Copy of: The Greatness of Thiruvenkatamudayaan

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs of LOrd Srinivasa :

The Buffalo temple is having PraNa Prathisthai

for the icon of Sri Venkatesa next month .Sri Vijayaraghavan

Srinivasan of Bufalo, our dear host for the SDDS meeting in December,96

asked me to write an article On Lord Srinivasan for inclusion

in their souvenir for the occasion . I am copying you

on this essay .

May Padmavathi Sametha Srinivasa's Blessings be with us always !

V.Sadagopan

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

 

V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037

TO: Vijay, INTERNET:vijay_Srinivasan

DATE: 5/23/97 8:52 AM

 

RE: Copy of: The Greatness of Thiruvenkatamudayaan

 

The Sacred Seven Hills of Lord Srinivasan

**********************************************

Sri Venkataachalapathy is the presiding deity of

Thiruvenkatam , which is also revered as saptha

giri or seven hills. The extraordinary and ancient

glory of these hills is attributed to the residence of

Sriman Narayana on them as Sri Venkatachalapathy.

The seven hills associated with Him are Seshadri ,

Garudadri , Venkatadri , Anjanadri , Narayanadri ,

Vrushabhadri and Vrushadri .

 

These hills have acheived their sanctity as a direct

result of the imprint of Lord Srinivasa's holy feet on

them . On top of these hills , the Lord known also as

Balaji resides under the vimanam known as Ananda

Nilayam or the abode of bliss . Here , he accepts worship

according to Vaiganasa agama tradition .

 

Sacred Waters

*****************

 

Balaji's sacred temple is located on one side of the holy

tank known as Swami Pushkarani . In addition to

this sacred tank , there are other holy water-bodies in these

seven hills known as Akasa Ganga , Koneri theertham ,

Papa Vinasini falls , Tumburu theertham , Rama Krishna

theertham , Pandava Theertham and Svarnamukhi river .

 

Tributes of Immortal Bards to Balaji

***************************************

 

The Lord of the seven hills has inspired the divine Azhwars

and the great upasakas of Karnatic music to offer their soul-stirring

music as nada naivedyam to Him .

 

The poet-musician , Talapaakam Annamacharya has composed

countless adhyadmika , sringara and upachara krithis on the Lord.

He is considered the amsam of the sword of the Lord Srinivasa

celebrated as Nandakam . He was a sishya of Sri Adivan Satakopa

yathi , the founding jeeyar of Ahobila Matam . In one of his moving

krithis in praise of the Lord's most sacred feet , " Brahma Kadigina

padamu " , Annamacharya declared : " These are the feet washed by Brahma

during Trivikramavatharam in Satya Lokam . They are verily Brahman ,

the immortal and universal truth . These feet fulfilling the heart-felt

desires of parama yogins prove that Thiruvenkatam is parama

padam (Sri Vaikuntam ) " .

 

Among the other great Karnatic musicians , Purandara Dasa , Saint

Thyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshithar and others of recent times

have offeredd their musical salutations . Purandara Dasa visited

Thiruvenkatam often and has considered himself blessed to have

the darsanam of the Lord here . One time , he accompanied

Sarasvathi Devi and had the good fortune to see the Lord break

His archa samadhi and dance to the Veena music of the Goddess

of learning . He broke forth in a song set in Thodi ragam this way :

" Ninna Nodi Dhanya Nadeno Hey Srinivasa ! I am truly blessed now

to have seen You . O Garuda Vahana ! O Lakshmi Kantha ! O friend

of Pandavas ! Please save me , the sinner , who has wandered from

place to place enjoying transient worldly plesures " .

 

Saint Thyagaraja climbed up these hills and prayed to the Lord for

the removal of the screen of arrogance and delusion that stood

between him and the obtainment of the blessings of the four

purusharthas, Dharma , Artha , Kama and Moksha . In this Gowlipanthu

raga krithi , the bard pleaded with the Lord to remove the veil that

blinded him from the blessings of Moksham . In another song set in

Madhyamavathi ragam , Saint Thyagaraja declared that one needs

millions of eyes to take in the full beauty of Lord Venkatesa .

Mutthuswami Deekshithar , a contemprary of Saint Thyagaraja ,

gave us the moving Varali raga krithi, Seshachala Nayakam

bhajeham .

