Perfect union of Karma, Jnana and Bhakta Yogas

[Guest guest]

There is historical evidence for intense rivalry between the Siva and Vishnu

worshipers and also

between Siva and Jain worshipers.

 

The dramatization of Ayyappa is a typical Puranic story.

However, the associated rituals reflect the strong influence of the traditions

from Shivam,

Vaishnavam, Buddhism and Jainism.

 

The name, Dharma Shastha and the prayer song "Swamiye Saranam" strongly indicate

the influence of Buddhism in Ayyappa worship. The Vrath and strict code of

conduct including the dietary restrictions (Vegetarian) can possibly due to the

influence of Jainism in the deep south.

 

Sabari Mala Pilgrimage The seeker

undertakes the pilgrimage to liberate the human soul from the worldly

possessions with great determination, devotion and dedication.

 

During the journey to Sabari Hills the devotees recite "Swamye Saranam; Ayyappa

Saranam"

(Thou protect me and I surrender). The minds of the devotees are filled with the

thought of

Ayyappa and devotees call and recognize each other by the name of Ayyappa!

 

Everyone seems to

dress alike, look alike, talk alike and think alike! Every devotee becomes a

Karma Yogi, Jnana Yogi

and also a Bhakti Yogi! The only Karma (action) left for the Devotee is to reach

the Sanctum

Sanctorum of the Sabari Hill Ayyappa. The Devotee has the wisdom to dissolve the

identity of

Jeeva (Ego) by filling up the mind with the name and form of Ayyappa.

The Devotee purifies the

mind through total dedication and surrender to Swami Ayyappa.

 

The perfect culmination of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti Yogas is visible and the

devotees don't care

which of the three is dominant over the other two. Their level of experience has

already gone

beyond intellectual perception and limitation. Suddenly all plurality starts

dissolve and the ego

starts melt like the butter on the frying pan. Devotees experience the taste of

Bliss and all of them

merge to become ONE. What they see, hear, touch, smell and taste is Ayyappa and

only Ayyappa.

 

All their desires totally merged into only one desire to reach and surrender to

Ayyappa. The sound

of "Swamiye Saranam! Ayyappa Saranam!" fills the air giving the feeling their

journey is eternal

and they have the great determination to find and merge with the Truth.

 

When the human perception reaches the higher levels beyond the physical

limitation, inner peace

emerges with the protection by the recitation sound of Ayyappa. The devotees of

the land of Sri.

Sankara are able to realize perfect harmony between the Karma (body), Jnana

(mind) and Bhakti

(spirit). The Sabari Hills becomes a Concert Hall filled with the musical

haromony of Karma,

Jnana and Bhakti. The performers, the performance, and listeners become unified

and experience

the taste of Bliss. During this eternal journey, on the night before the Makara

Sankranthi day

(Middle of Januray - Full Moon Day) hundreds of thousands of those pilgrims go

to foot of the

Sabari Hills to get a glimpse of the Divine Jyothi, a brilliant light that

raises over the Kantha hill (adjacent to the Sabari Hill).

 

Devotees consider this Jyothi to be a symbol of eternal Brahman in

the form of Lord Ayyappa, the highest spiritual consciousness. Nobody can either

confirm or deny

that this is true and such Divine incidents are unexplainable and are beyond

human perception!

 

The Makarasankaranthi is an auspicious day correspond to the time period when

sun passes the

winter solstice (one of the two points on the ecliptic at which its distance

from the celestial equator is greatest and which is reached by the sun each

year).

 

The pilgrims visiting on this occasion undertake strict and rigorous

preparations. They start with a 'Vrath' (pledge for religious observance)

lasting for forty-one days, starting from the middle of November. All wear black

or saffron clothes and thulasi beads, and strictly observe their daily rituals.

 

The devotees observe austerities and self-control on those days.

 

They eat pious vegetarian food, drink non-alcoholic beverages, and pray Swamiye

Saranam.

Before starting the pilgrimage to Sabari Hills, each devotee

prepares an Irumudi (A bag with two separate compartments, and with two knots)

for the long and

strenuous journey through jungles.

 

The front compartment contains the ghee-filled coconut and the

other one includes food and personal belongings. The devotee walks by foot all

the eight miles from the shore of the Pampa river to Swami Sannidhanam (the open

hall in front of the Sanctum

Sanctorum), crosses the eighteen steps and pours the ghee over the idol of the

Lord.

 

The Eighteen Steps to the Path of Liberation:The eighteen steps of the temple

Sanctorum represent

the necessary Spiritual Sadhana to go Beyond human perception.

 

In an earlier posting to answer a

question from Sri. Greg Goode, Sri. Sadananda gave an interesting interpretation

to the significance of "Eighteen." This is the symbolic path of the Realization

of Truth and potentially, there are infinite explanations.

 

The eighteen chapters of Gita appear to be the most pertinent

explanation of the eighteen steps of Sabari Hill Temple. While crossing each of

the eighteen steps to the Ayyappa Swami Sannidhanam, the Seeker expresses great

determination to relinquish the

sensual perceptions one by one. The necessary Sadhana to prepare the mind, body

and intellect to

remove the sensory perceptions are beautifully described in the eighteen

chapters of Bhagavad Gita.

 

The crossing of the eighteen steps symbolic completion of Sadhanas stated in the

eighteen chapters

of Gita.

 

Chapter 1 : The Seeker's status of mind - Confusion, Fear and Misery - Seeks

help from Guru.(Arjun is the seeker and Lord Krishna is the Guru to get him out

of the misery)

Chapter 2: Seeker asks the Guru to explain the Truth of Human Life

(sThitaPrajnAYagna - Conversation between Arjun and Sri. Krishna)

Chapter 3: Guru explains the path of Karma Yoga. Chapter 4: Seeker learns the

principles behind the Sanyasa Yoga. Chapter 5: Seeker understands the importance

of renunciation of selfish desires.

Chapter 6: Seeker learns the Sadhana of Meditation to control the mind. Chapter

7: Guru teaches the Seeker the ways and means of living without desires. Chapter

8: Guru illustrates the importance of restraining the nine-gated city of human

body. Chapter 9: Seeker learns to diverts the attention away from the

ego-centered consciousness  to the Divine Plane. (Yoga Sadhana of Sovereign

Mystery or Devotion). Chapter 10: Guru teaches the Buddhi Yoga Sadhana to

control the Mind and the senses. Chapter 11: Seeker understands the essence of

Bhakti Yoga Sadhana and direct

complete attention to God while carrying out the duties.

Chapter 12: Seeker learns to Devote and Contemplate and gets the qualities of a

True Devotee.

Chapter 13: Guru describes the qualities of a True Jnanai with Total Wisdom.

Chapter 14: Seeker learns the Sadhana of Perfection and the qualities of a

Perfect Yogi.Chapter 15: Guru teaches the Yoga of Supreme Person to the

Seeker.Chapter 16: Seeker learns to acquire the True Human Nature with the

presence of Divinity.

Chapter 17: Guru teaches the fundamentals of the Yoga of the Threefold Division

of Faith.

Chapter 18: Seeker regains the memory and renounces the egocentric desires.

 

It is possible to explain the connection between the eighteen chapters of Gita

and the eighteen steps of the Ayyappa temple. The devotees of Sri Ayyappa

believe that the Gita verse 66 in Chapter 18 is a direct reference to Dharma

Shasta.

Dharma Shasta establishes the Dharma and the entire Gita

describes the importance of human Dharma and the only way to abaondon the Dharma

is surrendering to the Lord. Sarvadharman Parityajya Mamekam Saranam Vraja;

Aham Twaam Sarve Papebhyo Mokshayishayami Ma Sucha

(Abandon Worldly Dharmas and Surrender to Me; I Shall Rescue You From Sins and

Sorrows).

 

This verse is commonly present in all Ayyappa temples and the devotees treat

this verse as a direct commandment from Dharma Shasta. First line of the verse

asks the devotee to abandon worldly Dharmas. Dharmas refer to rules, standards

and laws imposed by society to guide material life.

The root cause of material life is desires. Sorrows, Sins and Attachments are

illusions of lower ignorant consciousness of mind.

Dharmas in essence are the barriers of our liberation from Sorrows and

Sins. In the second line, the Lord orders the devotee: "Surrender unto Me, I

Will Rescue You From

Sins and Sorrows and Help you to reach the Highest Spiritual Consciousness.

