sri vEnkatEswara mahatyam part -3

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SrI:

SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:

SrI krishNa parabrahmaNE nama:

 

dear vaishNavAs,

 

I wish you all a happy, devotional new year on this

ugAdi.

 

sri vEnkatEswara mahatyam part -3

 

9. nArada meets sri Lakshmi and tells Her about

nArAyaNa

 

Narada comes to know about the desertation of sri

vaikuntham without srI dEvi and paramapada nAthan. He

understands that his desire that Sri Hari to goto

earth for the restoration of dharma has been

fulfilled. He reaches sathya lOka and explains the

situation of Sri mAdhava in search of mAdhavi. The

Lord is much reduced for not having food and sleep.

Here the self-satisfied Lord gives a great opportunity

for His devotees to serve Him. NArada requests brahma

to arrange the Lord with some food.

 

Brahma thinks over for a while and asks nArada to go

and meet Lakshmi in kolhapur. He himself starts for

kailAsa. In kailAsa, Siva receives brahma with due

honour and enquires about the purpose of his visit.

Brahma explains the whole situtation in sri vaikuntha

and the position of their dearest Lord on earth. He

suggests Siva and himself should take the shape of a

cow and calf and feed vishNu with milk, to help him to

recoup. Siva readily agrees to such a great

opportunity to serve his Lord.

 

NArada, as directed by brahma goes to kolhapur and

meets Lakshmi dEvi. Sri dEvi duly receives nArada and

then nArada speaks: ‘oh mother! Why have you left your

rightful place sri vaikunTham, and are suffering here

on earth like an ordinary woman, wearing saffron robes

and performing penance?’

 

Lakshmi couldnot avoid burst into tears in remembrance

of Her Lord’s negligence towards Herself(?). However

she explains her plight to nArada in detail. After

hearing to her, nArada says, ‘this is how providence

plays. After you left sri vaikuntha, nArAyaNa also

left the place and wandering from place to place in

search of You, is now taking shelter in vAlmIkam under

a tamarind tree in Tirupathi. He is deprived of food

and sleep. He has gone down very much. You please

arrange to feed Him with the help of brahma and Siva’.

 

After saying these words, nArada takes leave of

Lakshmi.

 

10. Brahma and mahEswar become cow and calf to feed

vishNu

 

Having heard from nArada, the suffering of her

husband, Lakshmi is very worried. She could not

understand what could be done to feed Her husband.

Both brahma and mahEswar immediately appeared infront

of Her to come to Her aid. She explains Her situation

to the appeared divinities, and they in return express

their desire to serve the Lord in the form of a cow

and a calf. They ask Her to take the take the form of

a cowherd woman and take them to chandragiri and sell

them to chOLa king, to felicitate them to feed their

Lord.

 

11. Lakshmi dEvi sells the cow and calf to the chOLa

king

 

Lakshmi dEvi drives the divine cow and cald to

chandragiri town and reached the king’s palace. She

tells the king that she intends to sell the the cow

and cald to him, She adds that these cattle belong to

a special breed and ordinary people cannot rear the

same. That is why, she says, wants to sell them to the

king.

 

Both the king and the queen are attracted by the

appearances of the cow and calf and purchase the

cattle from Her. Taking leave of the royal couple,

Lakshmi dEvi returned to kolhApUr and resumed Her

meditation on the lotus feet of the Lord.

 

The ChOLa queen has desired to feed her child with the

cow of the new cow, though she has several cows. She

therefore called her cowherd and ordered him that he

should have a special care in grazing that new cow and

her milk should be brought to her separately.

 

The cowherd used to drive the new cow also along with

other herds for grazing to vEnkatAchalam. But this cow

never mixes with other cows. It uses to get itself

isolated from the others and without anybody’s notice

goto vAlmIkam where Sri Hari is taking shelter and

rain milk from her breast direct into the vAlmIkam and

rejoin the herd by the evening. When it returned home,

there is not no drop of milk found in her breast. This

continued for many days.

