Explaining Sri Venkateswara Prapatti
Sri Venkatesa is the Ultimate God of this age of Kali. He is worshipped today by all, irrespective of caste, creed or sex. There is no place, that equals Tirumala Hills, and no God is matching Sri Venkatesa. The day starts with the ‘Suprabhatam’ at the temple.
The Suprabhatam is comprised of four parts.
- 1. Suprabhatam,
- 2. Stotram,
- 3. Prapatti and
- 4. Mangalasasanam.
This famous Hymn of salutation to Sri Venkatesa, if chanted every day enthralls the hearts of His devotees and there is no doubt that He will be present with such a devotee, always.
Prapatti
The Prapatti Slokas in total surrender to the Lord open with a Salutation to the Divine Mother Goddess Padmavathi, the Spouse of Lord Sri Venkateswara.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 1
Eesaanaam Jagatosya Venkatapatervishnoh Paraam Preyaseem
Tadvakshasthala Nityavaasa rasikaam
Tatkshaanti Samvardhineem
Padmaalankruta Paanipallava yugaam
Padmaasanasthaam Sriyam
Vaatsalyaadi gunojjwalaam Bhagavateem
Vande Jaganmaataram!
“My Salutations are offered to the Goddess Sri Mahalakshmi, the mistress of the Universe, the favourite dearest of the Lord of Sri Venkatadri, namely, Sri Maha Vishnu, essentially relishing Her eternal Abode in His breast and always nurturing the mercy of the Lord for the benefit of all creation, seated on the Padma or the Lotus in the Padmasana posture, with both Her hands like Lotus sprouts holding the Lotuses decoratively, shining brilliantly with blissful qualities of love and the like, the divine Mother of the Universe who is the vouchsafer of all desires and riches, both material and spiritual, to the supplicants!”
Before expressing absolute surrender to the Lord, the devotee makes his prayer first to the Divine Mother who is the controller of the Universe along with the Lord, conjointly and variously. For that is the surest way to catch the attention of the Lord and win His mercy.
She is the source of all blissful qualities like mercy, love, fondness, attachment and naturally, She exerts them to make the Lord disposed mercifully towards all those who approach Him in humble total submission.
As they might have knowingly or unknowingly committed many faults, there is a likelihood of the Lord being unapproachable and fierce towards them and so the good offices of the Divine Mother are a must for them. For She loves all creation like the mother loving all her children despite all their faults, vagaries, foibles and misdoings and intercedes on their behalf. This was exemplified in the cases of many devotees like Bhakta Ramadas.
The epithet (Takshaanti Samvardhineem) is very appropriate. The mercy and patience of the Lord are roused and confirmed by Her efforts and He is made extremely disposed favourably towards the erring devotees, She is represented in the Padmasana Pose.
This posture is a well-balanced one making Her firmly seated on the breast of the Lord which is Her residence. If Her mercy is assured, the Lord’s breast, eternally without leaving Him at any moment contributes to the Lord’s bounty who can draw from Her whatever He wants to grant to His devotees.
Thus the opening of the Prapatti slokas with an invocation to the Goddess Sri is very appropriate and necessary. The Sri Stuti of Vedanta Desika begins also with this very same sloka praising the Divine Mother and Her grace.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 2
Sreeman! Krupaajalanidhe! Kruta Sarva loka!
Sarvagna! Sakta! Natavatsala! Sarvaseshin!
Swaamin! Suseela Sulabhaasrita Paarijaata!
Sree Venkatesa! Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“O Lord of Sree! Ocean of Mercy! maker of the whole Universe! Omnipotent master! Fond of those that bow unto You! Essence present in this Universe of the animate and the inanimate, the mobile and immobile!
O ruler! easily attainable by the devout of the best and most virtuous character! the Divine Parijata tree to those that tie to You for succour fulfilling their desires. O Lord! Sri Venkateswara! I supplicate seeking the protection of Your Feet!”
The devotee after appealing for the mercy of the Divine Mother offers salutations to the glorious Feet of the Lord in great humility enumerating the many auspicious and blissful qualities of His making Him the sure goal of the sufferers of the material and spiritual world. The Lord is the repository of all knowledge and all power pervading all over creation.
Being thus Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent, He is the only mainstay of the meek and the suffering. The devotee makes here supplication, particularly to the glorious feet of Lord Sri Venkateswara as the protective aegis. The feet of the Lord are synonymous with the Lord Himself. Even the sandals which had the imprint of the Lord Sri Rama’s blessed feet, given to Bharata did not think of the sandals other than as the Lord Himself.
He addressed them by the name of Lord Sri Rama and recounted before them the affairs of state, sought permission and embarked on his daily routine. While so the Feet themselves typify the Lord more powerfully and realistically. They represent the Prakriti and the Purusha who control the destinies of all creation.
The Two Feet form the supporting pillars for those who pursue the Pravritti and Nivritti marga – the paths of the material and the spiritual-minded creation. It will be interesting to note that Sri Nammalwar in his Tiruvoimozhi speaks of the Lord as ‘foot’ Himself. In the Taittiriya Upanishad, the Brahman is called ‘Nyasa’ which corresponds to the foot. The Srutis say (Bhooh Paadau) and (Padbhyaam Bhoomih).
God’s foot causes measures and rules. He is the sustainer of the Universe and sustains Himself on His own feet. The Purusha sukta says (Paadosya Viswaa bhootaani, Tripaadasyaamritam Divi). The whole universe forms one of His feet. The remaining three feet which are immortal are in the Heavens. None knows about them.
The glory of the feet of the Lord was exemplified in the Vamanavatara of the Lord; wherein with one foot He covered the Universe which was otherwise immeasurable and then putting another on the Heavens used the third one to crush Bali down to Sutala – a realm difficult of approach even to the Gods.
The Lord’s feet have immense power and they draw the devotees to them as honey in flowers to the bees. Saint Thyagaraja restored a dead person to life by praying to the Lord’s glorious feet thus in the Raga Amritavahini.
He sang:
Pallavi: Sree Raama Paadama! Nee Krupa Jaalune! Chittaaniki Raave (Sree Raama)
Anu Pallavi: Vaarijabhavaa Sanaka Sanandana Vasava Sree Naaradaadulella Poojinche (Sree Raama)
Charanam: Daarini Silayai Taapamu taalaka vaaramu Kanneerunu raalchaga Soora! Ahalyanujoochi brachitaareeti aareeti dhanyu Seyave! Thyaagaraaja geyamma! (Sree Raama)
The saint particularly emphasises the efficacy of the glorious feet of the Lord by saying that it is enough if the merciful foot of the Lord showers grace and enters his mind and addresses it for that favour. To bring back to life the dead person, prayer to the foot of Sri Rama had been thought proper by the singer-saint as it has that power. The feet of the Lord are not ordinary.
They are the divine feet worshipped by Lord Brahma, the sages Sanaka and Sanandana, Indra, the lord of the Gods of Heaven and the sage Narada. Its dust liberated Ahalya from her curse by changing her to her original form of peerless beauty from the stone that she had been so.
Thyagaraja appeals to the magnificent and life-giving foot of the Lord saying, “O the foot of Lord Sree Rama! come to my mind and protect in the same way by giving life to this inanimate person!” The effect was instantaneous. The person became alive.
Sri Thyagaraja sang of the grandeur of the Omnipotent feet of the Lord further in his keerthans ‘Geetaarthamu, Sangeeta Anandamu’ and ‘Needu charanamule gathiyani Nammitti!’ and mentioned that Hanuman knows about their efficacy better than anybody; the Brahman being attainable and realisable by one who sings of them in ecstasy, Hanuman became peerless in strength and spiritual power and attained immortality only because of holding the feet of the Lord in his hand doing service to them.
Lord Venkateswara who is Sri Rama Himself protects everyone who surrenders at His feet. Hence it is that the devotee here chooses to seek refuge under the Lord’s feet, service at which is the best, surest and easiest spiritual discipline leading to the realisation of the Lord who is Sat, Chit and Ananda.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 3
Asoopuraarpita Sujaata Sugandhi Pushpa
Sourabhya sourabha karow samasannivesow!
Sowmyau Sadaanubhavanepi Navaanubhaavyow
Sree Venkatesa charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“I surrender unto the divine feet of the Lord Sri Venkateswara which add sweet-smelting scent to the flowers offered up to the anklets, which are well balanced and beautifully shaped, disposed favourably to the votaries and appearing newer and newer in their majesty though enjoyed by everyone eternally in bliss!”
Divine Feet of the Lord’s idol
The feet of the Lord appear stranger and stranger in new lights even though one gazes at them always and feels the bliss. This will be evident to one who goes into the Sanctum Santorum of Lord Sri Venkateswara’s temple and has a darshan of the Divine Feet of the Lord’s idol.
The idol of the Lord appears variously at every moment and one cannot correctly describe the features seen and enjoyed. The bejewelled legs shine in great brilliance and attract the devotees forever. They have the power to create and add sweet perfume to the flowers that are offered to them.
The divinities offer sweet-smelling flowers from the garden of Heaven. Even these get added and improved sweetness by their association with the hallowed feet of the Lord, sweet smelling and imparting sweet smell.
