A temple experience

About words that slip out

Uttara Guruvayurappan temple is a serene and peaceful temple in Mayur Vihar, Delhi. Red tiled roofs slope towards ornate entrances; a thousand oil wick lamps line the walls; strings of yellow chrysanthemums or fragrant jasmines hang from the lintels; brass pots polished to golden perfection adorn the courtyard; cool stones make the perambulation round the temple a pleasurable experience;





Uttara Guruvayurappan Temple, Delhi



There is a welcome and easy silence. If there is something to be said, it is whispered into receptive ears.

We take a slow paced walk round the temple stopping at various places. Two teenaged giggly girls are  paces behind us. With suppressed eagerness they remain as quiet as they can.

We wait for the temple doors to open. A brief interlude while the Lord is being fed.

At 8:15 the doors open wide and we file in, men to the left and women to the right. Special temple music with drums and chanting is offered to the Lord. A tiered aarati is lit and Lord Krishna is seen in the glow of the dancing flame.

The girls behind me are overcome with emotion. They ooh and aah through every ritual. Perhaps this is their first visit to a South Indian temple?

‘What is he going to do now?’ whispers a girl. She sees the purohit crouching out of the small sanctum door. ‘Wait let's see’ another whisper.

The purohit takes a fistful of sacred water and splashes it towards the men. He does that again and again. The girls are disappointed. ‘Oh! It is only for the men’ one whispers in dismay.
When all the men are blessed the purohit takes another fistful of sacred water and splashes it on the women. We knew it was coming. Obviously the girls didn’t.

They received the much awaited splash of cold sacred perfumed water, and in shocked surprise exclaimed loudly ...

‘SHIT’

!!

??

hahahaha
I am sure they didn't mean what they said!
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Habitual thinking, habitual talking and mannerism...
Take us where we do not want to go