Sandhyā Vidhi

Sandhyā Vidhi, “the rite of the junctions of the day”

Sandhyā has other meanings too: see all meanings of Sandhyā.

The sandhyā-vandana is the daily act of reverent upāsanā done three times a day, at the three junctions of the day: dawn (prātaḥ-sandhyā), noon (mādhyāhna-sandhyā) and dusk (sāyaṃ-sandhyā). It is one of the most basic nitya-karmas (daily duties) laid down for the dvija (twice-born). It is the chief daily upāsanā of Bhagavān Sūrya and of Brahman. The sandhyā is given below as it is taught in Chapter 215 of the Agni Purāṇa, then the Śaiva sandhyā of the Liṅga Purāṇa (Chapter 26, Pūrvārdha), then the short sandhyā of the Garuḍa Purāṇa (Ācāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 217). The Vāmana Purāṇa gives the sandhyāvandana its place in the morning order of sadācāra that the ṛshis taught to Sukeśī.

The Agni Purāṇa teaches the sandhyā twice. In Chapter 215, the Sandhyā Vidhi, Agni Deva teaches Vasishṭha the Vedic sandhyā: the glory of Oṃkāra and the Gāyatrī, the invoking of the Gāyatrī, ācamana and prāṇāyāma, the seven vyāhṛtis, mārjana, aghamarshaṇa, the śiras of the Gāyatrī, the sūryopasthāna, the nyāsa and colours of the twenty-four syllables, and the phala of japa and homa. In Chapter 216 he explains the Gāyatrī word by word, to be meditated on after the sandhyā. In Chapter 72 Parameśvara (Bhagavān Śiva) teaches Skanda a Śaiva sandhyā, done between the baths of the morning: ācamana with the three tattvas, the dhyāna of the Sandhyā Devī in her three forms, Brāhmī at dawn, Vaishṇavī at noon and Rudra Śakti at dusk, and of the formless fourth, Parā Sandhyā, then the tīrthas of the hand, mārjana, an aghamarshaṇa in which the pāpa-purusha is driven out and destroyed, arghya to Bhagavān Śiva, and tarpaṇa to the devas, ṛshis, munis, bhūtas and pitṛs.

The three sandhyās

The word sandhyā means “junction”. It is the moment when night meets dawn, when dawn meets noon, and when day gives way to evening.

1. Prātaḥ-sandhyā (dawn sandhyā) is done at the change from night to day, facing east. The Agni Purāṇa says that the arghya (water offering) at this time is given to the sun while it is still rising.
2. Mādhyāhna-sandhyā (noon sandhyā) is done when the sun stands at its highest point.
3. Sāyaṃ-sandhyā (evening sandhyā) is done at the change from day to night, facing west.

In Chapter 72 of the Agni Purāṇa, Parameśvara names a fourth Sandhyā besides these three. She is only for the jñānī (the knower), and she is realised at the beginning of midnight.

Chapter 215 of the Agni Purāṇa opens by saying that knowledge of Oṃkāra is the mark of the true yogin, and that every mantra-rite begins and ends with Oṃkāra. The sandhyā is the daily living of this truth.

The sandhyā in the Agni Purāṇa

In Chapter 215 Agni Deva speaks to Vasishṭha. Chapter 214, before it, teaches the nāḍīs, the ten vāyus and prāṇāyāma; Chapter 215 then gives the sandhyā rite (Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 214–215).

The glory of Oṃkāra and the Gāyatrī

Agni Deva begins with Oṃkāra. Only one who knows Oṃkāra is a yogī, and he is of the form of Vishṇu. So one should practise Oṃkāra, the essence of all mantras, which gives everything. It is said at the start of every use of a mantra, and only a karma joined with Oṃkāra is complete.

The Gāyatrī of three pādas, joined first with Oṃkāra and the three eternal vyāhṛtis, is the mouth of the Veda. One who does gāyatrī-japa every day for three years becomes air, takes the form of ākāśa (space) and reaches Parabrahma. Agni Deva gives four sayings: the single syllable Oṃ is Parabrahma; prāṇāyāma is the highest tapas; there is nothing beyond the Gāyatrī; and speaking the truth is better than silence. Gāyatrī-japa is better than the japa of the Rudra mantras and of the Kūshmāṇḍa mantras. There is no mantra for japa higher than the Gāyatrī, and there is no homa equal to the vyāhṛti-homa (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 215).