 

The bhakthi-laden outpourings of the Azhwars

***************************************************

 

Ten of the twelve Vaishnavite Azhwars have saluted the Lord

of Thiruvenkatam with 202 pasurams in Tamil . They have worshipped

the sacred feet of the Lord covered up to the ankles by the fragrant flowers

showered by the Devas . As Saranagathas , they have observed that

the fragrance of those flowers has increased a thousand-fold by their

sheer association with the divine feet of the Lord of the seven hills.

The songs of the Azhwars are indeed Bhakthi-laden garlands

imbued with eternal fragrance.

 

First Triad of Azhwars

************************

Pey , Bhootham and Poygai are the first triad of Azhwars,

who sung the glory of Lord Venkatesa . Peyalwar explains

that Lord Venkatesa , who pervades the earth , the heaven ,

the eight directions , the Vedas and their meanings , has taken

His abode in his heart lotus and resides permanently there.

 

Pogai Azhwar states that Sri Venkatesa kindles the lamp of true

knowledge in the minds of His bhakthas and destroys their

samsaric ills. The third of the triad , Bhootham asserts that

he has unwavering faith in Sri Venkatesa's commitment

to rescue him from the afflictions of Samsara and reveals that

he meditates unceasingly on the insatiable beauty and

the auspicious attributes of the Lord of seven hills.

 

Thirumozhisai Azhwar

************************

 

This Azhwar was a great Vedic scholar and accomplished poet

in Tamil . He explains that the Sapta Giris are the ones that

are worshipped by the Devas and are the ones that destroy

the greatest of sins and save the human beings from becoming

the victims of the endless cycles of births and deaths.

 

Periyalwar 's salutations to Gopala Balan of Thiruvenkatam

****************************************************************

 

This Azhwar worshipped Sri Venkatesa as Bala Krishna

( Balaji ) and assumed the role of His mother , Yasoda Devi .

He calls the mischief -maKing child of his to come closer ,

so that he can decorate the tresses of "her" child with different

garlands of flowers.

 

Andal's immortal love for Sri Venkatavaanan

*************************************************

 

Andal , the only female Azhwar is the incarnation

of Bhumi Devi , the Lord's consort . She was the foster

daughter of Periyalwar . She fell in love with the beauty of

Sri Venkatesa and pined for union with Him . She sent

the dark blue clouds of the rainy season as messengers to her

lover standing on top of the seven hills and begged the clouds

to describe her forlorn state to Him so that , He can take pity

on her and join her. She criticized in her Naacchiyar Thrumozhi

the lazy nightingales wiling their time away warbling in her garden

for making unplesant noises instead of devoting their energies

to sing the songs that invite the Lord of seven hills to rush

to her house. She commands the nightingales to cease their

singing , if they are powerless to bring the Lord to her side.

 

Kulasekhara Azhwar , the Royal Saint

*****************************************

 

Kulasekhara was a king from today's Kerala state.

In his soul-stirring hymns, he declares : " O Lord of

Thirumala ! Let me be born as a bird , beast , fish , tree ,

stone , a stream or any thing on Your sacred hills so that

I can be near You . This I would choose over all earthly pelf

and panoply . Let me have the feast of the darsanam of Your

beautiful face with coral-red lips. Let me be the stepping stone

at Your door step , where celestial nymphs and mighty Gods

jostle with one another to worship You ."

 

Thirumangai Azhwar's conversations with Sri Venkatesa

*************************************************************

 

His conversations with the Lord of seven hills are laced with

appeals and pleas to protect him from samsaric ills. The many

delectable names with which he addresses the Lord are soul-stirring.

 

In a moving prayer , he visualizes the Lord as the One , who has taken

the form of heaven (akasam ) , fire , water , wind and earth so that

He can pervade all the nooks and corners of His universe. He asked

for the Lord's forgivenness for all the sins that he had committed

and sought the blessings of true knowledge that would release him

from the snares of samsara .

 

Nammazhwar's anubhavam of the Lord of Thirumalai

***********************************************************

 

Satakopan was the given name for this great Azhwar.

Lord Venkatesa designated this Azhwar as namm-Azhwar

or our own Azhwar with great affectuion . Hence , he became

known as Nammazhwar . This Azhwar assumed the role of

a maiden (Parankusa Nayaki ), who was hopelessly lost

in love with the beauty and kalyana gunas of the Lord of Venkatam

and cried out her anguish over separation from Him in many

moving pasurams delineating the heights of Vipralambha Sringaram .

