Annexure
Background
Most of the practices mentioned here have come down from Vedic ancestral tradition from time immemorial. They were first codified in āgamas, that date back to ~400 BCE. There are primarily of three types:
- Pancharatra or Vishnu āgamas–established by followers of Vishnu.
- Shaiva āgamas–established by followers of Shiva.
- Sakta āgamas – established by followers of Shakti.
As ācharya Anandatheertha belongs to Vaishnava tradition, he quotes mainly references from Vedas, Pancharatra āgamas, Mahābhārata, and Purānas. We must follow these prescribed practices with faith to experience its benefit.
Several terms in Sadāchara-smruti have traditional significance coming down from disciple succession. (risi-sampradaya). Same is explained in this section.
1. uddhr̥tāsivarāheṇa
The hymn “uddhr̥tāsivarāheṇa” is recited while taking bath, invoking the cleansing power of the basil mud. The hymns are as follows:
उद्रुतासि वराहेण कृष्णेन शतबाहुना। मृत्तिके हर मे पापं यन्मया दुष्कृतं कृतं॥
मृत्तिके ब्रह्मदत्तासि काश्यपेनाभिमन्त्रिता। मृत्तिके देहि मे पुष्टिं त्वयि सर्व प्रतिष्टितं। त्वया हतेन पापेन गच्छामि परमां गतिम् ॥
2. Twelve letter mantra
It is a custom in ancient days to keep the mantras a secret. It must be handed down from the authorized source only, usually a Guru or the father taking the position of Guru. It is usually whispered in the ears of the student, so that others around it do not hear it. Thus, in all ancient texts, mantras are only indicated and not written explicitly. Mantras, when chanted, their sound reveals deeper meaning to the person chanting it. Here, literal meaning only is provided. The twelve letter mantra in Vaishnava lineage refers to:
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Om! Solutions to the godhead, the supreme soul of the universe!
3. Eight letter mantra
॥ ॐ नमो नारायणाय ॥
Om! Salutations to the godhead who is the all pervading!
4. Six letter mantra
॥ ॐ विष्णवेनमः ॥
Om! godhead who burns the sins, salutations to you!
5. Ācamana
It is the cleansing process practiced since Vedic times. Basic premises before performing ācahama is the assumption that God is stationed within oneself. Then, water is sipped offering it to the God present within. The body parts are touched remembering the forms of God stationed in these body parts. Following are the 24 names of the God remembered, each with an etymological meaning indicating a specific function.
- kēshavāya svāha –sip water offering it to God who inspires
- nārayanāya svāha - sip water offering it to God who is all pervading
- mādhavāya svāha - sip water offering it to God who is the master of universe
- govindāya namaha - wash hands remembering the God who is to be known through Vēdas or knowledge only
- vishnavēn namaha - wash hands remembering the God who burns everything
- madhusūdhanāya namaha - touching upper lips, remember the God who kills the demon taste
- trivikramāya namaha–touching lower lips, remember the God who has conquered the three worlds
- vāmanāya namaha - touching right cheek, remember the God who is auspicious
- shrīdharāya namaha - touching left cheek, remember the God who has worn the universe
- hrishīkēshāya namaha–washing hands remember the God who directs the senses
- padmanābhāya namaha–touching the feet, remember the God who has the entire universe springing from his navel
- dāmōdarāya namaha - touching stomach, remember the God who has tied narrow stomach
- sankarshanāya namaha - touching tip of the nose, remember the God who inhales everyone during destruction
- vāsudēvāya namaha - touching right nostril, remember the God who is the supporter of the universe
- pradyumnāya namaha - touching left nostril, remember the God who gives prosperity
- anirudhāya namaha - touching right eye, remember the God who has no enemies
- prushōttamāya namaha - touching left eye, remember the God who is superior to all
- adhōkshajāya namaha - touching right ears, remember the God who can’t be perceived through senses
- nārasimhāya namaha - touching left ears, remember the God who is the destroyer of wicked
- achyutāya namaha - touching stomach, remember the God whose strength never diminishes
- janārdhanāya namaha - touching chest, remember the God who enables us to overcome the cause of birth or giver of knowledge
- upendrāya namaha - touching forehead, remember the God who is the master of senses
- harayē namaha - touching right shoulder, remember the God who destroys sins
- sri krishnāya namaha - touching left shoulder, remember the God who attracts everything
6. Āpohiṣṭhā [Rig Veda 10.9]
Is a Vedic hymn found in Rig Veda. It praises water and asks to remove the sin and energize us!
