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Lord Srinivasa is the Lord of Lords to whom the ritual of marriage is daily performed. He is the Lord of daily celebration of some ceremony or the other. Among the daily ceremonies held to the Lord, the daily ritual of marriage is of great significance. Hundreds of families participate in this ritual conducted on the prescribed marriage platform of Sampangi compound every day. This ritual is held every day except on the days of special ceremonies. Hence, Lord Srinivasa is called the Emperor of Daily Marital Ceremony. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsrhhN122l-WQ-xZbx50NZHVQyj0JwC5zfuGbgNk5j_bdyhrazTNM3H3h7HhrVa5HNC0i6FtuBtG1bISeodx0Z3wGwlgwlNhSxhmFk0qQVMEJV76RFM5m7hKy-sV10Ji4Mk9t2n6icUKbVlGdMQcf5tIclrnLgRcA0sBzDhKccr8sQTLeP_1EYYjgi=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsrhhN122l-WQ-xZbx50NZHVQyj0JwC5zfuGbgNk5j_bdyhrazTNM3H3h7HhrVa5HNC0i6FtuBtG1bISeodx0Z3wGwlgwlNhSxhmFk0qQVMEJV76RFM5m7hKy-sV10Ji4Mk9t2n6icUKbVlGdMQcf5tIclrnLgRcA0sBzDhKccr8sQTLeP_1EYYjgi=s16000" /></a></div> Marital Ceremony for Lord Venkateswara The marital ceremony for God is generally performed for our welfare, for our yoga and kshema. Yoga is obtaining that which one doesn’t have. If the issueless get children, it is children yoga. If those who do not have vehicles get vehicles, it is vehicle yoga. Kshema means retention of things as it is. Generally, people crave for things they don’t have and desire to retain things they have. Both these things are within our reach if the ritual of marriage is performed to the Lord. What is meant by Kalyana? Kalyana in the general parlance means that which causes happiness or comfort: “Kalyam sukham anayati praapayati iti kalyanam.” This is also called variously—vivaham, udvaham, parinayam, panigrahanam, etc. In folkore it is pelli, pendli in Telugu; lagna, maduve in Kannada and tirumanam in Tamil. Originally, the marriage of Padmavati and Srinivasa took place some five thousand years ago. They don’t need us to do it again. Obviously, we perform it again for our welfare and fulfilment of desires. This marital ceremony is performed every day in Tirumala during Abhijit lagna to the worship idol, Lord Malayappa along with Sridevi and Bhudevi. The mythological background There arose a doubt in the minds of the saints in good old days as to who was the God that can grant us redemption. Sage Bhrigu was commissioned to this task of testing the trinity of Gods—Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara and resolve the issue. He finally resolves that Vishnu alone is the giver of redemption. In this process, Bhrigu kicks Lord Vishnu on His chest and Goddess Lakshmi feels piqued at this indiscriminate act and leaves Vaikuntha for the earth. Narayana too comes down to the earth in search of her and dramatically takes refuge at the hermitage of Vakulamalika as Srinivasa. Vakulamalika is none other than Yashoda of Dvapara yuga who was reborn in Kali yuga to fulfil her desire of witnessing the Lord’s marriage. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyn7b1iKhUvetSZNWtm5nnvafHVBbbbkKh-99PPAS-qh_vYfC-uzmD2s4fGdOSugn1nrRRYOYdbqpdGr9K4J3Th7ZPGVRv0ZgbrjSFpjEx9UYxh77_w8dYZXnb-eXe5ifEuzccB_x9-bpLxPbuvlhgwASPcuDNmZTwVCVs0qNAfjA7ymrlqElUTXzo=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyn7b1iKhUvetSZNWtm5nnvafHVBbbbkKh-99PPAS-qh_vYfC-uzmD2s4fGdOSugn1nrRRYOYdbqpdGr9K4J3Th7ZPGVRv0ZgbrjSFpjEx9UYxh77_w8dYZXnb-eXe5ifEuzccB_x9-bpLxPbuvlhgwASPcuDNmZTwVCVs0qNAfjA7ymrlqElUTXzo=s16000" /></a></div> While Akasha Raju of Narayanavaram was once tilling the land with a view to sanctifying it for yaga for the sake of children, he stumbles upon a golden box in one of the furrows. Goddess Lakshmi emerges out of the box in a full-blown lotus as an infant. That child was Padmavati. Soon Padmavathi grows young and one day an elephant in rut chases her while she was playing in the garden. Just then Srimannarayana who is alienated from the Vaikuntha and stationed in the hermitage of Vakulamalika happens to approach Padmavathi in the name of Srinivasa and drive the elephant out. Padmavathi and Srinivasa feel delighted at the sight of each other. When Srinivasa enquires about Padmavathi, the maids throw stones at