स्वामीये शरणम् अय्यप्पा
SWAMY SARANAM AYYAPPA
I seek refuge in Ayyappa.
A very long time ago there lived a King name Rajashekara. He was a good and just king. All his subjects loved him. His kingdom was prosperous and there was peace and plenty throughout the land.
Though the King and Queen had everything their hearts desired they were sad because they did not have a child of their own – an heir to the throne. Yet the royal couple never lost hope and prayed ceaselessly to Lord Shiva to bless them with a child.
It was around this time that the wicked demon Mahishasura was annihilated by Goddess Durga (read https://www.fablesrus.com/post/durga-destroys-the-demon). Mahishasura’s sister Mahishi was incensed at the slaughter of her brother. She was determined to avenge his death.
She commenced on a difficult and arduous tapas (penance) in order to receive a boon from Lord Brahma. Finally Lord Brahma answered her prayers and asked Mahishi, “I have been moved by your prayer and penance. Is there a boon that I may grant you?”
Mahishi who had been waiting for just this opportunity promptly replied, “Lord the boon I wish for is that no one other than an offspring of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu should be able to kill me.”
Lord Brahma having promised to grant her the boon of her choice had no alternative but to grant the boon that Mahishi had requested.
It was impossible for two male Gods, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, to give birth to a child. Mahishi knew that this boon made her invincible. Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva could never produce a child and so there would never be anyone who would be able to kill her.
Losing no time at all Mahishi rushed off to Devaloka. Her only focus was on exacting revenge for her brother’s death by killing all the Devas and totally destroying Devaloka. Within moments she wreaked havoc in the land of the Devas. She harassed the Devas and tortured them. The Devas were helpless against her might and unable to drive her out. Killing her was impossible because of the boon granted to her by Lord Brahma. Desperate the Devas went to Lord Vishnu and begged of him, “Lord, the demoness Mahishi has completely disrupted peace in Devaloka We are unable to perform our prayers, penance or work because of her wicked deeds. She is undefeatable as she has been granted a boon from Lord Brahma and she relentlessly torments us. She will soon destroy all of us. Have mercy on us Lord and save us from Mahishi”
Lord Vishnu was moved by the plight of the Devas. He would never allow the unrighteous to prevail over the righteous and he agreed to help the Devas.
Mahishi had underestimated the power of God. God the creator of the whole universe had little difficulty in transforming His form into that of a beautiful woman – Mohini.
The union of Mohini and Lord Shiva bore a child - the nemesis of Mahishi. The child born of this union was the one who would destroy the demoness and free the Devas from her persecution.
It was decided that the male child born of this union would be placed in the care of the ardent Shiva bhakt (devotee), the childless King Rajashekara.
One day King Rajashekara while on a hunting trip in the forests near the River Pampa decided to take a short break. Dismounting from his steed he sat under the shade of a leafy tree beside the river. The king looked around at the beauty of nature and enjoyed the cool, river breeze as it wafted past him. All of a sudden he heard the cry of an infant. Jumping up to his feet the king rushed closer to the river bank. There lying by the river’s edge was the most exquisite baby boy. The king was astounded. He desperately wanted to pick up the baby and rush back to the palace. But being an honest and just king he did not pick up the child but instead looked around for the parents who might have left him there inadvertently.
Suddenly almost from nowhere there appeared before the king a holy sage. The sage picked up the baby and while handing the child over to the king said, “Take this child. He has been sent to alleviate your dynasty’s suffering. When he is twelve years of age you will become aware of his divinity. It is because of your unshakable faith in God that this child is being left in your care.”
Placing the baby into King Rajashekara’s eager, outstretched arms the sage continued, “As the child is wearing a gold chain around his neck name him Manikandan – the one with the golden neck.
The King’s was overjoyed. He galloped back to the palace as fast as he could holding the infant close to his chest to ensure that he was secure and safe. Cradling the baby he rushed to the Queen to inform her of their unexpected good luck. The King, the Queen and all the people of the kingdom were jubilant. Homes were bedecked with flowers and glowing oil lamps. The whole kingdom celebrated the joyous news that their king now had an heir to his throne
However, there was one person who was not at all happy. The King’s Diwan was upset by the arrival of the baby. When there was no heir to the throne the Diwan felt he had a good chance of being crowned king after King Rajashekara’s reign. The unexpected arrival of this baby boy had shattered all the Diwan’s dreams of ruling the kingdom.
