Life...A Motivational Story

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business.
He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.

He began to search his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible.

It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the
sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we unknowingly miss life's precious moments because they are not packaged as we expected?

Mahatma Gandhi - Inspirational story 2

Children loved visiting Gandhiji. A little boy who was there one day, was greatly distressed to see the way Gandhiji was dressed. Such a great man yet he doesn't even wear a shirt, he wondered. "Why don't you wear a kurta, Gandhiji?" the little boy couldn't help asking finally. "Where's the money, son?" Gandhiji asked gently. "I am very poor. I can't afford a kurta." The boy's heart was filled with pity. "My mother sews well", he said. "She makes all my clothes. I'll ask her to sew a Kurta for you." "How many Kurtas can your mother make?" Gandhiji asked.
"How many do you need?" asked the boy. "One, two, three.... she'll make as many as you want." Gandhiji thought for a moment. Then he said, "But I am not alone, son. It wouldn't be right for me to be the only one to wear a kurta." "How many Kurtas do you need?" the boy persisted. "I'll ask my mother to make as many as you want. Just tell me how many you need." "I have a very large family, son. I have forty crore brothers and sisters," Gandhiji explained. "Till every one of them has a kurta, how can I wear one? Tell me, can your mother make kurtas for all of them? At this question the boy became very thoughtful. Forty crore brothers and sisters! Gandhiji was right. Till every one of them had a kurta to wear how could he wear one himself? After all the whole nation was Gandhiji's family, and he was the head of that family. He was their friend, their companion. What use would one kurta be to him?

Mahatma Gandhi - Inspirational story

Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh. During one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting. "I must see him," she insisted and going up to Gandhiji touched his feet. Then from the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin and put it away carefully. The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused. "I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh," Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly "yet you won't trust me with a copper coin." "This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands," Gandhiji said. "If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees."

Brooklyn Bridge - The Inside Story (Inspirational)

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before. 

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built. 

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
 

"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. 

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment. 

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. 

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal. 

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

The Tortoise and The Hare - What they learn about teamwork

Everyone knows about the story of the tortoise and the hare. What most people don't know is that the there are several valuable lessons on teamwork to be learnt from the story...

Long time ago, there was a tortoise and a hare who had an argument about who the faster runner was. They finally decided to take on one another on a race.

As the race started, the hare sprinted ahead briskly for some time. Realizing that it will take some time for the tortoise to catch up with him, he decided to seek shelter from the sun under a tree before continuing the race. As he sat under the tree, he gradually fell asleep. The tortoise, crawling at a steady pace, eventually overtook him and won the race. The hare woke up and realized that his complacency cost him the trophy.

The moral of the story is that the determined, hardworking and steady paced people will eventually overtake the fast but complacent. We are all familiar with this story.

Someone recently added a continuation to this age old tale. It goes like this:

The hare realized that he was over confident, complacent and took things too easily. He decided to have a re-match with the tortoise. The tortoise accepted his challenge.

This time, the hare ran with all his might and didn't stop until he crossed the finish line.

The moral of the story? Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady.

But the story doesn't end here.

This time, it was the tortoise that did the soul searching and he realized that if the hare didn't stop, there is no way he will beat him. He thought hard and decided on a different course and he challenged the hare to another re-match. The hare, of course, agreed.

With the lessons learnt from his previous failure in mind, the hare kept on running once the race started and didn't stop until the route leads him to the bank of a river. He was taken by surprise and he did not know what to do, since he could not swim. There were no bridges in sight and no one to ask for directions. As he was cracking his head, thinking of ways to cross the river, the tortoise strolled slowly along, dived into the river, swam across it and ultimately, finished the race before the hare.

The moral of the story? Know your strengths and take on your competitors in areas of your core competency.

The story still hasn't ended.

With the hare and the tortoise spending so much time together racing, they have become rather good friends, they have also developed mutual respect for one another as they realized that they are both different and they have different strengths. They decided to race again, but this time, as a team.

As the race started, the hare carried the tortoise and they sped to the river bank. There, they switched positions and the tortoise ferried the hare across the river. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they crossed the finishing line together. They completed the race in a record time that both of them can never achieve if they were to do it alone. They also felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.

