Padmavati - Divine Reunion at Tirupati

Dadi**: Guddu beta, have you ever heard of Tirupati - the richest and most visited temple in the world?

Guddu**: Yes Dadi! People go there to see Lord Venkateshwara, right?

Dadi**: That's right! But do you know why Lord Vishnu came to live on that hill? It's all because of a quarrel and a love story!

Guddu**: A quarrel? Between who?

Dadi**: Between Lord Vishnu and his wife, Goddess Lakshmi! It happened in their heavenly home, Vaikuntha. One day, a great sage named Bhrigu came to visit Vishnu. But the Lord was deep in meditation, attended by Lakshmi.

Guddu**: Did Vishnu not see the sage?

Dadi**: The sage felt ignored! In his anger, he kicked Vishnu on the chest - right where Lakshmi is said to reside. Lakshmi was furious! How dare someone kick her husband?

Guddu**: What did she do?

Dadi**: She left Vaikuntha! She came down to Earth and started living as a simple woman in a hermitage by the Godavari river. She was so angry that she wouldn't go back to heaven.

Guddu**: Oh no! Vishnu must have been so sad!

Dadi**: Heartbroken, beta! Lord Vishnu couldn't bear the separation. So he too came down to Earth to search for her. He wandered and wandered until he reached the Tirumala hills, where he settled, spending his days in meditation, waiting.

Guddu**: Did he find Lakshmi?

Dadi**: Not right away. But something else happened. Near those hills, there lived a king named Akasha Raja and his queen. They had no children and were very sad about it.

Guddu**: How does that connect to the story?

Dadi**: One day, while performing a sacred ritual, they found a miracle in a lotus! A beautiful baby girl was lying inside the flower. They named her Padmavati - "she who emerged from the lotus."

Guddu**: Like a fairy tale!

Dadi**: This Padmavati was actually Goddess Lakshmi herself, reborn on Earth! She grew up as a beautiful princess, not knowing her true divine identity.

Guddu**: Did she meet Vishnu?

Dadi**: One day, Lord Srinivasa - which is what Vishnu was called now - was hunting near the hills. He was chasing a wild elephant through the gardens where Princess Padmavati and her maids were gathering flowers.

Guddu**: That sounds chaotic!

Dadi**: Very! The elephant suddenly bowed to the Lord and ran away. The startled maidens, thinking he was an intruder, threw stones at him! But when Srinivasa saw Padmavati's face...

Guddu**: Love at first sight?

Dadi**: He knew. Even though they didn't consciously remember their heavenly life together, their souls recognized each other. Srinivasa was captivated. Padmavati, despite being embarrassed, couldn't forget the handsome stranger.

Guddu**: So they got married?

Dadi**: After many obstacles! There were negotiations, there was the matter of his mysterious origins, there was the dowry to arrange. Lord Vishnu actually had to borrow money from Kubera, the god of wealth, to pay for the wedding!

Guddu**: God borrowed money?!

Dadi**: That's why, to this day, devotees at Tirupati donate generously! They believe they're helping Lord Venkateshwara pay off his wedding loan!

Guddu**: That's funny and sweet!

Dadi**: The wedding was grand, beta. And when Padmavati married Srinivasa, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu were reunited at last. They settled on the Tirumala hill, where the temple stands today.

Guddu**: So the couple's quarrel led to the greatest temple in India!

Dadi**: Strange how things work, isn't it? A moment of anger, a long separation, a new birth, a divine reunion - and now millions of people visit every year to witness their eternal love.

Guddu**: I want to go to Tirupati someday, Dadi!

Dadi**: We will, beta. We'll climb those seven hills and stand before Lord Venkateshwara and Padmavati. And now you'll know their beautiful love story!

Guddu**: Goodnight, Dadi!

Dadi**: Goodnight, beta. May divine love find you in every lifetime!