When Shri Tirupati Balaji asks you for a necklace of 108 gold coins!
Yes, this is a true incident of 1980.
Mr. Prasad, personal secretary to former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, was appointed as Chief Officer at Tirupati at that time.
One day he received a call from a servant of the temple: -
"Sir! Around 20 devotees have come here and are wishing to present a necklace made of gold coins to the Lord. They want have audience with lord wearing the same necklace."
In the Tirupati temple, it has been arranged since ancient times that any devotee who is offering jewelery and if he wants to see the Lord wearing it on the same day, then he also has to pay a fixed sum equivalent to the jewelery which is called “Vartan”.
In the old times, this system was implemented to create co-ordination between the king-emperors and the zamindars.
Prasad left for the temple immediately after listening to the phone.
When he went there, he saw 20 devotees were present there. Their(Devotees) chief Nagraj Rao, without knowing anything about Shri Prasad, started telling his story:
• I am a resident of Chikkamagaluru District Karnataka and have been working as a teacher for the last 20 years.
• 16 years ago, Shri Balaji appeared to me in a dream and said that “make me a gold necklace with 108 gold coins”. When I woke up in the morning, some devotees who came from home to visit Tirumala came to my house and offered laddus. I remembered my dream but I did not pay attention.
• That same night, I saw God in my dream and the previous night's order was repeated. The next day, I first told my whole family about the dream. We were so poor that we could not even buy 1 silver coin.
• In the end, the idea was that after making a necklace of 108 copper coins and offering a gold layer on it, we will offer it to Shri Balaji.
• But on the day the idea came, the Lord came again in the night in dream and said that you should offer gold, not copper.
• When the family heard this in the morning, they decided that it should be as the Lord desired. 16 years ago I was a lonely householder. There was some land which was barren. So, all of us, gave up food for a time and prepared 2 gold coins in 6 months out of the money left over from it.
• Time passed, other family members got good jobs. The land became fertile and the economic situation began to improve.
• Now after 16 years, we were able to get a necklace of 108 gold coins, which are painted with the Gods and Goddesses.
• On the day the necklace was made, the Lord came again in my dream and said, "The necklace is made, now I am happy. Do come to Tirumala with the whole family and offer me the necklace and see me. If there is any problem then a person (Only face shown) will help you there.
Saying this, Nagraj Rao fell silent.
But suddenly looking at the prasad, he said, "Oh you! You are the one about whom the Lord had said that this person will help you in every situation!"
Prasad was silent! His tears came out in Bhavatirek. Then many questions started emerging in the mind: -
• How can I get them to see the God while the God wore the necklace, as these devotees can't not pay the Vartan which is about 2 lakhs. They only have money left to go home. Far from Abhishek service, they cannot buy tickets even for normal service!
• What answer will I give to the temple trust, if I let them go against the rules!
• He has unwavering faith in God and God has appointed me to do his work. How can I break their trust!
These questions were resolved and Prasad immediately ordered his people "This is a special puja in Tirupati.
The next day, on Friday morning, all 20 devotees were offered abhishek and after that the same 108 gold coins necklace was given to Prabhu.
Premashru in the eyes of the family and on their lips were singing "Govinda! Govinda!"
After 16 years of penance, such visions were received!
After some time when the trust met them and this incident was told, all of them were Bhagavad Bhaktas, at first they were very happy and arranged that the Vartan tradition could be abandoned for special reasons and seeing the devotion of the devotee.
When you are disappointed with your heart, when you have lost from all sides, just close your eyes and say "Govinda!" Remember the name.
God definitely comes to help by taking the form of anyone.