Post by ramya475 on Oct 24, 2013 21:07:33 GMT 5.5
VI Dandavadhana Vidhi
(rules for cleaning of teeth)
1,Athri:-
Daily the mouth becomes old. So one becomes defiled. So we should clean our mouth using one of the sticks prescribed. Then only the teeth and mouth become clean.
2.Bharadwaj:-
We have to first wash our hand, legs and face and then to Achamana and clean the teeth facing east in a sitting position.
Whichever stick we use to clean our teeth it should be purified by recitation of the following Mantra:-
“Rishi Prajapathi , Anushtup Chanda and Brahaspathi devatha
Aayurbala yaso varcha praja pasu vasuni cha,
Brahma pragnam cha medhaam cha thwannoi dehi vanaspathe.”
Please give me long life, fame , children cattle ,
Make me realize Brahmam, give me wisdom, ,
You who have been grown in the forest.
3.Haaritha:-
Sticks from all trees with thorn are suitable for cleaning the teeth. They give us punya. All sticks from trees having milk would give us fame, The stick should be as thick as the tip of our little finger and should not be dry.
Sticks of Khadhira, Khadambha, Kharanja, Kharaja Thrasini, Venu , Pruthwi , Jamboo, Nimba , Apamarga , (In Tamil Karungali, Kadambai, Pingu, Charadai , Kla, Moongil(Bamboo) , Ven, Mandarai , Naval , Vembu (neem) , Nayuruvi , Bilwam, Yerukku ,Athi), are suitable for cleaning the teeth. Sticks of Peepal tree , purasu and Simshubha are not suitable .Some saints feel that sticks of bilwa should not be used.
4.Yama:-
During Chathurdasi, Ashtami , Amavasya (new moon) ,Pournami(full moon) , Sankramana (month beginning) we should not use meat , should not make love nor clean teeth( The commentator says , meat eating is the Dharma of Kshatriyas)
To clean teeth on Sradha (devotion day of manes) and during days of Starving , cleaning teeth is a sinful act. If it is done by mistake then water over which Gayatri is chanted 100 times should be sipped.
We can clean the teeth using grass and leaves on all days except Amavasya (new moon) and Ekadasi . It can be done using the leaves of Jambu , Plakshas, Ichi and Mango. Among them Mango is very good. A widow, a virgin and a Brahmachari should not clean their teeth.
You can clean the teeth using tooth powders using any finger except the second finger
VII Snana Vidhi
(Principles of Bathing)
1.Vyasa:-
As soon as you get up in the morning , it is absolutely necessary to take bath in great rivers after cleaning the body and cleaning the teeth.
2.Sathyavratha:-
By taking bath man attains strength , beauty , fame, Dharma , wisdom , pleasure , courage and great health.
3.Aathri:-
One should not eat anything without taking bath, without chanting stotras , without oblations in the fire and without giving charity. If some thing is taken without these then the food is equivalent to stool , spoiled blood, worm and poison.
All the rituals told in Vedas are to be done after taking bath. The man who has not taken bath is not suitable to meditation and fire oblations.
The householder and Vana prastha should take bath both in the morning and noon. The Sanyasis should take bath thrice, in the morning, in the noon and at dusk. The Brahmachari need to take only the morning bath.
All sections need to take bath only once , if they are sick or when there is scarcity of water. If one is healthy and if plenty of water is available , one should take bath. Bath is ordained for Brahmins and non Brahmins.
4.Sounaka:-
The Brahmin should stand in the middle of water and without any thoughts in the mind , think of only Lord Vishnu , do Achamana and take bath by thrice going below the water. While under water he should chant the Aghamarshana Suktha.
5.Daksha:-
During bath and other acts , one should meditate on Lord Narayana, By this he gets rid of attachments and reaches Brahma Loka. He will not be born again in this world.
The bathing act has five parts viz. Sankalpa (telling of intention), Chanting of Varuna Suktha, sprinkling water on self with chanting, Telling of Agamarshana Suktha and giving oblations to Devas.
While taking bath in the pond or while washing the feet of a Brahmin or while chanting Gayathri or while giving water offerings one should do it facing the Sun.
