After waking up the Lord’s Chaitanya through the Suprabhatam hymns, the devotee sings of His glory describing His auspicious qualities and voicing forth the success that is always His. It is of the greatest importance that the Lord’s attributes are extolled; for only then they will come into play for succour in all the aspects prayed for.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram
In this respect, Sri Venkateswara Stotram is a magnificent prayer of the highest potency and it can be uttered always.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 1
Kamalaa kuchachoochuka kumkumatho
Niyataarunitaatula Neelatano!
Kamalaayata lochana lokapathe
Vijayeebhava Venkata sailapate!!
“O Lord of Venkatachala! O Lord of the Universe! Victory to You who have had Your blue body regularly made red by the kumkum colour at the tips of the nipples of the breasts of the Goddess Mahalakshmi and who have wide lotus eyes!”
The devotee sings that it is victory to the Lord who is benign and full of love. His love has had full play and the Mother in divine communion with Him is manifest in Him with full grace. Her effect is seen in His deep blue body which is beyond any impression being made on it.
The red or the passion of the Divine Mother makes a forceful impact on Him and fills Him with tender passion for all creation who are under Her protective aegis. It is the practice of the sages to pray to the Purusha and Prakriti in combination and beseech for the lighting of the auspicious looks that are theirs while they are together alone in their own company.
Sri Sankaracharya in his Kanakadhara stavam prays for such looks in their traffic of love between the merciful Lord and the Divine Mother. So also does Sri Vedanta Desika in his analogous Sree Stuti. He says:
Dhatte sobhaam Hari marakate taavakee moortiraadyaa
Tanvee tungaa stanabhara nataa taptaa jaamboonadaabhaa!
Yasyaam gacchantyudaya vilayairnityaa maanandasindhow
Vicchaaveygolaasitaa laharee Vibhrama Vyakta yaste!!
“O Goddess Mahalakshmi! The huge and delicate breasts of Your making You bend with Your pristine golden colour cause Your person to increase the radiance of the Lord who is like the bright Marakata gem. Your different forms too rising like waves separated from the sea and again merging in it eternally increase his happiness and unite in Him ultimately!”
He means that the divine and auspicious personality of the Goddess who is of golden hue causes a new colour in the body of the Lord which is deep blue. Similarly, here the devotee alludes to the red colour of Kumkum adhering to the breasts of the Lord on account of identical union with the Goddess giving rise to a new and charming colour in the body of the Lord.
Her presence with Him in this manner enhances His beauty and makes Him lovable and loving and victory is surely His, making Him the Unique controller of the Universe.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 2
Sachaturmukha Shanmukha Panchamukha
Pramukhaakhila daivata Mowlimane!
Saranaagatavatsala saaranidhe
Paripaalayamaam Vrishasaila Pate!!
“O Lord of Vrishachala! The Supreme and crowning deity above all the prominent Gods like the four-faced Brahma (the creator) the six-faced Kumara Swami and the five-faced Lord Siva! O Lord who is full of love towards those who surrender unto you completely! The essence of all Tattwas! please assume control over me and protect me!”
The glory of the Lord is such that He ranks the foremost among all the deities. He is the Lord of all Lords. Lord Brahma is four-faced, the four faces representing the chaturvidha Purusharthas – the four ends and aims of life – Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.
He gives rise to the body – vehicles that are expected to carry out these four ends of life to fruition and as such He is the creator of the world.
The six-faced Lord Shanmukha has the power to make one get over the Arishadvargas – the six enemies of all the creatures of the world, namely, kama (desire), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha (attachment), Mada (pride), and power (madness) and Matsarya (jealousy and hatred).
He has control over these six elements, which he blots out through his six faces. He annihilates the pranks of the five sense organs and bestows the sixth sense of Viveka to tide over the ocean of Samsara.
