Bhakta - Sri Ananthacharyulu

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Sri Ananthacharyulu

 

 

Madduri Rajysri

 

Eesanam jagathosya Venkatapathir Vishnoparam Preyaseem

 

Tadvakshasthala nitya vaasa rasikam tatkshanti

samvardhineem !

 

Goddess Lakshmi lives in the vakshastala of Lord Vishnu.

God's Leela is amazing. He can do anything to please his disciples.

One day, centuries ago, as the pundits opened the temple doors of Lord

Venkateswara in Tirumala; they stared at the image of Lord! The Goddess

Lakshmi on his Vakshastala was missing! They were shocked! They were

worried! They were breaking their heads! Then they heard God's

voice. `She is imprisoned in the garden of Ananthacharya. Go and

bring Her here with all grace.'

 

Isn't it strange? It is strange but true! God wants to

spread the faith of his devotees to the world through his miraculous

actions. It started this way!

 

Ananthacharya was a disciple of Ramanujacharya.

Ramanujacharya entrusted his disciple to serve Lord Venkateswara! Lord

Venkateswara is a lover of flowers and garlands. Ananthacharya partook

the decking of the lord with flowers. He performed it as yoga but not as

a duty. Every morning, he gathered meticulously various flowers,

prepared garlands out of them, decked the lord with them and admired the

Almighty with a pleasing smile. He sang many songs in praise of the

Lord.

 

This practice continued for a few days. Then one day he had

a flash of an idea! When he needs so many flowers every day why not he

grow a flower garden himself? The minute he had this idea, he wanted to

implement it. After he finished his morning yoga of offering flowers, he

began the afternoon yoga of growing a flower garden! This is a special

task relating only to His God and Himself! Not even a fly can come in

between! Of course his wife was given a share in the project.

 

Sri Ananthacharya wanted to dig a lake, to begin with. He

chose a place to the south of the temple. In the scorching heat of the

sun he dug heaps of mud. His wife's duty was to throw the mud far

away. She was pregnant and so it was a hectic task for her. But he was

unmindful of her suffering. It was not because he did not care her but

because he was always lost in the thought of Garden of Eden he was going

to cultivate. They were an ideal couple. The wife had no complaint

against her husband though he made her slog. She was glad to share her

husband's spiritual act.

 

They were unmindful of their trouble but how can God be

unmindful? He wanted to help them. So he went to Ananthacharya as a 12

year old boy and sought work. Ananthacharya did not want even a fly to

interfere, as already mentioned. So he refused. The boy pleaded again

but he angrily drove him away.

 

His sincerity, his fond love pleased God all the more. So

God came to him everyday and asked him repeatedly to employ him and all

the times Ananthacharya bluntly refused. God could not bear to see the

pregnant lady suffer. So he employed himself in the task one day.

Without the knowledge of his devotee, he snatched the mud vessel from

her hand and threw it outside. He did this in a jiffy very actively.

The lady was pleased at the boy's gesture and she could not say no

to him. But the husband, after a few trips wondered how his wife could

accomplish her task so fast! His wife told him the truth. He was so

angry with the boy for breaking the law. He ran after him and when he

couldn't catch hold of him, he threw his shovel angrily at him. The

shovel hit at the boy's chin and at once blood gushed out of it.

Anybody would have pitied him, but Ananthacharya was unmoved since he

felt the boy deserved it for his interference.

 

That evening when Ananthacharya went to the temple, the

temple priests were having a round table conference. When he asked the

reason for their discussion, one of them took him inside to behold the

Swami! Lo! Lord Venkateswara's chin was hurt and blood was oozing

out! Ananthacharya could understand at once that he had hurt not a

small boy but the very God Himself! His devotion to God made God

suffers! He cried over his unreasonable act and asked God for

forgiveness. God was not at all angry with him. He spoke affectionately

to Ananthacharya. `Don't worry; this wound will remain on me as

a token of your love to me. Your name will remain eternally as a staunch

devotee of mine. Chandanam will be applied there every day to mitigate

the pain'. He was touched by God's love for him.

 

Ananthacharya completed his Herculean task with renewed

vigour. In due course a beautiful flower garden took its shape in his

hands. Ananthacharya spoke fondly to every bud, every leaf, and every

blossom. He knew every plant in his garden. His loving care added

beauty to the garden and it became a favourite resort of Lord Sri

Venkateswara and Goddess Lakshmi. Every night, they spent their time

together there, without the knowledge of the owner. One night in the

romantic mood, God plucked a few flowers and offered them to Goddess.

The next morning, Ananthacharya could make out somebody roamed around in

his garden and plucked flowers. How could human beings enter into it

when it was meant exclusively for God! His anger knew no bounds! The

next night he sat awake with a watchful eye! He saw nobody and he

gloated over his watchfulness. But no! he was mistaken! Again some

flowers were ransacked and the garden was trodden upon. He made sincere

efforts for eight nights but miserably failed. Finally he sought the

favour of God too.

 

God did not want his devotee to feel disheartened anymore.

He also wanted to spread his devotion to the world.

 

That night as he was looking out, he saw a couple entering

his garden. `Ah, at last I got them!' He thought and ran towards

them. There was such a glow on their faces that he stood admiring them

for sometime. Then his sense of duty dominated over his sense of beauty.

He ran towards them. He caught hold of them both in his hands. `How

dare you spoil my garden which is exclusively meant for my God' he

cursed them. The couple tried to free themselves from his hands but was

not successful. After some time, the husband managed to escape.

Ananthacharya wondered how he could leave his beautiful wife behind, to

her fate! He felt that even though he escaped then, he would definitely

come back for his wife. Then he would take revenge. So he took the

lady to the champak tree and tied her to it with creepers.

 

The lady pleaded to him in many ways, but he paid a deaf ear

to her. Then he ran behind the husband. The husband ran into the temple

and again ran into the garden. He was too fast for him. Unable to keep

pace with him, Ananthacharya went to bed.

 

The next morning, when the priests opened the door they were

shocked. They were dumbfounded. The Goddess Lakshmi who is always

seated on Lord Venkateswara Vakshastala was not to be seen! Who could

have taken her away! Then God spoke to them, don't worry! She is

imprisoned in the flower Garden of Sri Ananthacharya. You all go to her

and bring her here with all the pomp and show. The Brahmins unable to

believe their ears, hastened to the garden. Yes they heard it right!

Goddess was very much there! When Ananthacharya heard this, he had a

mixed feeling. He was delighted that God came there in person with

Goddess Lakshmi but he couldn't forgive himself for imprisoning her.

He pleaded guilty.

 

The pundits and he made her sit in a flower basket and took

her to His Holy presence singing hymns all the way. God greeted

Ananthacharya as `Mama'. You brought your daughter to me in a

basket. Henceforth you are my mama'. Goddess Lakshmi became a

golden image and occupied her original place on the Vakshastala of Lord

Venkateswara! Ananthacharya was a blessed soul!

 

How lucky he is! We hear of devotees praying to God and

their wishes being fulfilled. Here Ananthacharya did not ask God for

anything. He wanted to serve him all by himself. He, his wife, his

garden, his every thought were directed towards God. That attachment,

that love, that total surrender made God come down to him personally and

to bear even pain in his hands, not once but twice!