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Re: gAyatrI mantra : tradition
dchakrav@netserv.unmc.edu (Dhruba Chakravarti) wrote:
>I have been looking for an explanation of the tradition of secrecy around
>the gAyatrI mantra. I have been told by many people that it should not be
>said loudly, lest others can hear it.
>
>The problem is, the gAyatrI mantra itself is in plural (dhImahi). Why
>should it be secret ?
I don't see why there's a problem with the plural. Since dvijas would have
constituted a good 30-40% of the population, quite a few people would have been
authorized to recite the gaayatrii. But that does not mean everyone can recite
it.
The secrecy may have to do with fact that it's a powerful mantra and mantra
saastra generally prohibits initiation of the "non-fit". The mahaanaaraayaNa
upanishhad has the gaayatrii in one place. When my guru was teaching me the
mahaanaaraayaNa upanishhad he specifically instructed that the portion with the
gaayatrii was to be whispered and not said loudly. So it's a pretty strict rule
I guess.
Ramakrishnan.
--
Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said, "The flag is moving." The other
said, "The wind is moving." The sixth patriarch happened to be passing by. He
told them, "Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving." - The Gateless Gate
http://yake.ecn.purdue.edu/~rbalasub/
