An enchanting place called Sabarimala-Part 5

A full day of rest and relaxation as a compliment to the tiresome and exasperatin journey v had the day bfore ... so on the 5th of jan .. v wer resting at a place assigned to our clan of 190 odd members .. quite a huge crowd to manage ..

But the beauty is not only with the fact that it was well managed ... but was done so in such a manner that no body and i mean NOBODY had any discomforts and inconveniences in the journey excepting the physical pain and tiredness .. But inspite of al that .. wit great determination and grits ... ppl wer ready to voluenteer for any kind of work ther .. be it running errands and chores or serving food during the Annadhanam or anything for that matter ... with al dis running ... u too wud wanna contribute somethin to wats goin on despite ur pains ..

It aint no easy task to take immensly large vessels and tht too many in number, al the way to an inaccessible and rough terrain .. make food for abt nearly 300 ppl .. serve it to all of them and bring them back again and most importantly .. fil their hearts with gratitude than their stomachs with delicious and a scumptuous feast befitting an occasion as grand as a wedding .. and al of this .. after a tiresome journey.. This is one important lesson that i ve observed .. Many a times in life .. u hav obstacles that are so hard and telling that it may take a greater deal of energy emotionally than physical damage... but still those who brush them aside and perform are the Real Winners .. as in this case .. those ppl who had contributed to the clan's greater good and well being and comfort are the real heros who ran the show ..
" HATS OFF TO NANGANALLUR MANIKANDA SABHA "

At abt 3.30 in the eve .. v strtd of to complete the last lap of the journey.. the final 6.5 kms of journey frm the shores of the sacred Pamba river to the Holy Sanctum Sanctorum of Lord Ayyappa.. being laid with cement and concrete the roads wer a lot more easier to walk on and even had railings on either side to facilitate the yaatras' journey .. al the niceties and sacrilege was observed .. and the only now the crowd had started gathering .. al of a sudden like a bolt outta the blue .. al i could c was ppl .. jamming and cramming the whole place like a tinned box of beans der wer ppl al over the place .. and the crowd was proceeding in snail's pace .. Owing to security and safety reasons ... the security personnell had adapted the toll gate method .. they wer sending ppl in batches for every 50 meters .. this really prolonged the journey and was getting on my nerves .. the worst part was that i had to stand in the same place unlike the other parts of the journey wer i could keep walking and hence ease of the pain .. here .. ter was no place even to sit .. so the agony had been increasing as time elapsed ....

As the hour progressed .. the hope that i could catch a glimpse of The Lord was dwindlin rapidly and my feet were really bothering me .. Time as i was feeling was a lil bit streched and the whole journey seemed a day long though it wer only a cpl of hours .. My comrades had reached and had Darshan n yet me and my fren Siddhu's dad wer alone left waiting ..( A spl thanks to Siddhu's dad for without him .. i wudnt hav possibly completed the yatra .. he was really patient and caring enuf to accompany me al along the journey and give me company .. though his walking pace was miles ahead of mine .. Thanks to him once again) .. The clock struck 11 and the gates had been closed .. A few hours later .. the crowd got to move ..

By midnight v had ascended te Golden Staircase of 18 steps ... Thus the journey had been completed .. but yet to c Him .. finally i reached the place of stay to hit the sack .. but i was in for a surprise .. i herd my frenz yelling in unison "Happy Birthday" .... Gosh .. its my birthday ... 21 yrs gone already !! .. catchin up with a few hours of sleep, i got up at 4 am and strtd of for an unfinished business ... managing to escape the crwd and fighting it at a few parts .. Finally i got to c Lord Ayyappa at his benevolent best ... smeared with ghee al over his gracious body, with a dimly lit backdrop he was sitting in the middle and smiling at the scores of bhakthas who arrive with the deafening cries of "Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa", with Benevolent Grace .. with a great rush of overwhelming joy and happiness, my eyes wer filled with tears and my heart was pounding with happiness and extacy which is inxplicable .. Such is the power of Swami Ayyappa

After visiting the other remaining deities .. v headed back to the place of stay .. and by the eve v strtd of to Kottayam and the next morn .. v wer back in Singarachennai ..

