Lord Venkateswara is a Hindu deity who is a manifestation of Lord Vishnu. The presiding deity of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India is Venkateswara. Srinivasa, Balaji, Venkata, Venkata Ramana, Tirupati Timmappa, and Govinda are some of his other names.
Actual meaning of the Venkateswara
Venkateswara translates to “Lord of Venkata.” The term is made up of two different words. The first term, ‘Venkata,’ refers to a hill in Andhra Pradesh where the Lord lives, while the second word, ‘Isvara,’ denotes Lord. In addition, “Venkata” is a Sanskrit term that means “destroyer of sins,” with ven denoting sins and kata denoting destruction.
Story of Lord Venkateswara
Venkateswara Swamy is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who emerged in the Kali Yuga epoch for the salvation and upliftment of humanity, according to Hindu scriptures. In fact, in this Kali Yuga, Venkateswara Swamy is regarded as the ultimate manifestation of Vishnu. Kali Yuga Vaikuntam is the name given to the Venkateswara Swamy Temple, which is located in the Tirumala Hills in the temple town of Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh). Lord Venkateswara is represented with four hands and a dark complexion. Lord Venkateswara wields a discus (a sign of might) and a conch shell in his top two hands (a symbol of existence). The Lord invites the devotees to have confidence and surrender to him for protection with his lower hands extended downward. On the banks of the Ganges, some rishis led by Kashyap Muni began to execute a Yagna ritual. When Sage Narada came to see them, he questioned about the cause for the sacrifice. He also inquired as to who would be happy. The rishis were perplexed by the matter and turned to Sage Bhrigu for assistance. Before addressing the rishis, Sage Bhrigu demanded a concrete confirmation of fact. So he initially proceeded to Satyaloka, Lord Brahma’s dwelling. Sage Bhrigu discovered Lord Brahma reciting the four Vedas with each of his four heads in Satyaloka. Saraswati was his personal attendant. Furthermore, Lord Brahma disregarded Bhrigu’s salutation. As a result, he came to the conclusion that Lord Brahma was unworthy for worship. Bhrigu subsequently departed Satyaloka for Kailash, Lord Shiva’s home. Bhrigu observed Lord Shiva enjoying his time with Parvati in Kailash. Furthermore, Lord Shiva was completely unaware of his presence. When Parvati alerted Lord Shiva about Bhrigu’s existence, he grew enraged and sought to annihilate him. The attitude of Lord Shiva bothered Bhrigu much. He cursed Lord Shiva and fled Kailash for Vaikuntam, Lord Vishnu’s abode. Bhrigu beheld Lord Vishnu resting on Adishesha at Vaikuntam. Sri Mahalakshmi, who sat near Lord Vishnu’s feet, was serving him. The Sage became enraged when he believed Lord Vishnu had ignored him and kicked Him in the chest. Mahalakshmi is said to live in this location. Lord Vishnu, on the other hand, was eager to apologise to the enraged elder. Lord Vishnu put his feet together to relieve Bhrigu’s leg discomfort. Lord Vishnu did so by removing the sage’s eye from his foot, depriving him of his particular abilities. Sage Bhrigu therefore determined that he was the most powerful of the Trimurti Gods and informed the rishis of this. However, Sri Mahalakshmi was deeply upset and enraged to witness the Lord apologising to Bhrigu, who had done something wrong. Sri Mahalakshmi departed Vaikuntha in rage and misery, settling at Karavirapur, which is today known as Kolhapur. Vishnu was heartbroken about Mahalakshmi’s departure and departed Vaikuntha. On the Venkata Hill, he sought sanctuary in an anthill beneath a tamarind tree. He went without food and sleep while meditating for Mahalakshmi’s homecoming. It was here that the Lord assumed the shape of Varaha in order to safeguard Mother Earth from the depths of the ocean. Brahma and Shiva were both deeply moved by Lord Vishnu’s distress. To serve him, they disguised themselves as a cow and its calf.Lakshmi disguised herself as a cow and sold the cow and calf to the Chola Empire’s ruler. Along with the cow herd, the Chola King sent them to graze atop Venkata Hill. Vishnu was nourished by the cow, who gave him with milk. Meanwhile, the cow in the palace did not produce any milk.
The Chola Queen became enraged and brutally scolded the royal cowherder. The cow herder now surreptitiously followed the cow and discovered that she had emptied her udder over the ant-hill. The cow herder threw his axe at the cow in an attempt to injure it. Vishnu, on the other hand, spared the cow and took the hit. The cow herder collapsed and died of shock after seeing the scene. Blood stains covered the cow as she returned to the palace. The monarch was curious as to what was causing the cow’s fear. So he pursued her and saw the cowherder dead on the ground. Because of his servant’s error, Vishnu emerged from the anthill and cursed the monarch to become a monster (Rakshasa). The King begged and begs for forgiveness. Vishnu blessed the monarch, saying he would be born as Akasa Raja and that his curse would be lifted when he presented him with a crown during his marriage to Padmavati. Srinivas, Lord Vishnu, then chose to reside in the Varaha Kshetra. Varaha (Vishnu’s boar incarnation) agreed to furnish him with a place to dwell. Srinivas stipulated that a journey to his temple be preceded by a dip in the Pushkarini and worship to Varaha.
