Digest Number 731 - Sandhya/Gayathri related

[Guest guest]

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

 

Dear Nappinnai,

 

Adiyen accepts the fact that our poorvacharyas have shown that leaving sandhya

vandhanam when it clashes with bhagavat/bhAgavata kainkaryam is acceptable

(keeping in memory the words of Sri parAsara bhattar. But only on that occasion

when there was a conflict between kainkaryam and sandhi timings swamy said that

kainkaryam is of higher priority. But it is not seen in his charitram that

after that day swamy didnot do sandhya vandhanam at all. All our poorvacharyas

did the daily routines till their last breath). But adiyen finds some of your

statements unacceptable.

 

"He says it's boring and I perfectly agree with him.

 

Sandhyavandhanam has been prescribed by the sastras and emperuman himself

declares that "shruthi smriti mamai Agya...AgyA chebhi mama drOhi mama

bhakthai.. na vaishnavA:" So we have no right to feel the orders of emperuman to

be boring and leave them. Our acharyas give us only an exemption when it

clashes with visEsha dharmam (bhagavat/bhAgavata kainkaryam). Are all of us

always involved in kainkaryam? Then sandhi need not be done. But we do lot of

lowkika jobs then why leave the sastric rituals with fake excuses. There should

be only a change in attitude while doing them. Srivaishnavas, should do sandhya

vandhanam as a kainkaryam to emperuman (following his words gives him happiness)

and for not any other result. At this point remember Sri Pillai ulagariyan's

sutra "karmamum kainkaryaththilE pugum".

 

"We don't have to go out of our Sri Ramanuja

sampradAyam to find any truth/answers. Whoever wants to perform

sandhyavandanam,please continue to do so. Nobody is stopping them."

 

If we are true followers of Swamy Ramanuja then we should follow his

anushtanam. Swamy who had such great paripakam could have easily left doing

sandhya vandhanam and concentrated in azhvar paasurams alone but he didnt do

that. At the age of 120 also swamy with the support of two shisyas on two sides

went to kaveri to do its daily routines. Why did he do that? To show us the

right way. Remember ponnachiyar's words "nam rAmAnujar esAna moolaiyilE oru

deivaththai kAtti thozha sonnAl appozhudhu athaiyum thozhuvOm" so shouldnt we

follow the anushtanam of swamy emperumAnAr?

 

" Sriman Ramachandran makes sandhyavandanam sound so

rigid that whoever doesn't perform it will ONLY go to hell"

 

Doing sandhya vandhanam will not achieve Srivaishnavas any results as they have

to do it only as a kainkaryam to emperuman but not doing will surely create

unhappiness in emperuman's minds as we are disregarding his words. "Avan manam

kanni pOga nAm kAranamAgalAmA?" Srivaishnavas need not do anything he will grant

moksha by his nirheduka krupai but can we just sit without going kainkaryam for

his happiness? We can spend our time (kAlashEpam) primely with

bhagavat/bhAgavata vishayam but how much time will it take to do all the daily

routines prescribed by our sastras for our varnAshrama. If one is capable of

giving up all his lowkika vyApArams for the sake of azhvar/acharya arulicheyals

he can leave these sastric rituals no problem ("sarva dharman parityajya" Here

according to our poorvacharyas sarva sabdham includes sandhya vandhanam and

other rituals but are we all thirukkannamangai Andan to leave everything and sit

infront of the temple?). But have we all climbed to that stage? Even when

emperumAnAr had all those qualifications did he leave it? Sri ramapiran need

not have done all that had to be done before doing saranAgathi. But he did why?

Because he didnt want to set a bad example (yathA rAjA tathA praja) the same was

followed by rAmAnujan then where in the world we have the right to go against

them?

 

May all the mistakes due to adiyen's ignorance please be pardoned.

 

Alwar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

vaidhehi_nc

ramanuja

Tuesday, February 10, 2004 10:15 PM

[ramanuja] Re: Digest Number 731 - Sandhya/Gayathri related

 

 

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

 

Dear bhAgavathAs,

Humble praNAms to all. I am sharing my views wrt the

following mail by Sri Ramachandran. Sandhya being mandatory depends

on the religious faith one follows. If I know little bit about TK

sampradAyam(bhAgavathAs can correct me if I'm wrong),sandhya can be

forsaked at the cost of temple kaimkaryams,AzhvArs pAsurams etc. My

own father doesn't do sandhyavandanam. He says it's boring and I

perfectly agree with him. Instead he indulges himself in AzhvArs

pAsurams and he cribs that 24 hrs is not enough. We only do it as a

service to God and not for the sake of benefits and sandhyavandanam

can be put aside if it conflicts with temple worship and prabandham

recitation.

 

Coming to psychological aspect,I don't agree to what

sriman ramachandran had mentioned in his mail that there are

scientific evidences for gayantri chanting. Scientists don't even

understand matter completely how are they going to understand the

mind. Brain is a mechanical device but not mind. Mind(especially in

the case of men!!!) can only concentrate on one thing at a time. In

the case of women,it is different and infact they dissipate their

energy by "divided" concentration. Precisely for this reason,you

don't find women experts in many areas of life:-) Sad though! So,if

somebody concentrates on chanting,gayatri namely,I will bet that that

person will not able to give 100% concentration to think about Lord's

qualities. What vishnu said is correct. Since sandhya is time bound

ritual,it is highly unlikely that the person does both chanting and

contemplation skillfully. Even ordinary action produces

reaction/result,so why should one be amazed by the vibrations

produced by the gayatri. Sri Ramachandran's writings in the last

paragraph clearly shwos that he is not well informed about Sri

Ramanuja sampradAyam. We don't have to go out of our Sri Ramanuja

sampradAyam to find any truth/answers. Whoever wants to perform

sandhyavandanam,please continue to do so. Nobody is stopping them.

 

Sriman Ramachandran makes sandhyavandanam sound so

rigid that whoever doesn't perform it will ONLY go to hell. I will

invite an open challenge to those who perform sandhyavandanam to

prove to me "scientifically" that they are gonna get liberated. They

CAN'T prove. Anyways,our kAruNya sindho Ramanuja has extracted a

promise from Lord Sri Ranganatha that whoever is associated with him

should get liberated. So,I know for certainty that my father,who

doesn't do sandhyavandanam, is liberated in this very birth.

 

As long as a person follows his own tradition and

doesn't force his tradition on others,he is doing fine and so are the

rest. We go by nirhetuka krpa of the Lord. It's His goal to liberate

the jIvAtmAs and not my goal to liberate myself! So, till this body

wears off,our job is to indulge ourselves in His anantha kalyANa guNAs

(even this is not a compulsion!!!) and not do any rituals with the

thought that it produces calmness or some benefits etc. and once

again all these nitya karmas like sandhya vandanam can be relegated

to the back door for the sake of temple worship/recitation of

prabandham. No offense intended at anyone or any religion. I respect

all religions(being an academic person) but worship only Sri Ramanuja

sampradayam.

