Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa(Ayyappa I take refuge in thee )TATVAMASI Ayyappa also known as hari hara putra is also s ymbolized as shiva Vishnu devotee unity. The devotees after observing 40 days brahmacharya vrata go to ponnambala medu to have his darshan climbing 18 holy steps. The serene and tranquility one fee ls in his darshan is beyond description. The very posture communicates a lot which is beyond the interpretation of common man An attempt is made to understand the message conveyed by the lord posture.
The beautiful idol of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala is made of
Panchola (a five metal alloy) and is about one and a half feet high.Lord Ayyappa sits in a meditative pose, with a band around the
folded legs and right hand in ' Chinmudra' with the forefingertouching the thumb and three other finger upright towards the sky.
The postures and gestures of the lord is thought provoking. . An
attempt is made to interpret the significance of the postures.
1, Tatwamasi :
The slogan of the banner explain the great
philosophy of Lord a
Ayyappa. The literal meaning is ‘ Thou art
that’. This Mahavakya "Tatwamasi"means the
great pronouncement consisting of three
words- ‘Tat’ Twam’ Asi’-as referred inChandokya Upanishad of Samaveda. Thetranslation in English. reads as "Thou art That
. indicates you are not anything other than thee. It means you are
not anything other than the great ‘Paramatma’ (That) who is theprimordial cause and the creator of this Universe
2.yogamudra pose:
This posture is the state of deep sleep in yoga .In Yoga Nidra, you leave the Waking state of consciousness,
and go to the Deep Sleep state of consciousness,yet, paradoxically, remain fully awake. It is an
extremely relaxing state in which samskaras ofattachment and aversion, the driving forcebehind karma, are attenuated in strength. Thisposture awakens the Sahsrara charka of
Kundalini yoga of Hata Yoga. In Yoga Nidra,
your mind is first “scientifically disconnected” from the external surroundings and even from your
3.Chinmudra: Chinmudra is a sign or an insignia of wisdom. In
this gesture the thumb and the index finger of the hand are joined.The index finger touches the middle of the thumb ina semicircular fashion. The other three fingers
which represent body, mind and intellect stand
aloof. Index finger represents ego (Ahamkara) andthumb represents Atma (self). The space between
the thumb and index finger stands for ‘Sunny ‘,
‘Maya’. ‘Jnanamudra’ or ‘Chinmudra’ denotes thatthe person who renounces attachment to body,mind and intellect and merges his individual ego
with ‘Atma’ which is God itself achieves supreme
wisdom. ‘Chinmudra’ also symbolises the un ion of‘Jeeva’ (Individual Self) and ‘Para Brahma" (The supreme self).
Thumb represents the word ‘Tat’. Index finger represent ‘Twam’.
Joining of thumb and index finger stands for the word ‘Asi’. TheChinmudra is also known as Gyan Mudra , the gesture of
enlightenment.
4.Danda Hasta: The left hand of the lord is
pointing towards the earth over his knees. The fivefingers of hand depicting the five elements of lifeviz Fire, Air, Ether, Earth and Water. The hand
points towards the earth meaning the physical
body is made of five elements and will merge withearth at the end of the Prana cycle.. As the lord is
part of Shiva amsam. This postuire gives greatersignificance. The Posture indicate the gesture indicating that the
devotee should seek refuge under his feet, for salvation from thecycle of Punarapi Maranam and Punarapi Jananam. Lord Ayappa
grants refuge to His devotees and protects them from all evils .
5.Patta Bandhana: As the Lord is in Yoga Mudra / Nidra posture.
He is in subconscious state of mind . The Yoga Patta ( belt ) around
his legs keeps him undisturbed from the present state. It is
presumed that in Kali Yuga when the earth is full of sinners, The beltwill snap , Awaken the lord. The Lord will rush to rescue his
devotees. The Supreme being will descend down to the earth to
