Musings on garUda/mantrA etc.-8

[Guest guest]

srimathE lakshmi-nrsumha parabrahmaNE namaha

sri vedanta desika guravE namaha

 

Dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s",

 

In this post I know I should be getting down right away to the business

hinted in my last post -- that of examining the 4 verses from the

"garUda-panchAshath" and "garUda-dandakam".

 

But before we do that, I take your permission, to divert our discussions on

"garUda/mantrA" away from Swami Desikan's hymns or Mukkur Swamy's story to a

brief explanation of the special term we coined as the

"reflexivity-principle" operating in "mantrA-s".

 

The diversion is not, of course, terribly necessary to enable an

understanding of Swami Desikan's 2 hymns but, I believe, a little awareness

of "reflexivity" may facilitate insight into the Mukkur Swamy story as well

as into one of the most unique Articles of the Vedic Faith --- the faith in

the power of "mantrA" --- that many millions of Indians across the ages

have, and continue till this day, to abide by.

 

The awareness will help clarify to some extent, I hope, the questions we

asked amongst ourselves in the "list" a few weeks ago such as "Recite a

"mantrA", and presto! reap goodies ("kAmyArtham")?" or "If I recite the

"garUda-mantrA" can I ward off serpents ?".

 

In this post, therefore, let's quickly survey this concept of "reflexivity".

 

I use the term 'reflexivity', dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s", not because I fancy

it; or because, it has a nice "scientific" twang to it and therefore makes

discussions on the subject of "mantrA-s" rigorously "academic", "reasonable"

or "convincing" than is otherwise possible.

 

To tell you the truth, I hate the word "reflexivity principle"; it sounds so

pseudo-scientific when used in discussions of our Faith.

 

I have to, however, resort to the pseudo-scientific term, "reflexivity", to

characterise "mantrA-s" for want of any better expression which I believe

adequately serves or aids the phrasing of so-called "answers" to the

so-called "questions" we put to ourselves, viz.:

 

"Recite a "mantrA", reap its benefits ?" or

 

"Recite the "garUda-mantrA" and ward off serpents ?".

 

When we construct our "questions" in such pseudo-scientific, "cause-effect"

terms as above, dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s", we must not be taken aback or

complain that pseudo-scientific "explanations" are being thrown back at us.

 

We will take up "reflexivity" for examination in the next post.

 

 

srimathE srivan satagopa sri narayana yathindra mahadesikAya namaha

sudarshan

 

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