AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Discourse of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji on Srinivasa Kalyanam - April 7 to 11, 2011 - Hyderabad
Bits of SGS Discourse at Hyderabad caught on Yogasangeeta live, April 7

Jaya Guru Datta

"It is God who has taken the divine incarnation on earth as Lord Venkateshwara. He is Vishnu withouth the conch and the wheel.

The same one Paramatma appears as so many living souls on earth. Just as the same Moon appears as so many different moons when reflected in so many different pots.

The means for attaining  liberation is different in each of the four Yugas.

In Krita Yuga it was Smarana, remembrance

In Treta Yuga it was performing Yajna and Yaga, religious fire rituals and austerities

In Dwapara Yuga it was Archana or worship

In Kali Yuga it is Sankeertana, singing the names of God

Sing and chant always the names of God, keep saying Rama,Krishna, Datta, Hare, Vithala, and so on. If you sing, chant, listen, or repeat afte,r or sing along with someone, it benefits you. Merge the mind with the name. That is why the names are repeated over and over again. By doing sankeertana you attain liberation. Whatever you may be doing, keep chanting God's name, when you sit, when you get up, when you bend, when you lie down, keep saying divine names.

May be to help those who kept sighing, Ayyo.. appa.., and it became Ayyappaa.., God incarnated as Ayyappa to help and liberate those souls. Now people say, ussss.. abbaa.. when they moan and groan, instead of saying Datta orKrishnaor Rama. May be out of His infinite compassion God will in the future incarnate as Ussappa to help such souls. Who knows? He is such an ocean of compassion."

Sri Swamiji repeated the story of the person who climbed the drumstick tree - how Siva and Parvati who normally do not even heed the prayers offered fervently for long periods of time, suddenly fought with each other, each wanting to volunteer to rush and save the person who was certain to fall to his death because the branches on that tree are famous for being brittle. Narada pacified them and said, if the fellow calls out 'ammaa' (mother), Parvati should save him. And if he called out 'Appaa' (father) as he fell from the tree, Siva should save him. The unfortunate loser lost out be saying neither. He cried, 'O I am dead'!

Swamiji cautioned everyone not to follow that example and lose out on achieving liberation.

"Just as you have to practice giving to charity because nothing is yours and you have to return to God what he has given you, you should also constantly practice saying the name of God.  I am not saying it. The scriptures have declared it that that is the only effective means to achieve salvation in Kali Yuga.

God is not Woman. God is notMan.He takes on different forms to protect the world. God or Govinda loves the Earth. There are 14 lokas or worlds, atala, vitala and so on, but it is only on Earth that he can take an incarnation. He likes all of them. In the others, he just permeates the entire region. It is only on Earth that there are so many suffering souls. He loves them and suffers Himself to save them. Swamiji lovesMysore. But he lovesHyderabad. That is why he is here.

In Koorma - turtle incarnation, he bore the entire weight of the mountain on his back while the churning of the ocean of milk was going on. How he must have bled!

How much suffering Narasimha went through! He was in his mother's ***. Only 5 months. How painful it is for a baby that is born premature at 5 months! 7 months is okay, somewhat. At 9 months the baby is fully developed. But because Hiranyakashipu, the demon King kicked the pillar, Narasimha had to come out prematurely before He was completely formed. Who knows if by full term He would have been perhaps a Lion or aMan.But there was no time to lose. He hurriedly came out half developed, as half Man half Lion. How he suffered! But he had to save His devotee Prahlada! Such is the love of God for His children! He killed Hiranyakashipu placing him on His lap! The fellow was a demon. But God still loved him! He loves everyone. He only has compassion for everyone. He tore open his stomach. Many criticize. He is so cruel. No! It was not cruelty. Like saint Purandara Dasa said, He was looking, searching, to see if there were more precious gems in his stomach hidden away, like Prahlada. He was searching. Then he wore his intestines as garlands around His neck. He smeared the blood all over His body. All out of love for Hiranyakashipu, to give him liberation. After all, he was His devotee. Remember the story of Jaya and Vijaya, the door keepers at Vaikuntha who because of a curse were born as demons. He was one of them. Every word that is spoken, every gesture, every action is full of meaning,  when God incarnates on Earth.

