He shall avoid being in the proximity of dead body and shall not eat anything till he bathes if he accidentally sees one.ġ4. and shall feast in anyone's home who have not undertaken the vritham.ġ3. He shall not attend any social function like birthdays, engagement, and wedding, etc. He shall not apply oil to his hair and shall not take bath with oil smeared over his body.ġ2. He shall strictly follow brahmacharya (continence), refrain from sex, thinking of sex, develop passion against all women including his wife, and treat all women with motherly feeling.ġ1.

As he starts his vritham every year, he shall think that he is doing the same for first time and follow all the rules of the vritham strictly.ġ0. He shall not cause inconvenience to his family members on account on observing the vritham.ĩ. When others prostrate themselves on his feet he shall not feel proud but dedicate the same to Lord Ayyappan and say aloud 'Lord Save everybody for their faith in you'.Ĩ. He shall not feel proud of the respect and privileges he gets when he is wearing the holy mala. He shall treat all co-devotees as Lord Ayyappan himself and serve them in all the ways.ħ. He shall not hurt anybody verbally or physically.Ħ. He shall continuously chant Saranam Ayyappa in mind, both at work and at home.ĥ. He shall bathe twice, if possible thrice, daily and perform pooja by at least chanting 108 Ayyappan Saranam. Devotees shall not trim or cut their hair on any parts of their body and shall not cut their fingernail or toenailĤ. Devotees are expected to undergo practices of simple living, and absolute cleanliness.Ģ.Total abstinence from all vices like alcohol, tobacco, chewing betel leaves and non-vegetarian food is stipulated.ģ. The devotees will wear only BLACK colored clothings.ġ. After this ceremony, the male pilgrim and the female pilgrim (aged 1-12 and after 55) are addressed as Ayyapan/Swamy and Maalikapuram respectively, until their completion of the pilgrimage. Devotees initiate the vratham by wearing a Thulasi or a Rudraksha mala.

Om swamiye saranam ayyappa poster