More on bath

Courtesy:Sri.KV.Anantanarayanan

More thoughts on bath

स्नानं तु द्विविधम् प्रोक्तम् गौणमुख्य प्रभेदतः

तयोस्तु वारुणं मुख्यं तत्पुनः षड्विधं भवेत्

नित्यं नैमित्तिकं काम्यम् क्रियाङ्गं मलकर्षणं

क्रियास्नानं तथा षष्ठं षोढा स्नानं प्रकीर्तितं

मन्त्रपूतैर्ज्जलैः स्नानं प्राहु स्नान फलप्रदं

न वृथावारिमघ्नानां यादसामिव तत्समं

snaanaM tu dvividham proktam gauNamukhya prabhedataH

tayostu vaaruNaM mukhyaM tatpunaH SaDvidhaM bhavet

nityaM naimittikaM kaamyam kriyaa~NgaM malakarSaNaM

kriyaasnaanaM tathaa SaSThaM SoDhaa snaanaM prakiirtitaM

mantrapuutairjjalaiH snaanaM praahu snaana phalapradaM

na vR^ithaavaarimagnaanaaM yaadasaamiva tatsamaM

Bath is of two categories.

They are Gaunam and Mukhyam (also called Vaarunam). The Vaaruna snaanam is of six categories.

Daily bath, bath occurring on account of some good or bad happenings, pollution etc., bath taken in waters with a view tow fulfill some desire, bath taken as a part of some rituals (eg. Mangala snanam after Saptaham, bath during upakarmam etc.,), bath to remove dirt and bath to regain purity after some Kriyaas.  The bath should be taken only in waters that are purified with manthraas. Mere floating on water will give the effect as if one is just a fish or some other marine creatures .

The Gouna snaanaas are also of six types.

Paarthivam, Aagneyam, Vaayavyam, Divyam, Maanthram and Maanasam.

If one covers his body with mud with the manthras in Taittariya aranyakam, "Mruttike hana me paapam" and removes the mud, it is the parthiva snaanam. 

Smearing the body with agnihotra ashes chanting the manthra " IsanaH sarvavidyaanaam, iswaraH sarva bhootanam brahmaadipatir brahmanaadipathir brahma sivo me astu sadaasivom.." is called aagneya snaanam.

If one smears the dust coming from the hooves of a cow with chanting the Go Savitri mantram, it is called vaayavya snaanam.

Divya snaanam is the one where, during Uttaraayanam, a person stands in open sunlight facing the raising Sun when there is also small rain with sunlight.

Manthra snanam is where one sprinkles water on the various parts of his body with manthraas "Aapohista mayo bhuvaH" etc .

When one contemplates on the form of Narayana wielding shanka, chakra and gadha and residing in the nucleus of solar disc and invokes the pranic powers from mooladhara to aajna chakra, with the vision that the Ganga is flowing from the golden thumb of the Lord and entering us through the brahmarandhram it is maanasa snaanam

Various types of gouna snanams may be useful when one is in a conditiion where he is not able to find pure water, or is prevented from taking water bath for some reasons.