Lord Siva, the Lord of Panchakshari Mantra has control over the entire Universe and all creatures who are made of the five elements. They get redemption only through Him. These deities who comprise in them all the powers needed for men to attain salvation from the bondage of Samsara are all under the supreme influence of the Lord Sri Venkateswara who is Trimurthyatmaka Sakti.
That the Lord has all the aspects of these most important deities in Him powerfully present is emphasized Here.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 3
Ativelatayaa tava durvishahai
Ranuvela krutai raparaadhasataih
Bharitam tvaritam Vrishasailapate
Parayaa krupayaa paripaahi Hare!
“O Lord Sri Hari! I may have committed and maybe committed many sins, transgressing all limits, towards You always, O Lord of Vrishachala! Forgive me and look after me with quick mercy with which You are full always!”
We cannot always be conscious of our sins. We may unconsciously commit many violations of Dharma and offend the Lord. We may even do so knowingly. It is only natural for we are led by Prakriti or Nature. That is why we utter the prayer daily.
Kaayenavaacha Manasendriyairvaa
Buddhyaatmanaava Prakriteswabhaavaat!
Karomiyadyat sakalam Parasmai
Naaraayanaaneti samarpayaami!!
All the deeds done by this body, mind speech and the senses are dedicated to Lord Narayana alone so that He being the ocean of Mercy would protect us. He prevents us ultimately from doing bad when we dedicate ourselves, our actions and our speech to Him in total unalloyed surrender.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 4
Adhi Venkatasaila Mudaara mate
Rjanataabhimataddhika daanarataat!
Paradevatayaa gaditaannigamaih
Kamalaa dayitaannaparam Kalaye!!
“I do not know any other deity nor do I worship any other deity than Lord Venkateswara who is of generous disposition, who is always prepared and inclined to gratify the desires of the people in great beauty and who is declared by the Vedas as the highest of the highest Gods, Sripati, the husband of Goddess Kamala!”
The grace of the Lord can be attained only when one surrenders to Him completely without reservation and thinks of Him and Him alone and none else. Worship must be offered to only one deity and one deity only after choosing that deity. He is the Ishta daiva then and He does all that is required of Him.
Though the Lord is absolute, attributeless, shapeless and beyond feelings, when He is prayed to in attributes, shapes and feelings, He assumes those qualities and forms and vouchsafes all things to the devotees who pray to Him that wise. For instance, Gajendra (the king of elephants) prayed to the Lord in the absolute aspect requiring succour from that Divine Spirit which animates, preserves, protects and destroys the world.
He could not get any help for that aspect could only make Him merge in the Absolute and not free him from that physical calamity. It was only when he prayed to the Lord Maha Vishnu, the preserver aspect, attributing that power to Him that he got freedom from the crocodile. This dedication must be single-minded and of one deity.
As His Holiness Bhagavan Srila Sri Pandrimalai Swamighal has stated: “If you dig deeply at one place and one place alone, you can get water: if you dig at various places and leave them one after another without depth of work or feeling, you will be left in the lurch.”
One should choose the Ishta Daiva and rely upon Him and Him alone. There can be no Ishta Daiva greater than Lord Venkateswara as in this Kali age. There is no place greater in spiritual efficacy than Venkatachala and there is no deity greater than the Lord Venkateswara who is without peer (Venkatadri samam sthanam Brahmande Nasti Kinchana, Venkatesa samo Devo Na bhuto na bhavishyati).
This attitude is important to get the full benefit of the grace of the Lord.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 5
Kala venuravaa vasa gopa vadhoo
Satakoti vrutaat smarakoti samaat!
Prativallavikaabhimataa tsukhadaat
Vasudeva sutaannaparam kalaye!!
“I do not know any other deity than the Lord who is the son of Vasudeva, who is surrounded by the beautiful Gopi damsels crores in number who are charmed and made bis by his pretty and alluring music of the flute; who is most handsome being a crore time more bewitching than Manmatha, the God of love; who is the Giver of absolute bliss and who pleases every one of the cowherd women!”
