Butter that would not melt

1/20/09

 

Last weekend I was fortunate to attend a Naaraayaneeyam discourse by respected Shri Shankara Pilla organized by the Kerala Hindu Society. Mr Pillai is an ardent devotee of Guruvayurappan and the discourse was saturated with Bhakthi. His knowledge of the scriptures are commendable and it was an experience. I want to share this story he told during the discourse.

 

There is a temple situated between Trivandrum and Kanyakumari at a place called Shucheendram. It is a very big temple and there is a really big idol of Hanumanji in that temple. It is made of a single stone and is very tall. As a child, I have seen priests using ladder to do abhishekam. There is a special offering called "covering the idol of Hanuman with butter". For that offering,  the whole statue will be covered with butter and then all the decorations will be done on the butter. The surprising fact is that even at the height of summer, all day the butter will not melt.

 

Some people who visited the temple assumed that the butter might contain some chemicals which prevented it from melting and helped the butter to stay as solid. So with the temple authority's permission, they took some butter and got it analyzed. To their surprise they did not find anything artificial or unnatural in that butter. Then a priest told them why butter on Hanuman never melted:

 

Hanumanji came to Lanka, searched for Sita Devi and finally found her in the Ashoka Vana. After giving her the ring Sri Rama had given and receiving the choodaaratnam to take back to Rama, Hanumanji did some mischief and showed the real nature of a monkey. He destroyed the beautiful garden, killed Ravana's younger son and many demons. Ravana's elder son Indrajit tied him with Brahamastra and later in Ravana's court his punishment was announced. They covered his tail with oiled cloth and set fire. When the demons set fire to Hanumanji's tail, Sita Devi prayed: "Let fire be cool to Hanuman." In other words she invoked Agni Bhagavan and requested Him that Hanuman should not feel the heat. Agni Bhagavan heard her prayer and showered His kindness which cooled down Hanumanji. That is why the butter-covering offered to Hanuman stays as solid. Hanuman has the blessing from Sita Devi to stay cool and he is unaffected by the heat around him.

 

Sree  Rama jaya

yathra yathra raghunaathhakeertthanam

thathra thatha krutha masthakaanjalim

baashpavaariparipoornalOchanam

maaruthim namatha raakshasaanthkam

യത്ര  യത്ര രഘുനാഥകീർത്തനം 

തത്ര തത്ര കൃത മസ്തകാംജലിം 

ബാഷ്പവാരിപരിപൂർണലോചനം 

മാരുതിം നമത രാക്ഷസാന്തകം