Your Friendly Philosopher & Guide

I was just praying that the answer should not be in negative. He asked me few questions. “Is there any pending ritual you need to complete?” I said, “no. The next ritual will be the tithi (a religious ceremony conducted after completion of 1 year) next September.” So he said, you can go on abstinence, but need not come to Sabarimala this year. He said, “don’t miss the abstinence period, because if you miss it, you will keep missing it.” He made immense sense, and I agreed readily.

Now the only problem for me was to handle the people who pointed fingers at me. All were aware of this point that it is a BAD thing to worship Lord Ayyappa, when your close one dies. And the worst part was whoever commented neither had gone to the shrine nor any one of them had personally asked me to put the mala the first time I did in 2002. There are millions to block any process you individually take up in life but there are only few who can motivate you. Life will never happen to you if you listen to the millions who talk against you, but you surely win a chance of growing in your life if you can spot that ‘one’ person who motivates you.

Self doubts are always there. I needed a confirmation from the God himself, if I was on the right track, and if he had accepted my abstinence for Him. And here is how I got the answer!

I was in Tiruppur 2 weeks back, and I had decided to go to the Ayyapa temple every evening. The first day I left home at 7 pm, and told my mom that I will be back before 9 pm. My nephew accompanied me. I planned to walk down, but then my sister compelled me to take her bike – a 4-year- old Kinetic Honda. I agreed, and the bike started in one kick. I parked the vehicle outside the temple, took the token from an old man, and went into the temple. And to my incongruity the temple gates were closed. I inquire the people there, what happened? Why is the temple closed at this time? And where is the main deity Ayyappa?

One of the temple priests said that the deity has been taken for an ‘oorvalam’ (a Hindu customary where in the temple deity is taken around the city for the people to worship), and that it will reach the temple only at 9 pm. I thought it was a bad omen, which blocked me from seeing the main deity the first time I came to the temple. There was a small Ganesha temple just near the temple gate, and I closed my eyes and prayed, “Ayyappa just let me know, if I did the right thing by going on abstinence for you.” When I opened my eyes, I could see a photo of Lord Ayyappa just behind the idol of Ganesha smiling at me, which I missed to see before.

My nephew asked me what now? I said let us go home, as I had told my mother that I will be back home before 9 pm. We reached the parking place, and I tried starting the bike, and the bike didn’t start at all. I kicked some 50 times, and my nephew tried some ten times, and we remained unsuccessful. The token guy (an old man) came from nowhere, and instead of helping us out said, “why don’t you wait for the deity to come. It is 7.30 now, and the deity will be back at 9”. I said, “we need to rush home.”

We decided to leave the bike there and walk down. We thought we can go home, and send my sister and brother in law to get it back. As we were on our way, it started raining cats and dogs, and we had to take shelter in a grocery shop. The rain didn’t stop at all, and in this period not a single auto came that way. From 7.45 pm to 8.45 pm we stood there for the rains to stop. Exactly at 8.45 we got an auto, and we went home to tell my sister that we left the bike there itself. She panicked and said, “brother-in- law will come home only at 2 am, let us go back and get the bike now itself.” We took the same auto, and went back.

The rains had stopped now. When we reached the temple’s parking place, there was a huge traffic jam happening. And I could see an elephant along with a huge crowd of people entering the temple. I at once understood that the deity is back, and I need to take the darshan now. I rushed to the temple, and saw Lord Ayyappa idol placed on top of the elephant. The time was exactly 9 pm. I thanked the God for giving me the answer for the question I had asked, and left the temple. My sister asked me, “shall we go now?” I said, “fine.” And one kick the bike started.