What was even more disconcerting to the Diwan was that Manikandan was a very intelligent boy and was proving to have all the necessary attributes of a king. He excelled in martial arts. His grasp of the Shastras too was remarkable. When young Manikandan was sent to the Gurukul to complete his education, his teacher observed that the child’s brilliance was superhuman. Soon the enlightened Guru realized that this was no ordinary child. Being a learned and devout man Manikandan’s guru intuitively knew that Manikandan was a divine being in human form.
On completing his education Manikandan went to his Guru to offer guru dakshina and seek his blessings. As his teacher blessed him he said, “I know that you are no ordinary child. You are a divine entity in human form. Knowing this I beseech you to place your holy hands on my son. My son is blind and dumb and I know that your touch will restore to him his vision and speech.”
Manikandan touched the guru’s son and instantly the boy could see and speak. However Manikandan said to his teacher, “Please tell no one about the miracle you have just witnessed.”
The Guru vowed never to reveal the incident to anyone.
Having completed his education Manikandan returned to the palace. On his return another miracle occurred. The Queen who had until then been barren now bore a healthy baby boy. The King named the child Raja Rajan. The wise King Rajasekara attributed all his blessings to Manikandan.
Manikandan was King Rajasekara’s eldest son and the King decided to crown him as his successor. Manikandan was loved by all the subjects of the land. He brought good fortune wherever he went. The kingdom rejoiced at the announcement of Manikandan as the heir to the throne. Everyone was happy except the scheming, ambitious Diwan. He was extremely jealousy.
The Diwan who disliked Manikandan intensely decided that if he couldn’t be king he would not allow Manikandan to be king either. He thought, “Who is this child who dares to come in the way of my power and position. If the King had not brought him to the palace I would have been the next king.”
As he brooded over his imaginary loss of power and prestige the Diwan’s hatred of Manikandan increased even more. He began to conceive several surreptitious plans to get rid of Manikandan. Unfortunately for him, all his ploys and gambits failed.
Not giving up on his evil plans the shrewd Diwan decided to turn the Queen against Manikandan. He thought up a strategy to convert the Queen into his ally. He knew that by working on the love of a mother for her own flesh and blood he could turn the Queen against Manikandan as he was not her biological son.
One day the Diwan requested a private meeting with the Queen. Once they were alone he said, “Your Majesty have you noticed how the King seems to favour Manikandan over your own son? Is it right that an adopted boy should be placed on the throne when the King’s own flesh and blood son is perfectly healthy, capable and alive?”
Thereafter, in this manner, the Diwan kept filling the Queens ears with accusations against Manikandan. It was not long before the Queen began to believe that the King seemed to prefer Manikandan to Raja Rajan, his own son. She decided that it was her duty to ensure justice for Raja Rajan. The Diwan had managed to poison the Queen’s mind. She now believed that her son should be crowned King and not Manikandan.
During one of their meetings the Queen said to the Diwan, “I do agree with you that the crown belongs to my son Raja Rajan but how do I get the King to change his mind.”
The wicked Diwan had been waiting for just this moment, He had already planned how best to rid the kingdom of Manikandan. So he replied to the Queen “All that you have to do is to feign a strange, incurable illness and leave the rest to me. Do not disturb your mind with thoughts of this being an adharmic act or an unrighteous action because what you are doing is for a noble end. Your son is rightfully the King and you are only righting a wrong that is being done by your husband.”
The next day the King was informed that his wife had taken very ill and was not responding to any medication. The worried King rushed to the Queen’s chambers and found his wife lying in bed her eyes were shut and she was barely responding to his words.
The King called the Diwan and asked him to bring in the best available doctors in his kingdom to treat the Queen. The Diwan, instead of bringing a reputed doctor paid an equally wicked man to pretend that he was a famous physician. This fake doctor after examining the Queen proclaimed in a sombre voice, “Her Majesty is critically ill. I am not sure she will even survive. There is just one remedy for this dreaded sickness and that is to feed her the milk of a tigress.”
The King was most alarmed to hear this. He thought to himself, “This doctor is asking for the impossible. How can anyone go near a tigress let alone procure her milk.”
His head bent low with worry and sadness the King was walking out of the room when the wily Diwan came up to him and said, “It is imperative that we get the tigress’s milk for the Queen, We cannot let her die. Manikandan is an expert hunter I’m sure he will be successful in this venture,”
King Rajashekara was horrified at even the thought of his son being subjected to such danger. Instead the King sent out a band of well-armed soldiers to get the tigress’s milk. They returned unsuccessful. The King then promised half his kingdom to anyone who could get the milk from a lactating tigress. Once again there was no one who succeeded.