Best Regards

 

AzhvAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE sharaNam

NC Nappinnai

 

 

 

 

> It is therefore, extremely critical and mandatory for the

> Sandhya to be performed without fail. It is quite

> surprising that Shri Vishnu has questioned the efficacy of

> Sandhya and perhaps thinks of replacing the Sandhya with 'namaa'

> chanting. Come what may, the Sandhya is a nitya karma ordained by

> the Vedas and no one is excused. Dilution of Sandhya

> requirements are therefore out of question. One may dilute all

> other rituals, worship etc. but not the Sandhya.

 

 

 

> Dear Sriman Narasimhan,

>

> I agree with what you have said. I think Alwar suggests here

thinking

> of BhagavAn's guNas and not nAma alone. Please correct me if I am

wrong.

>

> Whatever is said on ashtAksharI applies very well to gAyatrI. here

> also meaning is important and one can have faith in that meaning if

> convinced. adiyEn will try to get the meaning of gAyatrI as given in

> rAmAyaNa commentary of gOvindarAja.

>

> I have a doubt. sandhyAvandanam itself is a ritual performed in

> limited time and chanting of gAyatrI is a part of it. So one cannot

> think of His qualities while repeating gAyatrI. So is it not better

to

> devote some time to read some pASurams with their meanings or

> bhagavadguNa darpaNam (sahasranAma commentary) rather than spending

> time in rituals e.g. sandhyAvandanam?

>

> adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

> Vishnu

>

 

 

 

 

 

azhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam

 

 

 

ramanuja/

 

b..

ramanuja

 

c..

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

SrimathE rAmAnujaya Namaha,

 

Dear Sri Vishnu,

 

You are right emperuman doesn't expect anything from us. Only this fact has

stopped mandhi bhuddis like adiyen from doing anything properly. Adiyen has the

lowest of the lowest anushtanam ('neesanEn niraivondrumilEn' but emperuman does

shower his grace on me too 'enkan pAsam vaiththa param sudar jOdhi'). But this

doesn't add any fame as we are setting an wrong example for the generations to

come. That is why atleast by words adiyen insisted the necessity of following

our acharya's anushtanams (practically adiyen follows zero and hence has/is

doing the maximum apacharams possible but atleast feels for adiyen's

incapability and each moment begs the pardon from bhagavan and our acharyas for

the same). Only when we get the ultimate qualification of "sarva dharmAn

parithyajya" we can leave everything (here remember we should leave everything

not do one thing which we like to do and leave that which is difficult or boring

to do). But even if we leave now it is not going to affect us in anyway since

we have the strength of our acharyas who will take us straight to the divine

feet of emperuman ("jnAna anushtAnamivai nandrAgavE udaiyanAna guruvai

adaindhakkAl thEnAr kamala thirumAmagal kozhunan thAnE vaikundam tarum"). As a

Srivaishnavite it is enough if we just get immersed in the arulicheyals of

azhvars and acharyas and spend our time (kalashepam) with bhagavat/bhagavata

kainkaryam. In that case, we should refrain ourselves from doing rituals like

ayushhomam, marriage homams, gruhapravesa homams etc also (if you are willing to

do such homams then we have to satisfy the basic qualification for the same.

Sastras say that one who has left sandhi is not eligible for any of these

rituals. so we either leave all these or do them with the necessary

qualification else it doesn't serve the purpose atall and it is sheer waste of

time). Actually we have to purify our new homes only with the padhadhooli of a

bhagavata and cherish the same like periya nambigal. How many of us arrange for

recitation of 4000 paasurams and grand dhadheeyArAdhanam to bhagavatas atleast

for all so called auspicious occasions in our life? (actually only such a

recitation and bhagavata kainkaryam is auspicious occasions in our life). Let

us stop discussing whether we have do sandhi or not and concentrate on more

constructive subjects (bhagavat anubhavams). It is no harm in us spending 15

to 30 mts in a day for doing sandhi as a kainkaryam to emperuman and then

spending our day with bhagavat/bhagavata kainkaryams. Nothing is for our

pleasure everything is only for his happiness ("padiyAi kidandhu vun pavalavAi

kAnbEnE")

 

All mistakes are due to adiyen's ignorance so please forgive them.

 

Alwar empermAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan

-

Vishnu

ramanuja

Monday, February 16, 2004 3:58 PM

[ramanuja] Re: Digest Number 731 - Sandhya/Gayathri related

 

 

>

> Sandhyavandhanam has been prescribed by the sastras and emperuman

himself declares that "shruthi smriti mamai Agya...AgyA chebhi mama

drOhi mama bhakthai.. na vaishnavA:" So we have no right to feel the

orders of emperuman to be boring and leave them. Our acharyas give

us only an exemption when it clashes with visEsha dharmam

(bhagavat/bhAgavata kainkaryam). Are all of us always involved in

kainkaryam? Then sandhi need not be done. But we do lot of lowkika

jobs then why leave the sastric rituals with fake excuses.

 

Dear Ms Sumithra,

 

u r right in saying that we are all in lowkika jobs. Also it is tru

that SrI rAmAnuja and varavara were the best examples of vedic

ascetics, much better than the Rushis of prev yugas. however, most of

their time was spent in the primary anushtAnam of propagating the

aruLiccheyals of AlwArs. If we lowkikas spend time in rituals, what

about following the sampradAyam?

 

It is true that Lord says:

Sruti smurti mamaiva AgnA.. etc. But what do the SAstras say about a

bhAgavata? Anyone who is not averse to paying obeisance to Him is a

bhAgavata (Periya Thirumozhi .. kadanmallai pASurams). then where is

the expectation by God for us to do something?

 

Also why should we take the SlOka quoted by you terms of rituals? why

not in terms of morals and good conduct (which has more relevance in

terms of bhAgavata kainkaryam - a primary anushtAnam)?

 

>If we are true followers of Swamy Ramanuja then we should follow his

>anushtanam. Swamy who had such great paripakam could have easily

>left doing

>sandhya vandhanam and concentrated in azhvar paasurams alone but he

>didnt do

>that.

 

As I said primary anushtAnam is adherence to Alwars' aruLichheyals

(again not ritualistically chanting "naharam aruL purindhu..", "neri

vASal thAnEyAy ninrAnai.." etc. without practising the meaning

therein). Sri Bhattar says that a Srivaishnava should live like a

hen, where he indicates that one has to primarily concentrate on the

quintessence of all Sastras i.e. the prabandham (which itself is the

primary Sastra).

 

also it is for emberumAn to put us in any kanikaryam He wants

(samuchitA vrtti .. as said in ashtaSlOkI). So one need not feel he

is going against Sastras if he does not to sandhyA. our God does not

have any expectation from us and no practice can be an

exception, right! at the same time, one can do it as a kainkaryam.

 

> There should be only a change in attitude while doing them.

>Srivaishnavas, should do sandhya vandhanam as a kainkaryam to

>emperuman (following his words gives him happiness) and for not any

>other result. At this point remember Sri Pillai ulagariyan's

>sutra "karmamum kainkaryaththilE pugum".

 

Sri PiLLai lOkAchArya says "karma can also join kainkaryam

(karmamum...)".

