RE: sandhyAvandanam

From the Bhakti List Archives

• August 3, 1999


Just wanted to join the conversation here....

If one can do sandhyavandana with proper mental attitude of meditation on 
our sriyahpati it is the best way to do it.  If one does sandhyavandana 
mechanically, it is still superior to completely leaving sandhyavandana, 
since if a person gets into the practice of doing it, one day he might try 
to learn the meaning of it and try to do it in the proper way. In fact that 
is exactly the way it really happens in practice.  When a kid is about 
11-12 years old, that kid can hardly learn the sandhya vandana mantras. 
 Then that kid has to understand sanskrit meanings and slowly combine 
meditation with daily performance.  This happens over years.

18-48 of gita says :

sahajam karma kaunteya sadoshamapi na tyajet
sarvarambha hi dosena dhumena agnirivavritaha

'natural activities (implying karmayoga) should not be avoided ( ie. one 
should perform it) even though with imperfections.

 Like how fire is enveloped by ashes, all activities are enveloped by (one 
or the other type of) imperfections.  (One should not leave this karmayoga 
and switch over to jnanayoga...(path of meditation on atman) without 
activities)

adiyen Krishna