Astadala
Pada Padmaradhanamu seva is conducted after the ringing of second bell. This
ritual was initially introduced in Srivari Temple in 1984 when a Muslim devotee
presented Lord Srinivasa 108 gold lotuses. The Archana begins with the puja by
offering dhupa and diva to the key deity. Then he enumerates the Devadasa names
of the Lord. While sheering each name of the Lord, one golden lotus is offered
at the feet of the lord Srinivasa. On completion of the Archana for the main
deity Archana is then offered for Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Padmavati. After that
Ratha aarti is offered first, followed by usual aarti. During this special
puja, the arjitha ticket holders are seated in the Antalya corridor that is
located between the Kulasekhara padi and Bangaru Vakili.
In this
seva the god is worshiped in a special way with 108 Golden lotus flowers while
performing a unique Archana. There are certain conditions for the Admission for
this seva through “Vaikuntam complex” and for attending this seva is the
participant should bring along with his wife as this can only be performed by
couples. “Dampathi sameetha”. It is Astadala – Swarna – Padma – Puja. This
special puja is celebrated only on Tuesdays after the second bell is over and
Jiyar swami with the Sri Vaishnavas comes out. The arjitha sevakas who have
paid for the seva are only allowed to go and sit in the mantapa between Bangaru
Vakili and the Kulasekhara padi. This
started when a Muslim devotee offered 108 golden lotuses each weighing about 23
Gms to Lord. In this vishesa puja, the Archana offered by these flowers at the holy feet of the Lord
with the uttering of each name Then arjitha sevakas are provided with vastra
(upper cloth) along with sathari and they are offered five big laddu’s, five
vada’s as prasadam.
Arjitha
Seva signifies performing seva to the Lord on payment of a fee to the trust of
the temple. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam supervises the worship of the Lord
and his finances. These three kinds of Sevas are as follows: Daily Seva, Weekly
Seva and Annual Seva.
The Temple
addresses the lead person performing the seva as Grihasta. All people
performing sevas are suggested to report to the Vaikuntam Queue Complex at
least 45 minutes to 1 hour prior to the start of the seva. Usually the time of
reporting to the Queue complex is well mentioned on the purchased ticket. Most
of the Sevas necessitate the pilgrims to stick on to conventional dressing
norms: dhoti around the waist and uttariya (upper cloth) on the shoulder for
men and saree for women. The only exception to the rule is Archananantara Darsanam.
So whenever
you plan to visit Tirupati, never forget to attend Astadala Pada Padmaradhanamu
as it is unique and unusual way of worshipping lord and certainly must to be
part of!