आपो हि ष्ठा मयोभुवस्ता न ऊर्जे दधातन । महे रणाय चक्षसे ॥1॥
यो वः शिवतमो रसस्तस्य भाजयतेह नः । उशतीरिव मातरः ॥2॥
तस्मा अरं गमाम वो यस्य क्षयाय जिन्वथ । आपो जनयथा च नः ॥3॥
शं नो देवीरभिष्टय आपो भवन्तु पीतये । शं योरभि स्रवन्तु नः ॥4॥
ईशाना वार्याणां क्षयन्तीश्चर्षणीनाम् । अपो याचामि भेषजम् ॥5॥
अप्सु मे सोमो अब्रवीदन्तर्विश्वानि भेषजा । अग्निं च विश्वशम्भुवम् ॥6॥
आपः पृणीत भेषजं वरूथं तन्वे मम । ज्योक्च सूर्यं दृशे ॥7॥
इदमापः प्र वहत यत्किं च दुरितं मयि । यद्वाहमभिदुद्रोह यद्वा शेप उतानृतम् ॥8॥
आपो अद्यान्वचारिषं रसेन समगस्महि । पयस्वानग्न आ गहि तं मा सं सृज वर्चसा ॥9॥
- O goddess Water! Give us happiness; make us fit for taking up activities that need strength; make us eligible to obtain knowledge.
- Like a mother giving milk to babies, give us knowledge that results in happiness.
- To whichever region you wish to take us by destroying sins, let us reach it quickly! You only gave us this body.
- O goddess water! Give us happiness by granting our wishes. From your grace, let us get clear drinking water.
- O goddess water! You are the basis for all beings! For our happiness, grant surplus vegetation and medicine
- We have heard that Soma, the God of all medicines, is in you. We have also heard that fire god who gives happiness to the world is in you.
- O goddess water! being gratified, grant the highest medicines to my body, enabling me to see the sun for a long time
- O goddess water! Takeaway my sins with your flow; sins that I might have committed by betrayal, cursing people or by telling lies.
- O goddess water! Having prayed and worshipped you, I am filled with happiness. Kindly enhance my personality.
- I pray to goddess water that flows day and night for aiding the activities of beings.
7. Aghamarṣaṇa [Rig Veda 10.190]
It is a concluding hymn of Rig Veda and has a lot of significance as it speaks to how ritam, the honest effort, and satyam, the truth, were born from tapa, the unwavering practice. All the three are unique concepts that occur several times in rig veda and has highest importance. This sukta associates the entire creation to ritam and satyam born out of tapa.
ऋतं च सत्यं चाभीद्धात्तपसोऽध्यजायत । ततो रात्र्यजायत ततः समुद्रो अर्णवः ॥1॥
समुद्रादर्णवादधि संवत्सरो अजायत । अहोरात्राणि विदधद्विश्वस्य मिषतो वशी ॥2॥
सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ धाता यथापूर्वमकल्पयत् । दिवं च पृथिवीं चान्तरिक्षमथो स्वः ॥3॥
“Honest exertion and truthfulness were born of arduous penance, thence was night generated, thence also the watery ocean.”
“From the watery ocean was the year afterwards produced, ordaining nights and days, the ruler of every moment.”
“Dhātā in the beginning created the sun and moved the heaven, the earth, the firmament, and the happy (sky).”
- Translation by H. H. Wilson | 1866
1. From Fervour kindled to its height Eternal Law and Truth were born: Thence was the Night produced, and thence the billowy flood of sea arose.
2 From that same billowy flood of sea, the Year was produced later, Ordainer of the days nights, Lord over all who close the eye.
3 Dhātar, the great Creator, then formed in due order Sun and Moon. He formed in order Heaven and Earth, the regions of the air, and light.
