Srinivasa Vybhavam Rev1

Srinivasa Vybhavam For Kids

A Pictorial story of Lord Srinivasa (adopted from the Varaha Purana*) (*A collection of ancient Hindu stories)

With Blessings From Our Jeers.. (Vasihnava Gurus)

H H Srimath Srinivasa Ramanuja Maha Desikan

H H Sri Srinivasa Brahmatantra Parakala Jeer

This Presentation is dedicated to all the Three Holiness.

Venkatadri Samamsthänam Brahmände Nästhikinchana l Venkatesha Samodevo Na Bhootho Na Bavishyathi ll

‘There is no place in this universe that would equal Venkatadri in greatness! There is no God, in the past or in the future , who would equal Venkatesha in greatness!!

Who is Lord Srinivasa?  Lord Vishnu, since the creation of the Universe, billions of years ago, has taken many Avathäras (forms) to save the good from the evil.  The most commonly known forms are the Dashävathära (Ten forms).  He did appear in other forms as well- One such is Lord Srinivasa.

This is His Story..

Vishnu Saves The Earth! “You will be destroyed for troubling mother Earth”!

 Once upon a time, more than a hundred million years ago, all of Earth was immersed in water.  A wicked demon Hiranyaksha had tossed the globe under water.  Lord Vishnu took the form of Sri Varaha (a large boar) to help mother Earth.  He dived into the water, destroyed Hiranyaksha and rescued mother Earth.

A New Age Begins!  Brahma and the other Devas (demigods) praised Sri Varaha for saving the Earth.

“You are the savior of the

!”

Earth

 This marked the beginning of a new era in time: Varaha Kalpa.  Lord Vishnu stayed on Earth in the form of Sri Varaha for some time, to punish the wicked and protect the Good.  The place he lived, came to be known as Varaha Kshetra (present day Venkata Hill or Tirumala)

Naradha: AKA Mr.Mischief Maker!

“Narayana ! Narayana! Narayana! ”

 Sage Naradha, the son of Lord Brahma has a nickname: Kalahapriya (one who loves to create fights). He makes mischief for a purpose: to help good win over evil.  You can always spot him with a musical instrument known as Thumburu-veena .  He always utters the name of Lord Narayana and has a role in almost every avathara of Lord Vishnu.

Naradha creates a problem! “why are you performing the Homam and who gets the final offering?”

 On the banks of the river Ganges ( the longest river in India)), some Rishis (sages) headed by Kashyapa, began to perform a Homam ( a fire ritual).  Our mischievous Sage Narada arrived and asked about the Homam.  The Rishis had no answer to the question asked by sage Naradha.

Meet Maharishi Brighu “I will visit the Trinity and decide”

 The Rishis approached Maharishi (great sage) Bhrigu, and sought his help to solve their problem.  Sage Brighu offered to visit the Trinity : Brahma, Vishnu and shiva, and decide who should get the Mariyada (Honor)of receiving the Final offering.

Satyaloka: The land of the Creator (the World of Brahma) “May you not be worshippe d on Earth!”

 Lord Brahma was busy reciting the Vedas (Holy texts) in praise of Lord Vishnu, with his wife Shri Saraswathi. He did not see Maharishi Brighu.  This angered the Maharishi who put a curse on him.

Kailasa: the Icy Mountain (Lord Shiva’s Home) “You will not be worshippe d in your true form”

 Lord Shiva and his wife Sri Parvathi loved music and dance. They were too busy enjoying this to see Brighu arrive.  This made Brighu super angry and he put a curse on Shiva as well.

Vaikuntam: The Milky Ocean (Lord Vishnu’s abode) “I can’t take this any more!

!”

 Lord Vishnu was resting on Adisesha (the great serpent who served as His bed) while his wife Sri Mahalaksmi soothingly massaged his feet. Brighu’s arrival went unnoticed again.  That was it!! Brighu lost his temper and kicked Lord Vishnu on his chest.

