Monday, November 14, 2011

PURIFICATION BY PILGRIMAGE

PURIFICATION BY PILGRIMAGE


               Akavoor Chathan is believed to be one of the twelve children of Vararuchi, a renowned scholar and astrologer who adorned the court of King Vikramaditya. Akavoor Chathan was brought up in a poor low-caste family and is a popular character in the Malayalam folklore of South India. He was respected as a gifted scholar, intelligent and wise.
              One day, his landlord informed Akavoor Chathan about his intention to visit several holy lands and bathe in the holy rivers to purify his soul and wash away his sins. He invited Akavoor Chathan to accompany him during the pilgrimage. Akavoor Chathan politely accepted the offer and followed the landlord, carrying with him a bitter fruit  from his farm throughout the pilgrimage. He dipped the bitter fruit in the holy waters  and brought it back. The landlord completed the pilgrimage and was happy that all his sins had been washed away by the pilgrimage and the dip in the holy waters.
              The landlord arranged a grand feast to celebrate his successful pilgrimage and share his joy. Akavoor Chathan was also invited. At the feast, no one could relish the food as it was very bitter. The landlord was furious. He enquired about the preparation and was told that Akavoor Chathan had entrusted the landlord's wife with the holy fruit which he had carried during the pilgrimage and following his request, she had included the bitter fruit in the dishes for the day. The bitter taste of the fruit had spoiled the feast. Akavoor Chathan  was summoned and questioned. He replied that he had included the fruit in the meals with the intention of sharing the blessings brought by the fruit among all the participants of the party. He added that as the fruit had been carried to several Holy lands and was washed in holy waters, he believed that the bitterness of the fruit would have been washed away like the sins of the landlord.
             The land lord learned a lesson from the incident. Akavoor Chathan taught him that a formal wash in holy water or a visit to a sacred place could relieve a person from his sins, only if these acts and rituals are accompanied by internal purification, real repentance and true transformation.
              
           "The Lord says, " I hate your religious festivals; I cannot stand them! When you bring me burnt-offerings and grain-offerings, I will not accept them; I will not accept the animals you have fattened to bring me as offerings. Stop your noisy songs; I do not want to listen to your harps. Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry" {Amos 5: 21-24}.
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©By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally and Leo. S. John, ManiparambilOoriyakunnathKunnumbhagomKanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-sites:
This is Story No. 204 in the second site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read previous stories and click 'Newer Posts' at the bottom of a page to read newer stories in these sites. Please click on a word in the 'Story Themes' to read stories on that theme.

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