The temple of Lord Ventakeshwara Balaji, or Vishnu, is located in the peaceful hills of Tirumala in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. This blog will tell our readers the story behind Tirupati temple.
Story Behind Lord Ventakeshwara Balaji
According to Hindu mythology, once upon a time, Sage Bhrigu was performing Yagya with his disciples. One of the disciples asked the Sage Bhrigu a question: "We all are doing Yagya for gods but still do not know which of our gods accepts our prayers. Sage Bhrigu also got confused after his disciple's question.
At the same time, Lord Narad Muni was listening to their conversation. Narad Muni suggested to Sage Bhrigu that you will get all your answers from the Trinity of gods who are Lord Brahma, Mahadev and Vishnu.
Sage Bhrigu followed his suggestion, and first, he went straight to the Brahmadev. Lord Brahma was so focused on the Meditation that he did not realise the arrival of Sage Bhrigu. The sage became very angry at this.
He intimidated Lord Brahma about the incident. Sage Bhrigu and Lord Brahma were involved in a heated argument. Ultimately, Sage Bhrigu cursed Lord Brahma, saying he would never be worshipable in this world.
After this, Sage Bhrigu went to the next trinity god "Lord Mahadev". When he arrived, Lord Mahadev and goddess Parvati were in a deep state of Meditation. Sage Bhrigu repeatedly called Lord Mahadev but was ignored. The sage felt disrespected and cursed Mahadev that he would always be worshipped in linga (Shivling) form.
Ultimately, Sage Bhrigu reached Vaikuntha Lok to test the last trinity god, "Lord Vishnu ''. When he arrived, Lord Vishu was indulging in conversation with Goddess Laxmi.
The sage felt insulted again and again and filled with extreme anger. The sage directly attacked the Lord Vishnu and kicked his chest. Goddess Laxmi also got angry after seeing their insult, but Lord Vishnu, without any anger, asked for forgiveness from the Safe Bhrigu. Lord Vishnu replied politely, "Hey Sage, you hit my chest with your leg. Please forgive me if your leg got hurt". Lord Vishu's polite attitude calmed Sage Bhrigu's anger.
On seeing the pure nature of Lord Vishu, the sage felt ashamed of his act. When the sage started apologising, Lord Vishnu stopped him. Lord Vishnu tried to console Sage Bhrigu by saying that it was his mistake that he didn't respond even after several calls. Lord Vishnu assured Sage that the mark of feet he got on his chest due to the attack always remained the same.
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Why Did Goddess Laxmi Leave Vaikunth Lok ?
In the end, Sage Bhrigu told the whole story to the Lord Vishu that he was testing the trinity gods to find the answer to his question.
The sage accepted that only Vishnu accepted everyone's prayer in the universe. Rishi Bhrigu left the Vaikuntha Lok after getting all his answers. After the whole incident, Goddess Laxmi still felt resentful. According to Goddess Laxmi, the attack was not just on Lord Vishnu but also on her. She also said, "Your heart is my abode, and I reside there. How could you tolerate such an insult to me ?." Goddess Laxmi left the Vaikuntha Loka after the incident. Lord Vishnu became extremely weak as Goddess Laxmi left the Vaikuntha Loka.
Upon seeing Lord Vishnu's condition, Mahadev and Brahmadev tried to console Goddess Laxmi to return to the Vaikuntha Lok. She denied it and requested both lords to suggest someplace to her on the earth where she can reside.
Mahadev suggested Goddess Laxmi to reside in the Venkati Hills. It is the same place where Lord Vishnu had resided in his Varaha form. "Varaha" was the third of the ten incarnations (avatars) of Lord Vishnu. Goddess Laxmi accepted the proposal of Lord Brahma and Mahadev, but she decided to live on earth in a disguised way so that Lord Vishnu could not identify her.
Incarnation of Goddess Laxmi on Earth
With Goddess Laxmi, both the lords, Brahma and Mahadev, were also incarnated on earth in the form of cow and calf. At that time, Raja Chola was the king, and the cow was considered sacred in his kingdom.
\He was also famous for his kind-hearted behaviour. Goddess Laxmi took the form of a cowherd to take care of Lord Mahadev and Lord Brahma. One day, Goddess Laxmi, with the cow and the calf, reached the palace of Raja Chola. She asked the king to take care of her cow and the calf. Raja Chola accepted Goddess Laxmi's proposal.
The king handed both the lords, who were disguised in the form of the cow and the calf, to the cow herd of his kingdom.
In the search for Goddess Laxmi, Lord Vishnu also came to the kingdom of Raja Chola. He resided in the anthill. On the other hand, Goddess Laxmi started meditating on the Venkat mountain.
The cowherd started taking care of both lords. At that time, Lord Vishnu was living on the anthill. In the evening, the cow went every day to anthill to provide milk to Lord Vishnu. One day, the king summoned the cowherd and asked the reason why the cow was giving milk in very little quantity.
The king ordered the cowherd to find the reason behind all. He followed the king’s order and started an investigation.
One day, the cowherd chases the cow in the evening and finds out that it provides all her milk in the anthill. He got angry and attacked the cow with his axe. At the same moment, Lord Vishnu or Srinivasa came outside from the anthill.
The axe that the cowherd threw at the cow hit the head of the Lord Vishnu. Due to the crime of killing an innocent cow, Lord Srinivasa killed the cowherd with the same axe. As it all happened in the kingdom of Raja Chola, Lord Vishnu also cursed the king.
Raja Chola apologised to Lord Vishnu and calmed him. In the end, Lord Srinivasa also gave the Raja Chola a boon that he would be born as King Akash Rajan in his next birth. Lord Srinivasa also promised that he would marry her daughter Padmavati.
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Story of Lord Vishnu and Bakula Devi
After the whole incident, Lord Vishnu went to the Bakula devi for the cure, who was his mother, Yashoda, in his previous birth. Bakula Devi cleans Lord Srinivasa's wounds and gives him proper treatment. Lord Vishnu decided to stay with Bakula Devi on earth for a long time period. According to Boon, Raja Chola born as King Akash Raja.
He married Queen Chandrika. Despite having everything, whether wealth or prosperity, they were deprived of the child. King Akashraja and Queen Chandrika followed the orders of Guru Shukracharya and performed yagya for the child. They got blessings from the deity, and soon they got a daughter. King Akash Raja named his daughter "Padmavati". One day, Padmavati was strolling in the garden with her friends, and an elephant attacked them. At that moment, Lord Srinivasa saved her life from the elephant. Princess Padmavati was impressed by Lord Srinivasa.
Why Lord Tirupathi Balaji Worshipped ?
Everything was happening according to the boon. Lord Vishnu explained the whole situation to Bakula Devi. After listening to everything, Bakula Devi put Lord Srinivasa and Princess Padmavati's marriage proposal in front of King Akash Raja. King Akash Raja accepted the proposal but was hesitant due to his lack of wealth. After the separation of Goddess Laxmi, Lord Srivivasa always lacked wealth. So Lord Srinivas took a debt from "Kuber Dev".
He also promised Kuber Dev that my devotees would repay all your debt. On the earth, I will be worshipped by humans by the name "Tirupati Balaji Venkateshwar". I will provide glory of wealth to all those devotees who worshipped me with pure heart. That's how Lord Srinivasa got married to Princess Padmavati. In between the marriage, Goddess Laxmi appeared and asked Lord Srinivasa that he couldn't marry someone else except her.
Lord Srinivasa transformed himself into an idol. At the same time, both Goddess Laxmi and Princess Padmavati were transformed into idols. After all this, Lord Vishnu was worshipped as Lord Tirupati Balaji Venkateshwara. Even today, lakhs of devotees come to Tirupati Balaji Venkateshwara for worship.