An analogous idea is expressed by Sri Vedanta Desika in his Paduka Sahasram sloka 324 wherein the Paduka of Sri Ranganatha is described as giving out that lovely fragrance of the Vakula flower which is symbolic of Nammalwar to whom the honorific term of Vakulabharana had been applied by Alavandar.
The sweet scent exuded by the Lotus Feet of the Lord is also construed to mean the fragrance of the Vakula flower by Sri Vedanta Desika.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 4
Sadyovikaasi Samuditwara Saandraraaga
Sourabhya Nirbhara Saroruha Saamyavaartaam!
Samyakshu Saahasapadeshu Vilekhayantow
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“I seek refuge at the Divine Feet of Lord Sri Venkateswara which have instigated us to venture boldly and compare them, the powerful and majestic Feet of the Lord, capable of achieving the most daring and impossible feats, with the full Lotuses which have just opened and spread fragrance while glowing in red hues.”
The devotee feels that it is highly daring and improper to think of the Divine Feet of the Lord as Lotus Feet for Lotuses are frail and can never be thought of as fit for comparison with the powerful and gigantic Feet of the Lord.
Thinking that wise is considered by him as a daring flight of imagination and sacrilege. But the point he emphasizes is that though the Feet are towers of strength and power of the Lord, they have the sweet and tender nature of the Lotus sprout and there is some propriety in the comparison.
He feels that the Lord would not be irked by it as without the prompting of the Lord Himself he could not have conceived the idea of comparing the incomparable Feet of the Lord with Lotus sprouts.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 5
Rekhaamaya dhwaja Sudhaakalasaata patra
Vajrankusaamburuha kalpaka Sankha Chakraih!
Bhavyairalankruta talow Paratattwa chihnaih
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“I seek shelter under the Feet of the Lord Sri Venkateswara whose soles are decoratively shining with lines which outline the designs of the banner, the vessel of ambrosia, the umbrella, the diamond, the goad, the Lotus, the conch and the discus that signify His Divinity.”
Astrologically speaking the lines on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet reveal the nature and fortune of the person concerned. The soles here outline the ensigns and emblems of Lord Maha Vishnu, Lord Venkateswara.
They point out the Divine Power of the Lord. The banner announces the authority and sway of the Lord over everything and when one is under the protection of that banner, it will lead the seeker aloft to spiritual heights reaching the ultimate under its sweep.
The vessel of ambrosia bestows immortality on one who takes its contents and its presence in the Lord’s Feet has the effect of bestowing eternal life on the supplicant. The umbrella signifies the all-protective aegis of the Lord and gifts safety and peaceful existence to the devotee.
The diamond cuts through any barrier bestowing the grace of the Lord on the crowning jewel, the soul of the supplicant. The good restrains all extrovert and introvert evil actions, prodding them off and annihilating them.
The Lotus is the symbol of prosperity, both material and spiritual, signifying the heart of the Lord wherein is seated the Goddess Mahalakshmi. The Conch by its touch bestows omniscience and enables one to perceive the Lord and utter His praise.
Dhruva, when he saw the Lord, could not even articulate. The Lord touched his head with the Conch and outflowed a torrent of Stotra of the Lord with gifted knowledge of the Lord’s blessedness and glory.
The Conch not only gives the devotee knowledge necessary with a gift of speech but leads him to realise the Brahman. By its sound, it breaks the hearts of enemies of the Lord. The Chakra or the Discus is invincible and can never return without wiping out the enemy of the supplicant of the Lord.
No one – not even the Lords Shiva and Brahma – can withstand its onslaught as was evidenced in the case of the king Ambarisha. Durvasa sent a demon called Kritya by lashing the floor with a plait of hair of his when he found the king to have taken water so as not to transgress the condition of Dvadasi Parana. Ambarisha had the protection of Lord Maha Vishnu.
The Lord’s Discus always looked after Him. It came at top speed, killed the Kritya and chased Durvasa who had to fly for his life to every corner of the Universe to save Himself. Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma expressed their inability to save Him from the Discus.
He went to Lord Maha Vishnu Himself. The Lord Himself said that He could not turn it back. The only go for Him was to fall at the feet of Ambarisha, crave his pardon and save himself from it.
Otherwise, it would do its job. The sage had to eat the humble pie and beg the king for mercy. The king prayed to the Discus and it went back spinning and took its position in the Hand of the Lord. It is thus beautiful and loving towards the devotees of the Lord but hard and merciless towards their enemies.
