CULTURAL QA 01202416 Q2 What were the blessings given by the goddesses to Lord Vishnu during his Venkateshwar avatar?
KR From Varaha Puranam: Temple Legend INTRODUCTION Bharat, the land of spiritual bliss is strongly believed to be pervaded by the Lords, their deep imprints and a sense of divine presence, eternally available in the environment around. The presence of deities is often felt in the structures called temples, which are the epitomes of the great, age old, rich Hindu Sanatana Dharma. Among the galaxy of temples, which are also the architectural marvels located in our country, the hill shrine of Tirumala is accredited as being the most visited temple in India and also in the world as a whole. Located on the picturesque Seshachalam Hill Ranges, this temple occupies a unique place in our great land of holy shrines. TEMPLE LEGEND The “Temple Legend” is made out of references from a range of ancient scriptures such as Varaha Purana, Padma Purana, Garuda Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Markandeya Purana, Harivamsa Purana, Vamana Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahmottara Purana, Aditya Purana, Skanda Purana and Bhavishyottara Purana.These extracts describe the sanctity and antiquity of the deity, temple and the hills around Tirumala, besides the numerous teerthams, streams and springs that abound them. The legends taken from the Venkatachala Mahatmya and the Varaha Purana, pertaining to the manifestation of the Lord at Tirumala, are of particular interest. According to the Varaha Purana, Adi Varaha manifested himself on the western bank of the Swami Pushkarini (temple tank), while Vishnu in the form of Venkateswara came in to reside on the southern bank of the Swami Pushkarini. RESTORATION OF EARTH BY ADI VARAHA During the eight thousand yugas (the time equivalent to a day and night for Brahma, the Creator), there was a raging fire, and everything on Earth was reduced to ashes. Man had to forsake the Earth and seek refuge in Janaloka. At the approach of night (for Brahma), Vayu, the Wind God, blew furiously. Huge clouds were formed, there was a torrential rain, which resulted in Pralaya Kalpa (the Great Deluge). The Earth sank into the Patala loka, and remained in that state for a thousand years (during a part of that night of Brahma). SRI ADI VARAHA BRINGING UP THE EARTH ON HIS TUSKS Sri Maha Vishnu, who decided to save Mother Earth, assumed the form of Adi Varaha, a giant wild boar and proceeded to Patala loka. He fought a fierce duel with the demon king Hiranyaksha and killed him. He then splashed the water and brought the Earth up by carrying it on his huge tusks. Brahma, the Devas and the sages extolled Adi Varaha's virtues, by chanting the Vedic mantras. They prayed to him to re-establish the Earth as before. Adi Varaha obliged them, and called upon Brahma to recreate the Universe. He expressed his desire to reside on the Earth to protect its people. He commanded his vehicle, Garuda to fetch Kridachala (a massive natural hill with lofty peaks, embedded with gold and precious stones resembling Adisesha in shape) from Vaikuntam. Garuda brought Kridachala and placed it on a sacred spot, the East of Swami Pushkarini, chosen by Adi Varaha himself. Adi Varaha stood within the divine vimana of Kridachala, which glittered with many splendorous gem-studded gopuras. Brahma and the other holy personages requested the fearsome-looking Adi Varaha to assume a tranquil and composed look, and rest on the hill to protect the mankind and grant boons to people unable to reach God through Dhyana Yoga (meditation) and Karma Yoga (doing one's own duty). Adi Varaha with his consort Bhudevi appeared with four arms and a blissful countenance, adorning an array of jewels. He took a divine decision to stay at Venkatadri, under a divya vimana, to answer the prayers of the devotees. CONTEST BETWEEN ADISESHA AND VAYUDEVA During the Dwaparayuga, Vayudeva (the Wind God) went to Vaikuntam to pay his obeisance to Lord Sri Vishnu. The Lord was reclining in the company of Maha Lakshmi and the doorway was guarded by Adisesha. Vayudeva was incensed when Adisesha prevented him from entering Sri Vishnu’s holy abode resulting in a fierce battle between them. When Lord Vishnu intervened, each was boasting of his superior valour and supreme might. To test who was stronger, the Lord suggested that Adisesha should encircle the Ananda hill, an off-shoot of the Meru Mountain on its northern side, while Vayudeva should blow hard to dislodge the Ananda hill from Adisesha's strangle hold. The contest