Venkateswara - 6

 

Miracles

It was mid night of 7th Nov 1979. The temple was quiet and it seems closed for the night. Tirumala was quiet and sleeping. Suddenly the bells inside the main temple started ringing on its own. It woke up Tirumala that someone is trying to steal. Opened the doors and the bells were ringing on their own for 5 minutes and stopped. Everybody have their explanations why it happened. Most believed that there was lot corruption and unholyness was happening in the temple.

May be 30 years back, dwajasthabam was opened to check it inside. The wood is completely gone and turned into soil. The temple authorities with religious leaders have specific requirements to replace wood. It is like miracle to find a perfect tree, cut it as one log, transporting it all the way tirumala is a divine blessings. Those who were involved were amazed.

Many times in my life i heard that people experienced strange miracles like a person appears, advises or helps them and disappears. The divine will try to help through beings on earth. Help doesnt mean money. Many strange things that are inexplicable are treated as miracles or divine will. In general miracle suppose to happen action. Since we didnt expect it or impossible to happen we treat it as Miracle. Based on probability, it suppose to happen.

I am blessed by many miracles too by Srinivasa.

Vimana Swamy

Saint Vyasa Thirtha, who lived here in the 16th century, was said to have attained moksha by steadfastly worshiping and meditating on the little image of Lord Venkateswara on the northeastern corner of the Ananda Nilaya Vimanam. That is why special significance is given to the Vimana Venkateswara. The Vimana Venkateswara now is decorared in special silver and gold over the Vimanam. Hundreds of devotees are seen praying to the Vimana Venkateswara daily inside the temple.

Vimana means airplane or a flying object. we all know that Heaven or God is above. Only way we know to go there is after death. That too most of us will not go there. What is this Vimana concept? It is definitely not that Hindus invented fly objects or airplanes or space ships long before and the technology is lost or stolen by west. This concept or theory is let all Bhakthas know that God will lead us to eternity. How?

Pushpaka Vimana is piloted by Vishnu. Everyone has a seat in the airplane. Any new person comes a new seat is created. Infinite seats and always there is space. Once a bhaktha is connected to divine mind or vishnu, he sits in your heart or chest and drives your inner activities. Now you are a passenger in pushpaka Vimana piloted by Vimana Venkateswara Swamy. He will preach, test and answer all your question and guide you in your spiritual endeavor. Saint Vyasa Thirtha was enlightened by Viamana Swamy.

We have all concepts, truths and aanandam is embedded in the Tirumala. Pray to him, he will guide you.

Great south Indian poets who Sang on Vishnu.

Melapathur Narayana Bhattathri

In Kerala, the most famous Guruvayur temple of Krishna is connected to the poet Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (1558 – 1643) who wrote the famous epic poem ‘Narayaneeyam’. Born into a family of Namboodri Brahmins, Bhattathiri was an expert in mathematics and logic, and the Tarka and Vyakarana Schools of philosophy. However his devotion to Krishna led him to write the 1036 Sanskrit verses of the ‘Narayaneeyam’. He was not even thirty years of age when he completed composing this marathon poem. Such was the genius of his scholarship. However he was not the first poet from Kerala to take to Krishna Bhakthi in such a passionate way. Many centuries before him, the 12th century poet Bilva Mangala penned ‘Sri Krishna Karnamritam’. He too migrated to the North and spent the rest of his life in and around Vrindavan. The songs of the ‘Narayaneeyam’ were popularized in Carnatic music by legends like Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavataar and his students in the 20th century.

Kshetreya

In coastal Andhra region of Krishna district is the little known village of Movva, known for the ancient temple of Krishna worshipped as lord Venugopala. Born as Varadayya in this village, he attained popularity by the name ‘Kshetrayya’. He wrote love poetry in Telugu in a genre that gained popularity as ‘Padam’. He traveled extensively across south India in his lifetime and his poems won him high merit and recognition from various royal courts. In his own time, the dancers of nearby Kuchipudi village adapted his poems to dance. Kshetrayya Padams became an integral part of the Carnatic music repertoire. These Padams, filled with erotic-devotion towards lord Krishna also became a litmus test of sorts in Bharatanatyam performances in the 20th century. The long list of illustrious artistes from the famous Dhanammal family became the greatest ambassadors of Kshetrayya Padams.

Venkata Subramanian

Venkata Subramanian (1700- 1765) was born into a Smartha Brahmin family in the Papanasam Taluk of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu. The place is famous for a thriving Bhagawata Mela dance-drama tradition and more importantly the ancient temple of Krishna worshipped as ‘Kalinga Nartana’. The temple history states the idol worshipped inside is a ‘Svayambhu’ or self-manifest from the earth. Surrounded by ancient temple towns, musicians and great scholars, it was not too difficult for Venkata Subramanian to take to music at an early age. He got attracted towards lord Krishna and in his devotion composed numerous songs. Various sources mention he composed over five hundred songs both in Tamil and Sanskrit of which a few remain. After settling down in the Oothukadu village, he became popular as Oothukadu Venkata Subbaiyer and Oothukadu VenkataKavi. In addition to poems and songs, he composed operas, Bhajans and so forth. In the 20th century, Needamangalam Krishnamoorthy Bhagavataar revived him in modern day Carnatic music. In the recent times Chitraveena and Gotuvadyam artiste Ravi Kiran has done a tremendous job in creating awareness about OothukaduKavi’s works. Carnatic vocalist ArunaSairam has popularized his most famous ‘Kalinga Nartana Thillana’.

In addition to these are several others like Narayana Teertha (1650- 1745), Sarangapani (17th century) of Karverinagaram from Andhra, Kanakadasa (1509-1609) from Karnataka and many more who have penned some moving poetry and songs in their Bhakthi for Krishna. A large part of them exist as a ‘living tradition’ thanks to the proliferation of Carnatic music and dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri and Yakshagana. 

Venkataramana encompasses all the attributes of Vishnu and the god on earth Krishna.