Lord Venkateswara, also known as Balaji, is a Hindu god who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Venkata is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh in India, one of the world’s richest temples. It is also one of the most popular temples in India.
Meaning of the Word Venkateswara:
Venkateswara comprises three words: ven, kata, and iswara. Ven means “keeps away”, Kata means “trouble”, and Iswara means “god”. Therefore, Venkateswara means “the god who keeps troubles away”.
Popular Names of Lord Venkateswara:
There are about 1000 names of Lord Venkateswara. The most popular of them are as follows:
1. Venkata.
2. Balaji.
3. Srinivasan.
4. Govinda.
5. Venkat Narayan.
6. Ramanujan.
7. Jagannatha.
8. Perumal.
Iconography:
Lord Venkateswara is depicted as having a big U-shaped Vaishnava Tilaka in the middle of his forehead. He has four hands, one in Varada Mudra and one over his thigh. The other two hands are holding a conch and a Sudarshan Chakra.
Origin:
There are references to Lord Venkateswara in many Puranas, like Varaha, Skanda, Bhavishyottara, Aditya, Markandeya, Padma, Brahma, and Vamana.
Story of Tirupati Balaji:
Sage Bhrigu Insults Lord Vishnu:
One day, on Mount Mandara, all the great sages had assembled for a sacrificial session. After the session, they discussed who is the greatest among the trinity but could not reach a consensus. Therefore, they requested Sage Bhrigu to meet with the trinity and make a decision.
When Bhrigu went to Lord Brahma, he was busy with the creation and chanting the Vedas. Therefore, he went to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was busy with Goddess Parvati and did not pay attention to Bhrigu. Therefore, he cursed him.
Then he went to Lord Vishnu, where he saw Lord Vishnu relaxing on Sheshanag’s bed, but he did not notice his arrival. Therefore, Bhrigu got infuriated and kicked Lord Vishnu in the chest.
But instead of punishing him, Lord Vishnu apologized to him and started pressing his feet. Seeing this, Goddess Lakshmi got very angry. She left Vaikuntha and started living on Earth in disguise as a young sage chanting the name of Lord Vishnu.
Lord Vishnu Came to Earth:
Lord Vishnu could not find solace in Vaikuntha without Goddess Lakshmi and came to Earth in search of her, but he could not find her. Therefore, he started living on Sheshachalam Hills in an anthill disguised as a boy and chanting Goddess Lakshmi’s name.
Lord Vishnu Cursed the Chola King:
A royal cowherd used to come up the hill to graze a cow and a calf. Every day, the cow used to pour milk on top of the anthill, sensing Lord Vishnu there to quench his thirst. This resulted in less milk production. Therefore, the cowherd was reprimanded by the authorities. The cowherd decided to find the reason and once saw the cow pouring milk over an anthill. He could not control his anger and hurled an ax at her, but Lord Vishnu appeared before the cow to protect her. The ax hit him, and he started bleeding.
He cursed the cowherd that he would die immediately, and the cowherd died. When the ruler of the Chola kingdom visited the scene, he found the cowherd dead and the cow offering milk to the boy. The king believed only his kingdom deserved milk, not the boy he saw. So, he hurled an arrow toward him. Seeing this, Lord Vishnu appeared in his real form and stopped the arrow. He cursed the king that he would be born as an asura for not following his dharma in his next birth.
The king recognized his mistake and repented. Therefore, Lord Vishnu told him that the curse would be lifted when he would present him with a crown at his marriage with Padmavati, his daughter, in his next birth.
Padmavati:
After some years, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Srinivasa. His mother was Vakuladevi who was Yashoda in her previous birth. The cursed Chola king was born Akasha Raja. He was childless. Once while plowing, he found a baby girl in a lotus underground. The celestial voice told him that the girl would bring good fortune to him. Therefore, he adopted the girl and named her Padmavati because she was found in a lotus.
Lord Venkateswara Meets Padmavati:
In some years, Padmavati grew into a beautiful lady. Once, she was plucking flowers in a garden when a wild elephant came there. She and her friends got scared, but at that time, Srinivasa appeared there, who was chasing the elephant. The elephant turned around, saluted Srinivasa, and disappeared into the woods.
But Srinivasa was flabbergasted by the beauty of Padmavati and decided to marry her. Padmavati also fell in love with him. He returned to his hermitage, but could not forget Padmavati. He forgot everything and was lost in Padmavati’s thoughts all the time. After an incessant inquiry by his mother, he told her about Padmavati. Vakuladevi decided to meet the king. On her way, she met Padmavati’s friends, who told her that Padmavati was also in love with Srinivasa, and her condition was similar to his.
Why did Lord Venkateswara Borrow Money from Kubera?
Therefore, she met the queen and put forth a marriage proposal for her son to her daughter. The king and queen consulted Brihaspati, who told them the marriage would bring good luck to all, but Akasa Raja demanded a massive amount of dowry from Srinivasa.
Srinivasa was a hunter and did not have a large amount of money. Therefore, he borrowed the money from Lord Kubera. The amount was so huge that Lord Venkateswara is still paying his debt.
The debt is believed to be dissolved at the end of Kali Yuga.
What Happened to Lord Venkateswara After Marriage to Padmavati?
