Sunday, April 19, 2009

Mystical experiences at Tirupati continues again...

Year later I alighted at Renigunta to visit Tirupati Again . It was 1.30 am . I came out of the station , Just then a taxi driver came up to me and said HE would take me up to Tirumala directly [ normal route would be to take a bus to Tirupati and then take a special bus to Tirumala at the available time , this was a good time saver ] . I agreed , he demanded only Rs 200 . That was a bonus . Second he promised to drop just right before the temple to save my time for Darshan .

Then we moved on ,it was a comfortable ambassador car . I dozed off for next few hours and then  the driver called his acquaintance , he gave me tonsure at a nearby guest house, we reached pushkarni , I took a bath and wore a red silk dhoti and red shalya . The driver told he will leave me at a place where i could easily get a ticket for special darshan but that would still make me wait for four hours to get the darshan  as it was a holiday  and bramhotsavam was to commence . I was okay with it , he took me to somewhat backside of the temple , But no tickets were available , I requested for any seva tickets if available. But none were available . Sad as I was , Driver too said he had done his maximum bit , so he said lets drive back to main entrance , on the way he stopped at nearby pedestal [ it was still dark ] , his vehicle needed some attention , he got down , I too came out of the car .

By the footpath someone was sleeping with a blanket on. HE was alone and none other were there nearby . driver was busy with his car bonnet , he went to fetch water , I was standing by the foot of sleeping person.

Suddenly he woke up and asked me " swamy want to have a darshan " I said " yes but seems not possible ", He took some special pass kind of thing out of his pocket and gave it to me and slept again . I hurriedly went to the temple gates , looking at the pass , they took me straight to garbhagudi , Their I joined the archakas for the Tulasi pooja ,

I recited Vishnu panjar stotra , Venkatesh stotra , and gazed with indebtedness n bhakti [ I was so overwhelmed because God was so merciful at a papi , pamar like me , I didn't knew of single outstanding quality in me that would entitle me to such love and affection, thus I was indebted , and my only desire was to fall at the lotus feet again and again ] ,

After a grand tulasi pooja and aarti , I was out of the temple with full bag of laddoos . I was out of temple by 7 am . meanwhile my luggage was in the car itself , The driver was worried , he was waiting at the same spot , He was happy at my sight , I asked where was the person sleeping here , he said no one was there . I told him I had a beautiful darshan , He asked would I like to visit Padmavathy temple . I told I had a train back at 2.30 , would I be able to catch it . He said he would enable me . HE drove fast towards padmavathy temple , there was a huge rush , standing in the queue would mean , darshan by evening ,

I was still in red silk and shalya and tonsured head and Gopichandan , My dress was mistaken for a swamiji , just then some temple insider came by , looked at me bowed at me in reverence , I smiled at him , He welcomed me , with loud cry said , Swamiji had come , all of you give way in tamil , , everyone , cleared the way , I reached directly sanctum sanctorium and Srisukta kumkumarchana and pushparchana were done , with loads of prasadam , I was accompanied back to the car. I stood at the temple Main gopuram looked back ,made  a small prayer . I thought I might have done some good punya in my previous birth for such love is being bestowed by Lord and Laxmi devi . I decided I would serve all my life the lord and prayed for inspiration to do so . I resolved many other things in my life to lead a pious life to justify myself for such divine experience . But slowly I realised , my Parents and grand parents were famous for  daily serving food to atleast  150 people in their hay days , My gotra Mudgal rishi himself was known to be famous for annadana , perhaps being born in his lineage , I had inherited this punya to get such a closer  darshan of Lord  each and everytime . I was also afraid , whether this would end next time , or I was getting attached to this special treatment , but would that not mean I am overestimating myself ,me and mine [  I remembered Purandar dasa  song , "Garva yatako ninage  PAmara manuja ........."] , OH leave it . Let me be  a simple devotee of Lord .

Venkatramana Govinda Govinda .

Mystical experiences at Tirupati continues....