Āvāhana of the Gāyatrī

The sandhyā rite itself begins with the āvāhana (invoking) of the Gāyatrī and the saying of Oṃkāra. Saying Oṃkāra with the Gāyatrī mantra, the dvija ties his śikhā (the tuft of hair on the crown), does ācamana, and touches the heart, the navel and the two shoulders. Of the praṇava (Oṃ) the ṛshi is Brahmā, the chandas is gāyatrī, and the devatā is Agni or Paramātmā; it is used at the start of every karma. He meditates on the Gāyatrī with the mantra beginning Śuklā Śubhā… and invokes her with the mantra Oṃ tejo’si … tataḥ smṛtā. The Purāṇa names these two mantras by their first and last words only (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 215).

Ācamana and prāṇāyāma

Before the sandhyā, the dvija does ācamana. This is the sipping of water with the set mantra, to purify the body and the speech. The chapter gives the mantra beginning:

Antaś carasi bhūteshu… raso’mṛtam

The chapter gives the reason for this ācamana. From prāṇāyāma came vāyu (air), from vāyu came agni (fire), and from agni came water. By this water purity comes, and so ācamana is done with this mantra.

Then comes prāṇāyāma, the control of the breath. Chapter 215 calls it the highest tapas (austerity):

prāṇāyāma eva paramaṃ tapaḥ

Prāṇāyāma together with gāyatrī-japa is especially strong. Chapter 214 teaches its three parts: pūraka, drawing in as much air as one can; kumbhaka, holding it so that it does not go out, like a full pot; and recaka, letting it go upward through one nostril (Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 214–215).

The seven vyāhṛtis

The vyāhṛtis are used in prāṇāyāma and in homa. Of all the vyāhṛtis the ṛshi is Prajāpati. All of them, one by one and together, are in Oṃkāra, which is Parabrahma. Agni Deva gives the ṛshi, devatā and chandas of each of the seven:

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 215.

Mārjana

The mārjana (sprinkling of oneself with water) is done with three verses beginning:

Āpo hishṭhā mayobhuvaḥ

These are Ṛgveda 10.9.1 to 3. The chapter says that water is taken up and sprinkled over the head eight times while the three ṛks are said. The ṛshi of the mantra is Sindhudvīpa, the chandas (metre) is gāyatrī, and the devatā is water (āpaḥ). The aim is brāhma-snāna, an inner purification, for the act of mārjana. It removes the impurity gathered in sleep and in the night.

With the three ṛks Āpo hi shṭhā mayobhuvaḥ … janayathā ca naḥ, Agni Deva names two more for the eight sprinklings: the ṛk Drupadād iva … mumucānaḥ, and the pavamāna ṛks beginning Hiraṇyavarṇāḥ śucayaḥ (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 215).

In Chapter 155, on ācāra (right conduct), Pushkara teaches Paraśurāma the daily bath of the morning, without which all karmas bear no fruit. One dips in the water, washes away the dirt of the body, does ācamana, and then does mārjana with the three ṛks beginning Hiraṇyavarṇāḥ, the mantra Śaṃ no devīr abhishṭaye, the three mantras beginning Āpo hi shṭhā and the mantra beginning Idam āpaḥ (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 155).

Aghamarshaṇa

The aghamarshaṇa (the mantra that removes pāpa) is said while standing in water. It is a sūkta whose ṛshi is Aghamarshaṇa, whose chandas is anushṭup, and whose devatā is Bhāva-vṛtta. The Agni Purāṇa gives the opening words:

Ṛtañ ca satyanī ca…

The Agni Purāṇa says that to stand in water and say this sūkta three times destroys all pāpa (sin). The mantra brings the truth of ṛta (cosmic order) into the life of the sādhaka (one who practises).