Within a small span of 45 days ... i cud myself c a gr8 change in me .. the way i tink .. the way i behave .. it was all new to me .. and i liked it .. and was beginning to wonder .."Gosh .. is this for real .. naan en vaazkaila ippdilaam irundhadhe illaye .. enna aachu enaku ??!! " .. and in those 45 days .. or the days wen u adorned the maalai ... u get an unusually great deal of respect frm ur peers that u normally cant even imagine ... funs apart .. if u really look into urself .. u get a great deal of self esteem and confidence too .. dis aint no plain flattery .. a great deal of truth as a consequence of self analysis ..

Earlier in my life .. i had an oppurtunity to come across a book called "Living with the Himalayan Masters .." by Swami Rama ... easily its the best book i ve come across in my life .. don thnk i m biased due to my extensive affection towards philosophy .. but the book itself is sheer enthralment .. Al thanx to ma dad .. it throwed light on the Swami's encounters with various rishis who are still living and are pursueing sptiritual enlightenment in such a mechanical and commercialized world .. and the austerity that they exhibit in hat book is simply mind boggling .. Their lifestyle is filled with simplicity in every aspect .. be it food .. clothes .. wat ever .. they are so simple .. .. and the amt of unparalled concentration that they exhibit is outstandin .. to realize it for urself .. try readin it wen u get a chance ...

Now u may wonder i m gettin out of track and am blabbering some stupid story without point .. well .. i m gettin towards it .. The concept of observing a "Vritham" for 45 days is not without any point and purpose .. its next to impossible to observe the kind of sacrilege and austerity with great dedication and sincerity that i had highlighted earlier ... but the least tht v could do is for a span or a "mandalam" which comes to 48 days .. technically and scientifically .. and practice or habit that u rigidly follow for such a period of time .. bcomes a habit .. and hence .. buy following such an intensely spiritual way of life for 40 odd days with dedication .. u r bound to live in the same likes for a longer period of time .. there may b a lot of exceptions and deviations .. but lets not talk abt them .. this was teh ultimate aim and motive behind such a strong n yet simple concept .. now am i making any sense ??!!


Thus i complete my experiences and encounters that i had experienced in
"An Enchanting place called Sabarimala" .. with 3 words ..

"SWAMIYE SHARANAM AYYAPPA"

An enchanting place called Sabarimala-Part 4

The third day of the journey had just ended and was more of a starter ... a 10 km journey by foot and by every means a far more "comfortable" journey .. and i ve given enuf explanation of the comforts in my previous post... The night was colder than usual and the fatigue was aggrevating the discomfort .. al that i needed for the moment was a plate of food and a place to sleep ...

I was given two options .. either to have a porridge made out of steamed rice or to take dry and cold parathas with gram dal curry .. being to lazy and tired to chew .. i had opted for the porridge .. initially .. i was having great dilemmas of having it coz i ve not had it evr in my life and was imagining a plate of sticky gooey thick paste of porridge made in a greasy vessel with nothin to stimulate the taste buds and wud make u feel sick after having it ... But once i got to hav it .. piping hot and to top it with a nice lime pickle .. i was feelin home .. wow .. at that time .. i cudnt hav asked 4 more .. and the best part was .. it was so affordable .. i felt like plungin into round 2 ..

Suddenly i was then kindled by thought of al the delicious delicacies that my mom had made me .. and was missing it badly .. though it was only a cpl of days of separation .. it looked like it was months .. that talks of the tons of luxury i ve had, esp in terms of food .. both in terms of quality and quantity .. A big time wake up call ..

The next day morning was the most refreshing da ... after a nice walk it was teh best doze i had after a long long time .. after discharing my daily duties .. i commenced my journey for the day ... The target was to reach Pamba .. te foothill of Neelimalai .. the place wer the Sannidhanam was located .. and it was a staggering 36 km long route filled with crude rocks and hilly terrain.. wen i thought abt it ... i was feeling uneasy .. but things wer very diff then ..

Another important thing was the road side shops that v can c al over the place .. Literally the place was a Tiger reserve .. a natural habitat for elephants, tigers and other denizens of the deep .. though there is very minimal statistics suggesting human attacks ... its an uncanny feelin tht somethin may crawl up and stand infront of u... face to face ..

if it wernt for the innumerable shops al the way to Pamba, ppl vil find it next to impossible to cruise along. The shops are a nice business proposition and for the staggering crowd that sweeps the place .. they can expect a very nice profit margin..

With the fall of the evening we were jus a few kilometers away frm the place tht we wer abt to stay in Pamba .. After passing the toughest peak of em al- The Karimalai ascent and descent .. v reached te penultimate spot called the Periyanaivattam .. a place regarded to be frequented by the Elephas Maximus -better knwn as the Elephant ... v wer lucky enuf not to c ne ..

The place though has the name quite assosiated with the pachyderm, the road that it offered was pretty petite .. the road was not more than a cpl of feet wide .. to add more spice .. either side of the road was profused with rain trees, herbs and shrubs so dense that it was getting gloomy as early as 17.30 hrs ... and one wrong step n u can earn urself a one way ticket into the deep dense jungles of kerala .. wer no man has dared to go INTENSIONALLY .. but if u silently observe .. u can listen to the whispers of the flowing Pamba river, 50 ft beneath ...

slowly inching my way to glory.. i reached the place wer v wer abt to stay for the nite and it was like the last step that u c in the olympics .. the historical final step that marks the end of the longest journey that i ve taken in one single day to bring relief and contempt tht u hav FINALLY reached the place .. A feeling that can never hav a substitute .. a feeling of accomplishment ..

An enchanting place called Sabarimala-Part 3

After al the fun v had at Erumeli .. It was time to get on the journey by foot to the Sannidhanam .. A bak breakin .. foot aching journey of 48 kms .. through rock solid and merciless terrain ... Through thick reserves of jungles and acres of natural habitat .. a journey that many claim refreshing and rejuvenating on completion though u cant expect it during the travel .. coz its jus the opposite thats gonna happen ..

Our next stop was Peroorthodu .. a place which comes on the way .. filled with natural beauty beyond words .. it was jus the beginning of the aesthetical delights that was to come .. It was more of a visual treat to any human .. Dusky atmosphere .. cool breeze .. trees standing tall .. silent whispers of the crickets, and the sweet melodies of the stream down the hill .. wat more can u ask ..
The sceinic beauty itself was such a great inspiration that i was already feeling better and was devoid of al my confusions .. my mind was clean as a slate and was awe struck at the natural elegance ... Then v had approached Azhudha .. acclaimed as the most toughest ascent of the whole journey .. N surely they wer not kiddin..

The rising was not al that easy though it may not look like a big deal .. the whole hill is made up of big chunks of boulders and the inbetween space is occupied by small pebble like stones sharp enuf to leave u squirming with pain ... and if u r of the "couch potato" types .. take it frm me .. U LL FEEL LIKE DYING ..

al of this is not to bring displeasure into the minds of the readers but to stress the bare necessity of physical fitness and stamina .. i m not saying u need to be a regular visitor to the health clubs or fitness centers .. but .. u do need to keep in touch with some physical activity to keep ur muscles moooooving .,.

An enchanting place called Sabarimala-Part 2

Thus on the morning of the very first day of the year 2007, began my expedition of a lifetime .. an unforgettable expedition which had rearranged my senses to its rit places ..

