Sandhyavandanam -10

We are seeing the mantras chanted in the evening imam mae varuna shrudhee havam-adyaa cha mrudaya upto ahedamaano varuna iha bodhi we saw in the last class. Urushagam-sa, is the one who is glorified and the devotee asks maa-na-aayuh-pramosheehi. O lord may you not take away our lives. May we not have apa mrutyu. May we not have unnatural deaths. Hey Varuna, the yat varuna vratam dyavi-dyavi preemasi. Here the devotee is listing the mistakes he has committed. Not only in the past but he is continuing to commit. First mistake is we have violated or omitted our daily duties in the form of your prayers. Therefore nitya-karma akaranam. The non-performance of our daily duties I have regularly done. Dyavi-dyavi means dinay-dinay, daily. Pramineemasi, we have destroyed by non-performance. What, varuna vratam. When we take the sacred thread we are taking a vow that we will do our daily duties. Shrouthamatha vihita sadachara nitya karma anusttanam yogyatha sidhyartham. I am taking the sacred thread for nitya karma anusttanam. I taken this vow for daily performance and when I don’t do then it pramineemasi. This is one mistake I have done. Yata vishayah, like the ignorant people, lowly people, ajnanah. When ignorant people violate it is understandable but I am violating knowingly which is a mistake. Chiddi is an expletive without any specific meaning. Then the second mistake I am doing is yat kichedam abhidroham charaamasi. I am doing varieties of harm, himsa to others. I have done droham (Tamil meaning also) to many people. I am doing himsa to devyai jane, devyai refers to devatas and jane refers to manushyas. Himsa to devas in the form of not doing what is to be done to him and droham to others by all kinds of himsa. Hurting them physically, hurting them orally, hurting them mentally through thoughts; all of them we have done. The devotee wants an excuse by saying that we are after all human, ordinary mortals. Whenever a person commits a mistake he explains it away by saying that he is only an ordinary mortal. We are bound to commit some mistakes. Then the third mistake. Yat tava dharma yuyopima, we have violated the dharmic life which is prescribed by you. Yuyopima, we have destroyed by not following dharma and commiting adharma. Thus are the three mistakes: we have not done our duties, we have harmed other people, and we are not following the life prescribed by you through the Vedas. We don’t follow the Vaidika dharma at all. So whatever paapams will come to us, you please remove. It is strange; we commit all the mistakes but yet the God should remove. Achittee means we are avivekees, we are not that learned, we are not that intelligent, that discriminating and therefore we have committed all these mistakes. So varuna, here is not a devata but Parameshwara, tasmaad enaso ma reerishahah. May YOU not harm us due to those sins committed by us. Reerishaha means please don’t harm us, don’t give us obstacles. Then the devotee gives another list of paapams; please don’t harm me from those also. Kitavaaso yad-riripur-na deevi yadvaa ghaa satyam-uta-yanna-vidma sarvaataa vishya shithireva deva-athaa te syaama varuna priyaasaha. O Lord, they are many paapas and doshas in me. Shithireva eva vishya, you remove them by making them small. So you pound them and remove. There are boulders of paapam in me, just like they keep a dynamite to blast YOU also remove them. Grind all my paapams and destroy them. Even with big kidney stones, they are first made small and then evacuated. The first paapa is kitavaaso yad-riripur. One set of paapams are superimposed on me by wicked people. These sins are not in me but I am driven to it by gross and wicked people. Kitavaasa means wicked people, riripur means dosha aropanam kruthavanthah. They heap sins on me as it is done in the gambling place, deevi na. Wherever there is gambling each one will get angry, heated up then each one will throw charges on others. Similarly people have thrown charges on me as it is done in gambling places. Then the second dosha is yadvaa satyam, there are real doshas in me. They may be some defects that really belong to me. Then the third set is uta-yanna-vidma. There are defects that are not known to me. But I know these defects are in me. So known real defects, unknown real defects and unreal charges defects. These are the three defects in me. So all these sins in me YOU should make them into pieces, shithireva and flush them out. Once you have done your job properly then I will become pure. And once I have become pure by YOUR proper efforts then YOU can love me. Now YOU are not able to love me because I have defects. So YOU should purify me and then love me. So athaa te priyaasa syaama. Thereafter let us become dear to YOU. Now you cannot have any complaints for I am pure! If I have some more impurities then it means YOU have not done your job properly. Work overtime, take OT if you want. You work, you purify and then you love me. Hey Varuna, will you do all this? With this the adityo upasthanam in the evening time is also over. With this the seventh stage is over.

