Chapter summary
श्रीवेङ्कटेशाविर्भावः Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa Āvirbhāvaḥ
The Manifestation of Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa
**The Sadguru said:**
Once, the Chola king, seeking diversion, wandered along a mountain forest path. This path was rich with trees of varied foliage and teeming with diverse beasts and birds. There, by chance, the king encountered a daughter of the serpent lord. Overwhelmed by desire, he married her according to the Gāndharva rite [a spontaneous marriage by mutual consent, without formal ceremonies] and enjoyed various pastimes with her at the forest's edge. After consoling her, the lord of the earth departed for his own country. The lady, aggrieved, entered a subterranean passage and returned to her home in the netherworld, Rasātala (v.1-3).
Upon hearing her story, the serpent king felt joy rather than anger. In due course, she gave birth to a son, who blazed with an effulgence like fire. His maternal grandfather, the king of serpents, performed all the appropriate sacraments for him, and the boy grew up there happily, lovingly cherished by his mother. As a handsome and disciplined youth, that great soul mastered the science of archery. Learning from his mother's words that his father, the Chola king, resided on earth, he yearned to see him (v.4-6).
Coming to the world of mortals, the prince thus met his father, the Chola king. The king, overjoyed, embraced his son, enquired of his welfare, and bestowed the kingdom upon him. That son of the Chola king, Toṇḍamān, became renowned on earth, celebrated by his subjects. By nature, that great soul's mind was ever fixed upon the lotus feet of Śrīdhara [a name for Vishnu]. He then established his kingdom on the slopes of the Śeṣādri mountain, protecting all his people, who were devoted to their own dharma, and delighting them with his virtues (v.7-9). Under his reign, the lord of the gods, Indra, rained in due season, and the earth shone green with abundant crops. All the people lived in great happiness while Toṇḍamān protected the land (v.10).
One day, the cowherds appointed to guard the cattle in the forest came before the king. Their minds were bewildered by a great wonder, their voices choked with emotion, and their bodies covered with goosebumps as they spoke. "There is an anthill in the forest, O King! The cows go there and, as if to their own calf, spontaneously let their milk flow. Please investigate the reason for this at once!" (v.11-12). Pondering the significant words of the cowherds, the king remained silent. Then, a certain farmer approached, bowed to the king, and spoke these words: "O King, a boar comes to the millet field and eats the excellent grain. When driven away by the clapping of hands, it entered the hole of that very anthill." He continued, "This is indeed a great wonder. Please investigate the reason here, O King. A supreme divinity surely resides there. Let worship be performed for it" (v.13-15).
Having heard the words of the farmer and having dismissed both him and the cowherds, the king, that foremost of Hari's devotees, went to sleep, pondering the cause in his mind. In a dream, he saw a dark youth with eyes like lotus petals, adorned with fine gems. The king lovingly asked him, "Who are you?" And he, a king himself, spoke to the king: "I reside on Śeṣācala, O King, inside the anthill for the welfare of the worlds. Purify it with an ablution of milk. You will see me there very soon" (v.16-18).
The youth in the dream vanished, leaving the king's mind utterly astonished. In the morning, accompanied by his ministers and people, he went with devotion and beheld the anthill. The king, along with groups of devotees, performed the milk-ablution with faith. Providentially, as the anthill dissolved, the form of Varāha [the Boar incarnation of Vishnu] was seen before them. Then, when the great anthill was anointed, Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa himself appeared—four-armed, with a beautiful divine body, a smiling face, and lotus-like eyes. He was marked with the Śrīvatsa [a specific mark on Vishnu's chest], a Pārijāta tree [a celestial wish-fulfilling tree] for his dependents, holding a conch and a discus, a bestower of boons, with one hand resting on his hip, an ocean of compassion, and the Kaustubha gem on his neck (v.19-22).
The gods showered flowers with devotion, the hosts of Gandharvas sang with joy, mṛdaṅgas, ḍhakkās, and murajas [various drums] sounded, and the servants of Ananta [Vishnu] blew their conches. Chanting the names of Govinda, the devotees gazed upon Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa. Their eyes were wet with tears of joy, their bodies covered with goosebumps, and they fainted in ecstasy. Seeing the Lord thus pleased, with hands folded in reverence and eyes clouded with tears, the king praised Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa, the boon-giver, the most excellent one, the refuge of the worlds (v.23-25).
**The King said:**
"Salutations, salutations to You, the witness of all worlds! Salutations, salutations to You, O one with long lotus-like eyes! Salutations, salutations to You, Lord of Vṛṣaśaila! Salutations, salutations to You, for You are affectionate to Your devotees! O God of gods, I possess no Karma Yoga, no Bhakti Yoga, nor any Jñāna Yoga. Therefore, I take refuge in You alone, for a child, indeed, waits for its mother's compassion. I was chosen by You before, out of Your grace; therefore, this remembrance has arisen in me. How can You, the witness of the unattached, be reached by my intellect or by my words?" (v.26-28).
"You are thus a treasure of motiveless compassion by Your very nature, O Śrīdhara, Veṅkaṭeśa! You highly regard even the worship performed by me in any which way. Though You have all Your desires fulfilled and are ever-content with the nectar of Your own bliss, yet You are pleased by the offering of a mere millet grain and a Tulasī leaf. Though You are the giver of liberation, O ocean of mercy, You are also the bestower of desired boons to those who seek them. To those who bow even once with motiveless devotion, You give even Your own Self, O Lord! Who, having abandoned Your pair of lotus feet, would desire to go elsewhere on earth? A wise person, having attained dispassion, finds sorrow, fear, and anxiety everywhere (v.29-32). Therefore, I take refuge in You alone, the God who is the refuge of the three worlds. I have fallen into the well of worldly existence; please lift me, a wretched one, out of Your compassion, O Murāri!" (v.33).
**The Sadguru said:**
Thus praised, the lotus-petal-eyed one, looking upon his devotee, the king, with compassion, the God with lips like the Bimba fruit [a red fruit, often used to describe beautiful red lips] spoke, granting him fearlessness with his lotus-like hand (v.34).
**The Lord said:**
"I have come under your control by myself, O King, seeing your devotion full of feeling. Therefore, I am pleased to be on this mountain to grant well-being to those who take refuge. Just as the son of the sun-god, Sugrīva, was in the Rāma incarnation, and the son of Pāṇḍu, Arjuna, in the Kṛṣṇa incarnation, so too may you be My friend and the object of My love forever. Build a temple for Me here, O King, and regularly perform the daily festivals and other rites. I shall give you victory everywhere, and you shall never have fear from enemies" (v.35-37).
**The Sadguru said:**
Thus addressed, the king, his eyes filled with tears of devotion for the Lord of the universe, bowed down and went to his palace joyfully. He considered his birth on earth to be fulfilled. Building a beautiful temple for Vishnu, the king performed the daily festival there. Day by day, devotees came joyfully and saw the Lord, Mukunda. The blind regained their sight, the sick became free from disease, and barren women obtained good sons by the very sight of this Lord of Śeṣācala. A generous bestower of boons to those who worship him, an ocean of compassion, Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa became the family deity for people everywhere in the world, always (v.38-41).
Thus the thirty-seventh chapter, named 'The Manifestation of Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa', in the First Part of the Divyadeśavaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
