Sri Balaji, Let me at the outset state that I have close association with several Gaudiya Vaishnava devotees and have spent virtually all my life frequenting our local ISKCON temple. Indeed, I probably speak for many Sri Vaishnavas when I say that the Gaudiya Vaishnavas were the first to guide me back to serving the devotee's of the Supreme Being with a proper understanding of Sri Sampradayam and philosophy. Be that as it may, I would have to be the first to admit some subtle points of difference between the two schools, especially when it comes to the recitation of mantras - let us leave aside what mantra should be recited for the moment. Sri Mukundan has already explained this position in some detail, but I thought it worthwhile to attempt to clarify the it further. The Gaudiya Vaishnavas, following the recommended practice of Kalisantharana Upanishad, recite the Hare Krsna mahamantra, seeing its recitation as a means to salvation. This position suggests that there is an upayam, a means, different from the Lord, that one can undertake to achieve salvation. Yet, at the same time, all Vaishnavas hold the truth that He is the Supreme Being. His Supremacy would imply, at least from the Sri Vaishnava perspective, that Sriman Narayana is the only True Independent Being, Who is completely free to bestow salvation on any one any time that He chooses, without any condition or prequalification on the part of the soul. This leads to a paradox - we say that God is Supreme and at the same time say that there is way to win His favor so that we reach Him. And, it is in an effort to clear up this paradox that the Thenkalais are not fully accepting of the idea that doing so many rounds of japa so many times a day will lead us to Salvation. I suppose that one way that ISKCON reconciles this paradox is by saying that the Holy Name is not different from the Lord, so His Saving Grace is as much a part the Nature of His Name as much as it is a part of Him. But, from the Sri Vaishnava perspective, there are three mantras that can be meditated upon that do not inherently hold this paradox. These three mantras are the Thirumantram, Dvayam, and Charama Slokam, and it is really not in their recitation, but rather in contemplating upon their meaning, that the "power" of these mantras takes effect in our being. For according to the myriad of Acharyas that have contemplated upon them, all three of these mantras emphatically state that our Sole Protector and Saviour is Sriman Narayana Alone. Ours is only to accept this Truth, and this too comes about because of His Efforts to reach us. So, while we are not opposed to any mantra, especially those that are dedicated to Sriman Narayana, the point of contention presented by the Sri Sampradaya lies only in the need for ritualistic recitation to them in an effort to achieve redemption through self-effort. adiyen Azhvar EmberumAnAr JeeyAr ThiruvadigalE Saranam http://www.vedics.net Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ramanuja/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ramanuja-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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