Part 3b.4 - The Sandhyopasana-vidhi

[Full title: Religious observances (4) Sandhyopasana-vidhi]

One of the most important daily observances is the twilight-worship. It is but natural that the time when the day and the night meet together and shade off into each other should be regarded as holy and that regular worship should be offered at that time. The twilights have always had such a great hold upon the human mind. Parisista 41 gives us the details about the twilight worship according to Atharvanic tradition. It is stated that the most proper time for the sandhyopasana is when the Sun is 122. Cr. Sankhayana Grhya sutra 4.10; Asvalayana Grhya Sutra 3.4. In Boudh DS. 2.9 the tarpana is still extended.

478 123 half-risen or half-set. Such time is called sandhyakala. This worship is offered also at noon. Thus the samdhyopa sana is offered thrice a day. It is stated that one should go to the east or to the north of the place of one's habitation and, after the ablution of hands, feet and face, should sit down in a holy place like a temple in a posture called virasana. This is the posture in which the knee is raised (urdhva-januh 41.2.1). 124 One should sip water with jiva stha..., sprinkle his 125 body with water with the mantra: apo hi atha..., restrain his breath (pranayama), again sip water, stand up and throw 126 up the water in his right hand with ayojala.... One should 127 recite the mantra: harih suparna... in the morning, ud u 129 130 128 tyam... and ud vayan tamasah. at noon and ud ghed abhi... in the evening. One should then murmur the Gayatri mantra in in a seated posture. When this japa is over, one should 131 stand up and pray with pasyena saradah..., and other mantras. 123. Cf. Manu Smrti 2.101. 124. Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension XIX.69.1-4. Cf. Gopatha Brahmana I.1.39; Kausika Sutra 3.4; 58.7; 90.22; Vaitana Sutra 1.19 125. Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension I.5.1. 126. Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension XIX.66.1. 127. Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension XIX.65.1 AE 128. Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension XIII.2.16 = (XX.47.13). 129. Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension VII.53.7. 130. Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension XX.7.1. 131. Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension XIX.67.1. 132 132. These are Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension XIX.70.1,71.1; XII.1.18; X.5.37; XIX. 16.1, 72.1.

479 Thus the main items in the twilight-worship are: 1) sprinkling of water on one's body for washing off the sin (aghamarsana) 2) offering libations of water to god Sun and 3) murmuring the holy Gayatri-mantra. The invocation in the morning should be done facing towards the east in a standing position while that in the 133 evening should be done in the virasana posture. This is said to be the best preparatory (purascarana) posture invented by Brahman in the days of yore (41.3.9). Water, which is the best purifier, is used for sprinkling the body so that all the sin done in the interval between the previous twilightworship and the present one- the sin that is done by body, 134 speech, mind and other organs- should be washed away. As regards the libations of water to be offered to the 135 Sun, there is a legend narrated in the Taittiriya Aranyaka The Raksases, in the days of yore, practiced penance. God Prajapati was pleased thereby and offered them a boon. They said that they should be allowed to fight with the Sun. Prajapati agreed. Since then the Raksases fight with the Sun when he is about to rise or when he is about to set and thus 133. The posture for the midday worship is not mentioned. It appears that the midday worship was not regularly observed. Atharvaveda-Parisistas 41.3.6,10 mention morning and evening worships but not midday worship. 134. Cf. yadana papaka sa vasa hastanya padbhyamudarena sisna ahastadavalumpanu | ratristadavalumpatu | yadatya 135. Taittiriya Aranyaka I.2.

480 obstruct his path. These activities of the demons are checked because the drops of water, consecrated by the Gayatri, which are thrown by the brahmavadins every morning and evening. become thunderbolts and kill or drive away the demons to the island mandeharuna. The sin (of killing the demons) is washed off by circumambulating. One pours out a stream of water -136 around him- thus symbolising prthvi-pradaksina which is here the expiation. The Taittiriya Aranyaka further says that the Brahmana who worships the Sun at the time of rising and of setting, secures well-being. As one meditates upon the Sun as Brahman, he reaches Brahman and becomes one with Brahman. The AVParisista says that the Sun becomes propitiated by those who help in releasing him and gives a boon that they will rule the world just as he himself does. Among the Vedic mantras, Gayatri-mantra is regarded as 137 most sacred. The Gayatri-mantra is found in almost all the 138 Samhitas , and, though it is not actually included in the samhita of the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension , it is frequently used in Atharvanic ritual 139 and observances. This mantra is called Gayatri because it d 136. Cf. Atharvaveda-Parisistas 41.3.12: prthivi pradaksina 137. Atharvaveda-Parisistas 41.5.1 says that just as Agni is best among gods, a Brahmana among men, the spring among the seasons, so also is the Gayatri best among the metres. 138. Rgveda III.62.10; Samaveda II.812; Vajasaneya Samhita III.35; Taittiriya Samhita 1.5.6.4; Maitrayani Samhita IV.10.3 etc. 139. In the grand homas, the twilight-worship and also in sorcery.

481 140 is composed in the gayatri metre and is called Savitri 142 because it is addressed to Savitr. 141 The popularity of the original Gayatri can be seen from the fact that similar gayatris were composed for many other gods and such gayatris 143 number not less than twenty-six. In connection with the Pasupata-Vrata (Atharvaveda-Parisistas 40.2.5-6), Rudra-savitri is mentioned. The Gayatri contains twenty-four syllables and the following are the deities ascribed to those syllables: 1) Agni 2) Asvins 3) Soma 4) Visnu 5) Savity 6) Pusan 7) Maruts 8) Brhaspati 9) Mitra 10) Varuna 11) Indra 12) Visve-devas 13) Vasus 14) Rudras 15) Adityas 16) Aditi 17) Vayu 18) Bhumi 19) Antariksa and 20) Dyau. The remaining four syllables are ascribed to the deities of the quarters, namely to Indra, Yama, Varuna and Soma (41.5.6-7). The limbs of Gayatri are mystically explained as follows: the omkara and the vyahrtis are her head, darbhas are her hair on the head, herbs and plants her hair on the body, the Sun and the Moon her eyes, the lightning her laughter, Visnu and Varuna her bosom, Rudra her heart, the paurgamasi and the amavasya her breasts, the day and the night her sides, 140. It is also explained (Asvalayana Grhya Parisista 1) as: 141. Cf. Manu Smrti 2.83: gayantam trayate yasmat gayatritvam tatah smrtam| erfecured at ar 142. See Dandekar, "New light on the Vedic God Savitr", ABORI XX, pp.293 ff. 143. Cf. Hemadri's Caturvarga - Cintamani, Vratakhanda, (Bibliotheca Indica ed.) pp. 232-5.

482 the ten directions her belly, all knowledge and grammar her abdomen, prthivi her hips, Vayu her (private) place and the constellations her ornaments. Her body comprises of pada, karma, mantra, brahamana, and kalpa, her appearance is like that of Sri and Sarasvati and she is to be given away to a Brahmana only (41.6.4-5). The Gayatri is presided over by the Sun and it belongs to the sage Visvamitra. One should meditate upon such a Gayatri and the deities presiding over its letters and murmur it together with the maha-vyahrtis. Different fruits have been laid down for muttering it a number of times. If it is muttered for 8 times, the Gayatri, associated with gayatra metre, conquers (for the person) the earth. If it is muttered 11 times, the Gayatri being associated with tristubh metre, conquers the mid-region. If muttered 12 times, it, being associated with jagati metre, conquers the heaven. If muttered 15 times, the Gayatri, being associated with pancadasa vajra, conquers the brahma-loka. If muttered 100 times, the Gayatri, being associated with eataparva vaira, conquers all the worlds and if muttered 1000 times, it secures the fruit of the sacrifices like Agnistoma, Aptoryama etc. (41.2.5-13). Similarly it is stated that by performing the morning worship, midday worship and evening worship, one conquers the earth the mid-region and the heaven respectively (41.6.1-3). ME

483 The Atharvaveda-Parisistas seem to hold Gayatri in great esteem. 144 She is said to be the mother of chandas and the birth-place of Brahma. Her face is Agni, she has three feet and she is presided over by Savitr. Such is the unique nature of 145 Gayatri (30.3.1-2). A number of Parisistas prescribe the use of Gayatri in connection with the offering of oblations. Gayatri is prescribed also in connection with sorcery (abhicara), but in that case the mantra is to be recited in the reverse order. It is said that the murmuring of Gayatri together with pranava and the great vyahrtis 146 148 147 (bhuh, bhuvah, svah) destroys all sins as well as fears and leads to great merit. Hence it is used also for the sake of expiation for sins. 14 k. See Atharvaveda-Parisistas 31.3.2: gayatri ke tripad brahma visvarupa ca samsthita| 31.4.2: pranada sarvabhutanam dharani ya spi nityasah || caturvijnaksaram ka tripadam lokdharanam| Cf. History of Dhamasastra II, pp. 303-5. 145. Atharvaveda-Parisistas 26.5.8; 30.1.6; 30 b.1.16; 31.2.1; 40.6.3. 146. Atharvaveda-Parisistas 34; 31.4.8. 147. Cf. Manu Smrti 2.81. 148. See Atharvaveda-Parisistas 2.6.3: sahastrani tam japtva gayayah | purva hapyaivam candalannada jaiva ca|| 31.1.5: savyahrti pranava gayatri sirasa saha| ye japanti sada temyo na mayam vidhate kvacit| 34.1.7 anuloma viloma va gayatri yah pathet sada| sarvarthastasya sidhyanti na panadhana samasnute ||

484 The Atharvaveda-Parisistas glorify the twilight-worship in various ways. It is stated that those who do not learn twilight-worship and do not perform it at the sandhya-kala, become asrotriyas and also those who engage themselves in cutting, piercing, eating, sexual intercourse and sorcery at that time. Those who do not mutter the Gayatri mantra at twilight, are born in the species of dogs, pigs, jackals, cocks and serpents for thousands of years. Hence everyone should perform the twilight-worship as prescribed (41.3.3-6). He who offers the sandhyopasana regularly, accumulates such a merit as would not vanish even by accepting the whole earth as a gift. If the Sun and other planets are occupying evil positions, they become gentle to him and grant him happiness (41.3.11-12). It is pointed out that by offering the sandhya-worship for a long time, the sages have acquired long life. Hence a person desirous of a full span of life should offer the twilight worship for a long time (41.4.8).