Chapter 215 says the sūkta is used for driving out pāpa. Chapter 155 adds that, plunging into the water and staying within it, one does japa of the Aghamarshaṇa sūkta, or the mantra Drupadād iva, or the sūkta beginning Yuñjate manaḥ, or the sūkta beginning Sahasraśīrshā; gāyatrī-japa is especially fitting there. By the Aghamarshaṇa sūkta one remembers Hari as Bhāvavṛtta. Then, while wringing out the cloth, one offers tarpaṇa to the devas and pitṛs, offers jalāñjali (water in the cupped hands) with the Purusha sūkta, performs the agnihotra, gives dāna as one is able, and takes refuge in Parameśvara (Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 155, 215).

Arghya

The heart of the sandhyā is arghya-pradāna, the offering of water to Sūrya with set mantras. The water is usually held in the cupped palms. This ties the sādhaka to the solar deva, whom Chapter 216 names as Śrī Mahāvishṇu Himself. The mantras are these.

Ud u tyaṃ jātavedasam

Ṛgveda 1.50.1. The ṛshi is Praskaṇva, the chandas is gāyatrī, the devatā is Sūrya. It is used for the morning arghya and for the sūryopasthāna. It is also used in the atirātra and agnishṭoma yajñas.

Citram devānām

The ṛshi is Kautsa, the chandas is trishṭup, the devatā is Sūrya. It is used for the sūryopasthāna, which is standing before the sun to honour it.

These two mantras are said facing the risen sun, with seven offerings of water (sapta-jalāñjali). One who does this morning sūryopasthāna every day is freed from mānasika-duḥkha (sorrow of the mind).

Gāyatrī-japa

The highest act of the sandhyā is gāyatrī-japa. The full mantra has the praṇava (Oṃ), the three vyāhṛtis (Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ, Svaḥ) and the gāyatrī itself. All together they make the whole mantra for japa in the sandhyā.

Agni Deva gives the order: first Oṃ, then bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, then the Gāyatrī, and at the end Oṃ again. This is the set form of the Gāyatrī mantra in japa (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 215).

The Agni Purāṇa names the phala of different counts of japa:

Chapter 215 also says that a hundred japas calm all pāpas, and that one who does a thousand japas while fasting destroys his pāpas. For any pāpa, tila-homa (homa of sesame) and gāyatrī-japa are the prāyaścitta. Even one who has committed the great pāpas, the killing of a cow, of a father, of a mother or of a brāhmaṇa, going to the guru’s wife, taking a brāhmaṇa’s livelihood, the theft of gold or the drinking of surā, becomes pure by one lakh of gāyatrī-japas. Or, after bathing, he may stand in the water and do a hundred japas of the Gāyatrī, and then do a hundred ācamanas with water over which the Gāyatrī has been said; he too becomes free of pāpa (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 215).

The direction for japa is east (prācī) or south (dakshiṇa). Prāṇāyāma should come before every sitting of gāyatrī-japa. Gāyatrī-japa done standing in water gives special grace.

The ṛshi of the gāyatrī is Viśvāmitra. The chandas is Gāyatrī. The devatā is Savitā, the solar principle. The gāyatrī is used in upanayana (the sacred thread ceremony), in japa and in homa (fire offering).

Nyāsa of the twenty-four syllables

The Agni Purāṇa teaches nyāsa (placing of mantra on the body). The twenty-four syllables of the gāyatrī are placed on the limbs, one after another, from the feet upward. The twenty-four places are:

1. the two toe-joints
2. the two heels
3. the two calves
4. the knees
5. the thighs
6. the upastha
7. the vṛshaṇas
8. the kaṭi
9. the nābhi
10. the udara
11. the stana-maṇḍala
12. the hṛdaya
13. the kaṇṭha
14. the adhara
15. the tālu
16. the nāsikā
17. the netra
18. the centre of the brows (bhrūmadhya)
19. the lalāṭa
20. the upper lip
21. the right side
22. the left side
23. the śiras
24. the whole face-maṇḍala

Each of the twenty-four syllables also has its own presiding deva, who removes the sādhaka’s pāpa when called upon during japa. In order they are: Agni, Vāyu, Ravi, Vidyut, Yama, Varuṇa, Guru, Parjanya, Indra, Gandharva, Pūshan, Mitra, Varuṇa, Tvashṭṛ, the Vasu-gaṇa, the Marud-gaṇa, Candra, Aṅgiras, the Viśve-devas, the Aśvinīkumāras, Prajāpati with all the deva-gaṇas, Rudra, Brahma and Vishṇu.