- Translation by Ralph T.H. Griffith | 1896
8. Purusha sukta [Rig Veda 10.90]
सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् । स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्वात्यतिष्ठद्दशाङ्गुलम् ॥1॥
पुरुष एवेदं सर्वं यद्भूतं यच्च भव्यम् । उतामृतत्वस्येशानो यदन्नेनातिरोहति ॥2॥
एतावानस्य महिमातो ज्यायाँश्च पूरुषः । पादोऽस्य विश्वा भूतानि त्रिपादस्यामृतं दिवि ॥3॥
त्रिपादूर्ध्व उदैत्पुरुषः पादोऽस्येहाभवत्पुनः । ततो विष्वङ्व्यक्रामत्साशनानशने अभि ॥4॥
तस्माद्विराळजायत विराजो अधि पूरुषः । स जातो अत्यरिच्यत पश्चाद्भूमिमथो पुरः ॥5॥
यत्पुरुषेण हविषा देवा यज्ञमतन्वत । वसन्तो अस्यासीदाज्यं ग्रीष्म इध्मः शरद्धविः ॥6॥
तं यज्ञं बर्हिषि प्रौक्षन्पुरुषं जातमग्रतः । तेन देवा अयजन्त साध्या ऋषयश्च ये ॥7॥
तस्माद्यज्ञात्सर्वहुतः सम्भृतं पृषदाज्यम् । पशून्ताँश्चक्रे वायव्यानारण्यान्ग्राम्याश्च ये ॥8॥
तस्माद्यज्ञात्सर्वहुत ऋचः सामानि जज्ञिरे । छन्दांसि जज्ञिरे तस्माद्यजुस्तस्मादजायत ॥9॥
तस्मादश्वा अजायन्त ये के चोभयादतः । गावो ह जज्ञिरे तस्मात्तस्माज्जाता अजावयः ॥10॥
यत्पुरुषं व्यदधुः कतिधा व्यकल्पयन् । मुखं किमस्य कौ बाहू का ऊरू पादा उच्येते ॥11॥
ब्राह्मणोऽस्य मुखमासीद्बाहू राजन्यः कृतः । ऊरू तदस्य यद्वैश्यः पद्भ्यां शूद्रो अजायत ॥12॥
चन्द्रमा मनसो जातश्चक्षोः सूर्यो अजायत । मुखादिन्द्रश्चाग्निश्च प्राणाद्वायुरजायत ॥13॥
नाभ्या आसीदन्तरिक्षं शीर्ष्णो द्यौः समवर्तत । पद्भ्यां भूमिर्दिशः श्रोत्रात्तथा लोकाँ अकल्पयन् ॥14॥
सप्तास्यासन्परिधयस्त्रिः सप्त समिधः कृताः । देवा यद्यज्ञं तन्वाना अबध्नन्पुरुषं पशुम् ॥15॥
यज्ञेन यज्ञमयजन्त देवास्तानि धर्माणि प्रथमान्यासन् । ते ह नाकं महिमानः सचन्त यत्र पूर्वे साध्याः सन्ति देवाः ॥16॥
- "The Supreme Being has thousands of heads, thousands of eyes, and thousands of feet. He has enveloped this world from all sides and has transcended it several folds.
- All this is verily the Purusha; All that which existed in the past or will come into being in the future (is also the Purusha). Also, he is the Lord of immortality, as he has outgrown the mortals.
- So much is His greatness, he is definitely the Supreme. All the universe and the beings form only a quarter (part of) Him. The three-quarter of His is eternal, which is established in the spiritual domain.
- The Purusha is glorified with his three quarters above and one quarter among beings. He is pervading the entire universe and is ruling overall.
- From Him, the universe was born. Through the universe, the Supreme Being manifested itself. Having born, he stood supreme over earth and other regions.
- To feed the Supreme Being, the gods undertook a yajna, where spring became the ghee, the summer served as wood, and autumn was offered as a sacrifice into yajna.
- In to Yajna they sacrificed the first born Purusha. Thus, was the mental sacrifice carried out by Gods, Sadhyas, and Rishis.
- From Yajna into which everything was sacrificed came fuel, air, beings of wild and domestic as well.