When one is taking bath in the river, he should bath against the tide do marjana and chant Agamarshana, In other places it should be done facing the sun. At night he can take bath facing east or north. In ponds belonging to the Gods, you should take bath opposite them.
One should tie his hair, do Achamana, wash the shore with water , keep durba there, wear pavithram, with folded hands recite Varuna Suktham and worship the Goddess of water and then take bath .Then he should clean his body including arm pits and again take bath , do Achamana twice , sprinkle water using the chant “aapohishta..” , chant Agamarshana Suktha , take bath , do two Achamanas and offer oblations to Gods. This can be learned from scholarly elders.
A man who is sick can take bath in hot water.
6.Skanda:-
The period of 96 minutes before sun rise is called Arunodhaya period. Taking bath at that time is supposed to be great. That is we have to take bath around 4.30 AM.
There are three types of bathing. They are Nithya Snana (daily bath), Naimithika Snana (causal bath) and Kamya Snana (desirable bath). During all types of bath Tharpanam (oblations to satisfy Devas, Rishis and manes) should be performed. Bathing after cropping the hair or after shaving is called Naimithika Snana. Any bathing after we become defiled is Naimithika Snana. On such occasions two times bathing is prescribed. During the first time, no Tharpana needs to be done. After drying oneself we have to take bath again, Then Tharpana should be done.
7.Vishnu:-
The Tharpana after the bath should be performed with wet cloths , standing in the water, where we have taken bath.
8.Bharadwaja:-
We have to do Tharpana to Gods in the same water. The water has to be lifted to the height of the horns of a cow. Tharpana (that which satisfies) should be done to Gods, manes and Rishis in that order. If the order is changed the water is equivalent to blood and will invite the wrath of Devas.
For devas the Tharpana should be done facing the north with sacred thread in the Upaveethi (left shoulder to right hip) position. In case of Rishis it should be done facing north wearing the sacred thread like a garland(niveethi) and for manes (pithrus) it should be done with sacred thread worn in the Pracheena veethi (From right shoulder to left hip) facing the south. We should stand in the middle of water and take water with both hands while doing Tharpana.
After doing Tharpana for devas and Rishis , we should do Tharpana for the God called Yashma in the banks of the river(pond). We have to say, “due to my washing my body with water, I have made the water dirty and so I am giving oblations to Yashma so that the sin committed is pardoned.”
A Brahmin after the bath , should wear the sacred thread in the Prachina veethi position and stand in the shore till all the water in his body dries away so that all animals are satisfied.
If water falls from hair towards our back , it is equivalent to toddy and if it falls in the front, it is equal to water of Ganges. So we have to bend towards the front while drying our hair.
The uthareeya (upper cloth should be folded twice (four fold) and water allowed to fall through its tips. We should never make it three fold.. We should not remove the water from the upper cloth in the middle of the water. When we remove the water from cloths, we have to wear the sacred thread in the niveethi(garland) position.
After removing the water from upper cloth , in the four fold state, we should put the sacred thread in proper position (upaveethi) and carry the upper cloth by our left wrist and do two Achamanas.
After taking bath we have to do Tharpanam to devas, sages and manes , do Achamana and dry our body and head by the two cloths that we wear. We should not remove water from the hair by shaking it.
VIII. Snana Bedha:-
(different types of bath)
1.Sankha:-
There are two types of bathing called as Gowna and Mukhya
2.Daksha:-
The nines types of bathing viz Agneya, Varuna , Brahma, Vaavya, Divya, Manasa , Parthiva , Kapila and Saraswatha are mentioned in the Sasthras.
3.Bharadwaja:-
After washing our hands and legs , sitting facing the east and after doing Achamana , the Basma Snana (Ash bath) should be started.
Using the white from the fire sacrifices and after chanting eesana manthra , the ash should be sprinkled on our heads.
Ash should be sprinkled after chanting Thath Purusha manthra on the face, Agora manthra on the chest, Vamadeva manthra on the private parts, sathyajotha manthra on the legs and Pranava ((Om) on all parts of the body. This is called Agneya snana (bath by fire) , If we get ash from fire sacrifice it is much more divine but it can be performed using any ash.
