Ayyappan 18 - Lord Ayyappan Rides On A Leopard Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon
Ayyappan 18 - Lord Ayyappan Rides On A Leopard
After many adventures,
After many confrontations,
After defeating the evil and evil doers,
Ayyappan emerges victorious!
Ayyappan returns home,
Holding a bow and an arrow in his hand.
He is seated on a leopard,
And is riding on it most comfortably!
As Ayyappan moves forward,
Accompanied by many more leopards,
He is hailed by one and all
As ‘Dharma Sashta'- the upholder of the highest good.
As the queen mother peeps from the palace
O! Ho ho! What does she see!
A whole procession of leopards marching towards the palace.
She had never imagined that Ayyappan would return home!
The queen mother is shocked and dumbfounded,
As she sees Ayyappan seated and riding on a leopard,
Accompanied and surrounded by many more leopards,
Carrying a pot of milk for his beloved Mother.
The queen realises her mistake and begins to regret her actions.
How could she, as a mother, send the young boy to the forest?
With tears streaming down her eyes, she runs forward
To meet Ayyappan and beg for his forgiveness.
Merciful as ever, Ayyappan forgives his foster mother.
He embraces his foster father - the King of Panthala.
Then, blessing all, he shoots an arrow atop the Sabari Hills, Indicating the place where he would be seated.
Ayyappan bids his final goodbye,
And leaves the palace, declining the seat to the throne;
Ascends the Sabarimala, the place where he would ever remain,
Attains ‘Moksha'! The effulgent light shining on all his devotees.
A performance, a memory, a biography,
An experience as a dancer.
This is an extract from my book
"Mohiniattam -The Dance of the Enchantress"
Part 2 -The Choreographies entitled "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa".
This prose poem is an edited version
Lord Ayyappan is a popular deity of Kerala, worshipped by countless devotees in South India.
According to the Puranas, Lord Ayyappa is none other than Hariharaputra, the son of Hari and Hara. Hari is Lord Vishnu while Hara is Lord Shiva. Hence, Hariharaputra is a powerful combination of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, the indweller and inner ruler of all hearts, the timeless and space less ‘Taraka Brahman', before whom thousands of devotees prostrate with the ardent cry of"Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa".
Photo: The image of Ayyappan holding a bow and an arrow, riding on a Leopard. Photo Courtesy: Internet
cont........All of them have one common thing between them, they had special miracles, they were kind of super humans and they all renounced the world after their assigned job/work/ duties and went into isolation. I really admire the way you presented everything in the form of a dance " Mohiniattam" . apart from writing such beautiful poems.
There were several messengers sent by the Almighty to guide and spread His words around One lakh thirty six thousand messengers were sent from time to time on every generation from the day the life began on earth, ...Cont
He is hailed by one and all As ‘Dharma Sashta'- the upholder of the highest good. Merciful as ever, Ayyappan forgives his foster mother. He embraces his foster father - the King of Panthala. As always you dear Geeta give us plenty of ideas from Hinduism. this is your missionary work spreading the hindu ideology. thank u. i am enriched from all these what you write. thank u. tony
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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12/6/2025 8:42:37 AM # 1.0.0
The narrative of the poem and the divine touch with which the story has been told takes the reader into an indescribable trance. We are overwhelmed by its appeal. The legend of Lord Ayyappan is progressing nicely, We remain thankful to you, Geeta ji, for re-creating the same for the benefit of all and sundry. Ayyappan bids his final goodbye, And leaves the palace, declining the seat to the throne;