SWAMI SARANAM REPEATED OFTEN

Why is Swami Saranam repeated often?

Saranam means surrender.  What is to be surrendered? The body?. No, the Ego is what to be surrendered. Without surrendering the Ego, one cannot transcend, because it is the Ego that prevent Transcendence. Ego always makes us to think that we are this body, mind and senses. It keeps reminding us "I”, "I", ”I". So the answer to the question what has to surrender, is only the “I” thought.

Surrender is not merely a physical act of bending the body and uttering surrender of prostrating before the image of God. The act of prostration is the surrender or giving up the thought of "I", before an image that represents the Consciousness (here Ayyappa). Without understanding the symbolism, the general public performs a mechanical act of prostrating as a means of “Surrendering to God or higher self".

One has nothing to surrender other than the “I” thought or the identity to body mind complex thought. Therefore to forget the "I", Saranam Ayyappa is constantly repeated to drive in the thought that even this body is functioning through the power of consciousness.

The essence of Ayyappa Vrutham is to transcend from the realm of the Ego to the realm of the self. The individual tries to avoid all that strengthen the Ego.  Here, in this practice, the individual transcends from being identified as the body to the state that he is the Brahman or Consciousness or the witnessing principle of the body and not the body.

Therefore while chanting "Saranam Ayyappa", be aware that you are surrendering the Ego. Without this awareness it becomes very mechanical and no benefit accrues with this Ayyappa Vrutham.