SANDHYA VANDANAM - Part II

(by

Achala Bhakthan)

Preface:

The first part already; published is the product of one of my ardent reader’s query on the What, Why and How part of Sandhya Vandanam and this second part is the result of the interaction of two other readers who have prompted me to think and elaborate on the same subject with genuine questions which, I thought would be the case with many.  Hence, I have attempted on Part II of Sandhya Vandanam by trying to elaborate on those questions raised by them.   The queries raised by them are:

1.What is this meter or chandas and how many are there?

2.Why is it told that Gayathri should be chanted giving gaps and in 5 parts...?

3.Sandhya Vandanam - Is it a prayer for all gods?

4.How to do Gayathri japa? – Posture, No.of times etc.

5.Significance of Time frame for job goers.

6.Why Sanyasins exempted?

7.Significance of wearing Poonal and Different structure for different stages.

Meter, Chandas etc.:

Meter in manthras refers to the tonal variations required while chanting each syllabus.  In music we call this as the Sruti.  For instance OM has to be chanted with certain swarasthanas and its actual syllable is AUM because it has to be pronounced with a specific sruti laya and with a long mathra.  All the three syllables should be covered while pronouncing it.  Similarly the entire Gayathri Manthra has to be chanted with correct meters.  Mathra in manthra means the length of pronouncing each syllable. 

It is true that each Veda manthra has a rishi, a chandas, a devata as the base.  The manthras is revealed to the said rishi. Chandas means the stanzas style or path.  Each manthra is dedicated to particular devatas according to the description of the mantra.  To describe all these, one should be well proficient in the Vedas, which I am not.  Hence, I am not going deep into the topic, except that what I could state above.

Five parts of Gayathri : 

OM is the base of the manthra because that is the subject.  The Paramatma tatwa manifested first in the form of sound OM (AUM).  It covers the three status Jagrat Swapna Sushupti and it has in it all the three Gunas - Satwa Rajas, Tamas.  Therefore, we are addressing to this manifested Paramatma Tatwa (which is the subject here).  “Tat Savithurvarenyam” is the qualification or the adjective – meaning that which is Supreme.  “Burgaha” is a further explanation of the quality or status and means SUN.  This is because, we see SUN which illuminates and gives life to all living beings and without SUN nothing lives.  Therefore, it gives an example from the seen world - the SUN which is quoted as a slimily in the world. This is because to explain about an unknown object a known object should be shown as a simile.. “Devasya Dheemahi” – means which illumines all devas (all the limbs including mind, intellect in our body) just as Sun is illumining all living beings – the entire world. Each of the limps in our body is represented by different devatas.  Hence, this address.  “Dhiyo Yonaha Prachotayaat”.  May IT guide me by shining in my intellect.  The Life principle, the Sakthi, has to work through our intellect.  Without intelligence man is non-living.  Thus each of the five parts has specific meaning and purpose and all these five parts together refer to the Paramatman similar the SUN in the world.  For full effect, therefore, these five parts have to be chanted with the prescribed mathras (gap or length).  The Swara prayogam (meter) should also be perfect to achieve the desired result.

Thus, Gayathri Japam with the Arkya Pradhaanam is nothing but a prayer to the Paramatman to illumine us, guide us, protect us from evils and lead us through the right path as enshrined in Vedas.  It encompasses the five sheaths (pancha boothaas) called Earth, Water, Agni, Air and Space.  Also it comprises of our oblations to Devas, Pithrus and Gurus as stated in Part I.

The Preparatory part:

The Arkya Pradhanam is prelude to the Japam, since we have to purify ourselves at Body Mind and Intellectual level and prepare us for this important Sadhana.  And as I said earlier, we have to first think, thank and pray to Devas, Pithrus and Guru for guiding us and leading us through the right path for doing this Gayathri Japam.  We purify our body including all limbs by Prokshanam, Aachamaneeyam etc,, we offer oblations (arkyam) to devas, Pithrus and gurus through Kesavaadi Naama, because Vishnu is the sustainer and through his various names, which encompasses everything in all the worlds, we give arkyam.

After Gayathri Japam, we pray turning to different directions to seek the blessings of the respective Devatas with specific manthras.  This is to show that we respect and obey the directional rules to seek their blessings and protection from all sides.

Posture for Japam:

Gayathri Japam can be performed by sitting in padmasana or ardha padmasana or by standing as the health permits.  Each posture has got its own effect.  However, while doing japa, the mind should be on full concentration on the manthra and hence the body posture has to be a convenient one out of the above three. Both hands held up in such a way that the forearm is straight up and the fingers counting the manthra chanting held against our face.  It is better to cover the hand by uthareeyam stretching from left shoulder.  Or the forearm can rest on the two knees if sitting in padmasana or ardha padmasana and the fingers on the lap.

Morning 108 times, Maadhyannikam 32 and evening 64 counts of Gayathri is prescribed.  If possible, all the three times 108 counts is best.  Time permitting, 1008 counts is more effective.

Relaxation in Time Frame:

For present day working people, it is not possible to maintain the time frame.  However, it is better not to miss Sandhya Vandanam any time and it is alright to do it beyond the time frame.  It may be 8 p.m. for evening Sandhya Vandanam.  Maadhyannikam can be done immediately after morning Sandhya Vandanam.  After morning Vandanam take some food and then do Maadhyannikam.  This means, symbolically after meals it is noon.  It is always better to do it late than miss it.  The effect will be there, though in different measures.