The outlines of these divine ensigns on the soles and palms of the Lord bestow all those benefits to the devotees who have their contact as they bow and prostrate to the Feet of the Lord. Hence special mention is made of these signs of surrender to the Lord are insured against all sorts of disabilities and travails of earthly existence.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 6
Taamrodara dyuti paraajita padmaraagow
Baahyairmahobhi rabhibhoota Mahendra neelow!
Udyannakhaamsu birudasta Sasaanka bhaasow
Sree Venkatesa charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“I Seek the all-out protection of the Feet of Lord Venkateswara whose palms outlustre the brilliance of the Padmaraga gems, the outward shine of whose shape outbeats brightness of the Mahendra Neela gems and the effulgence of light which shoots from whose nails outshine the brilliant lights of the moonstones which are all offered to them!”
The devotee further describes the Feet of the Lord whose beauty excels the extraordinary beauty of the famed gems offered to them. These gems lose their pre-eminent beauty and pale into insignificance as they confront the super excellent and powerful light shot out by the soles of the Lord’s Feet and the nails thereof.
Here it is appropriate to compare the beautiful sentiment expressed by Sri Vedanta Desika in Sloka 337 of Paduka Sahasram wherein he says, referring to the light thrown out by the nails of the Lotus Feet of the Lord of Sri Venkateswara, that the lustrous rays rising from the nails of the Lord make the glory of the flowers showered on them as a tribute a mere repetition.
The devotee here goes further by substituting for the flowers the famed Padmaraga, Mahendra Neela and Chandrakanta gems – appropriate for the Blue Feet of the Lord with bright red soles and the shining white nails more than match them.
Padmaraga is symbolic of the gem adorning the crown of Lord Brahma, the creator, seated on Padma or the Lotus. His ‘raga’ or attachment is to the Vedas and the Veda Purusha, namely, Lord Sri Venkateswara. As he bows to the Feet of the Lord, the lustre of the gem is dimmed by the redness of the soles of the Lotus Feet of the Lord.
The Mahendra Neela is the gem that decorates the crown of Indra and the moon gem of Lord Rudra. As these deities bow to the Feet of Sri Venkateswara, their crown gems pale into nothingness outshone by the lustre of the Divine Feet.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 7
Saprema bheeti Kamalaakara pallavaabhyaam
Samvaahanepi Sapadi Klamamaada dhaanow!
Kaantaava vaagmaanasa gochara Sowkumaryow
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“I, seek refuge at the Feet of the Lord Sri Venkateswara which are lovingly and with hesitation pressed and massaged by the Goddess Mahalakshmi with Her soft and tender like buds for fear that the Lord’s Feet may at once feel the strain of their pressure, the tenderness of which cannot be imagined by mind at all or described by people at all!”
The tenderness of the Feet will be felt only by those who fall prostrate before them in all humbleness and surrender and hold to them firmly for their salvation. They are, however hard to the extreme in the case of the perpetrators of evil.
The glorious vision of the Divine Mother Lakshmi doing service to the Feet of the Lord with tender and loving care so as not to cause even the least strain to the Lord as pictured Here is blissful and exhilarating.
The same picture is summoned before his vision by Sri Adi Shankaracharya in his famous and effective Kanakadhara stava which had an immediate effect by raining golden Amalakas to relieve the penury of the poor and miserable lady who could give him only an amalaka fruit.
The Goddess doing Padaseva to the Lord is full of love and is easily propitiated. Her soft loving look which is in full blast on the Lord who reciprocates it has a tremendous and favourable effect even when a least glance of it falls on the devotee.
Compare this with the conception of the Lord’s Feet which pushed down the emperor of the giants, Bali, who, though a devotee of the Lord of the highest virtue, had to pay the penalty for having unrighteously coveting and occupying Heaven which was not his to take. There the feet were gigantic, bestriding the three worlds, all-pervading, crashing and immeasurable.
The loving attitude with tender attention towards the Lord makes the devotee feel the softness of the heart of the Lord whose Feet respond with softness for they have tasted the tenderness and softness of the Lotus-Hands of the Divine Mother.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 8
Lakshmee Maheetadanuroopa Nijaanubhaava
Neelaadi divya mahisheekarapallavaanaam!
Aarunya samkramanatah kila saandra raagow
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“I surrender to the Divine Feet of Lord Sri Venkateswara which appear as if brightened with thickened red lustre as a result of contact with the hands like soft buds of the divine wives-in-chief of the Lord, namely, Sree, Bhoo as well as Neela who has attributes and greatness similar to theirs!”
The devotee mentions here the fact that the Feet of the Lord shone with a heightened red colour one to contact with the Lotus bud-like Divine Hands of His Divine Consorts Sree, Bhoo and Neela who had attained Divine status like Mother Lakshmi and Mother Earth.