The Lord is impartial in His mercy towards all creatures. He attracts everyone by the song of His flute which is divine and can make everyone shed his or her ego and merge in Him and His Glory in their thoughts.
The cowherd women were a brilliant illustration to the point they had forsaken everything held dear by them being attracted by the Lord’s spiritual excellence and beauty and the divine message of His conveyed through His flute. Their blind faith in the Lord made them superior to all saints and sages. Their devotion is a model to all the devotees.
Devotees try to attain Him also by imagining themselves to be gopikas and acting like one of them. Sree Andal attained the Lord that way. Sri Chaitanya realised godhead in the same manner. Krishna Prem of His, made all those who came into contact with Him feel pervaded by the same feeling.
So the devotee has properly avowed his article of faith – total dedication to the one and the only one Lord of the Seven Holy Hills, Lord Krishna, the son of Vasudeva.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 6
Abhiraama gunaakara Daasarathe
Jagadeka dhanurdhara Dheeramate!
Raghunaayaka Raama Ramesa Vibho
Varado bhava Deva Dayaajaladhe!!
“O Lord! Who is the repository of all endearing qualities? Son of Dasaratha! The sole wielder of the Bow in the Universe! of a venturesome and courageous disposition! Leader of the Raghu race! Sri Rama, the Lord of Mother Rama or Lakshmi! Omnipresent Vishnu! O ocean of mercy! Be disposed to give boons and protect us!”
The Lord is represented here as Lord Sri Rama, quite in keeping with the first sloka of the Suprabhatham where He is addressed as ‘Kausalya Supraja Rama!’. He is the one who has all auspicious qualities.
As Narada had delineated it to Valmiki, He is virtuous, energetic, knowing Dharma or righteous conduct, thankful in nature, true of speech, firmly pursuing decisions and policies, clean in career, a benefactor to all the living, scholarly, capable, always of pleasing appearance, brave, having control over anger, radiant in every respect, hating none but fierceful and causing fear even in the Gods when roused.
Lord Venkateswara is Rama Himself. As Rama is respected and worshipped by people of all persuasions of religion, so is Venkateswara who is He and He alone. He is Dasarathi, not merely because He was born to King Dasaratha. He justified that name as He kept the word given to Dasaratha, His father and made Him, the one that followed Truth and did not swerve from His word of honour.
In the same way, once a word is vouchsafed to the devotee, it is carried out by the Lord with precision against all odds. As the wielder of the bow, His aim is deadly and once its arrow falls on the enemy of the devotee, the last will be heard of Him. Even so, He is merciful because He is Ramesa or the Lord of Lakshmi, the Divine Mother, whose love for us is unlimited.
By association with Her, the Lord is reinforced and He becomes particularly kind and like the ocean of benigness. He is made the veritable boon giver per force in conjunction with the Mother. Hence the devotees mention this superb quality of mercy of the Lord for showering boons, when with Goddess Lakshmi.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 7
Avaneetanayaa kamaneeyakaram
Rajaneekara chaaru mukhaamburuham!
Rajaneechara Raaja tamomihiram
Mahaneeyamaham Raghuraamamaye!!
“I seek refuge in Lord Sri Rama of the Raghu race of great eminence and power who is the one whose hand is sought after by Mother Sita, the daughter of Mother Earth; whose face is beautiful, brightening and sweet like that of the Moon and who is like the Sun to the darkness, namely Ravana, the king of the Rakshasas!”
The Lord is Sita-Rama. He is the saviour of all. As already stated we should think of Him only as Sitapati-the Lord of Sita, the repository of all mercy and love, kindness and affection towards creation. For (Aprameyam hi tattejo yasya saa Janakaatmajaa). The divine effulgence of the Lord becomes limitless and invincible when He is with Mother Sita.
