Sandhyavandanam -3

Now let me elaborate on “Sankalpah” that we saw in the last class. Through the sankalpah we are indicating that Sandhyavandanam is a nishkama karma. Mammopaatta samastha duirta kshya dvaara shree parameshvara (or narayana) preetyartham; I want only the grace of the Lord. What do I want the grace of the Lord to do to me? It has one job and is durita kshyam. Ishwara Anugraha in the form of durita kshyam, papa kshyam, dosa kshyam and chitta samskaram. Refinement of my inner personality.  The sankalpah differs according to the time of Sandhya vandanam, praattah sandhyam upaasishya in the afternoon, maadhyaahnikam upaasishya in the afternoon or saayam sandhyaam upaasishye in the evening. The Sankalpah serves as an auto-suggestion. I am snapping my relation with everything else and I am as though a sanyasi now.

            Now we are coming to the fifth stage, Maarjanam. It literally means “wiping” or “cleansing” and that’s why maarjani is broomstick in Sanskrit. We are going to use a spiritual broomstick to wipe clean the inner mind. In maarjanam we invoke the Lord in the waters. Either the waters flowing in the river, or water flowing in the tank or water flowing in the panja patram or even in “uttadarani”. We invoke the Sandhya devi in the water. Why do we use water? It is easily available and abundant material generally except in Madras! Say if the scriptures had recommended “ghee” then who would do SV as it would too expensive. So no one can give the excuse that water is not available to perform the Sandhyavandanam (SV) ritual. The second reason is water is the basis and source of life. So whenever a scientist wants to find out if there is life in any planet they first check for availability of water. Water is the basic source of life just as Ishwara and therefore it is easier to invoke Ishwara in the water. And the third reason is water is a purifier and use these mantras to do maarjanam for purification. We use water as a external as a symbol for inner purifier. Finally once we invoke Ishwara in the water we develop Ishwara budhi for Jalam. We begin to respect waters as God. So to have virat darshanam or sarvathra ishwarthvam this will help. Don’t take the creation for granted, don’t look down on the creation, LOOK upon the creation as Ishwara Abivyrthi. This will help to mind to see the DIVINIZATION of the world. Such a person who does SV will not pollute waters and he will not be a danger to ecology as he has invoked the Lord in them. So for these four reasons God is invoked in waters.

            Now let take the mantra: aapovaa idagam sarvam vishwa bhootaanyaapaha, praanaavaa-aapaha pashava aapaha, annam-aapaha amrutham-aapaha, samraadaapaha viraadapaha, svaraadaapaha chandaagmsyaapaha, jyoteegmshyaapaha, yajoogmshyaapaha, satyam aaphaa, sarva devataa aapahaa, bhoor-bhuvas-suvar-aapa. The mantra shows aapaha is sarvam. Appaha, water, is Ishwara rupah. Both water and Ishwara are all pervading. .. the animals, insects, plants are all waters. They write Om Sri Kesavaya namaha. After this the maarjanam mantra is chanted and for each mantra water is sprinkled on the forehead. So maarjanam mantra is also called a prokshana mantra. Cleansing mantra or sprinkling mantra! Here nine mantras are there:

Om aapo hi shtthaa mayo-bhuvaha, taa na oorje dadhaatana, mahe ranaaya chakshase, yo vah-shivatamo rasaha, tasya bhaajayaeteha naha, ushateeriva maataraha, tasmaa arangamaama vaha, yasya kshayaaya jinvatha, aapo janayathaa cha naha. 