Neela is the name applied to Sree Andal or Goda Devi. This may be regarded as a reference to another Neela who though human, achieved equality with the Divine Consorts of the Lord by dint of Her devotion and love towards Him. She was the daughter of a cowherd, Kumbhaka, living in the city of Mithila.
One day the sage Narada came to his house and described the glory and beauty of Lord Krishna. Just then Neela came in. She was captivated by the description and fell in love with the Lord. Kumbhaka told the sage that he was in search of a bridegroom for her. He had two oxen which were uncontrollable and destroyed the fields yielding corn.
They were the sons of the Rakshasa-Kalanemi in their previous birth. He was ordered by the King of Mithila to keep them in check.
As he could not do so, he said he had determined to give his daughter in marriage to one who brought them to book. Learning about it from the sage, Lord Krishna came in, vanquished them and married her. Her immense love for the Lord won for her oneness with His other Divine Consorts and she had equal participation in the love play of the Lord who is a Dakshina Nayaka, impartial to His many wives.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 9
Nityaanamadvidhi Sivaadi Kireeta koti
Pratyupta deepta navaratna mahah prarohaih!
Neeraajanaavidhi mudaara mupaadadhaanow
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“I supplicate at the Feet of Lord Sri Venkateswara for whom the brightness, shed by the various gems of the crores of Gods beginning with Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva as they daily come and bow their heads in obeisance to Him, appear to be like Harati glow performed to them!”
Every day, the crores of Gods led by the creator Brahma and the destroyer Shiva came to Lord Sri Venkateswara to pay their respect to His Divine Feet. As they salute them, the glow of their crown jewels excel in brilliance and appear as if it is Harati to the Lord, that is, burning camphor and waving it before Him circularly.
It is a grand conception. For the fire of devotion of the Gods is reflected through every part of their being and their crown gems are no exception. They form the fire of devotion waving ‘harati’ by their glow of love to the Lord.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 10
‘Vishnohpade Parama’ Ityudita Prasamsow
Yow ‘Madhwa Utsa’ iti bhogyatayaapyu paattow!
bhooyastatheti Tava Paanitala Pradishtow
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“I supplicate to the Feet of the Lord Sri Venkateswara which are extolled in the Rig Veda as being the best and highest in the words “Vishnoh Paramam Padam” and also as being the fountain of honey in the words “Madhwa utsa” fit for enjoyment and shown to be useful and enjoyable as such by the show of the palm of His Hand in that direction!”
The Lord’s Feet are the Lotuses. The devotees are the bees. Honey flows from the Lotus Feet of the Lord. The conception is envisaged in the text found in the Rig Veda: (Vishnoh pade parama Madhwa utsah). It may also be stated in this connection the conception of the Lord being (Rasa) personified. The Sruti says that God is Rasa. Honeyed Rasa surrounds the Feet of the Lord and permeates them.
The Right Hand of the Lord pointing to His Feet shows that the devotees can have their fill of it from His Feet and have the highest bliss and peace. Compare this with the stotras by Yamunacharya, the great Acharya of Visishtadwaita, in his Stotra Ratna (the Jewel-hymn), Nos. 26 and 27.
He says “I cannot give up Your Lotus feet as a suckling does not at all desire to leave its Mother’s feet at any time even though it has been rejected in anger. How can my mind firmly get fixed on thy Lotus Feet shedding nectar ever desire anything else?”
The Lord’s Feet attracts devotees as beehives attract bees. They free the devotees from all material and spiritual cares and troubles and fill them with eternal bliss.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 11
Paarthaaya Tatsadrusasaarathinaatvayaiva
Yow darshitow svacharanow saranam Vrajeti!
Bhooyopi Mahya miha tow Karadarsi towte
‘Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“I surrender to those Divine Feet which the Lord Himself pointed out to Arjuna in equal effulgence while being the charioteer and which now as Lord Venkateswara, He is pointing out to us beckoning us to seek refuge under them!”
The devotee conjures here before our eyes the glorious picture of the Lord as Sri Krishna making the Gitopadesa to His coequal while being his charioteer. He is Narayana while Arjuna is the sage Nara. Nara and Narayana are both complementary and supplementary. That is why the term (Sadrusa) has been used here.
When Arjuna fell victim to ego and was overtaken by Sammoha – the false notion that he was the killer and the others were to be killed by him, leading him to think that he was committing a crime – the Lord as the charioteer guided him on to the right path vouchsafing to Him the celestial song, the Bhagavad Gita removing his ‘Sammoha’ which had momentarily immobilised him.