The bath by reciting Jala Deva Daga manthra in the middle of water and dipping in the water and later doing Tharpana to devas, Rishis and manes is called Varuna snanam (( bath by water)
4.Kathyayana:-
Sprinkling water on the tips of our breast after chanting the Aapohishta manthra and using Deva theertha (water from tips of fingers) is called Brahma snanam. This is called Mathra snanam.
5.Brahaspathi:-
The falling of the dust raised by the hooves of cows during dusk is called Vayavya snamam (bath by wind)
Bath which occurs as per the advice of great people is called Saraswatha snanam.
Bathing in the rainwater in the Northern solstice of Sun (utharyana) when there is rain as well as sun light is called Divya Snana.
Meditating on Lord Vishnu with four arms as carrying conch , wheel and mace is called Manasa snanam (mental bath)
Taking clean earth , chanting mantras and taking bath is called Parthiva snanam.
IX. Snanrhani Jalani:-
(waters suitable for bathing)
1.Manu:-
Ponds and lakes are those water deposits made by man. Devakhata are natural collection of water. Those water deposits worshipped by sages is called Saras. Katham is a stream. Bigger streams which flow for a distance of more than 800 bows are called River. Bigger streams with lesser lengths is called Arivi.
2.Markandeya:-
You can take bath in the water of well or pond constructed by our ancestors, kings. Great sages, and Devas. It is better to take bath by dipping in water than taking from well and taking bath. Better than that is the water of the mountain spring. Better than that is the water from Saras(water worshipped by sages) and better than that is water of rivers. Even better than that is the sacred water worshipped by elders. Better than everything is the water of Ganges.
3.Yoga Yagnavalkya:-
You should not take bath in the pond constructed by others. If you happen to do it, take out seven clods of mud from the pond and put it on its shore. If it is some body else’s well, remove three pots of water and throw it away before taking bath. It is proper to take bath in wells and ponds which are public and have been constructed as charity. If you happen to take bath in wells constructed by atheists and debased people, we should perform Prajapathya Kruchram(?).
If there is a river you should not take bath in well or a pond, When there is a lake you should not take bath in a pond.
X.Samudhra Snanam
(Sea bathing)
We should always worship the Banyan tree and the sea, You can take bath in the sea during Parva (Festivals/Full moon day) periods. On Saturdays we can touch the Banyan tree,. During other times both should not be touched.
1.Bharadwaja:-
During the Krishna Paksha ( waning moon) Tuesdays which come along with Chathurdasi , we can take bath in the sea. During the parva (full moon) with Chathurdasi , you can take bath in the non Chathurdasi period. Similarly during the Pucha Amavasya (new moon) , we can take bath only when there is Amavasya. The husband of a pregnant woman should not take bath in the sea.
In Rama Sethu (Bridge constructed by Rama) you can take bath in the sea daily. The rule that you have to take bath only in Parva is applicable only to other places.
2.Vyasa:-
When you are taking bath we have to think of Kuru Kshethra, Gaya, Ganga , Prabhasa and Naimisaranya. It is not proper for intelligent people to think of some other river when they are taking bath in a river. But Ganges is an exception.
Water is always pure, Mixing it with fire is very special. So it is always good to take bath in hot water. But this is normally done by only by a sick person. When you are not ill, it is better to take bath in cold water. Taking bath in cold water mixed with hot water is considered specially good.
XI Naimithika Snanam:_
(Bath for a reason)
1.Vishnu:-
After doing Sankalpa, take bath in the river and then chant one of Aagamarshana , Dadvishannor Paramapadha, Gaythri and Yunchademana, while still dipping in the water and then do Pithru Tharpana (worship of manes)
2.Manu:-
Those who touch a woman in periods , one who has given birth to a baby, sinner, corpse and the man who has touched a corpse , should take bath immediately with the dress one is wearing.
