garuda purana reading - Response to Smt.Jayasree's post

[Guest guest]

Jai Sri Krishna

 

First of all nowhere in the text itself is there any restriction on it's

reading - except to say it should be taught to the public from behind a

screen.

 

According to your logic then Gita is also forbidden to read in the house

because it can either engender in the the mind of the reader a desire for

war or a complete lack of motivation to do anything!!!

 

Any text on vairagya should also not be read by householders lest they

abandon their families. Bhakti texts also can lead the reader to neglect

their families in favour of devotional practices!

 

Ramayana should not be read because it can lead to waging war on Srilanka as

in the case of Kulashekhara Alwar!!

 

I think your logic is flawed. Because every single text can influence the

mind of the reader to do devient things. So if we follow the superstitious

we will read nothing and follow custom like cattle!

 

Krishna says in the Gita the Knowledge is the Supreme Purifier, and that one

should take refuge in intellect (buddhau saranam aviccha!)

 

According to one's svabhava, bhumika and adhikara one should strive to

aquire knowledge from anyway and everywhere - a no bhadra kratavo yantu

visvatah - (Rig Veda). Not take refuge in spurious psychological theories

about ill-effects from reading a sacred text!

 

dasanudasan

[Guest guest]

SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

 

ramanuja, <purohit@b...> wrote:

>

> Jai Sri Krishna

>

> First of all nowhere in the text itself is there any restriction on

it's

> reading - except to say it should be taught to the public from

behind a

> screen.

>

> According to your logic then Gita is also forbidden to read in the

house

> because it can either engender in the the mind of the reader a

desire for

> war or a complete lack of motivation to do anything!!!

>

 

Dear bhagavatha,

 

The above quote and the other quotes of yours are not regarded as

giving the kind of effect as you have mentioned. But the fact is that

it is difficult to find Garuda puranam and the book of MAhabharatha,

except perhaps a few parvas like Adhi parva, Shanthi parva and

Bheeshma parva which are full of notions for exalted living, in a

householder's possession. In RAmayana, the sundhara khandam alone is

a must-be-possessed book for the householder.Kindly check it with any

elders of yester generations. In our home we have never been allowed

to read Garuda puranam, though we possessed one. But this book used

to be in circulation when some one had been in need of it. The

reason told by our elders is that it will creat an ambience to depart

this world when read in an atmosphere which is otherwise of it. The

reading is regarded as a guide to help the departed soul in its

journey.Likewise the reading of Mahabharatha was not encouraged at

home. Only the book of Gita can be found in any home those days. When

parayana of Valmiki Ramayana is to be done at home, it used to be

done by pundits in the prescribed way, and not like how we read

nowadays.

 

I, for one, used to experience the very emotions conveyed by the

texts I read. the chapters on Rama's exile, particularly the

description on how Sita would struggle to wear the mara-uri, and the

episode on abduction would have a lingering effect on me for days.

Even the happy note of sense of relief felt by Rama and Lakshmana on

getting an indication of the good news on Sita when they heard of

destruction of MAdhuvana by vanaras in joy, would raise my hairs,

even before VAlmiki tells of such effect on RAma and LAkshman.

Another narration is the 'Senniyongu'which has been earmarked as

part of aradhana at home. It is a wonderful experience to undergo

every idea conveyed by this pasuram. In my experience, it is one of

ecstasy, 'ha, He is in me, He has discarded all His other abodes and

chosen me as His abode.'The indescribable feeling that I undergo

while reciting this is perhaps what it is it to be an anukkar. After

reciting it, I will have nothing to ask Him, or pray to Him, or even

chant His name nor even to request kshama for any apacharam done in

the course of my prayers. It is a speechless calm for some moments

during and after the recital.

 

So I am convinced, it is dependent on the level of thought-force in a

person. No one can deny that this the very basis on which meditation

as bhakthi works to realise Brahman. That is why the injunction -he

who meditates on Him in whatever form attains Him in that form -

which you will find in my mail on GAyathri. This alone effectively

explains the rationale behind discarding anya deva aradhana.This also

explains the universality of Sanatana dharma as applicable to every

one, though of different creed. Thought is the first force by which

It created. (It willed, may I become many). It is by this the Jiva

attains Him. Now I leave it to readers to apply this rationale to the

desirability or not of reading different texts.

 

regards,

jayasree saranathan.

 

 

 

>

> Any text on vairagya should also not be read by householders lest

they

> abandon their families. Bhakti texts also can lead the reader to

neglect

> their families in favour of devotional practices!

>

> Ramayana should not be read because it can lead to waging war on

Srilanka as

> in the case of Kulashekhara Alwar!!

>

> I think your logic is flawed. Because every single text can

influence the

> mind of the reader to do devient things. So if we follow the

superstitious

> we will read nothing and follow custom like cattle!

>

> Krishna says in the Gita the Knowledge is the Supreme Purifier, and

that one

> should take refuge in intellect (buddhau saranam aviccha!)

>

> According to one's svabhava, bhumika and adhikara one should strive

to

> aquire knowledge from anyway and everywhere - a no bhadra kratavo

yantu

> visvatah - (Rig Veda). Not take refuge in spurious psychological

theories

> about ill-effects from reading a sacred text!

>

> dasanudasan