August 2017 archive

All the respective duties were discussed and distributed and were being implemented by the deities. It is not an ordinary Marriage. It is a Divine Marriage for the well being of the Universe. All the deities were performing their respective roles to keep up their promise made to Sri Hari.

Brahma was chosen as the main priest of the marriage, who took the main responsibility for ensuring its proper completion. The powers of the five elements merged into one, all the powers of the deities came together and were waiting for the divine incident to take place.Each demi-god used his God-given energy to offer service to the Lord. They willingly took up the responsibility and completed them perfectly.

Padmavati was also very happy. Saptarishis, the seven sacred sages were very much pleased with the opportunity of praising Srinivasa on the Earth. Those prayers are called ‘Kalisantapa Haraka” means the prayers which help to avoid sorrow.

The seven great sages pray:

Sage Kashyapa says,

Kaadihreevanta Vidyaya Praptaiva Paradevata Kalou Sri Venkatesakhya Taamaham Saranam Bhaje.

Mother Goddess Rajarajeshwari who can be obtained through that knowledge which begins with the Ka and ends with Hreem manifested in Kaliyuga in the form of Venkateshwara. For this reason, the Lord is referred to as Bala-ji. To such goddess I seek refuge.

Kashyapa therefore prayed to Lord Venkateshwara seeing the Mother Goddess in Him.

Sage Atri says

Akaraadi Kshakaaramta Varnanampatim Umapati Kalou Sri Venkatesakhya Saranam me Sadasivaha.

Sadasiva the husband of Uma, who is the god of the letters starting from ‘A’ and ending with ‘KSHA’ is being called as Venkateswara in this Kali Yuga. I see Siva in him. He is my protector”. He is the God of learning.

Sage Bharadwaja says,

Bhagavan Bharavi Kantho Bhakatbheepsita dadayakaha Bhaktasya Venkatesakhya Bharadwajasya me Gatihi.

Lord Venkateshwara, who is the husband of Lakshmi, who fulfills all the desires of your devotees.is my refuge. He is my goal”.

Sage Vishwamitra says,

Virad Vishnur Vidhathacha Viswa Vigyna Vigraha Viswamitrasya Saranam Venkateso Vibhussada.

O Venkateswara you are the God. All pervading.You are omnipresent. You are the creator. You are the enlightenment. You are my protector”.

Sage Gowtama says,

Gowrgareesha Priyo nityam Govindo Gopathir Vibhuhu Sharanam GowthamasyAsthu VenkatAdri shiro MaNih

“You are the Gem of the hill Venkatadri. You are the favorite to Gowreesa, Shiva. Protector of the cattle, Govinda is my protector”.

Sage Jamadagni says,

Jagtkartha Jagatbharta Jagadharta Jagnmayaha Jamadagne Prasannasya Jeeveso Venkateswaraha

“You are the protector of the Universe, you are the destroyer. You are the Universe. You are the God of the life. You are my God who is so peaceful”.

Sage Vasishta prays,

VAstu Vignana Matram Yat Nirvisesham sukhancha Tat tatbrahmai vAgamasmeeti venkatesham Bhaje sada !!

“I consider myself as the soul of the Universe and pray to Venkateswara the Supreme being who the eternal truth is, who the incomparable is, who to be known as the Supreme Being”. I am serving Lord Srinivasa .”

Saptarishi Rachitam Stotram Sarvadayahpatennaraha Sobhayam Prapnuyat Satyam Sarvatra Vijayeebhavet !!

Those who chant this Kali Santapa Haaraka Stotram written by Saptarishis, will get blessed with Lord Vankateswara’s assurance and become victorious.

Bhajan :
Venkata Ramana Sankata HaraNa Kinkara Pala Govinda.

Srinivasa allotted duties to everyone as He belongs to everyone. In anyone’s case, the number of people whom he considers his relatives may be maximum 200. He can say they belong to him. Thats all. However every entity can consider Srinivas as their relative, their God.

But Srinivasa can be called that He is MY Swami . I came to serve Him. All the living beings can say so with regard to God.I came to serve Him since I am indebted to Him. No other human being has this kind of right to be possessed by millions of living beings. . Govinda Govinda !!