- From Yajna into which everything was sacrificed came: the knowledge of principles (Riks), knowledge of music (sama), knowledge of meters (specific way of doing things, i.e. chandas), and knowledge of tactics (Yajus).
- From it were born the animals likes horses with two rows of teeth. From it were born the cattle. From it (again) were born goats and sheep.
- When the Supreme Being was born, how did they think of him? What became of his face? What became of his two arms? What became of His two thighs? What became of his feet?
- Intellectual class became his face; administrative class was born from his arms; business class was born from his thighs; and service class was born from his feet.
- From His mind was born the moon. From His two eyes was born the sun. From His face were born Indra (lord of senses) and Agni (mouth that consumes). From His breath was born the air.
- From His navel was produced the space; heaven came into existence from His head. The earth grew out of His feet; and directions from His ears. Similarly, they imagined the other worlds too as parts of that Supreme Purusha.
- Seven were the boundaries. Three times seven were the sacrificial sticks. Gods bound the purusha and offered him as a sacrificial animal in to this yajna.
- By worshipping the Supreme Being in the form of Yajna, through yajna, the gods established the supreme dharma (righteousness). Those sacrificed beings obtaining the happy state and becoming gods were welcomed by previous gods.
9. Sūryascha māmanyuscha
ओम् सूर्यस्ह्छ मा मन्युस्ह्छ मन्युपतयस्ह्छ मन्यु क्रुत्एभ्यः| पापेभयो रक्षन्ताम्। यद्पद्भ्यामुदरेण शिश्ना। रात्रि स्तदवलम्पतु| यत्किञ्च दुरितम् मयि| इदमहम् मामम्रुतयोनौ| सूर्ये ज्योतिशि जुहोमिस्वाहा ॥
"Let the Sun, the God of senses, and the god of night protect me from the sins I might have committed through the instrumentality of anger, through mind, speech, hand, legs, stomach, and other parts of the body. I offer my defects into Sun light for it to be burned."
10. Gayatri-mantra
The Gāyatrī Mantra is a highly revered mantra from the Rig Veda dedicated to the Vedic deity Savitr, the sun god. Gāyatrī is the name of the meter in which the verse is composed. Its recitation is traditionally preceded by oṃ and the formula bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, known as the mahāvyāhṛti, or "great utterance". Its expanded form with seven vyahritis appears in Krishna Yajurveda, Mahanarayana Upanishad 35th section. The elaborate meaning of Gayatri is beyond the scope of this book. Only literal meaning is given below.
ॐ । भूर्भुवः स्वः । तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि । धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥
"Om, the personality who is beyond the modes of ignorance, passion, and goodness, that effulgent personality, who embodies practice and truth, effulgent like the sun, is worthy of respect. I remember such an omnipotent, auspicious personality. Let him inspire my intellect."
11. Argya
Arghya means offering with devotion and respect. During twilight, thanksgiving arghya is offered to the god situated in the heart of the Sun by pouring water. The same gayatri mantra used for meditation is used for arghya as well.
12. āsavādityo-brahma
उत्तिष्टोत्तिष्ठ गन्तव्यं पुनरागमनायच उत्तिष्ट देवी स्थातव्यं प्रविष्य हृदयं मम ॥ ॐ आसोवादित्यो ब्रह्म ॥
"O god represented by Gayatri, getup, getup! Go destroy the enemies and comeback. Having got up settle in me by entering my heart. O Sun, you are the perceivable form of the universal being."
13. Tarpana
It means food. It usually used to mean offering food to ancestors. It is a general belief among sanatana-dharma tradition that ancestors, after their emancipation, go and join the group of souls called 'pitrus', which means ancestors. During ‘tarpana’ food is offered to pitris symbolically by leaving black sesame seeds in water. This is prescribed only for those who have already lost their father. Idea is to remember ancestors and thank them for giving the opportunity to lead a life in human form for our own emancipation.
14. dhyēya-sada
This is the mantra used to remember Lord Narayana situated in the middle of the solar disk, before starting the repeated meditation on Narayana using the 8 letter mantra. The mantra is quoted by Madhvacharya as the 9th mantra of the Sadācāra-smrrtih itself.
15. Lotus posture
The picture used on this website (home page) shows Madhvacharya sitting in lotus posture.