The twenty-four syllables also shine in twenty-four colours. In order they are: pīta (yellow), śyāma, kapila, marakata (emerald green), fire-colour, gold, lightning-white, dhūma (smoke), kṛshṇa (black), rakta (red), gaura (fair), indra-nīla (sapphire blue), sphaṭika (crystal), gold, pāṇḍu (pale), pushparāga (topaz), ākhila-dyuti, hema-dhūma, rakta-nīla, rakta-kṛshṇa, svarṇābha (gold-bright), śukla (white), kṛshṇa, and palāśa-varṇa.

Ācamana at the end

The sandhyā ends with one more ācamana, with this mantra:

Oṃ āpojyotī raso’mṛtaṃ Brahma Bhūr-Bhuvaḥ-Suvar Oṃ

It is called the gāyatrī-mantra-śira, the head of the gāyatrī mantra. Its ṛshi is Prajāpati. It is a Yajus mantra and is not bound by a chandas. Its devatās are Brahma, Agni, Vāyu and Sūrya. This mantra purifies the water and the one who performs the rite together.

Namaskāra and sūryopasthāna

The sūryopasthāna, the honouring of Sūrya at sunrise (prātar-upasthāna), uses the same two mantras as the arghya.

• Ud u tyaṃ jātavedasam: ṛshi Praskaṇva, chandas gāyatrī, devatā Sūrya.
• Citram devānām: ṛshi Kautsa, chandas trishṭup, devatā Sūrya.

The whole sandhyā is the daily honouring of the jyoti (light) that is Brahman. The next chapters of the Agni Purāṇa, 216 and 217, show this light as the bharga of the gāyatrī, the highest solar light, which is Śrī Mahāvishṇu.

The phala of the sandhyā

The Agni Purāṇa speaks plainly of the great merit of a sandhyā that is never broken. One pāda, a half pāda, or the whole gāyatrī said in the sandhyā frees the sādhaka from the four mahā-pātakas (great sins): brahma-hatyā, surā-pāna, svarṇa-steya and guru-patnī-gamana. Tila-homa (a fire offering of sesame) with the gāyatrī is declared to be the prāyaścitta (atonement) for any pāpa.

When the Gāyatrī is meditated on, Gāyatrī Devī removes the pāpas of the one who meditates; when homa is done with her mantra, she grants what is wished for. The gāyatrī-homa done at the sandhyā gives these kāmya-phalas (fruits wished for), by the material offered:

Ten thousand such homas give the phala above. One hundred thousand homas fulfil all wishes. One crore āhutis free the sādhaka from brahma-hatyā, lift up the whole kula (family line), and make the sādhaka equal to Śrī Mahāvishṇu. In yajñas for graha-śānti (calming the grahas) too, ten thousand homas with the Gāyatrī mantra bring the success that is sought (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 215).

The Agni Purāṇa says that one who leaves out the sandhyā and the gāyatrī-japa loses the merit of all other karmas.

Gāyatrī-dhyāna after the sandhyā

Chapter 216, the Gāyatrī-nirvāṇa, opens with Agni Deva’s words: having done the sandhyā-vandana in this way, one should do the dhyāna and japa of the Gāyatrī. He then gives the meaning of her names and of the words of the mantra.

• She is Gāyatrī because she protects the body and the prāṇas of the one who sings her; Sāvitrī because she arose from Savitā; and Sarasvatī because she is of the form of speech.
• Tat is Parabrahma, whose form is light. Bhargaḥ is radiance: from the root bhā, “to shine”; or from bhrasj, “to cook”, because Sūrya ripens the plants; or from bhrāj, “to shine”.
• Vareṇya is the highest state, best in its full radiance, ever chosen by those who seek svarga and moksha.
• Dhīmahi is “we meditate, for mukti, on Parabrahma”, which is beyond waking, dream and deep sleep, eternal, pure, awake, one only, true, of the form of light; or “we hold that radiance in the mind”.
• Devasya savituḥ is Śrī Mahāvishṇu, who gives birth to the world. Some call this light Śiva, some Śakti, some Sūrya, and the Agnihotrins call it Agni; in truth it is Vishṇu, standing in the forms of Agni and the others, who is called Brahman in the Vedas.
• Yaḥ naḥ dhiyaḥ pracodayāt: he who urges on the movements of the intellect of all of us.

Śrī Mahāvishṇu, self-luminous, creates the mahat-tattva and the rest, and through Parjanya, Vāyu, Āditya and the seasons he nourishes food. The āhuti offered into fire goes to Sūrya; from Sūrya comes rain, from rain food, and from food beings are born. His form is the divine radiance in the Āditya, known by the name Bharga. Those who seek moksha, to be free of birth and death and of the three kinds of suffering, should see in dhyāna this Parama-purusha in the orb of the sun. The dhyāna Agni Deva gives is this: “From the body of the waking state up to Brahman, I am that. I am the Parama-purusha in the Āditya. I am the Oṃkāra of endless form.” (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 216)

The Śaiva sandhyā in the Agni Purāṇa

In Chapter 72 Parameśvara speaks to Skanda, whom he also calls Kārtikeya: “Now I tell of the nitya, naimittika and other snānas, of the sandhyā, and of pūjā.” This sandhyā has its place among the baths of the morning (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72).

The baths around the sandhyā

The day begins with the mala-snāna, the bath of cleansing. Earth is dug from a depth of eight aṅgulas with the astra-mantra phaṭ, set on the bank with svāhā, cleared of grass with vashaṭ and divided into three parts with huṃ. The first part is smeared from the navel to the feet and washed off; the second, made bright with the astra-mantra, is smeared on the rest of the body. Closing the ears, nose and the other openings with both hands, holding the breath, and meditating on the astra of light that is like the Kālāgni, the fire of the end of time, the sādhaka dives in and bathes. Then he comes out of the water, performs the sandhyā, and then takes the vidhi-snāna, the bath by rule, in which a tīrtha such as the Sarasvatī is drawn into the water with the aṅkuśa-mudrā and the water is made Śiva-tīrtha. After it come the bhasma-snāna and the other baths: the āgneya, māhendra, pāvana, mantra and mānasika snānas (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72).

Ācamana and the three tattvas

“O Kārtikeya! I tell the rite of sandhyā with its several mantras.” Looking carefully at the water and saying the mantra, the sādhaka sips it three times through the brahma-tīrtha of the hand, with the mantras of the three tattvas: ātmatattvāya namaḥ svāhā, oṃ vidyātattvāya namaḥ svāhā and oṃ śivatattvāya namaḥ svāhā. He touches the face, the nose, the eyes and the ears. He does prāṇāyāma, completes the sakalīkaraṇa (the rite of making the body whole with mantra), and sits firm. He says the Śiva-saṃhitā in the mind, does ācamana and aṅganyāsa (placing mantra on the limbs), and at dawn he meditates on the Brāhmī Sandhyā (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72).

The dhyāna of the three Sandhyās

Parameśvara gives the form of the Sandhyā Devī for each time of the day.

• Brāhmī, at dawn. Sandhyā Devī appears in the form of Brāhmī. She rides a haṃsa and sits on a lotus seat. Her body shines red. She has four faces and four arms. In her right hands shine a lotus and a crystal akshamālā; in her left hands, a daṇḍa (staff) and a kamaṇḍalu.
• Vaishṇavī Śakti, at noon. She sits on a lotus seat spread on the back of Garutmān, the divine Garuḍa. Her body shines white. In her left hands she holds the śaṅkha and the cakra; in her right hands the gadā and the abhaya-mudrā.
• Rudra Śakti, at dusk. She has three eyes and a crown of the half-moon. She sits on a lotus seat on the seat of the bull. In her right hands she holds the triśūla and a rudrāksha-mālā; in her left hands the abhaya-mudrā and the śakti (spear).

These Sandhyās are the witnesses of karma. The sādhaka should contemplate the radiance of these Śaktis as following him. The three Sandhyās dwell, in order, in the heart, in the bindu and in the brahmarandhra (the opening at the crown of the head) (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72).

