Dasa Sahitya Project to conduct “Metlotsavam” – In the Memory of Sri Vyasatirtha
Tirumala – the sacred abode of Sri Venkateswara Swamy is unparalleled in its spiritual glory. As per Bhagawan Vedavyasa, a holy place like Tirumala and a God like Sri Venkateswara never existed in the past nor will there be in the future. Such is the grandeur and splendor of this kshetra.
Only by climbing hills on foot
From time immemorial, devotees be it Devatas or humans, are longing to come to this holy place and also are longing to sing paeans on God Venkateswara. While the Devatas descend from the upper worlds, humans have to make physical effort to travel by traversing a variety of landscapes that exist from their origin and up to the destination.
Both the Puranas and historical records affirm that the mode of travel to reach the hill shrine was only by climbing the hills on foot. There were no other modes of transportation ever recorded in the scriptures or historical accounts.
Lord Himself climbed the hill
God Srinivasa Himself is said to have climbed the hill on foot twice, once before marrying Goddess Padmavati and the second time after the holy marriage with the Goddess. Thus, it is the Supreme Godhead Himself who introduced ‘walking on foot’ as the only mode of transportation to the hilltop.
Hence, for the last many millennia, devotees from all corners of the world are coming to the hill temple on walk.
The glory of Tirumala hill
Bhavishyottara Purana beautifully describes the spiritual glory of Tirumala Hill by narrating the story of a Brahmana named Madhava. At the beginning of Kaliyuga, there was a Brahmana by the name Madhava who lived in Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh. He was well-versed in all Vedas and Shastras. He was married to a beautiful woman called Chandralekha.
One day, due to the effect of bad Karma, he left his duly wedded wife and started living with a wretched woman.
After the death of his second wife, Madhava lost his interest in life and became a tramp. Soon he found his way to Tirumala hill. The mere darshan of the holy hill made him recollect and repent for his past deeds. As he touched the foot of the hill, all his sins were cleansed.
Brahmadeva appeared before Madhava and advised him to climb the hill. He further advised him to leave the present physical body after taking the darshan of Varaha Swamy.
Thus, Madhava climbed the hill, prostrated before Varaha Swamy, and left the mortal coil in the Yogic method. In his subsequent birth, Madhava became Akasha Maharaja, the father of Goddess Padmavati and father-in-law of God Venkateswara. This episode clearly shows the significance of climbing the hill with devotion and the fruits it reaps i.e., liberation from accrued sins.
History of Tirumala Temple
The history of Tirumala temple is replete with innumerable instances where the most rich and powerful emperors, queens, and nobles too have walked the whole path to reach God’s abode. Despite the comforts available to them at their beck and call, the rich and powerful of the bygone eras have always walked to Tirumala temple on foot with utmost devotion.
Then what about the spiritual Gurus and Acharyas? Would they be traveling by an elephant decorated with silk draping with gold embroidery or would they be riding a horse belonging to the world’s best breed? Never. All the Acharyas and Gurus have gone on a pilgrimage on foot to Tirumala from wherever they were camping. They came to Tirumala with their followers and disciples who too travelled on foot along with their spiritual masters.
Those followers and disciples never displayed their displeasure or discomfort to walk through the treacherous mountain ranges and dreaded forests. Instead, they begged and pleaded with their masters to undertake the Tirumala pilgrimage as many times in a year as possible.
Such was the attraction cast by Sri Venkateswara. Such was the spell of spiritual bliss offered by Tirumala Kshetra. Emperors such as Sri Krishnadevaraya, Achyutaraya, and Venkatapatiraya have traveled to Tirumala on many occasions on foot.
Similarly, great saint Sri Ramanuja has not only traveled to Tirumala on foot but also established a system for temple management that is running smoothly to this day.
Singing the glory of the Lord
Celebrated poet-composers such as Sri Purandaradasa, Sri Vijayadasa, Sri Gopaladasa, and Sri Jagannathadasa have made it a tradition to visit Tirumala 2-3 times a year and sing the glory of the holy place and the God.
Great saint, poet, and establisher of many charities, Sri Vyasatirtha of Dvaita philosophy has a unique association with Tirumala temple. He was asked to act as the overseer of the Tirumala temple administration from c.1486 to c.1498 by the then Vijayanagara emperor Saluva Narasimharaya. During his tenure as temple overseer and chief priest, Sri Vyasatirtha used to climb the hill on foot to perform all rituals to God Venkateswara.
Subsequently, he was climbing down on foot to attend to the mundane works that included attending to nature’s calls. This can be said as the highest example of utmost devotion and dedication toward the upkeep of the sanctity of the holy place.
There is another splendid narrative about Sri Vyasatirtha’s sacred association with Tirumala temple. Every time, the great saint was climbing the hill or coming down, he never set his foot on the holy hill. All the time and the whole way, he was climbing up or down the hill on his knees.
Because, for him, the whole mountain appeared as a huge, sacred Salagrama which is nothing but a rocky, physical form of Bhagawan Vishnu. One can imagine how challenging it could be to climb up and down a hill as tall as Tirumala on knees yet Sri Vyasatirtha continued to climb in this way for 12 long years.
Dasa Sahitya Project – Metlotsavams
The exemplary devotion of Sri Vyasatirtha who never took a rest for 12 years to climb up and climb down the Tirumala temple has become the inspiration for (devotees) Dasa Sahitya Project to conduct “Metlotsavam.” This unique program is dedicated to the sacred memory of Sri Vyasatirtha and all other such noble souls who walked to the hill with utmost devotion and dedication.
Since its inception in 1979, the Dasa Sahitya Project has been conducting Metlotsavams at regular intervals (4 times in a calendar year) in which thousands of devotees participate with the sole aim of worshipping Kaliyuga Daivam through Nama Sankirtana, Japa, and Parayana. Each spell of Metlotsavam begins with the arrival of the devotees (close to 3,500 per spell) at Tirupati which is followed by Akhanda Nama Sankirtana and Pravachanams.
Later, on a specific day of Metlotsavam, all the devotees congregate at Alipiri Padala Mandapam to commence their travel on foot towards God’s abode.
Brahma Muhurtham
The congregation takes place at Brahmi Muhurtham i.e., at 4:00 AM. A grand Puja is conducted with the participation of senior officials of TTD and spiritual personalities. Later, the devotees will start climbing the holy hill of Tirumala by singing the glories of Sri Venkateswara and chanting his sacred names. There will be short discourses by eminent scholars at specific places along the footpath where the devotees take brief rest.
After reaching Tirumala, the devotees are allowed to have the darshan of Sri Srinivasa Parabrahma and subsequently offered Annadanam. Subsequently, the devotees will climb down the hill and reach Tirupati from where they will be returning to their places with hearts filled with the sacred memories of Sri Srinivasa and Tirumala kshetra (place).
As the years progressed, Metlotsavam started gaining popularity due to its ability to offer unique spiritual experiences to the participants. Today, Metlotsavam has become an unforgettable divine event for thousands of devotees.
Article published in Sapthagiri Magazine “Metlotsavam – Sri Anandatheerthacharya”
