[Advaita-l] Question/Clarification on Chanting Vaidika mantras

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

>From the name Veda itself we come to know Veda is about Knowledge and not
just blind Karma. The Veda does not ask us to do Karmas blindly not knowing
meaning. In Vivaha Mantras the bridegroom has to promise the bride saying
Dharme Ca Arthe Ca Kaame Ca Naticarami. He will not deceive her in Dharma,
Artha and Kaama and will always share with her. He will remain faithful to
her. But the Purohita if he does not know the meaning he will simply go
through it and not tell bridegroom he has made a promise. What then? In
Upanayana the Vatu may ask why he has to offer the Samits into Agni for
Agnikaarya. What is the meaning of the Mantras in offering the Samit sticks
into Agni? Who will answer him if Purohita does not know meaning? Can we
expect the boy to be satisfied by telling him he should not ask any
question but simply do it?

On Wed, Nov 1, 2017 at 3:42 PM, Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> People have been quoting from the ChAndogya bhAShya, etc., which I have in
> fact quoted decades prior on this list. I am aware of all these references
> and more. I reiterate - knowing meanings is next to irrelevant for most
> people. Unless the correct procedure is known or the Veda is chanted
> perfectly, thinking about the meaning, etc., is just completely useless. In
> real life I see out of a 1000 who chant, may be a handful chanting
> properly. This is even in India unless it’s a congregation of paNDitas. But
> 100% are ready to bloviate with references from Upanishads, bhAShas, inner
> meanings and what have you.
>
> On Mon, Oct 30, 2017 at 10:32 AM S Jayanarayanan via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> >  Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan rama.balasubramanian at gmail.com wrote:
> >
> > > This is from the pANinIya shikShA and repeated in many other
> shikShA-s. A
> > > commentary I have read on one of the other shikShA-s (forget which one
> > now,
> > > might be the vyAsa) is perceptive. He says that the artha here refers
> to
> > > the accents, udAtta, anudAtta, etc., since these are crucial to the
> > > meaning. Understanding the actual meaning is secondary.
> > >
> >
> > Yes, so far as the effect of performing a ritual is concerned, knowing
> the
> > meaning
> > of Mantras is certainly secondary to chanting accurately.
> >
> > > In fact, understanding the meanings in Vedic mantra-s is secondary to
> the
> > > point of almost irrelevance. Correct chanting is paramount.
> > >
> >
> > That's taking it to the "extreme" level! Knowing the meanings of Mantras
> is
> > very good. One should add that knowing the *correct* meaning - not just
> > the literal
> > meaning - is excellent.
> >
> > Besides, the Veda doesn't consist of Mantras alone, but also Vidhis
> > (Brahmanas).
> > One can ask the question: "Which is more important - Mantras or
> > Vidhis/Brahmanas?"
> > Of course, the answer is that both are equally important, but some would
> > say
> > that the balance is 51-49 in favor of the Vidhis, since even to know
> which
> > Mantra
> > to recite comes from the Vidhis. Hence knowing the meanings of the Vidhis
> > is the
> > foundation of Dharma
>
>
> No. As per the mImAmsA shAstra, vidhi is like 99%. As a matter of fact, the
> true meaning of the mantra can be gained only from the vidhi. The mantras
> are ALMOST irrelevant.
>
> Rama
>
>
>
> > > Rama
> > >
> >
> > http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
> >
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> > listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
> >
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-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh