'Avatara Dina' - Greatness of Tirupati Part-9 By Sri.Sri.Muralidhara Swamiji

[Guest guest]

Radhe Krishna To all,

 

Hathiram baba, a Mahan, lived here. Even today, one can find the forms of

Hathiram baba and Lord Venkateswara playing ludo carved on the silver doors

inside the Temple. Many pictures of Hathiram baba and the Lord together were

found in Tirupathi in olden days. Hathiram baba attained 'jiva samadhi'. This

Samadhi is on the way to Papanasa teertha on Tirumala. Hathiram baba hailed from

Rajasthan and incessantly chanted 'Sriram Jayaram Jaya Jayaram!' Whenever the

Lord felt bored he came to Hathiram baba and both played the ludo! Thus, in

Hathiram baba's ashram and in the Lord's Temple one finds pictures of the two

playing ludo. While taking possession of all places on the mountain, the Temple

donated a place for Hathiram baba's ashram on the plains. Lot of Namasankirtan

and 'anna daan' take place in this ashram. Hathiram baba had made arrangements

for 'anna daan'. It is said that whenever Hathiram baba felt hungry he would be

locked up in a room with nearly

200 to 300 bundles of sugarcane. He would eat them all up in a short time and

walk out like an elephant. 'Hathi' means elephant and since he always chanted

Rama Naam he earned the name Hathiram baba.

 

Lord Venkateswara attracted all Mahans. Thiagaraja swami lived in Tiruvaiyaru

(Tamizh Nadu, S.India) and until the death of his wife never moved out. Later, a

close disciple who lived in Wallajabath invited Thiagaraja swami home and Sri

Upanishad Brahmendra, a Mahan who lived in Kancheepuram also desired to meet

Thiagaraja swami. Thus, he visited the two places. We learn that he visited

Kancheepuram at the time of 'Vaikaasi' Gadruotsav from his popular kirtan,

'Vinata suta vaahana'. It was then that Thiagaraja swami also visited Tirupati

to have darshan of Lord Venkateswara. At the time of his visit the curtain had

been drawn at the Sanctum sanctoram. Standing out, Thiagaraja swami sings (in

Pallavi), 'won't you open the curtain?' In 'anu pallavi' and 'charanam' he

sings, 'won't you open the curtain of egotism and jealousy in me so that I can

have darshan of your Chaitanya within me?' No sooner did he sing this line than

the screen opened on its own!

 

Muthuswamy Dikshitar, one of the music Trinity, was born in Tiruvaur. He met

Chindambara yogeeshwar at Manali. He then went to Varanasi and lived there for a

while. Here, he got initiated into Sri Vidhya 'upasana' (worship). After his

Guru's death he moved to the South. During his wanderings he came to Tiruttani.

Here, Lord Subrahmanya dropped a sugar candy ('kalkandu') in his mouth. Soon

kirtans began to pour forth from him. All his kirtans carry the 'mudra' (stamp)

'Guru Guha', as the outpourings were due to the blessings of Lord Subrahmanya

(also known as Guha). As he had lived in the North for a long time his kirtans

have also been sung in raags of Northern India. Muthuswami Dikshitar's brother

was blind. Though he was a Sri Vidhya upasaka, he sought the blessings of Lord

Venkateswara of Tirupati for his blind brother. At once his brother was blessed

with eye sight.

 

Puradara dasa, another great Mahan, was blessed by Lord Panduranga. But when he

left hearth and home, he first visited Tirupati to have darshan of Lord

Venkateswara and not Pandarpur. 'Srikanta enage ishtu dayamaado' sings he. He

says that Narayana who has come as Srinivasa was his only refuge. He also sang

the kirtan 'Venkatachala nilayam'.

