My husband and I had to attend a two-day wedding function at Thiruvannamalai. Our stay at a hotel there was a different experience. The hotel was totally submerged and overflowing with divinity all over. There was a small Ganesha idol at the car parking, and Lord Shiva’s face was engraved on the wall of the corridor through which we had to enter the premises. There were so many idols and pictures of various Gods and Goddesses in the reception and the smoke of the incense sticks added to the divine ambience. The magazines in the reception hall were also spiritual in nature. It was more like a meditation hall than a hotel reception.
We had a good time at the wedding and decided to make use of this trip to have dharshan of Lord Arunachaleshwara. Who wouldn’t wish to see Lord Shiva after being engulfed in the divine ambience at the hotel? After the function ended, we took some rest for a brief period and went to the temple by an auto. The temple was hardly 2 km from our hotel, for which all the auto men demanded Rs 200. On our way to the temple, we witnessed many monkeys and peacocks roaming freely on the streets and the building walls. The houses there had nets on their balconies and windows to safeguard the inmates. There was one house which was completely caged inside the nets right from the compound wall. We also happened to witness a spectacular house with very big garden in which there was a particular tree that had many bats hanging and screeching loudly. “They are all discussing the plan for their hunt tonight”, my husband remarked as I took some photos of the scene. It was a treat to the eye of a nature lover.
As per the convention there, the devotees should enter the temple from the north side and exit by the south side. Accordingly, we went and got the fifty rupees tickets around 11:00 am. There were only two lines, one for free dharshan and the other for Rs.50 ticket. The temple is quite big, and one can see the hill towering above the tall temple *gopuram as one is moving around the premises. In the beginning, we were moving quite fast among the partitions that were set up, then slowed down as we neared the *dwajasthambam area. We had to stop and wait at many places, during when I took photos of the temple gopuram and the towering hill behind it. I also observed that people of all ages and various countries had come to have dharshan of Lord Shiva. There was also a young mother with her one-month-old baby in the queue. As it was an auspicious day for wedding, many couples with their families had come there to get married in front of Lord Arunachaleshwara, which in turn added to the crowd. Then, I started singing the Shivapuranam to steer clear of the worldly diversions and to concentrate on the Lord, and also to overcome the tedium of waiting in the long queue.
After singing songs in praise of the lord, I took a small break and couldn’t help listening to the two young men standing in front of me. They looked like friends and were discussing the pillars and the construction of the temple. “Are they civil engineers?”, I wondered as I was eavesdropping on their conversation about the temple construction. At one point, I introduced myself and got to know that they were architects by profession and college mates. I was happy to take part in their intelligent conversation and engage myself as the queue was moving slowly.
Once we crossed the Dwajasthambam and entered the main gopuram, there were some confusions and crowd pulling. Some people wanted to change the line that they were standing in and others at the back wanted to go past us. As I had already made friends with the two young men in front of me and my husband at my back, I was safeguarded from all these troubles. There were drinking water dispensers kept near us along the line and also many giant fans around us, which saved our day from the frustration of thirst and sweat. I was thanking the divine grace of God and the temple authorities in my heart, while my better half was wondering loudly as why the queue is not moving as the door of the main deity is not closed. “May be some special dharshan is being arranged for some ‘privileged’ people”, he lamented.
Inside the main gopuram, we saw many *homakundas with *agni for the marriage rituals. As we were talking about the beautiful sculpture works there and moving on, suddenly the queue stopped again and many people in front of us sat on the floor. It was 12:30 pm by then. We couldn’t help but let out a sigh. The guy in front of me let out a cry that we all have been trapped. I too felt a bit dejected and disappointed as we were unsure of when the queue will start to move again. I was worried about completing the dharshan and having our lunch on time. At that moment of frustration and dejection, I was reminded of the poem “The Eternal Wait of Nandi” by Prakash Rajachandran of Chennai Poets’ Circle. I read the poem (stored in my phone) again to calm down my nerves and hold on to the divine spirit. I also showed the poem to my husband and the two new friends.
The Eternal Wait of Nandi
By Prakash Rajachandran (CPC)
Nandi does not wait out of impatience.
He waits the way the mountain waits for dawn.
Eyes fixed on Shiva—not to see Him,
but to become ready for Him.
Centuries pass. Empires rise and crumble.
Still Nandi sits, unmoving,
because devotion is not an act with an end date—
it is a posture of the soul.
He faces the sanctum, not seeking entry.
For he knows:
those who rush inside often miss the Presence,
while those who wait are already within.
Nandi teaches a quiet dharma:
Strength kneels.
Power listens.
Action bows before awareness.
His stillness is not passivity.
It is disciplined alertness—
the readiness to move the instant the cosmos exhales a command.
In yogic truth, Nandi is the breath held gently between inhalation and exhalation.
In bhakti, he is faith without demand.
In life, he is patience purified of expectation.
To sit like Nandi
is to trust that Shiva will not arrive late—
only when we are finally still enough to receive Him.