Seeing Indra, Srinivasa enquired, “Indra, can you please arrange accomodation for all my guests?” Indra immediately called Vishwakarma, the celestial architect, who constructed a huge city in itself. Indra was pleased with this accomplishment. He was proud that the work was done. Indra went and reported the completion of the task to Srinivasa. Srinivasa applauded him. Indra wanted to know if he could take up the responsibility of allotting the rooms to all the guests. Indra then assigned the rooms.

Indra then asked, “O LOrd, should we not construct marriage hall in Narayanapura?” Srinivasa agreed. Vishwakarma then completed the task.

Srinivasa then asked all the guests whether they were willing to accept his marriage to Padmavati. All the guests happily agreed.

Indra and other demi-gods were amused seeing Shiva’s troops who were fascinated with their silken clothing. They were checking each other delicate, silky clothing and were immersed in bliss.

All the Gods took important roles in this marriage. It was an extra-ordinary marriage that was beyond any comparison. It is important to know the roles taken up by each deity in this marriage. This explains the grandeur of the marriage.

All of Gods , Goddesses and other Celestials had given their consent to the divine marriage. Armed men of Shiva were admiring themselves in their silk dresses.

The responsibility of felicitating all the seven great sages was given to Shiva. The seven great sages extolled Lord Srinivasa.

The responsibility of welcoming the guests was given to Subramanya, the chief of the celestial armed force. Manmadha, the God of love offered to take the responsibility of distributing the beetle leaves and nuts. On Earth the question of cooking arises first in all the festivals and rituals. It is the nature of humans to discuss food related issues right in the beginning. But as they were all celestials, they thought of cooking in the last. The God of fire , Agni , offered to cook.

The God of wind offered to supply fragrant materials. All the guests were to be gifted with at least two or three gold chains and four or five gold rings. Kubera, the God of wealth took up the responsibility of the finance of the marriage. All the deities came forward to shoulder some responsibly in the divine marriage. Srinivasa personally was supervising the arrangements. This shows that the Lord oversees every minute aspect. When the owner is supervising every thing, small mistakes would be excused. If a broker would take up the responsibility it would cause problem.

He enquired about the water facility and the God of rains had taken that responsibility . In this way, all the five basic elements came forward and participated in the wedding arrangements.

The Moon had taken the responsibility of holding the bright lamp. Cleaning is the responsibility of a group of deities called Vasus. Yama, the god of punishments and death had taken up the responsibility of controlling the trouble makers who disturb the wedding procedure.All trouble-makers were tensed. They remained quiet throughout the marriage, scared of Yama’s whip.

All these arrangements were discussed with Brahma, the creator. All were looking forward for the divine marriage to take place.

Bhajan:

Re Man Re Re Man Choomat Gavo Hari Ke GuN

Bhajan :

Srinivasa Govinda Sri Venkatesa Govinda !

Srinivasa had sent his vehicle Garuda to invite Brahama. Garukmanta went to the abode of Brahma prostrated in front of him and invited him for the celestial marriage. Brahma was very much pleased with the invitation and gave it to Goddess Sarswati telling that they were all attending the divine wedding. He had invited all the sages and advised them to take part in the marriage proceedings. Brahma immediately set out for the marriage. Srinivasa flew on his bird vehicle, Garuda and welcomed Brahma reverentially. He was offered a suitable seat in Srinivasa’s place.

Birds played major role in the divine marriage. Srinivasa narrated all the details to Brahma; HE informed the reasons for his coming to earth and of Padmavati’s previous story.

Garuda now went to Kailasa, the abode of lord Shiva to invite Shiva and Parvati. All the armed forces of Shiva danced with joy listening to the news of the marriage. Parvati pacified them saying it had become a practice for them to dance for any message.They are habituated to perform tandava for any reason. Parvati advised them to behave properly with discipline. Parvati said that they were going to her brother’s marriage. She asked them to remove all their stinking skin dresses, lines of beads and skulls. She asked them to wear clean silk dresses and ornaments. She warned them to stop dancing and to behave in a disciplined manner without quarrelling among themselves. She asked Shiva to remove the snake around his neck, the skin dress and the drum in his hand. She suggested him to dress in silk wear and gold ornaments.

