UDAYASTAMANA POOJA At Guruvayur

Udayastamana Puja at Guruvayur temple is considered the ultimate offerring at the Sree Krishna Temple Guruvayur. People have to wait for anything between 15 to 20 years before getting one. Currently all pujas have been booked till 2050 and no more bookings are being done. I was lucky to partake in a Udayastamana Puja on the 30th of Dec 09 at Guruvayur. This was the puja booked by my mother's elder sister Radha Valliyamma in 1991 and fructified 18 and a half years later after her demise. It was therefore more out of curiosity that I decide to avail the opportunity to experience first hand as to what all it involved. The puja was booked by paying Rs 10000/- in advance.
On the day prior to the puja day, my cousin Prakashettan and I go to the temple by 5.45 p.m. as directed by the Devaswom authorities and meet the temple administrator Mr Soman. He assigns an official Unnikrishnan who was supposed to conduct us through the entire proceedings of the next twenty four hours. We tell Mr Soman that we will be about 10 of us who will be coming for the Nirmalyam Puja the next morning at 3 a.m. After Sreebothaveli; where the Lords idol is paraded on caprisoned elephants as for Siveli but for more than 3 rounds ; which precedes any Udayasthaman Puja, as there is no regular Siveli that day, we go into the inner temple for the rice mesuring ritual. This done after a small puja near the inner well. We are told that this is a ritual wherein the rice for the next days preparations for the lord is considered offerrred by the devotees. We get an opportunity then to have darshan standing near the sanctum sanctorum for as much time as we want without any of the 'Kavalkarans' to shove you about! We are then asked to come to the East Nada for the Nirmalyam at 2.30 a.m.
At 2 a.m. Prakashettan, Parvathy my sister and myself go to the temple by 2.15 a.m.Very soon my uncle and aunt also join in as do Rahul and Lakshmi, a doctor couple from Amritha Cochin. At 2.40 a.m. we are taken near the main closed doors of the temple by the policemen on duty and placed right in front. we are asked to stand there till the door opens at 3 a.m. Regular devotees are also left to join this line thereafter. The temple opens at 3 a.m. and there is a mad rush to run to the inner sanctorum. We are however permitted to enter straight into it and made to stand to a side. We get magnificent darshan of the lord as he was left the previous night. We are told that anyone who has darshan at Nirmalyam is considered cleansed of all sins!! Anyway while the crowd moves out after a round inside we are priveleged to see all the Vakacharthu. one where the lord is being bathed and readied prior to 'Alankaram' and subsequent puja in which the Lord is dressed up in finery for the day. The morning pujas finish by 4.30 a.m. and we are asked to come back to the temple for the Usha Puja, the first Major puja of the day. We go back home to catch our forty winks before going back to be in time for the Usha puja.Once again all the people connected with the puja are ushered in separately and made to stand near the inner mandap and pray. That over the Siveli starts and by 7.15 a.m. the morning session is over. After b'fast the next session commences culminating with pantiradi puja. By now relatives and friends crowd increases and there are about 25 to 30 people. We decide to go in batches keeping the group down to between 10 to 15. Maximum people go for the Ucchha puja which gets over by 1.45 p.m. Thereafter everyone comes to Shanti Nilayam our house for the traditional lunch which has been brought from the temple by Unnikrishnan assisted by Ayyappoo our Man Friday and the maid Thankam. There is a gap after lunch when the remaining people either catch up on sleep or browse through magazines/papers.
We are about 11 who go for the Deepaaradna puja at 6p.m. We reach the temple at 5.30.p.m and are ushered inside. however as we enter we are told that some Ayyappa bhakta has unknowingly spat inside and hence the puja would commence only after punyaham is done. This takes nearly an hour and the puja terminates only by 7.05 p.m. Once again we have excellant darshan to our hearts content and come out feelig really blessed. Most of the relatives leave after this puja. However Kal, self Prakashettan, Parvathy, and her daughter Padma go for the Athazhasiveli, a ritual in which the idol of the lord is paraded in the temple on an elephant like in Siveli but for two extra rounds. Thereafter there is a further pradikshana of the temple by three elephants with Kolam. This ritual was being witnessed by me for the first time.
While this goes on we light lamps in the front of the temple. Thereafter we are made to stand near the Kodimaram and Prakashettan is given 8 ruppes in coins by the temple to place on the offerring box after the siveli, after which we are led near the inner entrance to have darshan of 'Trippaka' the last puja for the day when the idol after the siveli is taken into the sanctum sanctorum and the lord is being put to sleep. Thus ended a day which commenced with Nirmalyam and ended with Trippaka. Thanking my aunt Late Radhavalliamma we returned after probably havind been blessed to have such long undisturbed darshan for probably the first time in many many years.
I have ventured to reduce my experiences to writing so that anyone who gets to do such a puja in future has something to fall back upon and plan. I really thank the Lord for this opportunity.