He is like the moon by looking at whom one feels happiness and sweetness of heart dispelling all gloom and misery that may be in one before lighting on His face. The Lord is called Ramachandra on that account. He is rightly the Sun driving away the jet-black darkness of evil represented by Ravana, the personification of Ego. Ravana thought himself to be superior to all Gods and all creation.
Without caring for the consequences, unmindful of advice tendered against it, he carried away the Divine Mother and was ultimately wiped out by the Lord. The implication here is that we at present are well nigh behaving like Ravana, full of ego and ignorance, subject to illusion, being prey to the senses, with no thought of the Almighty and His sway over us all. It is only the burning rays of the Sun that can tear darkness under.
Likewise, it is only the Lord’s power that can dispel our gloom of Agnana and make us realise Godhead with humility and in a state of abject surrender. The comparison with the Sun is apt for being the Highest born in the race of the Sun, he has all the powers of the Sun God inherent in Him. Being Narayana who is contemplated in the words (Dhyeyassadaa Savitru mandala Madhyavarti), He is the all-powerful Lord who is the life spirit of the Universe. He is the animator of the Sun being within Him.
Verily He destroys the darkness of ignorance and all ‘tamasik’ qualities inherent in us who are in modern times arrogating to ourselves supremacy over everything asserting that there is no God and everything done is the outcome of our work or our Purushakara alone.
The Lord is Mahaniya or the mightiest, possessing every power and every auspicious quality. He has in Him all virtues and we have to praise Him in all His attributes if His grace has to be directed to us. It is only when we dwell on the auspicious qualities of the Lord and go on singing about them that we can get the tranquillity or peace of mind to attain the Lord’s Lotus Feet.
The sage Vyasa learnt this truth from Narada. He did not find any spiritual peace or calmness of mind despite his having written the Mahabharata and having propounded the Dharmas necessary for all strata of society. The sage Narada who found him in that pensive mood told him, that his lack of peace of mind was because he had nowhere dwelt on the blessed qualities of the Lord.
“There is no use of merely propounding Dharmas. God will be pleased only when one sings of His attributes and stories depicting His wonderful deeds on the earth. That is why all devoted spend their time in Sankirtan of the blissful history and attributes.”
Thus exhorted, the sage Vyasa wrote the great epic ‘Mahabhagavata’ and got spiritual solace. Sankirtan of the Lord’s name and history gives the necessary strength of mind and power of endurance necessary to attain self-realisation.
When we desire something, it is up to us to dwell on the Lord with attributes as already mentioned. It is therefore necessary to think of Him as Mahaniya or the very personification of all eminence nothing being beyond Him or above Him. He is the one to protect us.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 8
Sumukham, Suhrudam Sulabham Sukhadam
Swanujancha Sukaaya mamoghasaram!
Apahaaya Raghoodwahamanyamaham
Na kathanchana kanchana jaatu Bhaje!!
“I shall not pray at any time to anyone other than the Lord born in the race of the Raghus, adding lustre to it; with a face of exceeding beauty, a heart of excellence, easy of approach and attainment; giving all auspicious the best physique and body and owning invincible arrows that do not go in vain!”
Here, the devotee refers to the exceedingly bewitching beauty of the body and heart of the Lord. Lord Brahma, the four-faced creator, in his prayer to the Lord, said:
Vande Raamam Jagadvandyam Sundaraasyam Suchismitam!
Kandarpakoti Laavanyam kaamitaartha pradaayakam!!
He salutes Rama, respected and worshipped by the Universe, having a handsome face and dazzling smile of purity, highly beautiful crore times over the God of Love’s beauty and vouchsafing all gifts desired by the earnest devotee. The reference is to Sundarasyam of the beautiful face attracting everyone to Him. Mahatma Tulsidas, referring to the Lord’s charming appearance says:
“Looking at the beauty of Rama, Lord Sankara drank it, full of love, with fifteen eyes (being Panchanana or five-faced, each face having three eyes, he has fifteen eyes), the third eye being powerless against Him. The four-faced Brahma did so with eight eyes, feeling acutely for the loss of the fifth head that he had earlier. Kartikeya enjoyed it with twelve eyes, being six-faced, one and a half times more than Brahma and felt happy beyond description. Indra enjoyed Sri Rama’s beauty with his thousand eyes, while the other Devas felt jealous of Him!”.