Parā Sandhyā, the fourth

There is besides a fourth Sandhyā, only for the jñānī. At the beginning of midnight her direct realisation arises, which is of the nature of awareness. She has no form. She shines in Paramaśiva, and because she is beyond even Śiva she is called Parā Sandhyā, the Supreme Sandhyā (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72).

The tīrthas of the hand

Parameśvara names the tīrthas of the hand, through which water is sipped and offered:

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72.

Mārjana and aghamarshaṇa

After the dhyāna of the Sandhyās, the water is made Śiva‘s own form with Śiva mantras, and with the saṃhitā mantras Āpo hi shṭhā… the sādhaka does mārjana with it. In this mārjana tīrtha water is poured into the left hand and, with the mantra, sprinkled on the head with the right hand.

Then comes the aghamarshaṇa. The sādhaka pours into his right hand the water that is Śiva’s own, of the nature of awareness, and brings it near the nose. He draws in the breath through the iḍā nāḍī and holds it within. Through the piṅgalā nāḍī he brings out from within the black pāpa-purusha (the being made of pāpa) and places him in that water. Then he imagines a rock of vajra, throws the water holding the pāpa-purusha upon it, and destroys him. With this the aghamarshaṇa is complete (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72).

Arghya to Bhagavān Śiva

With water holding kuśa grass, flowers and akshatas, the sādhaka holds an arghya-añjali and offers it to Bhagavān Śiva with the mantra oṃ namaḥ śivāya svāhā. Then he does japa of the Gāyatrī as far as he can (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72).

Tarpaṇa

“Now I tell the rite of tarpaṇa.” Tarpaṇa follows in this order:

1. To the devas, through the deva-tīrtha, with their name-mantras ending in svāhā: to Bhagavān Śiva, oṃ hūṃ śivāya svāhā. The six limbs of nyāsa are done with oṃ hāṃ hṛdayāya namaḥ, oṃ hīṃ śirase svāhā, oṃ hūṃ śikhāyai vashaṭ, oṃ haiṃ kavacāya huṃ, oṃ hauṃ netratrayāya vaushaṭ and oṃ haḥ astrāya phaṭ.
2. To the deva-gaṇas, with namaḥ after their names, as in oṃ hāṃ ādityebhyo namaḥ: the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Viśvedevas, the Maruts, the Bhṛgus and the Aṅgirases.
3. To the ṛshis, through the ṛshi-tīrtha, with the sacred thread worn round the neck like a garland: Atri, Vasishṭha, Pulastya, Kratu, Bharadvāja, Viśvāmitra, Pracetas and Marīci, as in oṃ hāṃ atraye namaḥ.
4. To the munis beginning with Sanaka, two añjalis each, from the roots of the little fingers with the hands held close together, with vashaṭ: Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana, Sanatkumāra, Kapila, Pañcaśikha and Ṛbhu.
5. To the hosts of beings (bhūta-gaṇas), with oṃ hāṃ sarvebhyo bhūtebhyo vashaṭ.
6. To the divine pitṛs, with the sacred thread over the right shoulder (prācīnāvītī), with kuśa folded in two, three offerings each of water with sesame, with svadhā: Kavyavāhana, Anala, Soma, Yama, Aryaman, the Agnishvāttas, the Barhishads and the Ājyapas.
7. To one’s own pitṛs: oṃ hāṃ īśānāya pitre svadhā to the father, oṃ hāṃ pitāmahāya svadhā to the grandfather, and the mantra to the great-grandfather.
8. To all the departed, with svadhā: the pitṛs, the pitāmahas, the prapitāmahas, the vṛddha-prapitāmahas, the mothers, the mātāmahas, the pramātāmahas, the vṛddha-mātāmahas, all the pitṛs, all the kinsmen, all the ācāryas, the directions, the lords of the directions, the siddhas, the mātṛkās, the grahas and the rākshasas.

With this the chapter of the snānas, the sandhyā and the tarpaṇa ends (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 72).

