Amidst the loud yet soothing chants of ‘Govinda Govinda…Venkata Ramana Govinda’, you will be amazed to see the unconditional love of devotees of the Lord of Tirumala – Balaji.
The gracious Lord, whose abode atop seven hills in Tirupati region in the state of Andhra Pradesh, is visited by Lakhs of devotees every single day!
His aura, charm and divinity attract people from all walks of life and across the world. Despite the long wait that sometimes stretches beyond a day, devotees rejoice their presence in the Lord’s abode and chant his name with utmost devotion.
The long and tiring wait fades away the moment devotees get to see a glimpse of the pious idol resting gloriously in the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum). The Darshan may last not more than a few seconds but devotees hail the opportunity given to them and feel thoroughly blessed to be fortunate enough to witness his aura.
Such is his stature as the most powerful Lord who grants sincere wishes of his devotees.
It is believed that he is one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu in the Kaliyuga to relieve humanity of all its despair. Moreover, the Lord himself manifested into a stone on being confronted by his wife Goddess Lakshmi after she learns of his marriage to Padmavathi.
The two imprints on his chest represent the places reserved for Lakshmi and Padmavathi is his body.
Since the Lord himself transformed into a stone, the idol is considered to be extremely powerful.
Often referred to as the richest god, Srinivasa or Balaji, blesses his devotees with the wishes they ask for.
Devotees often donate money and jewellery as a token of gratitude and many even tonsure their heads to offer their hair. Interestingly, according to a legend, devotees shower the Lord with riches to help him repay the loan he had borrowed from Kubera, the Treasurer of Wealth during the time of his celestial marriage to Padmavathi.
On a spiritual note, the offerings to the Lord represent the magnanimity of his devotees who wholeheartedly donate their wealth at his feet. Because in the end, materialistic desires need to be vanquished in order to attain salvation that is achieved only when humans surrender to the divine force.
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