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Mantra Pushpam and Narayana Sooktham

From the Bhakti List Archives

Vijay Srinivasan • October 14, 1996 


Dear Shri Sadagopan:

I am eagerly looking forward to your completing the translation of 
mantra-pushpam (Yo-Apam...).  You had started the translation in the previous 
Bhakti-Digest.  If you would like to pick-up the thread from where you had 
left, I can send a copy of your earlier posting.  Yo-Apam..is in vogue in most 
of the temples vis-a-vis what Vaishnavas are used to (Agni Meede...).

To Sundar: Thanks for your efforts to translate Narayana-Sooktham.  A 
translation (in Tamil) is available in Vaishnava Dinacharya (Vishishtadvaita 
Pracharini Sabha).  If you want a copy please let me know.  I think there are 
subtle differences between the  recensions which Vaishnavas are used to 
reciting (from at least Yatirajar's time) to what we find in RKMutt and similar 
publications.  I have been faithfully following our Acharya's - Navalpakkam 
Swami and others "Patam" (as covered in Vaishnava-Dinacharya).  For eg: in the 
very first verse our patam  is "Paramam Prabhum" instead of "Paramam Padam".   
Similarly in the end - we don't say Sa Hari as it alters the metre or rhythm of 
the verse.  Also Brahma, Siva and Indra are all glories of Narayana and Hari is 
Narayana Himself. Vide Srimad Bhaghavata "Krishnasthu Bhaghavan Swayam".  
Ramanujacharya makes this distinction quite strongly in his Vedhartha Sangraha.

Finally, I would like to thank Prof. Vasudha Narayanan for sharing her thoughts 
on festivals, which incidentally brought home the point -  the value of making 
children recite stotras aloud, and which I didn't realize before.  
  
Vijayaraghavan