Veda Dharma

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Sri Srinivasa Mahatmyam - 9

Sloka 79:
The Lord is known as Adhokshaja as He is beyond the comprehension of senses. He is not touched by Prakriti and His glories are infinite in number. He is the source of all creation and His incarnations are infinite in number.

Sloka 80:
His names are infinite in number and His knowledge,bliss and kindness are also infinite. He is known somewhat by the Vedas,which are infinite in number and cannot be known completely even by the Vedas. He grants infinite happiness and pleasures to His devotees because His abundant mercy.

Sloka 81:
The happiness of Your devotees,who worship Your feet incessantly with concentrated minds, increases manifold day by day both here and there(After death and before death). How fortunate are they! How fortunate are they!

Sloka 82:
Even if one gets an infinitesimal part of Your grace, he gets everything in this Universe . Then what to speak of devotees who are lucky enough to get a substantial amount of Your grace?

Sloka 83:
The divine acts that You performed in Your various incarnations were shown by You to Your devotees to make them understand Your merciful nature.

Sloka 84:
When an insect fell at Your feet in Your Veda Vyasa incarnation You bestowed a kingdom on that insect. (An ancient story about Veda Vyasa bestowing a kingdom on an insect). When Your feet touched a stone it became a beautiful woman Ahalya(In Rama incarnation). Then what to speak of Your infinite grace towards Your devotees?

Sloka 85:
In Your incarnation as Krishna You became a charioteer for Arjuna. Out of Your Supreme grace towards Indra , You became a beggar as Vamana and asked for three feet of land. Again out of Your supreme mercy towards King Bali , You became His gate keeper at His request.

Sloka 86:
When the elephant Gajendra was troubled by the crocodile Kshudra , instead of sending Your servants or gate keepers , You Yourself went in haste to protect Your devotee out of our infinite grace.

Sloka 87:
Lord! You may leave the Vaikuntha also someday but You will never leave Your devotees in trouble. "My devotees are the dearest to me" is Your Supreme Will.

Sloka 88:
Kamadhenu(wish fulfilling cow), KalpaVriksha(wish fulfilling tree) and ChintaMani(wish fulfilling gem) are desired by everyone to fulfill their desires. But You on the hill of venkatachala became all the three in one form of Lord Venkateswara.

Sloka 89:
Kamadhenu etc can only fulfill material desires like food, wealth etc. but they dont have the capacity to give Moksha. But only You can fulfill the material and spiritual desires of Your devotees.

Sloka 90-92:
If You are happy with a devotee , You bestow all the four desires of a human being. You might even remove the blindness of one who is blind by birth and provide Your gracious darshan to Him.
You can make a deaf man hear Your auspicious glories and You can make a dumb man speak all the sastras in eloquence. You can make a dull-witted person intelligent and an expert in Sankhya, Yoga and Samadhi. (In short there is nothing impossible for the Lord)

Sloka 93:
For one without hands, You can give hands and make him perform Your worship in all splendour.
You can make a lame man walk and can persuade him to visit Your abodes like Venkatachala etc.

Sloka 94:
The supreme Lord destroys all the sorrows of a devotee immediately and give them happiness. He saves them from the problems of old age, from diseases like leprosy etc and from mystic spells that aim to kill the devotee. Out of Your supreme grace You give strong and beautiful body to Your devotees by removing all the immanent defects.

Sloka 95 :
Lord! Why to speak of so many things? In short, You eradicate all the problems of Your devotees and give them supreme happiness. There is no one equal to You in merciful nature in the whole universe.

Sloka 96:
The Lord is like a black cloud and the mothers Sri and Bhu are like lightning in that cloud. This black cloud showers rain that cools down the heat of the devotees caused by the three kinds of problems and fulfills all their desires. (Adhi Bhowtika, Adhi Daivika and Adhyatmika).

Sloka 97:
The supreme Lord gives a plunge to His devotees in an ocean called "Fulfillment of desires" and then keeps them on an island called "Great Bliss". Thus the happiness and the pleasures of Lord's devotees only keep growing and never diminsh.

