Unlike Other Temples In AP, TTD Yet To Perform Varuna Yagam To Appease Rain Go
While major AP temples have conducted or scheduled Varuna Yagams, TTD says it will hold the ritual at Tirumala if Agama scholars recommend it and the situation warrants.
Major temples in Andhra Pradesh have already conducted or are preparing to hold Varuna Yagams amid concerns over deficient rainfall. This has left many wondering why Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has not announced a similar ritual at Tirumala, particularly when it has held Varuna Yagams during earlier years when rains had been poor.
Srisailam Devasthanam conducted a five-day Varuna Yagam from August 7 to August 11, while the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Devasthanam in Vijayawada has scheduled Varuna Yagam, Varuna Japam, and Ghata Abhishekam from August 14 to August 16.
The absence of a similar announcement at Tirumala has led many devotees and some opposition leaders to question whether the TTD is waiting for the situation to further deteriorate before holding the Varuna Yagam.
A senior TTD official told Deccan Chronicle that the temple administration is ready to conduct the ritual whenever necessary. “TTD has always stepped in to conduct Varuna Yagam whenever the need has arisen for the well-being of humanity," he underlined.
However, the official said Agama scholars and Vedic pundits advising the TTD are yet to recommend the Yagam this year, as there is no drought situation in Tirumala. He maintained that the TTD administration, Agama advisers and Vedic pundits are focused on preparations for the upcoming twin Brahmotsavams.
The TTD had conducted a five-day Kareeri Isthi, Parjanya Shanti, and Varuna Yagam at Tirumala in June 2014 seeking good rains and prosperity for the state and country. Similar rituals had been organised in 2015 in September, and again in 2017.
In 2023, the TTD conducted the Kareeri Isthi Varunajapa Mahashanti Yagam at Dharmagiri from August 21 to August 26, followed by a three-day Sri Srinivasa Ashtottara Sata Kundatmaka Maha Shanti Varuna Yagam at Srinivasa Mangapuram from September 8 to September 11. The rituals had been conducted amid concerns over rainfall and the possible impact of the El Niño.
A passage in former TTD executive officer P.V.R.K. Prasad’s book *Naham Kartha Hari Kartha* recalls a water crisis at Tirumala in 1979. The Gogarbham reservoir had almost dried up and the administration considered Varuna Japam after consulting Vedic scholar Uppuluri Ganapathi Shastri. The three-day ritual had then been performed. Rains followed and helped replenish Gogarbham and other reservoirs.
The TTD official said preparations for the Brahmotsavams would not prevent the temple administration from conducting the ritual if required. “TTD is always ready to contribute to the well-being of society and Hindu Sanatana Dharma. If the need arises, the Yagam will be conducted at any point of time, irrespective of the arrangements," he maintained.
The decision, he reiterated, would depend on the advice of the Agama advisers and the situation at Tirumala.
