The answers of Agastya Muni to the generic questions posted by devotees can be found here.
The readers are requested to send their spiritual experiences related to the Siddhas to GnanaBoomi at Gmail dot com. Though the experiences are unique and personal to them, it can shower some light or guidance to those who read them. Thanks!
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When Narada asked Kali if Lord Narayana will spare him, he said, “O Narada, you have started your mischievousness. I am not going to listen to whatever you say. No one can win me either. I am going to push this rock down. If you can, save this Muni.”
Narada screamed, “O Munivar! Please come closer to me..” but he was chanting “Govinda Govinda!” and did not hear anything, he did not even open his eyes. Kali Purusha laughed aloud. With a great struggle, he was able to roll the rock which was hanging in the air because of Narada Muni. The huge rock fell with a great thud in the banks of Koneri whose dust covered the banks for a while. It destroyed all the garden, hermitages, ashrams etc in to pieces.
The rishi munis who were doing tapasya ran here and there out of fear. When they gathered after a while, trying to understand what has happened, Kali Purusha said this in a horrendous voice:
“O Rishi Muni’s! Terrified huh? This is just the beginning of my play, which will continue for another thousands of years from now. Run away from here! I won’t allow anyone to do tapasya here. If you still would like, you must chant, “Kali Purushaya Namaha!” and nothing else. If you chant any other name, what happened to this Rishi who was seated in that rounded rock for hundreds of years in Tirumala will happen to you. This is my first warning.”
The rishi seated in the rock was not to be seen and the rock was broken. This terrified Narada and the rest of the rishi munis around. Narada prayed to Lord Narayana and opened his eyes, only to see Kali Purusha standing before him asking, “Narada, where is your Rishi?”
Narada did not reply as he was frustrated that Kali has killed an innocent hermit.
“Why aren’t you saying anything about my strength? Pity, you might have saved his life. Maybe you don’t have the power to do so. Nevertheless, whoever you call as Almighty, that Venkatava could have at least protected this Rishi, but he is just a stone here. How can he?” – Kali laughed.
“Kali! Do you know that you have committed a Brahma Hathi Dosha?” – asked Narada.
“How, how how?”
“You killed an innocent tapasvi. Whatever curse he might have said when he died will crush you, don’t you know?”
“Is it?! It is very interesting to know, can you say it again? That is this tapasvi, when the rock falls on him, crushing him to death will curse me and that curse will crush me? Very well. Ha ha ha! But he is just been made a paste and got dissolved in to the water. What is your take on it?
“It is fair to kill someone who does injustice. The almighty has punished those who destroyed dharma. Should you show your bravery and strength to such an innocent tapasvi? Aren’t you ashamed?” – asked Narada fuming at what happened.
“This is going to be my full time work now on. I will kill only the innocents, especially those who chant the name of Venkatava, their family, their clan, I will destroy. Let Narayana come and save them. I am not stopping him, am I?”
After a while, he said “I thought at least we shall get to see his body but nothing is left. Do you understand my strength now?”
“This is not strength. This is just a portion of Brahma Hathi Dosha. You have killed an innocent Tapasvi. This sin won’t leave you at peace!” – said Narada.
“Cursing me? Why didn’t you save that Rishi yourself with your divine powers then?”
“Even if my powers didn’t save him, his own powers of tapasya would have saved him. Had he really got killed, his body must have remained here. What it means that he must be alive. Moreover, there is no use in talking to you. I will go directly to Venkatava to tell what happened, not that he is not aware of it already. Then it is His will.”
While Kali Purusha was looking at Narada going towards Tirumala, the rest of the rishi-munis approached him with folded hands, fear filled. He looked at them fiercefully as if he asked what they want.
“We shall go away from this play right after the Chadhurmasya Vratha. Please do not harm us till then.” – they pleaded.
“How long is that for?”
“At least for three months.”
“What is this Vratha (vigil) for?”
“To pray to Bhagawan.”
“Which Bhagawan?” – Kali asked sarcastically.
The rishi-munis looked at each other.
“Not just Chathurmasya Vratha. You may keep any vigil as you please. But they all should be done in my name, towards me. Else, I will set fire to all these ashrams and will have this Koneri river flood all the places here.”
The tapasvis cried within themselves thinking of Venkatava, “O Lord! Why aren’t you keeping this fellow in his limits? Aren’t you protecting us? Why do we deserve these?” etc. Such a truthful prayer was indeed heard by the all pervading lord. The next moment, he took the form of wind and reached there with a speed that could not be measured. Kali Purusha was shaken to his base at the wind. He feared his life and disappeared from there. The tapasvis were jubilant. The Lord spoke to them in Asareeri (where the divine voice is heard loud and clear without one being able to see who speaks, sort of a close translation of what asareeri means).
“This is Kali Purusha’s rule. No one knows how he will manipulate others, what harm he will do. But those whe pray to me earnestly like you did, I will protect them for sure. His birth is just happened. I will let him grow as the total embodiment of sin and then only I will destroy him. This will take thousands of years. It is the need of the time where I will do just the right thing at the right time”
One of the rishis explained how an innocent tapasvi was killed mercilessly. The Lord laughed.
“I never abandon those who surrender to me! I just created an illusion of that Maha Purusha being killed by Kali. He just felt happy. That Maha Purusha was saved by Boomi Devi and he is safe. But one may think, why should he suffer so? There is a reason for everything. While he was praying to me, he prayed that one of these 7 hills should be named under him and that he is ready to bear any sort of difficulty for the same. I know about his devotion very well. But if I fulfill his request then and there, no one will have true devotion.
It is only after one gains the strength to bear difficulty, one gets real devotion.
I wanted to have him tested through Kali Purusha. He tested him through my spell (maya). The rishi overcame it through his real devotion. I had asked Booma Devi to protect him.
Fear not! I have come here to Tirumala as Venkatava only to protect those who surrender to me. I will come running for them.” – said Narayana!
The tapasvi’s joys knew no bounds. They wished to see that tapasvi and wanted all those gardens, hermitages to be restored as it were. The Lord knew it very well and he showed them the tapasvi through Booma Devi. The tapasvi was seen, still chanting “Govinda Govinda!”
Narada asked the Lord. “Thank you for protecting him. Will the lord fulfill the desire of this tapasvi, to name the hill after him?”
“Narada, I know your mischievousness. This hill will be named after this tapasvi after a while with a Mangalasasanam. As this is the first head of Adi Sesha, those who climb this hill to have my darshan, I will nullify all their sins and will have them attain moksha.”
Thus, the reason for why Narada came looking for Venkatava was fulfilled.
~ to be continued…!