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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00067 Apr 2004

 
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Dear Sriram,
You hit the nail on its head. I posted those two "guidelines" 
mentioning that I would be offering my humble opinions on why those 
are incorrect. You already provided the counter-point for "agrument 
against frequency of mantras".
I'll go ahead for the "antaryami logic". Here are some mantras from 
Rig veda, loosely translated.

1. "Agni, we approach you like a son towards his father..."
Correct interpretation: "Vishnu, the antaryami of agni! we approach 
you like a son towards his father..."

2. "King VaruNa! No sinner escapes your noose... you maintain the 
cosmic order (rta)..."
Correct interpretation: "Vishnu, the antaryami of varuNa! you 
maintain the cosmic order, nobody escapes your noose etc."

3. "Indra! You bull! we sons (or children) sacrifice unto you with 
soma. Accept our offering...."
Correct interpretation: "Vishnu, the antaryami of Indra!, we 
sons ...."

Now, here is the interesting part:
4. "VishNu the bull, far-stepper, far-goer made three steps and from 
his feet all these were created..."
Correct interpretation: "Vishnu, the antaryami of VishNu...." wait, 
wait! You should not apply antaryami logic for this particular 
mantra. Why not? Because we made up the rules arbitrarily? 
If this is arbitrary, may be King VaruNa can be replaced for vishNu 
in mantras 1, 3 and 4. There is no justification for choosing one 
option over other.
This is my argument against antaryami logic - There is no specific 
rule on what mantras require antaryami logic and what doesn't.

Regards,
Kasturi Rangan .K

--- In ramanuja@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, <purohit@xxxx> wrote:
> Dear Kasturi Rangan
> 
> These guidelines are excellent - but can we also apply them to the 
anya
> devatas? Every mantra can also be said to be directed to Brahma or 
Shiva?
> There are fewer mantras to Shiva than to Vishnu - so can we say 
that paucity
> is the sign of excellence? There is only two Suktas to Mitra - so 
does this
> mean that Mitra is the supreme? (being also a form of the Adityas 
of whom
> Vishnu is a member?)
> 
> Adiyen
> 
> Dasosmiham
> 
> Sri Ram
> 
> 
> > (1) whenever you read a mantra addressed to agni, read it as a 
one
> > addressed to vishnu, as vishNu is antaryami of everybody...
> > (antaryami logic)
> > (2) argument against frequency of occurance: you spend 12 years 
in
> > high school but only 4 years in college. Similarly, you study a 
lot
> > of mantras addressed to various devatas but only a few mantras on
> > vishNu. College education is more complex and "higher" than high
> > school education. Similarly, mantras addressed to "vishNu"
> > are "higher" than other dEvatas.
> > (maybe more as we go along)





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