Atonement rituals to start in Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple soon

The Travancore royal family, traditional trustees of the famed Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, will soon undertake the performance of rituals (Parihara Kriya) for atonement of lapses in the affairs of the shrine as suggested by a four-day Deva Prasnam (astrological examination) held last week.

The Deva Prasnam, held to learn the will of the deity on the move to evaluate and document the amazing treasures kept in the temple vaults, had shown signs that warned of possible misfortunes to the royal family as they had brought upon themselves the displeasure of Lord Padmanabha through Agraha Dosham (wrong of desire).

Sources connected to the royal family said that they might not wait for the final decision of the Supreme Court-appointed five-man panel on the evaluation of the treasures as “you cannot play with the Lord’s will”. The astrologers who led the Prasnam were yet to make their full recommendation but suggestions already made would be carried out, they said.

The astrologers, who found through the Prasnam that the Lord was against the evaluation, documentation, exhibition and photography of the treasures, had also concluded that a lot of laxities had taken place in the temple affairs in the recent times. These laxities could cause negative effects on the temple’s divine powers, the astrologers had warned.

As per the signs that came up during the Prasnam, there were faults on the part of the employees of the temple which included misbehavior and lack of discipline in financial affairs. The astrologers had concluded that the temple managers were not handling the temple’s financial affairs with the seriousness the job demanded.

The Thamboola Prasnam, the main component of the astrological examination, had shown signs which suggested that some key temple rituals were not being performed properly and some had been stopped altogether. Such acts of omission and commission had caused deterioration in the divine energies of the temple, the astrologers found.

The Deva Prasnam, held from August 8 to 11 at the temple, had recommended rituals like Murajapam (chanting of Veda Suktas for 56 days), Mrityunjaya Homam, Chakrabja Pooja and Maha Sudarshana Homam. It also suggested that the trustees should help the upkeep of affiliated shrines including like the Adi Kesava Temple at Thiruvattar in Tamil Nadu.