Chapter 18 - The Glory of Śrī Veṅkaṭeśvara

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Sūta said:

1. Now I shall recount the greatness of Veṅkaṭeśvara, on hearing which one becomes liberated from all sins. There is no doubt about it.

2. One who visits even once Lord Śrī Veṅkaṭeśvara attains salvation. He shall attain Sāyujya with Viṣṇu.

3-4. The merit that is acquired in the course of ten years in Kṛtayuga, is achieved by men in Tretā in a single year, in Dvāpara in five months and in Kaliyuga in a single day. The benefit thereof to men is increased by crores moment after moment.

5. Undoubtedly this shall happen in the case of those who visit Śrīnivāsa. All the Tīrthas are present in Lord Śrī Veṅkaṭeśvara.

6-7. All Devas, sages and Manes are present there.

Those who remember the great Lord, the bestower of liberation, Lord Śrīnivāsa, once, twice or thrice a day or always, or those who glorify him, O Brāhmaṇas, are liberated from the cage of sins.

8. They go to Nārāyaṇa, the great Lord, Veṅkaṭeśa whose body consists of existence, knowledge and bliss and who was worshipped by Śaṅkharāja.

9-11. Merely by remembering him no torture by Yama will take place.

If men worship, even once, the great Lord Śrīnivāsa, of what avail are charitable gifts, holy rites, penances and sacrifices.

If a person does not contemplate upon the great Lord Veṅkaṭeśa even for a moment, he is ignorant; he is a sinner; he is dumb and deaf; he should be known as sluggish and blind. He will always have vulnerable points.

12. O eminent sages, if Śrīnivāsa, the great Lord, is visited once (only), of what avail is going on (the pilgrimage of) Kāśī, Gayā and Prayāga?

13-16. After obtaining the rare human birth, if men on the earth visit or worship the great Lord Veṅkaṭeśa, their birth has become fruitful; they alone are blessed and not others. If Veṅkaṭeśa, the great Lord, is visited or worshipped, of what avail are Śaṃbhu, Brahmā, Śakra or all the Immortal Ones? Those men who are endowed with devotion to Veṅkaṭeśa, the great Lord, although they bow down, remember or worship those mentioned previously, do not experience miseries; they do not go to the abode of Yama.

17. Thousands of the sins of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter and ten thousands of the sins of drinking liquor dissolve entirely, if Lord Nārāyaṇa is seen.

18. If people wish for perpetual happiness and kingdom in heaven, let them joyously bow down at least once to the Lord residing on Veṅkaṭādri.

19. Whatever may be the sins committed in the course of crores of births, all of them perish by visiting Veṅkaṭeśvara.

20. If anyone remembers Veṅkaṭeśa, the great Lord, on account of his association with other people, or out of curiosity, or due to covetousness or on account of fear, he shall not be miserable here or hereafter.

21. One who glorifies and worships the Lord of Devas on Veṅkaṭācala shall certainly attain Sārūpya with Viṣṇu. There is no doubt about it.

22. Just as a well-kindled fire reduces firewood to ash in a moment, so also a visit to Veṅkaṭeśa destroys all sins.

23-27a. Devotion to Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara is said to be of eight types:^[1]

1. Tenderness towards those people who are devotees of Veṅkaṭeśvara;
2. Complete satisfaction (on witnessing) the worship of Veṅkaṭeśvara;
3. Devoutly worshipping the Lord oneself;
4. Physical activity for the sake of the Lord;
5. Desire and respectful eagerness to listen to stories of the greatness of the Lord;
6. Excessive emotional excitement manifested in tone, eyes and all parts of the body;
7. Continuous recollection of Lord Śrīnivāsa;
8. and Maintenance of oneself solely depending upon that Lord, the resident of Veṅkaṭādri.

O Śaunaka and other sages of great prowess, if this eight-fold devotion is present in any one, he alone will attain salvation even if he be a Mleccha (Barbarian).

27b-29. Salvation is certain through the knowledge of Brahman acquired by means of single-minded devotion and listening to the Vedānta in regard to ascetics who have sublimated their sexual urge.

O Brāhmaṇas, that very salvation can be acquired solely through visiting Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara by the people of all castes and stages in life without the knowledge arising through listening to the Upaniṣads, without being in the stage of anchorite and without even detachment (from worldly life).

30-34. Ere long one will have the salvation that bestows exemption from rebirth.

By the favour of Śrīnivāsa worms, insects, Devas, sages and ascetics are all equal (of the same status) on the prominent mountain of Veṅkaṭa.

Do not be afraid, thinking ‘Many sins have been committed by me.’ Let no one be proud, saying ‘Meritorious deeds have been performed by me.’

When Veṅkaṭeśa, Śrīnivāsa. the great Lord, is visited, no one shall be inferior or superior. All of them are great people.

If a person devoutly visits Śrīnivāsa, the great Lord, on the exceedingly meritorious (mountain) named Veṅkaṭa which is destructive of all sins, no one will be on a par with him in the world, even if a person has mastered all the four Veḍas.

35. He who devoutly worships Veṅkaṭeśvara, the Lord of Devas, goes to Hari’s abode along with a crore of the members of his family.

36-37. Nothing is equal or superior to Śrīnivāsa in meritoriousness.

If anyone out of delusion hates the Lord residing on Veṅkaṭādri, it means that ten thousand sins of Brahmin-slaughter have been committed by him causing fall into hell. Even by merely talking to him a man will fall into hell.

38. The Vedas are devoted to Śrīnivāsa. Sacrifices pertain to Śrīnivāsa. Everything is solely devoted to Śrīnivāsa. There is nothing other than Śrīnivāsa.

39-42a. One should forsake everything else and resort to Śrīnivāsa.

By rendering service to Śrīnivāsa one attains crores of times of the benefit accruing from performing all the Yajñas, penances, charitable gifts and holy baths in all the Tīrthas.

One who meditates on Veṅkaṭādrinivāsa for two Ghaṭikās (i.e. 48 minutes) shall sustain twenty-one generations of his family and is honoured in the world of Viṣṇu.

If holy bath in Svāmipuṣkariṇī Tīrtha and visit unto the Lord is performed by people, why should they resort to the waters of Gaṅgā?

42b-44a. If a person never visits Veṅkaṭeśa, the great Lord, he should be known as a person of mixed caste and not a person born of the seed of (his legal) father.

Hence, O Brāhmaṇas, by all efforts Veṅkaṭeśa, the storehouse of mercy, should be seen (visited) with a desire for the other world.

44b-45. Thus, O Brāhmaṇas, the greatness of Veṅkaṭeśa has been narrated to you.

He who devoutly listens to this always and reads it, shall obtain the benefit of the service unto Veṅkaṭanātha.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This list is different from the standard nine types of devotion like Śravaṇa (Listening). Kīrtana (Glorification), Smaraṇa (Remembrance) and others. There is a some overlapping here.