3.Parasara:-
If one sees a bad dream or if he vomits , if he gets a shave or if one makes love or if the smoke of a dead body falls on one’s body , then he has to take bath immediately.
4.Samvatha:-
But in times of sorrow or pain , or in narrow streets , or in streets with large number of up and downs , in shopping streets and in towns, try to move away from a person (as told by above) as much as possible. It is told that it should be to a length of a cow’s tail. There is then no need to take a bath.
5.Aapasthambha:-
If the body of a dog touches you , then you have to take a bath along with dress or that part should be shown in the fire before washing . Then if we wash our feet and do Achamana , we become pure. Some other people are of the opinion that if we happen to touch the under belly part of a dog , it is sufficient if we wash that part and do Achamana. If we happen to touch the upper part, it is necessary to take bath immediately.
After seeing the festival of Gods, or after doing a good act or after bidding farewell to relatives and friends, we should not take bath. We should not take bath at the middle of night.
6.Manu:-
During eclipse , Sankramana (Beginning of a month) , marriage , and birth , we can take bath and do charity at night. During other periods we should not bathe at night.
7.Marrechi:-
If we are forced to take bath at night, we can take bath using the water brought during the day time. If we do not have such water we can take bath in the river after lighting a fire in its shore.
8.Mahabharatha:-
During lunar and solar eclipse , it is very special to take bath in the Ganges. We can take bath in other rivers also.
9.Vyasa:-
During the time of eclipse all river waters are equivalent to Ganges water, all Brahmins are equal to God and all charities are equal to charity of land.
10.Vasishta:-
The benefit of giving in charity crores of cows can be got by taking bath in the Ganges during the eclipse.
If we take bath in the Ganges during lunar and solar eclipse, we get the benefit of taking bath in all holy rivers of the world. It implies , that there is no need to take bath in other holy rivers , after such a bath.
11.Saathaathapa:-
During the time of eclipse, it is essential to take bath, do charity and Sradha towards worship of manes . The people who do this get immense blessings. When solar eclipse comes on a Sunday and Lunar eclipse comes on a Monday it is called Choodamani eclipse.
We can take bath and do all the above during the eclipse , even if we are in the untouchable period.
(rules for cleaning of teeth)
1,Athri:-
Daily the mouth becomes old. So one becomes defiled. So we should clean our mouth using one of the sticks prescribed. Then only the teeth and mouth become clean.
2.Bharadwaj:-
We have to first wash our hand, legs and face and then to Achamana and clean the teeth facing east in a sitting position.
Whichever stick we use to clean our teeth it should be purified by recitation of the following Mantra:-
“Rishi Prajapathi , Anushtup Chanda and Brahaspathi devatha
Aayurbala yaso varcha praja pasu vasuni cha,
Brahma pragnam cha medhaam cha thwannoi dehi vanaspathe.”
Please give me long life, fame , children cattle ,
Make me realize Brahmam, give me wisdom, ,
You who have been grown in the forest.
3.Haaritha:-
Sticks from all trees with thorn are suitable for cleaning the teeth. They give us punya. All sticks from trees having milk would give us fame, The stick should be as thick as the tip of our little finger and should not be dry.
Sticks of Khadhira, Khadambha, Kharanja, Kharaja Thrasini, Venu , Pruthwi , Jamboo, Nimba , Apamarga , (In Tamil Karungali, Kadambai, Pingu, Charadai , Kla, Moongil(Bamboo) , Ven, Mandarai , Naval , Vembu (neem) , Nayuruvi , Bilwam, Yerukku ,Athi), are suitable for cleaning the teeth. Sticks of Peepal tree , purasu and Simshubha are not suitable .Some saints feel that sticks of bilwa should not be used.
4.Yama:-
During Chathurdasi, Ashtami , Amavasya (new moon) ,Pournami(full moon) , Sankramana (month beginning) we should not use meat , should not make love nor clean teeth( The commentator says , meat eating is the Dharma of Kshatriyas)
To clean teeth on Sradha (devotion day of manes) and during days of Starving , cleaning teeth is a sinful act. If it is done by mistake then water over which Gayatri is chanted 100 times should be sipped.
