Bhakti List Archives

[sv-rituals] prAnAyAmam - one more time

From the Bhakti List Archives

rkaramchedu • Tue May 07 2002 - 07:43:13 PDT 


Sri:
Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala
    Guru Paramparaayai Nama:

Dear Members

I am posting this question again to this (hopefully)
streamlined list in search of my answers. I have
posted in this in the past but I found that
the theory and practice of this topic is quite
in-congruent.

In the prAnAyAmam procedure for ritualistic 
purposes (not the prAnAyAmam used in Yogic 
activities),one MUST hold one's breath 
and recite the Gayatri Matram 3 TIMES (this
is also referred as Kumbaka period). I am
aware of no valid variations of this (though
some translations of MahaNarayanOpanishad
indicate otherwise). However, almost
everyone I have observed, no matter how
prominent they are and how orthodox they may
appear/claim to be), perform this most important
and fundamental ritual in a very shortened manner
(i.e. reciting Gayatri only one time and further
shortening it by reciting it while breathing in
and out). Can anyone explain with vedic pramAnams
such variations ? prAnAyAmam is aimed at
tuning one's body and mind towards a meditation-
friendly state of mind and body. Since it involves
breath control, when done in a wrong way, may affect
the body in a very adverse way. I am not able
to find an authoritative text that validates the 
current practice. 

Am I missing something here ? or is it just a fact that
the vedic prAnAyAmam procedure is now reduced to a 
pure academic knowledge ?

I appreciate your inputs in this. you may also
mail me directly to rajeev@parakalamatham.org if
you wish to do so.

--regards

rajeev  



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