 

>

> Doing sandhya vandhanam will not achieve Srivaishnavas any results

>as they have to do it only as a kainkaryam to emperuman but not

>doing will surely create unhappiness in emperuman's minds as we are

>disregarding his words.

 

As I said, He does not have any expectaion from us so does not become

unhappy. Also we are not disregarding His words (ref. "naharam aruL

purindhu..." is His AgnA).

 

Our AchAryas say (in commentaries) we have to do anything we do for

His happiness. Then does it not become an effort on our part and

contradict their own words that He is the upAya? To this, what I heard

is, like a slave who tries to please his master, we should also do

whatever we do in the mood of pleasing Him. We should not think

whatever we are doing is for our pleasure. That is what our AchAryas

mean.

 

> "Avan manam kanni pOga nAm kAranamAgalAmA?" >Srivaishnavas need not

>do anything he will grant moksha by his >nirheduka krupai but can we

>just sit without going kainkaryam for >his happiness? We can spend

>our time (kAlashEpam) primely with >bhagavat/bhAgavata vishayam but

>how much time will it take to do all >the daily routines prescribed

>by our sastras for our varnAshrama.

 

To do all the daily routines will certainly take a lot of time.

definitely sandhyAvandanam does not take much time.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Vishnu

 

 

 

 

azhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam

 

 

 

 

 

Links

 

ramanuja/

 

b..

ramanuja

 

c..

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

This refers to the interactions below:

 

Sutra I-28 "tad jap tad artha..." of the Patanjali Yoga Sutras make it

amply clear that - and this can be borne out by actually experiencing -

that if one chants and contemplates on the meaning, of OM, then one may get

a glimpse of something beyond.

 

It is therefore highly essential, nay highly desirable that one just not

mechanically chant. The mantra words, originating from the Shurthi, are

pure and structured with high precision by divinity. When chanted properly

a series of vibrations are set forth and this impacts each of the 'nadis'

or nerve endings deep inside us. These vibrations in turn activate the

parasympathic nervous system in the spinal column and results in a natural

calmness covering the brain cells and brain activities. Specifically with

reference to the Gayathri Chanting, experiments with volunteers over many

days at Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala have clearly established beyond any shred

of doubt mental, psychological, psysiological and hormonal changes at

deeper levels - all for the better of course. So we do have clear

scientific, well documented, researched, statistically proved and

calibarated results available. These srudies are part of a much bigger

project and are ongoing.

 

In short the contemplation of the meaning of Om is to follow the chant of

Om. When we recite or chant Om, it does not mean that our mind will be

remaining idle. On the contrary, it concentrates itself: it feels the

presence of a harmony with the whole universe. One can do Japa of Om itself

in any of the forms mentioned. One has to extrapolate this the Gayathri

and it will be obvious about the enormous potential which occurs when the

Gayathri alongwith the Om is chanted.

 

It is therefore, extremely critical and mandatory for the Sandhya to be

performed without fail. It is quite surprising that Shri Vishnu has

questioned the efficacy of Sandhya and perhaps thinks of replacing the

Sandhya with 'namaa' chanting. Come what may, the Sandhya is a nitya karma

ordained by the Vedas and no one is excused. Dilution of Sandhya

requirements are therefore out of question. One may dilute all other

rituals, worship etc. but not the Sandhya.

 

Om Tat Sat

Tat tvam asi

 

 

 

ramanuja@gr

oups.com ramanuja

cc:

02/09/04 05:49 [ramanuja] Digest Number

731

PM

Please respond

to ramanuja

 

 

 

 

---~->

 

There are 5 messages in this issue.

 

Topics in this digest:

 

1. Re: Narayana Mantram and Picture

"Vishnu" <vsmvishnu

2. Re: Narayana Mantram and Picture

"Vishnu" <vsmvishnu

3. Thanks!!

"Shankaranarayanan Rajaraman" <jeenchu78

4. AchArya Hrdhyam 151

nsp <aazhwar

5. Re: Nrisimhaashtakam

"Vishnu" <vsmvishnu

 

 

______________________

______________________

 

Message: 1

Sun, 08 Feb 2004 13:57:05 -0000

"Vishnu" <vsmvishnu

Re: Narayana Mantram and Picture

 

ramanuja, "vaidhehi_nc" <nappinnai_nc> wrote:

> Sri:

> Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

> Dear SriMahaVishnu,

 

Dear Ms Nappinnai,

 

I am undoubtedtly the least learned and the most ignorant in this forum.

 

You are right in saying that chanting ashtAksharI goes agaisnt the

principles of SrIvachana bhUshaNam (also mumukshuppadi). That is why

most of the Thenkalai AchAryas do not prescribe any sort of japam.

However, I did not want to project "not chanting it" as another

ritual. That is why I wrote that one can chant it umpteen times.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Vishnu

 

> I envy your name and your clarity of thought process

> as well :-) With my maNdUka knowledge,I can feel that you have the

> right perspective of TK sampradAyam. I feel that chanting mUla

> manthram umpteen number of times defies TK sampradAyam completely and

> also violates srI vacana bhUShaNam to the core if one gives stress to

> and the benefits of the chanting as a ritual. When I read your

> mails,my thoughts get sharpened and tuned. I miss your personal

> mails. Once in a while,please send mails loaded with bhagavad

> knowledge. Only a bhAgavatha like you can uplift souls like me with

> viparIta j~nAnam.

>

> AzhvAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE sharaNam

> NC Nappinnai

>

 

 

 

 

 

______________________

______________________

 

Message: 2

Sun, 08 Feb 2004 14:12:58 -0000

"Vishnu" <vsmvishnu

Re: Narayana Mantram and Picture

 

ramanuja, "Lakshmi Narasimhan" <nrusimhan@h...>

wrote:

 

Dear Sriman Narasimhan,

 

I agree with what you have said. I think Alwar suggests here thinking

of BhagavAn's guNas and not nAma alone. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Whatever is said on ashtAksharI applies very well to gAyatrI. here

also meaning is important and one can have faith in that meaning if

convinced. adiyEn will try to get the meaning of gAyatrI as given in

rAmAyaNa commentary of gOvindarAja.

 

I have a doubt. sandhyAvandanam itself is a ritual performed in

limited time and chanting of gAyatrI is a part of it. So one cannot

think of His qualities while repeating gAyatrI. So is it not better to

devote some time to read some pASurams with their meanings or

bhagavadguNa darpaNam (sahasranAma commentary) rather than spending

time in rituals e.g. sandhyAvandanam?

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Vishnu

 

 

 

> Asmad Gurubhyo Namaha

> Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

>

> Dear Swami,

> The "formal recitation of the ga:yatri" is itself a mispractice that

> is happening or atleast misunderstood. Gayatri needs to be chanted

> while we contemplate upon the supreme. Azhwar says:

> "peyarinaiye pundhiyal sindhiyaadhu oodhi uruvennum

> andhiyaalaam payanangen?"

