среда, 3 июля 2013 г.

Purasai Thota Festival - Flower Garden Leela of Lord Srinivasa and Goddess Padmavathi


This Leela of Lord Srinivasa and Goddess Padmavathi (the article about Shreemati Padmavati-Devi) is one of the most beautiful legends!!!!!!!!!! 

I have read this legend the enormous number of times and my favourite part of the story is very tender scenery with Shreemati Padmavathi-Devi, Who could not escape from the garden with Her Beloved Lord Shreenivasa. 

Nothing, nothing, nothing more beautiful than this Leela exists under the Moon!!!!!!!!!!!!


The source http://jetusa.org/svm/purusai_thotha_festival.pdf

Purasai Thota festival is celebrated in Tirumala every year to showcase the love of Lord Srinivasa to his devotee, Ananthalvan, a disciple of Bhagavad Ramanujacharya.  

To  serve  his  Guru,  Anathalvan  volunteered  to  take  up the  task  of  growing  a  garden,  so  that  beautiful  fresh  flowers  could  be offered to Lord Srinivasa every day. 

Anathalvan  worked  on  his  garden  very  diligently.  He  plowed  the  land, sowed  the  seeds,  tended  the  seedlings,  and  nurtured  them  with  love  and affection until they grew into beautiful flowering plants. 

While farming he would often  imagine, Lord Srinivasa being adorned with the flowers that he  had  planted  in  his  garden.  

He  would  also  imagine  his  Guru  being pleased with the service he was doing to the Lord and that inspired him to grow & maintain the garden with utmost devotion & dedication. 

In time, the garden was filled with vibrant, sweet smelling flowers. There were rows of white jasmine, red roses, pink lotuses, yellow daisies, green basil  leaves,  violets,  orange  lilies,  green  &  yellow  champak  flowers, chrysanthemums and many more.

Ananthalvan and his wife would work in the garden the whole day adding more and more plants, removing weeds, making pathways, watering plants and  plucking  colorful  and  fragrant  flowers  to  make  beautiful  garlands. 

These garlands were then offered to Lord Srinivasa every day. 
Lord  Srinivasa  and  Goddess  Padmavathi  were  in  awe  at  the  variety  of flowers  being  offered  to  them,  that  they  decided  to  see  the  garden  for themselves.
So  one  night,  when  the  sky  was  clear,  the  stars  were  out  and  moon  was shining  brightly,  Lord  Srinivasa  &  Goddess  Padmavathi  appeared  in Ananthalvan’s garden amidst the fragrant flowers. 

The garden was in full bloom with flowers swinging gently to the breeze. 

Lord  Srinivasa  and  Goddess  Padmavathi  strolled  through  the  garden admiring  the  flowers,  tasting  fruits  and  smelling  the  sweet  fragrances  of the flowers.  

They  became  so  absorbed  in  the  beauty  of  the  garden,
 that  they  did  not realize they were stepping on flowers and trampling them. 

Throughout the night, they walked all around the garden, played with each other, enjoyed the lovely flowers and disappeared before the day dawned. 
When Ananthalvan came to the garden the next morning, to pick flowers for the garland,  he  was  shocked.The whole garden  was a mess  –  leaves, flowers, fruit peels scattered everywhere. 
He became furious at the thought of someone destroying his garden and stealing the flowers that he decided 
to teach him or her, a lesson.  

That  night,  Lord  Srinivasa  and  Goddess  Padmavathi  visited  the  flower garden  again,  walking  through  the  pathways,  eating  fruits  and  plucking flowers. 

They looked like a princely couple strolling with majestic grace.  

Ananthalvan  was  hiding  near  the  bushes  in  the  hopes  of    catching  the person who had stolen his flowers and trampled his garden. 

As soon as he saw Lord Srinivasa and Goddess Padmavathi, he jumped up and  tried  to  catch  them.  Lord  Srinivasa  was  quick  and  He  escaped.
However,  Goddess  Padmavathi  was  a  little  slow  and  got  caught  by Ananthalvan. 
He  tied  her  to  a  tree  and  waited  with Goddess  Padmavathi  the  entire  night,  in the  hopes  Her  husband  would  return  to rescue  her  and  at  that  time  he  could capture him as well. But nobody came.

Next day, the temple priest came running to  Ananthalvan.  He  said  he  had  come  to deliver  a  message  from  Lord  Srinivasa. 

Lord  Srinivasa  had  told  him  to  tell Ananthalvan  that  the  person  whom  he had  tied  to  the  tree  was  none  other  than Goddess Padmavathi.

Ananthalvan was embarrassed and cried out “Oh Lord! I have done a grave mistake,  please  forgive  me.”  

Ananthalvan  at  once,  took  Goddess Padmavathi in a flower basket to the inner sanctum sanctorum. 

As soon as they  entered  the  temple,  Padmavathi  Devi  disappeared  and  retained  Her original form on the Chest of Lord Venkateswara.  

Since  Ananthalvan  offered  Goddess  Padmavathi  to  Lord  Srinivasa,  he  is considered as father-in-law to Lord Srinivasa and the festival of “Purusai Thota  Utsav”  is  celebrated  to  remember  this  incident.   

Also,  the  honor bestowed  upon  Ananthalvan  by  becoming  his  son-in-law,  shows  the  love and affection of Lord towards his devotees. He gives them opportunities to perform services and takes pleasure in accepting their service.   

                                               Jai Srimannarayana!