The Lord asked him to make a total surrender to His Feet ignoring everything when He would take all his burdens and give him salvation. Here the devotee feels that he is like Arjuna in Sammoha. His ego is in full spate and he is also unable to give a direction for his soul.
The Lord, He regards as the charioteer to his mind in the chariot drawn by the five Indriyas or senses hither, thither and everywhere by its pranks acting as unruly horses. It is the Lord’s business to put them under control when the devotee seeks His Light.
Naturally, when he puts himself under the safe lead of the Lord, he has nothing to fear. The Feet of the Lord are, as they had been to Arjuna, the saviours of the devotee verily and inevitably. The devotee has to seek the succour of the Lord in the same submissiveness and humility as was shown by Arjuna means a blade of grass.
One must be as humble as a blade of grass and as virtuous as Arjuna to attain the Feet of the Lord and get redemption.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 12
Manmoordhni Kaaliya Phane Vikataataveeshu
Sree Venkataadri Sikhare Sirasi Sruteenaam!
Chittepyananya manasaam sama Maahitowte
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“O Lord Venkateswara! I seek refuge under Your Divine Feet which are placed equally on the head of a veritable sinner like me, on the hoods of the dreadful snake Kaliya and in the hearts of the Yogins who think of the Upanishads which form the crowns of the Vedaas with single-minded concentration and indulge themselves in deep meditation in the thick impenetrable forests of Sri Venkatadri!”
The devotee here refers to the expulsion of Kaliya, the hideous snake from the pool of Kalindi which he haunted and made poisonous and useless for anyone of the creation while at once providing safety for himself. Kaleeya had resorted to the Kalindi pool because he was in danger of losing his life at the hands of Garuda, the divine vehicle of the Lord Sri Maha Vishnu.
The pool was taboo to Garutman due to a curse laid by the Sage Sowbhari, who pitied the poor fish who sought his protection when Garutman had swallowed their King. The sage said that if the offending Garutman were to come there he would be no more.
Kaliya had offended Garutman in his native residence on the island Rumanwaka by not paying his due of offerings of the locals made to serpents and had therefore to seek a place of safety from him so that he had to come over to Kalindi.
The Lord took compassion even in such a poisonous selfcentred serpent king and by dancing with His Divine Feet on his hoods, humbled him, drove out all evil from him and ordered him to go off to his original abode in Rumanwaka, saying that the imprints of His Divine Feet on the hoods were a guarantee to him against all danger of Garutman.
The Lord is impartial, He is kind, gracious, benevolent and loving towards even the vilest of the vilest and grants redemption to them. Kaliya was full of selfishness, venom and viciousness, not allowing any other creature into the pond. We, of the present times, are also in the same predicament.
The devotee therefore prays for the imprints of the glorious Feet of the all-merciful Lord on the head so that all thoughts of ego, self-aggrandizement and mundane attachments vanish and one can rest assured of the towering mercy and protection of the Lord under whose Feet he or she is drawn.
The very same Feet find sway in the hearts of the yogins who think it their immense good fortune to be on the Sacred Hill of Sri Venkatadri, the sin-destroying ambrosia- -like Abode of the Lord. There is thus no difference made between those yogins of the highest order, the Kaliyas of the present day the devotees of the present day and the devotees who seek the Lord’s refuge.
His Divine Feet’s impact on them has the same sublime spiritualising effect leading to eternal bliss by granting freedom from the tentacles of births and deaths while assuring all prosperity both material and spiritual galore.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 13
Amlaanahrushya davaneetala Keerna pushpow
Sree Venkatadri Sikharaabharanaaya maanow!
Aananditaakhila Mano Nayanow Tavaitow
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“O Lord Venkateswara! I seek refuge at Your Glorious Feet which abound in beautiful flowers offered to them and not withered at all, adding to the glory and beauty of the top of the Hill Sri Venkatadri like dazzling jewels and filling the hearts of all people with untold bliss shown through their eyes and mind!”
The flowers offered at the Feet of Lord are unique and significant. They get added beauty, smell and lustre thereby. Though plucked away from the branches of the trees, they do not lose their freshness but appear natural, fresh and handsome as on the trees and more than that.
The touch of the flowers with the Divine Feet has such a marvellous effect. In the same way, the heart lotuses of the devotees when offered to the Lord’s Feet gain in calmliness and perfection and shine effulgently. Their beauty is said to delight the minds of all people forming a feast for their eyes in their variety and substance.