End of Second Chapter.

narayana smaranam.

"Stopped writing about Srinivasa mahatmyam as I found other works on the net which did the same. Will start writing about Vaikhanasa agamas and their style of worship."

This is the place where one can find the complete translation of the work by Sree Sistla.

http://www.geocities.com/vara12sreerama/Baktirasa/vemkatesa1.htm

Sri Srinivasa Mahatmyam - 8

Sloka 47 - 48:
Adisesha received the great fortune of serving you in four forms viz. bed, sitting place, foot rest and umbrella after performing intence penance for many years. Thus Sesha achieved what could not be achieved easily.

Sloka 49:
Seeing the great fortune of Sesha Mahalakshmi thought " Why should Sesha alone enjoy the bliss that was derived because of his contact with the Lord's body. Let me also enjoy the same!".

Sloka 50-51:
Inspite of staying in the lotus-heart of the Lord , the Divine mother Lakshmi decided to enjoy the happiness experienced by Sesha as Lord's bed, seat, foot-rest and umbrella. She also decided to stay along with Her Lord in the lotus hearts of all people living in Vaikuntha, the fourteen worlds, inside the universe and outside the universe.

Sloka 52:
She decided to serve the Lord in the forms of Lord's resting place, Cool breeze and fragrance in whichever place that Lord stays in the Universe.( Thus she became all materials that can be used for worshipping the Lord)

Sloka 53-55:
She has also taken the forms of various flower giving plants like Jasmine, Ketaki and Champaka so that she can worship the Lord in the form of various flowers. In order to reach the Lord's mouth as Naivedyam she has also become various fruit giving trees like badari, matulunga, kapitha, dadimi, jambu, and jambira. She has also taken the forms of Parijatha and Kalpavriksha trees and also became sandalwood and honey.

Sloka 56-57:
She has also entered the lake with fresh water that was situated in the Lord's resting place. She has also entered the flowers of various hues in that lake and also entered the honey bees, fishes, tortoises and swans in the lake. In short she has become everything in the lake.

Sloka 58:
The divine mother Rama also became a mantapa in the lake that is made of nine precious gems . She also became various chairs and sitting places in that mantapa.

Sloka 59-60:
Having entered everything in that divine lake that is situated in a forest with all the above mentioned fruit giving and flower giving plants, Adilakshmi worshipped the Lord with all the sixteen upacharas as mentioned in the sastras after having seated the Lord on the golden throne.
She also fed him various fresh and tasty fruits, Payasam and Pancha Bhakshyas in golden vessels.
After offering Naivedyam to the Lord the divine mother offered Him fresh drinking water.

Sloka 61:
Though the Lord is ever-satisfied and doesnt have any desires, Mahalakshmi, who is the essence in everything that is auspicious, offered Him all tasty foods with great devotion.

Sloka 62-63:
Mahalakshmi also became a golden cot, decorated with various diamonds, gems and pearls, so that the Lord can relax after a heavy meal. She also became the golden chains that are used to tie this cot to the ceiling.

Sloka 64-68:
A portion of Mahalakshmi's power, which is of the form of Mother Earth, became a soft mattress made of silk. Another portion that is of the form of Mother Sri became a pillow for the Lord's head. Yet another portion that is of the form of Mother Durga massaged the Lord's feet. Mahalakshmi also took the form of Tambula( betel leaves), fans decorated with precious gems and a gem studded resting place for your feet. She also took the forms of all royal paraphernalia that signify the Lord's soveriegnty over the whole Universe. Thus the Divine mother became One with You because of Her intense desire to serve in the forms all bhoga vastu. The divine mother and the Lord are ever united in all the abodes starting from Vaikuntha.

(All the above slokas look out of place at the first glance. But they have yogic significance for really advanced devotees. The above slokas are nothing but a way of doing nirguna manasa puja for the Lord. The Mahalakshmi is the purified mind of the devotee and the Lord is the eternal Self. The mind creates all mental paraphernalia and worships the Lord with all items of worship.)

Sloka 69:
The Supreme Lord is worshipped in various worlds in various forms by divinities like Brahma and others seated on a golden asana.

Sloka 70-71:
The Supreme Lord has created Brahma from a lotus that emanated from His navel. The great Lord Sankara is the heart of Venkateswara. All the gods starting from Indra, all the sages and other living beings emerged from various parts of the Lord's divine form. After creating everything the divine Lord entered everything and protected all from the outside.

Sloka 72:
The Supreme Lord is very different from all the beings that He has created. He is not bound like the other beings and is eternally free.

Sloka 73:
The Lord doesnt expect anything from others as He is ever-contented and all His wishes are fulfilled. He is very kind at heart and His sankalpa can never be changed. He is worshipped by all divinities like Rama(Sri), Brahma, Rudra, Indra and others.

Sloka 74:
The Lord as the indweller provides stimulus to all beings to act in a given way. He is the controller of muktas and amuktas(free and bound beings). He is an expert in achieving things that are impossible and He shines with innumerable good qualities.

Sloka 75:
He performs acts that cannot be thought of by anyone. He is smaller than the smallest and larger than the largest. He fills the entire Universe inside and outside. There is nothing that is comparable to Him in all the three worlds.

Sloka 76:
Everything in the Universe rests on Him and He is the eternal witness of all that happens. He is desired or liked by every creature as He is the indweller of all. He is the most beautiful and the best of all. He is omniscient and is the master of all beings. The past,present and future are nothing but Him only.

Sloka 77:
He is the eternally powerful and His acts cannot be comprehended by people with uncontrolled senses. At the same time, He can be comprehended by devotees with controlled senses. He is unchangeable and is known as "Sesha" as He alone remains at the time of great deluge. He is also known as "Asesha" as He pervades everything when the deluge ends. He is the eternal Brahman and hence cannot be touched by sins and He is all-auspicious.

Sloka 78:
He is not touched by decay,disease,death and incompleteness. He shows the four ways of dharma( brahmana, kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra) to the world. He also bestows dharma, artha, kama and moksha on His devotees. He grants the four kinds of moksha viz. salokya, sameepya, sarupya and sayujya to His devotees depending on their eligibility.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Sri Srinivasa Mahatmyam - 7

Sloka 10-12:
The great Adisesha, who serves the Lord in various forms such as bed, throne, umbrella and foot-rest, thought thus: "The glory of Lords feet is unparalleled in its spoiritual glory. There is nothing which is as beautiful as this in the past. The feet of the Lord can delude even the great Lord Himself"

Sloka 13-15:
The Adisesha meditated on the feet of Lord,who is the husband of Lakshmi and immersed himself in the ocean of bliss by looking at the Lord's feet with all his thousand eyes with great affection. He felt that he is indeed fortunate for getting the opportunity to serve the Lord by staying near.

Sloka 16-17:
" I will not go even to Vaikunta leaving the feet of my Lord at Venkatachala. Even in vaikunta, I will not get the bliss that equals the happiness that I derive by serving my Lords feet here." thus thought the great Sesha.

Sloka 18-19:
" Even if I go to Patala I can serve your feet as Patala is nothing but the feet of the Supreme Purusha. I will not waste even a second by not drinking the nectarine beauty of Your feet." Thinking thus, Adisesha kept on roaming in places where he could find the divine marks of Lord's feet.

Sloka 20 :
The great Lord Sankara, who bestows happiness on His devotees , pondered as follows over the glory of Lord's feet.

Sloka 21 -22:
"The great Adisesha is very lucky as he has thousand eyes to drink teh nectar of Lords lotus feet. How unfortunate am I with only three eyes to serve the Lord? Indeed Iam unlucky as I stay far away from the Lord in Kailasa and Sesha is very nearer to the Lord. May I take my next incarnation as Adisesha so that I can serve the Lord better". He went to Kailasa with a heart filled with sadness and vairagya after thinking thus.