waxed furiously, and as the World trembled, Brahma, Indra and the other deities prevailed upon Adisesha to yield victory to Vayudeva for the welfare of the world, as a whole. Obliging them, Adisesha released his hold on the hill, with the result, Adisesha and the Ananda hill were together blown away to the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. As Adisesha was crestfallen over his defeat, Lord Brahma and the others appeased him by saying that he would be integrated with the hill Venkatadri and would become the abode of Lord Vishnu. Adisesha then metamorphosed into the vast Seshadri hill range, while his hood manifested itself into Venkatadri, the abode of Lord Sri Venkateswara, his trunk portion turned out to be Ahobila supporting Lord Narasimha and his tail housing Srisailam bearing Lord Mallikarjuna (Lord Siva). TEST OF THE THREE DIVINITIES At the commencement of the Kali Yuga, Lord Vishnu left Venkatadri for Sri Vaikuntam, his divine abode. Lord Brahma was saddened over the Lord’s departure and asked Narada to persuade Vishnu to return to Venkatadri. Narada then went to the banks of the River Ganga, where several rishis were performing a holy sacrifice. The rishis could not decide as to whom they should dedicate the fruit of their yaga. Bhrigu, one of the rishis took the task upon himself for testing who among the three chief divinities-Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, is the supreme Lord to receive the divine boon of the Yaga. SAGE BHRIGU AT SATYALOKAM Sage Brigu first went to Satyalokam, the abode of the three-headed Lord Brahma the creator. Brahma was found busy chanting the Vedas with one face, uttering the name of Narayana with another and looking at Goddess Saraswati with the third. He took no notice of Bhrigu’s arrival. Bhrigu resented by the lack of courtesy from Brahma, left Satyalokam in a huff. BHRIGU IN KAILASAM Bhrigu then proceeded to Siva's abode (Kailasam) as a part of his holy mission. Here too, he found Lord Siva absorbed in sporting with his consort Parvathi Devi taking no notice of his visit. Lord Siva also became indignant at Bhrigu’s intrusion into his privacy which further enraged the sage. BHRIGU IN VAIKUNTHAM Finally, Bhrigu went to Sri Vaikuntam, the abode of Lord Vishnu and found Vishnu and Sri Maha Lakshmi reclining on Adisesha unmindful of his arrival. Disgusted over this, Bhrigu, known for his intemperate nature, kicked Lord Vishnu on the chest, where Sri Maha Lakshmi was reclining. Vishnu immediately got up, massaged rishi's foot and enquired if his foot was injured when he kicked on his hard chest. Taken aback over Vishnu’s attention and cool composure, Bhrigu returned to the rishis and advised them to dedicate the fruit of their sacrifice to Vishnu, as he deserved it best, among the divine Trinity. But, Sri Maha Lakshmi was furious over Bhrigu for kicking the holy spot and her favourite abode - the bosom of the Lord. She left Vishnu in a fury and went on to stay at Karavirapura (now Kolhapur in the state of Maharashtra) to commence a deep penance. Unable to bear the solitude after Sri Maha Lakshmi’s departure, Vishnu left Vaikuntam in search of her and wandered across the forests and hills. MANIFESTATION OF LORD VENKATESWARA ON VENKATADRI Frustrated over not finding his consort anywhere, Lord Vishnu took an ant-hill on Venkatadri under a tamarind tree as a dwelling place, besides a Pushkarini. Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva, taking pity at the plight of Lord Vishnu, made up their mind to serve him in the guise of a cow and calf. Surya – the Sun God, informed Lakshmi of this and requested her to sell the cow and calf to the king of the Chola country assuming the form of a cattle care-taker. The Chola king sent the cow and its calf to graze on the Venkata Hill along with his herd of other cattle. Discovering Lord Vishnu in the ant-hill, the holy cow everyday emptied her udder into the ant-hill and thus fed the Lord. Over a period of time, the queen noticed that the cow was not yielding any milk and chastised the cowherd severely for its peculiar behaviour. The cowherd trying to investigate the cause, followed the cow and discovered to his utter shock that the cow was emptying her udder over the ant-hill. In his anger, the cowherd aimed a blow with his axe on the head of the cow but accidentally hit the Lord Vishnu who rose from the ant-hill to receive the blow and save the cow’s life. On seeing Lord Vishnu bleeding, the cowherd fell down and died. On the death of the cowherd, the cow returned to the