We can clean the teeth using grass and leaves on all days except Amavasya (new moon) and Ekadasi . It can be done using the leaves of Jambu , Plakshas, Ichi and Mango. Among them Mango is very good. A widow, a virgin and a Brahmachari should not clean their teeth.
You can clean the teeth using tooth powders using any finger except the second finger
VII Snana Vidhi
(Principles of Bathing)
1.Vyasa:-
As soon as you get up in the morning , it is absolutely necessary to take bath in great rivers after cleaning the body and cleaning the teeth.
2.Sathyavratha:-
By taking bath man attains strength , beauty , fame, Dharma , wisdom , pleasure , courage and great health.
3.Aathri:-
One should not eat anything without taking bath, without chanting stotras , without oblations in the fire and without giving charity. If some thing is taken without these then the food is equivalent to stool , spoiled blood, worm and poison.
All the rituals told in Vedas are to be done after taking bath. The man who has not taken bath is not suitable to meditation and fire oblations.
The householder and Vana prastha should take bath both in the morning and noon. The Sanyasis should take bath thrice, in the morning, in the noon and at dusk. The Brahmachari need to take only the morning bath.
All sections need to take bath only once , if they are sick or when there is scarcity of water. If one is healthy and if plenty of water is available , one should take bath. Bath is ordained for Brahmins and non Brahmins.
4.Sounaka:-
The Brahmin should stand in the middle of water and without any thoughts in the mind , think of only Lord Vishnu , do Achamana and take bath by thrice going below the water. While under water he should chant the Aghamarshana Suktha.
5.Daksha:-
During bath and other acts , one should meditate on Lord Narayana, By this he gets rid of attachments and reaches Brahma Loka. He will not be born again in this world.
The bathing act has five parts viz. Sankalpa (telling of intention), Chanting of Varuna Suktha, sprinkling water on self with chanting, Telling of Agamarshana Suktha and giving oblations to Devas.
While taking bath in the pond or while washing the feet of a Brahmin or while chanting Gayathri or while giving water offerings one should do it facing the Sun.
When one is taking bath in the river, he should bath against the tide do marjana and chant Agamarshana, In other places it should be done facing the sun. At night he can take bath facing east or north. In ponds belonging to the Gods, you should take bath opposite them.
One should tie his hair, do Achamana, wash the shore with water , keep durba there, wear pavithram, with folded hands recite Varuna Suktham and worship the Goddess of water and then take bath .Then he should clean his body including arm pits and again take bath , do Achamana twice , sprinkle water using the chant “aapohishta..” , chant Agamarshana Suktha , take bath , do two Achamanas and offer oblations to Gods. This can be learned from scholarly elders.
A man who is sick can take bath in hot water.
6.Skanda:-
The period of 96 minutes before sun rise is called Arunodhaya period. Taking bath at that time is supposed to be great. That is we have to take bath around 4.30 AM.
There are three types of bathing. They are Nithya Snana (daily bath), Naimithika Snana (causal bath) and Kamya Snana (desirable bath). During all types of bath Tharpanam (oblations to satisfy Devas, Rishis and manes) should be performed. Bathing after cropping the hair or after shaving is called Naimithika Snana. Any bathing after we become defiled is Naimithika Snana. On such occasions two times bathing is prescribed. During the first time, no Tharpana needs to be done. After drying oneself we have to take bath again, Then Tharpana should be done.
7.Vishnu:-
The Tharpana after the bath should be performed with wet cloths , standing in the water, where we have taken bath.
8.Bharadwaja:-
We have to do Tharpana to Gods in the same water. The water has to be lifted to the height of the horns of a cow. Tharpana (that which satisfies) should be done to Gods, manes and Rishis in that order. If the order is changed the water is equivalent to blood and will invite the wrath of Devas.
For devas the Tharpana should be done facing the north with sacred thread in the Upaveethi (left shoulder to right hip) position. In case of Rishis it should be done facing north wearing the sacred thread like a garland(niveethi) and for manes (pithrus) it should be done with sacred thread worn in the Pracheena veethi (From right shoulder to left hip) facing the south. We should stand in the middle of water and take water with both hands while doing Tharpana.