            Now we will go the eighth stage which is samashti abhivaadanam. Which is worshipping Sandhya Devi in all her aspects. Here the mantras are simple: sandhyaayai namaha, saavitrya namaha, gaayatryai namah, sarasvatyai namaha. In the first sandhyaayi namaha all the three aspects are included. Sandhya Devi is Parameshwari and who is maya sahitam Brahman. First we worship the trimurthis and then each trimurthi is independently worshipped. As we have seen earlier Sandhya Devi herself is Gayatri in the morning, Savitri in the noon and Saraswati in the evening. Not only are YOU in these three forms but sarvaabhyo devataabhya namaha. You alone are in all the presiding deities. That is janadya devata, karmedriya devata, a;; presiding deities. Then the devotee prays kaamo-akaarsheen-manyur-akaarsheet namo namaha. I have not done any mistake but it is the kama in me which has made me do so many akramams. All corruptions are because of greed, desire and all kinds of himsa, hurting others, is because of krodha. So 50% due to desire and 50% from anger is what makes one commit sins. O Lord! Because of kama and krodha all these things have happened. So may YOU remove my kama, krodha. These alone is chanted in Shravani Pournami Avaniavattam. That day they chant this 1008 times or 108 or 32 and this alone is repeated. Then abhivaadaya is chanted and prostration is done. This is samashti abhivaadanam.

            Now we will go to the nineth stage, dig-devataa-vandanam. Namaskarams to various deities. First it is namaskarams to all directions – Eastern, western and even akaasha itself is worshipped. Praachyai dishe namah (East), dakshinaayai dishe namaha (South), prateecgyai dishe namaha (West), udeechayai dishe namaha (North). Then oordhvaaya namaha (the Lord who is above space), adharaaya namaha (Lord who is below space), antariskshaaya namaha (who is the form of bhoor loka, bhur loka, suvar loka), bhoomyai namaha (who is the form of earth), brahmane namaha (who is in the form of Brahma), vishnave namaha (one who is in the form of Vishnu), mrityave namaha (who is in the form of death). After that Yamaya namaha. We have a special prayer for yama for he is special and cannot be mentioned casually.

The next item is yama vandanam. Yamaaya dharma-raajaya mrutyave cha-antakaaya cha, vaivasvataaya kaalaaya sarvabhoota-kshayaaya cha. Audumbaraaya dadhnaaya neelaaya parameshthine, vrukodaraaya chitraaya chitraguptaaya vai namaha. Here Chitragupta means yama only even though etyomological he is yama’s accountant. For Yama there is just no simple namaha but namo namaha. Prostrations upon prostrations. What kind of Yama? He is qualified here. He is dharmaraajaya, who does everything according to dharma. That means he does not kill people according to his whim and fancy, he does not abuse his position. Whatever he does is according to karma and prarabdam of people. He is karma phalla datta. Then he is mrutyave cha, he destroys. Then antakaaya che, who puts an end to everything. Then Vaivasvataaye, he is the son of Vaivasvan, surya putrayah. Then kaalaayah, who is the very time principle. Sarvabhoota-kshayaaya, one who makes every living being decay and die. Yamaraja is one who gives old age to everyone. We think Yama comes only at the end but he is right through. At the end of the class you are older by one hour which is the job of yama. Then audumbaraaya, HE is strong because yama conquers even the strongest one. Then dadhnaaya, this is another name for yama dharmaraja and neelaaya, who is dark in colour. Whatever frighten us we give them dark colour! Parameshthine, who is the most adorable one. Vrukodaraaya, one who is never satiated by any amount of eating. He is a glutton. He swallows so many people and yet he is busy eating. Chitraaya, who has manifold forms. Anything that destroys like earthquake, cyclone, disease or whether it is the local lorry; all are yama swarupam. Chitraguptaaya is one who keeps peoples’ karmas secrets by various methods. Even our deaths is kept as top secret. By many methods yama keeps the pararabdhas of jivas secret. We don’t know when we will get a disease and when we will die. To such a chitraguptaa yama my namaskarams. Repeated for emphasis, chitraguptaaya vai nama on namah iti.    

The next one is Ishwara vandanam. To be precise uma maheshwara vandanam, ardha nareeshwara vandanam. Rutam satyam param brahma purusham krushna-pingalam oordhvaretam viroopaaksham vishvaroopaaya vai namo namaha vishvaroopaaya vai nama on nama iti. Prostrations to the Lord Parameshwara who is the form of virat. Vsihwaroopam like Krishna, Shiva too has vishwaroopam that we saw in Rudram. And who is HE? Rutam satyam, this is a vedic mantra occurring in purusha suktam and maha narayana Upanishad. This meaning I am giving according to Vidyaranya bhashyam. Rutam satyam means paramarthikam satyam, absolute reality. And Param Brahman, who is the supreme Brahman. These two are nirguna swarupam. Then comes saguna part; purusham krushna-pingalam. Who is all-pervading Lord who is krushna (here it means dark coloured) pingalam (fair coloured). The right side is Shiva who is dark in colour and left side is Parvathi who is fair in colour. So krushna-pingalam means uma maheshwaram, ardha nareeshwaram. Then oordhavaretam, one who is nitya brahmacharinam. Viroopaksham, one who has three eyes. To such a lord my vandanam.

