Temple Travel Hotel Flight Festival Culture Greetings Tour Diaries Forum Store Special Offers


The most fundamental of Hindu deities, is the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - popular deities include Ganesha, Krishna, Hanuman and goddesses like Lakshmi, Durga,Saraswati.

Vishnu comes to Venkatadri hill

According to the Bhavishyottara Purana, Vishnu remained on Venkatadri for the first three yugas - Krita, Treta and Dvapara. At the beginning of the present yuga - the Kali yuga - he decided to leave for Vaikuntha, his heaven, with his spouse Sri or Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity.


Learning of this, sage Narada went to Brahma who, also, felt that while Vishnu remained on earth people were pious and meritorious. Accordingly, he raised a tamarind tree on Venkatadri hill, beneath which he formed an anthill. Narada was instructed to bring Vishnu back to Venkatadri, to reside in the anthill.


Narada went to the banks of the river Ganga where the rishis or sacred sages were performing rituals. He asked them to whom they would dedicate the fruits of their prayers. The rishis discussed the matter, but could not arrive at any decision.


Bhrigu rishi first went to Satyaloka. Here he met Brahma. Bhrigu behaved rudely and was ignored. Angered, he went to Kailasa, where Shiva was in the company of his consort Parvati. Disapproving, Bhrigu left for Vaikuntha where he saw Vishnu reclining on the serpent Adishesha, with Lakshmi by his side. Bhrigu went up to Vishnu and kicked him on the right chest, the abode of Lakshmi. Vishnu got up, bowed to the rishi, washed the latter's hands and feet and pressed them. He apologized for his inactivity and gratified Bhrigu so much that Bhrigu returned to the banks of the river Ganga and informed the other rishis that they should pray to Vishnu for salvation.


Meanwhile Lakshmi was very angry that Vishnu had pacified and apologized to the rishi who had kicked her abode on his chest. She would no longer live on his chest but go to Karaveera Kshetram (Kolhapur in Maharashtra) where she would henceforth reside.


The unhappy Vishnu then left Vaikuntha to return to Venkatadri, where he lived incognito in the anthill. During this period, Dvapara yuga came to an end and Kali yuga began.


Lakshmi knew that Vishnu was living in anthill on Venkatachala. She took the appearance of a milkmaid and Brahma and Shiva that of a cow and calf respectively. She sold them to the Chola queen who ruled over the Venkatachala region, knowing that the cow would take care of her Lord.


Every day, the cow and calf accompanied the Chola king's head of two thousand cattle to graze on the hillside. But unknown and unnoticed by the others, she would go up the hill and empty her milk on the anthill, over Vishnu. Noticing the lack of milk, the cowherd followed the cow up the hill and observed it emptying its milk over the anthill. Furious, he threw his stick at the cow, but Vishnu took the blow and saved the cow. Amazed at the phenomenon, the cowherd fell dead.


The Chola king went to Venkatachala to investigate, and was cursed by Vishnu to become a demon to expiate his servant's sin. The king prayed for mercy, so Vishnu relented and informed him that he would have to suffer the curse till he was reborn as Akasha Raja, and would gain merit when his daughter Padmavati married Venkateshwara.


As Vishnu searched the hill for the herbs recommended by Brihaspati to cure his head-wound, he came across Varaha, his own incarnation. As he narrated the story of his return to Venkatadri, Varaha told him that he had hunted out and defeated the demon Vrishabhasura. He was very happy to see Vishnu back at Venkatadri.


Thereafter, Vishnu requested him for some place to live in till the end of Kali yuga. Varaha said that if Vishnu paid the price, he would measure out some land.


Vishnu replied that if Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, was still living with him, he would have been affluent enough to pay the price, but since she had left and gone to Kolhapur, how could he earn the money? Since Varaha had rescued the earth from Patalaloka, he could mark out a space where the Lord would live. In return, Varaha would receive the first prayer and offering of food from Vishnu's devotees.


Varaha agreed and assigned a plot for Vishnu, as well as Vakulamalika to serve him food mixed with honey and to apply medicine on his wound, which healed in response to her devotion. Vakulamalika was actually Yashoda, the mother of Krishna in a previous life, now reborn to take care of Vishnu as Venkateshwara on Venkatachala and to see him as a Kalyana murti (divine bridegroom) in the Kali yuga .

 

  
Content

Enquiry

All Fields are Mandatory

Name
Email
Contact no
Enquiry Type
Message

Your enquiry has been submitted. We will get back to you shortly.