Venkateswara: Difference between revisions

| weapon = [[Panchajanya|Shanku]], [[Sudarshana Chakra|Chakram]]

| texts = [[Naalayira Divya Prabandham]]<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YlvikndgEmIC&dq=venkateshwara+naalayira+divya+prabandham&pg=PA429 | title=Veda and Torah: Transcending the Textuality of Scripture | isbn=9781438406954 | last1=Holdrege | first1=Barbara A. | date=February 2012 }}</ref>

| other_names = Venkatesa, Venkata Ramana, Venkata Chalapathi, Srinivasa, Balaji, Yedukondalavadu, Tirupati Thimmappa, Govinda, Perumal

| spouse = [[Lakshmi|Sridevi]] and [[Bhudevi]]

'''Venkateswara''',{{efn|{{Lang-te|వేంకటేశ్వరుడు}}, {{Lang-ta|வெங்கடேஸ்வரா}}, {{Lang-kn|ವೆಂಕಟೇಶ್ವರ}}, {{Lang-sa|वेङ्कटेश्वरः}}}} also known by various other names,<ref name=namegovinda>{{cite book |date= 1992 |title= Tourist Guide to Andhra Pradesh|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=E4l78qG3TkAC&q=other+names+of+venkateswara&pg=PA21|publisher= Sura Books |page= 21|isbn= 9788174781765}}</ref> is a form of the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] god [[Vishnu]]. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the [[Tirumala Venkateswara Temple]], located in [[Tirupati]], Sri Balaji District, [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]].

==Etymology==

Venkateswara literally means, "Lord of [[Venkata (hill)|Venkata]]".<ref>{{cite book |title=Visions of a New Earth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQMj8QQb6BwC&pg=PA115 |page=115 |author1=Daniel C. Maguire |author2=Harold Coward |author2-link=Harold Coward |publisher=[[SUNY Press]] |year=2000 |isbn = 9780791499962}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XK2kQJqyXdEC&pg=PA474 |title=The Blackwell Companion to Religious Ethics |author=William Schweiker |author-link=William Schweiker |page=474 |year=2008 |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn=9781405144445 }}</ref> The word is a combination of the words ''Venkata'' (the name of a hill in Andhra Pradesh) and ''isvara'' ("Lord").<ref>{{cite book |title=The Life of Hinduism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4-s325pdqW8C&pg=PA233 |year=2006 |page=233 |authors=John Stratton Hawley and Vasudha Narayanan |publisher=University of California Press |isbn = 9780520940079}}</ref> According to the ''[[Brahmanda Purana|Brahmanda]]'' and ''[[Bhavishya Purana|Bhavishyottara]]'' [[Puranas]], the word "Venkata" means "destroyer of sins", deriving from the Sanskrit words ''vem'' (sins) and ''kata'' (power of immunity).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnXXAAAAMAAJ |title=Balaji-Venkateshwara, Lord of Tirumala-Tirupati |author=Nanditha Krishna |publisher=Vakils, Feffer, and Simons |year=2000 |page=49 |isbn=9788187111467 }}</ref>

It is also said that 'Venkata' is a combination of two words: '<nowiki/>''ven''<nowiki/>' (keeps away) and '''kata''<nowiki/>' (troubles). Venkata means he 'who keeps away troubles' or 'who takes away problems' or such terms in a similar context.{{Cn|date=February 2023}}

Once, the sages wanted to decide the deity to dedicate a ritual. The sages appointed the sage [[Bhrigu]] to select the god. Bhrigu decided to test the gods. He first went to the King of [[Svarga]], [[Indra]], who ignored the sage, and was busy in enjoying the dance of ''[[Apsara|apsaras]]'' in heaven. Bhrigu cursed Indra that he would only be referred to as an egoistic soul, all over the universe. He next visited [[Brahma]]. Brahma was busy with his four heads in chanting the [[Vedas]], performing meditation, creating the world, and spending his time with his wife, [[Saraswati]]. Next, he visited [[Shiva]]. Shiva was busy in his ''Rudradhyanam'' with his wife, [[Parvati]], at his feet. Bhrigu cursed Shiva that he would be worshipped only in the formless [[Lingam]]. At last, Bhrigu went to [[Vishnu]]. Vishnu was sleeping on [[Shesha|Adishesha]], and [[Lakshmi]] was at his feet. When Bhrigu arrived, he first saw Vishnu's feet, and felt humiliated. Enraged, he kicked Vishnu on his chest. Awakened, Vishnu started massaging Bhrigu's feet, and served him with great hospitality. Bhrigu was pleased, and ordered the sages to perform the rites to Vishnu. Lakshmi quarelled with Vishnu, as she felt that Bhrigu insulted her indirectly by hitting Vishnu on his chest where she lived, and thus left [[Vaikuntha]].  

She settled on earth in disguise as a young-sage like boy in the ancient city of Karvir, and meditated the name of Vishnu (Regarded by adherents to be the site of the Mahalakshmi temple). Vishnu soon arrived on earth, searching for his consort. He failed to find her, and instead settled on the [[Seshachalam]] hills. This happened to be the spot in Tirupati where [[Varaha]] had rested and taught Karma Yoga to the people till the beginning of [[Kali Yuga]], after having rescuing [[Bhumi (goddess)|Bhudevi]] from the wicked [[Hiranyaksha]]. Vishnu sat inside an anthill in his disguise, which was situated under a tamarind tree, and started chanting the name of his wife, Mahalakshmi.<ref>{{Cite book|last=HS|first=ANUSHA|title=Stories on lord Venkateshwara series - 1: From various sources|publisher=Independently published (April 25, 2020)|year=2020|isbn=979-8640227642|pages=1 page}}</ref>

