avani avattam

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The following is my answer to the question :

 

 

Question asked by Parthasarathy:

 

Also, can someone clarify if we can say the Gayathri mantram

without its preceding mantrams, For instance can I just say the gayathri

everyday without all the slokas in the sandhyavandhanam. I have heard

people subscribing to both schools of thought. (the Gayathri mantram

can be said only after the proper invocation to Mother Gayathri has

been said before it vs. Gayathri mantram is powerful by itself without

any need for other slokas to precede it, etc...)

 

Thanks

parthasarathy

 

 

ANswer:

 

Every mantra has a Rishi,chandas and devata. A mantra's power does not

manifest itself appropriately if obeissance is not paid to Rishi, chandas

and devata. this holds for gayatri mantra too. the preceding mantras

are the ones which are dedicated for this purpose. One has to do sandhyavandana

according to those rules. In fact even gayatri mantra has to be meditated

thinking about the meaning of it - like any japa. " tajjapaha tadartha

bhavanam" - pathanjali yoga sutra - w hich indicates japa means contemplating

the meaning of the mantra in addition to repeating it many times.

 

Note the general rule of bhagawadgita -

 

this is in the 17th chapter:

 

arjuna asks " what if one does a karma (like sandhyavandana) without paying

attention to the krama (methodology) but if he is sincere?" the answer

to this indicates that this method only indicates a rajasic method and

sattvic method of performing a karma is only as dictated by the shastras i

ie by preceding japa with appropriate mantras.

 

my sincere belief is that one has to take gayatri mantras and sandhyavandana

krama seriously. it is as serious as our work commitments. we have to

make time for it.

 

I feel and know as per our acharyas, gayatri mantras alone wont cut it. it

has to be preceded and followed by appropriate avahana and upasthana mantras

as taught by our acharyas.

 

sri krishnarpanam astu

 

 

 

By the way, one has to do agnikaryas - bramhacharis should do samita danam

and grihastas should do - aupasana. I feel ashamed that I dont do aupasana

as I am a grihasta. I wish I could do that also. I hope some day I get the

capacity to arrange all my work life and personal life to allocate time and

energy to do this also. I would not say that it is impossible. but definitely

all these depends on one own personal conditions - job situation, or work load

or education load or whatever. Given these restrictions we should make an

honest effort.

 

 

 

krishna