After finishing their nithya anushtana pooja to Lord Padmanabha,
The Maharaja, the one who reads Prasnam, the temple priest, the temple staff, locals were all gathered looking eagerly in the eastern entrance.
Those who come from outside the city usually enter the temple via the eastern side. Right at 8.30, a mid-aged man with a boy entered the temple!
The Maharaja nodded towards a senior staff of the temple. He went on at once before the mid-aged man and inquired: “O Sir, where are you coming from?”
“We are coming from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh to have the darshan of Lord Padmanabha” – replied the father.
The senior staff looked at the Maharaja and nodded his head. The Maharaja signaled them to be brought in. The Maharaja looked at both closely and asked again, ‘Where are you coming from?’
The father replied the same.
The Maharaja now looked at the person who reads the prasnam who folded his hands and said, “everything is as per Padmanabha’s wish!”
The Maharaja looked at the father and said, “The Lord has ordered to seek your son’s help in reading a Prasnam. Is this ok for you?”
Though it is an order from the Lord Almighty and who asks for a favour is the Maharaja himself, the rules of Prasna is to seek the permission and approval of whose favour is requested for, only when the Master does this the Prasna will show accurate results.
The father was surprised at all these and he gave his approval on behalf of his son.
“Your son needs to take bath, wear fresh clothes, please come.” – the senior staff took them to a private room with the approval of The Maharaja. They all waited for half an hour.
The prasnar asked The Maharaja’s approval once again when the boy came back ready. Once he approved, the procedure of Mantra Uchchadana (chanting of mantra) happened.
Vigneshwara, the guardian gods of the temple, Ashta Digh-Balaka (those who guard the 8 directions), Prasna devata, the Lord, were performed the pooja and sought approval. Then the Prasnar called for the boy.
He gave 4 cowries (chozhi) to the boy and said, “Pray within yourself and place these cowries in any of the 12 squares drawn as you wish.”
The boy received the cowries and looked carefully at those squares (horoscope like squares) and stood opposite to the Prasnar.
He closed his eyes, prayed and placed at the square near to his left leg. One of the 4 cowries slipped and ran away. He caught hold of it and placed it among the other three.
The Prasnar was carefully watching all this and looked at the Maharaja with a worried face.
The Maharaja nodded as if, “its ok, proceed.”
The 22 disciples of the Prasnar looked at the squares calmly and started writing down something really fast in a paper.
The first square where he placed the cowries was the Lagna of Prasna horoscope rules. It is the Jeeva.
It is like the entrance of knowing what happened, to know what the situation is.
There was silence till the disciples wrote down. The Maharaja and the Prasnar appeared a bit worn off.
The reason is, the place the boy chose the lagna as per the Prasna rule, is ‘Vrischika Rasi’. They term this as per astrology as ‘War Rasi’. It is not a good omen to have this Rasi as the Atma of The Prasna Purusha who is about to be formed.
The Prasnar called the boy closer and gave another 4 cowries and signalled him silently.
The boy started circling the squares!
~ stay blessed!
Images courtesy: Pinterest & Siththan Arul blog.