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Re: Vedic deities

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Anand Karalapakkam • May 30, 1999 


SrI:
SrI Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha
SrI Lakshminrusimha divya pAdukA sEvaka SrIvaNN-
SatakOpa SrI nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESikAya namaha

 Dear SrI Mani,
 namO nArAyaNA.


 Sri Mani Varadarajan wrote:

> Sri Anantha Padmanabhan wrote:
> > As discussed previously, we can meditate upon the form of
> > gAyatri dEvi with nArAyaNA being the antaryAmi. Here, the
> > jIvAtmA gAyatri dEvi residing inside that body is not
> > concentrated upon => no anya dEvata worship is performed.
>
> You are making the assumption here that "gAyatrI" actually
> refers to a concrete deity (i.e., something with a jIva).
> My feeling is that it does not.  "gAyatrI" refers specifically


 Our AchAryAs have declared that there does exist a dEvata
 named "gAyatri" ie. a jIvAtma given the post of "gAyatri".


Sri Mani wrote :
> The content of the mantra is that the resplendent Parabrahman (savitur
> devasya vareNyam) is the mover and shaker of all things, and in
> particular our intellect.  There is no need to concoct an awkward
                          
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                     
> explanation in which we bypass some mysterious "gAyatrI devI" and
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> meditate on the antaryAmi.  Gayatri is merely symbolic of the mantra
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> which we invite into our hearts as we begin the japa.  And the essence
> of the Gayatri is Parabrahman Narayana, so gAyatrI is simply the
> Parabrahman viewed as this sacred mantra.
>

  Well, you may have some opinions of your own. But please go
 through the commentries on the Ahnika granthAs before accusing
 the explanations provided as "concoctions". adiyEn especially
 mentioned in the beginning of the previous posting that, everything
 stated were based on the kAlakshEbam. There is nothing 
 awkward in that explanation given by our pUrvAchAryAs. It was 
 crystal clear in the previous posting that, such a meditation
 on SrIman nArAyaNA is perfectly in accordance with paramaikAntitvam
 and infact it is sAstras which commands one to do so.
 
 SrI U.Ve. KarunAkaran swAmi, under whom adiyEn learnt, clearly
 told that "gAyatri dEvi" is a jIvAtma and the meditation during
 the sandhyAvandanam is to SrIman nArAyaNA, the antaryAmi of 
 gAyatri, whose body is described in the slokas for each sandhya,
 for the purpose of meditation.
   
 In the Ahnikam commentry written by current Azhagiyasingar in His
 pUrvAshramam, it is stated as follows :

 < After gAyatri AvAhanam > :
 
" piRagu, indha gAyatri dEvatahikku mAnasikamAga sarvOpachArangaLaich
  cheidu, archittu, thAmboolam mudivAga yAvatRaiyum manadinAlEyE
  NivEdaNam seiyavum. IngallAm, gAyatri dEvataikku antaryAmiyAga
  yemperumAnaiyE ArAdhippadAgak koLLa vEndum "    
 
 ie. " Then (after gAyatri AvAhanam), perform all the mAnasika 
     upachArams to the gAyatri dEvata ; perform archanai etc till
     the NivEdaNam of thAmboolam - all of which are again mAnasika.
     Here, it has to understood that the ArAdhana is for the
     yemperumAn (SrIman nArAyaNA), who is the antaryAmi of the
     gAyatri dEvatai ".

  When PerumAL has given a post called "gAyatri", we are no one
  to say that such a post doesn't exist. 

  adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
  ananthapadmanAbha dAsan
  krishNArpaNam