24 Keshavaadi rupagala varnane- Keshava, Narayana- 2

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On Fri, Aug 8, 2008 at 10:45 AM, Shobha Srinivasan

<gvss.srinivasan wrote:

 

Dear Shobha,

 

As requested by you in a personal mail, I am pointing out a few things.

 

> Source:

> Taken from different books

 

It is very important to know the context in which they are used.

 

> 1. Main source: haridAsaru kanDhante KeshavAdhi rUpagala varNane

 

This is a general book where the author seems to have collected

information that are used with the 24 names of God from various

books. Awareness of the presence of God in everything seems

to be its purpose.

 

> Chaturvimshati-mûrtibheda-stotram by shrI vAdiraja theertharu

> http://www.dvaita.net/pdf/stotra/vadiraja/chaturvimshati.pdf

 

This is very specific and focussed chintana of the vishesha vishishta

24 vyUha rUpa-s as in Gayatri, achamana etc. How these vishesha

rUpa-s should be thought of has been given in the above works by

our Acharya-s based on hArIta and other smR^iti-s. This is for

vishesha jnana.

 

To give a crude example, when we think of Sri Raamaavatara, we

think of the unborn Sri Raama as Kausalya's son, brother of Laxmana,

husband of Sita, slayer of Ravana. Thus, we are meditating God Raama

with specific laxana-s as told in Raamayana. Though He is non-different

from Sri Krishna, we don't mix up Ramavatara with Krishnavatara --

one doesn't say Raama married 16,000 women etc., The Lord wants

us to think of each of these specific name and form with its own specific

" bheda-kArya " with the understanding that there is no bheda whatsoever

in Him. This is vishesha.

 

During mantra, achamana, dhyana etc., dhyeya mUrti-s has to

be thought of with specific laxanas. This is part of vishesha jnAna.

 

However, bhaktas can simply utter the same names. It can

be associated with any goodway as mentioned in various

works. The purpose here is to have the basic knowledge of

the presence of God, and not the vishesha jnana of name

and form. For example, while taking medicine one can think

of Sri Vishnu or Sri Narayana or Sri Dhanvantri or any of

God's names. Here, the basic knowledge is that the Lord is

the one who cures our physical, mental and spiritual problem.

 

> dwAdashAkshara keshava rupa

 

what you mean is Keshavadi Damodharanta 12 names, and not

[Vasudeva ] dvadasha-axara mantra whose varna-nyAsa involves

Keshavadi 12.

 

The following is a general collection where the word Keshavadi

12 are mentioned with various entities.

 

> Keshava

> paksha: sukla, lalATanAma

 

I think by lalATanAma, the author meant to indicate

the location of the body where one applies " nAma

mudra " in association with Sri Keshava nAma.

 

Regards,

 

Meera Tadipatri