A pleasant problem ! Help needed -Venkatesa Suprabhatam

[Guest guest]

Respected Bhaktas

 

 

This writer is facing a peculiar problem. He is quite keen to learn the

Suprabatham. While there are some people who are ready to teach the Vishnu

Sahasranamam by recitation/oral tradition one could hardly find anyone

willing to do the same for the Suprabatham.

 

Most of the persons this writer tried to contact referred to the temple

priests who they said would be the right persons. The temple preists in

turn did not have the time given their present schedules etc.

 

The writer is based in Bombay, incidentally, where there are not many

Perumal temples compared to say South. Even these few temples are spread

out at long distances

 

The other option was to learn by listening to the audio cassette. Here is

where a peculiar problme cropped up.

 

The writer, who is reasonably adept in meditation etc. tried to concentrate

and learn by listening. The method was :he listened to say 5 verses, then

rewind and listen again. What was surprising is that despite his

concentration and conscious attempt to rewind, both the mind and hand would

not move to push the rewind button.

 

The reason was simple. The mind which was listening to the rendition did

not have the heart to stop the chanting for a single second. It was too

good and 'madhuram' to listen that one gets somehow intoxicated with the

twists and twirls of the chaste Sanskrit words. The grammer, the

intonation, the up and down swaras, voice pitch etc. and above all the

meaning of the praises heaped on the LORD to wake him up have been

structured in such a way that one has to listen from start to end and

cannot interrupt. The mind and body does not permit.

 

This is not the case with other songs, chantings, slokas etc.

 

The issue now facing the writer is : Learning has to be slow and steady and

given the circumstances, he has to make do with the audio tape system. He

cannot hope to learn by listening daily from start to end!!!. He has to

compulsorily pause, rewind and go ahead. But there seems to be something

compelling in these Slokas that they prevent intermittent stops.

 

In short, self-control seems to have gone for a toss!! once the tape starts

playing!!!!

 

Can someone give some suggestions to the writer how to proceed ? He is very

keen to learn the Suprabatham by heart.

 

Om tat Sat

tat tvam asi