Bhajan:
Sundara Sundara Shiva Shiva Karuna Bandura Shiva Shiva
Sundareswara, Shiva got ready in a second in to a handsome form. After their marriage only then Parvati was seeing him again in that form. Ganesha also dressed himself beautifully. All of them reached Venkatadri and were welcomed by Srinivasa. The armed forces of Shiva were finding it difficult to restrict themselves from dancing. Parvati became busy in the wedding arrangements.

Saptarishis, the seven sacred sages were also welcomed by Srinivasa and made to seat comfortably. Srinivasa requested Indra, the king of deities to make arrangements of accommodation to all the invitees. The celestial architect had built a city for them. All the invitees were allotted with proper comforts. Celestial architect also created a beautiful Dais for the marriage in Narayanapuram. Srinivasa assembled all his invitees and sought their permission for Srinivasa to marry Padmavati. It was not an ordinary ritual. The marriage would have stopped if any one would have objected for the marriage. It is not like asking for coffee even though nothing is left to offer. Not a simple formality . It was a divine and celestial wedding.

Shloka :
Bhavatkanyeya MathulA ShriyasahA Ramishyati
DheeyatAm Deva DevAya Shakhine ParamAtmanE
Sage Shuka spoke thus to Akasha Raju. “By offering Padmavathi in marriage to Srinivasa , your dynasty will prosper. I, the parrot am speaking. your ancestors go to Vaikuntha. You might have accumulated lots of virtues due to which you are getting a divine opportunity to offer your daughter in marriage to Srinivasa. I will tell you one secret . Listen. Sages like us , despite performing penance for crores of years, never get an opportunity to have Lord’s darshan. Because of you , we are getting an opportunity to have His darshan . Hence we never leave your friendship for lives to come.”

The Rishi Bruhaspati was asked to study the planetary and star movements and verify the horoscopes of both Padmavathi and Srinivasa. Padmavati’s star is Mrigasira and Atri Gotra. Srinivasa’s star is Shravana. The origin sage of his family is Vasishta. Brihaspati declared that both the horoscopes matched with each other perfectly. He had permitted them to proceed with other matters of the marriage.

King Akasha raised his hand and promised and declared the marriage of Padmavati and Srinivasa. They thought for some time as to how to approach Srinivasa. King Akasha had written an auspicious letter to Srinivasa. He wrote “My blessings to Srinivasa. I wish to give my daughter Padmavati’s hand to you in marriage”.

Sage Bruhaspati and sage Shuka agreed for this and decided an auspicious time , the muhurtam as the tenth day of the increasing moon in the month of Vaisakha on Friday for the marriage. You are invited along with all your relatives and accept my daughter’s hand in marriage. Sage Shuka will explain all the details”. Sage Shuka also had taken Padmavati’s consent and proceeded along with Vakula Devi. After reaching their place she assured Srinivasa that every thing was successful and details would be given by sage Shuka. Sage Shuka prostrated in front of Srinivasa and was offered a seat of honour. He said that King of Narayanapuram had sent him there. With the help of Brihaspati an auspicious date was fixed for the marriage of Padmavati and Srinivasa. Padmavati sent a word for him.
Twam Pratyaha Suta Bhumeh Maamaheekuru Madhava
VadAmi Tava nAmani SmarAmiTvadvapussada
Dhreeyante Tava Chihnaadi
Bhujadhvanghai Ramapate.
Pamavati said:
“I am always chanting Your name and Your name only! I always visualize Your form. I always wear Your symbols. I am always chanting Your name, oh lord of the universe! Please accept me, oh my lord!”
Srinivasa replied that he would come along with all the deities to marry her.
“Kartum Kalyana Mudwaham Agamishyami Chamarai.”
Srinivasa wrote a reply to the king. He wrote “I pay respects to you. I am happy to receive your letter. I accept to marry your daughter on the auspicious date decided by you. I come along with my relatives and all other deities to the marriage. As Sagara, the king of ocean became famous by giving his daughter to me in marriage, so do You also possess that much fame with this marriage”. He gave the letter to sage Shuka and gave a line of Tulasi beads, His symbol to give to Padmavati.

