About Lord Ayyappa
"Symbol and Significance of Lord Ayyappa”
"Lord Ayyappa, known as Harihara sudha, is the synthesis of preservation of sattwic values and annihilation of negative forces working in the mind of mankind. Hindu mythology recognises the trinity: BRAHMA, the Creator; VISHNU the Preserver; and SIVA the Destroyer. Brahma produces everything in the world-Good bad and indifferent while Vishnu preserves them all. But it is Siva who is endowed with the power to annihilate and destroy.
Man from the days of Adam, had the temptation for the forbidden things and inherits the six major evils: KAMA (Lust); KRODHA (Anger); LOBHA (Avarice); MOHA (Desire); MADHA (Pride) and MALSARYA (Rivarly) which are the negative forces driving him to self destruction. The annihilation of these negative thoughts is very essential for salvation, which cannot be achieved without the aid of religion and renunciation based on spiritualism alone, is the panacea for the illsemanating out of such negative attributes.
The tenets in Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads do prescribe the procedure by which such ills could be cured and controlled, but it has not boon possible for men in ordinary walks of life, saddled with the responsibilities of the family to devote his time and attention to essentials of the scriptures to win the internal forces of enemies inhabiting them.
Buddhism was at its peak before the advent of Christianity and there have been many Hindus who were enamoured of the certain concessions granted by the Budhistic order. One of such concessions was the permission allowed to the "Grihasthas" to abandon temporarily the family life and to become an inmate of a Vihara (Monastry) and live the life of a Bhikhu (Sannyasi) for some time and return back to the fold of the family, recharging the religious fervour and spiritual energy to make the earthly life more wholesome and meaningful
The religious atmosphere was in turmoil when Adi Sankara of Kalady had manifested himself. He found the decaying Hindus faring worse than Buddhism crying for emancipation and he had to find ways to revitalise it by all means. He thought that the Buddhistic way of inculcating Sannyas into the life of Grihasthas is a sure method to re-energise the spiritualism dormant in man, but could not follow the method suggested in Buddhistic scriptures
Adi Sankara therefore set Ayyappa or Dharma Sasta, his family diety, whose blessings his mother had invoked to beget him, over the Sabari Hills (in western ghats) and prescribed a set of rules for penance and austerities for 41 days during the Mandala period-Vrischikam and Dhanu eleven days corresponding to November 16 to December 26, for the devotees to undertake, before they set out on the pilgrimage to seek salvation at the lotus feet of Harihara Sudha. The rituals make the house-holder a recluse though temporarily for he has to live in Sannyasa, cooking his own meals, wearing a black cloth (for the ochre robe cast him off to the order of Sannyas permanently,according to Hindu order), sporting a beard and untrimmed hair, and a Mala (Mudra) around his neck to remind him the state of life he is supposed to live and introduce him to others that he is a pilgrim to Sabari Hills. This form of living keeps the devotees from the temptation of sensualities.
There is no distinction of caste and creed and even non-Hindus are permitted to undertake the pilgrimage to Sabari Hills, provided they follow the rules like any other devotees.
The Irumudi (luggage) every devotee is obliged to carry over his head has a meaning and significance of its own, and the final journey, trekking the wild forests ALONE all by himself, to HE ALONE chanting the mantra: Swami Saranam (Lord Alone is Refuge) braving the prowling animals and beasts, melts, purifies and remoulds the mind and intellect and make them renovated for the discharge of their earthly and eternal obligations splendidly well.
“There is no other temple in the whole of India which recognises cosmopolitanism and equality of men before God like the temple of Sabari Hills in Kerala. No one is high or low-everyone wears the black cloth, grow the beard and untrimmed hair and carries the load over his head, as he pays his obeisance to the Lord reigning supreme. Money or power has no value there and every devotee approaching Him thus, is as important as anyone else. Such a temple, envisioned by that Great Master is verily the need of the hour."