Brighu: A 3 Eyed Rishi!! “I hope your feet are not hurt after kicking me”

 Lord Vishnu knew a secret: Brighu had an eye hidden on his right foot that made him powerful to curse the Gods!  When Brighu kicked him, Vishnu apologized to Brighu and quickly removed the 3rd eye .

Lord Vishnu : The most powerful “You are the

most

 Brighu calmed down after Lord Vishnu’s apology.

powerful! ”

 He decided that Lord Vishnu was the most powerful among the Trimurthi’s and deserved to get the final offering at the Homam.

An Angered Wife! “I am leaving Vaikunta

NOW!”

 Lord Vishnu, with his apology, had made Brighu happy but his wife Sri Mahalaksmi very angry.  Lord Vishnu’s heart (chest) was her home and Brighu had hurt her feelings by kicking there.  Vishnu had honored a person who needed to be punished!!  She left Vaikuntam right away. She was not moved by Lord Vishnu’s

Vishnu leaves Vaikuntam!  After Sri Mahalakshmi left, Vaikuntam was no longer a happy place to be, for Lord Vishnu. l e e f “I ely” lon !!

 Searching for her, he came down to Earth at Tiruvenkatam hills (a place we now know as Tirumala) in Varaha Kshetra.  Here, he lived under an ant hill, alone and hungry.

Friends To The Rescue!! “I’ll be the calf”

“I’l lb the e cow ”

 Brahma and Shiva were Lord Vishnu’s buddies - They could not bear to see the suffering of their friend.  So they decided to assume the forms of a cow (Brahma) and its calf (Shiva), to help Him.

The Plot Thickens! “Lord Vishnu needs help!”

 Surya (Sun) told Sri Mahalakshmi of Lord Vishnu’s troubles and requested her to help.  The Chola king’s cows grazed onTiruvenkatam hills.  Buddy cow and her calf needed to get there soon, somehow… because, once there, they knew exactly what to do…

Buddy Cow And Her Calf Join The Royal Herd “I have a very good cow and her calf to sell”

 Sri Mahalakshmi assumed the form of a cowherdess and came to the Chola king’s palace.  Her plan was to sell buddy cow and her calf to the royal herd.

“Secret Feeding” Mission

I love milk!!

 Everyday, Buddy cow went to the ant hill where Lord Vishnu now lived and fed him milk.  Lord Vishnu was no longer hungry!!

Queen Grows Suspicious! “If I don’t get Buddy ‘s milk tomorrow, you will be punished!”

 Buddy cow fed all her milk to her friend and had none left for the Queen.  The Queen thought that the cowherd was stealing Buddy cow’s milk and scolded him.

Beware Buddy Cow! “Your game’s up Bud!!”

 The next day, the royal cowherd followed buddy cow.  He hid behind some bushes and saw Buddy pouring her milk down an ant hill!!  “So that’s where the milk is disappearing” thought the cowherd!

Vishnu saves Buddy! “You cant hurt my buddy!”

• The cowherd was very angry at Buddy and raised his axe to hit her. • Lord Vishnu knew Buddy was in danger and came out of the ant hilljust in time to save Buddy!!

Vishnu Takes The Hit!!

“I need to get help NOW!”

 The axe had struck Lord Vishnu on his face and hurt him. Very bad!  When the cowherd saw the Lord bleed, he fell to the ground and passed out!

Buddy Gets Help! “I need to find out why Buddy looks scared”

• Buddy rushed to the Chola King to get help. • She mooed in fright and had tears roll down her face. • The king realized that Buddy had been in danger and decided to follow her.

The King Becomes A Demon! “You shall become a demon”

 The Chola King arrived to see a wounded Lord Vishnu.  Lord Vishnu had to punish the king for the mistake of his subject.  He cursed the king to become a demon!!

Vishnu, The Merciful One! “I am really sorry!”

“You will be rid of the curse when you witness my wedding”

• The Chola King was sad about the curse and begged forgiveness from Lord Vishnu. • The kind, ever forgiving Vishnu promised that the king would be freed from the spell when he would witness the celestial wedding of Srinivasa (Vishnu) to Padmavathi. • But who is Padmavathi? To find out read on..

