Glories of Shriman Lakshmi Narayana - Part 24

 Hare Krishna!

There lived a Gajendra in the mountain known as Trikuta. In a valley of Trikuta there is a nice garden named Rtumat, which was constructed by Varuna.

Once a lordly elephant, leader of a herd, inhabiting that mountainous forest, roamed with his retinue of female ones, breaking through trees, bamboo clusters and clumps of cane.

That Gajendra felt tired & thirsty and went to a lake with his female and young elephants. Gajendra quenched his thirst and started enjoying there with other elephants. Their enjoyment disturbed the inhabitants of the water. Because of this, a crocodile in that water caught the leg of elephant. Thus ensued a great fight between the crocodile and the elephant. Elephant tried to bring crocodile out of that water and crocodile was pulling elephant into the water. This fight continued for thousand years. As this fight took place in water, gradually elephant became weak. All other elephants were watching that helplessly standing out of the lake. Then that elephant knowing that there is no one to protect him in spite of having many female elephants, young ones, friends and relatives, it sought shelter at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Elephant called Bhagawan to protect him. But, while calling Gajendra didn’t address him as Vishnu/Lakshmipati or any other name! It just called with the qualities of Bhagawan.. We’ll see one shloka from Gajendra Stuti:

Kaalena Panchathwamitheshu Kruthsnaso,
Lokeshu Paleshu Cha Sarva Hethushu,
Tamas Tadha Aaseed Gahanam Gabheeram,
Yasthasya Parebhi Virajathe Vibhu:

Meaning:- Over time when all the worlds and their guardians, are reduced to the five elements and all their causes, only impenetrable and fathomless darkness , remains, coming out of that darkness, the divine Lord shines from within that.

Then, Lord Vishnu who protects the ones who surrendered to him, who loves his devotees a lot, hearing this, ran to Gajendra. Narayana decapitated the crocodile and protected Gajendra.

He touched Gajendra with his hand which gives abhaya to everyone!!!!!! There’s nothing more for anyone to achieve after that!! Isn’t it!! Finally, Gajendra attained moksha..

Gajendra, in his previous life, was Indradyumana, a great devotee of SriNarayana. One day Agastya maharshi came to visit the king but Indradryumna remained seated and didn’t welcome the rishi. So he was cursed to be born as elephant as he disrespected a rishi!

Crocodile, in his previous life, was a Gandharva named ‘Huhu’. He insulted Devala maharshi. Devala maharshi cursed him to be born as a crocodile. Then he begged for the rishi’s pardon. That rishi blessed him that he would be slayed by Jagatpati and liberated from that birth.

Puranas are not a set of stories but a set of knowledge. But this knowledge can be understood when we think about a lila in deep. Like, to tell an example for that, when was Amrit gained? After doing Samudra mathan a lot.. the same way we can get the nectar inside a story when we think about it. Of course, the lila itself is a nectar but we can experience lot more happiness when we think about it. So, what’s in Gajendra moksham that it became one of the Panchagita!!

The story of Gajendra reflects the story of our’s. We do feel proud when we have power, money, etc and don’t care anything. If we’re respected that never means there’s none in this world to defeat us!! The bad karma we do is enough to spoil our life. The same happened.. as all other animals got frightened, Gajendra thought himself as the most powerful! He enjoyed in the lake with other elephants in the way that all inhabitants of water got disturbed!! Crocodile caught his leg!

Why did crocodile caught the leg? Because of the disturbance done by Gajendra and other elephants. We get problems because of our own karma!

We should also learn something else from this.. Why did he go to the lake? To drink water.. But what he did? All unnecessary things. The same we do. We got this human life. We can happily serve him and attain him. But we do unnecessary things and because of that we can never ever come out of this cycle of birth and death. So, we should serve him and perform all our duties.

Gajendra fought with the crocodile for thousand years. But, as that happened in water, it’s an advantage for crocodile. We too don’t how many thousands of births we had in past! Thousand is not just a number but it symbolizes infinity!!

So when he thought no one can help him, he surrendered to Bhagawan. Till then, it didn’t even think of Bhagawan. But, the next minute Narayana himself went and protected. Such a lovely one he is!! Even we go to him when we want something and no one can help us in that situation. Here’s the main point.!! Though we don’t think of him before(when everything is good), he will not question us when we go to him. That’s his karuna.

He’s the one who can protect us from all difficulties and bestow moksha too!! So we must surrender to him who is Akhilandakoti Brahmanda nayaka and always attentive in protecting his devotees!!