> That is, Azhwar claims that, what would be the point of those

> chantings that were done for the sake of count and not for the sake

> of thinking about the bhagavan nama, during the sandhyavandhanam. So,

> Gayathri must be chanted only while thinking/contemplating the

> supreme - reason for the exact count of Gayathri(like 108, 1008 etc)

> is not known to me - learned scholars may throw further light on

> this. Chanting of Thirumanthram in addition to Gayathri as part of

> this ritual, is optional, though not necessarily recommended by all

> acharyas.

>

> I apologize for my mistakes if any.

>

> Adiyen,

> Ramanuja Dasan

>

> ramanuja, Madhuri and Mohan <m_raghavan@e...>

> wrote:

> > Sri Vishnu,

> >

> > From this e-mail, I think that you and I are saying very much the

> same

> > thing, and apologize if I saw it differently in your original

> message.

> > I would concur with you that contemplation upon the meaning of the

> > mantra is most important, and not just its mere mechanical

> recitation.

> > Perhaps this is why most a:cha:ryas would limit prescribing it as a

> > formalized japam.

> >

> > However, I do recall from my own readings and discussion with

> others

> > that part of the sandhya vandanam practice does involve taking a

> few

> > moments to contemplate on the thirumantram after formal recitation

> of

> > the ga:yatri. I think that the reason that no specific number or

> count

> > is specified would seem to indicate that this be a contemplation,

> and

> > not some sort of formalized ritual for ritual's sake.

> >

> > Ramanuja dasan

> > Mohan

 

 

 

 

______________________

______________________

 

Message: 3

Sat, 07 Feb 2004 04:27:09 -0000

"Shankaranarayanan Rajaraman" <jeenchu78

Thanks!!

 

Dear members,

 

Adiyen Shankaranarayanan would like to thank Sri TCA Venkatesan and

the moderator of Shri Ramanuja for introducing and

accepting me in the e-satsangh. I reside at Arlington,Texas and am

a fresh EE graduate.

 

Regards,

Shankaranarayanan

 

 

 

 

______________________

______________________

 

Message: 4

Mon, 09 Feb 2004 06:50:05 +0530

nsp <aazhwar

AchArya Hrdhyam 151

 

AchArya Hrdhayam -sUthram 223

The Fifth Ten

The Love for the Lord

"pEAr amar pin ninRu kazhiya migu yAneAyenna vAithu ARRAgillAdhu nErAi

meliya vUdu pukku vaLara..."

 

Summary: It was seen in the preceding posting that the Lord is the reason

for increasing the increasing yearning for Him, the reason for the Love and

Affection towards Him. The creation of such Love, the emancipation of such

love, the evolution of such love, the impact of the Love on AzhwAr is

further explained.

 

The great love-pEaramar kAdhal- emerges from the Lord's everlasting

beautiful form. This Love settles down in the mind of AzhwAr and creates

restlessness. Does it stop with that? The friends around AzhwAr comments

on this love. The love manifests itself into thriving oneself by acting

like the Lord- I created this whole world, I am the ultimate in learning, I

am the ultimate in what one sees, I am the pancha-bhUdham, the actions, the

cause-effects, the heaven, hell etc. This reflcts that AzhwAr cannot live

without the Almighty even for a second. Even the physique of AzhwAr melts

on thinking of sweetness of the Lord Almighty. Is this state of affair

intermittent for AzhwAr? No this is an experience day in and day out for

AzhwAr.

The auspicious qualities and deeds of the Lord pierces into the mind of

AzhwAr and melts him time and again. That is the nature of love towards the

lord-great love-pEr amar kAdhal.

..

 

pAsuram-s:

 

"pEar amar kAdhal kadal puraiya viLaivitha"--thiru voi mozhi 5-3-4---->

TheGreat Love towards the Lord is created by the Lord Himself.

"pin ninRa kAdhal nOi nenjam peridhu adumAl" --thiru voi mozhi 5-4-6--> The

Love becomes a disease as it pains the mind -makes it restless.

"kazhiya mikkadhOre kAdhgalaL ivaL" -thiru voi mozhi 5-5-10--> The friends

around AzhwAr comment on AzhwAr's Love.

"kadal gnAlam seidhEnum yAnEa ennum"---> thiru voi mozhi 5-6-- all the

elven pAsuram-s of this thiru voi mozhi

reflect AzhwAr's mindset. AzhwAr is able to survive by acting like the

Lord. AzhwAr says that " I created the world.I am the world. I am the cause

effects. I am the Learning. I destroyed. I am the deities , the muni-s and

so on. These pAsuram-s reflect that AzhwAr is not able to sustain himself

by merely thinking about the Lord but need more by acting like the Lord.

"Agilum ini vunnai vittonRum ARRa kiRkinRilEan" --thiru voi mozhi 5-7-1-->

" I am not able to be my self without being with you" is AzhwAr's

predicament.

"ArA amudhEA adiyEAn vudalam nin pAl anbAyEa nErAi alaindhu karaiya "

--thiru voi mozhi 5-8-1--> AzhwAr's physique melts on contemplating the

sweetness of the Lord.

"vaigalum vinayEan meliya"--thiru voi mozhi 5-9-1--> This effect of Love is

day in and day out for AzhwAr and not just intermittent.

"niRandhan vUdu pukku enadhu Aviyai ninRu ninRu vurukki vuNginRa"--thiru

voi mozhi 5-10--> This thiru voi mozhi talks of deeds and qualities of the

Lord Almighty which pierces into the mind of AzhwAr and torments.

 

Thus, the nature of Love and Affection towards the Lord is elaborated.

 

(to be continued)

vanamamalai padmanabhan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

______________________

______________________

 

Message: 5

Sun, 08 Feb 2004 14:22:44 -0000

"Vishnu" <vsmvishnu

Re: Nrisimhaashtakam

 

Dear Sriman Kesavan,

 

Here transliterating it properly is important.

kalanka mean blemish. akaLanka means blemishless. Srimath+akaLanka is

to be read a SrImadakaLanka without break.

 

The choice of sequence of words here is wonderful:

SrImath = always with pirAtti (so always kind)

akaLanka = blemishless (because of being SrImath)

paripUrNa = complete (because of being blemishless).

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Vishnu

 

ramanuja, "kesavants" <kesavants> wrote:

> Dear Bhagavathas,

> Pranams. Is this shloka Nrisimhaashtakam which starts like

> this "srimada kalanka paripoorna sashi koti" composed by Sri Manavala

> Mamuningal? Is this praising the Lord in any particular kshetram or

> divya desam? Please let me know.

> Pranams,

> srinivasa dasan

 

 

 

 

______________________

______________________

 

 

azhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam

 

------

 

 

 

------

[Guest guest]

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

 

Dear bhAgavathAs,

Humble praNAms to all. I am sharing my views wrt the

following mail by Sri Ramachandran. Sandhya being mandatory depends

on the religious faith one follows. If I know little bit about TK

sampradAyam(bhAgavathAs can correct me if I'm wrong),sandhya can be

forsaked at the cost of temple kaimkaryams,AzhvArs pAsurams etc. My

own father doesn't do sandhyavandanam. He says it's boring and I

perfectly agree with him. Instead he indulges himself in AzhvArs

pAsurams and he cribs that 24 hrs is not enough. We only do it as a

service to God and not for the sake of benefits and sandhyavandanam

can be put aside if it conflicts with temple worship and prabandham

recitation.

