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Last week there was a sensational revelation in the papers : a huge fortune was discovered in the vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple at Thiruvanantapuram. This magnificent temple is priceless enough without this material wealth as it has the most gorgeous carvings and statue of the Lord. With such earthly riches at his disposal, it is no wonder then that Lord Vishnu can go on a four month holiday every year.

Yesterday was the first day of  His holidays and He will be away till Kartik Ekadashi ( the 11th day of the month of Kartik, the eighth month of the Hindu lunar calendar). Ashadhi Ekadashi is a day of fasting and marks the four month period of austerity, prayer and watchfulness. Since Lord Vishnu, the protector of the universe is not around, it falls on us mere mortals to look after ourselves.

While four months seems like a long time to go for a break, Anna Shetty reminded me while I prepared to observe this period  that when Lord Vishnu blinks it is the equivalent of a 1000 human years so how much does that make four human months in Lord Vishnu’s time? It is a minuscule fraction and surely He is entitled to that?