Because of the Vishnu puja done by Indradyumna, in his next birth he got reminded of Narayana when he completely lost his strength! He surrendered to Narayana and was protected immediately!! So, puja we do will surely protect us!! Not only puja, any type of service done to him with pure heart…

Also insulting rishis and true devotees is never good. It’s for sure that people who insult them will face consequences for insulting. I just concluded the story and it’s inner meaning as it becomes a long post!!

Gajendra stuti is very powerful. Recite it whenever possible!

So, Gajaraja rakshaka also means that he’s the protector of all of us!!!!

Here’s our Ventadri Ibharaja rakshaka:

(Gajendra moskha alankaram)

Prayah svacharanau Pumsam Saranyathvena Panina.
Kripaya dhisathe Srimad-Venkatesaya Mangalam ||

Om Namo Venkatesaya!!!

Alankara Priya Govinda!

 Hare Krishna!

Sri Venkateswara swamy is ‘Alankara Priya Govinda’. This is well known to all of us. Inspite of number of jewelers, number of flowers are also decorated to him. Alankaram is done to him with various kinds of flowers and in different types. Not even 1,000 eyes are sufficient to see his beauty. He himself is ‘Kandarpa darpa hara divya murthi’. And when alankaram is done to him with various flowers which are a beautiful part of the nature, how can anyone praise is beauty!! No one..

In this post I’ll share about the alankaram to him with flowers. I hope this makes his devotees happy because knowing and remembering of his unlimited glories makes them very much happy !!

As said and you all know there are many many flowers used in his divine service. Let’s know a brief deep information about his Pushpalankaram:

Though while having his darsanam from far we cannot see all the murthys in the Garbhalay clearly, there are Pancha beralu (5 murthys - Dhruva Beram{mula murthy/main murthy}, Bali Beram{Koluvu Srinivasa Murthy}, Kauthuka Beram{Bhoga Srinivasa Murthy}, Utsava Beram{Sri bhu sametha Malayappa swamy}, Snapana Beram {Sridevi Bhudevi sametha Ugra Srinivasa Murthy} ), Sri Sita Lakshmana sametha Ramachandra, Rukmini Krishna, Salagram and Sudarsana Chakrathalwar. All of them including other Upalayas, Pushpalankar will be done twice a day - in the morning and evening.

[Not only Pancha Beralu, you can also see Sudarsan(at the right of Utsava beram), Sita Rama Lakshmana and Rukmni Krishna (near Bali Beram)]

In the morning after Suprabhatha Seva and Viswa roopa Sandarsanam, Thomala seva (Pushpalankaram) is done first. In that,

• For Mulamurthy
• 1 for his Sri Padalu - Tiruvadi Maalalu
• A garland will be decorated on his crown in the V shape - Sikhamani
• 2 garlands for his Sudarsan and Panchajanyam - Sankhu Chakra Malalu
• 2 for Sridevi and Bhudevi at his Vakshathalam - Vakshasthala maalalu
• 2 from his 2 shoulders to down - Salagrama Maalalu
• 1 to his neck - Kantasari
• 3 to him in the U shape - Thavalamu
• 1 to his Khadgam - Kataari Saram

• 3 for Sridevi Bhudevi sametha Sri Ugra Srinivasa murthy (1 for each of them)

(Actually, this pic is on a Utsavam day (kaisika dwadasi) so number of garlands are increased for them)

• 1 for Bhoga Srinivasa Murthy

• 1 for Koluvu Srinivasa Murthy

(This pic of Koluvu Srinivasa murthy is from TTD Namuna alayam)

• Minimum of 4 garlands for Sridevi Bhudevi sametha Malayappa swamy (2 for Malayappa and 1 for Mata Sridevi and 1 for Mata Bhudevi) Sometimes number of garlands increase for them

• 1 for Sudarsana Chakrathalwar
• 2 for Rukmini sametha Krishna swamy (one for each of them)

(Even this pic is of Theppotsavam. I’m sharing few pics for sharing pics of their murthy’s)

• 3 for Sita Rama Lakshmana (1 for each)

(The same about this pic too. This is at the time of utsavam)

• 2 or 1 for Sri Ramanujacharya, Vakula Mata, Varadaraja Swamy, Garudalwar, Hanuman, Sugriva, Angada, Anantha, Vishwaksena, Jaya Vijaya each..

Like this, alankaram is done to all of them twice a day in the morning and evening in the name of Thomala Seva(in which abhishekam to Bhoga Srinivasa Murthy, Paada kavacham and Salagramam is also a part).