 

Coming to psychological aspect,I don't agree to what

sriman ramachandran had mentioned in his mail that there are

scientific evidences for gayantri chanting. Scientists don't even

understand matter completely how are they going to understand the

mind. Brain is a mechanical device but not mind. Mind(especially in

the case of men!!!) can only concentrate on one thing at a time. In

the case of women,it is different and infact they dissipate their

energy by "divided" concentration. Precisely for this reason,you

don't find women experts in many areas of life:-) Sad though! So,if

somebody concentrates on chanting,gayatri namely,I will bet that that

person will not able to give 100% concentration to think about Lord's

qualities. What vishnu said is correct. Since sandhya is time bound

ritual,it is highly unlikely that the person does both chanting and

contemplation skillfully. Even ordinary action produces

reaction/result,so why should one be amazed by the vibrations

produced by the gayatri. Sri Ramachandran's writings in the last

paragraph clearly shwos that he is not well informed about Sri

Ramanuja sampradAyam. We don't have to go out of our Sri Ramanuja

sampradAyam to find any truth/answers. Whoever wants to perform

sandhyavandanam,please continue to do so. Nobody is stopping them.

 

Sriman Ramachandran makes sandhyavandanam sound so

rigid that whoever doesn't perform it will ONLY go to hell. I will

invite an open challenge to those who perform sandhyavandanam to

prove to me "scientifically" that they are gonna get liberated. They

CAN'T prove. Anyways,our kAruNya sindho Ramanuja has extracted a

promise from Lord Sri Ranganatha that whoever is associated with him

should get liberated. So,I know for certainty that my father,who

doesn't do sandhyavandanam, is liberated in this very birth.

 

As long as a person follows his own tradition and

doesn't force his tradition on others,he is doing fine and so are the

rest. We go by nirhetuka krpa of the Lord. It's His goal to liberate

the jIvAtmAs and not my goal to liberate myself! So, till this body

wears off,our job is to indulge ourselves in His anantha kalyANa guNAs

(even this is not a compulsion!!!) and not do any rituals with the

thought that it produces calmness or some benefits etc. and once

again all these nitya karmas like sandhya vandanam can be relegated

to the back door for the sake of temple worship/recitation of

prabandham. No offense intended at anyone or any religion. I respect

all religions(being an academic person) but worship only Sri Ramanuja

sampradayam.

Best Regards

 

AzhvAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE sharaNam

NC Nappinnai

 

 

 

 

> It is therefore, extremely critical and mandatory for the

> Sandhya to be performed without fail. It is quite

> surprising that Shri Vishnu has questioned the efficacy of

> Sandhya and perhaps thinks of replacing the Sandhya with 'namaa'

> chanting. Come what may, the Sandhya is a nitya karma ordained by

> the Vedas and no one is excused. Dilution of Sandhya

> requirements are therefore out of question. One may dilute all

> other rituals, worship etc. but not the Sandhya.

 

 

 

> Dear Sriman Narasimhan,

>

> I agree with what you have said. I think Alwar suggests here

thinking

> of BhagavAn's guNas and not nAma alone. Please correct me if I am

wrong.

>

> Whatever is said on ashtAksharI applies very well to gAyatrI. here

> also meaning is important and one can have faith in that meaning if

> convinced. adiyEn will try to get the meaning of gAyatrI as given in

> rAmAyaNa commentary of gOvindarAja.

>

> I have a doubt. sandhyAvandanam itself is a ritual performed in

> limited time and chanting of gAyatrI is a part of it. So one cannot

> think of His qualities while repeating gAyatrI. So is it not better

to

> devote some time to read some pASurams with their meanings or

> bhagavadguNa darpaNam (sahasranAma commentary) rather than spending

> time in rituals e.g. sandhyAvandanam?

>

> adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

> Vishnu

>

[Guest guest]

ramanuja, s.ramachandran@h...

wrote:

>

Dear Sriman Ramachandran,

 

You have quoted and misunderstood my words wrongly in

your reply. At the same time, you have irresponsibly

copied your reply to another list where I am not a

member.

 

May I expect a posting from you in Srirangasri,

quoting me from my original mail correctly, without

getting carried away by emotions?

 

>

> It is therefore highly essential, nay highly

desirable that one just not

> mechanically chant. The mantra words,

originating from the Shurthi, are

> pure and structured with high precision by divinity.

When chanted properly

> a series of vibrations are set forth and this

impacts each of the 'nadis'

> or nerve endings deep inside us. These

vibrations in turn activate the

> parasympathic nervous system in the spinal column

and results in a natural

> calmness covering the brain cells and brain

activities. Specifically with

> reference to the Gayathri Chanting, experiments

with volunteers over many

> days at Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala have clearly

established beyond any shred

> of doubt mental, psychological, psysiological

and hormonal changes at

> deeper levels - all for the better of

course. So we do have clear

> scientific, well documented, researched,

statistically proved and

> calibarated results available. These srudies

are part of a much bigger

> project and are ongoing.

 

That is the faith of those conducting the research and

we do not condemn that.

 

>

> In short the contemplation of the meaning of Om is

to follow the chant of

> Om. When we recite or chant Om, it does not

mean that our mind >will be

> remaining idle. On the contrary, it

concentrates itself: it >feels the

> presence of a harmony with the whole universe. One

can do Japa of Om itself

> in any of the forms mentioned. One has to

extrapolate this the Gayathri

> and it will be obvious about the enormous

potential which occurs >when the

> Gayathri alongwith the Om is chanted.

 

Whatever you said goes totally against the spirit of

ThirumantrArtha.

 

>

> It is therefore, extremely critical and

mandatory for the Sandhya to be

> performed without fail. It is quite

surprising that Shri Vishnu has

> questioned the efficacy of Sandhya and perhaps

thinks of replacing the

> Sandhya with 'namaa' chanting.

 

Please re-read my mail. I did not say anything aboput

nAma sankIrtanam. I said whether it is not better to

think of BhagavAn's guNas by reading bhagavad guNa

darpaNam or a few pASurams with meanings.

This is according to SAstras (Ref. Mudhal

ThiruvandhAdhi fourth verse) which say it is of no use

counting the chant of mantras in sanhdyA without

thinking of His qualities e.g. granting a place to

brahmA in His lotus navel, granting him vEdas etc.

 

If one is doing it, one can do it in the mood of

kainkaryam. If one is not doing, there is no harm.

Faith in SrImannArAyaNa is important.

 

>

>Come what may, the Sandhya is a nitya karma

> ordained by the Vedas and no one is excused.

 

 

where do vEdas say so?

 

>Dilution of >Sandhya

> requirements are therefore out of question.

 

This is the standard statement in most of the

. We know many youngsters (also elders) are

not doing it regularly. Why should we affect their

confidence?

