Thread by @gowkinkara

KATHA SRAVANTHI ( BEDTIME STORY) 27/1/22:
In SRIRANGAM, one day, Swami Ramanujacharya was giving a speech on Tirumala Venkateshwara, and suddenly his eyes filled with tears. His disciples rushed and asked him the reason for his tears. He then says that in Tirumala, where

Bhagawan is pleased with Pushpa kainkarya, there isn't any seva done properly to him as none are willing to go and stay in the dense forests of Tirumala. Then one of his disciples ANANTHA SURI says that he would go and do pushpa kainkarya to SRINIVASA if that would make him happy

Ramanuja pleased by his devotion says from now on you would be called ANANTHALWAR. ANANTHALWAR immediately leaves to TIRUMALA taking his pregnant wife and starts collecting flowers and making garlands for SRINIVASA , and does devoted pushpa kainkarya . One day he realises that

Come Summer, there wouldn't be much water and then it would be difficult to grow flowers for Swamy's garlands. So he plans to dig a well along with his wife. He would dig and his wife would empty the mud in baskets. One day a shepherd boy comes and seeing the pregnant lady tells

Her that he would carry the baskets on her behalf, and grabs the basket from her. ANANTHALWAR notices the boy after a while and asks him to stay away because his guru's orders were only for him and his wife. When the boy doesn't listen to, he grabs the crowbar he was digging with

And runs after the boy in anger. The boy runs into the temple and ANANTHALWAR throws the crowbar at him which hits his chin . The boy runs into the temple and disappears. ANANTHALWAR then comes into the temple in search of the boy, and when he enters the sanctum sanctorum,he sees

That the chin of Bhagawan was bleeding. With tears in his eyes, he realises that it was God himself who came to help him, and curses himself that he hurt him and did a great apachara. He then pleads with Bhagawan to show him a way and then Bhagawan appears and says collect the

Pada dhooli of Bhaktas who come for my darshan, mix it with camphor and apply it on my chin. As ANANTHALWAR does that the bleeding stops. Bhagawan then asks this to be continued everyday and include in his Nithya kainkarya. This is known by the name SREEPADA RENU. This is the

Reason behind putting camphor on BHAGAWAN VENKATESHWARA'S CHIN. The crow bar with which ANANTHALWAR hit Bhagawan can be found onto the right side of the entrance while you enter the temple. And the well that ANANTHALWAR dug is opposite ATC (ANANTHALWAR TANK COTTAGES) in Tirumala.

ANANTHALWAR is an epitome of Guru Bhakti. For him his guru was before even Bhagawan VENKATESHWARA. Once when he was making garlands for Bhagawan, he hears Bhagawan asking him to come to temple immediately. ANANTHALWAR says he won't as he is making garlands and the flowers would

Wilt. After making the garlands he takes them into the sanctum sanctorum and Bhagawan says you didn't come when I called you, and now you are bringing garlands for my kainkarya. I won't wear them. ANANTHALWAR says listen swamy, my guru asked me to make garlands for you and I made

Them. Whether you wear them or no is not my business. I have done what my guru asked me to. I am hanging the garland to the nail on the door of the temple, wear them when you wish to and angrily runs out. VENKATESHWARA runs after him, stops him and says sorry that I was angry

With you and hugs him and then after a lot of persuasion ANANTHALWAR gets pacified The beautiful story of life of ANANTHALWAR stands as a bench mark for Guru Bhakti, and also teaches us that Bhagawan is most pleased with our commitment to guru and his words
Om Namo Venkateshaya🙏