Respected Sir: Please forgive the writer if any errors have crept in. He is attemping to reply with the the best of his knowledge and interests. In a simplistic way, Gayathri is the Mother of the Vedas. The Vedas themselves have proclaimed thus. The Sandhyavandanam is the one and only Upasana which alongwith the Gayathri Mantra has to be performed/chanted as per the VEDAS, not any human/Rishi or God. Vedas are not Gods as you may by now be aware. The Sun was and continues to be the centre of all human influences, activities and thoughts. This has been so over since the birth of time. Apart from the Sun, the waters, earth, air, space, fire etc. are the most ancient and original elements without which man cannot function even a single second. Therefore, in its eternal and all pervading wisdom inherent in the VEDAS, the VEDAS themselves have proclaimed that these are to be thanked, thought - off, meditated upon by man so that the VEDAS may not be disturbed by anti-social, problem entities like Rakshasas, devils, evil forces and so on. For instance, In modern day parlance, these evil forces are the so called "terrorists" The VEDAS have compressed the entire cosmos, gods, everything into a simple capsule containing the ritual of Sandhyavandanam. It includes prayers, saranagathi, thanksgiving, confession, asking for pardon, introspection,protection , request for MENTAL strength to every concievable entity, living or otherwise. The unity of the universe is enshrined in the various Sandya rituals/prayers. Water is accorded the highest place alongwith Prana and both are given extraordinary powers equal to the nuclear weapons which we talk of now. Hence, knowing well that in the morning before Sunrise in case any force or entity tries to disrupt the Sun's birth, the VEDAS have invested the powers to various gods etc. through their respective residences like water, fire, air to become transformed into a potent weapon capable of killing or preventing the evil forces to stop the Sun from rising. Similarly, in the afternnon and in the evening. Therefore, in the mornings, since the Sun is at its lowest and weakest, about to be born, it requires more support and hence the argyam offered is thrice, while in the afternnon, the Sun having risen to its full glory has acquired strength and power and does not need much support, hence the argyam is offered twice, while in the evening as it is about to retire after a tired day, just at the point of waning its powers, glory are comparatively weaker and hence the argyam offered is thrice. The argyam is the single most important activity which when combined with Pranayama benefits the Sun. Inside the Sun the Gods reside, including Vishnu. Agni and water and similar. Water is fire but in a different form. Gayathri is not the woman whom Brahma married to the best of the writer's knowledge. Gayathri is the the Divine Mother of the VEDAS. QED This one supposes answers your first question. As regards the second query: The Mantra is accorded highest improtance for the simple reason everything which all of us do is as per the VEDAS and our origin is the VEDAS. And the VEDAS have declared this Mantra. Hence this is a primary mantra before anything else is to be chanted. If you do not respect the policies laid down by the CEO, then even if you function efficiently, effectively have your own creative ideas and profit the company, it will not be acceptable. The CEO is the CEO and he is the man who pays you. So you have no choice but to adhere to his policies/vision. Amercian Express has this policy of not tying up with Mastercard or Visacard, but will continue to have its own unique identiy as AMEX card. This is their policy, their stand, their focus, and mission statement. An employee of Amex cannot for the sake of enhancing the profit etc. break this basic policy nor can he question its wisdom. Similarly, the writer has heard numerous authoratative scholars, sages and wise men constantly declare that without Sandhya no worship, no prayer,no chanting,no divine work can be undertaken. After Sandhya it does not matter whether one worships, chants, prays or does any pooja/divine work. Everything is immaterial provided Sandhya is done scruplously. It is a mandatory social, religions, divine responsibility to be discharged until one breathes his last. As regard the third query : This was there even before Sage Vishwamitra. Sage Vishwamitra happened to be the Divine Vehicle choosen by the VEDAS to reveal their glory. Regarding your fourth Query : The deva is "Savita" one residing inside the Sun and enabling the Sun to function. Your fifth query : The writer will try to checkout and revert as and when he gets the information. BEFORE ONE CONCLUDES, A SMALL CLUE IF ONE IS PERMITTED AND YOU DO NOT MIND. REMEMBER THE SLOGAN OF THE FAMOUS SPORTS COMPANY 'NIKE'. IT IS 'JUST DO IT'. So, as you steadily continue to do the Sandhyavandanam, with the Gayathri chanting regularly, then something is bound to change inside your mind/heart and this will perhaps, give you some insights into some of the questions you are faced with. Om Tat Sat Tat Tvam Asi sukumar <sukumar@xxxx To: Oppiliappan <Oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, om> SriRangaSri <SriRangaSri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "ramanuja@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <ramanuja@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 05/26/03 10:09 cc: AM Subject: [SriRangaSri] Gayatri Manthra Sri Krishnaya Namah! Respected Bhagavathas, I have few clarifications as below, to seek from your goodself: 1. What is Gayatri Manthra - is it more to do with the Lord (Surya/Vishnu or whoever we pray) when we do Sandhyavandanam or is it Gayatri - a lady whom Lord Brahma married when Saraswathi was not there while performing a Yagna. 2. What is the significance of this manthra. Why is it accorded so much importance that even Ashtakari manthra has to be chanted only after this manthra japam. 3. Is this manthra ageless - i.e., does it got prominence only after sage vishwamithra chanted this or was it prominent over yugas and kalpas. 4. While the manthra drasta is sage vishwamitra who is the Lord for this manthra. 5. Why is it enjoined with other manthras like - vishnu gayathri manthra etc., Please enlighten me. Sukumar Sri Krishnaparabrahmane Namah! To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Srirangasri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxx Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |