On the count of doing praNAmams

[Guest guest]

Dear SrI VaishNavas,

 

There has been some discussions going on on the count of praNAmams

in a email list. I would like to write the following points regarding

the same.

 

On the count of doing praNAmams, it has to be done only in even numbers

like 2, 4 because it is SAstra vidhi. The following pramANams may be

noted down in this context:

 

" PradakshiNAn praNAmAnScha yugmAnEva samAcharEth na vishamAn "

 

manthraiScha vaishNavaissthOthrai: sthuthvA dEvam janArdanam |

praNamEd dviSchathurvA(a)pi anyathA kilbishi bhavEth ||

(prapancha sAram, deekshA prakaraNam)

 

" After worshiping SrIman nArAyaNa: by chanting vaishNava mantras, one has

do praNAmams in count of two or four in even numbers. "

" anyathA kilbishi bhavEth " - if the person fails to do the above mentioned

anushtAnam, he gets pApam (sin).

 

Therefore, the vidhi for proper number of praNAmams in even numbers like

2, 4 is clear from this. Also, it is clear that the single/odd number

praNAmam is prohibited by pramANAm " na vishamAn " .

 

I have seen SrI Vaishnava scholars correcting those who do single praNAmam

with the correct performance of the same in counts of two or four...

 

I also like to mention when praNAmam can be done and when it should not be

done as follows:

 

" apUjyA: yathra pUjyanthE pUjyA: yathrApamAnithA: |

thathra thrINi vivardhanthE durbhiksham maraNam bhayam || " (dharmasAram)

 

" One has to praNAmam etc before only those who are worthy to be

worshiped. If some one worships those who are not worthy, then three

evils namely scantiness, death and fear will grow there "

 

This means that only SrIman nArAyaNa: and SrI VaishNavas are to be worshipped

by followers of parama Vaidika matham.

 

Even if a person is a qualified brAhmaNa, if he does not know/do

prathyabhivAdanam, then he must not be considered for sEviththAl, abhivAdanam

etc.

 

(prathyabhivAdanam - when a person does abhivAdanam, the other person

who receives the abhivAdanam must do ASeervAdam " AaushmAn bhava " etc

and then tell the name of the person who did abhivAdanam with the

last letter in the name in pluthaswaram - neettal)

 

If a person is knowing the above prathyabhivAdanam but if he is carrying

samith (logs used for vaidika yagnya etc), flower, Tulasi, darbham (a

particular grass considered to be very sacred and used in certain vaidika

karmas), agni (fire), water, soil, cooked rice then he must be avoided at the

moment of he carrying these things. Once he keeps these things in a suitable

place, we can do praNAmams to him.

 

Similarly, we must not do praNAmams to a person at the time of he performing

vaidika karmas like japam, homam etc. After he finishes these things, then he

is fit for us to do praNAmams. Similarly, we must not do praNAmam when a

person is eating or sleeping.

 

" yagnyE rAjagruhE sangrgE praNamEnnAbhivAdayEth "

We can do praNAmams to bhAgavathAs in yAga-sAla, king's court, sabhA etc but

at these places, one must not do abhivAdanam to a person.

 

If a tridandi sanyAsi is younger to another tridandi sanyAsi in terms of

chAturmAsyam, anushtAnams etc., then the younger tridandi sanyAsi can do

praNAmam to elder tridandi sanyAsi.

 

" swadharmasthAn yathIn vrudhdAn dEvAnScha praNAmEdyathi: |

nAnyamASamiNAm kinchith praSasthamapi namEth || "

(prapanna dharma sAra samuchchaya: yathi vishayE

yathi dharma samuchchaya prOktham viSEsham)

Even if a grahasta is well qualified and doing his swa-dharma perfectly,

tridandi sanyAsi must not do praNAmam to the grahasta. Here it is

observed that SrI Bhagavath rAmAnuja yatirAja swAmi (sanyAsi) did

praNAmams to grahastas who where swAmi's AchAryas. I consider this

as exception because it is the case of doing praNAmams to AchArya.

I would appreciate inputs from scholars in this regard.

 

A grahasta who is well qualified and doing his swa-dharma perfectly, on seeing

a true tridandi sanyAsi, must immediately do three praNAmams chanting the

SrImath AshtAkshara mantra. Otherwise, he becomes impure. Here the SAstra has

specifically mentioned " namaskAra-

-trayam charEth " & " namaskAra-trayam kuryAth " . Therefore, this count

is in this special case.

 

One must strictly NOT do praNAmams to a person who thinks SrIman NarAyaNa is

equal to anya-dEvathas. Similarly, one must strictly not do praNAmams to

kudrushtis like prachanna-bowdhas (advaitis), Veda-bhAyas, anti-vedic

(avaidika) vEsha-bhUsha-dhAri persons and pAshAndis. If these people who

are prohibited are worshiped, then prAyaschiththam has to be done.

 

I time permits, I will write more on these aspects.

 

Further to this, I request you to kindly refer the article

/message/849 written by our

beloved SrI Anand K Karalapakkam for more information regarding

the count of praNAmams.

 

Thanks & Regards

adiyEn

M.S.HARI rAmAnuja dAsan (mshari)

 

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