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Re: Digest bhakti.v003.n261

From the Bhakti List Archives

Mohan R Sagar • February 11, 1999 


M. Tandy wrote:

>         I have a similar question. It seems to me that the RAmAnandIs in
> the North place greater emphasis on the name of RAma (cf. RAma-nAmIs,
> etc.) than do the ZrI vaiSNavas in the South. Is this so? Certainly
> TulasIdAsa, whether he is a RAmAnandI or not, stresses the Lord's name
> almost as much as do the followers of ZrI Caitanya. But perhaps I'm just
> ignorant of the Southern tradition.
>
>         MT

>From what I have read about the rAmAnandi tradition, I believe that this is
true.  The emphasis on Sri Rama and His Name is so strong, in fact, that it
seems that Sri Ramananda Swamy promoted a rahasyatrAyam centered solely around
Rama.  In it, the name nArAyana in the SriVaishnava versions of thirumantram and
dvAyam are replaced with rAma.   And, the charama slokam of gItAchAryan becomes
replaced with the charama slokam from srimad rAmAyanam, "sakrdeva
prapannAya..."  While I have not read the work of Sri Ramanand that contains
this, SriVaishnava matAbja bhAskara, I am to understand that an examination of
Sri Ramananda's interpretation of these Rama centered mantrams bears stark
parallels and shows the obvious influence, as Sri Mani has stated, of Swamy
Pillai Lokacharya.

>From what I have learned, though, while all the names of the Lord are wonderful
and potent, they are limited as though can only capture a few of His
anantakalyAnagunas.  The only name that can really describe Him in all His
Fullness, the name that belongs to emperumAn alone, is Narayana.  Consequently,
the role of chanting this name becomes more emphasized in SriVaishnava tradition
over and above all His other Holy Names.

adiyEn,

Mohan