Bath

Courtesy: Sri.KV.Anantanarayanan

 

उदयात् प्राक् चतस्रस्तु नाडिका अरुणोदयः

तत्रस्नानं प्रशस्तम् स्यात् स हि पुण्यतमः स्मृतःI

udayaat praak chatasrastu naaDikaa aruNodayaH

tatrasnaanaM prashastam syaat sa hi puNyatamaH smR^itaH

The period within four naazhika (96 minutes) before the sunrise is the period of Arunodaya.  The most appropriate time for bath  is  time of raise of Aruna.  This time  is praised by sastraas as endowing the performers with great vitue

आपो नारा इति प्रोक्ताः ता यदस्यायनं पुनः

तस्मान्नारायणं देवं स्नानकाले स्मरेत् बुधः॥

वायुभूतास्तु गच्छन्ति तृषार्त्तास्सलिलार्त्थिनः

निराशा ते निवर्त्तन्ते वस्त्रनिष्पीडने कृते॥

शिरो वारि शरीराम्बु वस्त्रतोयं यथा क्रमात्

पिबन्ति देवा मुनयो पितरो ब्राह्मणस्य तु॥

सुर बिन्दुसमं चाम्भः शिखायाः पृष्ठपातितं

तदेव पुरतोवर्त्ति गङ्गा बिन्दुसमं भवेत्॥

aapo naraa iti proktaaH taa yadasyaayanaM punaH

tasmaannaaraayaNaM devaM snaanakaale smaret budhaH..

vaayubhuutaastu gachchhanti tR^iSaarttaassalilaartthinaH

niraashaa te nivarttante vastraniSpiiDane kR^ite..

shiro vaari shariiraambu vastratoyaM yathaa kramaat

pibanti devaa munayo pitaro braahmaNasya tu ..

sura bindusamam chaambhaH shikhaayaaH pR^iSThapaatitaM

tadeva puratovartti ga~Ngaa bindusamaM bhavet..

Waters are also known by the name Naaraas… and the Lord of Lords Mahavishnu assumed the name of Narayana because he is sleeping over his aadisesha bed floating in the waters.  Therefore the benevolent  God Narayana should be remembered with reverence by the wise people while they are engaged in bath.

When a Brahmin set out  towards a source of water for bath, the gods and pithrus who are thirsty also follow him in the air.  If the Brahmin just dries up his body with a cloth without offering the waters to the pithrus and devas, they turn away from him in disappointment. (It has to be remembered that one should not take bath without at least minimum clothes, and one should not enter a source of water with naked body and he should not urinate in water during bath) .  The water from the head of the Brahmin is partaken by the devaas, the water flowing from the body of the brahmin is drunk by the devas and the departed elders (pitrus)  quench their thirst from the waters flowing from the clothes of the Brahmin. ( Remember in  pitrukaaryaas, we offer vaasodakam – offer water from cloth to them)