lalitaa sahasranAma: uttara piiThikaa - Some verses to consider (81 - 84)

[Ravisankar S. Mayavaram]

IMO (i may be wrong)

In brief:

1) LS and LT require

a) the text should be kept secret
b) should be revealed and given only to those who are initiated to
SriVidya + other good qualities such as devotee etc.

2) In practice

a) Text is not a secret and available to all. And almost all groups and
schools of thoughts agree on these.

b) Some believe that initiation to SrividyA (or bAlA tripurasundari
mantra based on daxiNamuurti samhita is required) and some schools do
not accept it. Latter is the majority. Mostly people treat it like any
other devotional work, which you buy in a book shop and start reading.


What one can do:

a) There is no restriction in practice on listening to audio cassettes
or reading translations etc. IMO,if you can find time to listen to an
audio cassette once a day, it is even better than reading from a book.
There are very good cassettes available. I always found closing one's
eyes and listening, gives you better focus than reading from a book.


b) To chant the safe approach:

Take initiation to SriVidya and get permission from your guru and start
LS or LT. You got to be lucky to do this.

c) Alternatives:

There are lot of teachers who start you into this without Srividya.
Find one of them, if you are not keen or do not see a reason for taking
Srividya. Typically from both LS and LT, the responsibility is on the
shoulders of the guru. There are many who are kind and compassionate to
do it. The first person who comes to my mind is Ammachi.


Personal note:

This was an issue which tormented me and frustrated me for over a year.
 When I first learnt from a SriVidyopasaka that I should not say, since
I am not initiated. I was so frustrated. Only twice in my life I have
gone through such a mental agony. 1st time when I was India (at IITM),
I was so confused and frustrated on the issue on God etc. At that time
I was an agnostic. 2nd was LS/LT. I wont go into details here.

I decided to go by (c) and got my books personally blessed by mAtA
amRitanandamAyii.  Still, I more or less stopped saying LS/LT for many
months. My logic was, it was not obligatory like sandhyavandanam
anyway. For a long time, I prayed often to shiva using the verse "tvat
pAdambujam archyaami ...", begging him to come in my dream and initiate
me. That was my specific prayer.  But with time, I was content with
what I have (gAyatrI) and stopped that prayer and attained inner peace.
 As it always happens, when you stop chasing a butterfly it comes and
quietly sits on your shoulder, on feb 14th 2001 in a vivid dream I was
initiated (a very clear dream) I was initiated to srividya by a great
saint. I still wonder whether I deserve it. Yet I use it as token
gesture by HER that I can peacefully say LS and LT.

Personally I think, you worship God with your own words. There is no
need for any any mantra or tantra.  You can talk to HER. My belief is
even if you cannot hear HER reply. SHE will definitely listen to what
you say.

Here I stop my blabbering. I will not respond to any messages nor I
will broach this topic on any occasion again. Enough is enough. May SHE
forgive me for whatever I have written out my ignorance.

{from my side -- this discussion will not be continued and it stops
here)













=====
ambaaL daasan

Ravi

sharaNAgata raxakI nivEyani sadA ninnu nammiti mInAxI

http://www.ambaa.org/  http://www.advaita-vedanta.org

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