dear bhAgavathAs, maNi wrote ---- --- > by devotion, but where the devotees simply mechanically read difficult > texts such as Ramanuja Nurrandadi without any prior practice or preparation. ---- It is very sad to see the texts being recited/read with no attention paid to the meaning of the texts. Just one example here - all of us know this pAsuram from rAmAnuja noorrandhAdhi - poomannu maadhu porundhiya mArban pugazh malindha pAmannu maaranadi paNiNdu uindhavan palkalaiyOr thAm mannavandha irAmAnusan - saraNAravindham nAm manni vAzha - nenchE solluvOm avan nAmaNgaLE. here, let us take how the first two lines are generally recited - "poomannu maadhu porundhiya maarban" "pugazh malinda paa mannu maaran" "adi paNiNdu uindhavan".. if it is taken that way, then the meaning would approximately read "the one who prospered by surrendering to the One who has lakshmi on his chest, and to the pAsuram-singing very famous mAran" or even worse "the one to whom mAran ,who sung songs laced with praise for the One with Lakshmi on His chest, surrendered and prospered" The actual meaning of the verse is "rAmAnuja, who prospered by surrendering to mARan, who sang pAsurams that are laced with praise for the One who has lakshmi on His chest" So, if one were to take into account the meaning, the recitation that will be more in tune with the meaning would be "poo mannu maadhu porundhiya maRban" "pugazh malindha paa mannu maaRanadi paNinNdu uindhavan" or "poo mannu maadhu porundhiya mArban" "pugazh malindha paa mannu maaranadi" "paNiNdhu uindhavan" etc.. i.e. no separation between mARan and adi; and a very small separation between mArban and pugazh; after all it is mArbanin pugazh malindha maaRanadi paNiNdha irAmAnusan. But, due to whatever reason, in most places, it is almost a cause for heresy if one suggests a slight changing in the way things are recited. The usual stand will be "that is the custom!". In some cases, even the meaning of the whole pAsuram is changed significantly due to such breaking between the words. In any case, it might be irrelevant though, as the custom of divya prabhandham listening has disappeared. The original purpose of divya prabhandham chanting, and the setting up of iyal-pa and isai-p-pa, which seems to have been to propagate the ideas and thoughts that were revealed by the AzhvArs, seems to have been lost. It just is like any other ritual nowadays in most temples, with scant attention being paid to how it listens to someone outside the gOshti. adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan, varadhan
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