The sandhyā-vandana in the Liṅga Purāṇa

Chapter 26 of the Liṅga Purāṇa gives a full Śaiva sandhyā-vandana. Nandikeśvara taught it to Sanatkumāra. It is done after the threefold snāna (the water bath, the bhasma bath and the mantra bath), and before the liṅgārcana (pūjā of the Śivaliṅga). It joins gāyatrī-japa with the placing of bhasma (sacred ash) with the Pañcabrahma mantras. Together they make the whole morning discipline.

Arghya to Gāyatrī and Sūrya

After the snāna, the devotee puts on vibhūti (sacred ash) and rudrāksha beads. He offers pādya (water for the feet), ācamanīya (water for sipping) and arghya to Gāyatrī Devī with the mantra beginning:

Āyātu varadā devī…

Then, facing east, standing or seated, he offers arghya to Sūrya three times. The arghya is water mixed with gandha (sandal paste), flowers and akshatas. If the sandhyā has been delayed past its proper time, the arghya is offered four times.

Gāyatrī-japa

After the arghya, the sādhaka meditates on Gāyatrī Devī and says the Gāyatrī mantra with Oṃkāra. The count is one of three:

Any one of these counts is right. The sādhaka should choose one count and keep to it every day.

After the japa, Gāyatrī Devī is sent back to her own abode with the mantra beginning:

Uttame śikhare jāte…

Then the sādhaka bows to the east and salutes Sūrya with the mantras Uduttyam, Citram and Jātavedasam. After this comes a salutation to Brahmādeva. The saying of the Saurasūktas from the three Vedas completes the worship of Sūrya.

Tarpaṇa

After the japa, tarpaṇa (offering of water to the devas, ṛshis and pitṛs) is done in three rounds.

1. Deva-tarpaṇa. Face east or north. Water is let fall through the tips of the fingers, over the right hand. The sacred thread is worn in the sūtra (yajñopavīta) position. One offering is made to each deva.
2. Ṛshi-tarpaṇa. Water is let fall from the base of the little finger. The sacred thread is worn in the mālākāra (garland) position. Two offerings are made to each ṛshi.
3. Pitṛ-tarpaṇa. Water is let fall through the thumb. The sacred thread is worn in the apasavya position. Three offerings are made to each pitṛ.

For pitṛ-tarpaṇa, the thread is worn apasavya for the divine pitṛs and in the sūtra position for one’s own near pitṛs.

Pañcamahāyajña

The Liṅga Purāṇa then gives the pañcamahāyajña, the five great yajñas, after tarpaṇa.

1. Brahma-yajña is the saying aloud of the four Vedas and their aṅgas. Water is held in the cupped left palm and covered by the right, and the Vedas are said.
2. Deva-yajña (vaiśvadeva) is the offering of food into the household fire.
3. Manushya-yajña is the feeding of the best of people, the brāhmaṇas and dvijas.
4. Bhūta-yajña is the offering of food to animals, such as dogs and other creatures, at the gate.
5. Pitṛ-yajña is śrāddha, the gift given for the pitṛs.

The Liṅga Purāṇa says:

Brahma-yajña is the most important of the five. Through it Brahmā, Vishṇu, Maheśvara, Devendra and all the immortals are pleased. The pitṛs become glad. All the Vedas, Vedāṅgas, eighteen Purāṇas, upapurāṇas, itihāsas and āgamas become pleased.

Bhasma after the sandhyā

The sādhaka comes home from tarpaṇa at the riverside and washes his feet. He then does the āgneya-snāna, the placing of bhasma, with the Pañcabrahma mantras in this order:

• the śiras (crown): the Īśāna mantra
• the lalāṭa (forehead): the Tatpurusha mantra
• the hṛdaya and udara (chest and belly): the Aghora mantra
• the kaṭi (waist and lower belly): the Vāmadeva mantra
• the pāda (feet): the Sadyojāta mantra
• the whole body: the Praṇava (Oṃ)

Three horizontal lines, the tripuṇḍra, are drawn at each place with wet, purified bhasma. This makes the sādhaka’s whole body a Śivaliṅga with the five forms of Brahma. The liṅgārcana that follows is then done from a body that is itself Parameśvara. The Liṅga Purāṇa says that one who does this whole sandhyā-vandana and bhasma-placing receives the grace (anugraha) of Bhagavān Śiva and reaches Kailāsa at the end of his prārabdha (the karma that gives the present life).

