April 25, 1974 : Tirupathi
Satsvarupa: In mountainous Tirumala stands the richest temple in India, where a Deity of Vishnu known as Balaji resides. The temple managers respectfully welcomed Srila Prabhupada and his party. According to the temple policy, people usually have to wait in a long line before seeing the Deity, and they are given only a brief darsana. Non-Hindus are usually not allowed. But Srila Prabhupada and his disciples received the special honor of a private darsana of Balaji.
At the end of a long inner sanctum, its entrance guarded by two large figures of Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Vaikuntha, the Deity was enthroned. The only light in the inner sanctum came from flaming torches affixed to the walls or held by the pujaris. When approaching the Deity in the hallway, many pilgrims would traditionally call out, "Govinda!" But as Prabhupada entered, he sang, "Govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami." A devotee asked Prabhupada why the Deity was called Balaji. "Bala ji," Prabhupada said, "means 'child' - Krishna as a cowherd boy, not in His Vaikuntha aspect."
For the two days in Tirupathi, Prabhupada went three or four times daily to see the Deity of Balaji. And whenever he went, the pujaris would clear the inner sanctum of all other visitors and allow him a private darsana for as long as he liked, standing in the torchlight before the mystical, bejeweled form of Balaji.
At the end of a long inner sanctum, its entrance guarded by two large figures of Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Vaikuntha, the Deity was enthroned. The only light in the inner sanctum came from flaming torches affixed to the walls or held by the pujaris. When approaching the Deity in the hallway, many pilgrims would traditionally call out, "Govinda!" But as Prabhupada entered, he sang, "Govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami." A devotee asked Prabhupada why the Deity was called Balaji. "Bala ji," Prabhupada said, "means 'child' - Krishna as a cowherd boy, not in His Vaikuntha aspect."
For the two days in Tirupathi, Prabhupada went three or four times daily to see the Deity of Balaji. And whenever he went, the pujaris would clear the inner sanctum of all other visitors and allow him a private darsana for as long as he liked, standing in the torchlight before the mystical, bejeweled form of Balaji.
Reference: Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta Volume 5 - Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami
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