Day 66 - Tirupati Balaji and money!

I recently visited Tirupati for my annual pilgrimage of Lord Balaji.I've been doing this for about 10+ years now. Every year I thank Him for everything and ask his blessings for the next year.

Tirupati Tirumala Balaji is the second richest religious place in the world, after Vatican. It is visited on an average by over 20 million people each year. Each of them contribute some amount of money to the hundi. On an average TTD - Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams - the body that manages and runs the temple collects Rs 35 Cr each month from the hundi alone. That makes it approx Rs. 420 Cr + each year or US$ 84 million each year. The main temple is plated with gold. Business men have been known to donate diamonds and gold freely to the Lord. Vijay Mallya takes every new aircraft added in Kingfisher Airlines to Tirupati for a puja before it flies. He has recently announced that he will plate all 16 doors of the main temple with gold. The hundi has seen donations varying from a bag of coins to shower of diamonds to a gold plated fully functional camera and many odd things. Whatever is dropped in the hundi belongs to the Lord and the Lord asked for it. A myth goes that a mother propped up her small child to drop some coins into the hundi, inadvertently the child fell in. He was not returned to the mother as the priests said that the Lord wanted the child and they will bring him up.

Why am I saying all this? Because I always hear this sarcastic comment from people that Lord Balaji is all about money without knowing the background to it. Do you say this as well? In that case, its time to read this.

As you are aware the Hindu scripture defines four yugas through which the world cycles - Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga. We are currently in the Kali Yuga or Kaliyug. The Kali Yuga will traditionally last for 432,000 years. We've just about started it. Some attributes of Kali Yuga are quite evident today.

I suggest you read the Story of Lord Balaji to get a better picture. I will, however, focus on the money aspect. If you read the story you will realise that Lord Vishnu incarnated Himself as Venkateswara and came to earth in search of Lakshmi, who had taken birth as Princess Alamelu (Padmavati) in the household of Akasa Raju. The princess's father agreed to give his daughter's hand in marriage to Venkateswara if he provided proof of his wealth. Towards this end, Venkateswara obtained a heavy loan from Kubera, the God of Wealth,at a very heavy interest rate. And therein lies the key to the story of the hundi and people putting money into it.

According to Vishnupuran, Lord Venkateshwara will continue to pay Kuber the loan till the end of Kali Yuga. As devotees our contributions to the hundi are a part of the loan that he is paying off to Kuber. In return for the money that we give Him, he agrees to grant our wishes and requests. Hence the key of Tirupati being that devotees ask for something from Lord Balaji and pledge money in return. Most of the devotees collect the money across the time frame and come to drop the same into the hundi after the fulfillment of the wish or request. Lord Balaji is not about money. Lord Balaji is about fulfilling your wishes and requesting money to pay off the heavy loan that he has taken.

So next time you go to Tirupati, don't scorn at the fact that so much money is being dropped into the hundi. Rather remember that you are helping the Lord to pay off his debt and in return the Lord will make all efforts to fulfill your request. Its a matter of give-and-take with the Lord. Don't feel bad if you have asked something from the Lord. Rather remember that if he grants the wish, you better keep your side of the bargain as well.