Many people are not ready to go to Vaikuntha, to God's abode, when called. They say, 'Please wait. Let me finish my coffee', or something like that. Even serious spiritual students relax too much. They have to be very alert and ready. A real hard worker does not even remember to eat his meal on time.

Govinda incarnated in all the four Yugas.

Krita Yuga as Narasimha

Treta Yuga as Rama

Dvapara Yuga as Krishna

Kali Yuga as Venkateshwara"

The program concluded with the bhajan, Srinivasa Govinda. Earlier Palaya Govinda was sung.

Sri Guru Datta



Discourse on Srinivasa Kalyanam - Hyderabad April 8, 2011

Jaya Guru Datta

Bhajan: Achyutam Keshavam

“This is like a preview or a trailer of a movie. The script for this has been written by Sri Bala Swamiji. This is meant as a 9 day discourse. Vamshi has put in a great effort to condense it. Subbu has also worked very hard. It is the same story. The words have been changed a little here and there. Now that I have given the credits to the screen play writer, director and others, I can proceed. It makes them happy. Finally it is the Actor who receives all the fame and praise anyway. If I recognize their efforts in public, they will give me a hard time in the back. Politely, of course. They will say that it is an insult and a curse to them if the Guru praises. The Guru should never praise a disciple. They say, “Please do not bloat up our ego, and create jealousy in the minds of others. Then they would have to consume Digene for stomach burn. “

Sri Ganeshaya namah Sri Saraswatyai namah Sripada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswati Sri Guru Dattatreyaya namah.

Bhajan: Ehi Srinivasa

Paramatma suffers a great deal for the sake of the devotees. This pain only the truest devotees can recognize. Others do not realize it. Saints know it, that the Lord has taken upon Himself their own personal suffering. They do not feel happy about it. They do not wish for God to suffer on their behalf. Hence they sincerely pray that instead, they should be given the strength to endure their own pain.

God has made many many great promises. You will know if you read Guru Charitra, the Life History of Swamiji and other great Gurus. You will understand how much they sacrifice for the sake of devotees. The more you read their glories, the more your faith in the Guru will increase. You must share your experiences with others. Express them in your own words, or in songs. The glory of the Guru will then increase. You must tell others. If there is no one to listen, at least speak to the wall. Speak out loud, how your Guru has helped you. Declare how he saved you. It may be in a small way or a big way. It does not matter. You must acknowledge out loud to yourself and to others. Many people feel shy to talk about it. They are bashful and do not express themselves. That is not right.

If you make a general statement, ‘O everything is his!’ either in your mind or out loud, that is not sufficient. Unless you prepare food and serve him, how will he eat? If everything is his, then you must offer it to him properly, and say, “Please accept it.” You should even tell others, ‘I went to attend a discourse and he kicked me. Or he slapped me in my face, with the words he spoke.’ (He really did to me today, a few minutes after this. I will put an asterisk* there to point out). Only if you praise the Guru, the tree of his glory will grow and flourish. We have to sing about him, speak about him, and listen about him to increase our own faith.

God has suffered so much, coming down to earth to help and rescue his devotees, being born in the form of even insects, reptiles, animals, half animal half human, and as human beings. He comes running when called by a devotee, as in the case of Gajendra in Gajendra Moksham. “Sirikinjeppadu sankha chakra yugamun cedoyi sandhimpadu ..” like that. Vishnu simply ran. He did not pick up his weapons. He did not mount the Garuda. He did not even tell his wife, “Hey, I have to go out now, to rescue this devotee, Gajendra. I will be back soon.” No, not like that. His wife resides right inside his heart. Lakshmi is with him always. What it means is that he did not even stop to communicate with his own heart. He just left. His robe was falling off. He did not care. He ran in his *** cloth. Did he really need weapons, when he himself went in person? No. They are superfluous. We also do that if suddenly there is an emergency. If we are in the bath, ***, we just run out just like that. Don’t we? We do that.

What matters is the attitude with which they pray. If they have the proper approach, then he will come at once to save.

“Sarva dharman parityajya mamekam sharanam vraja

Aham tva sarva papebhyo mokshayishyami ma shuchah”(said Lord Krishna in the Bhagavadgita). That is the promise made by God. Give up everything and come to me. Then you will obtain me. I will free you from all sins, all obstacles. I will help you to cross and overcome all hurdles. Seek only me. Think only of me. Sing only of me. Take refuge in me.” Do not grieve,” he said. What did he mean? You should not grieve or worry that you will not be able to reach God. He has promised that you will obtain him if you do the above.