 

>One may dilute >all other

> rituals, worship etc. but not the Sandhya.

 

Why one may dilute all other rituals, worsship etc.?

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

 

______________________

India Education Special: Study in the UK now.

Go to http://in.specials./index1.html

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhagavathas,

I was really happy to see Smt.Sumitra's mail, as she has

written whatever I wanted to write. To add a few more lines to her

mail regarding the Anushtanam's followed by our poorvacharyars,

Our Ramanuja Sampradhayam emphasizes Seshathvam and

Parathanthriyam and also "Melaiyar seivangal". A Seshan cannot ask

questions nor he cannot do researches on the statements of his master.

(this is against our Sampradhayam). so all we need to do is to follow

simply.

Eventhough, I understand that it is difficult to follow(esp when

it comes to Sandhya) lets not find justifications for not doing as it

been rightly quoted in the mail "Avan manam kanni pOga nAm

kAranamAgalAmA?".If we start doing this way, then the future

generations will come with more questions such as "what is scientific

reason for doing Thiruvaradhanam, why should I go to temple as

Perumal is there in my heart as Antharyami etc. etc."

When our Ramanuja found it difficult for people like us(the

regular samsari) to do the three Yogas to attain our Beloved Lord and

made "Saranagathi" the best way, then why didn't he change other

karmas too? Are we that qualified to question them and change them?

 

Kshmikka prarthikkiren,

 

adiyen

ramanujam

[Guest guest]

Asmad Gurubhyo Namaha

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Dear Bhagavathas,

There are two strong views about Sandhyavandhanam, one that is in

total favor of doing the same and the other that is against it when

it becomes an obstruction to Bhagavadh Bhaagavadha Kainkaryam. We

just need to understand the appropriate intent/perspective behind

each view (this is something similar to the bheda/abheda shruti:)

and, must, in an overall perspective, arrive at consensus. To me

both the views are acceptable, only in an appropriate sense and

subject to the context of the person's mano-bhavam(state of mind).

Before getting into this, let me share what I have heard in another

wonderful kalakshepam from my swami. This is regarding types of

favors that the LORD does, that have been classified as follows:

a) saha-karanam

b) uddharanam

c) avatharanam

 

a - saha-karanam means, he helps everyone in par with each other by

being the niyata/niyanta etc. He is the basis for the existence of

everything else. He creates, sustains and destroys and plays around.

b - uddharanam means to bring someone up. He provides shastras and

sampradayas for those who want to learn the same and provides a

path, to the interested, to come up to him(moksham).

c - avatharanam means to come down. He comes down to those whom he

feels as his dearest ones - "Aham sa cha mama priyaha", "maam evaam

utthamaam gathim", "vasudeva sarvam" etc.

 

Those who are at normal level, are favored by him via saha-karanam.

Those who show further interest to attain him, are shown great

shastras/acharyas and these people perform all activities as per

shastras and then go to him as a RESULT of the same.

Those who show interest only to make him happy, do not make any such

attempts, but keep doing what they think would make the LORD happy.

For them, HE comes down as HIMSELF or as an ACHARYA and gets the

kainkaryam from them directly.

 

Now, performing sandhyavandhanam, for the sake of shastras, would

fall under category b. This is why it is one of the papas, that

Swami Pillailokachariar says, the lord will wipe out as part of the

charama slokham. This is totally acceptable because, the moment a

person loses the focus on the lord and does something as duty, he

falls under the clutches of punya/papa. Hence this is a papa from a

Prapanna's perspective.

The same sandhyavandhanam, if done, after understanding the same, to

make the LORD happy, becomes a kainkarya. The BHAVAM is what is

prapatti as per Thennacharya Sampradaayam.

 

Here is another incident that happened in Srirangam that is quite

often quoted: There was a brahmanar who was performing "Arkyam" in

his house as part of the Sandhyavandhana ritual. Lord Ranganatha, as

utsavar, came via that veedhi, and stopped by his house. This person

came to know about this and asked them to hold perumal, as he did

not want to stop his nithya karma in the middle(otherwise he had to

do the praayacchitham later). Perumal, via archaka avesam, asked the

seemaan-thaangigal to move on to the next house. In that house,

there was a pathi-virathai who was serving food to her husband who

was also a brahmanar and parama-bhagavathar. She told the archakar

that she has to complete the bhagavatha kainkaryam and then only she

could come out to worship perumal. Archakar was told by the lord to

wait there until she comes. When asked why, lord replied to the

archakar as follows:

The previous brahmanar was performing the nithyakarma only as a step

towards attaining the lord. When the lord himself was at his door

step, he ignored the lord. So, the lord decided that the brahmana

would come to the lord with his own efforts(uddharanam). In the

latter case, perumal loved to stay and wait(avatharanam) for those

who performed the bhagavatha kainkaryam as their prime kainkaryam.

 

This example, by no means, is to say that Sandhyavandhanam could be

ignored. It only shows the bhavam of people of different levels of

prapatti.

 

So, what Shri Venkatesan and Nappinnai mentioned makes sense - but

is not generic to all. Those who think they are involved in better

kainkaryams than nithyakarmas, could ignore the nithyakarma as well

at that juncture. Same was the case with our acharyas and hence the

acharya vaibhavam was quoted. For those who do not feel that much

involvement, they must, as a beginner, follow the shastras blindly.

Later, an Acharya kataaksham will take over them and will change

their perspective/bhavam. So, doing sandhyavandhanam, for a layman,

is a must(ofcourse, this is only for those for whom it has been

recommended by vedas).

 

So, let us understand the different perspectives,respect and enjoy

the same.

 

Mistakes and misinterpretations are my pride as no one could compete

with me on the same:) All other credits go to my swami.

 

Sarva Aparaadhaan Kshamasva.

 

Adiyen,

Ramanuja Dasan

 

ramanuja, "apramanujam" <apramanujam>

wrote:

>

> Dear Bhagavathas,

> I was really happy to see Smt.Sumitra's mail, as she has

> written whatever I wanted to write. To add a few more lines to her

> mail regarding the Anushtanam's followed by our poorvacharyars,

> Our Ramanuja Sampradhayam emphasizes Seshathvam and

> Parathanthriyam and also "Melaiyar seivangal". A Seshan cannot ask

> questions nor he cannot do researches on the statements of his

master.

> (this is against our Sampradhayam). so all we need to do is to

follow

> simply.

> Eventhough, I understand that it is difficult to follow(esp

when

> it comes to Sandhya) lets not find justifications for not doing as

it

> been rightly quoted in the mail "Avan manam kanni pOga nAm

> kAranamAgalAmA?".If we start doing this way, then the future

> generations will come with more questions such as "what is

scientific

> reason for doing Thiruvaradhanam, why should I go to temple as

> Perumal is there in my heart as Antharyami etc. etc."

> When our Ramanuja found it difficult for people like us(the

> regular samsari) to do the three Yogas to attain our Beloved Lord

and

> made "Saranagathi" the best way, then why didn't he change other

> karmas too? Are we that qualified to question them and change them?

