Swamiyee Saranam - 4

 

Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa!  I’m no authoritarian to talk how others walked into the abode of Sri Dharma Sastha Swami Ayyappan but mine was not different from many others.  When the journey of life was painful and when I lost all strength to take another step, I heard this calling from someone very close to me to walk to the adobe of Swami Ayyappan.  Those are not very easy path to walk but not tougher than my life’s path.  Like someone walking in dessert with no water and food for days after days and when the mind gives up and body gives up to move forward, to take another step, to get up and stroll towards life and give up the sand itself I gave up on life.  So much of losses, too much of betrayals, unsatiating human hunger for money, so many sins and what not! All offered a shovel of sand each over my grave and that is when I turned my direction to a haven, Sabari Malai!

I left my grave and turned my back to those who were pouring sand over it and walked away to make peace with life holding the hands of my Ayyappan. I don’t want to avenge but begged all those to find something else to suck the blood from, I have nothing more to take away from me.   May be, may be not those things are trying to bother me but my attention turned towards something worth putting attention towards – the Divine Supremacy.

All I wanted is someone to hold me, pamper me, tell me not to worry.  All I wanted is someone who I can trust with no questions, no answers to expect, just trust.  I found all that in that Divine Supremacy just like many others, in fact almost all who walks to see Swami Ayyappan!

On my daily visit to the Swami Ayyappan temple nearby, before stepping into the main temple, there will be small one dedicated to the guardian deity of the temple and inside that temple I see a dog with its new born puppies.  One fine morning when I stepped into that temple, I saw that mother was standing outside the locked temple and trying to get inside as the puppies were inside the temple.  Though that wooden door had multiple open blocks and big enough for the puppies to come out they struggled to come out and the mother struggled to get in.  I realized somebody had locked when the dog went out to keep the dog away in the name of sanity.  I struggled to decide whether to open the door or to keep it the same way and walk away but then decided something in between; I released the latch and moved the door slightly so that the dog could push open the door and it did and I realized that the puppies were hungry.  And I walked away.   And the next day I didn’t go to that temple in the morning and visited the temple in the late evening and didn’t bother to look for that mother dog also it was not seen anywhere nearby.

Then the following morning, which is after two days since I opened that latch, I went to that temple as usual in the morning and it is my ritual to go to that guardian deity, pray and then move to next.  When I stepped into that temple from somewhere this mother dog came running and leaned over my legs as if showing its love for me. I said “it is okay, don’t do that” the dog moved as if understanding my words and bent down to my feet as if kissing.  I was afraid if it could lick but it didn’t.  I bowed down to the deity and this mother dog stood next to me and the puppies where inside and the doors were open.  I touched her temple and said “Thanks for the love”, she touched my soul. 

In general, it was not advised to go near a dog with puppies as it could become aggressive to protect her new born but this dog was different I showed extra love for me. So, this mother dog made me realize that even the animals know your intention just by instinct! It shows love when your intention is love and your prayer has invoked that divine supremacy. 

Swami Sarnam! Ayyappa Saranam!