Things that you grieve about, are (*) ‘O my son has married elsewhere. My daughter-in-law does not fit in with the family. My husband has left me’ and things like that. These should not be the subjects for grief. You should be strong. You should say, ‘I will not cry. I will remain here, and with courage, I will suffer my Karma.” That is real devotion. It is not real devotion to say, “I will leave my family and come away to the ashram.” Then I will have the burden of feeding you! The Guru should feel proud of you and say, ‘Now you are free from all Karma”. Then it means that you have attained real detachment. It will happen when you completely give up your doer-ship, when you totally surrender at the feet of the Guru.

God has made impossible promises. From Goloka, the highest plane of bliss, he has come down to earth. We give the name Ananda Nilayam to our house, which means, House of Bliss. Yet, all we do is fight all the time and make it Duhkha Nilayam, House of Sorrow. Always crying, ‘Labalabalaba’. Same thing we do with names. The fellow’s name is Satya (Truth) Narayana. Yet, all that he speaks is lies. Harischandra will do nothing right. Dharmaraja will be the worst miser. It should not be like that. One should justify the name given to him.

Goloka is beyond description. It is such a great place. Yet God keeps coming down, making very frequent trips to earth to save devotees. Finally God got tired of traveling so many times. He decided to build a Guest House in Tirupati. God’s complete form is in Goloka. He resides on earth in his ‘idol’ form, close to his devotees, in order to protect them. He said, “I am even ready to leave my

Vaikuntha, but I will not desert my devotees.” He took a vow. He likes all the 14 lokas, worlds, yet, Bhooloka with Karma is his favorite. ‘On the sacred Venkatadri hill, my Varaha Swami will give me at least 7 steps (7 hills representing the 7 chakras)’, he thought. So he occupied all 7 hills, just like Sri Datta Venkateshwara who was originally offered a small site, eventually has occupied 8 acres of land.

He had to come from there to here. For what? For Loka Kalyana, for the welfare of the world. How? It is not easy to come down with the entire retinue. Lakshmi, his consort also thought along the same lines. She always knows every thought that goes through his mind. Swami may be wireless. But even wireless has to have some wire somewhere. Lakshmi is the wire, like our spine. At once she decided to move to the earth.

There are many Datta devotee couples who are like that. They are like the Original Couple, Adi Dampatulu. If one gets an idea to serve the Guru a certain way, the other will at once jump up and support the idea. Not only that. The spouse will make the offer even bigger. It happens all the time.

Bhajan: Venkata Ramana Sankata Harana

It was time now for him to descend to the earth. It was not an easy task. A great deal of effort is required to accomplish this. Only a pure heart and true devotion will make it possible. All the celestials and deities had to pray. Where will he be born? Where will he take his birth as ‘Ayonija’, take an ‘immaculate ’birth‘? Ordinary sadhus or celestials such as Kinnaras, and Gandharvas cannot accomplish this difficult task. Those who perform worship for years on end, lighting lamps and incense sticks, offering bananas and breaking coconuts will not succeed in this. It will only happen when their mind gets transformed. He saw the sages and the rishis performing severe penance to reach him. They had no selfish interest whatsoever. They remained frozen in the frigid region, themselves like ice, living only on air, praying for the welfare of the world.

There are many devotees who go to the temple and while doing the ritual worship through the priest, get it done only in the name and star of their Guru. Whatever austerity is done, in the end it is customary to say, “Krishnarpanam”, I offer it all to God, the entire reward for the austerity. It is good to give the results of your austerities to the Guru. One must develop a selfless attitude. Those who are constantly running after their respective wives, husbands, or children, are liars when they claim that they are followers of a Guru. One must believe that one’s house and children belong to the Guru.

