Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 12 : The team of astrologers, which conducted a four-day ‘Devaprasnam' at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple here, has warned of death and destruction if the Vault B of the temple is opened.
The team of astrologers, after reading betel leaves used during the Devaprasnam, concluded that the unopened underground vault at the temple was inextricably linked to the ‘chaithanyam' of the presiding deity and that consequently that vault should never be opened.
The ‘Devaprasnam'— an astrological process that is believed to reveal the will of a god — revealed that the riches found in the temple's underground vaults belonged to the presiding deity. They should not be moved, put on public display, evaluated or photographed, reports The Hindu.
Astrologers Narayana Ranga Bhatt and Padmanabha Sharma told journalists that the ‘prasnam' revealed that the idol of the deity of a temple, which pre-dated the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, had been installed inside vault B. This idol has not lost its ‘chaithanyam.'
“The opening of this vault will incur the displeasure of the ‘devan'. It would also bode ill for the people and for the land,” Mr. Sharma explained. This vault was found to have an underground link with the sanctum sanctorum of the Temple. This vault cannot be considered just as a repository of riches. “If anything, it is a safe house of the ‘sannidhyam' of the ‘devan',” he added.
The recent opening of the other five vaults of the Temple — consequent to a directive of the Supreme Court — has also resulted in the displeasure of the ‘devan,' the astrologers said. The ‘prasnam' revealed that people associated with the Temple — from those who do the rituals to the employees — were guilty of wrongful behaviour.
Death and destruction were likely to visit upon anyone who tries to open Chamber B and all his relatives because its stature as the original divine powers had to remain undisturbed, astrologers concluded from the signs of the Thamboola Prasnam, the main part of the examination.
After analyzing 12 Thamboolams (betel leaves) over the past four days, the scholars said that the deity alone had the authority and right to enter Chamber B.
They said that the one who touched the chamber and his relatives were likely to die of poison consumption or snake-bites.
The scholars said that there was no need of any other method or scientific practice on this matter. The procedures on the third day had revealed that efforts to steal the temple property were possible and that such efforts had been made in the past.
The astrologers listed a series of penances to be done at the Temple. This includes readings of three Vedas, one lakh ‘Thila Homams', 24,000 ‘Maha Sudarsana Homams', 24,000 ‘Laghu Sudarsana Homams' and ‘ Sukritha Homam.'
The findings of the ‘Devaprasnam' come at a time when a five-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court to decide on the security, inventory and preservation of the articles inside the underground vaults has begun its work.
Nepal Connection
The Deva Prasnam revealed that the shrine has an integral connection with Nepal as 'salagramam' stones from Ghandaki river were used to make the presiding deity's idol.
The Travancore royal house, for which Sree Padmanabha is the family deity, has also associations with the Pasupathinath temple and the erstwhile Nepal royal family.
"In the past some rituals used to be conducted in the temple to commemorate this association. But over the years these ceremonies have not been performed resulting in displeasure of the Lord," the main astrologer of the panel Madhur Narayana Ranga Bhat told reporters.
The ritual had found that the huge riches kept in the shrine's vaults should not be moved out or alienated. The astrologers had also found there were theft threats to the temple wealth, signalling the need for further increasing its security.
The exercise also cautioned against opening one of the yet to be examined vaults as it is below the sanctum sanatorium, where the idol of Lord Vishnu in reclining posture stands, Bhat said.
Meanwhile,the five-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court to scientifically evaluate the treasures met here and decided to wait till the 'devaprasnam' was over.
"We will wait till the devaprasnam is concluded before taking further steps on the task entrusted on us by the Supreme Court", National Museum Director C V Ananda Bose, who is heading the panel, said.
Financial Irregularities
The 'Deva Prasnam' also 'revealed' that that there are irregularities in the handling of finances of the temple.
The ritual also revealed that the temple governing body is presenting falsified accounts every day. The 'Deva Prasnam' was conducted to ascertain the divine will through astrology in the wake of the huge riches found in the shrine's vaults.
The 'Deva Prasnam' had earlier found that there was serious lapses in the conduct of rituals and customs of the temple, which could affect even the nation.
The ritual was conducted at the 'natakasala' building at the eastern street of the temple.
