SLoka Learning Seminar

8/12/2019 SLoka Learning Seminar

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HOW TO LEARN VERSES (DRAVIDA DASA)

1. Study the Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide at the back of the Gita, learn how all

the letters are pronounced, and what the consonants and the long and shortvowels are.

2. Read the English translation of a eorable verse and becoe failiar withit.

!. Study the word"for"word eanings for the first line of the verse.

#. $eterine the eter of the first line of the verse %ore on eter below&.

'. (hant the first line of the verse repeatedly until eori)ed, keeping the

eaning of each word in ind.

*. Proceed to the second line, then the third, and coplete the verse.

SANSKRIT METER

+he eter of a verse is the rhythic flow of light and heavy syllables that akeup each line. light syllable is held half as long as a heavy one %like an eighthnote versus a -uarter note in usic&.

1. syllable is a cobination of letters with one vowel sound.

2. light syllable is one with a short vowel followed by less than twoconsonants.

!. heavy syllable is one with a long vowel or with a short vowel followed bytwo or ore consonants.

#. gnore hyphens and spaces between words and focus on the flow of syllables.

'. spirated consonants %ph !h "hetc.& count as one consonant.

*. s soon as you see an anusvra %#& or a visarga %$&, the previous syllable isheavy.

/. +he last syllable of each line is alost always heavy, regardless of otherconsiderations.

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+he above is sued up at the end of the Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide asfollows0 +here is no strong accentuation of syllables in Sanskrit, or pausingbetween words in a line, only a flowing of short and long %twice as long as theshort& syllables. long syllable is one whose vowel is long %% ai au e & o ' & orwhose short vowel is followed by ore than one consonant %including $and #&.spirated consonants %consonants followed by an h& count as single

consonants.

WH AND HOW TO LEARN VERSES (ROHININANDANA DASA)

WHY?

1. +o help us see sastra-caksusa, through the eyes of scripture.a. 3i4ing us in +ranscendence. %5g. 2.''&b. bsorbing our inds in 6rsna consciousness always. %5g. *.!7&c. (ontrolling the agitated ind. %5g. 1/.1*&

d. 8elping us to discriinate properly. %5g. 1*.2#&e. 8elping us in ties of need. %5g. 2.1#, '.22, 9.1'"1*: S5 1.1'.29"!7&f. Even if we end up in an anial;s body %S5 9.!.1&

2. +o help us speak authoritatively. %5g. 1/.1'&a. s a lawyer cites lawbooks and legal precedents to convincingly

ake his case, so we should be able to fluently cite sruti- and

smriti-sastrasto ake our case for 6rsna.b. +o silence opposition. Srila Prabhupada would soeties defeat


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b. 5y protecting us fro whisical, self"destructive behavior. %5g.1*.2!&

c. 5y keeping our footseteps right behind the previous acaryas, likeSrila Rupa Goswai, whose adherence to sastric principles wase4actly like the lines on a stone %(( ntya *.!7=& and Srila

5haktisiddhanta Sarasvati +hakura, who was faous for rupanuga-

viruddhapasiddhanta dhvanta-harine, having )ero tolerance for anyteachings even a speck deviant fro the teachings of Srila RupaGosvai.

d. Philosophy without religion %dharma-sastra& is ental speculation.%5g. !.! ppt&

'. +o help Srila Prabhupada;s S6(@> branch of the (aitanya tree establishand perpetuate itself as an authentic spiritual culture.

a. culture is established first of all by its language and depth ofthought.

b. 5esides our books, we ust also have book 5hagavatas, whoknow the books inside out, threadbare, all"around, and livetheir lives accordingly. %see also pariprasnena,5g. #.!# ppt&

*. +o worship 6rsna with our intelligence. %5g. 19./7&

/. +o help us reeber and love Aord 6rsna.a. Bho is known as Cttaasloka. %S5 1.'.22, 2.!.1/&b. 5y iersing ourselves in descriptions of 6rsna;s wonderful

-ualities.%e.g. S5 17.2*, 17.=7 selected verses&

c. 5y iersing ourselves in beautiful verses spoken by the Aord. %e.g.Bhagavad-gita&

9. +o learn how to pray by reciting the prayers offered by great devotees%e.g. S5 #.2#./#, #.!7.!, /.=.19&

=. +o becoe purified of aterial containation.a. 5y associating with spiritual soundDnondifferent fro 6rishna and 8ispure devotees. %S5 1.'.!9, 1.!.#7, 5g. 1'.1'&

b. 5y reebering the Aord 2# hours a day. %smartavyah satatam visnum&

17. +o prepare us for the tie of death. %5g. 9.'"*, S5 2.1.*, 9.!.2'&

11. Srila Prabhupada wants us to. %see Prabhupada section below&

HOW?