Knowingly or unknowingly you have experienced the enjoyment. Now you cannot escape your karma. You have to experience it. You ate 10 laddus. Now you cannot escape the vomiting and the diarrhea. You have to clean up your own karma. Responsibility is not ‘getting children married, and paying off loans’. Your responsibility, your duty is to make your mind dwell on God always. Making your body thin, fasting, learning to levitate, all this is only insanity. You may attain all the 8 siddhis, why, you may even attain an extra 9th siddhi also, but it will not help you. With the ninth siddhi, your life will go out through your nine holes. That is all. Do not count how much japa you did, or how many vratas you have performed, and boast about them. Just quietly offer them to your guru. Mention it to him only if asked. Do not make a propaganda about your counts. All these things do not make you a yogi. Drinking juices, eating fruits, having idli, dosa and doing tapas does not make you a yogi. Simply avoiding rice eating does not make you a yogi. Giving away everything you have does not make you a yogi. Being an extraordinary poet or scholar does not make you a yogi. Unless and until you get rid of the fickle nature of your mind, get rid of your ego, and control the six inner enemies, you will not become a yogi. Running around ***, or in your *** cloth will not make you a yogi. What you have to give up, is not your attachment to your clothes alone, you have to give up your attachment to your body. That will make you a yogi. Then again if you peel off your skin with a knife, it will not make you a yogi. Many people have a wrong concept of a yogi. Read Avadhuta Gita. Then you will understand.

To help the devotees who were doing penance, Swami came. Even Indra does not have the power to make him come, or all the planets. Only Tyaga Jeevis, the ones who sacrifice their self-interest can accomplish it. Such saints who are not concerned about their birth, death, relatives, or anything else, who sacrifice their all, for God, are true spiritual warriors. Such Munis are each like a Subrahmanya, the commander of the celestial army. They are the ones who help to protect Dharma, the right code of living. Other decorations and embellishments do not count one bit. The one who has blessed us with Vak Shakti knows this. Even through curses that they exchange, these rishis are helping the world. You may wonder why such exalted souls are behaving like that. There is a deep hidden meaning in all their actions. These are the people who do the real seva to Swami.

They all intuitively knew that Swami was coming down to earth. They all congregated on the banks of the river Ganga. When Swami decided to descend from Goloka, the rishis knew by telepathy that God was going to incarnate soon. They knew that they have to assume their respective different roles in order to serve him in his mission. They all decided to do a Yajna. Like Ganga is supported by Shiva, Fire is supported by Yajnas. Happily they cleaned the place and prepared the Vedika, the platform for conducting the ritual. The homa kundas emerged from the ground. There was no need to bring bricks to arrange or to smear with cow dung paste. All the articles that were required for the ritual simply materialized there. All such articles and sacred materials, such as the darbha grass, the pots for ghee, and the ladles and so on are in truth the bodies of celestials. There are mantras chanted to invoke them and to put them back in their places once the ritual is concluded. Only the ritviks are allowed to clean the place afterwards, and to clean all the vessels that were used. It is wrong to have the womenfolk scrub the items. The materials have to be handled with reverence. They should not be handled with disrespect and thrown here and there.

The sages took bath in the river Ganga and took their seats on their sacred asanas. They began chanting the mantras. The entire region reverberated with the sacred sounds. Chanting or writing, ‘Om namo hanumate namah’ is also a Yajna. Chanting the Hanuman Chaleesa is also a Yajna. Narada who was on his travels heard this. He came down to see this very special event. He knew through his divine vision that God’s incarnation on earth was imminent. He felt very happy. His role in this great event automatically became evident to him.

By Sadguru’s sankalpa, when the Sadguru wishes, a thought is automatically transmitted to the devotees’s mind. It gets revealed within the heart, with no audible verbal communication. The devotee or disciple will know instinctively, ‘This will help others and hence I must do this’. There is no need to confirm with the Guru. There is no need to show Rakshasa Bhakti, demonic devotion, loudly demanding a verbal expression.

Narada was not formally invited. Yet, he wanted to participate in this great Yajna for universal welfare. He wanted to also be a samidha, a stick to offer to the God of Fire, or an akshata, a grain of yellow rice, the way we offer a symbolic cotton thread (Chandruniki oka noolu pogu) to the Moon. He approached the main altar. He saw the Swami leaving his heavenly abode, descending from Vaikuntha to the earth to benefit mankind.”

Bhajan: New Telugu Bhajan –

The gist: O Swami, you are coming down to take residence on top of these hills, O Venkateshwara! We are filled with desires, and anxieties about difficulties. We have taken vows to walk up the hills, to shave our heads for you, and to perform Tomala Seva to you. Please remove our difficulties. Please fulfill our desires. Please extract from us the fulfillment of our vows, with interest, O money-lending Lord Venkateshwara! The three crore (thirty million) celestials surround you. The Moon is your mind. The Sun is your radiance. The Vedas are your sighs. The different worlds are your curls.  Your enchanting smile is the Life Energy of all souls. In your immeasurable Cosmic Form, this Universe is very small. Please grant us the treasures of Sat, Chit, and Ananda, Truth, Consciousness, and Eternal Bliss.