 

Vijayagopalaswami was the disciple of Purandara dasa. He was one of the 'ashta

daasaas' ('eight daasaas' – famous in Madhwa sampradaya). He was in Tirupati

and 'Ratotsav' was being held. The Lord was being taken in a chariot. He was

singing, 'Devesa ganaradita….' Today, we sing this in 'rupaka taal'. But

initially when Vijayagopalaswami sang it was in 'duritam'. The Lord on the

chariot said to him, " I cannot move fast in keeping with your fast notes. "

Therefore, in 'sampradaya bhajan' we sing this slowly.

 

In olden days childlessness was mocked at. Socially, a childless lady was

ostracized. Once, a childless lady rushed to Lord Venkateswara and cried,

" Please bless me with a child so that the label of 'barren womb' on me would be

removed. I will offer that child at your chariot’s wheel. " The merciful Lord

blessed her with a child. The mother in her now refused to part with the child

and she did not fulfill her promise. During Purattasi sravan the Lord came to

her street on a chariot. The lady stayed indoors with her child. She had no

heart to offer the child to the Lord. When the chariot came to her doorstep it

stopped. The chariot carrying the Lord would not move from there.

Vijayagopalaswami was in the crowd moving along with the Lord. He realized the

real reason behind this and rushed into the house of this lady. He picked up the

child, rushed out and placed it near the wheel of the chariot. The chariot was

pulled and to everybody's wonder the chariot

jumped over the child without hurting it! Thus, the promise was fulfilled and

the child was also not hurt. It is only through lives of Bhaktas that the glory

of the Lord is spread in the world.

 

The Seven Hills here bear different names. As the asura named Vrushabaasura

lived here on one of the hills, this hill came to be known as Vrushabachalam.

Another of the seven hills bears the name Anjana parvat after the mother of

Hanuman (incarnation of Vayu) who was born here. Many of his childhood Lilas

took place on this hill. One of the hills bears the name Narayana parvat after a

great Brahmin Bhakta by name Narayana. Tirupati Venkateswara holds all weapons

– the Conch, Discus, Mace, etc. – in His hands. The king of Thondamandalam

went to this mountain to slay  Vrushabaasura. The pleased Tirupati Venkateswara

blessed him with His weapons viz. Conch, Discus, Mace, Bow, etc. Is there

anything that the Lord cannot bestow when pleased? Lord Venkateswara gave the

king everything. After slaying the asura, the king returned the weapons to the

Lord. But the Lord refused to take back the weapons saying, 'I do not take back

what I have given away. I know

only to give; know not to take.' Under the instructions of the Lord, the king

placed the various weapons of the Lord in different places on the mountain. They

all turned into holy ponds. The place where Shankha (Conch) was placed became

'Shankha teertham'; the place where Chakra (Discus) was kept became 'Chakra

teertham' and so on. Seshadri Mahatmyam (the holy text speaking of the history

of the holy place) underlines the various benefits accrued by bathing in these

holy ponds.

 

When the king ruefully said to the Lord, " It pains me to see you stand without

these weapons in hour hands, " the Lord consoled him with the words, " Do not

worry. Ramanuja who is verily the 'amsa' of Adisesha will come here and offer Me

all these weapons. " When Sri Ramanuja visited Tirupati, the Lord stood with

'varada hasta' (palm held in a sign of bestowing boons). He had no weapons in

His hands. During this time Bhaktas of various gods laid claim to Him as verily

their own Deity. Since the compound walls on the four side of the Temple carried

the idols of 'simha' (lion) which is verily the vehicle of Devi, her Bhaktas

claimed Him to be Devi. Further, special abhisheka was performed only on Friday

which is the most auspicious day for Devi. The Lord here also carries the name

Balaji. 'Bala' is a term used for Devi. This only strengthened their belief that

this was verily Devi. Bhaktas of Lord Subrahmanya also lay their claim, as Lord

Subrahmanya usually

stands only on a Hill. However, Seshadri Mahatmyam explains the reasons behind

every utsav, puja, the structure of the Temple, etc.

 

!!! Will Continue !!!

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The discourse in english by our swamiji covers about Meditation. Enjoy the You

tube...

 

" Goodness to Godliness "

 

  

 

Regards

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

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