It should be made a rule that people whose death is imminent should be removed from Tirumala to Tirupati. If a person breathes his last at Tirumala unexpectedly, the body should taken down to the foot of the hill for the funeral.

Section 1, Chapter 12 of the Varaha Purana states that the Lord of Sri sports on Tirumala with Sridevi and the Nithyas (the ever free souls of Vaikunta) assuming the forms of birds and animals and that celestial beings consider them as forms of the Lord and follow them for a closer look. In view of this, it should be a rule that no animal inhabiting the sacred hill should be killed will-fully for its flesh.

Similarly, in the same Purana in Chapter 19, Lord Srinivasa says: “Whoever takes one step from his resi-dence towards Tirumala with the intention of participat-ing in the festivals, he will reach the supreme goal of attaining the bliss of my feet. 0 Noble sages! Each step put forward in the journey to Tiruvenkata is capable of destroying heinous sins like those resulting from brahmahatya (killing a brahmin) and help the person to cross the ocean of samsara (cycle of births and deaths)”.

Chapter 24 of the Vamana Purana contains these words of Brahmadeva. “0 Vamadeva! Listen to the benefits accruing to those virtuous people who visit the Narayanagiri for the festivals of the Lord of Tiruvenkata. O Sage! Listen to the fruits obtained by walking step by step towards Narayanagiri. Each step taken from one’s residence to Tirumala will be rewarded with the fruits resulting from the performance of a Yaga.” It is also learnt that in such a journey which destroys all sins and confers immense benefits, it is not proper to use vehicles or mounts. Nor is it proper, during the journey up the slopes of Tirumala and in the streets in which the Lord goes out in procession to use footwear.

The Varaha Purana poses this question: “Is not this Tirumala from Sri Vaikunta out of bounds to chandalas, tulukkas (muslims), and to those sinful persons who have left the path of prescribed dhannas?” The -Vamana Purana says that the hill is out of bounds to people of low birth like chandalas. It should therefore be ordained that such persons should not come up the hills.

The limits within which all these should be strictly adhered to is apparent from the words of Sri Srinivasa mentioned in chapter 17, section 1 of the Varaha Purana. According to this portion of the Purana, Parvatipati once asked the permission of Srinivasa to reside permanently on the Venkata Hills. To this, the Lord’s reply was: “0 great and mighty one! Parvatipati! I propose to be resident permanetly on this Venkata hill till the end of the present kalpa. Easwara! You may reside on the south-east portion at the foot of this hill at a distance of one yojana.”

This suggests that it is the Lord’s command that other devatas should not reside in the region between Swami Pushkarini and Kapila Tirta. This region defines the di-vine hill, which is peerless, having been brought down for the Lord’s sport from Vaikunta. It is the holiest of the holy places and the purest of the purifying places for the Lord. Great sages devoted to the Lord reside in an area of one yojana around the Swami Pushkarini perform-ing penance and worshipping the Lord of Venkata, Sri Srinivasa. Thus all the rules proposed by Sri Ramanuja should apply in the region aforesaid.

“Considering the entire Tiruvenkata mountain as the temple of the Lord, all the residents and the pilgrims who visit this place to worship the Lord should undertake to respect these restrictions. If all people submit themselves to this discipline while in this holiest of the places of the Lord most of the sinful acts would be eliminated and the purity of this place will be prescribed.” So observed Sri Ramanuja to Tirumalai Nambi and Anantalwan.