Sloka 23 - 25:
Deva Sarma said " Lord Venkatesa! The King of Gods Indra, who emerged from Your divine face, enjoyed the beauty of Your lotus feet with his thousand eyes day and night and declared that he didnt experience this Supreme Bliss before.(even when he drank nectar also)"

Sloka 26 - 28:
" One cannot see eyelids as they are too nearer to eyes. Similarly one can enjoy the beauty of Lord's feet better from a distance. Thinking thus Indra settled in heaven and decided to go back after he felt satisfied with enjoying the beauty of Thy feet. But because of his lack of contentment in drinking the nectar of Thy Lotus feet , he settled forever in heaven."


Sloka 29 - 30:
"When this is the condition of great divinities, how can I , a mere mortal sing the glory of Thy lotus feet? Pardon me for the effort Iam making in singing the glory of Thy lotus feet. In spite of my inability, I have decided to do so in an attempt to purify the three worlds"


Sloka 31-32:
"Lord Srinivasa ! Thou wears the sign of Wheel(chakra) in Your feet to convey that hearing the glory of Thy lotus feet destroys the darkness of ignorance and creates light of Knowledge and leads teh devotees to Your abode."
(The chakra rekha in the Lord's feet signifies destruction of ignorance)

Sloka 33:
"Meditating on the glory of Thy lotus feet bestows the knowledge of four vedas, Itihasas, Puranas, Mantra sastras and Upanishads on the aspirant. Thou wears the sign of a conch in Your feet to signify this."
(The sankha rekha signifies Omniscience to the devotee)

Sloka 34-35:
" The meditation on Thy lotus feet saves the devotees from all calamities. It results in the destruction of all demons,ghosts and Brahma Rakshasas. To convey that You crush the demons into powder You wear a sign of a mace in Your feet."
(The Gada rekha signifies destruction of all calamities related to bad spirits)

Sloka 36-37:
"Lord Padmanabha! You stay in the lotus hearts of devotees, who sing the glories of Thy lotus feet, along with Your wife Padma and Brahma, who emanated from a lotus. To signify this Thou wears a sign of Lotus in Thy feet."
(The Padma rekha signifies that the Lord resides eternally in the lotus hearts of His devotees.)

Sloka 38-39:
(More significance of Padma rekha is given)
" All the great ponds, which are destroyers of grievous sins,like Viraja, Manasa Sarovara and Ganga have their birth place on Thy lotus feet. These ponds are filled with red lotuses with thousands of petals and with beautiful flowers. Padma Rekha also signifies this."

Sloka 40-41:
(More significance of Padma Rekha is given)
" The divine mother Padma resides in Your lotus heart and drinks the beauty of Your lotus feet with Her lotus-like eyes. She meditates in Her lotus heart on the glory of Thy lotus feet. Keeping Your lotus feet on her soft thighs she massages them with her lotus-like hands. You wear the Padma rekha in Your feet to remember the love of Padmaja towards Thy lotus feet."

Sloka 42-43:
"A devotee can purify himself of all sins by writing the glory of Thy lotus feet with his own hands and gift it to a devoted Vaishnava. To signify the destruction of the mountain of sins Thou wears the Vajra rekha( sign of diamond) in Thy feet."
(Vajra rekha signifies the destruction of mountain of sins of the devotee)
Sloka 44:
"The six powerful elephants namely lust, anger, greed, delusion, ego and jealosy are subdued by You for Your devotees, who worship Your lotus feet. To demonstrate this, Thou wears the sign of goad in Thy feet."
(Ankusa rekha signifies the subduing of Arishadvargas of the devotees)

Sloka 45:
"Devotees who listen to the glory of Thy lotus feet are uplifted by You to great heights in life. To signify this Thou wears the sign of Dhwaja in Thy lotus feet".
(Dhwaja is the flag pole in temples. Dhwaja rekha in Lord's feet signifies upliftment of devotees.)

Sloka 46:
"The great Universe with all its nine Avarana's had become weak with the touch of Thy lotus feet's little finger. Who can describe the glory of Thy lotus feet then?"