The whole earth became gloomy. On the request of Parvati and Saraswati, Shiva and Brahma incarnated as a cow and a calf respectively, in the [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] kingdom. This cow and calf were being grazed daily by a shepherd of Chola kingdom in the Seshachalam hills. Everyday, the cow used to pour her milk into the anthill to lessen the thirst of Vishnu. Due to this, the cow and calf became pale and unhealthy. The shepherd noticed this, and felt that something was awry. The next day, the shepherd took the animals for grazing, and as was the custom, the cow poured milk into the anthill. The shepherd saw this act, and he threw an axe (parasu) on the cow and calf. Vishnu noticed, and in order to protect them, Vishnu arose from the anthill and the axe hit his own forehead (the blood poured as his [[Urdhva Pundra|namam]] on his head). An enraged Vishnu cursed the shepherd that he would die immediately, and the latter succumbed to the blow of his own axe. This news reached the Chola king. The ruler suspected the absence of the shepherd. He went near the grazing field, and was surprised to see the corpse of the shepherd. He went to the grazing field, where the cows were offering their milk to Vishnu. However, Vishnu was in disguise, and so the king could not identify him. The king strung his arrow, believing that the milk should serve the kingdom rather than the boy he saw. Vishnu, once again, emerged, and grew enormous, stopped the arrows from passing further and he cursed the king for not maintaining the [[dharma]] of his kingdom. The king repented and surrendered at the deity's feet. Unlike the shepherd, the king had realised his mistake, which pleased Vishnu, and hence presented him with the boon that he would marry the king's daughter in his next birth.  

In his next birth, Vishnu incarnated as Srinivasa, to a woman named Vakuladevi. It is said that in the ''[[Dvapara Yuga]]'', [[Krishna]] presented [[Yashoda]] with a boon that he would be born to the former in the ''[[Kali Yuga]]''. Vakuladevi is regarded as the reincarnation of Yashoda. Meanwhile, the goddess Lakshmi was born at the palace of Akasha Raja, the next birth of the Chola king. Srinivasa was a forest-dweller. One day, he met a beautiful girl named [[Alamelu|Padmavati]], the princess of the Chola dynasty. Padmavati fell in love with Srinivasa , and decided to get married to him. According to the boon of Vishnu to the Chola king in their previous births, Srinivasa has to get married to Padmavati, princess of Chola dynasty. For the marriage expenses, Srinivasa borrowed riches from [[Kubera]], and promised to repay the loan with interest at the end of the ''Kali Yuga''.

The [[Suprabhatam#Venkateshwara Suprabhatam|Venkateswara Suprabhatam]] is the first and pre-dawn prayer performed to Venkateswara at Sayana Mandapam, inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Tirumala Temple. 'Suprabhatam' is a Sanskrit term, which literally means ‘morning salutations’, and is meant to wake up the deity from his celestial sleep.<ref name=suprabhatham>{{cite book |last=V.K. |first=Subramanian |title=Sacred Songs of India, Volume 10 |year=1996 |publisher=Abhinav publications |page=59 |isbn=81-7017-444-9}}</ref><ref name=song>{{cite web|url = http://www.tirumala.org/Suprabhatam.aspx|publisher= Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams|title =Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams-Suprabhatam|access-date=29 July 2015}}</ref> The Venkateswara Suprabhatam hymns were composed by [[Prathivadhi Bhayankaram Annangaracharya]] during the 13th century, and consists of 70 slokas in four parts, including Suprabhatam (29), Stotram (11), Prapatti (14), and Mangalasasanam (16).<ref name=song/><ref name=suprabhatham />

[[Annamacharya|Tallapaka Annamacharya]] (Annamayya), the poet saint<ref name=annam1>{{cite book | title =Poet Saints of India| publisher = Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd | year = 1996 | isbn = 9788120718838 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=zMvlDsnEgRoC&q=annamacharya&pg=PA145}}</ref> of 14th century, one of the greatest Telugu poets and a great devotee of Venkateswara, had sung 32000 songs in praise of Venkateswara.<ref name=annam3>{{cite book | title = 101 Mystics of India| publisher = Abhinav Publications | year = 2006 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=KPPWvkKXwCwC&q=annamacharya&pg=PA97}}</ref><ref name=annam1 /> All his songs, which are in [[Telugu Language|Telugu]] and [[Sanskrit]], are referred to as Sankirtanas and are classified as Sringara Sankirtanalu and Adhyatma Sankirtanalu.<ref name=annam1 />

* [[Venkateswara Temple, Dwaraka Tirumala|Venkateswara Temple, Dwaraka Tirumala, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh]]

* Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, Kurukshetra, Haryana

* [[Padutirupathi|Paduthirupathi Venkataramana Temple]], Karkala, Karnataka

*[[Venkatachalapathy Temple]]

*Shri Lakshmi Venkate Devasthan, Chatribagh, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

*Shri Ramanuj Kot Mandir,291. MG Road,Indore,Madhya Pradesh

*Shri Balaji Temple, Washim, Maharastra

*Sri Venkateswara Swamy Devastanam, Jamalapuram, Khammam Dist, Telangana

*[[Sri Venkateswara Temple (New Jersey)|Sri Balaji Temple, Bridgewater, NJ]]

* Sri Venkateswara Temple at Castle Rock, Denver, Colorado

*[https://www.balajiusa.org/#/home Sree Venkatesvara temple, Richfield Ohio] (Cleveland area)  

*[[Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple]], [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]],&nbsp;England

*[[Alamelu|Padmavathi]]

*[[Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam]]

*[[Sri Tirupati Venkateswara Kalyanam]]