When Mahalakshmi learned about Lord Vishnu’s marriage to Padmavati, she confronted him. When Srinivasa met Mahalakshmi and Padmavati simultaneously, he transformed himself into a granite rock idol (known as Lord Venkateswara).
Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma approached both Mahalakshmi and Padmavati and explained the real motive of Lord Vishnu behind this “Leela”. They told them that Lord Vishnu did all this for the welfare of the people of Kali Yuga. Satisfied with the explanation, both the goddesses decided to stay with Lord Balaji. Goddess Lakshmi stayed on the left chest, and Padmavati on the right chest.
Why do Hindus Offer Hair to Lord Balaji?
Although it is not compulsory to donate hair in the Tirupati Temple, most devotees do so. Many women also donate their hair.
When the shepherd’s ax hit Lord Venkateswara on his head, he lost a small portion of the hair on his scalp. The hair did not regrow on this patch. Once, when he was sleeping, Goddess Neela Devi noticed that he was missing a small patch of hair on his scalp, which was an imperfection in his beauty. Therefore, she plucked some of the hair on her scalp and planted it on his head.
When he woke up, he noticed Goddess Neela Devi was missing some hair, and his bald patch was restored. When Lord Venkateswara offered to give her hair back, she told him, “In the future, when people will donate their hair to Balaji to get rid of sin, sexual pleasures, etc., all the hair that they give would reach me only, so do not bother about this.”
Therefore, Goddess Neela Devi is believed to accept the hair that devotees offer.
Other than this story, there are many different reasons behind this tradition. Some of them are as follows:
1. As we know, Lord Venkateswara needs to pay Kubera’s debt. Whenever a devotee donates hair at Balaji, it helps the lord pay the debt. It is believed that in return, he gives 10 times the price of hair back to the devotee.
2. Some people offer hair to fulfill their promises to god.
3. By shaving our heads, we are removing our vanity. As the hair on our head symbolizes beauty, the devotee removes his/her pride.
Why do People Offer Money to Lord Venkateswara?
Tirupati Temple is one of the richest Hindu temples. This is possible because of the enormous donation received from devotees. The devotees of Balaji believe that whatever money they offer to the Lord, he gives them back multifold. The Lord uses the money that devotees offer to pay the debt of Kubera and returns 10 times the amount of their money.
Importance of Worshipping Balaji:
According to the Skanda Purana (1.18), the benefits of worshipping Lord Venkateswara are as follows:
1. By rendering service to Śrīnivāsa, one attains crores of times the benefit accruing from performing all the yajnas, penances, charitable gifts, and holy baths in all the Teerthas.
2. One who meditates on Veṅkaṭādrinivāsa for two Ghatikas (i.e. 48 minutes) shall sustain 21 generations of his family and is honored in the world of Viṣhṇu.
3. Those men, who are endowed with devotion to Veṅkaṭeśa, the great Lord, although they bow down, remember, or worship those mentioned previously, do not experience miseries; they do not go to the abode of Yama.
4. Thousands of the sins of Brahmana-slaughter and ten thousand of the sins of drinking liquor dissolve entirely, if Lord Nārāyaṇa is seen. Whatever the sins committed in the course of crores of births, all of them perish by visiting Veṅkaṭeśvara.
5. If people wish for perpetual happiness and a kingdom in heaven, let them joyously bow down at least once to the Lord residing on Venkatadri.
Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vaari Temple:
Although there are many small and big temples of Balaji in and outside India, Tirupati Balaji Temple in Tirumala is the most important and popular. Millions of people visit the temple each year. It is the second richest Hindu temple in the world. It was the wealthiest temple in the world before the discovery of the treasure at Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Kerala.
The temple is located on the Seven Hills known as Tirumala Hill. The original idol of Balaji is located at this temple. The idol at the Tirupati Balaji Temple is made from granite stone. It is believed to be swayambhu.
There are many other Balaji temples in India and other countries, including but not limited to the USA, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.
Festivals:
As Lord Venkateswara is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, most festivals associated with Lord Vishnu, like Ram Navami and Janmashtami, are associated with Balaji.
Brahmotsavam is a nine-day festival celebrated every year in October in the Tirumala Temple. During the festival, the processional deity Malayappa Swamy and his consorts Sri Devi and Bhu Devi are taken in a procession in four mada streets around the temple on different vahanams.
Sri Malayappa Swamy:
Sri Malayappa Swamy is the current processional deity in the Tirupati Balaji Temple in Tirumala. Malayappa Swamy is worshipped during ceremonies and processions instead of the main idol of Lord Venkateswara because it is not movable. Both deities are given equal importance.
Venkateswara Suprabhatam:
The Venkateswara Suprabhatam is a Sanskrit hymn sung to wake Lord Venkateswara from his celestial sleep. It was composed by Prathivadhi Bhayankaram Annagaracharya in the 13th century. It comprises 70 shlokas in four parts, including Suprabhatam, Stotram, Prapati, and Mangalasasanam.
Mantras:
1. Om Shri Venkateshwaraye Namo Namah.
2. Shreeman Narayan Namo Namah.
3. Tirumal Tirupati Namo Namah.
4. Jai Balaji Namo Namah.
Image Source: Wikipedia