Vishnu Gets A New Name!  Lord Vishnu now “Can I stay here for some more time?”

called himself Srinivasa.  He planned on staying in Varaha Kshetra for some more time and needed permission from the landlord: Sri Varahaswami.  They made a deal..

The Srinivasa- Varaha Pact  Srinivasa promised that if Varaha let him stay on, he (Varaha) would “You sure can stay get the first of but I need rent” everything (instead of money):  Pooja (Hindu prayers and rituals)  Naivedyam (offering of food to God)  Even devotees to Srinivasa would visit Varaha first before And he has stuck to his promise to this day!! seeing Srinivasa!!

Srinivasa Finds His Mother!! 

“My sweet son! How I missed you!!”

Yashoda(Krishna’s mother) had been reborn as Vakula Devi in Varaha Kshetra.

 She heard of Srinivasa living alone from Sri Varaha and came to take care of him at once.  Srinivasa loved to have his mom back!!

Vakula Asks Srinivasa to get Married! “I wish to see your marriage son!!”

“You will mom!!”

 Vakula Devi only had one wish-to see the wedding of Vishnu (Srinivasa).  She really had missed being there for Krishna’s wedding.  He began to narrate a story which would tell her about his future wife.

Links From the Ramayana..! “Go away! You annoy me!”

 At that time, Ravana was a really mean, demon King of Lanka.  Ravana had been troubling the beautiful Vedavathy, A LOT.

Vedavathy Walks Into A Fire! “I will punish you Ravana ”

 Ravana continued to bother Vedavathy.  Annoyed, Vedavathy cursed him that she would cause his death and entered fire to escape Ravana’s troubles.  Agni (Fire God) rescued her and took her home.  Vedavathy was cared for by Agni’s wife Swäha Devi.

Ravana Plans A Kidnapping! Let me KIDNAP Seetha! !

 Ravana could not stop being bothersome.  Ravana now wanted to trouble Seetha, wife of Sri Rama.  He planned to kidnap Seetha when she was alone at home.

Secrets From the Ramayana.. (even Ravana did not know about!) Ravana thinks I AM THE REAL Seetha! !

 Agni found out about Ravana’s evil plan.  This was the perfect time for Vedavathy to punish Ravana for bothering her..Agni appeared on the scene and switched Vedavathy for the real Seetha.  Ravana was tricked into thinking that Vedavathy was the real Seetha and kidnapped her instead!!

Real Seetha Returns! “We were switched by Agni, My Lord!

”

 Rama destroyed Ravana and Vedavathy was happy he was punished.  Rama asked Seetha to walk through a fire.  At that time, Agni offered the real Seetha to Rama.  Rama then heard about Vedavathy and the “switching” story.

Seetha Asks Sri Rama To Marry Again! “Please marry Vedavath y, My Lord!

”

 Seetha wanted to thank Vedavathy for all that she had done for her(Seetha).  Vedavathy wished to marry Sri Rama.  Seetha asked Sri Rama to do so.

Sri Rama’s Promise To Vedavathy “I will marry Vedavath y when I take the form of Srinivasa”

 Sri Rama refused, as he had promised to get married only one time in that Avatära (form).  He did promise to get married to Vedavathy in her next birth.

Srinivasa Predicts His Wedding! “I will marry Padmavath y, mom!!”

 Vedavathy would be born as Princess Padmavathy, the daughter of Akäsa Raja, when Rama himself would take the form of Srinivasa.   Srinivasa would marry Padmavathy in Varaha Kalpa.

Srinivasa thus ended his story to Vakuladevi.

A Baby Is found In A Golden Lotus! “I can’t believe this! A baby inside the golden lotus!!”

 Thondamandalam, was a neighboring kingdom of Varaha Kshetra.  King Akäsha Raja who ruled there, really wanted a baby.  He did a special pooja for this and had to plough the land.  Voila! His prayers were answered and his plough hit a golden lotus with a beautiful baby girl hiding inside!