Sri Guru Datta

Discourse on Srinivasa Kalyanam, Hyd. April 9, 2011

Jaya Guru Datta

The live webcast was frequently interrupted and incomplete.

“If just Narada alone is there, he is like a crown, to embellish the gathering. His presence alone is sufficient to make any event grand and successful. Many devotees pray to Swamiji to just grace the event even for moment, to make it special and divine. After you dress up a little girl, in silk clothes, ornaments, a long, beautiful braid, and flowers, whether she is fair skinned or dark, the moment you decorate her forehead with the dot, she at once turns radiant and beautiful. That one dot gives her special beauty. It completes the decoration. It will immediately make her look like Lakshmi or Saraswati, like a beautiful goddess herself.

The moment Narada made his entry all the assembled saints shed tears of joy. They know the greatness of Narada. He is present in all the Yugas, uninterruptedly doing good to all the worlds. That is his life’s mission. He is not just some saint strumming his instrument, chanting ‘Narayana’ and creating quarrels amongst people and celestials. He is an exceptional and a highly extraordinary being who is always concerned with the protection of all the worlds. He does tremendous good. Just thinking of him gives Jnana, spiritual knowledge. Without him there is no story. He is the central instigator. Just like without a wire electricity will not flow, just as without a faucet, you cannot access the water in the pipes, just as without water a feast is not complete, he is simply indispensable. Even if one only gives water, you can drink it and feel satisfied. Any number of examples will not suffice to extol the greatness of Narada.

The saints now felt very confident that their divine Yajna would be successful since Narada has come to participate. They knew that it will have a grand conclusion. They reverentially welcomed him, worshipped him, and offered him a suitable raised seat to be seated and waited eagerly and expectantly to listen to his words of benediction. Kashyapa and other sages were there. They, despite being great Jnanis themselves, still waited with bated breath to listen to the great sage Narada who had come to grace the occasion. With a thousand ears and a thousand eyes they waited.

…

The yajna proceeded peacefully.
……

Then all the sages came to an agreement. They looked at Bhrigu, a great sage and decided to ask him as to who is the greatest amongst the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva). They prayed to him.

……

Those who write poetry are so immersed in their writing. They keep writing oblivious of their surroundings. A great cameraman also is so focused on his work, that he does not notice anything else that is happening around him. It is important to have such intense concentration.

……

Bhrigu became furious that his arrival was noticed and that he was not offered a proper reverential welcome. He cursed Brahma who was seated there that he will not have any temples or worship on earth. Before Brahma could approach him to offer his apology and pray for forgiveness, Bhrigu stomped out and proceeded straight to Kailasa.

A beautiful sight greeted him there. Shiva was engrossed in his thundering Ananda Tandava, the glorious cosmic dance. This was not any dance practice session of Bharata Natyam or Kuchipudi. With every step he was placing his feet on the different worlds, destroying all the sins of those worlds. Skipping and jumping from one globe to another he danced joyously. Along with him danced his Pramatha Ganas including Nandi the bull and Bhringi. They were dancing with total abandon, forgetting themselves. Bhrigu was lost in amazement at this celestial dance. It was wonderfully amazing. The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars were lending their rainbow colors to embellish the dance. Bhrigu, whose jaw had earlier been busy in spouting curses, now dropped in utter surprise at this incredible sight. He had to pinch himself to see where he was. He said something. His voice completely got drowned in the din of the dance. The Pramatha ganas were dancing so vigorously they would have even stepped on him. Like Shiva they were also joyously dancing.

We saw how the other day they were dancing here balancing on mud pots. That too girls! Such concentration. The pots will break otherwise. Whatever we do, we must do with concentration. Otherwise, nothing will get accomplished. Yet, you should not force the mind. Then it will not budge. You have to give it a break. Drink a glass of water and then resume your work.

Bhrigu got angry and began fuming again. In Satya loka he had cursed Brahma. Here also Shiva and his entourage neglected to notice him in their frenzy of dancing.”