Lord Rama of peerless beauty is easily accessible. If one were to dwell on His name wholeheartedly, He is sure to help the needy, who do so. There is no need for any penance or austerity. A complete surrender to Him is enough. He has laid upon Himself the duty of protecting the meek and the gentle and is always at the beck and call of those who pray to Him.
A reference is made to the grandeur of the Lord who had the most unequalled brothers, Lakshmana, Bharata and Satrughna, who were paragons of beauty and virtue with the most excellent character. Lakshmana never left the Lord whom he served with a total surrender and spirit of faithful self-abnegation.
No character in mythology could compare with him in his object of self-effacement. So also Bharata whose life is an object lesson to all, teaching loving brotherliness, fondness of Dharma and its total application. Satrughna is the alter ego of the Lord. All these brothers are part and parcel of the Lord. Naturally so, for Lakshmana is the Lord Adisesha in human form. The conch of the Lord can never part with Him. He is Samkarshana and the power of the Lord vests in Him.
Bharata and Satrughna are the Sankha and Chakra of the Lord in mortal manifestation. They agree, feeling and acting as the Lord. To have such brothers is the highest bliss. The devotee here exhorts us indirectly to have the same feeling of brotherliness and feeling of fraternity towards all.
The Lord’s arrows are without peer and they achieve their aim once they are directed against any target. When He was confronted by Parasurama, He declared that His arrow was deadly and could not go in vain. He wielded the bow of Vishnu and aiming an arrow said:
Braahmanoseeti poojyo me Viswaamitra Krutenacha
Tasmaacchaakto Nate Raama moktum Praanaharam Saram
Imaam Paadagatim Raama Tapobala samaarjitaan
Lokaanapratimaanvaa te Harishyaami Yadicchasi
Nahyayam Vaishnavo divyassarah para puram jayah
Moghah patati Veeryena Bala (para) darpa vinaasanah!
“O Parasurama! You have become venerable and worshippable by Me your being related to the sage Viswamitra and by your being a Brahmin. So I do not want to use this arrow that can deprive you of your life against you. Either I should destroy your ability to go wherever you like or the auspicious regions won by you by your penance.
Choose between the two. For this arrow which can annihilate the foes of Lord Vishnu and raze their cities and their armies to the ground cannot go in vain without accomplishing its purpose!”
So potent is the Lord’s arrow. That is why He is called (Amoghasharam). Hence the Lord whose beauty is unparalleled, who is so kind and well disposed to help everyone who comes to His fold, Lord Venkateswara who is Sri Rama, is the sole protector of all. The devotee does not want to think of anyone else to be his preserver and protector.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 9
Vinaa Venkatesam Na Naatho Na Naathah
Sadaa Venkatesam Smaraami Smaraami!
Hare Venkatesa Praseeda Praseeda
Priyam Venkatesa Prayaccha Prayaccha!!
“There is no deity other than Lord Venkateswara who can be my sole refuge. I think He is the single Lord of Lords. I meditate upon Him always. I concentrate my mind on Him at all times. “O Lord Sri Hari! Lord Venkateswara! Be pleased with me. Think kindly of me. Grant me what I desire. Please bestow my cherished boons on me!”
Here the devotee surrenders to the Lord without any inhibition or hesitation. He is the sole shelter of the afficted, the innocent and the meek. Even if it were His deadliest enemy, He would give him protection if only the latter craved for it.
