Sandhya

 

Time of union or conjunction.

There are three Sandhyas in a day. These are morning sandhya (Pratahsandhya), noon sandhya (Madhyahna sandhya) and evening sandhya (Sayam Sandhya).

The meeting time of night and day, is morning Sandhya, the joining time of the first half and the second half of the day, is noon (Madhyahna Sandhya), and the joining time of day and night, is evening Sandhya (Sayam sandhya). Brahmins should keep the three Sandhyas properly.

The morning sandhya is of three kinds. Good, Medium and Bad. When the morning stars are seen and the sunrise is approaching it is good morning; when the stars are not seen and the sun is not risen it is medium sandhya and the morning time after the sunrise is bad Sandhya.

In sayamsandhya also there is this difference of time, as good, medium and bad. The time till the sunset is good; the time after the sunset and before the rising of the stars is medium and the evening after the rising of the stars is bad. In the Vedas it is metaphorically mentioned that Brahmins are trees, and the three sandhyas are their roots, the Vedas, their branches and the rites and rituals ordained in the Vedas their leaves. From this it is clear that Brahmins should on no account leave unobserved, worships at these three sandhyas.

The Brahmin who does not observe these three sandhyas carefully will, in his life time, become a sudra and after the death, will be born again as a dog. Moreover the Brahmin who does not do the three evening, morning and noon worships, will have no right to conduct any other Vedic rites.

After the sun-rise and sun-set, within three nazhikas (a nazhika-24 minutes) the morning arid evening worship should be finished. There is atonement ordered for morning and evening prayers conducted after the stipulated time.

 

(Devi Bhagavata, Skandha 11)

 

 

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