Next is sooryanaaraayana vandanam. Namaha savitre jagad-eka chakshushe jagatprasooti-sthiti-naashahetave. Salutations to Savitre, the sun-god. Saluatations to Suryanarayana not as ordinary devata but Parameshwara Himself. Who is jagat eka chakushehe, who is the eye of the world. That is all-illuminator of the world. jagatprasooti-sthiti-naashahetave, one who is sooti, sthiti, laya karanam of the world. He is cause of creation, preservation and dissolution of the world. Trayeemayaaya, one who is in the form of three Vedas. The Vedas belong to the Lord and they are non-different from the lord. Trigunaatmadhaarine, one who has got three gunas through maya. When HE has three gunas HE appears in three forms; through rajo guna HE becomes Brahma, through sattva guna HE becomes Vishnu and through tamo guna HE becomes Shiva. So he is virinchi (Brahma) naaraayana shankaraatamane. So to that Suryanarayana who is the three gunas I prostrate.  

Now it is Vishnu vandanam. Dhyeyah sadaa savitru mandala madhyavartee naaraayanaha sarasijaasana sannivishtaha keyooravaan makarakundalavaan kireetee-haaree hiranmaya-vapuhu dhruta shakha charaha. Narayana sada dhyeya, Lord Narayana must always be meditated upon. And what kind of Lord is HE? Savitru mandala madhyavartee, One who remains in the orb or disc of the sun. Sarasijaasana sannivishtaha, one who is seated on a lotus. Keyooravaan, one who has got bracelets and makarakundavaan, one who wears ear-rings in the form of a crocodile. Then kireetee, who wears a crown, haaree who wears a haaram, necklace. Hiranmaya vapuhu, who has got a golden complexion. Dhruta shakha chakraha, who wields a shakha and chakra.

The next item is prarthana. Shanka chakria gadaa-paane dvaarakaa-nilayaachyuta govinda punadareekaaska raksha maam sharanaagatam. O Lord Vishnu, may you protect me who has surrendered unto you. Then adjectives to Vishnu; shanka chakra gadaa-paane. One who has got shankam, chakram and gada in HIS hands. And who resides in Dvaaraka, dvaaraka-nilayam. And Achyuta, who never falls. Meaning who is ever purnah. Falling means to be born a jiva. So Vishnu is never born as a jiva. Pundareekaaksha, one who has got eyes like lotus petals. Raksha maam sharanaagatam, to such a lord I surrender.

Next is Ishwara Mahima. What is HIS glory? Aakaashaat patitam toyam yathaa gachchati saagaram sarvadeva namaskaaraha keshavam pratigachchati shree keshavam pratigachchatyom nama iti. So, Lord you are the total, samashti. So sarvadeva namaskara keshavam pratigachati. Prostrations to any deity will reach Keshava, Vishnu. Here Keshava is samashti ishwarah. Maya Sahitam Brahma. All the devatas are individual while Kesava is total. So any individual namaskara will only go to the total. Like what? A beautiful imagery is given. Aakaashaat patitam toyam yathaa gachchati saagara. Waters that fall anywhere in the form of rain will reach the ocean. So all the namaskaras go to you, O lord. Thereafter abhivaadeya is said and namaskara is done. With this the dig-devatahi- vandanams are over.

The last and tenth item is samarpanam. Samarpanam means whatever karma we do, we must offer it to the lord. Kaayena vaacha manas-endriyairvaa buddhyaa-aatmanaa vaa prakruteh svabhaavaat karomi yadyat sakalam parasmai naaraayanaayeti samarpayaami. So yad karomi sakalam narayanaye, whatever I am doing is for Lord Narayana. Thus thinking I offer this, Sandhyavandanam karma, also unto the HIM. What kind of karma? Any karma done through any means; kaayena (through the body), vaacha (through the organ of speech) manasa (through the mind), indriyaivaa (through the ten sense-organs), budhyaatmana (with the intellect). The karma done through natural instincts, prakruteh svabhavaat. Yadyat karomi, whatever I do I offer all of them unto you. Normally some water is taken and it is offered. So this also becomes a means for chitta-shudhi. Afterwards achemanam is done and with that sandhyavandanam gets over.

            Then adyaa no deva savitaha prajaa vatsaaveehi saubhagam paraa dushvapniyagm-suva vishvaani deva savitaha duritaani paraasuva yad bhadram tanma aasuva. This is optional.  Then achenaman and Sandhyavandanam gets over. Therefore we find it is one of the most comprehensive daily prayers that includes all kinds of sadhana and is useful for all kinds of people. Be it materialistic people or spiritual seekers. It is one of the best prayers. With this I conclude.