The Queen’s health continued to deteriorate. The Diwan persisted saying, “No one is as adept at hunting as Manikandan. You must send him to get the tigress’s milk as otherwise the Queen will surely die.” The King would not relent. He would not expose Manikandan to such a dangerous assignment.
Seeing his father in such a quandary Manikandan went to him and convinced the King that no harm would come to him. Manikandan insisted, “Father please allow me to go into the forest and bring the milk back to save my mother. I assure you that I will be safe and return successfully.”
Manikandan was very persuasive and the King who had never ever denied his elder son anything finally caved and allowed Manikandan to venture into the forest.
The King arranged for a band of the bravest men of the kingdom to accompany him. But Manikandan refused to be accompanied by anyone. He insisted that this was a task he would undertake on his own. On hearing this, the Diwan’s delight knew no bounds. He thought to himself, “This foolish boy will not last a day in the forest that is infested with so many wild animals.”
Sadly and very reluctantly King Rajasekara bid farewell to his favourite son. The King ensured that he had sufficient food stocks for himself and gave him a three-eyed coconut, in honour of Lord Shiva, to carry along on his journey.
It was time for Manikandan to accomplish the task that he was born to undertake. As the holy sage had predicted Manikandan would now take on his divine form. He was the son of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu in the form of Mohini. He had been born to destroy Mahishi.
Before venturing into the forest Manikandan entered Devaloka. He had taken birth to free the Devas from the cruel clutches of the demoness Mahishi. As he entered Devaloka he witnessed the terrible atrocities being committed by the demoness. The Devas were completely helpless in their suffering. All around him was chaos and cruelty. Manikandan’s sense of justice was outraged. He decided it was time to teach Mahishi a lesson. With no effort at all he grabbed the demoness and hurled her down to the earth below. She fell on the banks of the Azhutha River. A bloody battle ensued. Mahishi used all the powers she possessed to try and kill Manikandan. But she could not harm even a hair on his head. When Manishi finally fell to the ground exhausted and powerless Manikandan mounted atop her chest. Standing on the demoness’s massive chest Manikandan commenced a violent dance that reverberated across the earth and even in Devaloka.
Seeing the young boy pounding his feet on her chest, a breathless and now totally defeated Mahishi realized that this child could only be the son of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Remorsefully she realized that for all her wickedness and despite the boon granted to her by Brahma there was no way that God would allow her reign of terror to continue. The invincible power of God was finally apparent to Mahishi. She folded her hands and asked for forgiveness. Manikandan stepped off her chest and permitted her to rise. Mahishi acknowledging Manikandan’s divinity prostrated before the young boy. She breathed her last breath at the feet of Lord Aayyappan.
Manikandan the young boy who defeated the demoness Mahishi is better known to his devotees as Lord Ayyappan. With the death of Mahishi, Lord Ayyappan had completed his work on earth.
Having completed His divine duty Manikandan received the darshan of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva blessed him and reminded him, “You have accomplished the purpose of your birth. You have freed the Devas from Mahishi but you had made a promise to your parents on earth and you must fulfil your promise. Your grief-stricken father is anxious about your safety and your ailing mother awaits your return.”
Lord Indra the King of the Devas and all the Devas of Devaloka were so happy to be free of the demoness Mahishi that they insisted on accompanying and assisting Lord Ayyappan in procuring the milk of a tigress that his mother required.
Manikandan’s entry into the royal palace was spectacular. He rode on Lord Devendran who was disguised as a tiger. Behind him were rows and rows of magnificent tigers and tigresses. The female devas were in the guise of tigresses and male devas were disguised as tigers. As they entered the gates of the kingdom the people panicked and ran helter-skelter looking for places to hide. The procession of tigers walked on in a dignified and orderly manner towards the palace. The palace guards trembled with fear but their loyalty to their king kept them standing bravely at their posts.
It was as Lord Ayyappan and his regiment of tigers and tigresses entered the palace that the holy sage who had handed over infant Manikandan to King Rajashekara suddenly appeared. The sage said to the King, “I had told you when I handed over the child to you on the banks of the River Pampa that his divinity would be revealed to you when he turned 12. Today Manikandan is 12 years old. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu as Mohini. He took birth to vanquish the demoness Mahishi. Having completed His divine duty he comes here today to fulfil his promise to you.”