Miracles Do Occur

Miracles it seems never ceases. As a non believer naturally I was skeptical when I recently heard of one that was narrated to me by a close dear friend living in London while describing her experience of one such. The incident in question took place at a place West of London called Hounslow in the thickly inhabited shopping area on high street. She alonwith her mother in law and husband had gone shopping on that autumn afternoon. While the two ladies went into the shop her husband sat outside watching the general scene. My friend went about her shopping chores while her mother in law looked around for greeting cards. She was very particular in sending cards to her relatives and friends for all occasions. Shortly after entering the shop the mother in law called out to my friend telling her that she was feeling unwell. She at once took her out to where her husband was sitting and sat her mother in law down and asked her husband to fetch some drinking water. No sooner than her husband left, she found her mother in law swaying to a side with a fixated expression. She immediately set her on her lap when she realized that the latter had gone completely cold. Panicking she started weeping and requesting the passers by for help. However none was forthcoming busy as the street was. She was also desperately trying to get to her husband on her mobile without any success. As stated by her she had started to give up all hope and in between tears was preparing to accept her fate. It was then that one young lady who was passing by came to her and enquired what the matter was. My friend narrated all the events as it happened and informed her of her inability to reach her husband. The young girl calmed her down and sought her permission to attend to her mother in law. She sat next to her and held her close slowly massaging her arms all the while. She also placed a small white cloth in her hand and got her to close her hands round the cloth My friend meanwhile was trying to call her husband and seeing her do so the young lady asked her what she was doing. Hearing that she was trying to call her husband she told her to call out to a greater force for intervention. Asking permission of my friend for using her mobile she dialed someone and said “So and So” is in trouble kindly pray for her. She also whispered into my friends ears that her mother in law had suffered an heart attack and should be taken to hospital immediately. Just as this was happening another couple possibly Indians with two kids also came along and after enquiring about the details rang up for an ambulance and were helpful in escorting the para medics to where the mother was sitting Within minutes of all these events my friends mother in law who had become senseless and cold started becoming warm and by the time her son arrived with the water had revived miraculously. She wanted to know as to what had transpired and why were all of them looking. so glum She also wanted to know who the young lady was and what she was doing sitting next to her. Telling her just the bare minimum facts they told her that she would have to go to a hospital for which she was hesitant saying there was nothing wrong with her. However on insistence of my friend, her son and the young lady, she was persuaded to get into the ambulance when it arrived. My friend thanked the young lady profusely and wanted her name and address which the latter said was not necessary. Instead she asked her to keep the white cloth she had given next to her mother in law’s heart. Thanking her she and her husband accompanied her mother in law to the hospital. At the hospital it was revealed that she had in fact suffered a minor heart attack and a stroke but was miraculously all right now. It was then that my friend remembered the small white piece she had kept next to the heart and lo that was also untraceable. Thanking the lord for his benign grace on them the two returned home. Her mother in law too returned soon after fit and fine.
The questions that puzzled my friend no end on the succeeding days were as how and from where did that young lady emerge? Who or which power did she call to pray for her mother in law? What was the relevance of the white cloth and its mysterious disappearance after the storm had passed over? Why was the lady reluctant to give her particulars? My friend and her husband strongly believe that it was Sister Alfonsama who had come there in the form of that young lady and saved the situation. Being the non believer that I am I too am intrigued by these events and thought that I must share this experience with others so that the fact that miracles do take place when ones faith is deep and supreme in extreme times of personal crisis is a fact and not a superstition gets reinforced. I sincerely do not want to accept the fact but then my friends who have experienced it are there for real and I have cent percent faith in their simplicity and truthfulness. I am convinced that a power greater than the human one does exist. Well the only doubt is how does it manifest?