Dear Sri Mano,

Thank you for your response.

You said that chanting the different names of the Lord
helps keep the mind engaged more easily in remembering
(smarana) the specific attributes of the Lords names.
Does this mean that there are other methods (though
more difficult) as well and if one chooses, he may
adopt one of the other means while giving up chanting?
I am aksing this because in the Gaudiya philosophy,
the chanting is all important in Kali Yuga. In other
words, there is no other way in Kali Yuga but
chanting. Harer nama Harer name Harer namaiva kevalam
which translates into Chanting is the only way.

Also, I would like to know specifically if in the Sri
Vaisnava philosophy, the Lord is considered
non-different from His name? For example, the name
water and water itself are different. By chanting the
name water, one cannot quench his thirst. What is the
stance of the Sri Sampradaya philosphy on this?

- Bharath

--- ramanuja (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com <mano1205@...>
wrote:
> sri:
>
> Dear Devotees:
>
> Ramanujacharya's bhasya on the Bhagavad Gita
chapter 9, verse 14
>
> satataM kIrtayanto mAM
> yatantazca dRDhavratAh
> namasyantazca mAM bhaktyA
> nityayuktA upAsate
>
> Engaged always in praising me,
> And striving ever, firm in vows,
> Always attuned, and reverent,
> They truely worship me with love.
>
> Because of My being their extremely dear beloved
object they praise Me, strive to attain Me and bow to
Me in reverance, without which they are unable to
sustain their lives even for the fraction of a moment,
and so remembering My names, connotive of my special
attributes, they cry out My names, with horripilation
all over the body and the voice choked with intense
delight - Sri Rama, Narayana, Krsna, Vasudeva etc.
thus engaged always in praising Me
>
> In reference to "remembering my names, connotive
of my special attributes"
> Sri Vaisnavas practice chanting Visnu Sahasranama
and offering arcana by reciting Lord's different
names.
>
> Sri Vaisnava say that, by chanting the different
names the mind is engaged more easily in remembering
(smarana) the specific attributes of the Lords names.
> Chanting Lord's various names certainly helps keep
one's concentration and focus.
> Of course Sri Vaisnavas also do mantra japa
(repetition of the same mantra)
>
> Adiyen dasanudasan
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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