Step 21
Achamana
Act
of purifying
When
should we do achamana?
After
starting any pooja or pataa,sandhyavandhana achamana is must to make ourselves pure.
Whenever
we get unclean (asucchi)
· Early morning
after washing our hands, legs and face we should do achamana. ( Everytime we
should wash our hands, legs and then wash our face. We can’t wash our face
directly).
· After we wake up
from the sleep
· After taking
food
· After drinking
water
· After crying
· After coughing
· After sneezing
· After farting
· After coming
from travel (bus, train, car etc)
· After goig to toilet should do achaman for
four times.
· After getting
anger (as we all know anger is the enemy for everything ad its
milege(asucchi)).
While
doing achamana we should keep our palm in the shape of cow’s ear. Should not
drop too much water from udharane. The water has to be in a quantity in which
the urud dal will immerse, means should have only very little water.
We should do achamana in Brahma theertha part of our
palm. There are five theerthas in our hand. In the tip of our fingers DEVA
theertha is present. the point near thumb is ACHARYA theertha. The point near
our little finger is RISHI theertha. Middle of our palm is AGNI theertha. Edge
of the palm is BRAHMA theertha. Hence we
should pour the water in Agni theertha, and sip the water through Brahma
theertha.
| Brahma Theertha |
Rules
of doing achamana
· We should not
make any sound (nisshabdha) while doing achamana. If we do achamana with sound
its equal to have consumed alcohol.
· Once we take
water for achamana, since it’s only a little water that we are going to use,
the rest of the water will remain in the uddarane (ritual spoon). This rest of
the water should be thrown away in pela (ritual cup) or discard the water away.
We should not use the remaining water.
· Should not do achamana
in one single uddarane water, means few people will take water once and say
Keshava swaha, Narayana swaha, Madhavaya swaha in one single uddarane water, which
won’t give full phala. Because once the water is sipped it becomes salivated,
hence new water should be taken. Achanamana for every single name has to be
separately taking fresh water from pancha patre (ritual cup).
· Should not be
cold water.
· The water should
not contain froth/bubbles.
· The water should
not contain salt, sugar, tamarind etc. the water should be as pure as possible.
· Should sip water
through Brahma theertha.
· Has to be done
in the east (first preference).
· Sit on a wooden plank/pallet
(maradha halage)
What are the outcome / resut of doing achamana??
ü WATER is a
resource used to clean our body.
ü We take bath
everyday to keep ourselves clean outside. Similarly we do achamana meditating
on Bhagavath roopa’s to clean ourselves INSIDE.
ü Once we do
achamana thrice our conscience gets purre (anthakarana shuddhi).
ü
Thrice
achamana is did to pure heart, neck, leg (the respective tatvabhimani devatas
will do the purification). It helps us to lead life with dharma, artha and
kama.
How many times of achamana?
Before starting any aactivity should do achamana
twice.
After going to toilet do achamana thrice.
After eating do achamana four times.
After intercourse with spouse do achamana five
times.
What should I do if there is no water?
In few situations may be we are travelling in bus or
working in office there is no availability of water then what do I do. Simply
touch our right ears is the solutions. If we touch our right ears after
coughing/sneezing its equivalent to doing achamana.
This has been
proved by parasharar, Jagganada dasaru has
told
this in Hari Kathamrutha Sara. There are Devathas in our right ear. There are ashta
dig devatas, Chandra adi devatas, veda abhimani devatas all rivers and
theerthas. Thinking all of them and Shri Hari touching right ear definitely makes
us pure.
Here is a story from Mahabharatha Adi Parva.
There once lived
a king named Pousha raja. Pousha raja’s wife Madayamdi was a great Pathi vrata.
She had a special character, where only people who are pure can see her.
(Similar to devas, devatas who are not visible to people unpure (asucchi)).
There was a guru
named Vaidyacharyaru. A student named Uthanga joined his gurukula. He decided
not to trouble his student too much in
his gurukula. So he decided to teach them veda and loved him a lot. Once
Vaidyacharyaru went for a program outside the village. Then he told Uthanga to
take care of the household. You be in charge of the house and do all the duties
that I should do without fail. Uthanga
agreed his Guru’s order.
Vaidyacharyaru
wife decides to test his sincerity, asked him to have associate with her for a
day. Uthanga disagrees for her condition; he knows associating with teacher
wife (Guru Patni) is a sin. She forces him and says you’re in the position of
my husband so you should do his duty. But he says I can’t do this in you give
me any other work I’m ready to do it.
Vaidyacharya
wife asks him to bring the earring of Poushya raja’s wife. In the function
that’s coming in few weeks I wish to wear that precious earring and serve feast
for the Brahmans. So you go to Poushaya raja’s place. Uthanga agreed and
started his journey. On his way Indra deva came in disguise like a man on a
bull. He then asks Uthanga to eat the dung (droppings) of his bull. He refuses to eat the dung. But Indra deva
says your guru Vaidyacharya has eaten it and why not you. Then due to the respect
he has in his guru, he too accepts to eat it.
He reaches
Poushya raja palace. He introduces himself as Vaidyachar sishya. He requests to
raja that his guru’s wife needs the queens earring and he would return the
earring after the feast served by her. Poushya
raja accepted to it and asked him to go anthapura and ask his wife.
When he came to
anathapura he was not able to see the queen. As told before she was a maha
pativrata and won’t be able to seen by impure people. Uthanga became very angry came to raja and
complained that he was not able to see the queen. Raja told no she is available
in ananthapura, but she can be seen only by people who are pure. Uthanga
reassured that he was a brahmachari and he was very pure. Then Poushya raja
explains Uthanga, there may be chances you didn’t do achamana after eating, or
something would have happened on your way. Just try o remember the incidents
that happened from the start of your journey. Uthanga while recalling came to
know he has eaten bull dung that was given by a stranger, and didn’t do
achamana that may be the reason for the impurity.
So as
raja told he washed his hands, legs and face and did achamana with pure water
thrice. He enters the anthapura, now Mayamdi was visible. He places his
request, the queen gives him the earrings. He takes the earrings to Guru’s
wife.
Hence
this shows the importance of achamana.
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