The short sandhyā in the Garuḍa Purāṇa

The Garuḍa Purāṇa gives a saṅkshipta (short) form of the sandhyā, in Chapter 217 of the Ācāra Khaṇḍa. It has all the main parts in a brief form. It is meant for daily use when time is short, and it keeps the main order: purification, gāyatrī-japa and the worship of Sūrya.

The śuddhi mantra

The sandhyā begins with this purification mantra, used in Vaishṇava sandhyā traditions:

Oṃ apavitro pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṃ gato’pi vā /
yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākshaṃ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ

It means: “Whether impure or pure, or in any state at all, one who remembers Puṇḍarīkāksha (Bhagavān Vishṇu, the lotus-eyed) becomes pure outside and inside.” This makes the sandhyā an act of remembering Bhagavān Vishṇu, and not only a set of steps. Inner purity follows the remembrance of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

Gāyatrī viniyoga

Before gāyatrī-japa begins, the viniyoga (declaration of use) is said. It names:

• the ṛshi: Viśvāmitra
• the chandas: Gāyatrī
• the devatā: Savitā, the solar principle
• the prayoga (use): for the purpose of this sandhyā

Vyāhṛti nyāsa

The seven vyāhṛtis are placed on the body as nyāsa:

This nyāsa makes the body of the sādhaka a small image of the seven sapta-lokas (worlds). The sandhyā becomes a cosmic act and not only a personal one.

The three ācamana mantras

Each of the three sandhyās of the day has its own series of ācamana mantras. The Garuḍa Purāṇa gives separate mantras for the prātaḥ-sandhyā, the mādhyāhna-sandhyā and the sāyaṃ-sandhyā. Each is joined to the deva of that time and to the solar principle.

Mārjana and aghamarshaṇa

The short form keeps both the mārjana (sprinkling of oneself with water and mantra) and the aghamarshaṇa (the sūkta that removes pāpa), as in the full sandhyā. They cannot be left out even in the short form.

Sūryopasthāna and the closing mantras

The sandhyā ends with the sūryopasthāna, the greeting and salute to Sūrya as the visible form of Brahman. It uses the same mantras, Ud ud-yaṃ jātavedasam and Citram devānām. The Garuḍa Purāṇa adds its own closing mantras for each of the three sandhyā times, and so completes the worship.

The sandhyā in the Vāmana Purāṇa

In the Vāmana Purāṇa the ṛshis teach the rākshasa king Sukeśī the sadācāra (right conduct) of the householder, and the sandhyāvandana has its place in the order of the morning. After cleansing himself, the knowing one sits facing east or north, washes his face twice and rinses his mouth with water free of foam. He touches with his hand the five senses and the head, cleans his teeth, combs his hair, looks at his face in a mirror, and then performs the sandhyāvandana according to rule. After that he takes a bath, of the head or of the body, offers the water of tarpaṇa to the devas and pitṛs, performs homa, and touches one of the maṅgala-dravyas (auspicious things) before he goes out. The maṅgala-dravyas are dūrvā grass, curd, ghee, a water-pot, a cow with her calf, a bull, gold, earth, cow-dung, the svastika, akshatas (unbroken rice), parched grain, honey, a brāhmaṇa maiden, white flowers, fire, sandal, the disc of the sun and the aśvattha tree. The two sandhyās, dawn and dusk, are also among the times when a householder must not go to his wife (Chapter 14).

The ṛshis also tell Sukeśī of the shaṇḍha, from whose hand food must not be taken: one who does not do at the proper time the bath, japa, sandhyāvandana, homa and the other karmas, the rites to the devas and pitṛs, dāna and dharma. And among the duties of the vānaprastha they give the bath three times a day and the sandhyā-anushṭhāna (Chapter 15).

Sources

• Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 72, 155, 214–217
• Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha (the Śaiva sandhyā-vandana, Chapter 26)
• Garuḍa Purāṇa, Ācāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 217 (the short sandhyā)
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 14–15 (the sandhyāvandana in the sadācāra taught to Sukeśī)