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Home > Temples of Kerala > Sabarimala Temple > The Vision of Makarajyoti The Vision of MakarajyotiA symbol of the great glory of Sabarimala is the Makara jyoti. At an evening on the day of Makarasamkranti (the passage of sun to the Makara Zodiac) at the time of pujas and offerings with the Nilavilakku (open lamps lighted with vegetable oil, made of brass) in front of the idol of Ayyappa, a glittering star will be seen on the just opposite and far eastern horizon. This event always persists in the minds of all the pilgrims as a wonder. There are so many illusions, allusions and allegations about the Makarajyoti. Actually it is the shining of a star at the evening of one day on which the sun passes from the equator to the south on its journey from the north. It had been imagined that the gods in the heaven were lightening the heavenly lamps at the same time of the diparadhana (pujas with the Nilavilakku) of Ayyappa in the eastern horizon. However the Makarajyothi, by its own uniform and regular practice of arising there reveals a spiritual importance more than the physical. Philosophically the Makarajyothi is related to the Yogasastra like the 18 steps have been related. The existence and the longevity of the body of a person depends upon through pulses (nadies) called It,a, Pingala and Sushumna. These three nadies are found situated inside the backbone. It,a is on the left side and pingala is on the right side of the Sushumna. It,a is also called Candranadi (nadi related to the moon), Pingala is called Suryanadi, (related to the sun) and the Sushumna is called Agninadi (related to fire). It is in the Sushumna the Shadadharcakras have been centralized. (we have already seen these cakras in 18 steps) what is Sushumna in the area of Sabarimala when it is symbolized? We may see the Sabarimala as a symbol of the gross body of us. We may see the world as similar to the subtle nadies. That means the world and the time is as equal to body and nadi. We can take the nadi in the body similar to the time. In the calculations of the time there is a step of time called Nadi or Nadika (Nazhika in Malayalam and second in English). The ‘ill’ and the ‘well’ of the body is determined through the nadies and it is by the time all people achieve good and evils. Therefore, we may say that the movement of nadi in the body is equal to the movement of time in the world. The time has three witness viz the sun, the moon and the fire. The sun is the supreme of the time or day, the moon is the same of the time of night and the agni is the supreme of the time of twilight. We divided one day for the sun, moon and agni alike an year also can be divided. The six months of Uttarayana is reckoned with the sun and the six months or Dakshinayana is reckoned with the moon. When the it,a and the pingala become equalized, the sushumna, the agninadi is risen. When the sushumna is risen the awakened man will see his atma with glory and glittering rays. This status is called the Brahmasakshatkara. If the Sushumna is to be risen the suryanadi and the candranadi should be in serenity. But the enthusiastic nature of the suryanadi the man falls into the mud of activities and consumptions. And with the enthusiastic help of the Chandranadi he becomes idle and dipped into ignorance and grief. Since the activated and heated suryanadi transformed into calmness and let it to win the idle chandranadi from that point the calmful agninadi rises. For these achievement a Yogi has to incessantly practice it. This kind of experience in the body of a Yogi, similarly created in the body of the nature can be called a Yogiswari. This is the vision of Makarajyoti. We have told it before that after the uttarayana, which is related to the sun, and the beginning of the Dakshinayana, which is related to the moon, the merging juncture of that time (Sandhi) is the Makarasamkranti. The sandhya (twilight) is related to Agni. Therefore it is sure that the samkranti which is the sandhi of Uttarayana and Dakshinayana is in the form ofAgni. At the time of this Sandhi the Sushummanadi of the nature is suddenly awakened. The concealed process of this nature is revealed at that time as the Makarajyoti on the horizon of the consciousness. At the same time sushumna, the agninadi of nature is awakened by the diparadhana in front of Ayyappa (Dipa is agni). According to the ancient sciences Agni has seven tongues viz. Surya, Chandra, Agni, Nakshatra, Vidyut, Bodha and Iswara. The first five of them are visible. The aforesaid seven agnies are Uttarayana (Surya), Dakshinayana (Chandra), Samkrama Sandhya (Agni), Makarajyoti(Nakshatra), Adbhutanubhuti (Vidyut) like the evolution continues as the awakening of the devotee as the six agni and the sympathy of the god as the seventh agni. The Makarasamkrama Sandhya is a great propitious time of self sacrifice at which the seven tongues of the Jnanagni receives the havis (offering to agni in yaga) of heart of love of devotee who offers it at the fire of camphor in the yagakunda of Dharmasasta. In the evening of Samkrama day at the time of diparadhana when the Makarajyoti is enlighted, in the bodies of all the devotees who have arrived at Sannidhana, may have the experience of Iswarajyoti and the awakening of the Sushumanadi. This awakening may be reflecting as a star on the circumference of the sky as the consciousness of ourself. This may be stipulated that, millions of old pilgrims who had observed hard vows and achieved spiritual powers, who had been watching Ayyappa who is on the Jnanapitha of emancipation, for so many years, presenting themselves in numerous at a time, and chanting mantras have created an atmospheric vibration all over the eighteen Sabarimalas, may be the cause of the rising of the star – the Makara jyothi.
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