Page 27 - History of Tirupathi Balaji and comparison of Sri Vaishnava

Him. She went to gather various herbs and mixed them with camphor, saffron
and musk to make a fragrant healing paste. She applied it on the Lord’s forehead.
To honor the love of Bakula devi and to remember the Lord’s willingness to
sacrifi ce for the welfare of His devotee, Lord Venkateshwara receives the fresh
paste on His forehead every morning to this day at the temple.
Who is Bakula devi?
Previous to Lord Srinivasa’s appearance in Kali yuga, Bakula devi was
Yashoda, Lord Krishna’s foster mother in the previous age, Dvapara yuga. Lord
Krishna lived in Vrindaban for approximately twelve and a half years. It is the
aspiration of every mother to arrange for her son’s marriage. But Krishna left
Vrindaban before He married. Later, in Dvaraka, when He was under the care
of Vasudeva and Devaki, He married eight queens and sixteen thousand other
princesses. Yasoda was deprived of the opportunity to participate in her son’s
marriage ceremonies. But Krishna, knowing her heart, gave her the benediction,
“In a future incarnation, you will be My mother, and you will make arrangements
for My marriage.

Lord Srinivasa meets Padmavati
Lord Srinivasa and Bakula lived in the forest. One day He noticed a nearby
small mountain where there were tigers, lions and elephants that were extremely
dangerous. These wild animals were accosting local villagers by mauling and
sometimes devouring them. Srinivasa asked his mother for permission, “I want
to go on a hunting excursion to protect the innocent people from these dangerous
animals.” “No, no,” she said, “You cannot go to that mountain. It is a dangerous
and strange place. Do not go.” Srinivasa did not waver in His determination
and Bakula devi fi nally relented. Srinivasa dressed like a hunter with bow
and arrow and mounted His horse. He proceeded to the mountain where he
encountered a gigantic elephant. He gave chase to the formidable animal. The
elephant entered a large garden area where there was a beautiful princess named
Padmavati accompanied by her maidservants. Her maidservants immediately
ran away out of fear of the ferocious looking elephant. But Padmavati remained
calm without running in fear. Strangely, the elephant lifted its trunk and offered
praise to Padmavati and then disappeared into the forest. Padmavati was awed
and somewhat fearful of the gigantic elephant. But, when she saw the apparent
humble salute of the elephant she was intrigued. Srinivasa witnessed this unusual
occurrence. He was immediately charmed by Padmavati’s elegant looks. He
dismounted and asked, “Who are you? Are you a heavenly maiden. I have not
seen anyone as enchanting and pure as you. Please tell me about yourself.”
She replied, “My name is Padmavati. I am the daughter of King Aksaraja
from the dynasty of the moon. I came to this garden with my friends to enjoy a
pleasant afternoon together. May I ask who you are?”
Srinivasa said, “I am also from a royal dynasty coming from the moon god.
My father is Vasudeva and My name is Krishna. My mother has appeared as
Bakula devi. She is searching for a suitable woman to marry Me.”
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