https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=AchamanaAchamana - Revision history2026-07-31T01:15:04ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Achamana&diff=179763&oldid=prev>Citation bot at 23:02, 10 September 20212021-09-10T23:02:44Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>'''Āchamanam''' ([[Sanskrit]]: '''{{lang|sa|आचमनम्}}''', ''{{IAST|ācamanam}}'') is part of any [[ritual]] in the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] tradition and is done in the starting. It is a purification ritual that is believed to cure all physical and mental impurities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/sandhya/yv/achamanam-n.html|title=SriPedia Sandhyavandanam}}</ref> <br />
==Types of Āchamanam==<br />
{{see also|Sandhyavandanam}}<br />
There are three types of Āchamanam,<ref name="EH_Vol1">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.47892|title=Esoteric Hinduism|volume=1|author=K. Krishnaswami Aiyar|page=90|publisher=Central Book Depot, Madras|year=1901}}</ref> namely, '''Śrautācamanam''' ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|श्रौताचमनम्}}), '''Smṛtyācamanam''' ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|स्मृत्याचमनम्}}){{refn|group=note|Also known as Smārtācamanam ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|स्मार्ताचमनम्}})}} and '''Purāṇācamanam''' ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|पुराणाचमनम्}}){{refn|group=note|Also known as Paurāṇācamanam ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|पौराणाचमनम्}})}}.<br />
<br />
{{quote|''{{IAST|ācamanam trividham - śrautaṃ smārtaṃ paurāṇaṃ ceti<br/>tatra pratyakṣaśruticoditaṃ śrautam, sūtroktaṃ smārtam<br/>keśavādyaistribhiḥ pītveti vacanoktaṃ paurāṇam''<ref>Taittirīya Sandhyā Bhāṣyam p.29, Sri Krishna Pandita, Vavilla Press (Chennai), 1916.</ref><br/><br/>}}<br />
Achamana is of three types - ''Śrautā'', ''Smārta'' (as directed by Smritis) and ''Paurāṇā'' (as per puranas).<br/>There Śrautācamanam is directly instructed by Śruti (i.e. Vedas), Smārtācamanam is formulated by dharmasūtras (i.e. Smṛti).<br/>Sippping (of water) thrice with the (24) names (of Vishnu) starting with keśava is called Paurāṇācamanam}}<br />
<br />
However, in [[Sandhyavandana]], there exists fourth version of achamana, known as '''[[Sandhyavandanam#Mantrācamana|mantrācamana]]'''.<br />
==Śrautācamanam==<br />
In śrautācamanam, water is sipped thrice accompanied by the recitation of the three padas of Gayatri in succession. Then, 21 parts of the body are touched while the 21 mantras are recited the nine Abliṅgas {{refn|group=note|Abliṅga (अब्लिङ्ग).— apāṃ liṅgaṃ jñāpanasāmarthyaṃ yatra, A hymn or verse [Rv.1.9.1-3] addressed to the waters;] अब्लिङ्गानि जपेच्चैव गायत्रीं मनसा सकृत् (abliṅgāni japeccaiva gāyatrīṃ manasā sakṛt) Y.3.3.<ref>The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary (4th edition), p. 113, V. S. Apte, Motilal Banarsidas, 1965.</ref>}} and the seven Vyahritis{{refn|group=note|Vyāhṛtī (व्याहृती) are the mystical utterances, seven in number, viz. “bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ, mahaḥ, janaḥ, tapaḥ, satyam”. Each of the vyāhṛtis are preceded by the [Praṇava] Om.}} i.e. names of the seven worlds preceded by [[pranava]], the sacred syllable OM and the 3 padas of Gayatri siras. It is defined in ''ṣatkarma candrikā'' as<ref>Kanva Sandhya Vyakshya, p. 15, Bhagavatula Lakshmipathi Sastri, Manjuvani Press, Ellore, 1914.</ref><br />
<br />
{{quote|''{{IAST|devyāḥ pādaistribhiḥ pītvā abliṅgairnvabhiḥ spṛśet<br/>saptavyāhṛtisaṃyuktā gāyatrī tripadā śiraḥ{{refn|group=note|{{lang|sa|देव्याः पादैस्त्रिभिः पीत्वा अब्लिङगैर्न्वभिः स्पृशेत्<br>सप्तव्याहृतिसंयुक्ता गायत्री त्रिपदा शिरः}}}}<br>-ṣatkarma candrikā''}}}}<br />
==Smṛtyācamanam==<br />
Smṛtyācamanam can be viewed as an abridged version of śrautācamanam. Water is sipped thrice accompanied by uttering '''svāhā'''. Then, 9 parts of the body are touched by recitation of the sutras that instruct this achamana.<br />
<br />
==Purāṇācamanam==<br />
Purāṇācamanam is done with the [[Keshava Namas|24 names of Vishnu]] starting with keśava, etc.{{refn|group=note|चतुर्विंशतिनामानि तत्तत् स्थानेषु विन्यसेत्।<br><br />
केशवादीनि विन्यस्य पौरानाचमनं चरेत्॥ (विश्वामित्र कल्पः (1.1)<br>caturviṃśatināmāni tattat sthāneṣu vinyaset<br>keśavādīni vinyasya paurānācamanaṃ caret (viśvāmitra kalpaḥ (1.1)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.transliteral.org/pages/z161214004903/view|title = अथ विश्वामित्रकृत श्रीगायत्रीकल्पः}}</ref>}} The water is poured on the right hand palm, which made as gokurna sipped thrice with the first three names and both hands are washed with the next two names.{{refn|group=note|केशवादि त्रिभिर्मन्त्रैः अपःपीत्वा यथाविधि।<br><br />
हस्तप्रक्षालनम् कार्यम् गोविन्दे नापि विष्णुना॥ (विश्वामित्र कल्पः (1.9)<br><br />
hastaprakṣālanam kāryam govinde nāpi viṣṇunā (viśvāmitra kalpaḥ (1.9)}} For the remaining 19 names different parts of body are ritually cleansed.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
==Notes==<br />
{{reflist|group=note}}<br />
<br />
{{Worship in Hinduism}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Rituals in Hindu worship]]<br />
[[Category:Water and Hinduism]]<br />
<br />
{{Hinduism-stub}}</div>>Citation bot