Moments of Surrender

There are moments when people surrender before the Lotus Feet of Perumal. This does not mean physical surrender before the bali peetam. This is an emotional surrender where a person surrenders all his worldly wishes and wants before Him in token exchange for His blessings. This is an involuntary surrender. This might or might not happen to a person. It is truly based on the expectations that you have!

It happened to me in Oppiliappan sannidhi on the day after a Vaikunta Ekadasi (Dwaadasi). It was the first time I was a witness for a Viswaroopa Sevai. The temple premises (and the sannidhi in particular) on that Maargazhi morning was calm and serene. The hall was filled only with chants of Oppiliappan Suprabatham and occassional cries of infants. Infact, many of us were crying for our share of the food - his aruLicheyal prasaadams. The wait of 20 minutes increased the expectations in me...Though I have seen Him once before, the temple atmosphere at that moment was very very different from the noisy evening sEvai that I had before.

A cow was brought to the sannidhi (near the thirai / screen) with its face facing us. As the clock hands rushed to the 5 AM mark, arteries were rushing blood all over my body. Some sort of looking-forward-to-an-event feeling!! It all happened in a fraction of a second. Bhattars chanted Govinda, Govinda in the microphone, the veil was lifted and boom! it was Lord Himself in a gigantic 12 feet roopam - in a real viswaroopam - dressed in a brown kabaai with golden yellow buttons (like our own dear VenkataKrishnan of Thiruvallikkeni) for the cold winter and a matching pattu vEshti. Before his abhaya hastham, it was not Bhoomi Naachiyaar and Markandeyar who surrendered themselves, there was one manushaathma which surrendered itself involuntarily just at the very sight of the Perumal. I never felt that I was standing in a temple sannidhi in the earth. It was the Paramapadham itself in front of me. A couple of drops that oozed out of my eyes still serve as an evidence for that moment of surrender.