Lord Balaji's outstanding loan, riches and compound interest rate

The Lord Srinivasa of Tirupati has entered the stock markets, and will now receive donations in the form of stocks and securities. In other news, He might become one of the biggest depositors of the gold monetisation scheme. The Lord had obtained a Rs 52,000 crore insurance cover for His gold jewels, giving an idea of the expansive wealth that He possesses. 

Since He is now an integral part of the financial markets, it is necessary to be reminded that the Lord has an outstanding loan, that may never be repaid. Yet, it is this very loan that has formed the basis of all the wealth of the temple. 

It all began when Lord Vishnu was in Vaikuntha which is a sea of milk, with His consort, Goddess Lakshmi. Around five thousand years back, the Goddess was displeased with the Lord after He mollycoddled an angry Sage Brighu. The Sage had kicked the Lord on the chest. Since it was where the Goddess resided, She took the insult to heart and left the Heavens for Earth. 

On Earth, the Lord Himself was reborn to a poor lady in the forests of Tirupati. He had to woo Goddess Lakshmi, now reborn as Padmavati, the daughter of the King of Mountains. While the wedding was duly arranged, the Lord sans lakshmi (money) had to prove to the royals that He was worthy of a Princess. This was the first lesson of the story -- it takes money to make money! He had no option but to take a very hefty loan from Kubera, the God of wealth. This is where the story of Lord Srinivasa’s prosperity starts.

Kubera was promised that He would be repaid by the end of time. All the donations made by Lord Srinivasa's devotees would be used to service the interest accrued on the loan to Kubera. Mythology is, however, hazy on the repayment of the principal amount lent by Lord Kubera. It might be understood that it is only interest that will ever be repaid, considering that all His earnings enter the kitty of the God of Wealth. 

The interest-paying devotees believe that they would never be sent back without their wishes being fulfilled. The best form of donation exclusive to this temple is the one where a devotee gives up everything in possession at the moment, including money, values, jewellery and travels back empty-handed; in the hope of greater prosperity. The income of Tirupati is around Rs 1,000 crore per annum. Devotees make Gods prosperous, in hope that He would do the same for them. 

This Lord is also known for taking it away! Legend says that the Lord is known to be very astute in terms of interest and income calculations. If a devotee were to cheat the Lord in terms of a promise made or pennypinch, the Lord is known to slap compound interest as a fine!  

Devotees are also not allowed to cheat in the ‘name’ of this Lord. For example, no enterprise in Andhra Pradesh dares to name it after the Lord, and cheat on book-keeping and calculations; and incur His wrath (mostly financial). So much so that, most people invest in chit funds and finance companies named after the Lord, because it is an insurance against fraud. 

In God, we trust!