King was very happy to receive the reply. Padmavati also was very happy to receive and wear the string of tulasi beads. Srinivasa enquired Vakula Devi about their relatives. She said that all the deities were their relatives.

Srinivasa immediately reminisced Garukmantha and Adiseshu. He assembled Garukmanta, His bird cum vehicle and Sesha, his serpent bed , His close relatives staying very near to Him. Garukmanta with five colors and golden wings and Sesha with his thousand hoods appeared in front of Srinivasa and prayed with devotion.
” Sri Bhunayaka Dayanidhi Gunamrutabdhi Devadhi Deva
Jagadeka Saranya Murthe Sri Mannamda Garudhabhirarchitamghre
Srinivasa Charana Saranam Prapadhye. ”
O God who resides on the hill Vrushabhadri, You are the husband of Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. You are the almighty. I surrender to those feet to which Garuda and Sesha worship.
Bhajan:
Srinivasa Govinda Sri Venkatesa Govinda
Tirupativasa Govinda Tirumalavasa Govinda
Datta Peetha Vasa Govinda !!

Dharani Devi was very happy to hear this. She asked Vakula devi to wait. She went to the king and said that she had found the reason for their daughter’s agony and also a suitable marriage proposal came for her.

Prophesy of the prophetess and the words of the future reader became true. Vakula Devi also confirmed the good news. King Akasha expressed his happiness by revealing the good news to Padmavati that Vakula Devi came to their palace with the marriage proposal. Padmavati’s glow returned to her face. Her eyes glittered with shy and happiness. All the people of the kingdom were very happy to hear the good news.

King Akasha remembered the voice who told him about the fame he would posses by the virtues of his daughter. God of Vaikunta was going to become his son-in-law. Those words came true. The king immediately started the arrangements for the grand wedding. He asked his son to go and invite the celestials’ guru, Bruhaspati. Padmavathi is very happy and blushing a lot. She is able to see the Lord everywhere! Imagine for a second, how the mind of a maiden will be, who is going to get married to her beloved. And that not with an ordinary being. It is with the Lord Himself! Her mind is not with her and she is on the cloud 9. Herself is the form of happiness! On top of it, she is getting married to the Lord! To her beloved! “Let me dance in happiness! I am going to stay with him again! I will dance in ecstacy! I will dance, singing His name!” So Padmavati’s heart is dancing, jumping, and swinging in happiness. He who meditates upon Srinivasa swings in his meditation.
Bhajan:

Nachungi mein Nachungi Hari Guna Gavat Nachungi….

. Son of king Akasha went to heaven, invited Bruhaspati and brought him along with him to Narayanapuram. He welcomed him with all the rituals and offered him a comfortable seat and requested him to supervise his daughter’s marriage. Then he replied that he knew nothing much about Srinivasa because he lives in the heaven.All I know is that he is Maha-vishnu.

He suggested inviting Maharishi Suka Deva, the parrot sage to be the mediator for the marriage because he lives on the Earth. He would appear like a sage for the eyes of the devotees or he was a normal parrot to others. He also narrates Bhagavata, the story of Krishna.

Tondaman, the brother of king Akasha searched for Suka Deva in the forests with devotion. He met him and brought him to his city called Narayanapuram. He was very happy for his luck of being the mediator for the marriage of Srinivasa.

To those who lack devotion the sage appears like a parrot. To those who have devotion he reveals his real form.

King Akasha welcomed Suka Deva with devotion and offered him a suitable seat and asked for his permission to marry his daughter Padmavati to Srinivasa. Sage Suka said that Srinivasa was the virtuous and the richest person in the Universe. He needs not to be worried or hesitant in giving his daughter to Srinivasa in marriage. He also advised him to worship Srinivasa and offer his daughter’s hand.
Bhavatkanyeya Madhula Sriya Saharamishyati Dheyatam Deavadevaya Shankhiren Paramatmane.

He said that with that marriage his family along with his ancestors would be purified and all his next generations would proceed to the abode of heaven. He was a virtuous person in his previous birth to possess Srinivasa as his son-in-law. Sages observe penance to have a single glance of the God which was made possible for them by this marriage. Sage Suka promised the king not to leave his friendship in all his births.