>

> Kshmikka prarthikkiren,

>

> adiyen

> ramanujam

[Guest guest]

>

> Sandhyavandhanam has been prescribed by the sastras and emperuman

himself declares that "shruthi smriti mamai Agya...AgyA chebhi mama

drOhi mama bhakthai.. na vaishnavA:" So we have no right to feel the

orders of emperuman to be boring and leave them. Our acharyas give

us only an exemption when it clashes with visEsha dharmam

(bhagavat/bhAgavata kainkaryam). Are all of us always involved in

kainkaryam? Then sandhi need not be done. But we do lot of lowkika

jobs then why leave the sastric rituals with fake excuses.

 

Dear Ms Sumithra,

 

u r right in saying that we are all in lowkika jobs. Also it is tru

that SrI rAmAnuja and varavara were the best examples of vedic

ascetics, much better than the Rushis of prev yugas. however, most of

their time was spent in the primary anushtAnam of propagating the

aruLiccheyals of AlwArs. If we lowkikas spend time in rituals, what

about following the sampradAyam?

 

It is true that Lord says:

Sruti smurti mamaiva AgnA.. etc. But what do the SAstras say about a

bhAgavata? Anyone who is not averse to paying obeisance to Him is a

bhAgavata (Periya Thirumozhi .. kadanmallai pASurams). then where is

the expectation by God for us to do something?

 

Also why should we take the SlOka quoted by you terms of rituals? why

not in terms of morals and good conduct (which has more relevance in

terms of bhAgavata kainkaryam - a primary anushtAnam)?

 

>If we are true followers of Swamy Ramanuja then we should follow his

>anushtanam. Swamy who had such great paripakam could have easily

>left doing

>sandhya vandhanam and concentrated in azhvar paasurams alone but he

>didnt do

>that.

 

As I said primary anushtAnam is adherence to Alwars' aruLichheyals

(again not ritualistically chanting "naharam aruL purindhu..", "neri

vASal thAnEyAy ninrAnai.." etc. without practising the meaning

therein). Sri Bhattar says that a Srivaishnava should live like a

hen, where he indicates that one has to primarily concentrate on the

quintessence of all Sastras i.e. the prabandham (which itself is the

primary Sastra).

 

also it is for emberumAn to put us in any kanikaryam He wants

(samuchitA vrtti .. as said in ashtaSlOkI). So one need not feel he

is going against Sastras if he does not to sandhyA. our God does not

have any expectation from us and no practice can be an

exception, right! at the same time, one can do it as a kainkaryam.

 

> There should be only a change in attitude while doing them.

>Srivaishnavas, should do sandhya vandhanam as a kainkaryam to

>emperuman (following his words gives him happiness) and for not any

>other result. At this point remember Sri Pillai ulagariyan's

>sutra "karmamum kainkaryaththilE pugum".

 

Sri PiLLai lOkAchArya says "karma can also join kainkaryam

(karmamum...)".

 

>

> Doing sandhya vandhanam will not achieve Srivaishnavas any results

>as they have to do it only as a kainkaryam to emperuman but not

>doing will surely create unhappiness in emperuman's minds as we are

>disregarding his words.

 

As I said, He does not have any expectaion from us so does not become

unhappy. Also we are not disregarding His words (ref. "naharam aruL

purindhu..." is His AgnA).

 

Our AchAryas say (in commentaries) we have to do anything we do for

His happiness. Then does it not become an effort on our part and

contradict their own words that He is the upAya? To this, what I heard

is, like a slave who tries to please his master, we should also do

whatever we do in the mood of pleasing Him. We should not think

whatever we are doing is for our pleasure. That is what our AchAryas

mean.

 

> "Avan manam kanni pOga nAm kAranamAgalAmA?" >Srivaishnavas need not

>do anything he will grant moksha by his >nirheduka krupai but can we

>just sit without going kainkaryam for >his happiness? We can spend

>our time (kAlashEpam) primely with >bhagavat/bhAgavata vishayam but

>how much time will it take to do all >the daily routines prescribed

>by our sastras for our varnAshrama.

 

To do all the daily routines will certainly take a lot of time.

definitely sandhyAvandanam does not take much time.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Vishnu

[Guest guest]

ramanuja, "apramanujam" <apramanujam>

wrote:

> > Our Ramanuja Sampradhayam emphasizes Seshathvam and

> Parathanthriyam and also "Melaiyar seivangal". A Seshan cannot ask

> questions nor he cannot do researches on the statements of his

>master.

> (this is against our Sampradhayam). so all we need to do is to

>follow

> simply.

 

Dear Sriman Ramanujam,

 

If people know the "why" of it, they will be happier to follow. Many

youngsters and elders are going away only because of not being

convinced and informed.

 

>If we start doing this way, then the future

> generations will come with more questions such as "what is

scientific

> reason for doing Thiruvaradhanam, why should I go to temple as

> Perumal is there in my heart as Antharyami etc. etc."

 

ThiruvArAdhanam also may (SV) people are not doing. Again SEshatva

buddhi is important. nammALwar says "Thozhudhu mAmalar... " in

thiruvAimozhi where he tells us that Lord Himself does not expect us

to offer garland, water, lamp etc and is devising His own ways to

uplift us reclining on the serpent. We have to do it ONLY out of

SEshatva buddhi and love for Him. There is no harm if one does not

do. We have the example of ThiruvArAdhanam of AchArya Bhattar.

Some people living in Triplicane limit their ThiruvArAdhanam to

lighting lamp, offering food and take part in the procession during

brahmOtsavams. Any kainkaryam in the temple also needs to be done in

the mood of bhAgavata kainkaryam (primary anushtAnam), I heard from

my AchArya.

 

AlwArs say "ozhivinnitthirumUzhikkaratthuraium oN Sudarai" in

thiruvAimozhi, which means He is there eternally in the divya dESam

(much before taking incarnation as archA there). At the same time, we

offer flowers, water, lamp etc. to His image out of our SEshatva

buddhi. Also we are not capable of doing it over the entire universe

considering Him to be viSvAtmA.

 

In my humble opinion, if the rationale behind a few practices is

explained, there will be only faith in perumAL and no superstitions.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Vishnu

[Guest guest]

ramanuja, "Sumithra Varadarajan"

<sumivaradan@h...> wrote:

> That is why atleast by words adiyen insisted the necessity of

>following our acharya's anushtanams (practically adiyen follows zero

>and hence has/is doing the maximum apacharams possible but atleast

>feels for adiyen's incapability and each moment begs the pardon from

>bhagavan and our acharyas for the same). Only when we get the

>ultimate qualification of "sarva dharmAn parithyajya" we can leave

>everything (here remember we should leave everything not do one

>thing which we like to do and leave that which is difficult or

>boring to do). But even if we leave now it is not going to affect

>us in anyway since we have the strength of our acharyas who will

>take us straight to the divine feet of emperuman ("jnAna

>anushtAnamivai nandrAgavE udaiyanAna guruvai adaindhakkAl thEnAr

>kamala thirumAmagal kozhunan thAnE vaikundam tarum"). As a

>Srivaishnavite it is enough if we just get immersed in the

>arulicheyals of azhvars and acharyas and spend our time (kalashepam)

>with bhagavat/bhagavata kainkaryam. In that case, we should refrain

>ourselves from doing rituals like ayushhomam, marriage

>homams, .gruhapravesa homams etc also (if you are willing to do such

>homams then we have to satisfy the basic qualification for the same.

