SV series contd.....

Marjanam/Upasthanam and other mantras in Sandhya Vandanam

SV series …….. Contd…

In the last piece I had written about the three main aspects of our daily Sandhya. I will now take up the ritual part, elaborating some of the mantras which impress me and on which I have this urge to share.

The term “marjanam” in samskrit means “purifying/cleansing. The achamanam, “aapo hishta” “dadhikrvinno” parts fall under this category. So before commencing the sandhya we do the achamanam.

Since several names of Vishnu are invoked, in this achamanam, I will confine myself here to just the first “achyutha”. This denotes one who never falls/ errs/ strays/or is lost, salutations to Him. One invokes all such Vishnu names, with a drop of water in ones palms, and the water sanctified by this invocation is then partaken, as a part of a cleansing process.

I remember Naresh asking once as to how the mantra “shuklambaradaram Vishnum”, specifically naming Vishnu, is taken as a prayer to Lord Ganesh. The word Vishnu means omnipresent (Rudraya Vishnave as in Rudram). As the prayer ends with “sarva vigna upashaanthaye” this could probably denote Vigneswara, but not adequately. The clinching word as I understand is that, one of the meanings of the word “Prasanna” is elephant, as per our acharyal. So the deity is Prasanna vadanam namely one who has the face of an elephant.

Another interesting aspect of many mantras is that the literal meaning is in the form of a command (Remember “vidhi”?) rather than the derived meaning such as I bow down or I salute kind. The word is “dyayeth” meaning one should cogitate, and not “dhyyayami” which would translate to “I contemplate”.

In other words the meaning of this prayer, which is in the form of a vidhi or a command says, “One should contemplate on the deity Vigneswara, who wears a pure white dress, is omnipresent, has four arms, and is elephant faced, who removes every obstacles to one’s path” . (And not I contemplate on the such and such deity, which can be only a derived meaning). I wonder therefore if after this prayer, mentally we should add “dhyayami” kind of confirming “yes I do”, or at least pause and reflect, which would make it easier to obey this command and appreciate it simultaneously.

Next is the Pranayamam; which has gained a universal acceptance today from the yoga practitioner, to the lowest common man!!, albeit without the mantra part.

Bhu,Bhvaha, suvaha, mahaha, janaha, tapaha, sathyam, these seven are termed “vyaahrutis” which means “expression of a statement". The statement is that all 7 lokas are but manifestation of that parambrahma denoted by "OM". After this comes the mantra of gayathri, and followed by “aapaha, jyotihi and rasaa” water, jyothi, rasam, amritam again all His manifestation, and which are considered the head of Gayathri.

The chanting of Vyahruti, pranava mantra( gayathri) and the head portion, in controlled breathing- in and breathing- out exercise, 3 times, is called “pranayaamam”.

Therefore the gist of this mantra would be

(a) A statement of facts, namely the 7 lokas are His manifestations, represented as “OM”.

(b) A prayer that I contemplate on Him by looking inward (as He resides in me) to remove ignorance and deliver me, from bondage”.

(c) And to finally re-affirm that as “water in the oceans and rivers, the brilliance of the Sun, the essence of taste, and the nectar of the Devas, He is the sum total of all these.

Before I get to the next part, let me digress a little, with the promise that I will co-relate shortly.

Imagine the following scenario; A large buffet table with a lavish dinner is spread in front of you. A bunch of people are loading their plates as if there is no tomorrow, and there is no possibility of an extra helping. After this, they start devouring the plate in a terrifying speed, with water trickling down their nostrils, and eyes, making an ass of themselves, making you either pity or scorn them depending on your relationship with them.

If I continue in this piece further about the next mantra etc, this would be akin to the guys in the dinner buffet scene. I will prefer to choose selectively, go slowly from one to other, so that I enjoy the plate leisurely, comfortably savoring every nuance of the dishes. I do not want to run the risk of either pity or scorn, by going on and on and on.

I would therefore prefer to close this piece here, and continue this exercise in the succeeding pieces. I would also dare hope, that all you folks would still be interested enough to continue reading these.

Love

Vichu