First day was an electric strt.... bubblin with excitment and energy that i m headin to malai .. i was really lookin forward for some action .. and there it was standin in frnt of me .. Annadhanam ... scrores of ppl who are coming to fill their hearts and their stomachs with content and joy .. may sound a lil funny .. but its even greater pleasure to serve tose with love and care to get them to the brim of satisfaction .. and an equally befittin banquet of relishable delicasies .. sure had taken a toll on my energy but was still great fun .. Al d credit goes to our Guruswamy ... it takes more than a heart to feed so many ppl without any discontent to the ppl .. that shows his magnanimity and generosity ...

Departed frm chennai on the 1st .. reached cochin on the 2nd and a night's stay there ... and then v strtd for Erumeli .. the place wer the journey begins by foot .. This place is real spl to me .. or for any first timer for that matter ..

Myth has it that a forest bandit by the name Babar, who was a highway man was taking on the passengers who passed by that way for a living .. and once he met Lord Ayyappa .. he had quit his erstwhile profession and had turned a new leaf .. but the bigger picture is that .. Caste is always secondary and Lord Ayyappa accepts anyone with true Bhakthi and Shraddha to c his Divine Form and obtain His blessings.

People frm various classes .. diff castes .. diff locations .. varied cultures and beliefs are seen here adorning costumes .. smeared with diff colors al over their bodies .. clad with minimal cloths and dancing merrily to the tunes of the Mathala and singin the praises of Ayyappa .. Here they forget their differences and find unity in only one thing .. Ayyappa .. its like love in the air .. wer ever u go .. wat ever u c .. whom ever u meet ... Every one sees each other with such a brotherly love ..

But then .. Y is this restricted only to that place .. at tht period of time and that small percentage of people who are willing to come there .. ??? isnt that a thing to think abt ?

An enchanting place called Sabarimala-Part 1

"We are what we are because of our choices" ... This is wat Albus Dumbledore tells to Harry Potter at the climax of the Chamber of Secrets ... Somethin in tht stmt has really influenced me ... it even makes me wonder at times ... "How din i tink of tis bfore".. even worse ... "y did i ever do this in te 1st place ??" .. but then again .. its our choice ... Most of the times .. the human mind jumps into action without fully probing into the choices that are given to us ... It becomes a question of what is easy vs what is right ... and the former is the obvious for many of us many a times ... but hav v ever wondered wat happens the other way round .. I mean .. hav v ever tried to take a difficult choice in life and said "hey .. i m gonna do this .. jus coz its diff !!" .. sounds crazy rit .. well .. i jus happen to hav tried somethinh like that in life n thats wat i wanna share here ..

On the ongoing days of my 7th sem in my coll(frm sept to oct ...) wer a sequence of events which had its highs and lows, which had taken a toll on my emotional and mental stability ... i was in great dilemma and was pushed to my very limits .. al of thse strtd to hav a tellin effect on me an thse arnd me and that i din like 1 bit .. and at this juncture .. i was introduced to a very great thing in my life that i shall never dare to even 4get ..

With the beginning of the Karthiga month (Nov month) ... the preps 4 xam was strting to heat up and equally my mental turmoils wer having a pretty great toll on my body too ... too heavily frequented by pshycosmatically triggered illness .. i was suggested that i needed a change that wud allow me to concentrate on d better things in life .. That was wen a few of my frenz suggested me to observe a "Vritham" to pursue a yatra to Sabarimala .. Though initially i was hesitant to the idea.. I had an inexplicable feeling towards this and had even obtained consent frm my parents ..

Thus on Nov 17th began my austerity to meet the Holy Ayyappa in Sabarimala .. Though i did mention the word i don mean to take pride in it .. Greater stress and importance still lies in the fact that one learns to control his senses and mind to elevate his self to attain and acheive greater status spiritually and thereby excelling in the mortal world which is merely a by product of the what has been done.. This concept of "Vritham" was not without any purpose .. it has greater and far more complex meanings that any individual can comprehend lightly..