Benefits :

If you want the people to perform Sandhya Vandanam, particularly the younger generation, who are westernized by the changing times, you have to pin-point the material and immediate benefits that results from performing Sandhya Vandanam regularly.  For every thing they need a definite result, that too direct and immediate beneficial to themselves.  This is the present-day attitude of youngsters.  If you tell them that if Sandhya Vandanam is not done regularly, it will lead to disease or it will not give you any mental peace of happiness etc., they would wash it off.  Instead, if you show them the benefit they derive in relation to the Body Mind and Intellectual faculties, they will snatch the idea and start doing.  Let me assure them the following benefits = not merely a saying from scriptures but my own personal experience:

1. Steady Mind  - Regulating Mind

2. Increase of concentration and thereby intellectual power

3. Faculty of Determination increases – the self-assertion power

4. Commitment to the objective = objective-oriented approach

5. Through Pranayama, we improve our lungs capacity to retain, expand

     and shrink in a rhythmic fashion, results in long life, a strong lungs

     and a robust physique.

6. Self-discipline in all walks of life, i.e. regulation of one’s own life style.

If any one wants any more clarification as to how the above benefits are derived and how one can feel about it, I can give you more details. 

The structure and purpose of wearing a Poonal:

Some other reader asked me to comment on the above topic.  The single set of Poonal consists of  a set of Three-line one and is worn to indicate that we are subject to the Thriputi upadhis (Body, Mind and Intellect or Jagrat Swapna Sushupti Avastha or Satwa Rajas Tamas gunas). The three lines are having a knot (known as Brahma Mudichchu) together, inseparably. The beginning and end portions of the threads are bound together with the knot. This knot is put by Sastrigal or Vadhyar chanting specific Manthra to give us relief from the Tripudi effects. We need to guard against these three upadhis, which are hindrances in our evolution.  Hence Poonal is of three-line structure, symbolically to protect us from the effects of this Thriputi status This is first worn during Thread Ceremony wherein our father takes the seat of a Guru and makes us wear it through chanting manthra and initiates us into Gayathri Japa.  From now on we are eligible to perform all rituals prescribed for Brahmacharis.  It is said that after Thread ceremony only one becomes a Brahmin – Dwijanma or takes a second birth (the real birth of a Brahmin).  Why so?  The word Brahmin means “Brahmani Ithi Charanthi Brahmanaha”.  The one who is established in Brahman is a Brahmana.  After thread ceremony, a Brahmachari is supposed to live on alms and pursue his studies in Vedas and perform Nithya Vruthi and Sadhana prescribed for evolution.  Therefore, he is termed as Brahmin, as he is getting established in the Brahmnical way.

 Different Structure of Poonal for different stages in life:

Brahmacharis need protection for themselves only from the Thriputi status. Hence one set of Three-line Poonal is prescribed to them. After marriage, the Gruhastha has to protect not only himself but his wife too, who is not coming under the Sandhya Vandanam process.  Therefore, he has to wear two sets of Three Line Poonal at the time of marriage – one set for himself and the other for his wife.  Once he becomes a full-fledged Gruhastha (i.e. becoming a father), he has to protect also the offspring (the child in the form of broonam in the womb of his wife) and hence at the time of Seemantha Kalyanam (wedding at first progeny) in the sixth month of wife’s pregnancy, he wears three sets of Three Line Poonal.  Also there is a belief that the three sets has to be worn at the time of marriage itself because a Gruhastha must always has an angavasthram (a piece of cloth on the shoulder) and in case he is going without it any time, this third set will represent that angavasthram.  Also there is another belief that the third set has to be added only while starting performance of apara kriya.  To me the first explanation seems to be logical and convincing.  It depends on the customs and belief as to when to wear the third set.  However, the second set is added, in all cases, at the time of marriage.

 Applicability of this rule to Sanyasins:

Regarding Sanyasins, they are beyond the Thriputi, having won over these upadhis through their Sadhana or Tapas.  For them these rules will not apply because, they are always one with the Paramatman in their Samadhi or Sadhana.   .  Sanyasins are beyond this Thriputi, they need not wear Poonal and hence no rituals.   Moreover, they do not belong to any religion, caste or creed. Hence they are exempted from this rule.  As they are believed to be in Samadhi, Sadhana, the Sandhya Vandanam – nay other rituals - is not binding on them. However, when they are not in Samadhi, they also used to perform certain poojaas or rituals during these Sandhyas, as our Puranas have explained.

In fact, let me go a step further and explain how these are not applicable to us in certain conditions.  Supposing you are engrossed in Pooja or Japa from evening till midnight or you are doing Naamasmarana/Naama Sankeerthan from evening till late night.  You are doing a Sadhana with full body, mind and intellect on it that you cannot break that sadhana.  In such a situation missing Sandhya Vandanam is not harmful because you are doing the same or even a higher sadhana than Sandhya Vandanam.  However, to miss a Sandhya Vandanam, you must not be aware of the Sandhya while doing the above sadhana.  The moment you are aware of it, it is better to take some break from the sadhana and do Sandhya Vandanam and then continue the sadhana.  It is exempted only when you are doing a higher sadhana and you are fully absorbed in it without being aware of the time factor. 

Acknowledgement:

I am indebted to all my readers in general and these three ardent readers in particular for kindling the fire in me.  This is the type of interaction I expect from my active and ardent readers, which enables me to gain more and more knowledge by contemplation before answering the queries.  This interaction will make us learn together. 

SAHANAA VAVATHU SAHANOU BHUNAKTU

SAHA VEERYAM KARAVA VAHAI:

TEJASWINAM ATHEETHAM ASTHU

MAAVIDHYUSHAVAHAI:

OM SHANTHI; SHANTHI; SHANTHI: