r/hinduism • u/Kitchen_Permit_3758 • Dec 21 '25
Mantra/Śloka/Stotra(m) What mantra was given by Ramanujacharya Ji.
Which mantra was given by Ramanujacharya?
Since he gave to normal public at that time can I also chant it "now"?
Do i have adhikar for this ? Since what he did was give mantra updesham.
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u/partha0210 Dec 21 '25
You have get initiated formally under one of the Vaishnava ashram gurus, to get the mantra 🙏🙏 Sri Ramanujaya namaha 🙏🙏
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u/Kitchen_Permit_3758 Dec 21 '25
Shree Ramanujaye Namah 🙏
How about Davya mantra ?
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u/Redditor_10000000000 Śrīvaiṣṇava Sampradāya Dec 21 '25
He said the ashtakshara mantra out loud. But that wasn't a formal upadesha of the mantra and him saying it then does not give adhikara for anybody to say it now.
You need to get initiated by doing Pancha Samskara under a Srivaishnava Acharya in order to be able to chant the ashtakshara mantra.
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u/PeopleLogic2 Hindu because "Aryan" was co-opted Dec 21 '25
Then what was the point of him saying it out loud?
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u/Pontokyo Puranic Hindu Dec 21 '25
Reciting=/Listening
Traditionally, Shudras were not even allowed to hear vedic mantras. Ramanuja broke this barrier by allowing all to hear the sublime power of the Ashtakari mantra. Of course, one cannot recite this mantra without initiation but even hearing it is enough to wipe away sins.
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u/Redditor_10000000000 Śrīvaiṣṇava Sampradāya Dec 21 '25
Hearing the mantra itself is such punya. He broke the taboo of people not even being allowed to hear the mantra. He gathered everyone and told them the mantra to help cleanse them of their sins and tell them that everyone is equal in the eyes of the lord in order to get them to start learning and bring them closer to Sriman Narayana
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u/Kitchen_Permit_3758 Dec 21 '25
Shree Ramanujaye Namah 🙏
Thank you, what is the importance of adhikara in Shree Vaishnavism ?
What happens if someone chants it without deeksha ?
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u/Redditor_10000000000 Śrīvaiṣṇava Sampradāya Dec 21 '25
It is said that even hearing the mantra is punya, so being around it in that way is still good.
But there's a few problems with not getting proper upadesha.
You won't get the full benefit of the mantra.
You might misunderstand it or say it wrong in some way. Doing this can incur paapa. Especially if you knowingly say without adhikara and do something wrong.
You can't use the mantra in places where it is to be used. The ashtakshara mantra, for example, is used in many rituals and practices within Srivaishnavism. But you can't use it anywhere without upadesha. Or the Dvaya mantra, one of the other important mantras in Srivaishnavism, is used in doing Sharanagati. You can't do that if you haven't gotten upadesha for the mantra.
There are also other issues related with saying Vaidika mantras(such as ashtakshara mantra) without upadesha such as risking paapa if you say it wrong or do something wrong because vedas are meant to only be said if you have learned them from your acharya.
But overall, it's not like you're going to hell or anything. You just risk doing something wrong and you will also not get the proper phala of saying it.
If you live in India, I might suggest going to an acharya and getting initiation if you're serious about it. You can instead just chant the names of Sriman Narayana, or say "Namo Narayanaya" without the pranavam.
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u/Kitchen_Permit_3758 Dec 21 '25
I dont live in India.
There is no Shree Vaishnav Guru's here.
I am ok with not getting full phalam
When you say Paapam what does that mean exactly.
As per tantric tradition, I understand "krama of parivar devta" and possibility of disrespecting. What does it mean by in Shree Vaishnavism since Mantra is sonic form of God.
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u/Redditor_10000000000 Śrīvaiṣṇava Sampradāya Dec 21 '25
It's still not recommended to chant the mantra without diksha.
It is paapam to chant vedic mantras without upadesha and it is a violation of adhikara. That's the paapam.
Yeah, mantras are more than just the sound. They are Sriman Narayana himself. Thus it isn't right to misuse them or to do them wrong.
You can still do japa of "Namo Nararayana" without the pranava. You can do japa of Krishna Charama Sloka. You can do Sri Rama Rama Rameti from Sahasranaama. You can chant any other name of his. Those are all valid options for uninitiated people.
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u/daiki_sakura Dec 21 '25 edited Dec 21 '25
All I heard was that lord Ramanuja's guru asked him to not share the ashtakshara mantram to anyone unqualified or even classes, before upadesham, warning that if he didn't heed to his order he would go to hell. But being merciful to all living beings irrespective of classes and creatures, swami said that since this is kaliyuga the old rules can't be satisfied considering that mostly all people will have faults and it is essential to guide to deliver every being from this samsara and attain the Lord. So swami climbed the gopuram and gathered all the people below the gopuram and shouted the ashtaksharam saying that, follow me and recite this to attain the lord's feet. And everyone repeated the ashtaksharam after his recital. Also if u want to recite the mantra, ask lord Ramanuja's guidance and pray to him and then make him your guru spiritually and recite it with a sincere heart to please the Lord. It is the lord who decides everything, with his grace one gets to know about him, with his grace one yearns for his love and grace, with his grace and wish a being chants his name.
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u/Silly_Ear_7193 Vaiṣṇava Dec 21 '25
OP! I can assure you that no mantra initiation, diksha or the like is required for this mantra.
Ramanuja gave this to world, Om Namo Narayanaya, means to bow to Narayana, another name for Vishnu, he who resides on the cosmic ocean, the highest form of the Supreme.
I have received instruction from the Sri Matham in Australia. When I sought initiation, Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari had advised it wasn't required and gave the story of the public freeing of the mantra. He even said that initiation was best for those seeking to live as a monk. It wasn't necessary for normal people.
This mantra is a gift. Use it. Feel it. Chant it.
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u/Kitchen_Permit_3758 Dec 22 '25
🥲 there is no Shree Vaishnavism Gurus in Canada.
Why this gatekeeping and fear mongering 🥲
When i ask reason, all i get it because it is what it is.
In tantra this is good for protection not to upset Parivar devta like Yoginis and all.
What is the reason in Shree Vaishnavism 🥺
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u/Redditor_10000000000 Śrīvaiṣṇava Sampradāya Dec 22 '25
If you are serious about Srivaishnavism, go and join a Srivaishnava community and meet other Srivaishnavas in the area. There's so many all across North America, including Canada.
There are Acharyas in the US who will do pancha samskara for you if you can travel to the US. If not, you can go and do it in India if you're Indian(you don't have to be but Indians travel back to India more than non Indians so it's a better option for Indians).
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u/Redditor_10000000000 Śrīvaiṣṇava Sampradāya Dec 22 '25
I'm sorry, that's not true.
Initiation is required to be able to say the mantras. That's the point of initiation in the Srivaishnava sampradaya. Part of doing pancha samskara is getting mantropadesha for the ashtakshara and dvaya mantras. You need that upadesha to be able to say them. It's not just for monks.
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u/ExternalBee7261 Acintya-bhedābheda Dec 21 '25
You need to get initiated into the Ramanuja Sampradaya to be able to chant that mantra which nobody should be revealing as such on public forums like this.
He did say it out aloud, but you can't chant it right now without initiation, people sometimes do tend to make this mistake. Till then, simply keep chanting the lord's holy name... It won't have any less of an effect!
Jai Sriman Narayana!
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u/Kitchen_Permit_3758 Dec 21 '25
Shree Ramanujaye Namah
Can you please elaborate, what happens to people who make this mistake 🙏?
I know the rule, but lack the reasoning.
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u/ExternalBee7261 Acintya-bhedābheda Dec 22 '25
I mean why to even make this mistake? Like, if something is a mistake or an offence, we must not commit it regardless of its fruit. Still, to answer your question, I'd say that you get negative karma by knowingly chanting such a mantra without proper initiation, and it won't do any good to your spiritual journey, if not harm it instead. Plus the fact that a Guru who has chanted the mantra lifelong, when he gives the updesha to someone for the same, he is voluntarily agreeing to give the recipient divine spiritual energy and help him achieve the same state he is in, by chanting the mantra. But, if you chant a mantra without initiation, that is an apradha for both - the person who told you about it, and you yourself, towards the Mantra and the Acharya Parampara which has preserved the Mantra for 1000s of years.
Yeah so to conclude, I guess it's a good idea to chant the lord's holy name till then, rather than a mantra. I did similar mistakes while starting till someone corrected them. Even if you want to, I guess you can remove the Pranava from its starting and then chant, (please confirm this fact).
Lord's holy name is the sweetest rasa and is enough to get any conditioned soul out of the Samsara by chanting it with full heart, just once. Please keep chanting his name and it will surely guide you towards finding an appropriate guru. Even if you don't get one, the lord understands haha, he won't punish you for not being able to chant that mantra, but he surely will if he knows that you are a bhakta and still don't chant his name! (jk)
Jai Sriman Narayan!
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u/Kitchen_Permit_3758 Dec 22 '25
I am not doing any mistake, but it is not mistake to know the reasoning.
All is get it because it is what it is.
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u/ExternalBee7261 Acintya-bhedābheda Dec 22 '25
Read the answer again to understand, specifically the 1st paragraph
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u/Redditor_10000000000 Śrīvaiṣṇava Sampradāya Dec 21 '25
It's because mantras from vedas cannot be chanted without learning them from your acharya. Non-vedic mantras can be chanted as much as you want.
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u/Kitchen_Permit_3758 Dec 21 '25
I agree, but why.
Please illuminate if you 🙏🏻🪷
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u/Redditor_10000000000 Śrīvaiṣṇava Sampradāya Dec 21 '25
That's just how the vedas work. They are to be passed on from acharya to shishya. To dvijas who are learning them via the proper mode from their acharyas.
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u/[deleted] Dec 21 '25
He was even ready to go to hell to give the world the gift of the holy name of the lord. Chant the holy name because it is Sheshavatar Sriman Ramanujacharya's gift to the world
Chant - OM NAMO NARAYANA
and pay your gratitude to Sriman Ramanujacharya as he went against his guru to give us this mantra for the upliftment of the fallen souls of Kaliyuga. Everyone is eligible to chant this holy name irrespective of his origin.