There is a beautiful slokha which that these nine mantras remove the nine sins. Rajo tamo moha jathan, jagrat, swapna, shusupti jathaan, vak, maya, kaya jathaan doshan nava ethan navabir dhaya. The sins or papas done due to Rajo guna or tamo guna or Moha (you should say Satva here as it does not produce any sin). Between tamo and moha there is a avarana shakti and vikshapa shakti. These three sins along with papas done in the three avastas. In shushupti we may have involuntary kicked someone, so you may even sin in the deep sleep state. And then the three sins done through words, mind or actions. These nine sins the maarjanam will remove in an individual. Aapo his shsthaa mayo-bhuvah, you are the source of joy. You are Ananda rupah. “O water you are nothing but the Lord, you are the source of all ananda”. The second mantra is taa na oorje dadhatana, you the waters should give us all nourishment (oorjam). By nourishment we should have the physical nourishment as well as mental nourishment in the form of values. Nourishment of the mind is samadi shatga sampathi. So may you bless us with all physical and mental nourishment not for worldly indulgence. No because mahe ranaaya chakshase…..chakshas means athma jnanam, ramaniyam means auspicious, beautiful, sacred. May you the waters bless us with the great and auspicious athma jnanam. What is the most auspicious nature in you? Yo vah-shivatamo rasaha, Water in the form of the Lord has the most auspicious juice (rasaha or essence which is nothing but Anandah)  and that Ananda we should attain tasya bhaajayateha …you, the water, make us shareholders. Let us also share the most auspicious (shivatama) ananda which is the essence of you. When? Idam. I am impatient and I cannot postpone it to the next janma. You see how the ideas are developed so wonderfully, first we asked for body-mind nourishment, which is jnana yogyatha. Then give jnanam and later give me the fruits of jnanam which is ananda. Give me fitness, give me knowledge, and give me ananda. This mantra will also help other brahmacharis who pursue other branches of study like mimasha and vedanta in gaining the knowledge also. And all this nourishment you must give me gradually according to my maturity just as a mother nourishes the baby by choosing the right food at the right time. Imagine giving muruku for a new born baby! When the baby is two months old, she feeds it accordingly. Six months old, and after two years the same milk will not do. Twenty years and still milk and it will not work. Similarly initially dharma nourishment, then afterwards virtues nourishment, thereafter jnanam nourishment, all those thing you, the water, know better. Here the beauty is Sandhya Devi is sthri lingam (feminine) and so is aapah the water. Therefore ushateeriva maataraha, ushateeriva means loving and caring as maata, the mother. Therefore my prayer is FEED US WITH NOURISHMENT like a LOVING MOTHER. There is another aspect here; sometimes a child refuses to eat. It does not know what to eat and when to eat. But the mother knows as she coaxes the child; one hand for the crow, one hand for the father, one hand of morsel to the grandmother, one morsel for the sparrow. So she nicely manages and likewise I am like that foolish child and I may not follow the dharma path, will not value the values from lack of knowledge, and if I am foolish you must find a method of nourishing me in spite of me. And that is why mother example is given. And so tasmaa arangamaama vaha, let me receive that ananda and moksha. Let me be fit to receive the moksha, may we have sadhana chattustaya sampathi. And yasya kshayaaya jinvatha…Ananda is so beautiful that everyone wants ananda. You might have seen that some elder may see wealth as a curse for it may lead to disputes in the family. Artha and even dharma are not ekantika purushartha, they are not universal longings. When kama is not a universal purushartha for when you are sick you will not long for sweets or entertainment. When you have hypertension you have to sacrifice pickle and salt. Artha, Kama, and dharma are not ekantika purushartha but everyone loves ananda. And you (referring to Bhagawan) also love Ananda and yasya anandaya nivasaya. For which ananda even you the lord crave (jinvatha). Even the gods who are craving for ananda, for that ananda may we become eligible to receive. And finally aapo janayathaa cha naha, O waters for our sake produce all this: I am giving you the contract to produce yogyatha, then produce jnanam and finally produce ananda. Like they give contract for conducting a marriage. You don’t have to do anything except land up with a suitcase. You just have to bring the bride and the groom while everything from the vadiyar, hall, food, flower arrangement are taken care off. Similarly I am giving you the moksha contract to you. You have bring eligibility in me, you have to bring knowledge for me, and for that if a guru is required you have to furnish, and then happiness. This prayer is a sincere and deep request of a seeker for purushartha sidhi. Then om bhoor-bhuvah-suvaha with this prana and vyakrithi the water is sprinkled. For each mantra one one sprinkle is done.  This is maarjanam and prokshanam mantra.

