that decided his fate. Every word we utter, every action we perform, goes into being who we are. It would do good to both us and others to remember this at all times.
Whether we go heaven or hell, it is not decided by the number of times we chant 'Swamiye Sharanam Ayyapa', but the values we uphold with sincerity while chanting them. For, we cannot stand at the gates and argue 'Hey I have been to Sabarimala since I was five and have been chanting His name every year at the top of my voice so much so that during my last trip my grandpa went deaf.'
Well, what would be the point when you never gave a hoot to how your grandpa was the rest of the year.
posted by Janani at
7:34 PM
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