Pretty Princess Padmavathy “Our daughter is so cute”!

 Akäsha Raja and his queen Dharani Devi named the pretty babyPadmavathy (girl from the lotus).  They took good care of the princess and gave her lots of love!

Narada Reads Padmavathy’s Future “You will marry Lord Vishnu”!

 Princess Padmavathy grew up into a beautiful maiden .  One day Sage Narada visited her.  He told her that she would marry Lord Vishnu. 

A Wild Elephant Scares The Princess! “A wild elephant!! Yikes!! Run for your lives!!”

 About this time, Lord Srinivasa, had gone on a hunt in the woods.  Chasing a wild elephant in the forest, the Lord came into a garden, where Princess Padmavathy and her maids were picking flowers.  The sight of the elephant frightened the Princess and her maids..  

Wild Elephant Bows To Srinivasa “The elephant is gone, girls! Please do not panic!”

 The wild elephant suddenly turned around, saluted the Lord and disappeared into the forest.  Lord Srinivasa, who was now riding a horse, asked the girls to not be scared anymore.

Srinivasa Meets Padmavathy!  Srinivasa introduced “Padmavat hy, will you marry me, please?”

himself to the group.  The girls told him about Princess Padmavathy.  Srinivasa came to know that Padmavathy was the daughter of Akäsha Raja-the girl he was wanting to marry!!  He told Padmavathy right away he would like to get married to

Srinivasa Attacked! “The princess has fainted”

 Hearing Srinivasa’s words, Padmavathy got scared and passed out!  Her maids started to throw stones at Srinivasa who left the place.  His horse was hurt by the stones.

Srinivasa Returns Home Safe! “Mom, Can you talk to Padmavathy ’s parents about our wedding?”

 On returning home, Srinivasa told his mother about meeting Padmavathy.  He asked her to talk to Akäsha Raja about the wedding.

Vakuladevi Goes To The Palace “Our Princess Padmavat hy wants to marry Srinivasa”

 On the way to the palace, Vakuladevi met Padmavathy’s maids returning from a Temple.  She learnt from them that Padmavati had fallen sick and she too wanted to marry Srinivasa.  Vakuladevi went along with the maids to meet the King and Queen.

A Match Made In The Heavens! “Srinivasa and Padmavath y are made for each other”

 In the palace, the king and queen were worried about Padmavathy’s illness.  They learnt about Padmavathy wanting to get married to Srinivasa.  Guru Brihaspathi (Priest) told the royal couple that the match was perfect and the wedding could take place soon.

Lord Srinivasa, The Astrologer?! “I can tell your future”

 Srinivasa wanted to be sure that he would get married to Padmavathy.  He, therefore, dressed up like a lady fortuneteller and came near the palace.  Padmavathy's maids saw the fortune teller and invited her to see their Queen.  

Queen Hears About The Fortune Teller “There is a fortune teller who seeks your audience, your Highness!”

 The maid-servants informed Queen Dharani Devi about the fortune-teller.  The Fortune teller was waiting for the Queen's invitation to enter the palace

Queen Invites The Fortune Teller! “Please read my daught er’s future”

 The Queen invited the fortune-teller into the palace.  The fortune- teller was taken to the presence of Princess Padmavathy.

Fortune Teller Reads Padmavathy’s Future! “You will marry Srinivasa ”

 The fortune-teller read the palm of the Princess and predicted Padmavathy would marry Lord Srinivasa.  She also told the Queen that a lady would come to the palace to formally request Padmavathy's hand in marriage to Lord Srinivasa.

The Fortune Teller’s Prediction Comes True! I am Srinivasa’s mother and I seek your daughter’s hand for my son”

 Soon, Vakuladevi arrived at the palace to meet the Queen.  Vakuladevi told the Queen about the proposal.

The Wedding Is Finalized! “Please find an auspicious time for my daughter’s wedding”

 Akäsa Raja decided to get Padmavathy married to Srinivasa.  He asked the Raja purohits (Royal Priests) to fix a muhurtham (auspicious time) for the wedding.

