Guest guest Posted September 19, 2005 Report Share Posted September 19, 2005 Dear Sri Vishnu, I can certainly understand and appreciate that dhya:nam, as understood by our a:lwa:rs and a:cha:ryas, need only be in the spirit of enjoying His wondrous qualities. This is something that is probably far superior if it is one's mother tongue, rather than the complex, elusive, and rather stringent renderings of the Ve:das. And, despite my being of Telugu and Western origins, I am convinced about the supremacy of Tamizh language and culture when it comes to contemplating on the wonders of the Supreme Being, His activities, and His Eternal Bond to all of us. Be that as it may, however, from experience I have found that the Ve:das, and the various mantras offered therein, do have their role in that the vibrations from their proper chanting can often be healing to the body, mind and emotions of an individual. In fact, at times, they can enhance one's ability to contemplate on Him. So, I would suggest that their relevance be seen in light of being some kind of practical science that can make the body and mind more effective for His use, as well as being one method of offering kai:nkaryam to Him. To see the Ve:das as being an invocation of His Grace, is, of course, something that would be contradictory to the Tenkalai position. As an interesting side note for those interested in comparitive theology, I have observed how some devout Protestant Christians are able to reach an equal level of dhya:nam on their concept of the Supreme through simple, direct prayer in English. Equally inspiring are the heart-rendering English masses of the Catholics. All of which seems to validate that it is not mechanical recitation, but the mood of humble submission to His Grace that is of key concern. adiye:n Ra:ma:nuja da:san Mohan Vishnu Sep 16, 2005 8:10 AM Re: Digest Number 652 Dear Sriman Mohan, Nice to know the research findings. According to Parasara Bhattar (bhagavad guNa darpaNam), dhyAnam is nothing but bhagavad guNa anuchintanam or thinking of the divine qualities of the Lord (dhyAyan stuvan namasyamScha yajamAna: tam Eva cha.) Certainly, one will be more comfortable with his/her own mother tongue than with sanskrit. Our pUrvAchAryas have made a big thesis to justify the existence of divya prabandham in Tamil, a non-sanskrit language. In Sri thennAcharya sampradAyam, we need not bother about the supremcay of sanskrit, as our highest pramANam itself is not in that language! Even chanting divya prabandham ritualistically in Tamil is of no use, except for the preservation of the literature. But some people believe that chanting thiruvAmozhi is to make perumAL thiruchevvi (divine ear) happy and to ward off evil effects! This goes against nammAzhwAr's statement thoNdarkkamudhuNNa -chhonmAlaihaL SonnEn - I have said these garlands of words as a nectar for His devotees. So one has to chant in temples in the mood of bhAgavata kainkaryam. Studying the same can be in the mood of bahagavad guNa anubhavam through anuchitanam (dhyAnam!). adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan Srimahavishnu Vinjamuri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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