him and his horse. Padmavathi stands stupefied at the sight of Srinivasa, but the maids take her back to the palace. Ever since then, both Srinivasa and Padmavathi suffer the pangs of separation in love. Coming to know of it, Padmavathi’s mother Dharani Devi reprimands her. Srinivasa too informs Vakula Devi about his love for Padmavathi, daughter of Akasha Raju and Dharani Devi and sends her to mediate for their marriage. But, suspecting her ability to perform the task, he moves around the palace in the guise of a soothsayer and gets invited into the palace to unveil the cause of Padmavathi’s ill-health. He tells her: “She has fallen in love with Srinivasa. She will be lost if she is not married to him. Take it from me! Srinivasa’s mother comes here soon with the marriage proposal,” and leaves. As if to prove the words of the soothsayer, Vakulamalika comes there and puts forth the marriage proposal. The parents of Padmavathi agree to it. Vakulamalika comes back home and informs the good news to Srinivasa. She is worried about the funds required to perform the marriage befitting the status of Akasha Raju, who is a king. At the request of Srinivasa, Kubera, the king of Alakapuri, readily showers plenty of money. It being Kaliyuga, Srinivasa signs a deed agreeing to pay back all the money and treasure offered by His devotees till the end of Kaliyuga. Brihaspati Acharya, the preceptor of the angels, fixes the auspicious moment of the marriage on the day of ruling star Uttara Phalguni in Vaisakha masa for prosperity: Shrutvaabraveetsa dhishanastayoruttara phalgunee Sammataassukha vriddhyartham prochyate daivachintakaih! Tayoruttara phalgunyaam vvivahah kriyataamiti Vaisakhamaase vidhivat kriyataamiti sobraveet!! Srinivasa sends through Garuda invitation to all the angels to attend the marriage at the auspicious fixed hour. As Brahma, Rudra and all other angels arrive at the marriage pandal at Narayanavaram, Akasha Raju with all his royal retinue receives the bridegroom Srinivasa. Brihaspati chants the veda mantras alongwith the sages as Padmavathi and Srinivasa are seated for the marriage. Akasha Raju and Dharani Devi offer Padmavathi, personification of Sri Maha Lakshmi, in marriage to Srinivasa. To the excitement of all the worlds, Srinivasa ties the sacred knot with Padmavati as the angels bear witness to it. This is the account of Srinivasa Kalyana as laid down in the Ashtadasha Puranas. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz5e1K4wxMzApkojJtUW01zEwEx_7LYnQnmDTxrLRInMyWN7kqIEktwyxUk7I18TKCaSsyKwXun1gwH_wmBFRF5a1JwPYhYxPt5W4quwm6HoVQvPwZH3CJZcacqH0EXPRjmSc4VdV5BygSQV2VqNkmvGvwg7fwPQM93Kj9A2jA2cWOzYS-2T4uqn4o=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz5e1K4wxMzApkojJtUW01zEwEx_7LYnQnmDTxrLRInMyWN7kqIEktwyxUk7I18TKCaSsyKwXun1gwH_wmBFRF5a1JwPYhYxPt5W4quwm6HoVQvPwZH3CJZcacqH0EXPRjmSc4VdV5BygSQV2VqNkmvGvwg7fwPQM93Kj9A2jA2cWOzYS-2T4uqn4o=s16000" /></a></div> The Historical Background Tarigonda Vengamamba, a great devotee of Lord Venkateswara, refers to the auspicious moment of the marriage in her V enkat achala Mahatmyam: “suruchira vaisakha shukladashami shukravaramunaadu shubhamuhurtambu,” i.e. “the tenth day of bright lunar fortnight in Vaisakha month, the Friday is the auspicious hour of marriage”. The marriage of Padmavathi and Srinivasa which took place five thousand years ago continued to be conducted till the 15th century in Tirumala on special occasions and during Brahmotsavas only. Tallapaka AnnamacharyaFather of Pada tradition of Poetry, born of the aspect of Nandaka sword, initiated the daily ritual of marriage himself taking the role of kanyadaata. Though he belonged to the same gotra as that of Lord Venkateswara, i.e. Bharadvaja Gotra, he considered it his divine gift to assume the role of Akasha Raju on behalf of the Goddess Padmavathi and perform the marriage. While Lord Venkateswara is a daily bridegroom, Annamacharya is a daily kanyadaata. This tradition is being carried forward even now as Annamacharya’s descendents continue to act as the kanyadaataas in Srinivasa’s marriage. The daily ritual of marriage of Lord Srinivasa, who takes care of the welfare of all the worlds, continues unhindered even today. This is recognized among the world of devotees as the most auspicious and unique service rendered to gain the mercy of Lord Srinivasa, in the entire world. Several stone inscriptions testify to the fact that the descendents of Annamacharya had donated a number of villages and agraharas to the temple for this ceremony. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikhfNldl28NAL4Rv2WcSAVGwDkl2E-tKOEx3aGIDSEaQdFiEJ5YZAGnFlVS9KwmnvOV7oqLCUJ-qNFey1tngruiMBgNCv7DXstMfXijdm1Y8TuSET0PB8CpWz3JlPH0UtkospOmY3n2Nxw_QaszGUQ1PTuTjW7UQYjjJb0YYGjtHTUQ8Sy10Rv7zoZ=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikhfNldl28NAL4Rv2WcSAVGwDkl2E-tKOEx3aGIDSEaQdFiEJ5YZAGnFlVS9KwmnvOV7oqLCUJ-qNFey1tngruiMBgNCv7DXstMfXijdm1Y8TuSET0PB8CpWz3JlPH0UtkospOmY3n2Nxw_QaszGUQ1PTuTjW7UQYjjJb0YYGjtHTUQ8Sy10Rv7zoZ=s16000" /></a></div> History of Marital Ceremony of Tirumala Lord Venkateswara It was Tallapaka Annamacharya who inaugurated the daily ritual of marriage for the Lord. He arranged for transfer of 120 varahas from Sendaluru and Mallavaram villages of Kondaveeti region to the treasury of the Lord towards the expenditure for the ceremony. In the beginning, the ceremony used to extend to five days with special naivedyas being offered to the Lord. Panguni month commences on the day of ruling star Anuradha (Phalguna as per the lunar calendar) and ends on the day of Uttaraashaadha star. Considering Padmavathi as their daughter and Srinivasa as their son-in-law, Annamacharya’s descendents commenced this ritual of marriage in 1546. According to the inscription number 354-97, Tallapaka Chinna Tirumalacharya, grandson of Annamacharya, arranged to conduct this service of marital ceremony in the Govindaraja temple of Tirupathi since 1547 for five days in Chittirai and Thai months as per the Tamil Calendar. It used to start four days prior to the day of ruling star of Rohini. The inscription details the items of food to be offered to the Lord on each of these days and the amount of remuneration to be paid to the main priests and Jeeyangars. This ceremony is held at Lakshmi Devi pandal in the premises of Pundarikavalli of Govindaraja temple. Under the auspices of Tallapaka family, only betel leaves and areka nuts were given by way of remuneration in the ceremony. They used to spend only 250 varahas for this. 150 varahas from the income of Nediya village used to be credited to the temple treasury towards the expenditure on this account. This procedure was established by Chinna Tirumalayyangar. Every year this ceremony was conducted for five days without fail in Tirumala and Tirupathi. The income from Tuppili Agrahara besides 400 rekhai coins from Ambattur of Nagari Sirimayi region also used to be spent on these celebrations. This amount was meant not only for Govindaraja’s marital ceremony, but also for the daily services of the Tirumala main temple. There used to be grand processions of the Lord in the four main streets of the temples and offerings of special items of food on this occasion. During the ritual of marriage, Lord Malayappa was the bridegroom; Sridevi and Bhudevi were the brides. It was performed with a lot of fanfare and festivity. The main priests, Jeeyangars, recluses, Vedic scholars and other renderers of service used to be offered remuneration and other courtesies of the temple. Over the years, the amount of 150 rekhai coins was barely sufficient for the conduct of the ceremony. Tiruvedayyan (Tiruvengalanadhan), son of Peda Tirumalacharya, decided to spend his income drawn from Vinukonda Sirimayi region of Kondaveedu kingdom on this ceremony. In 1554 an amount of 470 rekhai coins was credited to the treasury of the Lord to meet the expenditure on the ceremonies. The remaining amount was spent on the offerings of food items to the Gods as per the inscription no. 419 GT. Around 1558 Lord Srinivasa’s marital ceremony was conducted with more offerings of food under the auspices of Tiruvengalanadhan. The five-day ceremony of marriage commenced with Hoisting the Garuda Emblem (Dhvaja rohana) which is generally held during Brahmotsavas. But, the Vaikhanasa tradition allows it in any ceremony. This ceremony, in which both the rich and the poor participate, used to be held previously before the golden threshold. Subsequently, it was shifted to the marriage hall on the way to vimana circumambulation and then to Ranganayaka porch for the convenience of the devotees. But, because of the rising number of participants, it has been shifted to the present “Venkata Ramana Swami marriage hall” to the south of Sampangi circumambulation. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTmbDt7vZgiL62fr1x_4hEFRijq3crfBt_mt9cxwXjJn5oBSm6PkTy2_CnrZLSrho5vacPzmziYRmjJWhUzm3FCHhSzTRXIkqOh62c3howncgC-QaKgI9kPBkU9j4If9mgFkcUBd2tCEjjVqLPSPxT3JQ9bVXnC1qQwWOd3iVkazNyWpkbv4nH0QLP=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTmbDt7vZgiL62fr1x_4hEFRijq3crfBt_mt9cxwXjJn5oBSm6PkTy2_CnrZLSrho5vacPzmziYRmjJWhUzm3FCHhSzTRXIkqOh62c3howncgC-QaKgI9kPBkU9j4If9mgFkcUBd2tCEjjVqLPSPxT3JQ9bVXnC1qQwWOd3iVkazNyWpkbv4nH0QLP=s16000" /></a></div> As a Paid Service Over the years the ceremony became a paid service. Among the three ceremonies held for Lord Vishnu according to Vaikhanasa Agama tradition, this ceremony is called shraddotsava or kamyotsava. The remaining two are called kalotsava or naimittikotsava. The devotees blessed by the Lord can participate in this service to the Lord by paying the charge of Rs. 1,000/. Only the participant alongwith the spouse is allowed into it. At the end of the utsava, the couple is given an upper garment (uttareeyam), a jacket, two big laddus, two vadas and five small laddus as prasada. The Procedure of Daily Ritual of Marriage From the quarters of the priests, the Vaikhanasa priests ordained for this ceremony, alongwith another priest known as Brihaspati clad in yellow garments, enter the marriage pandal of Sampangi circumambulation aided by a torch-bearer known as ‘Vochi’ for the service at the feet of the Lord. By then Malayappa Swami is already seated on the golden throne facing the east. There will be Sridevi and Bhudevi on another golden pedestal. Well-decorated with garlands, the processional deities get ready for the marital ceremony. The daily ritual of marriage starts with the prayer to the congregation at 12 O’ Clock in Abhijit lagna. Later, the vedic rituals of Vishvaksena’s worship, sanctification ceremony (Punyahavachanam), spot germination (sadyoh Ankurarpana), tying the sacred thread (rakshabandhan), lighting the fire (agni pratishta), etc. are conducted. Offering of honey and milk (madhuparka nivedana), washing the feet, touching with the sacred grass (Koorcha pradana) take place. A curtain (thera sella) is held between the Lord and His consorts amidst the chanting of the mantras. New garments are offered to them. The gotrapravaras of the Lord and His consorts are read out as part of the mahasankalpa. After worshipping the mangalya, it is touched to the Lord’s hands and then tied to the Goddesses and the camphor light is waved to them. At the fire place, the priests perform the main sacrifice, sacrifice with puffed rice, the concluding oblation of perfection (purnahuti) and protective marking on the forehead (rakshatilaka dharana). Later vaaranamayiram, exchange of garlands (malaparivartanam) and auspicious turmeric rice (akshataropanam) are conducted as per the ordained procedure. The ceremony concludes with the waving of camphor light. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdv6zjeALANBdDJAnhiQrILqvVbtAWSQmhmmUpidWmYsSOe-oK4QYjMTqtUMPiYITNgRsRFMr6Fvfpp1IG2DdFFTa39ojmtc42eHP1WT7fZC4V7BrUw81F8CQ0kFdXSi_jbW8e60Tb5Z2NGxFVwFOcem25Xvm7CyG58smjwaHAbN3ZqihdfazyaADr=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdv6zjeALANBdDJAnhiQrILqvVbtAWSQmhmmUpidWmYsSOe-oK4QYjMTqtUMPiYITNgRsRFMr6Fvfpp1IG2DdFFTa39ojmtc42eHP1WT7fZC4V7BrUw81F8CQ0kFdXSi_jbW8e60Tb5Z2NGxFVwFOcem25Xvm7CyG58smjwaHAbN3ZqihdfazyaADr=s16000" /></a></div> Fruits of Performing the Lord’s Marital Ceremony In the Vimanaarchana Kalpam, Sage Marichi details the fruits of conducting the Lord’s Marital Ceremony as follows: “Those who serve the Lord along with Sridevi and Bhudevi during the daily ritual of marriage will be purged of their sins then and there itself. Besides, the progeny upto ten generations, previous and prospective, of his father and mother will be cleansed of their sins. At the end, they attain the sacred world of Lord Vishnu. Ladies thrive with longevity of their husbands forever.

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