SrI:
Dear Devotees:
In addition to the ongoing Brahma Soothram and
dhivya prabhandham
santhai classes , SrI RanganAtha Temple will
conduct another set of
Classes for those who wish to learn Rg and Yajur
SandhyAvandhanams.
These classes would be at the temple at 8.30 AM on
both
Saturdays and Sundays and will be taught by one of
the officiating
priests year around including the chief priest
, Dr.Venkat Kanumalla.
A book on SandhyA Vandhanam from Ahobila Matam
Publication series would be made available
to the students.
SandhyA Vandhanam is very , very important to those
who had upanayanam .If your SandhyA Vandhanam
procedures are rusty , this is the time to make up
for
it and learn the performance of SandhyA Vandhanam
and
practise it every day . All ages are welcome .
Please do not
feel shy about learning .It is important that you
emphasize
the importance of SandhyA Rituals to your children
by
setting a personal example .
SandhyA Vandhanam with Svaram and
Meaning
************************************************************
If you can perform the three SandhyA Vandhanams ,
it will be
great and essential . If you can recite the Veda
Manthrams
with Svarams , it will be greater in effect. If you
can also understand
the meanings of these Veda Manthrams, it will be of
the greatest
benefit .
The straight forward & Subtle meanigs of Veda
Manthrams
********************************************************************
Many of these Veda Manthrams have multiple levels
of
meaning . Even an understanding at the literal
level would
be most desirable .
Here is an example of the UpasthAna Manthram invoked during
the Morning SandhyA :
Mithrasya CharshiNeedhrutha: sravOdEvasya sAnasim
I
Sathyam chithrasravastamam II (Rg Vedam:
3.59.6)
mithrO janAn yAtayathi prajAnAn I mithrO dhAdhAra
pruTiveemuthadhyAm II ( Rg Vedam 3.59.1 Poorva
Paadham )
mithra: krushDeera nimishAbhihashDE I
SatyAya havyam grudhavidh vidhEma II ( Rg Vedam
3.59.1 Utthara Paadham )
Prasamithra marthO asthu prayasvAn I
yastha Aadhithya sikshathi vrathEna II (Rg Vedam:
3.59.2 Poorva Paadham )
na hanyathE najeeyathE thvOthO nainam ahO
I
asnOthi anthithO na dhUrAth II (Rg Vedam : 3.59.2
Utthara Paadham)
This Morning SandhyA UpasthAna manthram
from Rg Vedam is
about the
realization of SrIman NaarAyaNan in one's heart
lotus .
Performed with the
anjali mudhra , UpasthAnam is an offering
itself by the Jeevan ( as Havis) in the sacred fire of SandhyA
Yag~nam ,
whose flames are held aloft by the ghee of Bhakthi to
the Lord.
This all powerful Lord , who sustains the earth and
celestial regions
is invoked for protection and benediction . He is
recognized as
adorable , svayam-prakAsan and the benovolent
creator of the Universe .
Prayer here is to dwell under His sacred law and to
remain in His
grace . These manthrams recognize that the wealth
of every kind ,
true Jn~Anam and Yasas(fame ) are the divine gifts
of this generous
Lord of radiance in His role as the sustainer
of Mankind.
This prayer is addressed to Mithra , one of the
AadhithyAs , who is
often coupled with VaruNa as a dyad :
Mithra-VaruNa of Vedam.
This dyad has multiple meanings like many other
Vedic words like
Agni at the Material plane , psychic realm and
trascendental level.
Translation of UpasthAnam from ThillaisthAnam
Swamy's Commentary
**********************************************************************************
" I desire redemption from "samsAra " by the Lord ,
the sole
sustainer of the worlds and the universal saviour :
The all knowing
God guides the individual souls along the
predetermined course.
The Supreme Lord sustains the Earth and Svarga. The
Lord keeps
watching all the subjects and unto him--the eternal
truth--let us
offer our soul in the sacrificial fire , fed by
ghee of God-love. Oh ! AadhithyA !
Let that man , who feels inspired and reassured by
your response
to his call , enjoy in ample measure . Your devotee
can not be
tormented by any one
nor conquerable by any one. Sins dare not
approach him from
near or far."
