11.CLEANLINESS AND GODLINESS
The deity in the temple is given ritual baths very frequently, sometimes more than once a day. Sticky substances such as ghee, butter, honey, curd and fruit pieces were used for Abhishekam, the sacred bath, to the idol. Many substances which remove the stickiness and make the idol clean were used to make the idol ready to wear ornaments and clothes.
The complaint was that the idol was not cleaned properly. The object of worship and meditation of thousands of people every day, the idol had to be washed and brought to the highest level of cleanliness, identifying cleanliness with Godliness.
Krishnadeva Raya consulted the scholars in Vaikhanasa Agama, the text followed in the worship of the Lord in Tirupati. According to their advice, after the ritual baths and washing the idol with clean water, the idol had to be rubbed with cloth pieces and the rubbing clothes were to be examined to see that the final level of cleanliness was perfect.
Seven, eight pieces of cloth, from the coarsest sack-like fiber to the finest type were used. The final cloth resembled vapor that emanates when milk is boiled. When this cloth is held in the sunlight it cannot be seen it is said - It is a perfect see-through cloth.
The priests would rub the idol using the cloths one by one. Finally, the Ravai Salla officer, would take a yard of the finest cloth, tear it into two pieces and give one for rubbing the idol down. After applying the cloth for cleaning, the priest had to show the piece to the officer. If he could find any difference between the piece used and the piece kept unused with him, the priest has to restart the entire cleaning process starting from the coarse sack-like - fiber.
This story is from the August 2021 edition of Yuva Bharati.
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This story is from the August 2021 edition of Yuva Bharati.
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