Samdhya Meditation and Agnihotra

[Ravisankar Mayavaram]

--- Sunny Bhardwaj <sunny_bhardwaj at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> How this is relevant to the Advaita-L email list? Well, the Arya
> Samaj
> school was instrumental in sowing in me the *seed* of inquiry and
> that has
> eventually led me to be part of this list. I don't think that's a
> small
> achievement.
>

I am not familiar with Arya samaj. But I agree with you what you have
said above. To create the seed of interest in the youth of modern India
is indeed a great achievement. That seed will eventually lead one to
the correct sources to learn the what shAstra-s say.  Most modern
schools approximate the shaastra-s in one-way or another. One should be
aware of that. My opinion is, whether we are able follow or not, we
should at least learn what shaastra-s say and what approximations we
are making.



sandhya is performed at sandhi or meeting point. That is when night
meets day (morning sandhya), day meets night (evening sandhya) and when
forenoon meets afternoon (mid-day sandhya). As a ancient Tamil saying
goes, "kaaNaamal, kONaamal, kaNDu koDu" - that is arghya prAdAnam which
is the key and most important element of sandhya should be done

a) Morning before sun rises, that is without seeing (kaaNaamal) the sun

b) Mid-day when SUn right straight above (koNaamal)

c) Evening before Sun sets (that is you should see Him, kaNDu)

Most people combine the morning and noon sandhya-s these days.  Also
there is a period in which (even if it is delayed) it is OK to do
sandhya vandananam with prAyashchittam. Even if that period lapses, one
has to do even though one may not get the desired purification out of
it. Sometime back, it was (incorrectly) pointed out in the list that
sandhya vandanam is like thanks-giving. But it is not. It is a
expiatory and purificatory ritual. All the mantra-s preceding to arghya
pradaanam indicate this. sandhya-vandanam has to be been done before one
undertakes anything else.


My 2c.

Ravi




=====
ambaaL daasan

Ravi

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