king with blood stains on her body, bellowing in the presence of the Chola King. An anxious king followed the cow to the scene of the incident, the ant-hill, where the King found the cowherd lying dead on the ground. While the King stood wondering how it had happened, Lord Vishnu rose from the ant-hill and cursed the king to become an Asura (Demon) for the fault of his servant. Entreated by the king who pleaded innocence, the Lord blessed him by saying that his curse would end when he was adorned with the Kireetam (crown) presented by Akasa Raja at the time of his marriage with Sri Padmavati. To atone the sins of raising the axe against the Lord, the cowherd's atma (spirit) received the rare boon from the Lord, which is that, he and his descendants enjoy the privilege of opening the main door in the Lord's sanctum sanctorum in due course. GODDESS PADMAVATHI In course of time, the Chola king was reborn as Akasa Raja and though he ruled well, he had no children much to his displeasure. As part of the yaga, he was ploughing the fields, he found a baby in a lotus flower and named her Alarmel mangai (Lady born in Lotus petals) and adopted her as his daughter. Lord Vishnu reincarnated as Srinivasa (or presented himself after penance in the ant-hill) as the son of an elderly woman-saint Vakula Malika Devi. Vakula Devi was Yasoda in her previous birth, Lord Krishna's foster-mother and was unhappy in that life for not seeing his marriage. As per the boon received from Krishna, she was reborn as Vakula Devi and enjoyed the rare spectacle of witnessing the celestial wedding of the divine couple. In course of time, Princess Padmavati grew up into a beautiful maiden and was visited by Saint Narada. On reading her palm, he foretold that she was destined to be the spouse of Lord Vishnu himself. In due time, Lord Srinivasa on a hunting spree was chasing a wild elephant in the forest. The elephant led him into a garden where Princess Padmavati and her maids were playing. The sight of the elephant frightened them and their Princess. When Lord Srinivasa appeared in front of the Elephant, it immediately turned round, saluted the Lord and disappeared into the forest. Lord Srinivasa noticed princess Padmavathi and enquired about her from her maids. Enthralled by her bewitching beauty, Lord Srinivasa lost interest in other activities and told his foster mother Vakula Devi about his love for Padmavathi. He also revealed his identity as Lord Vishnu and narrated her about her past life as his foster-mother then as Yasodha. MARRIAGE OF LORD SRINIVASA AND GODDESS PADMAVATHI Vakula devi left her hermitage to approach Akasa Raja with the marriage proposal of marriage between Lord Srinivasa and Padmavathi. In the mean time, an anxious Lord Srinivasa came to the city in the disguise of a lady fortune-teller. Princess Padmavathi also lost her heart to Lord Srinivasa and fell ill after returning to the palace. Unable to diagnose her ill-health, the maids invited the fortune-teller into the palace to foretell the future of their princess. When the Lord in the guise of a lady fortune-teller revealed that Padmavathi was born with a cause to marry Lord Vishnu in his current avatar as Lord Srinivasa, she recovered and regaled in joy. As the king heard of this news, Vakula revealed her to the King and asked for his daughter's hand in marriage to her son, Lord Srinivasa. The overjoyed king gleefully agreed and his advisor Bhrihaspati wrote the invitation for the wedding between the two celestial beings of Srinivasa and Padmavathi. Lord Srinivasa called for a conference of the Gods to declare his marriage with Princess Padmavati. According to mythologies, the Lord also obtained a huge loan from Kubera, the god of wealth, towards meeting the expenses for the divine and grand wedding matching his stature as the supreme lord of the universe. LORD SRINIVASA TURNS TO LORD VENKATESWARA In about six months after this celestial marriage, Goddess Maha Lakshmi who left the lord, in the past in a huff after sage Bhrigu kicked Lord Vishnu on his chest, her dwelling place, came to know that her husband married again and came to see him in disbelief. It is said that the Lord turned himself into a granite statue right in front of his two spouses when they together encountered him over his remarriage. Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva then appear before the confused queens and explain the main purpose behind all this complex episode, the Lord's desire to be on the holy seven hills for the emancipation of the mankind from the perpetual trials and tribulations of Kali Yuga. Goddesses Lakshmi and Padmavathi also turn into stone idols expressing their wish to be with their Lord eternally. Goddess Lakshmi stayed with him on the left side of his chest while Goddess Padmavati rested on the right side of his chest. KR IRS 16124 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q3 Since there is no wind or atmosphere on the Moon, how can the US flag be flapping in pictures of the first Moon landing? KR Not exactly. The gases in the sphere has impact beckoning a kind of motion, so a small wavy pattern may take place. It is an exo-sphere. KR IRS 16124 On Tue, 16 Jan 2024 at 19:02, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty < [email protected]> wrote: > *CULTURAL QA 01-2024-16* > > *All the BELOW QA are from Quora digest to me on 16-01-2024.* > > * Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers * > > *.Compiled* *and posted by R. Gopala krishnan, on 16-01-2024* > > Q1 Why is "Horn OK Please" painted on the back of almost > every truck in India? > > A1 Avinash Kumar Mehta, IIT B (PhD), IIT Kgp (M. Tech.), AIR > 60(GATE'17), BIT sindri Dec 20 > > Have you ever wondered why every truck have Horn OK Please written behind > the truck?. > > Have you tried finding such unique words and their meaning? What does it > really mean, and where does it come from? > > Well, there are various theories that are being considered over time. But > each theory is unique and interesting in its own way. > > Marketing Campaign: As per one theory, 'OK' was used as a part of a > marketing campaign. Tata trucks were used to promote a washing soap > called 'OK', which was then produced by one of the Tata Group subsidiaries. > > To validate this theory even further, the lotus flower we commonly see on > the trucks was part of the logo for the soap. > > On Kerosene (OK): This theory dates back to WWII, when kerosene had to be > used in trucks due to diesel shortages. Therefore, OK (stands for On > Kerosene) was used to warn other drivers to keep their distance due to > the unstable fuel in its engine. > > *Signaling: Most highways in India were single-lane. Which meant there was > always a risk of running into an incoming vehicle while attempting an > overtaking maneuver*. > > The "OK" was accompanied by a bulb over it, which the driver of the truck > would switch on to signal the vehicle behind it if there was no oncoming > traffic, and hence it was OK to overtake. With the development of > multi-lane highways and the non-maintenance of bulbs, this practice faded > away. > > Whatever the true origin may be, the phrase has grown from being painted > at the back of trucks to inspiring numerous blogs, videos, themed > restaurants, and even a full-scale food festival in Delhi. > > Q2 What were the blessings given by the goddesses to Lord > Vishnu during his Venkateshwar avatar? > > A2 Aashish Kumar Dimri, One who loves India Nov 4 > > Sapthagiri : It is believed sapthagiri- seven hills- prayed to Lord > Narayan for well being of his true devotees. God happily accepted it. > Seven : These seven hills are Vrushabhadri ; Anjanadri; Neeladri ; > Garuradri ; Sheshadri ; Naradri ; Venkadri. > > Devotees : Vrushabha( a demon -devotee) ; Anjana devi (mother of Hanuman > ji) ; Devarishi Garuda ji( mount of Narayana) ; Shesh ji ( couch of Lord > Vishnu) ; Narada ji ( celestial sage) and Venkadri ( Bhu devi). > > Blessing : Lord Venkateshwara vowed that he would take care of his true > devotees in dark ages.His vow was endorsed by Goddess Mahalakshmi and > Goddess Bhumi devi. > > He gave a word that he would always remove three ills -paranormal ; > physical and mundane- of his true devotee. > > Well : Lord Bala ji is source of all true blessings. > > Prayer : Govinda Govinda Govinda ! > > Note : Indian cultural history is not figment of imagination. > > Q3 Since there is no wind or atmosphere on the Moon, how can > the US flag be flapping in pictures of the first Moon landing? > > A3 Amit Shriqui, Updated 6mo > > Good question! The US flag in the pictures of the first Moon landing > appears to be flapping, but it's not due to wind or atmosphere since the > Moon doesn't have those. > > The flag actually appears to be waving because of the movement astronauts > made while planting it. This caused the flag to ripple briefly and give > you the illusion of motion. > > Q4 What type of lion is the most dangerous? > > A4 The Animal Guy,Studied animals and read books about them. > 6mo > > The Tsavo Man-eaters are your answer. > > *A pair of these species are said to