Bhajan: Taddhim Shankara

The webcast stopped midway.

Sri Guru Datta


Final day Discourse on Srinivasa Kalyanam at Hyderabad, April 11, 2011

Jaya Guru Datta

"Sri Maha Ganapataye namah. Sri Saraswatyai namah. Sripada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswati Sri Guru Dattatreyaya namah.

Bhajan: Govinda naamam madhuram madhuram

The grand, divine wedding of Srinivasa and Padmavati is about to take place. Everyone is getting ready with the greatest enthusiasm. He is the Lord of the Three Worlds. Hence everything had to be of appropriate grandeur. There were no compromises anywhere. If a mountain had to be carried in a tray, well, it had to be carried in a tray!!  That is all. It had to be done. These days they say, I give Rs. 4/- in place of a gift of a cow or I give Rs. 11/- in place of a bride.  No. You cannot even give a buffalo in place of a cow. Here if it said, gift of a cow, the best cow had to be given in charity.

Everything had to be done in keeping with the stature of the Bridegroom and the Bride.

Fire God was in charge of all food preparation. All the divine sacred ponds and lakes turned into vessels containing the most delicious food items, such as sambar, rasam, kheer or payasam, and so on. There were no flies, no contamination. Everything was pure and clean. The guests queued up and the lines extended for miles. All the guests, friends and relatives from many lifetimes had arrived there to participate in the festivities. These were VIPs not just from this set of four yugas but from countless number of yugas, or epochs. Only Sri Hari, Lord Vishnu knows exactly when this marriage took place. Stories have been collected from various Puranas, ancient scriptures, and they have all been woven together.

Just as a harvest of cotton goes through an elaborate process before it turns into a fabric to cover our bodies, just as silk yarn goes through a tremendous process before it adorns us as a silk robe, there was so much preparation taking place here for the wedding arrangements. We talk about it as a wonder that our lines extended into the streets. Here the garland of celestials extended from Venkatadri, the Tirumala Hills all the way to Sri Sailam.

All the guests sat down and ate to heart’s content. After the feast was over, the marriage party set out in a procession to the venue of the wedding. In those days also, they all first had their feast. Like now, they first have the reception dinner, and then at midnight have the marriage muhoortam, the auspicious time set for the rituals.

Lord Brahma made all the arrangements. He organized everything meticulously. Every single step was orderly. He enforced strict discipline. In our functions, devotees who are at the back, if they see that Swamiji is in the front, will push and shove to get ahead in the line. It ends up in a stampede. The chariot was proceeding. The musicians and the dancers accompanied. When Brahma gave the signal, the huge kettle drums, the Bheris were beaten. The Veena and Venu (flute) instruments were played in a loud volume. Srinivasa mounted the Garuda, his vehicle. Lakshmi rode in a golden chariot. Vakula Devi, and Shiva followed. The Shiva ganas, the entourage of Shiva chanted ‘Om Namassivaya’. Hanuman’s father Vayudeva, the Wind god and Subrahmanya, the commander-in-chief of the celestial army joined the procession. The great sages were leading the procession with Vedic chants. With them were other deities and the celestial dancers the Apsaras dressed in different colors. While the Gandharvas, the celestial singers sang, the Apsaras danced. The Rishis chanted. The Brahmarshis showered flowers on Srinivasa. Everyone followed Brahma’s instructions. Vishvaksena weilded a baton and enforced order and discipline during the procession. Even and Indra and Varuna were told to behave properly. Especially the nine planets, the Nava Grahas were getting punished for getting out of step. There were shouts of victory. Vishvaksena was helping the dancers, supporting them if they were about to lose balance. He was lending a hand to help up those who fell down.

Finally the procession reached the ashram of Suka Maharshi at Padma Teertha. Suka waited eagerly with a Poorna Kumbha to receive Srinivasa, the Bridegroom. Srinivasa got down from the Garuda, eagle vehicle. Suka prostrated to him. Srinivasa also reverentially prostrated. Suka was very happy that the Lord by his presence had made his ashrama holy. He begged Srinivasa to accept his hospitality. Vakula Devi also got down from her aircraft. She said, “O great Yogi! You are a venerable ascetic. We are all worldy persons, samsaaris. Ours is a huge entourage. Kindly excuse us for not accepting the hospitality. Please do not trouble yourself on our account.” Suka said to Srinivasa, “O Lord, I know about your Maya. Whatever little I have to offer, trina or pana, even if it be a blade of grass, and miniscule hospitality, still, kindly accept it. If you eat satisfactorily, all the worlds will be satisfied. Please do not refuse. “Vakula intervened on behalf of Suka. She said, “Suka was of great help during the mediations regarding this marriage proposal. You must fulfill his desire.”  Srinivasa agreed. Suka happily went inside. He cleansed himself and prepared the delicious food items. He made Tulasi rasam, Bilva curry, and herbal tea the way we make at our Bonsai garden. He also served Moolika Teertham, the ayurvedic herbal water.