Vishnu built a hermitage and dwelt in it. Vakula Devi, who looked after him like a mother, was his attendant. Tondamandalam was eventually ruled over by a King called Akasa Raja. He had no children. As a result, he made a sacrifice in order to have an heir. He was ploughing the fields one day. A lotus was struck by the plough. It contained a newborn girl. The girl will be a harbinger of good fortune, a celestial voice assured Akasa Raja. The girl was adopted by Akasa Raja and given the name Padmavati. The young lady blossomed into a lovely young lady. Srinivas was out hunting one day when he came into a wild elephant in the woods. Padmavati and her ladies were plucking flowers in a garden when he arrived. The princess was terrified by the wild elephant.
He turned around, saluted Srinivas, and then vanished into the trees. Srinivas was smitten by Padmavati. He returned to the hills and announced his intention to marry Padmavati to Vakula Devi. Srinivas also told about Padmavati’s earlier life as Vedavati. He had stated that he would marry her. Vakula Devi volunteered to arrange the marriage with Akasa Raja. In the meantime, Akasa Raja and his queen Dharanidevi discovered Padmavati’s love for Srinivas. As a result, Akasa Raja sought advice from Guru Brihaspati over the marriage. Guru Brihaspati assured him that the marriage would be beneficial to both parties. Srinivas borrowed money from Kubera, the god of wealth, to cover the wedding expenditures. Finally, in the sight of all the gods, Srinivas wedded Padmavati. Venkateswara’s main temple is now located atop the Tirumala hills, which also happens to be the site of the holy union.
Miracles of Lord Venkateswara
The miracle of Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala Tirupati took place about three and a half decades ago in Lord Venkateswara’s hallowed abode at the Tirumala Tirupati Temple. On November 7, 1979, around 12 a.m., a miracle happened at Tirumala’s sacred shrine. The whole city of Tirumala was asleep at the moment. There was complete quiet in the temple shrine. The miracle happened in the middle of the night, shocking and surprising the whole Tirumala hill temple.
The massive bronze bells that hung in front of Lord Venkateswara at the Tirumala Tirupati Temple’s Sanctum Sanctorum began to sound on their own without anyone touching them.
The sound of heavy metal reverberated throughout Tirumala Hill Shrine. The massive clang of the Bronze bells startled security personnel, cops, pilgrims, authorities, temple employees, and Purohits. They were jolted awake and dashed to the main Temple. They couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the massive bronze bells ringing on their own without being touched. The fact that the bells continued to chime in that manner for almost five minutes before stopping on their own was even more startling. For all those there, it was a miracle; an amazingly genuine condition. It was enigmatic, miraculous, and incredible. So, someone has come up with a plausible explanation for this “miracle.” That is why it is miraculous. After the Ekanta Seva – the final Pooja performed in the temple every night – the main temple’s doors, including those of the Sanctum Sanctorum, are totally sealed from the outside. No one could enter the Sanctum Sanctorum until the Suprabhata Seva was completed the next morning. Lord Venkateswara is the only one who has access to the Sanctum Santorum.
Why are Lord Venkateswara Eyes closed?
This query or enigma stems from the fact that the Tirumala Tirupati temple’s Lord Shri Venkateswara statue is adorned with a massive Namam, a sacred Vaishnavite forehead mark. It almost completely hides the idol’s eyes. While many Venkateswara Swamy devotees accept the situation as it is, some argue that the Namam size should be decreased to allow devotees to enjoy a more gratifying Darshan of the Lord’s brilliant eyes. Here are some fascinating facts concerning the Namam that Venkateswara wore over his eyes.
The white Namam that is applied to Lord Shri Venkateswara’s forehead is a very broad application. Powdered camphor is used to make it. The temple priests apply this lotion to the idol once a week on Fridays after the Abhishekam ceremony, which is a sacred wash for the statue. On Thursdays, however, the Namam is significantly smaller, allowing the Lord’s eyes to shine brighter than normal. It’s called Netra Darshan. It gives worshippers the opportunity to see the Lord’s eyes.
Lord Venkateswara is also involved with another fascinating ceremony. It takes place every Friday (specifically Friday mornings). On Friday mornings, the Lord Venkateswara idol is bathed in holy water. It is a “weekly ritual.” Before bathing, the Namam is removed. The Lord’s gaze is piercing and forceful. A stack of tamarind rice is traditionally placed in front of the Lord. It is done to lessen the intensity of Lord Venkateswara’s tremendous rays that emanate from his eyes. The Lord’s gaze is drawn to it rather than the believers. A fresh Namam is performed for the Lord soon after the Abhishekam is concluded. It should be remembered that Lord Venkateswara’s Namam (which he wears) is a symbolic depiction of Vaishnavism. Furthermore, in Vaishnavism, there are two important Vaishnavites sects known as Vadagalai and Tengalai. They’ve gone with the “U” and “Y” shaped Namams, respectively. The Lord Venkateswara temple, on the other hand, employs a unique combination of the English letters U and Y to symbolise both factions. With everyone, Lord Venkateswara is just, unbiased, and rigorous. He is a self-manifested god who cannot bear the wrongdoings of the humans in the current Kali Yuga. The Namam is used to calm the Lord’s wrathful glances, which have the potential to set the earth on fire. The Namam is composed of fresh camphor, which gives the Lord a cooling sensation. It also partially hides the Lord’s gaze.
Lord Venkateswara Images
So these are some of the image of Lord Venkateswara.