The next stage is the Praashanam mantra. Literally prashaanam means sipping. Taking waters in the hand, chant the mantra and then the mantra sanctified water is sipped. This praashanam mantra differs according to the time of sandhyavandanam. Maarjanam is common while this is different. In the morning we chant: suryaashcha maa manyushcha manyupatayashcha, manyukrutebhyaha, paapebhyo rakshantam. Yad-raatriyaa paapam-akaarsham. Manasaa vaacha hastaabhyaam. Padbyaam-udarena shisnyaa, raatris-tad-avalumpatu. Idam-aham maam-amruta-yonau. Soorye jyotishi juhomi svaaha. In this mantra two things are involved. First I purify myself. And then I offer myself to the Lord. Therefore it is a self-oblation as we say “svaaha”. It means I have to offer something and it is idam-aham maam-amrutha yonau.. I am offering myself, the purified self, to the lord. There are two meanings, the lower meaning is I dedicate myself to the lord. I have no will and my will is fulfilling God’s will. God’s will is dharmah and by following a dharmic life, a dedicated life of service, a dedicate life of nishkama karma. Therefore, I am dedicating myself to you. There is a higher philosophical connation also. When I purify myself of all the superimpositions, the anathma, then I become shudha athma. After purification from all sins I become Chittanyam as it were. Offering myself means there is no bheda, there is no separation between me and the lord. I am you and you are me. In this comes in the Gita fourth chapter, daivam evapare yajnam yoginah paryupasate, brahmagnav-apare yajnam yajnenaivopajuhvatic, some yogis perform sacrifices to the demigods. Others offer themselves into the fire of the Absolute. To offer myself stands for abeda jnanam. 

Now let me take individual mantras for meaning. May three gods protect us: suryaashcha, manyushcha manyupatayasha. Surya devata in two forms, in the form of sun god and second as Ishwara, the one who enlivens the whole creation. Previously we invoked the Lord in the waters, now we are invoking the lord in the sun. See how they are including the “sarvatma bhava” in us. Manyu means anger, here manyu stands for manyu devata, the god of anger. We have chosen “anger” as it is the cause of most sins. Forced by anger I think wrongly and curse others. Forced by anger I scorn others, shout at them and bodily injure them. This is manasa himsa, vachika himsa and kayika himsa. Anger is the root of all these three himsas. I may mentally curse my boss or an elder at least mentally if I cannot shout or beat them. The third god is manyupatayaha, the causes of anger which is raga, dvesha, kama etc. May raga devata, kama devata give me protection (rakshantham). May all the three gods protect me from pappebhyaha, from the sins done because of anger. Kama leads to bhoga and kroda leads to himsa. That is why during every avani avattam we say “kamo karasheith Manyura karashieth”. At least now “anger” leave me and that is why we are having this daily prayer to manyu devata. The paapam is divided into three. One is the future paapa, second is recent past paapa, and the third is the remote past paapa. May you protect me from future going to come anger! May you protect me from getting anger is the inference. Yad-raatriyaa pappam is the sin done in the last night, the recent past. With what instrument I commit these sins? Manasa ( I have done sins by thinking what I should not; by entertaining evil thoughts), vaacha (I have committed sins by uttering evil words), hastabhyam (by the hands), padyam (with the legs by going to a place one should not go in addition to kicking extra), udarena paapam. What sin the stomach can do? By eating what should not be eaten, eating the amount more than required, etc. And shishna stands for the sexual organ. Through all the instruments whatever pappam I have done in the night, may the raatri devata remove all those sins. More we shall see in the next class. Hari Om.