types of bathing

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

I was going though the 'sandhyaa vandhana bhaashyam' printed in 1901 and downloaded from internet. In that book the 7 type of 'snaanams – bathing' are specified. That attracted my attention and I wish to share those details with you all.

 

The type of 7 snaanams are

 

 

vaaruNa snaanam – bathing in a tank, lake or river, ocean, wherein you get 'bodily immersed fully' in water – adhaavadhu thalai, udal muzhuvadhum nanRaaga amizhndhu alladhu muzhugi snaanam seidhal - the best type.

 

 

 

paarththiva snaanam – pruthvee is earth – paarthiva is with earth - covering the whole body with clean earth and then clearing the earth from body with water.

 

 

Here a manthram starting as "mruththikE hana mE paapam" is to be recited before applying the earth on body. This manthram I got from Sri Mani varadarajan's mail and our sri Sadagopan swamy has given the meanings – as early as 1999- from bhakti list archives.

QuoteMani Varadarajan <mani@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Hello Srikanth, This is from the mrittika sUkta and are a set of Vedic mantras:

uddhritAsi varAheNa kRshNena SatabAhunA |

bhUmir dhenur dharaNI lokadhAriNI | mRittike hana me pApam yan mayA dushkRtam kRtam |

tvayA hatena pApena jIvAmi SaradaH Satam |

mRttike dehi me pushTim tvayi sarvam pratishTitam |Of course this is recited with the appropriate svara as befits the Vedic language.

with regards – unquote.

On that the meanings given are

– quote -- " sgopan " <sgopan@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote. SrI: Dear Sri Krishana: This is a celebration of BhUvarAha Tathtvam and sacredness of Earth (Thiru MaNN). The short meaning of the Veda Manthram is: Oh Sacred Earth! Varaha Krishna has lifted you up with 100 arms. Thou art the wish yielding KamadhEnu, Holder of Vasus (Iswaryam) and bearer of the world. Oh Sacred Earth! Please destroy paapams done by me thru pursuit of acts prohibited by SaasthrAs. Through your intervention in the destruction of my sins, May I live the Veda prAyam of one hundred years! Oh Sacred Earth! please grant me strength (to perform Vaidhika Karmaas) since every thing is established in You. V.Sadagopan

unquote.

This was in reply to a question from sri srikanth seeking the 'mRittike hana me pApam' manthra while applying the oordhva puNdram – 12 thirumaN in the face and body. On that sri krishNa has asked the meanings and given by our sri sadagopan swamy.

May be this is what our naturopathy doctors do to us after extracting a huge sum as fees for them. also this was popularized by our M.K.Gandhi.

First I wanted to say 'I am not able to get this slokam' and post this write up.

Then with some combinations in google, I could get not only the slokams but their meanings also from our known circle only.

Why I say this is - instead of asking questions and then sometimes getting answers and many times going without answers, if you search in google with different combinations of same words, you, readers will get all the data you want.

Like – mruttika, mruttikaa, miruttika, miruthika, mirutthikaa etc.

 

 

aagnEya snaanam – the 'basmam' or the ashes from the 'agni guNdam' or the 'hOma vEdhika' of the daily 'agni hOthram' – is to be applied all over the body with the eesaana manthram.

 

 

This eesaana manthram reads like "Om eesaanas sarva vidhyaanaam eeswarah sarva bhoothaanaam brahmaadhi pathir braahmanaadhi pathir brahma sivO mE asthu sadhaa sivOm".

 

I cannot vouch whether this manthra is correct. Also to what extent the prapannaaLs and sree vaishNavaas will accept a 'siva manthram' while doing a snaanam - to make one eligible for doing all other anushtaanams.

 

May be in case water is not available or difficult, or like on a travel – this can be resorted to as an exception.

[This manthram also I got on search in google].

[yes. I am able to perceive how difficult it is to get some homam ashes – for who is doing 'agni santhaanam' regularly]

 

 

vaayavya snaanam – the dust from the hoof of a cow is collected and applied all over the body. Since cow is treated as holy, this snaanam.

 

 

 

dhivya snaanam – getting drenched in the rains pouring out during the uththaraayaNa period – in that also, the central period – since uththaraayaNam is for 6 months – the central period – can be April or May – viz. the first rains in the summer – is called dhivya snaanam. Perhaps every one can enjoy this without any categorisation.

 

 

 

manthra snaanam – with the manthram starting "aapO hishtaa"----as in the sandhyaa vandhanam - same manthram with praNavam is to be used for this snaanam.

 

 

Actually this is only 'prOkshanam – sprinkling' of water at specified places of the body like head, chest, feet, accompanied by the manthram.

 

aapOhishTaa mayO bhuvah - in both feet

thaana oorjE dhadhhaathanah – in head - siras

mahE raNaaya chakshasE - in chest

yO vah siva thamO rasah – in head

thasya bhaajaya thEha nah - chest

usatheeriva maatharah - in feet

thasmaa aranga maama vah - in chest

yasya kshayaaya jinvatha – in feet

aapO janayathaa cha nah – in head

 

 

maanasa snaanam – this is nothing but reciting the manthram 'kasthitham puNdareekaaksham – thinking on the supreme lord vishNu' considering that ganges emanating from the lord's thumb in the feet entering thru the central head of ours – named brahma randhram. Since this is already available in one of the ebooks in sadagopan swamy's ebook series, I leave it you to take details from there.

 

 

Apart from this 7 types, few more snaanams specified there are -

 

pancha anga snaanam – not the 'almanac bathing' but washing by sprinkling water in 5 places of the body or washing 5 parts - 2 legs, 2 hands, and face.

Just rubbing the whole body with wet cloth - or to say in modern language - 'sponge bath' is called kaapila snaanam.

wearing the 'oordhva puNdram' - to apply the thirumaN [or naamam in colloquial language] is also considered as a snaanam.

 

 

So those who do not find time to do a good 'water bath' – or snaanam, for want of time, can at least resort to any of the above 11 options and then do their routines.

 

After reading this, I thought how elaborately and easily our 'vEdhic system' has given alternates to each and every aspect of life.

Dhasan

Vasudevan MG