After doing Tharpana for devas and Rishis , we should do Tharpana for the God called Yashma in the banks of the river(pond). We have to say, “due to my washing my body with water, I have made the water dirty and so I am giving oblations to Yashma so that the sin committed is pardoned.”
A Brahmin after the bath , should wear the sacred thread in the Prachina veethi position and stand in the shore till all the water in his body dries away so that all animals are satisfied.
If water falls from hair towards our back , it is equivalent to toddy and if it falls in the front, it is equal to water of Ganges. So we have to bend towards the front while drying our hair.
The uthareeya (upper cloth should be folded twice (four fold) and water allowed to fall through its tips. We should never make it three fold.. We should not remove the water from the upper cloth in the middle of the water. When we remove the water from cloths, we have to wear the sacred thread in the niveethi(garland) position.
After removing the water from upper cloth , in the four fold state, we should put the sacred thread in proper position (upaveethi) and carry the upper cloth by our left wrist and do two Achamanas.
After taking bath we have to do Tharpanam to devas, sages and manes , do Achamana and dry our body and head by the two cloths that we wear. We should not remove water from the hair by shaking it.
VIII. Snana Bedha:-
(different types of bath)
1.Sankha:-
There are two types of bathing called as Gowna and Mukhya
2.Daksha:-
The nines types of bathing viz Agneya, Varuna , Brahma, Vaavya, Divya, Manasa , Parthiva , Kapila and Saraswatha are mentioned in the Sasthras.
3.Bharadwaja:-
After washing our hands and legs , sitting facing the east and after doing Achamana , the Basma Snana (Ash bath) should be started.
Using the white from the fire sacrifices and after chanting eesana manthra , the ash should be sprinkled on our heads.
Ash should be sprinkled after chanting Thath Purusha manthra on the face, Agora manthra on the chest, Vamadeva manthra on the private parts, sathyajotha manthra on the legs and Pranava ((Om) on all parts of the body. This is called Agneya snana (bath by fire) , If we get ash from fire sacrifice it is much more divine but it can be performed using any ash.
The bath by reciting Jala Deva Daga manthra in the middle of water and dipping in the water and later doing Tharpana to devas, Rishis and manes is called Varuna snanam (( bath by water)
4.Kathyayana:-
Sprinkling water on the tips of our breast after chanting the Aapohishta manthra and using Deva theertha (water from tips of fingers) is called Brahma snanam. This is called Mathra snanam.
5.Brahaspathi:-
The falling of the dust raised by the hooves of cows during dusk is called Vayavya snamam (bath by wind)
Bath which occurs as per the advice of great people is called Saraswatha snanam.
Bathing in the rainwater in the Northern solstice of Sun (utharyana) when there is rain as well as sun light is called Divya Snana.
Meditating on Lord Vishnu with four arms as carrying conch , wheel and mace is called Manasa snanam (mental bath)
Taking clean earth , chanting mantras and taking bath is called Parthiva snanam.
IX. Snanrhani Jalani:-
(waters suitable for bathing)
1.Manu:-
Ponds and lakes are those water deposits made by man. Devakhata are natural collection of water. Those water deposits worshipped by sages is called Saras. Katham is a stream. Bigger streams which flow for a distance of more than 800 bows are called River. Bigger streams with lesser lengths is called Arivi.
2.Markandeya:-
You can take bath in the water of well or pond constructed by our ancestors, kings. Great sages, and Devas. It is better to take bath by dipping in water than taking from well and taking bath. Better than that is the water of the mountain spring. Better than that is the water from Saras(water worshipped by sages) and better than that is water of rivers. Even better than that is the sacred water worshipped by elders. Better than everything is the water of Ganges.
3.Yoga Yagnavalkya:-
You should not take bath in the pond constructed by others. If you happen to do it, take out seven clods of mud from the pond and put it on its shore. If it is some body else’s well, remove three pots of water and throw it away before taking bath. It is proper to take bath in wells and ponds which are public and have been constructed as charity. If you happen to take bath in wells constructed by atheists and debased people, we should perform Prajapathya Kruchram(?).