Climbing off the back of the tiger, Manikandan said, “Father, I will now milk the tigress and collect the milk for the Queen.”
The King remained silent. He looked at his son with adoration. He fell at the boy’s feet and said, “Forgive us Lord for sending you on a dangerous and unnecessary mission. I did not then realize my wife’s duplicity. The moment you left her malady disappeared completely. It was then that I came to know that she and the Diwan had hatched this plot to get rid of you. I, in my foolishness, could not see through their deception. Please forgive me.”
King Rajasekara was determined to punish the Diwan. Manikandan however stopped the King from doing so by saying, “Do not punish him. Everything that happens does so because of the divine will of God.”
Then Manikandan continued, “I have completed the task I had taken birth to perform. It is time now for me to return to Devaloka. But before I leave I wish to acknowledge your love and devotion for me and grant you a boon”
The King folded his hands and humbly requested, “My greatest desire is to build a temple in your memory where devotees may worship you. I would like you to choose the most blessed site for constructing the temple.”
Manikandan took out his bow and arrow and shot an arrow into the sky. The arrow landed on a place called Sabari. This was the place at which Lord Ram’s devotee Sabari observed spiritual contemplation, meditation and penance. Read about Sabari on: https://pushpapalat.wixsite.com/website/post/steadfast-shabri
Sabari was the place that Lord Ayyappan had chosen for the temple. Lord Ayyappan had also stipulated that his devotees who visit the temple should observe forty-one days of penance and abstinence from worldly desires. His devotees are expected to live the life of a Brahmachari and keep their minds constantly on God for those forty-one days. While they climb the steep slope of Sabarimala (Sabri’s hill) they should place an Aantha Garland (garland of flowers and leaves) around their neck, carry a three-eyed coconut and food for the journey. These were the stipulations that Manikandan too had followed when he went to the forest to fetch the milk from a tigress. Devotees must also bathe in the Pampa River and chant “Saranam Ayyappa” as they climb the final eighteen steps to the temple
On the advice of the holy Saint Agasthya King Rajashekara laid the foundation stone of Sabarimala temple. Once he had completed the construction of the shrine and the sacred eighteen stairs leading to the temple complex the King was unsure of where to place Ayyappan’s idol. As he was thinking of the most suitable place for the Lord he remembered that Lord Ayyappan Himself had once said - “The River Pampa is as holy a river as the Ganga. Sabarimala is as holy as Kasi.” As these thoughts went through his mind it is said that Lord Ayyappan sent Lord Parasuraman to Sabarimala to decide on the installation of the Lord’s idol in the sanctum-sanctorum. Parasurama carved the idol of Lord Ayyappan and installed it on the auspicious day of Makarasankranthi.
Every year, millions converge upon Sabarimala irrespective of caste or creed, with garlands and irumudis. Iru means two and mudi means small bundle. The irumudi is the most important component of the Sabarimala pilgrimage. The bundle carried in front contains coconut filled with ghee, money for offerings, raw rice, jaggary, betel leaves, areca nut pieces, sandalwood powder, camphor, incense sticks, rose water and other items that are necessary for the puja.
The bundle carried at the back contains 2 coconuts - one for breaking while climbing the 18 sacred steps and another to break while coming out of the shrine. Turmeric powder, pepper, avilum malarum (a special offering of beaten rice flakes and flowers) and kumkum are also packed separately for offering to the Lord.
Of all the items carried in the Irumudi the most important is the coconut filled with ghee. This is because it represents the devotee. In the pilgrimage to Sabarimala the devotee offers him/herself to the Lord. The coconut symbolizes the body and the ghee symbolizes the soul. Hence the ghee is offered for Ayyappan Abishekam and the coconut is added to the burning fire. Having offered himself completely to the Lord the devotee returns back with only whatever Lord Ayyappan has blessed him/her with.
Sabarimala is the only place of worship where both the Lord and His devotees are addressed as ‘Ayyappa’ or ‘Swami’. This signifies that both God and his devotees are one and the same. Sabrimala is the only temple where the Hindu philosophy ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ ‘I am Brahman’ is truly asserted.
LIFE LESSONS
1. God will always ensure that good defeats evil.
2. Faith in God is all we need to live a happy and successful life.
3. Like Lord Ayyappan we must fulfil any promises we make.
4. Like Lord Ayyappan and his devotees let us learn to live life with God always in our thoughts,