Lakshmi and Vakula also ate there. Suka was extremely happy. He knew that it was very difficult to get a chance to host Paramatma Himself! It is very rare to get the darshan of the Lord 1) having a meal, 2) sleeping restfully in deep sleep, 3) swinging happily on a swing, 4) splashing in water, 5) singing and giving discourses, 6) showing extreme anger (we get that darshan frequently), 7) being decked with all jewelry, and 8) sitting on the floor with eyes closed on deep meditation. The human being who gets all these eight types of darshan within forty days will attain Jeevanmukti, Liberation. But it is very difficult to get all of these. One or two will be missing.

Srinivasa stroked his stomach with satisfaction after the meal. He said, “Brahmaarpanam.” All those who had been waiting outside in line suddenly felt full in their stomachs. They all burped with satisfaction. They could not even move. They were so full. The rishis praised Suka. You merely fed Govinda and the rest of us are so full. Everyone in unison praised Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe, Srinivasa.

Bhajan: Hari Hari Hari Hari Narayana

Suka was happy. He insisted that Srinivasa should spend the night there and proceed on his way the next morning. Why did he insist that Srinivasa should stay overnight? There was a swing built inside his chariot. Suka was very intelligent. He wanted to have the eight types of darshan all in one day. He had already given him a bath, and had fed him. He wanted to see him swing, and sleep peacefully also, and be in meditation. Srinivasa stayed back. Suka had all the darshans. Everyone slept right where they were, whether they were sitting or standing. That was Brahma’s order to them. They kept doing Govinda Smarana. Remembering and singing Govinda’s names.

The next evening they all reached Narayanapura. Akasha Raja placed the jewel bedecked Lakshmi on an elephant and went in front of Srinivasa to welcome him. The bride and the bridegroom faced each other. Srinivasa who was seated on the eagle, took the garland from his neck and placed it around Lakshmi’s neck. Lakshmi took out her jasmine garland and decorated Srinivasa with it. They repeated this ritual three times. Then, in procession they reached the marriage venue. Srinivasa called Akasha Raja’s brother and requested him to serve meals to everyone. It was done. Everyone ate satisfactorily.

The next day with Melam and Talam (the traditional marriage music with trumpets and drums)Aakasha Raja invited Srinivasa to attend Vara Puja (worship if the bridegroom). Sacred water was brought in a gold *** from the Pushkarini, the holy pond. Vasishtha presided over the ritual. The Brahmins chanted mantras from the Vedas. In a gold plate Srinivasa’s lotus feet were placed. As Dharani Devi poured the sanctified water, Akasha Raja washed Srinivasa’s feet and sprinkled the holy water on his own head. Dharani Devi smeared sandal paste on the feet and felt overjoyed. Srinivasa gifted a silk fabric.

While the Vandi Maagadhas, the professionals who praise, showered praises upon Srinivasa, he approached the main entry way. Suvasinis, the married women offered Haarathi (the lit fire on a plate). There was song and dance. A nine-gem studded throne was offered to the bridegroom. In the meantime Lakshmi was given a sacred bath, was beautifully dressed and adorned with special diamond jewelry. Her hair was braided with flowers all the way (Poola Jada). Her eyes were lined with the black liner (Kaatuka) and her forehead was decorated with tilakam, the special design reserved for a bride (kalyanam bottu). Lakshmi was made to perform Gowri Puja, a worship ritual to Mother Goddess. She made offerings also to the Kuladaivam, the family deity.

Lakshmi ascended the altar and sat on the East side on a golden seat. Srinivasa sat on the west side on an appropriate seat. The entire set up was so beautiful that it just cannot be amply described. It will take ten days to just describe one aspect. It is impossible to convey the beauty of that marriage altar in words in ten minutes. The bride and groom were seated facing each other. But there was a curtain placed between them. They could not see each other. Finally when the curtain was removed, their eyes met! They were overjoyed.