The Lord responded to the poignmant cries of the Nayaki and

united with her. The joy that resulted from the union with the Lord

gave birth to many mellifluous pasurams brimming with irrepresible

elation of the Nayaki , who obtained the sought -after boon .

 

Nammazhwar's saranagathi verse is the essence of the divya

prabhandhams of the Azhwars . In his verses , Nammazhwar

acknowledges the supermacy of Sri Venkatesa over all Gods and

states that the Lord of seven hills is his father, mother , friend

and every thing else in this universe. The Azhwar states that he can

not conceive of ever being separated from Sri Venkatesa , now that

he has been untied with the Lord . He declares that Lord Venkatesa

is the primordial force and the lasting truth of this universe.

 

Acharya Ramanuja 's service to the Lord of Seven Hills

***********************************************************

 

Lord Srinivasan of Thrumalai was always in the heart of

this great Acharya , who spent many years with his uncle,

Thirmalai Nambi to learn the esoteric meanings of Srimadh

Ramayanam at this divya desam . He installed the icons of

Rama , Sita , Lakshmana and Sugriva next to the processional

deity (Sri Malayappa Swami ) in the sanctum sanctorium of

the Lord . The beauty of Sri Rama in tribhanga pose is overwhelming.

 

In his magnum opus , Sri Bhashyam , Acharya Ramanuja says :

" May my knowledge assume the form of loving devotion to

Lord Srinivasa , who is the supreme Brahman and who is the shining

crown of the Vedas. He takes the form of Upanishads and engages

in the tasks of creation , sustenance and destruction . He has taken upon

Himself the supreme vow (Deekshaa) of protecting whoever that seeks

His refuge as Saranagatha " .

 

Acharya Vedantha Desikan 's tribute to the Dayalu of Thirumalai

**********************************************************************

 

Sri Vedantha Desikan ( AD 1268-1369) is an illustrious Acharya ,

who intrepreted Sri Bhagavad Ramanuja Siddhantham . He eulogized

the Kalyana Guna of the Lord celebrated as His Daya ( Mercy/Compassion )

through one hundred verses in his poem known as Daya Satakam .

Swami Desikan says that the most important Guna of the Lord Srinivasa

is His Daya . In this poem , the concept of one's surrender (saranagathi )

to the Lord and the Lord's Daya stand out as hte two overarching themes .

 

In Daya Satkam , every set of ten slokas reveals a particular

meaning associated with the divine attributes of Sri Venkatesa

that blossom as His Daya . These ten divine attributes are :

(1) His power to bless us with Moksha or release from the cycles

of Births and Deaths ( 2) His ability to carry out whatever he wills

(3) His power to destroy the enemies of those , who surrender

unto Him (4) His role as the means (upaya) for attaining all significant

goals (5) Being the fruit (palam ) of all earnest endeavours (6) Being

attainable without fail through the Saranagathi route (7) Helping the lowest

and the highest with equal haste , when they surrender to Him

with sincerity (8) Standing as the tower of strength on the top

of Venkatam hills to bless us as Kali Yuga Varadan (9) Incarnating

as Rama and Krishna to come into easy reach of His devotees

and (10) Offering His Moksha Samrajyam right here on this universe

of His .

 

The Vaibhavam of Thiruvekatamudayan

*******************************************

Many Azhwars , kings , nadhopasakas and common folk

have worshipped Lord Srinivasan of Sapta Giri from times immemorial

and have been blessed with Moksham . They have attained this supreme

status even from the sheer sight of His Gopuram and Anamda

Nilaya Vimanam .

 

The Mahima of the Lord of Seven Hills is vast and is beyond words.

The unique status of those blessed to have His darsanam at Thirumalai

is hinted by Kulasekhara Azhwar in one of the verses of his poem ,

Mukunda Mala : " For him , who had the darsana sowbhagyam of

Mukunda Srinivasan , this wide earth is a small speck , the rolling

oceans a water drop , the raging fires a mere spark , the shoreless

winds a mere breath , the vast sky a pin hole. O Lord! May Your

unbounded Majesty excel ! " .