>Sastras say that one who has left sandhi is not eligible for any of

>these rituals. so we either leave all these or do them with the

>necessary qualification else it doesn't serve the purpose atall and

>it is sheer waste of time).

 

Dear Smt Sumitra,

 

I agree with you mostly. However, as we know, many people are not

doing sandhyAvandanam as a prequalification for marriage hOmams,

gruhapravESa hOmams, while SAstras may be saying that. Let us not

affect their confidence. People who are not doing anything but just

have faith in Him are more eligible for doing anything than anybody

else. We should not think that we become eligible by our own deeds

which goes against our swarUpa. It is for Him to put us in any

kainkaryam.

 

By contemplating on PerumAL, we are satisfying all that is contained

in all SAstras. When two SAstras say different things, the teachings

of the primary SAstra (divya prabandham) have to govern, in my

understanding. So if we consider the prabandha to be an independent

scriptural authority, the question of either doing or not doing does

not come and primary anushtAna (contemplating on His qualities) takes

priority.

 

The very first mantra of sandhyA says:

 

apavitra: pavitrO vA sarvAvasthAn gatOpi vA

ya: smarEt puNdarIkAksham sa bAhyAbhyAntara: Suchi:

 

So one acquires Suchi (purity) as one thinks of Him. That is what it

conveys. One need not ritualsitically think that one acquires purity

only by following so and so procedure.

 

Ayush-hOmam is not there in many SV families of either subsect. What

for it is done? It is OK if not done for increasing the Ayush. It is

for Him to keep us here.

 

>How many of us arrange for recitation of 4000 paasurams

 

Here again arranging for 4000 recitation is not imp. I know it to be

another ritual. Trying to put the teachings of AlwArs into day-to-day

life (or mere having faith in an AchArya who has that gnAna anushtAna

as you said) is enough.

 

> It is no harm in us spending 15 to 30 mts in a day for doing

>sandhi as a kainkaryam to emperuman and then spending our day with

>bhagavat/bhagavata kainkaryams. Nothing is for our pleasure

>everything is only for his happiness ("padiyAi kidandhu vun

>pavalavAi kAnbEnE")

 

I am certainly not against that. In my first mail, I just wondered

whether the concept of not doing ashtAksharI japam (with which most

of us agree) can be extended to gAyatrI japam which forms part of

sandhyA.

 

Kindly forgive me for my mistakes.

 

Your humble servant

Vishnu

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Vishnu,

 

Adiyen totally agrees with you that azhvar arulicheyals are our prime sastra and

it is not enough that we just recite them but we should try to understand them

and put into practice. As Andal said, "vittuchittar kEttu eruppar"-it is not

just listening but listening and living accordingly. Let us thereby stop this

discussion with this and continue to enjoy the divine anubhavams in the words of

azhvars and acharyas.

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan

-

Vishnu

ramanuja

Wednesday, February 18, 2004 7:12 PM

[ramanuja] Re: Digest Number 731 - Sandhya/Gayathri related

 

 

ramanuja, "Sumithra Varadarajan"

<sumivaradan@h...> wrote:

> That is why atleast by words adiyen insisted the necessity of

>following our acharya's anushtanams (practically adiyen follows zero

>and hence has/is doing the maximum apacharams possible but atleast

>feels for adiyen's incapability and each moment begs the pardon from

>bhagavan and our acharyas for the same). Only when we get the

>ultimate qualification of "sarva dharmAn parithyajya" we can leave

>everything (here remember we should leave everything not do one

>thing which we like to do and leave that which is difficult or

>boring to do). But even if we leave now it is not going to affect

>us in anyway since we have the strength of our acharyas who will

>take us straight to the divine feet of emperuman ("jnAna

>anushtAnamivai nandrAgavE udaiyanAna guruvai adaindhakkAl thEnAr

>kamala thirumAmagal kozhunan thAnE vaikundam tarum"). As a

>Srivaishnavite it is enough if we just get immersed in the

>arulicheyals of azhvars and acharyas and spend our time (kalashepam)

>with bhagavat/bhagavata kainkaryam. In that case, we should refrain

>ourselves from doing rituals like ayushhomam, marriage

>homams, .gruhapravesa homams etc also (if you are willing to do such

>homams then we have to satisfy the basic qualification for the same.

>Sastras say that one who has left sandhi is not eligible for any of

>these rituals. so we either leave all these or do them with the

>necessary qualification else it doesn't serve the purpose atall and

>it is sheer waste of time).

 

Dear Smt Sumitra,

 

I agree with you mostly. However, as we know, many people are not

doing sandhyAvandanam as a prequalification for marriage hOmams,

gruhapravESa hOmams, while SAstras may be saying that. Let us not

affect their confidence. People who are not doing anything but just

have faith in Him are more eligible for doing anything than anybody

else. We should not think that we become eligible by our own deeds

which goes against our swarUpa. It is for Him to put us in any

kainkaryam.

 

By contemplating on PerumAL, we are satisfying all that is contained

in all SAstras. When two SAstras say different things, the teachings

of the primary SAstra (divya prabandham) have to govern, in my

understanding. So if we consider the prabandha to be an independent

scriptural authority, the question of either doing or not doing does

not come and primary anushtAna (contemplating on His qualities) takes

priority.

 

The very first mantra of sandhyA says:

 

apavitra: pavitrO vA sarvAvasthAn gatOpi vA

ya: smarEt puNdarIkAksham sa bAhyAbhyAntara: Suchi:

 

So one acquires Suchi (purity) as one thinks of Him. That is what it

conveys. One need not ritualsitically think that one acquires purity

only by following so and so procedure.

 

Ayush-hOmam is not there in many SV families of either subsect. What

for it is done? It is OK if not done for increasing the Ayush. It is

for Him to keep us here.

 

>How many of us arrange for recitation of 4000 paasurams

 

Here again arranging for 4000 recitation is not imp. I know it to be

another ritual. Trying to put the teachings of AlwArs into day-to-day

life (or mere having faith in an AchArya who has that gnAna anushtAna

as you said) is enough.

 

> It is no harm in us spending 15 to 30 mts in a day for doing

>sandhi as a kainkaryam to emperuman and then spending our day with

>bhagavat/bhagavata kainkaryams. Nothing is for our pleasure

>everything is only for his happiness ("padiyAi kidandhu vun

>pavalavAi kAnbEnE")

 

I am certainly not against that. In my first mail, I just wondered

whether the concept of not doing ashtAksharI japam (with which most

of us agree) can be extended to gAyatrI japam which forms part of

sandhyA.

 

Kindly forgive me for my mistakes.

 

Your humble servant

Vishnu

 

 

 

 

azhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam

 

 

 

ramanuja/

 

b..

ramanuja

 

c..