The moral of the story? It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well.

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership. Being supportive team members is necessary for a team to advance.

There are more lessons on teamwork to be learned from this story. Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could, but was not doing as well as he wished.

Imagine how long it will take the hare to learn how to swim! Or for the tortoise to learn to run fast. In this day and age when the environment changes at lightning speed, we have to learnt to work with people who have strengths in areas that we do not have.

It is the same in business, if we can collaborate with people who are experts in areas that we are not familiar with, we will realize that our market suddenly becomes bigger.

Adapted from an unknown author's article.

Tirupati token

SUDARSANAM CENTRES @ TIRUPATI

1. Choultry, Opp. Railway Station, Tirupati - (PAID) Ph.2264737, (FREE) Ph.2264732-

2. RTC Complex,(Ballaji Link Bus Station) Opp. Railway Station, Tirupati (PAID & FREE) Ph. 2264731

3. Srinivasam Complex, (PAID) Ph.2264745

4. Alipiri Toll-gate, (PAID) Ph.0877-2264576

5. Alipiri foot-path, (FREE) Ph.0877-2264734

6. Alipiri bus-stand, (PAID) Ph.0877-2287785

7. Renigunta (Near Railway Station), (PAID) Ph.0877-2264747

8. 2nd New Choultry (Behind Railway Station), (FREE) Ph.0877-2264733.

9. Srikalahasti Temple

NOTE: At Tirumala Rs.50/- Sudarshan tokens are not issued.

• Paid Sudarsanam/Bio-metric token holders have to report at Vaikuntam Queue Complex-I one hour before darshan time allotted to them.

• Free Sudarsanam/Bio-metric token holders have to report at 'Supadam' i.e., between Vaikuntam Queue Complex-I and Hathiramji Mutt.

DAILY SEVAS

Sl.No.	Name of the Sevas/Utsavams	No. of persons	Time Amount for each ticket	Time
1	Suprabhatham	one	120/-	2.30 am
2	Thomala Seva	one	220/-	3.30 am
3	Archana	one	220/	4.30 am
4	Archanananthara Darshan	one	200/-	5.30 am
5	Kalyanothsavam	three	1000/-	10.00 am
6	Arjitha Brahmotsavam	five	1000/-	12.30 pm
7	Dolotsavam	five	1000/-	1.00 pm
8	Sahasra Deepalankara Seva	five	1000/-	5.30 pm
9	Vasanthotsavam	ten	3000/-	-----
10	Ekanatha Seva	one	120/-	10.30 pm

The Daily Seva Tickets can be purchased by paying cash across the counter of Vijaya Bank, Tirumala one day in advance. The Pilgrim has to stand in the que from 8am at the counter and pay cash for ticket.

WEEKLY SEVAS

Sl.No.	Name of the Sevas/Utsavams	No. of persons	Time Amount for each ticket	Time	Day
1	Visesha pooja	five	3000/-	6.00 am	Mon
2	Astadala Pada Padmaradhanam	two	2500/-	5.30 am	Tue
3	Sahasra Kalasabhishekam	six	5000/	5.30 am	Wed
4	Vasthalankara Seva (Wife & Husband)	six	5000/-	5.30 am	Thu
5	Kalyanothsavam	two	1000/-	3.30 am	Fri
6	Poorabhishekam	one	750/-	3.30 am	Fri
7	Civet Vessel (Punugu Ginne)	one	300/	3.30 am	Fri
8	Musk Vessel (Kashturi Ginne)	one	150/-	3.30 am	Fri
9	Nijapada darshan	one	200/-	5.00am	Fri

PERIODICAL SEVAS

Sl.No.	Name of the Sevas/Utsavams	No. of persons	Time Amount for each ticket	Time	Day
1	Float Festival	five	2500/-	6.00 am	5days in Yr.
2	Vasanthothsavam	ten	3000/-	2.00 pm	April
3	Padmavathi Srinivasula Parinayam	five	5000/-	3.00 am	May
4	Abhidheyaka Abhishekam	five	2000/-	8.00 am	June
5	Pushpa Pallaki	five	1000/-	5.30 am	July
6	Pavithrothsavam	two	7500/-	8.00 am	Aug
7	Pushpa yagam	five	3500/-	8.00 am	Nov
8	Koli Alwar Tirumanjanam	Ten	3000/-	11.00 am	4 Times

