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Spirituality
Learning A
Mantra
Collected and Retold by
A.Thiagarajan
One of the personal attendants came to the king and asked for leave of
absence one year, to learn a mantra - Gayatri Mantra. The king thought
that one year was too long and called him to come the next day.
The king sent for a brahmin, got the Gayatri Mantra written down and
committed it to memory – in just thirty minutes. He asked the brahmin to
check and confirm that his pronunciation and his delivery in terms of
pauses and the duration of the sounds are correct. Then, the king could
no longer wait; he summoned the attendant.
"I took half-an-hour to learn this mantra; you must be mad to ask for
one year"- the king yelled and continued: "Not only have I memorized it,
but also got a priest to confirm that my delivery is fine. All it took
was an hour. One may ask for 2 days or 3 days to learn this- but 1 year;
you should be mad or you take me to be a bloody fool"
The attendant could clearly see that the king was angry; he said- "my
lord, if only you give me ten minutes and forgive my actions, I may
explain"
The king agreed.
The attendant asked two servants of the court to bring a rope; when it
was brought, he asked them to tie the king to the pillar with the rope.
The servants did not move an inch but looked at the king and then looked
around at others in the court.
Everyone was watching with great fear, worried about the fate of the
attendant.
The attendant repeated his order to the servants in louder voice, again
and again.
Unable to take it anymore, the king shouted- "arrest this bloody chap"
The whole court fell into silence and the attendant was arrested in a
nano-second.
The old minister then came forward and asked them to release the
attendant. The servants looked at the king. The king nodded his head and
they released the attendant.
The old minister spoke – "My lord, isn't the whole matter clear? We all
asked the servants to do a thing. When the attendant asked them to tie
you with a rope, they did not do it; but when you said the very same
words, they instantly obeyed.
When I asked them to release the attendant, they did not do; but only on
your nod, they released him.
Your words or nod have the power to call for obedience. It is not simply
saying something- it is not even repetition of words that alone produces
the effect- there should be, within those words, a power that gives the
words the required strength.
Mantra requires not only simple repetition; it requires other things to
go with - such as oneness of mind, dedication, sincerity etc. That is
why there is a belief that certain mantras should be learnt through a
guru"
The attendant got his leave.
July 9, 2006
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Spirituality
The Week of July 9, 2006
The Left’s Plan-B: In case a snap poll becomes
necessary! by Rajinder Puri
Pakistan and North Korea: Rogue States
Brandishing Nuclear Weapons
and Ballistic Missiles by Dr. Subhash Kapila
Nuclear Pacts, Missiles, ABMs and Combating War
Strategies by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
China: The Fine art of Balancing Power Relations
and Economic
Engagement by Col. Rahul K. Bhonsle
A Tragic Tale of Self Betrayal by Michael
Levy
Vision of the Whole by TA Ramesh
Water Harvesting: Let's Do It by VK Joshi
Cry for a Hindu Nation by V. Sundaram
Vyasa – Witness to
Self, Witness to Life by Satya Chaitanya
The Name "Aparna" – Its Mythological Meaning in
Hindu Religion by Aparna Chatterjee
Learning a Mantra by A. Thiagarajan
Adventures in the Yucatan by Subra Narayan
Royal Heritage: A Legacy in Poetry by
Dr. Amitabh Mitra
Feeding Nourishment to your Preschooler by
Garima Gupta
The Witty Side by Melvin Durai
Software Testing by Ruchi Gupta
# 10 Dover Lane by Julia Dutta
Monsoon Blues by Sujata Iyer
The Change Within by Farah Shafqat
Bulldozing the Right to Survive by Gautam Bhan
Life Beyond the Tourism Brochure by Charumathi
Supraja
A Walk on the Wild Side by Loba
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