Sri Ramanuja Gayatri Mantra

Courtesy: http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/030_sg.pdf Tad viddhi praNipaatena pariprashnena sevayaa l Upadekshyanti te jnaanam jnaaninah tatvadarshinahaa ll 4.34 ll BG

Dear All: During the evening Hanumaan pooja yesterday (Tuesday, Dec 4, 2012), when we were chanting various Gayatris for the deities, it occurred to me that we should also chant a Gayatri for Sri Ramanuja, whose vigraham was installed and consecrated as part of inauguration of the Sri Balaji Temple of Great Lakes in the new facility at 3325 Middlebelt Road, West Bloomfield, MI.

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Before I left the temple yesterday, the following Gayatri came to my mind and was conveyed to our priest, Satagoparicar. He has already started reciting this Gayatri today, Wednesday, December 5, 2012, during the deepaaradhana. Amazingly, when I checked the Pancangam for the auspicious day of Tuesday December 4, 2012, the month was the holy Karthik (Karthigai) and the nakshtram was Ashlesha, which is also the birthstar of LakshmaNa, the younger brother Lord Shree Rama.

The Lord as Ranganatha lying on His serpent bed Adishesha, as seen in Srirangam. Courtesy: http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/030_sg.pdf On Sunday, when the Kalyana Utsavam was celebrated, the nakshatram was Punarvasu (Rama's birthstar). On Monday, the first day in the new temple, post inauguration, the star was Pushya (Bharata's birthstar) and on Tuesday (when the thought of Ramanuja Gayatri occurred) the star was Ashlesha (Lakshmanas birthstar). In the Bala KaaNDam, Valmiki says, in the sloka where the birthstars of
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the four sons of Dasharatha are given, Saarpe jaatau tu Sowmitree. Here saarpe refers to the serpent. Lakshmana was the incarnation of Adishesha, the serpent bed on which MahavishNu lies in the Milk Ocean. The dual verb form jaatau is used, which means that the twins Lakshmana and Shatrugha, the sons of Sumitra, the youngest of the three queens, were both born with the same nakshatram.

Om Raamaanujaaya vidhmahe Tatvaarthadaaya dheemahi l Tanno LakshmaNa-munih pracodayaat ll l ll

1 1 1 3 1 3 1 1 2 3 4

ll

In the Saatrmurai (Vadagalai) verses, we encounter a sloka where Ramanuja is described as Vedantaarthapradaayine = Vedanta+artha+pradaayine. The Tatvaarthadaaya in the Gayatri version above means the same. The word artha has two meanings. Tatva artha, or Vedanta artha, means the meaning of the tatvams or the meaning of the Vedanatas. He expounded to us the real meaning of the tatvams and Vedantas. But, artha also means wealth or treasure. We find the latter usage in both the Bhagavad Gita (chapter 7, verse 16) and in the Vishnu Sahasranamam Phalshruti section (Dharmaarthee praapnuyaat dharmam, arthaarthee caartham aapnuyaat). Ramanuja gave us this great treasure to cherish and nourish forever. The asterism (nakshatra) of the day is doubly significant since Ramanujaacarya was named as Ramanuja, after LakshmaNa, and his name means the younger brother (anuja) of Shree Raamaa. Although the baby name Lakshmana (modified
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in various ways) is used widely in North India, in South India, especially in VaishNavite (Iyengar) families, the name Ramanjua is preferred. It not only reminds us of Shree Raama and His younger brother but also our revered acaaryaa. The epithet LakshmaNa muni used here in the Gayatri is also used for Sri Ramanuja in the second of the two guru vandam verses of Ramanujas immortal work SharaNagati Gadyam (see http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/030_sg.pdf or click here) click here and here http://www.scribd.com/upload/rev_upload/115714616 ).

See also the biography of Ramanujas life by Sriman U. Ve. Anbil Ramaswamy http://www.saranagathi.org/acharyas/ramanuja/articles/life.php.

Very sincerely V. Laxmanan December 4, 2012. Nakshatram: Ashlesha and Thithi: Shashti and Paksha: KrishNa

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Slokas from the Bhagavad Gita in SharaNaagati Gadyam

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The Dvayam mantra is in two parts, hence dvayam. l l

Sriman Narayana Charanau Saranam Prapadye Srimate Narayanaya Namaha The first part is Sriman Narayana Charanau Saranam Prapadye. This means I seek refuge at the feet of Sriman Narayana. The second part is Srimate Narayanaya Namaha. This means My salutation to Sriman Narayana.

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