Daily 6 types of flowers and 2 kinds of leaves(mostly Tulasi and Maruvam) are used.

Pushpalankaram to Sridevi Bhudevi sametha Sri Malayappa is done 3–4 times a day. Apart of thomala seva, at the time of Arjitha Vasanthothsvam(in the afternoon which is a daily seva) garlands of Tulasi are decorated to Mata Sridevi, Bhudevi and Malayappa swamy. And again after Vasanthotsavam for Sahasradeepalankara seva(in the evening) pushpalankaram is done to him again.

In the daily alankaram, flowers like jasmine, lilli, roses, lotus and tulasi are used the most. And in different seasons, seasonal flowers will be used.

Finally, after Pushpalankaram, all murthys in Garbhalayam will be similar to this:

And at the time of Poolangi seva, which is done every Thursday evening, he’ll be similar to this, without any ornaments only and only flowers!!

In Pushpayagam, which is a varshikothsav(yearly seva), number of tonnes of flowers and tulasi, etc are used.

In Brahmotsavams, ixora coccinea is special on Suryaprabha vahanam and Jasmine is special on Chandra prabha vahanam. Big garlands(Gaja Maala) of those flowers are used every year in each of those vahan sevas respectively.

(Suryaprabha Vahanam)

(Chandra Prabha Vahanam)

On festival days like Ugadi, Diwali, Vaikuntha Ekadasi, Vaikuntha Dwadasi, Brahmotsavam, Padmavathi Parinayotsavalu, Sri Rama Navami, Sri Krishna ashtami, etc., more and more flowers and ornaments are used.

Devotees can offer flowers in TTD Garden and from there they take to the temple..

This is a brief description about Pushpalankaram of Srinivasa at Tirumala.

Sri Venkatadri Sringagra-Mangalaha bharananghraye
Mangalanam nivasaya Venkatesaya Mangalam ||

Sarvavayava soundarya Sampadha Sarvachethasam
Sada sammohanayasthu Venkatesaya Mangalam ||

May all the auspicious shower on the protector of devotees!!

Om Namo Venkatesaya!!!

Hail Lord Shiva

Shri Manjunath Stotram !!!!!!!!!!

Om mahaprana deepam shivam shivam
Mahokaar rupam shivam shivam
Mahasurya chandhradhi nethram pavithram
Maha ghada thimiranthakamsouragathram
Maha kanthi bijam maha divya tejam bhavani sametham
Bhaje manjunatham om
Namha shankaraycha mayskaraycha namashivaycha shivtharaycha
Bavharaycha mmmmm mahaprana deepam shivam shivam,
Bhaje manjunatham shivam shivam !!!!!!!!!!

Adhvaitha bhaskaram arthanareeshwaram
hrudhashahrudhayangamam
Chathurudhadhi sangamam. panchabhuthathmakam
shatshathrunashakam
Sapthaswareshwaram.ashtasiddhishwaram.navarasamanoharam.dash
adishasuvimalamm...
Ekadashojwalam ekanadeshwaram.prasthuthiva shankaram
pranatha jana kinkaram.
Durjanabayankaram.sajjanashubankaram.prani bhavatharakam
prakriti hita karakam bhuvana bhavya bhavadayakam
bhagyathmakam rakshakam,

Eesham suresham rushesham pareshem natesham gowrisham
ganesham bhutesham.

Mahamadhura panchakshari mantra pasham... maha harsha varsha
pravarsham susheersham !!!!!!!

Ohmmmm namoharayacha swaraharayacha puraharayacha rudrayacha
bhadrayacha indrayacha nithyayacha nirnithyayacha.

Mahaprana deepam shivam shivam
Bhaje manjunatham shivam shivam ,

Damdamda damdamda damdamda damdamda dankadhinada nava
thandava dambaram
Thathimmi thakadhimmi dhidhimmi dhimidhimmi sangeetha
sahithya subha kamala bhambharam.

Omkara ghrinkara shrinkara iynkara manthra beejaksharam
manjunatheshwaram

Rigveda madhyam Yajurveda vedhyam sama prageetham
adtharvaprabhatham
Puranethihasham prasidham vishudham.prapanchayikasuthram
virudham susidham...

Nakaram makaram shikaram vakaram yakaram nirakarasakarasaram
Mahakalakalam maha neelakantam mahanandanandam
mahattattahasam
Jhatajhuta rangaika ganga suchithram.jwaladrudranethram
sumithram sugothram.

Mahakashabasam mahabhanulingam... mahabhartruvarnam suvarnam
pravarnam,

Sourashtra sundaram somanadeeshwaram
Srisaila mandiram sri mallikarjunam, Ujjaini pura maha kaleeshwaram
Vaidhyanatheshwaram, Maha bheemeshwaram, Amaralingeshwaram (Mamaleshwaram)
Vamaligeshwaram (Rameshwaram, Lord Vishnu is the left side portion of Lord Shiva (Vaamabhaagam), Kaashi vishweshwaram, Param grishmeshwaram
Thrayembakadeeshwaram (Trayambakeshwara), Nagalingeshwaram (Naageshwaram,Dwarka),
Sri kedaralingeshwaram (Kedarnath Dhaam) !!!!!!!!!

Agni lingathmakam jyothi lingathmakam vayu lingathmakam
athma lingathmakam akhila lingathmakam agni somathmakam (Pancha Mahabhoot Lingeshwaram, situated at different parts of India and one in Karachi, Pakistan) !!!!!!!

Anadhim ameyam ajeyam achithyam amogham apoorvam anantham
akhandam (2)

Dharmasthalakshethra vara paramjyothim...(3)

Om... namah
Somayacha Soumyayacha Bhavyayacha Bhagyayacha Shantayacha Shouryayacha Yogayacha Bhogayacha Kalayacha Kantayacha Ramayacha Gamyayacha Eeshayacha Sreeshayacha Sharvayacha, Sarvayacha !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jay Uma Mahehwara !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glories to Lord Shriman Lakshmi Narayana - Part 23

 Today I am not going to post a story but Vishnu stuti and Vishnu Sodasha name. It's said in Shastras that one who listens, reads or spell these names , after his/her death goes to Shri Dhaam Vaikuntha (Vishnu loka).

So here is it, hope you like it 😃😃 :-

Shri Vishnu Stuti :-

śuklāṃbaradharaṃ viṣṇuṃ śaśi varṇaṃ caturbhujaṃ |

prasanna vadanaṃ dhyāyēta sarva vighnōpaśāntayē ||

Shri Vishnu Sodasha Naamam:-

Oushade Chinthaye Vishnum,

Bhojane Cha Janardhanam,

Sayane Padmanabham Cha,

Vivahe Cha Prajapathim.

Yuddhe Chakradharam Devam,

Pravase Cha Trivikramam,

Narayanam Thanu Thyage,

Sreedharam Priya Sangame,

Duswapne Smara , Govindam,

Sankate Madhu Soodhanam,

Kanane Narasimham Cha,

Pavake Jalasayinam,

Jalamadhye Varaham Cha,

Parvathe Raghu Nandanam,

Gamane Vamanam Chaiva ,

Sarva Karyeshu Madhavam.

Shodashaitaani Naamani

Pratarudhaya ya

Sarva papa vinirmukhto

Vishnu - loke Maheeyate

Translation:-

Think him as Vishnu while taking medicine,

As Janardhana while eating food,

As Padmanabha while in bed,

As Prajapathi at time of marriage,

As Chakra dhara while engaged in war,

As Trivikrama while on travel,

As Narayana on death bed,

As Sreedhara while meeting with the beloved,

As Govinda while tossing with bad dreams,

As Madhu Sudhana while in trouble,

As Narasimha while in the forest,

As Jala Sayina while fire is ravaging,

As Varaha while struggling in water,

As Raghu nandana while lost in a mountain,

As Vamana while on the move,

And as Madhava while doing everything.

As soon as one wakes up in the morn,

If these sixteen names are read,

He would be bereft of all sins,

And reach the world of Vishnu at the end.

Meanings of the 16 Names.

Vishnu- He who is spread everywhere

Janardhana- He who punishes evil people

Padhmanabha- He who has a lotus in his belly button

Prajapathi- He who is the chief of people

Chakradhara- He who is armed with the holy wheel

Trivikrama- He who measured all the worlds in three steps

Narayana- He who resides in all things he creates

Sreedhara- He who carries Goddess of Wealth in his chest

Govinda- He who can be attained by Vedas

Madhu Sudhana- He who killed the rakhas called Madhu

Naarasimha- He who took the shape of half lion, half human

Jalasayina- He who sleeps on water

Varaha- He who took the shape of the holy boar

Raghu Nandana- The darling of the clan of Raghu (Shri Rama).

Vaamana- He who took the shape of a dwarf

Madhava- He who is Lord of everything (Shri Krishna).

Thanks for reading. 😃🙏

Narayan Narayan!!!!