The Divinities offer various flowers from their Abodes, from the desire-fulfilling and auspicious Godly trees of Kalpaka, Harichandana, Parijata, Mandara and Santana. They by their inherent virtue filled people with delight by vouchsafing all desires to them and now in contact with the Sacred Feet of the Lord have their powers increased immeasurably, thus filling the devotees that perceive them with unadulterated bliss of the highest variety- Sat, Chit, Ananda.”
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 14
Praayah prapanna Janataa prathamaavagaahyow
Maatuh Stanaaviva sisoramrutaaya maanow!
Praaptow Parasparatulaamatulaantarow te
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“O Lord Sri Venkateswara! I seek the shelter of Your Glorious Feet, which are seen first by the people that prostrate in surrender before You, which are nectarlike in the same way as the Mother’s breasts are to the babies which can be compared only to themselves both being equal and identical and are incomparable to anything else!”
The devotee who prostrates before the Lord has the full view of the Feet of the Lord which alone he sees first in the process. The Feet give immortality and eternal bliss and make the devotee enjoy the elixir of life. The baby has no eye but for the breasts of the Mother whose milk it cherishes.
The milk nourishes it and it feels as if in Elysium partaking of ambrosia. Such is the position of a devotee to whom the Feet of the Lord has become accessible due to His Grace.
As already pointed out they ooze out Amrit making the sincere devotee get the fill of it, thus ridding him of all ‘samsaric’ attachments and sins and leading him to eternal existence in the Lord. Another notable thing is that the Feet of the Lord are comparable only to themselves. They are beyond comparison with anything else. For what can compare with the Feet which surpasses everything in creation!
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 15
Sattvottaraissatata Sevyapadaambujena
Samsaarataarakadayaardradruganchalena!
Sowmyopayantrumuninaa mama darsitow te
Sree Venkatesa Charanow Saranam Prapadye!!
“O Lord Sri Venkateswara! I surrender unto Your Divine Feet which are eternally worshipped by the sages of Sattwik nature at the highest level with looks drenched with mercy lighting on the supplicants ferrying them over the ocean of samsara and shown as the sole protector through the good offices of Sri Manavala Maha Muni!”
The Bhavishyat Purana, Adhyaya-IV states the eminence of Sri Venkatadri thus :
Arayi kaane Vikate girim gaccheti tam Viduh
Evam Vedamaya Saakshaadgireendraah Pannagaachalaah
Svade hacchamma Vaalmeeko Vaikuntadaadhiko hyabhoot
Suvarnamukharee naama nadee saa Virajaanadee
Vaikunto Venkatagirivaasudevo Ramaapatih
Muktaa Ajaah Pakshighanaah Muktaa Rudraa mrigottamaah
Sanatkumaara paramukhaa vaanaraadyaa Dwajottamaah!
Sri Venkatadri, mentioned in the 10th Mandala of Rig Veda as the sale goat for the defective limb there by means all devotees described in the sonorous chain of words “Aaarto Jignaasu rarthaartee gnaaneecha, Bharatarshabha!”, abounds in flora and fauna which are manifestations of the highest deities like Brahma and Rudra and the supreme sages like Sanatkumara who are freed from the bonds of samsara and from the retinue of the Lord.
The Hill is pervaded by the Vedas and is greater than even Vaikunta. Suvarnamukhari river is like the river Viraja issuing forth the Feet of the Lord.
Sriramya jamatru Muni
Many rishis are on Sri Venkatadri assuming diverse shapes meditating on the Lord and unseen by us. These Sattwik Maharshis and superiors find eternal peace in Venkatadri which forms the Abode of the all powerful, all merciful Feet of the Lord sanctifying it. That there is no peer or equal to them had been pointed out among others by that great Vaishnavite savant Sri Manavala Maha Muni also Known as “Sriramya jamatru muni”.
Tattwa traya
A great sattwik ‘Sreshta’ and masterly scholar in both Sanskrit and Tamil, has commentaries on the Rahasya grandhas of the various Vaishnavite Acharyas reveal to the aspirant the Tirumantra’s meaning, the three tattwaas (Tattwa traya) of Visishtadwaita Siddhanta and give a clear picture.
Critical analysis of Sri Nammalwar’s works like the Tiruvoimozhi, the allegorical meanings of the lover, the Mother, the friend, the messenger, the neighbour, the birds and the toys as applied to the Lord, the auspicious qualities of the Lord as manifest in the different ‘Divyadesams’ (holy and divine places) and sung by the saint, and in short everything to be known about the great Vaishnava Siddhanta and its propagators like the Alwars and the Acharyas, reveal his mettle.
