Sri Venkateswara Swamivaari Brahmotsavam: Glorifying the Lord of Thirumala through Nava Vidha Bhakthi by Prerana
Sri Venkateswara Swamivaari Brahmotsavam is one of the most significant festivals celebrated at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Thirumala, Andhra Pradesh. This grand festival, rooted in deep spiritual significance, is held annually during the Telugu month of Bhaadhrapadamu or Aasveeyujamu (Gregorian months of September or October). The first recorded festival at the Thirumala Venkateswara Temple dates back to 966 CE when the Pallava queen Samavai endowed land to support temple celebrations. In years when there is an extra month (Adhika Maasa) in the lunar calendar, two Brahmotsavams are celebrated: the Salakatla Brahmotsavam and the Navaratri Brahmotsavam. However, in 2024, since there is no Adhika Maasa, only one Brahmotsavam will be observed, the Salakatla Brahmotsavam. This year, the celebrations will take place from Friday, October 4 to Saturday, October 12.
To
commemorate Brahmotsavam – Prerana will present a divine program with a special
theme of the nine forms of devotion, known as Nava Vidha Bhakti,
pathways to attain closeness with God. These are described in ancient Hindu
texts like the Bhagavata Purana and emphasize different ways a devotee
can express their love and devotion to the Divine. These forms offer
flexibility in worship and include shravanam, keerthanam, smaranam, padhasevanam,
archanam, vandhanam, dhaasyam, vaathsalyam and atmanivedhanam.
The Brahmotsavam festival is
known for its grandeur and devotion, attracting pilgrims from across India and
around the world. It features elaborate processions of the temple's
Utsava-murti, or processional deity, Lord Venkateswara, along with his
consorts, Sridevi and Bhudevi. These deities are taken on various vahana’s
(vehicles) around the streets of Thirumala, creating a divine and festive
atmosphere that envelops the temple town.
The term
"Brahmotsavam" is derived from two Sanskrit words:
"Brahma," meaning grand or large, and "Utsavam," meaning
festival. According to legend, it is believed that Lord Brahma, the creator,
was the first to organize this festival to honour Lord Venkateswara. Brahma is
said to descend to earth to conduct the festival, which makes the celebration
particularly sacred. The Brahmotsavam is a nine-day event, and each day is
filled with various religious activities, homas, and processions. Processions
of the deity occur twice daily during the festival. Lord Venkateswara is seated
on different vahanams each day.
Day 1 - The
festival begins with Ankurarpana. Following this, the Garuda flag is hoisted during
Dwajarohanam, marking the official start of the festival. This ritual invites
the Gods to partake in the celebrations. Peddha Sesha Vahanam (serpent vehicle)
on the first evening
Day 2 – Chinna
Sesha Vahanam - Morning and Hamsa Vahanam in the evening
Day 3 – Simha
Vahanam – Morning and Muthyala Pandiri Vahanam - Evening
Day 4 – Kalpa
Vruksha Vahanam – Morning and Sarvabhoopala Vahanam - Evening
Day 5 – Mohini Avatharam – Morning and Garuda Vahanam in the evening
Day 6 –Hanumantha
Vahanam – morning, Pre Evening - the Swarna Rathotsavam (Golden Chariot) and
Gaja Vahanam in the evening
Day 7 – Surya Prabha
Vahanam – Morning and Chandra Prabha Vahanam in Evening
Day 8 - One of
the most anticipated events during Salakatla Brahmotsavam is the Rathotsavam
(Big Chariot) procession on the morning of the eighth day and Aswa Vahanam in
the evening
Day 9 - Saturday,
12 October, the final day of Brahmotsavam is marked by the Pallaki utsavam and Chakra
Snanam, a ritual bathing of the Sudarshana Chakra in the temple tank. Devotees
walk under the Chakra as it drips water, receiving divine blessings. The
flag-lowering ceremony (Dwajaavarohanam) is held on the ninth day to mark the
end of the festival in the evening.
Brahmotsavam is more than just
a grand celebration; it is a journey of spiritual ecstasy where devotees
immerse themselves in the divine energy of Lord Venkateswara. The vibrant
processions, soulful chants, and sacred rituals create an atmosphere of unparalleled
devotion and joy. As the temple streets come alive with faith and fervour, each
participant feels a deep connection to the Divine, uplifting their hearts and
souls. The festival is a celebration of not only religious significance but
also cultural heritage, inspiring unity and devotion among millions.
Brahmotsavam leaves devotees enriched, blessed, and spiritually rejuvenated in
the Lord's divine grace.
Let’s commemorate the
Brahmotsavam festival on Friday, 4th October 2024 with “NAVA
VIDHA BHAKTHI” – a divine offering Annamayya sankeerthanams by Prerana to
invoke the blessings of Lord Srinivasa and celebrate Sri Venkateswara Srivaari Brahmotsavam.
Om Namo Venkateshaya!
๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ถ๐จ๐ถ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ถ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ถ๐จ๐ถ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด, ๐ค๐ถ๐ช๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ, ๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ข, ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ค, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ, ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ถ๐จ๐ถ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ข๐ด๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฅ. ๐๐ต๐ข๐บ ๐ต๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข ๐๐ฆ๐ธ๐ด๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ณ๐ช๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ถ๐จ๐ถ ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
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