If there is a river you should not take bath in well or a pond, When there is a lake you should not take bath in a pond.
X.Samudhra Snanam
(Sea bathing)
We should always worship the Banyan tree and the sea, You can take bath in the sea during Parva (Festivals/Full moon day) periods. On Saturdays we can touch the Banyan tree,. During other times both should not be touched.
1.Bharadwaja:-
During the Krishna Paksha ( waning moon) Tuesdays which come along with Chathurdasi , we can take bath in the sea. During the parva (full moon) with Chathurdasi , you can take bath in the non Chathurdasi period. Similarly during the Pucha Amavasya (new moon) , we can take bath only when there is Amavasya. The husband of a pregnant woman should not take bath in the sea.
In Rama Sethu (Bridge constructed by Rama) you can take bath in the sea daily. The rule that you have to take bath only in Parva is applicable only to other places.
2.Vyasa:-
When you are taking bath we have to think of Kuru Kshethra, Gaya, Ganga , Prabhasa and Naimisaranya. It is not proper for intelligent people to think of some other river when they are taking bath in a river. But Ganges is an exception.
Water is always pure, Mixing it with fire is very special. So it is always good to take bath in hot water. But this is normally done by only by a sick person. When you are not ill, it is better to take bath in cold water. Taking bath in cold water mixed with hot water is considered specially good.
XI Naimithika Snanam:_
(Bath for a reason)
1.Vishnu:-
After doing Sankalpa, take bath in the river and then chant one of Aagamarshana , Dadvishannor Paramapadha, Gaythri and Yunchademana, while still dipping in the water and then do Pithru Tharpana (worship of manes)
2.Manu:-
Those who touch a woman in periods , one who has given birth to a baby, sinner, corpse and the man who has touched a corpse , should take bath immediately with the dress one is wearing.
3.Parasara:-
If one sees a bad dream or if he vomits , if he gets a shave or if one makes love or if the smoke of a dead body falls on one’s body , then he has to take bath immediately.
4.Samvatha:-
But in times of sorrow or pain , or in narrow streets , or in streets with large number of up and downs , in shopping streets and in towns, try to move away from a person (as told by above) as much as possible. It is told that it should be to a length of a cow’s tail. There is then no need to take a bath.
5.Aapasthambha:-
If the body of a dog touches you , then you have to take a bath along with dress or that part should be shown in the fire before washing . Then if we wash our feet and do Achamana , we become pure. Some other people are of the opinion that if we happen to touch the under belly part of a dog , it is sufficient if we wash that part and do Achamana. If we happen to touch the upper part, it is necessary to take bath immediately.
After seeing the festival of Gods, or after doing a good act or after bidding farewell to relatives and friends, we should not take bath. We should not take bath at the middle of night.
6.Manu:-
During eclipse , Sankramana (Beginning of a month) , marriage , and birth , we can take bath and do charity at night. During other periods we should not bathe at night.
7.Marrechi:-
If we are forced to take bath at night, we can take bath using the water brought during the day time. If we do not have such water we can take bath in the river after lighting a fire in its shore.
8.Mahabharatha:-
During lunar and solar eclipse , it is very special to take bath in the Ganges. We can take bath in other rivers also.
9.Vyasa:-
During the time of eclipse all river waters are equivalent to Ganges water, all Brahmins are equal to God and all charities are equal to charity of land.
10.Vasishta:-
The benefit of giving in charity crores of cows can be got by taking bath in the Ganges during the eclipse.
If we take bath in the Ganges during lunar and solar eclipse, we get the benefit of taking bath in all holy rivers of the world. It implies , that there is no need to take bath in other holy rivers , after such a bath.
11.Saathaathapa:-
During the time of eclipse, it is essential to take bath, do charity and Sradha towards worship of manes . The people who do this get immense blessings. When solar eclipse comes on a Sunday and Lunar eclipse comes on a Monday it is called Choodamani eclipse.
We can take bath and do all the above during the eclipse , even if we are in the untouchable period.