I was able to witness a sparkling divine smile on their faces once they finished reading the poem, which in turn raised my spirits for somehow relieving their troubled mind. With our rejuvenated mood, we were waiting patiently. After some time, the queue started to move again.
We were moving slowly and steadily in two partitioned lines along the wall of the *garbagriha towards the main deity. There was one North Indian family in the line beside us, and our line was near the wall. As there were many sculptures and protrusions along the garbagriha wall and the path was narrow, I walked slowly and carefully looking down, while giving instructions to my husband behind so that we don’t get our pinky toe hurt. I forgot all about the Lord and was worried about getting our toe hurt.
I was taking slow and steady steps with full attention, but suddenly what did I witness???!!!! I saw a big, grown Indian street dog sleeping on our path inside the partition!!! His mouth was only a few inches away from the garbagriha wall. I let out a cry in panic “Ahh!!! Amma!!!”, to which the North Indian uncle who was in the safe line next to ours said “It is not amma ma. It is Nayu.” ( Meaning – It is not mother mam. It is a dog). I was thinking, “Hey!!! Handsome Hindi uncle!!! Are you teaching me my mother tongue when I am panicking???!!!”
Nevertheless, his funny comment lightened the situation, and I had to quickly make up my mind to cross this problem as I had no other choice. I can’t turn back and run away because there were hundreds of people tightly packed in the enclosure. I had to somehow face this and cross it successfully. Moreover, I was wearing a saree that day and was blaming myself for choosing it for travel. Then, praying to God with all sincerity that I don’t make any error, I tucked the saree pallu and lifted the saree up till my calf muscles so that not even my saree fringes disturb the sleeping doggy. I had to gulp down my panic, muster up courage, ignore my pounding heart, use my brain, disregard what people around might say or think, keep my mouth shut, concentrate on my way and cross the hurdle carefully.
Finally!!! I did it and immediately turned around to look at my better half as he too should come out unscathed. When he saw me, he made a facial gesture indicating me to release my lifted saree to which I immediately complied. He has his own worries apart from the fear of the dog. He tied his dhoti up and crossed the dog in a calm and composed way without much ado.
I couldn’t help but think of Thirukural by Thiruvalluvar
“பிறவிப் பெருங்கடல் நீந்துவர் நீந்தார்
இறைவன் அடிசேரா தார்.”
Meaning : “Those who reach the feet of the Lord will swim the vast ocean of births; those who do not, will not swim it.”
Yes!!! Who would have expected a full grown doggy to sleep on the path towards the main deity near the outer wall of the garbagriha??!!! Crossing the sleeping doggy was like crossing an ocean to me. Here, I had to cross this ocean to have His dharshan. I controlled my surging emotions to have the dharshan of Lord Arunachaleshwara with a calm mind. As soon as we crossed the sleeping canine, the queue moved fast and in no time we had the dharshan. We stood there for a few seconds and got a good view of the Lord. It was like a cool rain on a burning forest.
As soon as we came out, all kinds of emotions and thoughts surged back. Initially, I couldn’t help getting angry with the temple authorities for failing to prevent the dog from entering the temple premises. But what is the use of getting angry and spoiling one’s peace of mind after having a good dharshan of the Lord? Everything happens only as per the will of God. May be the universe is trying to give me some message. Was the doggy actually Lord Bhairava acting as the assistant of Nandhigeshwara and lying there as a speed breaker to control the pushing and pulling instincts of the humans waiting in the queue? Or was he trying to teach us the lesson of complete surrender to the almighty? I have heard that when the saints are immersed in devotion and perform penance in forests, panchabuthas (earth, water, fire, wind and sky) are afraid to disturb them. For example, it will rain in all the other places, but not on the saint. Similarly, the doggy was happily doing savasana on the narrow path in a crowded area with complete trust, and the hundreds of people crossing were afraid of disturbing him. Strange are the ways of God in delivering the lessons of life, but is highly potent!!!
When we completely trust God and do the needful without any ego, we become the very hands of God in protecting and nurturing our fellow beings. If detaching from the worldly affairs and immersing oneself in spirituality is one way, then executing one’s duty with detachment (Nishkama Karma) is another way to merge with God. Delivering our duties with such an attitude will certainly have a cascading effect on all the beings around us. If someone from the temple administration takes action for protecting the doggy and giving it a safe place to live, and hence safeguarding the devotees as well to have a peaceful dharshan, then he will be the very example of “Deivam Manushya Rupena” (God in human form).
Footnotes:
Gopuram – A monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the architecture of South India.
Dwajasthambam – A flagpole erected in the Hindu temple before the sanctum where people prostrate.
Homakunda – A pit in the ground where sacrificial fire is maintained.
Agni – Sacrificial fire for holy rituals.
Garbagriha –The chamber where the temple’s main deity is established in a Hindu temple.
P.S.Sowmya, Chennai.
