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Home > Temples of Kerala > Sabarimala Temple > What is Swami and Sarana What is Swami and Sarana“Swamiye Saranamayyappa”, the words in its beauty of pronouncing and in its own beauty in the sound itself, there is a unity. It has become a mantra prevailing all over the world. The great word ‘Swami’ is an inspiration of our Sanatanadharma i.e. Hindu Religion. There is no other word to show respect to one. From the hut to the palace, from the child to the Sanyasi, without any difference in language or nativity, this sublime word has spread. But no one thinks about the elaborate meaning of this word. The word ‘Swami’ means the superior. A rich man may be said the swami of wealth, educated may be said swami of vidya, the king may be called the swami of the country. Ladies may consider their husbands as swamis. However, the word is more related to the people who are devotees of gods and also related to such like circumstances. Why a sanyasi is called Swami ? The aim is just before what we said, and there are two other aims also. A Sanyasi who renounced the mundane world and received a world of consciousness and spirituality or achieved a world of emancipation is called swami. Any person who can control all the sensual organs as a master can control a servant, who has won the victory over the sensual organs may be called swami. In other circumstance a person who controls himself or realize the self – ‘Swa’ – may be called swami. We may find various meanings for this word as such. (Do not pronounce ‘sami’ instead of ‘swami’). According to the Hindu tradition we address all the gods as swami in the sense of owner. The god is the owner of all the world and spiritual achievements of us. Therefore, we call Sri Rama as Sri Ramaswami; Krishna as Srikrisna Swami. Muruka as Subbrahmanyaswami and Hanuman as Hanumanswami. Similarly we call Sri Ayyappa as Ayyappa Swami or Swami Ayyappa in a love of devotion. What does the word ‘Saranam’ mean? Wome say this word is from a Buddha cult. This is not true. If it had happened how we have been using it from the ancient periods, as ‘Saranye trayambike’ ‘Sri Ramacaranam s’aranam’, Umamaheswara Saranam. If we say, ‘S’aranam or ‘Saran’ a gati’ a whole hearted submission will be releaved there. Actually the word has only one meaning that to take refuge of. If it is ‘Swamiye Saranam’ then what is to be said to Sri Ayyappa? All the matters which are requested through the vedantic philosophies, the epics and the glorious spells, will echo in the ‘Swamiye Saranamayyappa’. The meaning of the three words in total: oh, leading master of my life, body, soul and the universe, release me from the grips of all the difficulties of my birth and life, from inauspicious enemies from the bad activities of the ignorance and settle me by emancipating in your great kingdom of self consciousness which is under your good control, ‘Swamiye Saranamayyappa’.
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