For More Details Visit www.ttdsevaonline.com

Pilgrim Attractions in Tirupati

Sri Venkateswara

The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatachala of the Tirupati Hills, and lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini. Lord Venkateswara is also called the Lord of the Seven Hills. Here, Sri Venkateswara is described as the great bestower of boons. The temple has its origins in Vaishnavism.

How to reach there?

From the city, Tirumala Hill is connected by free shuttle bus services provided by T.T.D and A.P.S.R.T.C.

By Rail
Tirupati Railway Station has direct trains to and from Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Madurai, Puri and Hyderabad. Stations at Renigunta (15 km) and Gudur (100 km) also serve as the major connections across the country. From Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, there are overnight trains for Tirupati.

By Road
Almost every town and city of Andhra Pradesh is connected with Tirupathi by regular bus services. The town is linked by road to Ahobolam (272 km), Bangalore (280 km), Horsley Hill (145 km), Hyderabad (555 km), Kalahasti (36 km), Lepakshi (379 km), Chennai (140 km), Srisailam (436 km), Vijayawada (380 km) and Renigunta (55 km). Taxis are available throughout Andhra Pradesh and neighboring states to reach Tirupathi.

Sri Varahaswami Temple

Sri Varahaswami Temple in Tirumala is to the north of the Sri Venkateswara temple, on the banks of Swami Pushkarini. According to legend, Tirumala was originally the Adi Varaha Kshetra or the place belonging to Sri Adi Varahaswami. Lord Sri Venkateswara took up residence here, with the permission of Sri Varahaswami. The shrine is dedicated to Vishnu’s avatar of a boar and is supposed to be visited before the main temple.

Srinivasamangapuram

This is located 11 kms away, is a huge stone temple is also dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara. His idol is beautifully dressed in silk, jewels and flowers.

Sri Anjaneyaswami Temple

Sri Anjaneyaswami Temple is located opposite the Sri Varahaswami temple on the northeastern banks of the Swami Pushkarini. It was constructed during the Mahant's period. The idol's hands are joined in supplication (in the Anjali posture). Sri Anjaneyaswami is believed to be a bestower of boons and a protector from all evils.

Alamelumangapuram

This temple is located 4kms from the main shrine and dedicated to Goddess Padmavati, consort of Lord Venkateshwara. Finely decked in silk and jewels, tradition demands that one must visit this shrine before heading to the main temple.

Swami Pushkarini

Swami Pushkarini, believed to be a pleasure tank of Lord Vishnu in Vaikuntham, is adjacent to the Sri Venkateswara temple. A bath in the Swami Pushkarini is believed to cleanse pilgrims of their sins and bestow temporal prosperity. Pilgrims bathe here before entering the main temple.

Sri Govindarajaswami Temple

Sri Govindarajaswami Temple is an important temple in Tirupati. The highlight iof this temple is the outer gopuram, which is visible from quite a distance. Saint Ramanujacharya consecrated the temple in AD 1130. The main deity is worshipped as brother of Lord Venkateshwara. The Brahmotsavam festival here attracts a large number of devotees every year.

Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple

Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple is situated in the heart of Tirupati town. The presiding deities are Sita, Rama and Lakshmana.

Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple

Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple is the only temple dedicated to Lord Siva, in the pantheon of Vaishnava temples in Tirupati.

Sri Kariya Manikyaswami Temple

Sri Kariya Manikyaswami Temple or Sri Perumala Swami Temple is located in Nagiri, 51 km from Tirupati. It is believed that Lord Vishnu killed Makara, a crocodile, and saved Gajendra, an elephant at this place.

Sri Annapurna Sameta Kasi Visweswaraswami Temple

Sri Annapurna Sameta Kasi Visweswaraswami Temple is located in the Bugga Agraharam village, 56 km from Tirupati. The temple is on the banks of Kusasthali River.