1. Try to learn the daily Srimad-Bhagavatam verse as it is being recited.

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2. Try to learn the meaning of some of the Sanskrit words when the English word meanings arebeing recited to increase your Sanskrit vocabulary.

3. Listen carefully in class for pronunciation conte!t and application whenever a speaker"uotes a verse.

#. $egularly listen to the recordings of Srila %rabhupada noticing when and how &is 'ivine(race "uotes verses.

). $egularly review the verses you already know to keep them fresh for use.

*. Try to learn verses at a regular time every day. +s the body becomes strong when we feed it

regularly so regular recitation of verses strengthens the spirit.

,. -f youre having trouble learning verses alone it may be easier with another devotee.

/. $emember since 0rsna is the source of memory we have a limitless capacity to rememberverses

. Try to enter the meaning of a verse and allow it to change your life.

1. Think of a topic then immediately think of verses related to the topic.

11. 4hen you come across a verse that you would like to know better or learn by heart make anote of it recite it a few times and note different conte!ts to which it could apply.

12. Learn a few verses thoroughly rather than many verses vaguely.

13. Learn the word5for5word translations so that as you recite a verse you can clearly picture its

meaning in your mind.

1#. %ractice "uoting the relevant part of a verse instead of wading through words and lines to

reach the part you want to cite.

1). 4hen you "uote a verse do it slowly clearly and think about it instead of "uickly blurting

it out while you think about your ne!t point to present.

1*. Try to make thinking about and reciting verses part of your way of life.

HOW TO RETAIN VERSES (S*RESVARA DASA)

s Rohininandana Prabhu points out, we have to regularly review the verses welearn to keep the fresh for use. 5ut there is soething else we can do toretain verses, and that is to connect the to our feelings.

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s a youngbrahmacari in the 1=/7s, by Prabhupada;s ercy was able to

eori)e all of the Gitas/77 verses. $uring the si4 years it took e to do this, had a syste of learning new verses while regularly reviewing the onesalready learned. was organi)ed and regulated, but what ade the verses stickwas how lived with the.

Bhen would start to learn a new verse, would write it on an inde4 cardDtheSanskrit, the word eanings, and the English translation. fter studying theverse, would put the inde4 card in y shirt pocket and ake the verse yotto, y slogan, y philosophy of life. Bhatever happened to e, wouldrelate it to y new verse until knew it by heart. ou know a verse for goodwhen you can recall it no atter what tie it is or what ood you;re in. +hatusually took e about three days.

$uring those three days or so, so uch would happen, so any thoughts andfeelings. 5ut the verse was always there for e. belonged to the verse, andthe verse belonged to e. was eeting y dearost friend, Aord 6rsna, in

sacred sound.

n the >ectar of $evotion chapter +echni-ues of 8earing and Reebering,under the heading E+pe,tin! the Lor-.s Mer,/, Srila Prabhupada -uotes a faous

verse fro the Srimad-Bhagavatam, 17.1#.90 @$ Preface&

Practice the art of connecting the words of the verses to your spirit;s deepest

feelings, and you;ll retain those verses forever.

WH LEARN VERSES (SRILA 0RA1H*0ADA)

So read 5hgavata, pronounce the verses very nicely. +herefore weHrerepeating. ou hear the records and try to repeat. Siply by chanting the

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antra, youHll be purified. Siply by chant... Even you do not understand asingle word of it, siply if you chant, this vibration has got such power.IJKvatL sva"kathM kJNKaM puKya"OravaKa"krtanaM QS5 1.2.1/. f you siplychant and vibrate this verse, these verses, these Olokas, it is puKya"OravaKa"krtanaMF@ne who is chanting this verse, and one who is hearing this verse, heis becoing pious autoatically. Pious. +o becoe pious one has to endeavorso uch, do this, do that, but if you siply hear these verses of Irad"5hgavata, 5hagavad"gt.

+herefore, as a rigid principle, in every teple there should be class for hearingand chanting. Bithout hearing and chanting, to becoe leader it is ipossible.ou can, you can becoe leader in the aterial world, but not in the spiritualworldF.

IravaKaL krtanaL viNKoM saraKa QS5 /.'.2!. SaraKa eans reeber. fyou chant and hear, then reebrance will autoatically coe. IravaKaLkrtanaL viNKoM saraKaL pda"sevana. +hen you will be engaged in

worshiping 8is lotus feet. rcana. +hen youHll be engaged in arcana, theteple worship: vandana, offering prayers: dsya, youHll engage yourself asservant: sakhya, youHll becoe friend of 6JNKa: ta"nivedana, andsurrender everything to 6JNKa. +his is the process.

So each and every verse you should chant very perfectly, nicely, editate uponit. +hat is the process of progress, advanceent in spiritual life. Be should getall these verses by heart, and chant, and offer prayer to the Aord, vandana.andana. +hese are eant for such purpose.

%1# pril 1=/2, Aos ngeles, during S5 Aecture 1.9.22&

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