Guest guest Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 My dear fellow Ayyappan Devotees! Nice to have your company online at our . I have come to know that devotees from various places in India and Abroad feel and think that it is not his Ayyappan group's practice to follow the traditional customs. This is wrong. This will only drive them away from the divinity. Have you ever played the `Verbal Story Game' ? A set of ten sit around and one reads a story into ear of the person sitting next to him. This person again tells the same story in the ear of the person sitting next to him. This goes on and on till everyone completes. Then the last person tells the story aloud so that everyone hears. Guess what happens?!!!The last person says a story that is totally different from what was originally read by the first person.Similiarly, the Ayyappan vritam and austerities passed on by word of mouth. Soon there were so many Guruswamys. Each time one became a Guru, it could have happened that they missed some points or misinterpreted some points. Imagine when another person from his group becomes a Guruswamy. It will still get relaxed. Each step it becomes little different and little relaxed. This way the authenticity has been lost. In those days one can become a Guru only if he trekked the long route 7 times and had darshan of Jyothi 7 times without a break. But what is the situation today? Never relax your Vritham. Do not bother who follows it in you group or whether your Guru follows it. Your Guru's guru could have missed to convey it properly to your Guru or his guru to your guru's guru. You simply follow the fasting as strictly as possible if you want 100% blessing of Lord Ayyappan. DO NOT DEVIATE EXCEPT DUE TO JOB RESTRICTIONS. THAT TOO, ONCE YOU ARE BACK FROM OFFICE YOU WILL HAVE TO FOLLOW ALL RULES METICULOUSLY.The more he follows the traditional Vritham the more closer he gets to Lord Ayyappan and the more blessings he gets. Believe me all the Vritham rules are very much relevant to this day and all have its deep inner meaning. It is like putting the gold into fire and getting a purer gold. The stricter a devotee observes the Vritham the better he gets. It is better to drink a coffee hot or cold but never lukewarm. Likewise, it is better to observe the Vritham in full as per the traditional austerities or never. The austerities mentioned in the website were passed on to me from Gurus who were in their ripe age of over 80 years. They have been visiting Sabarimala since their childhood without a break for more than 70 years.Lord Ayyappan at Sabarimala is a reflection of divine power of millions of devotees. It is not our duty to follow the traditional Vritham for 41 days and maintain the sanctity of the unique way of worship with absolute reverence and pass it on to the future generations. Ayyappan orders you now through me, this minute, this second the following: "My dear devotee!Do not smoke!Do not drink!Do not get excited about girls or sex!Do not harm anyone!Do not do any thing that you do not want others to do for you!Do not steal or rob!Remember! Pilgrimage to my abode is not a Vacation. Hence your penance has to be pious and stick to the traditional rules.If you do not obey these, then you are not degrading your image or name. It is my dignity and Name that you are spoiling. Hence refrain from all these and follow the Vritham as per the tradition" If you know someone who is an 'Ayyappan' this Mandalam season please forward this mail.Saranam Ayyappa!In Lord's Service,Rtn.Mohanakannan P.+91-9840818050 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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