Bhakti List Archives

Re: [sv-rituals] Re: Gayathri Japam

From the Bhakti List Archives

Shruti Dhara • Thu Sep 05 2002 - 14:24:02 PDT 


Dear Sri Mani,

I hope this message meets you well and my due respects to all on the egroup. 
I wish to address a number of questions to you and all members of the group.

This weekend I will be attending a seminar that our organization is 
facilitating by a teacher/practitioner of different forms of Yoga. 
Apparently he will be teaching a manner of recitation of Sri Gayatri 
accompanied by mudras. He learned this from TKV Desikachar, the son of the 
late Yogi Sri T. Krishnamacharya of Madras.

I do not know the exact details of this practice. I would like to know if 
chanting Sri Gayatri with mudras is familiar to the respected members of the 
group and whatever contextual information you might have before attending 
this seminar.

Also, what is the perspective of the benefit of chanting without having 
received upanayana or mantra diksha. I personally recieved such initiation 
in the Gaudiya lineage, thus I know there are different understandings and 
prescriptions for its practice. I am sure my teacher would not have 
instructed people to chant this mantra as a sadhana for anyone who was not 
duly initiated. Apparently though, with the increasing accessibility and 
popularization of Yogic techniques many modern practitioners are introduced 
to certain mantras and sadhanas without initiation. Such seminars as the one 
I am mentioning as well as my experience in different Yoga class sessions 
urges me to find out more so that I can discuss such concerns with a number 
of teachers.

I also wish to know of any commentaries on Sri Gayatri, to whom such 
commentaries are open to study, and when or by whom the chanting of Gayatri 
was included in Sri Vaishnava practice.

On another note, my research here has turned towards some of the Pancharatra 
Samhitas. Could someone respond as to what degree the daily practice of Sri 
Vaishnavas is drawn from these texts. Are their more recent archan paddhatis 
and textual sources for worship? What are the manuals for personal ritual 
practice as well as worhsip and social conduct in the prominent temples? If 
someone also knows how I could find out such information in regards to the 
other Vaishnava sampradayas I would greatly appreciate it.

I thank you for your due consideration.

Ys,
Jagadisha Dasa

>From: "mani2" 
>Reply-To: sv-rituals@yahoogroups.com
>To: sv-rituals@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [sv-rituals] Re: Gayathri Japam
>Date: Thu, 05 Sep 2002 18:38:43 -0000
>
>--- In sv-rituals@y..., A.R. Ramachandran  wrote:
> >
> >
> > I have a further query on K.Balaji's submission. Is there a way of
>doing
> > sankalpa where the no. of japams can be mentioned. I am a Rig Vedin
>and I have
> > been traditionally used to say 'Yatha sakti gayatri mantrasca japam
> > karisisye...'. Can you quote the line where we could mention the
>number? I am
> > interested in knowing it please.
> >
> > Kind Regards, AR
>
>When doing the sankalpa, one simply mentions the count
>by saying '-sankhyayA gayatrI-mahA-mantra-japam kariSye'.
>The  can be:
>
>   1008 -- ashTottara-sahasra
>   108  -- ashTottara-Sata
>   28 -- ashTa-vimSati
>   10 -- daSa
>
>Mani
>
>




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