
There is an old tradition to sit for some time on the stairs or on the specially made corridor outside the temple garbhagriha whenever you go for a darshan. Do you know why it is advised to do so? Apart from sitting there, what else is done?
Now-a-days people discuss family matters, travel experiences, business difficulties, politics, all else but not what is to be done. Most people pose there to click photographs. I know you are guessing to meditate or do chanting there. That is ok but meditation is advised to be done in front of the deity. Chanting can be done of course but does not server the purpose. I got to know from someone, that sitting there means you are leaving everything belonging to temple, even the tiny particles of dust there itself except prasadam. Well, that explanation could not satisfy me.
By tradition, while sitting there, we should pray God with a special shloka. That shloka is-
“anAyAsen maranam, binA denyen jeevanam I
dehAnte tava sAnidhyam, dehi me parmeshwaram II“
let us explore the meaning of this shloka.
anAyAsen- sudden
maranam- death
binA- without
denyen jeevanam- helpless, poor life, suffering
dehAnte- in the death time
tava- your
sAnidhyam- nearness
dehi me- give me
parmeshwaram- O God!
Meaning of the shloka is-
O God! Please give me a boon that whenever my death comes, I go without suffering, without riding a bed in disease, without being dependent on someone for help, without asking for livings from others, that when I die, you are in front of me. That means asking for a blessing to go from this world in good health and having darshan of God while dying. Like Bhishma died while having darshan of Lord Krishna.
You can watch it here-
Hari Om Tat Sat!