Ayyappa Swami Ki Katha

Bahut pracheen samay ki baat hai. Jab Prithvi par adharm aur atyachaar badhne laga, tab devtaon ne Bhagwan Vishnu aur Bhagwan Shiv se sansar ki raksha karne ki prarthana ki. Usi samay ek mahaan divya shakti ka janm hua, jinhe Bhagwan Ayyappa Swami kaha jata hai. Katha ke anusaar, Samudra Manthan ke samay Bhagwan Vishnu ne Mohini roop dharan kiya tha. Bhagwan Shiv us Mohini roop ko dekhkar mohit ho gaye. Bhagwan Shiv aur Mohini swaroop Bhagwan Vishnu ke divya sanyog se ek tejasvi balak utpann hua. Wahi balak aage chalkar Ayyappa Swami kehlaye. Unhe “Harihar Putra” bhi kaha jata hai, kyunki ve Bhagwan Hari yani Vishnu aur Bhagwan Har yani Shiv ki sanyukt shakti ke swaroop the. Usi samay Mahishi naamak ek raakshasi ne teenon lokon me aatank macha rakha tha. Use vardaan prapt tha ki uska vadh keval Harihar Putra hi kar sakta hai. Devta uski shakti se bhaybheet the. Isliye Bhagwan Ayyappa ka avtaar Mahishi ke ant ke liye hua tha. Ek din Pandalam rajya ke Raja Rajshekhar jungle me shikaar karne gaye. Wahan unhe nadi ke kinare ek divya balak mila, jiske gale me mani bandhi hui thi. Raja ne us balak ko Ishwar ka vardaan maankar mahal me le aaye aur uska naam “Manikandan” rakha. Raja aur Rani ne use apne putra ki tarah paalan-poshan diya. Manikandan bachpan se hi atyant tejasvi, gyani aur parakrami the. Ve sabhi vidyaon me nipun the. Dheere-dheere logon ko samajh aane laga ki yeh koi saadharan balak nahi, balki divya shakti ka avtaar hai. Kuch samay baad Mahishi raakshasi ka atyachaar bahut badh gaya. Tab Manikandan ne jungle me jaakar Mahishi se bhayankar yudh kiya. Lambe yudh ke baad unhone Mahishi ka vadh kar diya aur devtaon ko uske aatank se mukt karaya. Devtaon ne aakash se pushp varsha ki aur Ayyappa Swami ki jai-jaikaar ki. Iske baad Ayyappa Swami ne Raja Rajshekhar ko apne divya swaroop ke darshan diye aur kaha ki ve Sabarimala parvat par unka mandir banvayen. Unhone kaha ki jo bhi bhakt sache mann, bhakti aur niyamon ke saath wahan aayega, uski sabhi manokamnayein poori hongi. Raja ne Sabarimala me Bhagwan Ayyappa ka bhavya mandir banvaya. Tabhi se lakhon shraddhalu kathin vrat aur tapasya karke Sabarimala yatra par jate hain. Bhakt “Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa” ka jaikara lagate hue Bhagwan ke darshan karte hain. Bhagwan Ayyappa Swami ki katha hume dharm, sanyam, bhakti aur sahas ka sandesh deti hai. Ve apne bhakton ko shakti, shanti aur raksha ka aashirvaad pradan karte hain. Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa.