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SrI: 
SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
SrI krishNa parabrahmaNE nama:

dear vaishNavAs,
 
I wish you all a happy, devotional new year on this
ugAdi.

sri vEnkatEswara mahatyam part -3

9. nArada meets sri Lakshmi and tells Her about
nArAyaNa

Narada comes to know about the desertation of sri
vaikuntham without srI dEvi and paramapada nAthan. He
understands that his desire that Sri Hari to goto
earth for the restoration of dharma has been
fulfilled. He reaches sathya lOka and explains the
situation of Sri mAdhava in search of mAdhavi. The
Lord is much reduced for not having food and sleep.
Here the self-satisfied Lord gives a great opportunity
for His devotees to serve Him. NArada requests brahma
to arrange the Lord with some food.

Brahma thinks over for a while and asks nArada to go
and meet Lakshmi in kolhapur. He himself starts for
kailAsa. In kailAsa, Siva receives brahma with due
honour and enquires about the purpose of his visit.
Brahma explains the whole situtation in sri vaikuntha
and the position of their dearest Lord on earth. He
suggests Siva and himself should take the shape of a
cow and calf and feed vishNu with milk, to help him to
recoup. Siva readily agrees to such a great
opportunity to serve his Lord.

NArada, as directed by brahma goes to kolhapur and
meets Lakshmi dEvi. Sri dEvi duly receives nArada and
then nArada speaks: ?oh mother! Why have you left your
rightful place sri vaikunTham, and are suffering here
on earth like an ordinary woman, wearing saffron robes
and performing penance??

Lakshmi couldnot avoid burst into tears in remembrance
of Her Lord?s negligence towards Herself(?). However
she explains her plight to nArada in detail. After
hearing to her, nArada says, ?this is how providence
plays. After you left sri vaikuntha, nArAyaNa also
left the place and wandering from place to place in
search of You, is now taking shelter in vAlmIkam under
a tamarind tree in Tirupathi. He is deprived of food
and sleep. He has gone down very much. You please
arrange to feed Him with the help of brahma and Siva?.

After saying these words, nArada takes leave of
Lakshmi.

10. Brahma and mahEswar become cow and calf to feed
vishNu

Having heard from nArada, the suffering of her
husband, Lakshmi is very worried. She could not
understand what could be done to feed Her husband.
Both brahma and mahEswar immediately appeared infront
of Her to come to Her aid.  She explains Her situation
to the appeared divinities, and they in return express
their desire to serve the Lord in the form of a cow
and a calf. They ask Her to take the take the form of
a  cowherd woman and take them to chandragiri and sell
them to chOLa king, to felicitate them to feed their
Lord. 

11. Lakshmi dEvi sells the cow and calf to the chOLa
king

Lakshmi dEvi drives the divine cow and cald to
chandragiri town and reached the king?s palace. She
tells the king that she intends to sell the the cow
and cald to him, She adds that these cattle belong to
a special breed and ordinary people cannot rear the
same. That is why, she says, wants to sell them to the
king.

Both the king and the queen are attracted by the
appearances of the cow and calf and purchase the
cattle from Her. Taking leave of the royal couple,
Lakshmi dEvi returned to kolhApUr and resumed Her
meditation on the lotus feet of the Lord.

The ChOLa queen has desired to feed her child with the
cow of  the new cow, though she has several cows. She
therefore called her cowherd and ordered him that he
should have a special care in grazing that new cow and
her milk should be brought to her separately.

The cowherd used to drive the new cow also along with
other herds for grazing to vEnkatAchalam. But this cow
never mixes with other cows.  It uses to get itself
isolated from the others and without anybody?s notice
goto vAlmIkam where Sri Hari is taking shelter and
rain milk from her breast direct into the vAlmIkam and
rejoin the herd by the evening. When it returned home,
there is not no drop of milk found in her breast. This
continued for many days.

12. Sri Hari  curses the chOLa king

One day the wife of the chola king calls the cowherd
and angrily says ?not even for a single day you
brought the milk of the new cow. Is the cow not
milking or have you been gulping all the milk got from
her or are you making money out of it by selling
separately. Speak out the truth?.

The cow-herd says, ?madam! I am quite innocent. I do
not know anything. Every evening, soon after driving
the cattle back home, I do try to milk this cow, as I
do with other. To my surprise, I find its breasts
always dry. I do not understand the miracle behind?.

The queen gets wild to hear these words, as they seem
unbelievable for her. ?will any cow with a tender calf
go dry? I do not believe your words. Tomorrow, if you
donot bring its milk, you will be punished? she says.
The cowherd trembles in fear. He postrates before her
and goes away.

The next morning when he takes the cattle for grazing,
the cowherd has a  special eye on this cow. After
reaching vEnkatAchalam, he finds this particular cow
going astray.  He silently follows.  As usual the cow
nears the vAlmIka and begin raining milk from its
opening. The cowherd?s anger crosses all bounds. He
immediately takes an axe and tries to hurt the cow. 

Sri Hari sees that the cow, which all these days
feedoing Him, is  going to face the fierceful  blow
from the cow-herd?s axe. He immediately comes out of
the vAlmIka and tries to save the cow. And in that
attempt bore that blow on His own head. His head
begins to bleed heavily which swoons the cowherd. He
becomes unconscious. The blood that oozed out from Sri
Hari?s head spread on the cow also.

The divine cow moved from that place and reached the
palace of the king. It lowed loudly to get the
attention of the king. Hearing the roar like sound of
the cow, and it is thumping its leg on the ground as
if asking the king to follow her. The king also
observes blood stains on the cow. He, therefore along
with his army follows the cow, which is quickly
marching towards vEnkatAchalam. It stopped where the
cow-herd fell unconscious.

The chOLa king hears sighing sound from nearby and
orders his soldiers to search from where it is coming.
 They found SrImAn nArAyaNa in  a pool of blood.  The
king asks SrI Hari to reveal Himseld and also very
sorry for what happened with Him.  SrI Hari opens His
eyes and in a angry mood He reveals His original
identity and cursed him to become a ghost for having a
cowherd who can kill a cow. Protection of cows,
brAhmins is the highest duty of a king. Having
violated such basic rule, Lord?s curse immediately
makes him a ghost. The king repents for his mistake
and prays to Hari in a humble voice, ? nArAyaNa! Had I
known you were here, I would have personally come to
serve you. I am innocent, I never ordered the cowherd
to wound anybody. I beg of you my Lord, please
withdraw your curse on me?.

SrI Hari says that the king is responsible for the
sins committed by his subjects and His curse cannot be
withdrawn. However the Lord promised the king that he
will take birth again in the same family by the name
AkAsarAju, and Lord will marry his daughter. ?you will
also present me with a ruby studded crown, which I
will wear on Fridays?, Lord continues.

The cowherd by now regains his consciousness and
prostrates before Sri Hari to ask for His pardon. Sri
Hari pities him and says, ? Dear lad, donot worry, all
your sins are destroyed by My vision. You are the
first person to see me after I came to bhoolOka.
Therefore, even in my temple, people belonging to your
dynasty will have My first darshan. Your purpose of
life has been fulfilled and your name will be
remembered eternally. You can go now fearlessly.? This
is the inconceivable grace of the Lord.

As per this commandment of the Lord, even today
immediately after opening the temple of SrI
vEnkaTEswata, a cowherd will get the first darshan. It
is only after this, other programs are carried out in
the temple.

 (to be continued .......)

dAsOham,
SrIperumbUdUru vEnkaTa vinOd.


                
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