Additional Comments on this Manthram
**********************************************
Freedom from the cycles of repeated births and
deaths
is the supreme PurushArTam sought thru the
upAyam Prapatthi or
Bhakthi Yogam . Even
for a Prapanna , who has performed Prapatthi
with its five angAs at the feet of a SadaachAryan ,
nithya kAryams like
SandhyA can not be abandoned.That is why the great
AchArya , Bhagavath
RaamAnujA performed His SandhyA Vandhams and stood
up to do it
with the help of His sishyAs during His old age
.
The people who perform their SandhyA vandhanams and
other required
anushtAnams are called "SishtAs". Their aachAram
(way of life) is called
sishtAchAram . The One who is selected for worship
here is Mithra
who is described in Vedic parlance: Poothadhaksha
or one who possesses
purified judgement and as the one , who protects the worshipper from
destruction ( Nirukta: X.21) . He is the embodiment
of " Vedic beatitude".
He is hailed as the One who displays love and
affection to those ,who
worship Him. Since Lord SrIman NaarAyaNan
sitting at the middle of
the Solar orbit(antharyAmi of Sooryan inn the
MithrA form) and is the Supreme
Friend of Human beings , He is hailed as MithrA .
Thus begins the Morning UpasthAnam prayer with an address
to the Vedic God , Mithra .
The three AzhwAr's UpasthAnam : Echos of SandhyA
UpasthAnam
*******************************************************************************
The first Paasurams of the Mudhal
AzhwArs
( Poygai , BhUtham and Pey AzhwArs) can be
considered as UpasthAna Manthrams as well
.
These three AzhwArs in the dark and rainy
night at
ThirukkOvalUr used Vedam and Yogam as the
two
eyes to experience ParamAthmA in their
HrudhyAkAsam/
Heart lotuses.
What do they say and How do they express this
experience ?
Poygai : Vayyam tahaLiyAha , Vaar kadalE ney aaha
,
Veyya KathirOn viLaku aaha
The entire earth ( Bhumi ) became the ahal ( holder
of the oil
for the Lamp ) ; the seas became th oil for
this Jn~Ana ViLakku
( cosmic lamp of True knowledge) and the
fierce rays of the Sun
became the lustre oft hat lamp.
BhUtham: For this AzhwAr , Bhakthi is the ahal
(Container) ,
the intense desire to experience the Lord becomes
the ghee(oil)
The wick is the mind that melts over that
delectable experience
This AzhwAr sees the Lord in His heart lotus this
way.
pEy AzhwAr: With the UpasthAnam of the other Two
AzhwArs,
the third AzhwAr sees the Lord and others join in enjoying
this glorious scene:
Condensed meaning of the first two Paasurams of
this AzhwAr's
ThiruvandhAthi as translated by Dr.V.N.VedAntha
Desikan of
Oppiliappan Sannidhi:
" Today is a great day . I secured the privelege
of seeing the Lord's form,
by His grace . I saw Mahalakshmi ; I
saw her on a pure gold body of
the Lord; His effulgence was like that
of the Sun; I saw the foe-destroying ,
fiery but beautiful chakram
; I saw in His hand the bent Paanchajanyam
(Conch) too. All I saw in my dear
Ocean-hued Lord ! ...Today I saw Your
(sacred) feet and clasped them as my
refuge for ever . Thus I have
successfully obviated all my future
births ! ".
Other AzhwArs seeing the Lord with the help of
Yogam and Vedam as their
two eyes are recorded in the 4000 sacred
collect(Dhivya Prabhandhams).
Let me end this note with the prayer used in
SandhyA Vandhanam:
apavithra: pavithrO vaa sarvAvasTAm
gathOpivaa
ya: smarEth PunDareekAksham sa bhAyAnthara
suchi:
(Meaning): One who meditates on the Lord , who has
beautiful eyes like a freshly
blossomed lotus is cleansed both internally and
externally inspite of their
earlier states of impurity and degradation
.
Additional Information to be gained at these
classes
*************************************************************
Time for performing the SandhyA Vandhanams , the
vessels to be used ,
the directions to be faced , Maanasika/Mantra
SnAnam at times
when one is ill or unable to take bath before
SandhyA , SuryAvalOkana
Mudhra used during the MadhyAhnikam et al
.
Registration for the SandhyA Vandhanam Classes at
the Temple
*****************************************************************************
Please send me a note for registration or call
and register through
the temple Telephone number(
1-845-364-9790).
V.Sadagopan ( http://www.svuniverse.net/trk.html)
Vice Chairman
SrI RanganAtha Temple
Pomona , NY
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