[Advaita-l] Question/Clarification on Chanting Vaidika mantras

[Praveen R. Bhat]

Namaste Kartikji and others,

Combining two responses.

On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 9:16 AM, S Jayanarayanan via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

>
> 4) naanyaH panthaa ayanaaya vidyate .
> "I know no other path (to Immortality) besides this!"
>

​I think you meant prathamapurusha not uttamapurusha so: "there exists no
other path to immortality besides this".

Namaste all,

What Ramaji seems to be saying is that to produce results, correct
sasvarocchAraNa of the mantras [along with karma] is enough. Therefore,
knowing the meaning is secondary to the extent of being almost moot. I
agree, as this is well-established in Purvamimamsa; the only thing we as
Vedantins disagree with them is by countering that karmaphaladAtA is
sentient. The brAhmaNa portion deals with the itikartavyatA of the karma
and that is not a word-to-word commentary on the mantras. So the
understanding the meaning of mantras seems quite secondary in comparison to
understanding the brAhmaNa portion.

I'd typed out a mail few days back but deleted it, wherein I meant to add a
factor already known to everyone that chanting is taught at a very young
age when not only memory is sharpest but before knowing vyAkaraNa, etc.
This helps preserve the chAndasa sandhis well. Moreover, many who learn in
vedapAThashAlA move out before learning meanings as that is the last taught
and may take around 15-20 years! And yet, no one doubts that their chanting
and karmas effectuate proper results.
​
​
​
Kind rgds,
--Praveen R. Bhat
/* येनेदं सर्वं विजानाति, तं केन विजानीयात्। Through what should one know
That owing to which all this is known! [Br.Up. 4.5.15] */