kill and eat 135 people*. It is > really not normal for lions to eat humans. They would murder someone, drag > them into their cave, and eat them. These lions were extremely dangerous. > Col. John Henry Patterson eventually shot these animals to their end. > They now are in a museum for visitors to observe > > Q5 Do you know a joke about a priest? > > A5 Andras Lu, Aug 31 > > A woman sits next to a priest on a plane. "Father," she says, "may I ask > you a favor?" He replies: "Gladly, if I can, my daughter." > > > > "So you know I bought a very expensive and particularly good lady's razor, > but it's brand new and now I'm afraid I'll have to pay a lot of duty on it > at customs. Could you maybe hide it under your robe?" "I can, my > daughter, but I must warn you: I cannot lie!" > > "Well," the woman thinks, "it'll work out somehow," and she hands him the > razor. > > At the airport, the customs officer asks the priest if he has anything to > declare. "Nothing from the head to the middle!", assures the priest. > > Somewhat amazed, the customs officer asks: "And from the middle down?" > "Down there," says the priest, "I have a device for ladies that has never > been used." > > The customs officer laughs out loud and calls out: "The next one, please." > > Q6 What joke will make one burst into laughter for at least > 30 seconds? > > Tanay Nayak, B.Tech in Computer Science, Manipal Institute Of Technology > (MIT) (Graduated 2021)7y > > Paddy goes to college to sign up and meets the head of admissions, who > signs him up for the four basic subjects:- English, Maths, History and > Logic.” > > Logic? What’s that?” Paddy asks. The head says “I’ll give you an example. > > Do you own a lawnmower?”“Yeah.” > > “Then logically speaking, I would say you have a garden.”“Yes, I do have > a garden.” Paddy replies. > > The head continues, “Because you have a garden, I say logically you would > have a house.”“Yes, I have a house.” > > “And because you have a house, I would say you have a family.”“Yeah I > have a family.” > > “Because you have a family, then logically you must have a wife.“Yeah i > have a wife.” > > And because you have a wife, you must be heterosexual.Paddy replies “I am > heterosexual. > > > > That’s amazing; you can tell all that because I have a lawnmower. > > “Later that day, Paddy is excited to tell his mate Mick. > > He tells Mick that he’s signed up for Maths, English, History and Logic. > > “Logic?” Mick says “What’s that?” > > Paddy says “I’ll give you an example.Do you have a lawnmower?” > > “No, i don’t have a lawnmower.”???? > > Q7 What are your favorite church or pastor-related jokes? > > A7Christine Hennig, Ask a silly question; get a silly answer from me! Aug 1 > > A pastor dies and goes to heaven. > > He has to stand in a long, slow-moving line in front of heaven’s gates, > where each person is welcomed to heaven by St. Peter individually. He > starts chatting with the man in front of him, who tells him he was a New > York City taxi driver when he was alive. > > After a long while of the line slowly moving forward, the pastor notices > that each person, when they get to the front of the line, gets welcomed by > St. Peter, and then St. Peter gives each one a robe, a set of wings, a > staff, and a brand new car. But he also notices that the quality of these > items varies from person to person. > > Finally, the man in front of him reaches the front of the line. “Welcome > to heaven,” St. Peter tells him. “Here’s your silk robe, your satin wings, > your platinum staff, and your brand new Lexus!” > > The man drives away happily with his new items. > > Then the pastor reaches the front of the line. “Welcome to heaven,” says > St. Peter. “Here’s your burlap robe, your cotton wings, your wooden staff, > and your brand new VW!” > > The pastor says, “Wait a minute! I spent my life serving the Lord, but I > don’t get as good a reward as a New York taxi driver?” > > St. Peter says, “ You don’t understand. Up here, we judge people by > results only.” > > The paster replies, “Results only?? What’s that supposed to mean?” > > St. Peter replies, “While you preached, people slept.” > > Then he points to the taxi driver and says, “While he drove, people > prayed!” > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Thatha_Patty" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/331032726.1432606.1705411963304%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/331032726.1432606.1705411963304%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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