His works in Tamil namely Upadesarattina malai (describing the time, month, star and place of birth of the Alwars, Sri Ramanujacharya and other particulars), Tiruvoimozhi Nutrandadi (consisting of a hundred verses each verse explaining the substance of a group of ten verses or decade of Tiruvoimozhi and praising Nammalwar), Arti prabandham and Tiruvaradhana Kramam commonly called ‘Jeeyar Padi’ – describing the method of performing daily worship of the Lord by every Sri Vaishnava in his house, – all these point out his eminence among the hierarchy of Vaishnava saints and Gurus.
Rightly therefore the devotee makes mention of this Sowmya Muni or Sri Manavala Maha Muni who had expounded the nature of the Lord’s Kalyana gunas (auspicious qualities) and all merciful Feet. We may conclude hereby that the hymnist is a great admirer and follower of the said Muni who is a leader of the Tengalai Sect among the Vaishnavites.
Sri Venkateswara Prapatti – 16
Sreesa Sriyaa Ghatikayaa twadupaaya bhaave
Praapye tvayi Swayamupeyatayaa sphurantyaa!
Nityaasritaaya niravadyagunaaya tubhyam
Syaan Kinkaro Vrishagireesa Na Jaatu Mahyam!!
“O Lord of Sree! When You appear to be the causative force for making the devotees attain the highest goal of attaining Your position, Mother Lakshmi facilitates the process. As you become the object of attainment She also appears to be as such. You do not leave Her at any time as She is always in Your cloister. You have the highest and purest pristine qualities. I am Your servant and not of myself at any time!”
Mother Lakshmi’s greatness comprises the greatness of the Lord and whatever He is, She is accordingly. She never leaves the Lord. Her role is explained in great detail in the works of the Vaishnavite saints.
The Sree Stuti Says :
Evam Yadaa Jagatswaamee Devadevo janaardanah
Avataaram Karotyeshaa tadaa Sree Statsahaayinee
Punaschapadma Sambhootaa hyaadityo bhoodyadaa Harih
Yadaacha Bhaargavo Raamastadaabhooddharinee tvayam
Raghavatves Bhavatseeta rukminee Krishnajanmani
Anyeshu chaavataareshu vishnoreshaa napaayinee
Devatve deva deheyam Manushyatvecha Maanushee
Vishnordehaanuroopaam Vaikarotyeshaatmanastanum!!
After being born in the house of the sage Bhrigu and then in Kshirabdhi (the Milky Ocean) when the Devas and the Danavas churned it, She followed the Lord eternally and incessantly in all His descents to the world, being His everlasting and indivisible companion.
When the Lord became Vamana, She was born as ‘Padma’, When He took birth as Sri Parasu Rama She took birth as ‘Harini’ of blessed qualities. In the same way, She became ‘Rukmini’ when He took birth as Lord Krishna and in all ‘Avataras’ or ‘Incarnations’ – She was by His side as co-partner. That is why the devotee sings of Sree as ‘Nityasrita’ of the Lord.
She is the Mother par excellence looking after the difficulties of the devotees of the Lord and interceding on their behalf at the appropriate moment for their redemption.
The Lord’s virtues are unparalleled and like Her, He is ‘Subhalakshana Lakshita’ (distinguished by all auspicious and blessed qualities). Their combination makes for the immense blessedness of the devotee who seeks the Lord’s Feet He eschews all sense of ego and feels himself to be the servant of the Lord and the Lord alone.
Vrishagirisa – Hill
The Lord is referred to here as ‘Vrishagirisa’ or the Lord of the Hill, Vrishagiri, thus highlighting that Synonym for Venkatadri. In Vaivaswata manvantara, the God Dharma Deva (Vrisha) performed penance on this Hill. Lord Varaha (the Boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu), the patron Deity of the Hill appeared before him and said,
“O Dharma! Vrisha or Dharma has prospered in this world on account of your penance here. Hence it will be known hereafter as Vrishagiri.”
This Hill typifies of Dharma’s existence. For how could it be otherwise where the Lord is in Powerful Manifestation as an Archamoorti? The Name ‘Vrishagiri’ is eminently fitted to the Hill. In the ‘Daya Sataka’ of Sri Vedanta desika in his 108 slokas, we find this name mentioned for the Hill 69 times, the name Chintamanigiri 80 times, Anjanagiri 4 times, Vrishabhagiri 2 times, Mrigapatigiri, Naraayanagiri, Laksmidhara each 1 time.
Vrishagiri and Vrishabhagiri both signify Dharma and one who thinks of the Lord as Vrishagirisa can never. The saint lays stress on the power of gratifying the desires of the devotees (Chintamani) and the power of fostering Dharmic character in them. The hymnist here calls himself the servant of the Lord who is the very personification of Dharma and who vouchsafes His Divine and blessed vision to one who is virtuous.
