An Experience with Tirumala Srinivasa - The Lord of the Seven Hills
As is the habit of millions, I have been to Tirumala many a time since childhood. Three years ago, we planned a trip to the Hill Shrine once again. The occasion was my father in laws 60th birthday (Shastipurthi).
Having regularly hearing discourses of Sri Chaganti Koteswara Rao garu, I thought that this time, the pilgrimage should go on the lines of what he was saying. It is as follows:
" When you start a pilgrimage, from few days before, you have to mentally prepare yourself and your family members regarding the place, the deity and sthala purana and all. Keep talking with your family members how to go to the place, what we will be doing there, what is the significance of each activity and so on. You have to create a spiritual divine environ.
Before the journey, you have to have a darshan of the presiding diety of the town where you stay and pray for a smooth journey, peaceful serene darshan and an enriching time and safe comeback taking permission and blessing from the deity.
During the journey, never discuss any materialistic, political or nonsense. Discuss only spiritual topics, stories, philosophy or whatever interests the group.
Once there, after having bath and daily puja, you have to first visit the kshetra palaka and take the blessings and then proceed to the main deity.
As you do so, keep observing every minute detail of the road, building, entry, temple, dwara bandhas, doors, the way and everything. When you approach the deity, observe from top to bottom the shape, the face, the ornaments, the garlands and form a complete mental picture.
Come out happily.
After coming out too, maintain the spiritual discussion and serenity. Keep discussing about the darshan, the shrine, what you observed among your family members so that all aspects are recollected and imprinted for a long time.
On returning home, once again visit the presiding deity of the town and give some offering to the temple and thank for a great journey.
When a pilgrimage is done in this way, you can just relax at home when you have time and play the whole episode in your mind once again revisiting all the memories again and again and experience it all over. That is Maanasa Darshan and it gives much more happiness with the least effort. The purpose of a pilgrimage is fulfilled again and again without the trouble of a pilgrimage"
So, we started preparing for the yatra in these lines. I was reading books on Tirumala by Shri PVRK Prasad garu and discussing these with my wife and daughter. The environ was building up for the pilgrimage. We went to Kanakamahalakshmi temple (the presiding deity of Visakhapatnam) and offered our prayers. We started according to schedule and were remembering the stories of Tirumala Venkateswara and His devotees all through the journey.
We had darshan of Varaha Swami before going to the main deity. Our regular darshan by Sudarsanam token went as always. The glimpse of the Lord was from a distance and only for few seconds as you all know. We were happy but not satisfied.
The next day, we had tickets for Suprabhata Seva. We woke up at 12 midnight, had bath and reached the temple by 1 or 1.30 am. My daughter was asking, "Why am I still feeling sleepy even after a bath?" I told her the time. Her fuming response was "Is this the time to visit a temple?" I laughed and said, " We can see the Lord very close today and after that, we can sleep whole day!! "
We went there and waited outside the sanctum sanctorum (Garbha Griha) and this time, there was ample time to observe the surroundings and record a mental picture. After the puja, the curtain was taken off and darshan started. We were walking towards the Lord observing Him from top to bottom (my height is a plus point in such occasions!!). The walk towards the Swami took a few minutes and all the while I was able to see Him and was recording every minute detail in my mind. We went close to the Lord with only one small room seperating us and so had a very good glance at Him and was very satisfied.
While coming back, I closed my eyes to see whether I could recollect all the details. To my extreme surprise, I could see the garbha griha, the pujari, but couldn't see the idol. In the place of the idol, I saw Him, the Lord Himself!!!
Yes, He Himself in His Supreme form. Glowing brilliantly adorned with the diamond crown, the mega garland and divine ornaments, He appeared with the Abhaya Hastham.
I was shocked beyond belief, “How come, there should have been the idol here. How am I seeing the Swami Himself?” Thinking so, I turned back to see and I saw the idol, the priests and everything as usual. I comforted myself saying “Oh! It’s my imagination. Everything is normal here” and walked ahead.
Walking so, I closed my eyes again. This time, neither the priests nor the sanctum sanctorum were visible. In the midst of an unparalleled brilliance, He was standing in incomparable splendour. I was afraid. Because, there was nothing. Neither me, nor the devotees, nor the priests.. nothing… none. Opened my eyes. Everything was normal.
Bewildered, I was thinking. “What is happening to me??!!” Thinking so, I closed my eyes again. Seemingly, in response to my bedazzlement, the Lord smiled mischievously. That smile which can enamour even the enemies. That smile for the glance of which, Rishis did penance. That smile which is beyond description. What would happen to an ordinary devotee who witnesses that smile. All doubts just disappear. It is only happiness and nothing but happiness. Happiness Divine. Bliss supreme.
This time, I didn’t turn back. Immersed in the ethereal beauty of the Supreme, I walked ahead.
We came out, but the vision remained. Whenever I closed my eyes, the same mesmerising form was appearing without my effort. It was bliss. It was a few weeks before I could come out of the trance of the most beautifully glorious form of the Lord I have ever seen.
यद्भावम् तद्भवति
🙏🙏🙏
Epilogue:
The message I wanted to convey through the post was this:
I heard quite a few times from many people and in fact I myself echoed the same in not too distant past "After months of planning, days of leave and all the trouble, all we could get was a few seconds of glimpse of the Swami".
I want to put across that even if you get a few minutes with the Swami, it is much much easier to have a greater and much more peaceful time at your local temple. Yes, the aura at a pilgrimage centre is much more intense than an ordinary temple (It depends on the geographical location, the Sri Chakras or Yantras, the person who established it (Rushi, King, Noble person, ordinary person) and all else, I am not discussing those here).
It is our mental state I am pointing out rather than the significance of the Kshetra. At your nearby temple, you will be more at peace and calm when you meditate in an isolated serene temple. Try that.
When you go on a pilgrimage, the preparation, the journey, the waiting all have to be spent in that state of mind which has to be practiced from well before. The essence of the pilgrimage is not the seconds or minutes you spend at the presiding deity, it is the whole time your mind lies in the lap of the all pervading Supreme.
Comments