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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00020 Feb 2004

 
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Asmad Gurubhyo Namaha
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Dear Swami,
The "formal recitation of the ga:yatri" is itself a mispractice that 
is happening or atleast misunderstood. Gayatri needs to be chanted 
while we contemplate upon the supreme. Azhwar says:
"peyarinaiye pundhiyal sindhiyaadhu oodhi uruvennum
andhiyaalaam payanangen?"
That is, Azhwar claims that, what would be the point of those 
chantings that were done for the sake of count and not for the sake 
of thinking about the bhagavan nama, during the sandhyavandhanam. So, 
Gayathri must be chanted only while thinking/contemplating the 
supreme - reason for the exact count of Gayathri(like 108, 1008 etc) 
is not known to me - learned scholars may throw further light on 
this. Chanting of Thirumanthram in addition to Gayathri as part of 
this ritual, is optional, though not necessarily recommended by all 
acharyas.

I apologize for my mistakes if any.

Adiyen,
Ramanuja Dasan

--- In ramanuja@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Madhuri and Mohan <m_raghavan@xxxx> 
wrote:
> Sri Vishnu,
> 
> From this e-mail, I think that you and I are saying very much the 
same 
> thing, and apologize if I saw it differently in your original 
message. 
> I would concur with you that contemplation upon the meaning of the 
> mantra is most important, and not just its mere mechanical 
recitation. 
> Perhaps this is why most a:cha:ryas would limit prescribing it as a 
> formalized japam.
> 
> However, I do recall from my own readings and discussion with 
others 
> that part of the sandhya vandanam practice does involve taking a 
few 
> moments to contemplate on the thirumantram after formal recitation 
of 
> the ga:yatri. I think that the reason that no specific number or 
count 
> is specified would seem to indicate that this be a contemplation, 
and 
> not some sort of formalized ritual for ritual's sake.
> 
> Ramanuja dasan
> Mohan





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