(Sri Swamiji joyfully sang the old but all-time favorite romantic song from the movie Maya Bazaar, ‘Choopulu kalasina shubha vela enduku neekee kalavaramu/paravashamu? At the auspicious moment when our eyes meet, why do you feel such confusion/ why do you feel such thrill? )

People of my age will enjoy this song. The youngsters will not be familiar with it.

Srinivasa was offered a diamond studded crown that he wore. He also wore diamond necklaces, and pearl garlands with seven pendants, and shoulder ornaments. Akasha Raja offered Naga Bhooshanas, ornaments in the shape of serpents, gold bracelets, rings, *** chain, and golden footwear. He offered Ratna Kambalis, gem-studded blankets and shawls.

Brihaspati, the guru of the celestials read out the lineage of Lakshmi, and stated that she is of Atri gotra. Vasishtha introduced the lineage of Srinivasa, and stated that he belonged to Vasishtha gotra.  The bride, Lakshmi was offered to Srinivasa in Panigrahana ritual – (receiving the hand of the bride) by placing the right hand of the bride in the right hand of the bridegroom. Srinivasa tied the Mangala Sutra, the sacred thread around Lakshmi’s neck. The marriage was performed with the Fire God as the witness. Laja Homa was performed. Brahma himself was there to oversee the entire proceedings.

For four days and nights the marriage ceremony took place. There was no sleep, no food, no coffee, no telephone calls. Everyone stayed and witnessed. By witnessing this sight, the Chola King was relieved of his evil spirits that had possessed him.

The entire hill range of Tirumala is a huge saligrama (a sacred rock). One should not walk upon it wearing footwear. The one who does so will absorb the sins of others, same as those who dirty the place or consume illicit drugs and liquor there.

All those who witnessed, who listened to the description, or read about it, will attain great spiritual benefit. The seven Rishis blessed the couple with akshatas, the yellow rice grains and Vedic chants. The celestials showered flowers upon them. The gandharvas sang and the apsaras danced. As per the scriptures, the bride and bridegroom did the Talambraalu (pouring rice over each other’s heads to the accompaniment of mantras) ritual. They did it solemnly and devoutly, not for cameras, videos, or publicity. The Saptapadi (taking seven steps together, making marriage vows) was conducted. All the deities and sages blessed the newly married couple.

Akasha Raja gave gifts and charities to all the guests. Who were the poor people there? They were all celestials! There were those who did not recognize the divinity of the Lord, as Paramatman. They were the hungry ones. There were those who did not feel joy at the sight of Paramatman. To them was explained the principle of Paramatman. That was the food that was given to them. Not having Jnana, spiritual knowledge, possessing Ego, Tamo and Rajo gunas, such were there among the gathering. They received the clothes and the annadana. The Yakshas, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas, who passed the grade by unfairly using influence, such were the ones who deserved and accepted the charity by way of spiritual knowledge. Many came there who were disciples of Vishwamitra, who reached their status without actually putting in effort. In spite of being Devatas, celestial beings they suffered from discontentment, jealousy, envy, and self-pity. All elements, all Bhoota Ganas from all the worlds who attended the Srinivasa Kalyanam benefited. They all felt satisfied. Even insects like mosquitoes were blessed.

When you perform Srinivasa Kalyanam, you must do so with devotion. Do not think of the figures as idols and wonder if it is made from brass or silver. Once the Prana Pratishtha (infusion with Life Energy) has been done to them, certainly there is divine energy in them. It is not a dolls wedding performed by giving Rs. 2000/-. One should spend at least four hours inside the temple in the divine presence of God.

Kubera gave sambhavana (cash remuneration) to all the priests. Govinda Raja, Srinivasa’s brother also participated in all the feasts and all the services. The event was so astonishingly filled with grandeur that no amount of description will suffice regardless of how many times one talks about it.

Bhajan: Srinivasuni Kalyanam Lokaalanniti Kalyanam

Victory to Sri Venkatachalapati, Lord Venkateshwara!
No deity exists other than Venkateshwara!
No guru exists other than Dattatreya!"

Sri Guru Datta
Om namo hanumate namah