|
Home > Temples of Kerala > Sabarimala Temple > The Irumutikkettu and the Pallikkettu The Irumutikkettu and the Pallikkettu“Pallikkettu Sabarimalakke The simplicity, beauty, hardships and its grandeur of pilgrimage to Sabarimala are seen in these slogans. The ancient masters, when they analysed the human life, could find out that the basic features of the life depends upon three factors, viz, karma, phala and bhoga (action, its result and its consumption). It is also seen that the human society has almost agreed with these factors as karmaphala or karmadosha etc. the karma or action is unavoidable in human life. For any kind of achievement there should be a karma. The loss is also according to karma. The phala is not meant for the sudden result or gain after karma. But it is considered in a spiritual level that karmaphala, which we get as an experience from the non visual circles, where it has been recorded in our account, in secret as punya, papa, dharma, dosa, guna, nishphala etc. these results will not be suddenly given. The results will be awarded when we reach a certain time, according to the fate, to enjoy the bhoga, the consumption of such like result is considered as bhoga. If one man executed a karma, his spiritual consciousness evaluated that action as good, is phala, and he can satisfy with that, is bhoga, for another example – a boy writes an examination – is karma, he gets more marks to win – is phala and he gets a happiness and is promoted to the next standard – is the bhoga. Irumutikkettu is not an ordinary bundle of things for climbing over the mountain ranges. It may once more be elucidated in a spiritual level of thinking. It is the karma – (action) – and its phala (result of actions) and the bhoga (consumption of its result) are the main reason which make a man not to reach the God and to wallow in the mud of nature and its sufferings. He is bound with all the miseries. Therefore, through the self withdrawal from the karmaphalabhoga is only the way to be released from the miseries of the world and to be reached to the state of emancipation. Therefore, man has to renounce karmaphalaphoga. Otherwise the trinity should be surrendered to the God. How can this be done ? for achieving this there are three yogas which have been advised viz. Jnanayoga, Karmayoga and Bhaktiyoga. If a man thinks that he who does the entire karmas for himself and these karmas are the reason for his own independence, then he becomes ready to renounce the karmas. Otherwise he confirms that he is not to do any karmas. This practice is called Jnanayoga. This kind of men are called sanyasis or jnanis. It is very difficult for a man to renounce the entire karmas and to be idle. If the karmas cannot be completely renounced, the only thing is feasible, to do all the karmas and renounce its results, whether the karmaphala is auspicious or not or it is achievement or not. Keep himself aloof from the ardent desire and do actions until his body falls. This is the karmayoga. Renunciation of bhoga is Bhaktiyoga, whatever karmas we might have done in the past, are doing in the present and will be done in the future, the result of these karmas, whatever it may be, whether it is blissful or sadful, consider in a similar feeling, and consume the phalas in a satisfaction with the god consciousness, is the Bhaktiyoga. Here, the symbolization is that Karmaphala and bhoga, which are revealed through whichever part of the body where the same symbol of the same yoga is fixed at the same part. In the Karma phala bhogas, the karma is done with the hands and the expectation of the karmaphala is originated in the head. The bhogas whether it is providing with happiness or sadness, consumed by the body. The searchers of the god are similarly having three factors and thus they are in three kinds viz, sanyasies, ordinary people and adventurous devotees. The symbol of the sanyasi is the dandu (stick) and a kamandalu (a hanging jug). These are in his hands. The sanyasa or jnanayoga is the sarvakarma samarpana. Therefore, the symbol of renunciation is kept in the organs of karma i.e. in the hands. (see the picture). There are some other people who are adventurous devotees. Some of them take the kavadis over their shoulder and dance. While the others make wounds on their own bodies or penetrates iron weapons. This is believed that we are submitting all the bhogas of the body to the god in a solitary consciousness. This is also one kind of bhaktiyoga. The ordinary devotees cannot avoid all the karmas and its phalas ubruptly. When a person is bound with the world of karmas, and has compulsorily to enjoy the phalas of the karmas, It is the Karmayoga, is feasible and desirous. He has to renounce only the phala in the future. The prime centre of the thinking is the head. The results or phalas of karma are having dualistic emotions like good or bad, auspicious or inauspicious, virtuous or virtueless. A devotee who follows Ayyappa accepts a fast method which is to surrender the karmaphalas in front of Ayyappa. This is an exception from the functional activities related to other gods. That is why the devotee go to Ayyappa with a bundle having two heads (irumuti) and is called the irumutikkettu. The message is that the virtues and sins derived from the phalas of one’s entire karmas are bound in two heads, placed over his head with repudiating all the phalas in front of the brahmam in anticipation of getting blessings. This is proclaimed by the devotees who bear the irumutikkettu over their heads, and chanting slogans of Ayyappa all along the ways to Ayyappa. It is also to be estimated that in the devoted activities pertaining to Sri Ayyappa the karmayogasamarpana has also been included by the ancient masters.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