Few years later I decided to again visit the Lord VEnkataramana . This time I reached Tirupati by 11 am.

[ for those who do not know ; Tirumala is hill top ,where Lord 's Standing to bless us and Tirupati is foothill ,a bustling city , a bus has to be boarded to to go atop for daraan , at any given point of time  daily estimated 2 lakh gather atop and and at foothills and estimated 60000 take darshan everyday ,that leaves  few seconds of darshan for each after gruelling 5-6 hours of standing in queue for special darshan and full 24 hours in general queue ,this was way back ]

But on that day rush was unusual , the bus stand below itself was so full with people that a ticket way up could be bought only after standing in a queue for 5 hours ,and then after taking the ticket the bus to be boarded would be allocated after 1 hour , you reach Tirumala after another hour and then Darshan delayed for another day. But I had a return reservation the next day . So me trying to stand in the queue was ruled out as that would mean I would be missing my train back.

Oh Venkatesha ! Wont I be able to have your darshan Atop  As I was thinking this I , started reciting Venkatesha Srotra . Just as I finished " RAja dware pathed Ghore Sangrame ripusankate " , Who is Raja , Oh Lord You are the only King for me , mortals dont' make sense as Kings in its true spirit . Raja dware . I am at your doorstep , please Let me in !!!

As I was in these thoughts , a Very plush[posh] car came by  , a man in early thirty's  opened the door , asked me " hey We are only three people in this car , and going  for Darshan atop for the Lord , although this car is our own we plan take somebody smart with us , would you mind joining us  "

Oh what a chance  ! , I jumped at the offer and got onto a rear seat of the Mercedes . Inside the three people seemed quiet educated and all in early thirty's and well settled  People . I was an unemployed youth .After the initial introduction , two of them gave introduction as a GM in two of the best MNC 's in the country , for the third they dismissed him off as a big shot known to them .  Both were unmarried , one was a quite shy person and other was a over and over flirt . They used to stop at every sight of  young lass and he would get down and try to have a chat with her , nearly successful everytime , and as he came back he would make fun of the shy guy and show off his charming prowess . I dismissed it as saying you are in chandra dasa , it is usual to have such success with woman , but you would not be successful to people opposite to your dasa and rasi . HE dismissed my logic as just dogmatic view ,  I asked him take a bet ,  If he could get away with ease with the girl I show , I would walk up the hill , and I serially showed him girls opposite to his nature , and his every attempt was thwarted with either a slap or warning ,after eight attempts he admitted " either his charm has lost or what  was saying made sense " I said the second is more correct , as his dasa was intact , to prove my point , I showed a beautiful girl , and asked the shy One to go and just approach her , he was very reluctant " the smarter one having eight slaps had an adverse effect on him , But everybody forced him out of the car " As he approached her , it so happened they talked for pretty 15 minutes and refused to leave each others company till we had to horn back " { later they  married } . By now all  the three were very much impressed by my analysis , and asked me many questions about their future .

Slowly we reached Tirumala . I got down and thanked them and asked permission to move about my way towards darshan . They held my hand and said , " hey we have come all together we will have darshan also together " Then  as All three came out of the CAR a big team clad in white came Hurriedly towards us and whisked us away , they also pointed to me , and I was also included in the convoy , And within minutes  we were in garbha gudi and I had exclusive VIP Darshan .

"Except Gratitude and indebtedness that Lord took serious note of my words , my questions ,Truly oh Lord you are the King of this universe .As even this second time you made me feel special as You are very special to me , I bow before you with reverence and gratitude , and OH lord let not pride and dambhikta creep into me as I see you divine face and lotus feet , Venkatesha , let my Bhakti grow stronger and stronger and may you call me year after year this way "

As I came out wondering who among us was VVIP , I was introduced to the third Person in  the car by the other two , who was just smiling at me all the while [ HE was son of the personal friend of  then PM ] . and I came back along with them with lots of gifts and cards invitations to the station well before my return journey time .

Bharathi ramana mukhya pranantargata ShriLaxmi Venkatesh supreeto Bhava .