 

12. Sri Hari curses the chOLa king

 

One day the wife of the chola king calls the cowherd

and angrily says ‘not even for a single day you

brought the milk of the new cow. Is the cow not

milking or have you been gulping all the milk got from

her or are you making money out of it by selling

separately. Speak out the truth’.

 

The cow-herd says, ‘madam! I am quite innocent. I do

not know anything. Every evening, soon after driving

the cattle back home, I do try to milk this cow, as I

do with other. To my surprise, I find its breasts

always dry. I do not understand the miracle behind’.

 

The queen gets wild to hear these words, as they seem

unbelievable for her. ‘will any cow with a tender calf

go dry? I do not believe your words. Tomorrow, if you

donot bring its milk, you will be punished’ she says.

The cowherd trembles in fear. He postrates before her

and goes away.

 

The next morning when he takes the cattle for grazing,

the cowherd has a special eye on this cow. After

reaching vEnkatAchalam, he finds this particular cow

going astray. He silently follows. As usual the cow

nears the vAlmIka and begin raining milk from its

opening. The cowherd’s anger crosses all bounds. He

immediately takes an axe and tries to hurt the cow.

 

Sri Hari sees that the cow, which all these days

feedoing Him, is going to face the fierceful blow

from the cow-herd’s axe. He immediately comes out of

the vAlmIka and tries to save the cow. And in that

attempt bore that blow on His own head. His head

begins to bleed heavily which swoons the cowherd. He

becomes unconscious. The blood that oozed out from Sri

Hari’s head spread on the cow also.

 

The divine cow moved from that place and reached the

palace of the king. It lowed loudly to get the

attention of the king. Hearing the roar like sound of

the cow, and it is thumping its leg on the ground as

if asking the king to follow her. The king also

observes blood stains on the cow. He, therefore along

with his army follows the cow, which is quickly

marching towards vEnkatAchalam. It stopped where the

cow-herd fell unconscious.

 

The chOLa king hears sighing sound from nearby and

orders his soldiers to search from where it is coming.

They found SrImAn nArAyaNa in a pool of blood. The

king asks SrI Hari to reveal Himseld and also very

sorry for what happened with Him. SrI Hari opens His

eyes and in a angry mood He reveals His original

identity and cursed him to become a ghost for having a

cowherd who can kill a cow. Protection of cows,

brAhmins is the highest duty of a king. Having

violated such basic rule, Lord’s curse immediately

makes him a ghost. The king repents for his mistake

and prays to Hari in a humble voice, ‘ nArAyaNa! Had I

known you were here, I would have personally come to

serve you. I am innocent, I never ordered the cowherd

to wound anybody. I beg of you my Lord, please

withdraw your curse on me’.

 

SrI Hari says that the king is responsible for the

sins committed by his subjects and His curse cannot be

withdrawn. However the Lord promised the king that he

will take birth again in the same family by the name

AkAsarAju, and Lord will marry his daughter. ‘you will

also present me with a ruby studded crown, which I

will wear on Fridays’, Lord continues.

 

The cowherd by now regains his consciousness and

prostrates before Sri Hari to ask for His pardon. Sri

Hari pities him and says, ‘ Dear lad, donot worry, all

your sins are destroyed by My vision. You are the

first person to see me after I came to bhoolOka.

Therefore, even in my temple, people belonging to your

dynasty will have My first darshan. Your purpose of

life has been fulfilled and your name will be

remembered eternally. You can go now fearlessly.’ This

is the inconceivable grace of the Lord.

 

As per this commandment of the Lord, even today

immediately after opening the temple of SrI

vEnkaTEswata, a cowherd will get the first darshan. It

is only after this, other programs are carried out in

the temple.

 

(to be continued .......)

 

dAsOham,

SrIperumbUdUru vEnkaTa vinOd.