Guest guest Report post Posted June 30, 2003 Ok folks, i asked this question before but im not satified with the answers given. i just don't get it. in Iskcon i hear that after one receives 2nd initiation (upanayana-samskara) he receives the brahma gayatri mantra. now ive just conducted a google search and that mantra is the one widely chanted (om bhur, bhuva svaha, tat sat viturvareyam....) but in ikcon that particular mantra is not allowed. they chant kama gayatri secret mantra (well, that can be easily found in the brahma-samhita) and is 18 syllables long. why is the brahma gayatri mantra not chanted? im so confused on the topic of gayatri mantra. please please some one kindly explain to me the differnce on the two. one more question,was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu born in a brahmin family? i read elsewhere that before he received initiation form Ishvara Puri He wore the scared brahmin tread from his childhood. I myself being born in a brahmin household see many boys from the age of 5 onwards receive the scared tread and they are given the brahma-gayatri mantra. by the way why do iskcon initiated devotees chant the kama and gopala gayarti when they are meant to chant the brahma gayatri mantra which is meant to be secret (then why is it that the mantra is chanted universally especially in gayatri yagna's?) Please can someone anwer my questions and remove doubts from my head.thanking all respondants in advance. Hare Krishna Jay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted July 1, 2003 someone please reply. im helpless and confused. i also read that the Guru is ones eternal father and Gayatri is ones eternal mother. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I_love_krishna_ 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2003 Is that the initiation that everyone talks about so much, that is usually done for brahmanas in India. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guruvani 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2003 ISKCON brahmanas do chant the brahma-gayatri....Om Bhur Bhuva sva.... They also chant guru bija mantra, guru mantra, Gaura-bija mantra, Gaura mantra,Krishna mantra and Kama-gayatri. That is seven mantras altogther. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Subala 1 Report post Posted July 2, 2003 You not supposed to chant gayatri mantra aloud. And you supposed to chant Hare Krishna mantra aloud. Gets little bit confusing. Answer is we follow your tradition - guru sadhu and sastra. Sastra prescribe to chant gayatri in your mind and Hare Krishna mantra aloud, and sadhu and guru confirm it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted July 1, 2004 Actually the point is that the mantra we have to get from a disciplic succesion. Actually the purity and understanding of the mantra come with the initiation. It is not that just chanting a mantra it will bear result. If a vaishnava gives Brahma gayatri or a Smatra, or Mayavadi it is not same thing. It is written that a vaishnava even born in shudra family is taken preference to be guru not a some one just born as brahmana. Actually the mantra om namo narayanaya is chanted aloud in all the Sri Vaishnava temples and it is considered the secret mantra. If one hears the mantra it doesnt mean that he has got the impowernment to chant the particular mantra. There is one story of someone who got Hare Krishna mantra from guru. So the guru told him that this a secret mantra. Then he saw that some workers chanted, some fisherman, hahaha and some washer ladies. So he came back complaining. The guru gave him a jewel and said to take to same people. So he gave the jewel to the workers, but they said it is too small stone to be of some use as a tool. Then fisherman said it is not usefull as to be bound on the fishing net. The washing ladies told that it is too small to be used to rub the cloths. So he came back and the guru told him, see do the people value the jewel, they just repeat the mantra without any meditation. Bhaktivinoda Thakur is saying that merely speaking out the sylables wont give us the result. Daso smi Damana Krishna dasa damanakrsnadas@ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted February 6, 2006 "chanting gayatri" is actually sandhyavandanam, described here: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/2627/tsandhya.html#praatah Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted February 6, 2006 http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/sandhya/index.html Here is the method described, with videoclips of a vadakalai Srivaishnava performing sandhyavandanam. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted March 3, 2006 For detailed under standing you may read " Meditation and Life" a book by H.H.Swami. Chinmayananda.In this book swamiji throws light on why, what ...on meditation and also descusses in detail a few mantras. The book is available in leading book stores and Chinmaya Mission Centres. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
