Visiting Guruvayoor

May 22, 2009

Hari OM!I have just read Savitri ji's experience in visiting Guruvayoor for a darsan. I too have stood in line a number of times and my experiences have been good. Last year when I went there, the line up was really long. Some one in the line ahead of me was complaining- "it will take atleast 2 hours...". Suddenly, I was kind of happy that I have this two hours to myself- no other duties or work to do! Just be there and watch the beautiful men, women and children walkby in a hurry- we cannot not hurrying up the queue as the nada is closed for naivedyam. I don't have the blackberry or laptop with me (as they would not allow them inside the temple now). As the queue turned near the India Coffee house, I saw a bookstall just about to open. I went there and bought a Vishnusahasranamam book, although I had another copy in the hotel

room. By the time I finished chanting once- I didnt know how the time flew- I looked ahead- we are not anywhere near the nada. I started chanting the namam again. Strangely, my only 'need' then was that I should be able to finish the chanting once more before the darsanam. And bhagavan said 'thathasthu':-). By the time I chanted the last line this time, I was at the metal detector. It was about 3 hours by then. I didnt find it tedeous at all. Line up in a darsan line is an opportunity for us to align our thoughts.Hari OM!Sukumar --- On Fri, 5/22/09, Savitri Puram <savitriopuram wrote:Savitri Puram <savitriopuram[Guruvayur] Namasthe- Annadaanam 1Received: Friday, May 22, 2009, 10:54 AM

Dear all,

When I go to Guruvayur temple, not only Guruvyuraapan, but a lot of (positive) scenes in and around the temple influence me. Some people ask me "What about the negative things you see there?". I have no logical answer for that. Because of Guruvayurappan's mahima, most of the times, negative scenes in Guruvayur do not bother me. Even if I am not able to see Bhagavan due to big crowd, the atmosphere of Bhakthi inspires me to love Him all the more. When I stand in the queue, I usually chant suprabhatham, vishnusahasra naamam and all other prayers I know about Lord Krishna or Vishnu Bhagavan including several chapters of Naaraayaneeyam. If the queue is long, sometimes I get exhausted and then I look around and try to see how every scene there positively affects me or teaches me something to make myself a better person. I want to share two incidents or points that influenced me or gave me food for thought.

Once I was doing pradakshinam and was thinking about offering some money for annadaanam ( giving of food.) I had some cash and I deposited that in the Hundika in the outside praakaaram marked with "annadaanam". Soon after that I heard an old woman crying and talking to herself:

" Those who have not experienced hunger do not know that there is no greater sorrow than not having enough to eat. People put money in Bhandaaram (hundi) and think it will feed people like me. Guruvayurappa, there is nobody to give me some food. Krishna, did you also give up on me?"

I heard this and suddenly I felt that she was talking about me. I asked her whether she said this because she saw me putting money in the hundi. She did not see that and it was a just cry from severe hunger. I went near her and told her to come out with me. It was almost lunch time and both of us went into one of the hotels in the West Nada. I paid for her meal which was not much. When she finished eating she told me that she did not have anything to eat since the previous day morning and thanked me. I saw her walking slowly and soon disappeared from my view. I could not help wiping my tears. Since that incident, when ever I wanted to do annadaanam, I did by taking somebody (who really deserved) with me and fed them personally. I felt that Guruvayurappan was telling me to do annadaanam this way. I do not know whether this is the best way or this is practical. But I felt good by doing this way (several times during my stay for Bhajanam there)

than depositing in the hundi.

Sreekrishnaarpanama sthu

Regards and prayers

Savitri

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