He had proclaimed this cardinal creed of his while offering protection or Abhaya to Vibhishana overruling the words of Sugriva who wanted Him to be wary of what He was doing. The Lord said Here:
Sakrudeva prapannaaya tavaasmeeti yaachate
Abhayam Sarva bhootebhyo dadaamyetadvratam mama!
Anayainam Hari Sreshta! Dattamasyaabhayam
Vibheeshanevaa Sugreeva! Yadivaa Raavanaaswayam!
“If one who is having some source of danger threatening him comes to Me and begs for protection, I am ready here to offer him My shelter, take him into My care and see that his fears are wiped out and that he is free from any danger.
“ O best among the Vanaras! It may be Vibhishana who has come or even Ravana himself in that shape. It does not matter. I shall take him under My protective aegis and give him necessary assurance of safety from any danger.”
Such is the creed or oath of the Lord Rama who is Lord Venkateswara and Lord Hari, who destroys all sorts of enemies of His devotees, both external and internal, and gives salvation. Hence the devotee says here that only Sri Venkateswara is competent to gratify all the desires of those who look up to Him for aid and protect them against all onslaughts of all types of enemies, open and hidden, external and internal.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 10
Aham doorataste padaamboja yugma
Pranaamecchayaa gatya Sevaam karomi!
Sakrut sevayaa Nitya Sevaa phalam twam
Prayaccha Prayaccha Prabho Venkatesa!!
“O Lord Venkateswara! I am coming from afar with the earnest desire to fall at Your Lotus Feet and pray to You performing my service of worship to You. Be pleased to regard this occasional service of worship and prayer made once to You as being as efficacious as daily worship of You at all times. Kindly grant me the boon of having the fruit that would accure to one who does eternal service to You here!”
The devotee here refers to the disability under which he labours. For he comes once in a way to worship the Lord of the Seven Hills directly being restricted in motion due to worldly affairs. He is confined to the place of his vocation and he has to take his time to come over and offer personal worship to the Lord at the Sacred Hill, Abode of Venkatachala.
He prays therefore that the Lord should give him the benefit of continuous worship to the Lord in the precincts of the temple even though he has come once in a way for the purpose. The Lord is always in his heart.
But to have the blessed darshan of His most beautiful Archamurti always and have the benefit of the Spiritual aura there around Him constitute in themselves a most cherished treasure of immeasurable value.
Of this, he is deprived due to limitations imposed upon him by time, duty and environment. He wants the Lord to take compassion on him and give him the benefit of continuous service of the Lord in His presence in His Sacred Abode on the Seven Holy Hills.
Sri Venkateswara Stotram – 11
Agnaaninaamayaa doshaanaseshaanvihitaan Hare!
Kshamasvatvam kshamasvatvam Seshasaila Sikhaamane!!
“O Lord Venkateswara, the crowning jewel of Seshachala! Lord Hari! In my ignorance, I may have committed many blunders and transgressions. Kindly forgive them. Forgive them. Forgive them. O Lord!”
The devotee concludes his prayer to the Lord Venkateswara with this invocation. We, as frail human beings commit many mistakes in life knowingly or unknowingly. We are ruled by Agnana or ignorance. We are powerless in the matter dragged by prakriti or nature.
They naturally will affect us. For action and reaction are equal and opposite. Karma is inexorable. Everyone has to bear the consequences of his actions. But the Lord’s grace can wipe off the evil effects of such transgressions.
He has that power for He is the harbinger of everything good. Nothing is beyond the purview of the Lord, for everything is created by him and subject to His control and discipline. Appeals to the Lord will never be in vain. He has himself said in the Gita:
Sarva dharmaan parityajya maamekam Saranam Vraja!
Aham tvaa sarva papebhyo mokshayishyaami maasucha!!
“Abjuring every rite, seek refuge solely in Me and in Me alone. I shall free you from all sins. Do not grieve!”
Hence the mercy of the Lord is sure to flow towards the devotee who prays thus for forgiveness to the Lord whole-heartedly without any faltering or reservation.
