Sabarimala, Part II: The Discipline Before the Ascent
Part II — the deity's own posture, the discipline of forty‑one days, bare feet, and the river that stands between the pilgrim and the climb The Seat, the Ground, and the River What is left to shed before darshan Part I mapped the eighteen steps. Why is Ayyappan seated in this particular posture? Why must the vratham be observed for forty-one days? Why do pilgrims walk barefoot? And why must the Pamba be entered before the climb? These are not four unrelated customs. They form a sequence. The body is disciplined. The distinctions between one pilgrim and another are stripped away. The residue of what has been carried is washed off. Only then does the climb begin. The eighteen steps, then, are not the beginning of the journey. They are the continuation of a journey that has already begun within the pilgrim. I. The Pose as Received Ayyappan is shown in Yogapattasana — legs drawn in, spine held upright, the posture supported...