 

Divine life is Real,

Eternal and free from illusions of Sins and Sorrows! Liberation is impossible

without Total

Surrender to His feet. He only can release us from the worldly ties.

The Lord promises to shower

His Grace to liberate and ultimately to realize Brahman. Dharma Shastha has

established this Eternal Dharma of realizing the Highest Spiritual

Consciousness.

 

Symbolic Unification of Atman and Brahman The devotee is reminded eighteen times

that worldly possessions hinder the progress of liberation and finally reaches

the sanctum Sanctorum of Ayyappa Swami.

 

The forty-one days of Vrath is to force the mind to withdraw from attachments to

worldly possessions and to direct it toward the Absolute Truth. The walk by foot

through the jungle symbolizes that the path to spirituality requires greater

efforts. The coconut represents the human body, the outer shell of the coconut

symbolizes ego, and the ghee is the Atman (human soul).

Coconuts have three eyes: two

eyes represent the intellect and the third eye is the spiritual eye.

 

The Meditating Yogic posture of Sri Ayyappa represents the Brahman. The rear

compartment of the Irumudi symbolizes 'Praarabdha Karma' (accumulated worldly

possessions). The devotee exhausts all the worldly possessions during the

journey.

The devotee opens the spiritual eye of the coconut, breaks the coconut and pours

the ghee (Atman) onto the idol (Brahman).

 

At this time, the

devotee has detached the ego and worldly possessions. He or she has developed an

attitude of total

surrender to the Lord (infinite love for the Lord). The devotee begs Him to

grant the total Unity

with the Lord. This liberation of Atman from Ego and Wordily Possessions is the

Message of Vedanta in Symbolic Language. This Symbolism is flawless and

complete.

 

What a beautiful demonstration of the Artistic Perfection of Symbolism in the

great land of Sankara!

 

Conclusion One of the main objectives of this article is to illustrate the

hidden treasures underneath the Hindu rituals, customs and traditions.

 

If we take time and efforts to understand the spirit behind those

beliefs and traditions it is possible to appreciate and understand the

philosophical significance.

 

The devotees with great faith have neither questions nor they seek explanations.

 

Those who question the customs, beliefs and traditions have the responsibility

to take time to look and contemplate for the answers. When a westerner wants to

know the connection between the scriptures, philosophies,

customs, beliefs and traditions, we should also take time to explain to clear

their doubts.

 

Such explanations with contemplation can clear our doubts and doubts of our

energetic and enthusiastic children who were born and live outside India. This

moral responsibility was visualized by the sages and Seers of the Upanishads and

they have provided the answers to almost all questions related to human life.

 

The land of Sankara practices mystic festivals, pilgrimages and rituals to

explain the Vedantic Philosophy of Human Life to the common folks of rural

India.

 

Sankara understood the

unity from such diversities and Sankara's Advaita represents this total

integration of thoughts,

beliefs, customs and traditions.

 

This integration is the purest form of human experience and it can

neither be explained nor could be understood

 

!REFERENCES

1. "Essentials of Hinduism", by V. Krishnamurthy, Narosa publishing House, New

Delhi, 1989. 2.

"The Gazetteer of India, Volume 1: Country and people." CHAPTER Vlll: Religion

by Dr.

C.P.Ramaswami Aiyar, Dr.Nalinaksha Dutt, Prof. A.R.Wadia, Prof.M.Mujeeb,

Dr.Dharm Pal and

Fr. Jerome D'Souza. Delhi, Publications Division, Government of India, 1965.

3. Swami Harshananda "All About Hindu Temples." Book, Sri.RamakrishnaMath,

Mylapore,

Madras, 1991.

4. A Parthasarathy, "The Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals." Book, Shailesh

Printers,

Bombay, 1983.

5. Pampa Sangamam 90, "Ayyappa darshanam - A Souvenir"Travancore Devaswom Board,

Trivandrum, Kerala, 1991.

6. Vaidyanathan, K. R. "Pilgrimage to Sabari." Book, 1st ed. Bombay: Bharatiya

Vidya Bhavan,

1978.

7. "Lord Ayyappan; the Dharma Shasta." Book, 2d ed. Bombay, Bharatiya Vidya

Bhavan, 1966.

 

by Greg Goode

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Era