Narayana Narayana
Dear Sri Keshavan,
Accept my humble pranams. Indeed, you have asked a very genuine
question. To answer this, we
should see the Sree Vaishnava view of the Gayatri Mantra. The
word "Tat" refers to Sriman
Narayana. The verse "Tat shabda Vachakam Sriman Gayatryartha
iteeritaha", means that Sriman
Narayana himself is referred to as "tat", and that itself is the
meaning of Gayatri. Further,
it is said that "Savituh", or the illustrious sun, is the embodiment
of Sriman Narayana. This also
represents the omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence (also
called "sarvajnatva",
"sarvaatmakatva", and "sarva shakthyatva") of Sriman
Narayana. "Varenyam" refers to one who is
fit to be praised by everyone, i.e., Sriman Narayana himself. This
represents the universal
Lordship of Sriman Narayana (also called as "Jagat
swamitva"). "Bharga" refers to the
divine effulgence that illumines and pervades the three worlds,
while "Devasya" too refers to the
Lord Almighty Sriman Narayana. These lines of the Gayathri Mantra
represent the divine qualities
of Sriman Narayana ("Ananta Kalyana Guna"). "Dheemahi" signifies the
contemplation that we place
upon this supreme being. It also symbolizes the "sharanaagathi" verse
of the Sri Vaishnavas'
"Dvaya Mantra", representing it through "Saranam Prapadye" . Thus, it
makes up one of the two
"Mantra ratna"s, which says "Sriman Narayana Charanau Saranam
Prapadye", meaning that we
surrender to the lotus feet of the almighty lord Sriman Narayana.
That is the reason why the
Gayatri mantra is considered as the most sacred of all mantras by the
Sri Vaishnavas. Krishna,
in the Bhagavat Gita, says, "Na Gayatrya paramo mantram", which means
that there is no other
hymn or mantra more sacred than the Gayatri mantra. This is the
overall view of the Sri
Vaishnava-interpretation of the sacred Gayatri mantra.
>From this, the relevance of chanting Gayatri is quite clear.
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azhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam
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