Formal Announcement Of The Wedding! “I hereby announce the wedding of my daughter Padmavathy ,to Srinivasa”

 Akäsa Raja made an announcement in his kingdom about the wedding.  At an engagement ceremony, a letter requesting Srinivasa to marry the Princess, was written.  Akäsa Raja asked Shukamahamuni (Parrot faced saint) to deliver the letter.

Lord Srinivasa Gets The Invitation!  Shuka went to Varaha “Lord, I bring this letter from Akäsa Raja”

Kshetra (Venkata Hill) with Vakuladevi.  He presented the Lagna-patrika (Wedding Announcement Letter) to Lord Srinivasa, who was very happy.  The Lord sent his garland, as a sign of acceptance, to Padmavathy, through Shuka.

Lord Srinivasa Prepares for His Wedding! “Friends, I invite you all to my wedding with Padmavath y”

 Srinivasa called all the Gods to discuss plans for his wedding.  The wedding plans and preparations were a lot of fun!

Lord Srinivasa Gets A Loan! “Kubera, I need a loan to help pay for my wedding”

 Srinivasa needed money to help pay for his wedding expenses.  He asked Kubera (God of wealth) to loan him money.  He was going to pay back the loan (and the interest) from the money his devotees offered him.

The Bridegroom’s Troop “Srinivasa looks so handsome ”

 Sri Maha Lakshmi was no longer angry at Lord Srinivasa. They had made up.  On the wedding day, Lakshmi, along with Lord Srinivasa, Garuda, Lord Brahma, Saraswathi, Lord Siva, Parvathi, started to the palace of Akäsa Raja .

The Wedding Festivities Begin!  At the entrance to the “Welcom e, my Lord”

palace, Lord Srinivasa, his family and friends, were all warmly welcomed by Akäsa Raja.  They rode on a decorated elephant to the palace for the marriage.  Everyone sang and danced. Everything looked so colorful ! There was happiness all

The Divine Wedding Of Srinivasa With Padmavathy “Wish you both a happy married life!”

 In the presence of all their friends and family, Lord Srinivasa wed Princess Padmavathy.  Lord Srinivasa got a gorgeous golden crown as a wedding present from Akäsa Raja. The king and all his family were blessed.  The Chola King was rid of his curse on seeing the wedding.  Every living being on earth rejoiced at the event!

Lord Srinivasa and Sri Padmavathy in Tirumala:

After the wedding, Lord Srinivasa and Sri Padmavathy stayed on in Varaha Kshetra (Tirumala) and will do so ,for as long as this Universe exists. 

They bless all of human kind, providing happiness and peace,

Kalyana Utsavam In Tirumala  Tocelebration) this day, this auspicious (wedding

event is celebrated every day in Tirumala by performing the divine wedding of Sri Srinivasa to Sri Padmavathy.

 Millions of devotees perform this pooja to get blessings of Sri Srinivasa and Sri Padmavathy.

 Next time, you are in Tirumala with your family, do not forget to witness the wedding yourself and to of u May The Blessings of Sri Srinivasa and Sri Padmavathy bewrite with all

Did you know..?  The temple for Lord Srinivasa in Tirumala, is the most popular temple in India: Millions of devotees visit Tirumala each year!  It is the second richest temple in the world with annual collections exceeding US$ 1.5 Billion!  Laddu is the most popular sweet and a favorite treat for kids!

Some Beautiful Pictures of Sri Varaha and Tirumala

Credits:  Idea: Lakshmi Narasimhan Sridhar, Bangalore  Religious mentor: Sri V Sadagopan, USA  Editing: Padmashri Srinivasa & Prajval Parthasarathy, USA  Voice: Pranav and Pragya Parthasarathy, USA  Photos: www.tirumala.org, Sri Gowri Shankar Bhattar (Anjaneya temple ,Mulbagal ( Kolar dist , Karnataka) : Varaha picture)