The twilight zone of the earth which is continuously shifting,
is continuously receiving the green-rays emitted from the polar region of the sun.(1)
This ray-corridor is briefly cut during solar eclipse.
In everyday life, no disturbance happens to this flow of rays
and sandhya vandhana and agnihotra are done at the point of twilight.
But there is another ritual apart from these.
It is the vandhana done at mid-day (madhyaaniham).
In the mid-day, twilight conditions do not occur.
But scriptures ordain man to do sandhyavandhana at that time too.
The reason for this understood from the mantra
containing the core prayer of the mid-day supplication.
While the morning sandhya mantra asks for relief from sins
and evening mantra prays for destruction of demons
(the germs that multiply fast at evening twilight),
the mid-day mantra prays for a full life -time of 100 years.
‘PashyathE sharadha: shatam.. jeevEma sharadha: shatam’
is the prayer at mid-day.
It means‘May I see the sun for a 100 years
and may I live for a 100 years’.
But this prayer for full life term is not done at the twilight.
That means the person doing it everyday at twilight,
will anyway be blessed with a 100 years.
The sun that ‘sees’ him at twilight purifies his internal system
so that his internal defense against diseases grow stronger
(as in the way Ayur veda treats any ailment).
Such a person is blessed to live a 100 years without any ailment.
Since the Sun ‘takes care’ to do it, by his sandhya rays,
the need is not there to pray for a 100 years is what is deduced here.
Whereas such rays to bestow 100 years are not present at mid-day!
Therefore the need to pray for 100 years at mid-day vandhana.
This is one way of interpretation.
Such purifying rays do not reach the doer at mid-day,
but his entire surroundings will be ringed by such rays,
with him at the center at mid-day.
This can be visualized in this way.
The solar disc above us emitting rays from its poles,
forms a wall on the entire rim of the hemispherical region, in the region of twilight.
When we cross this region (twice daily) sandhya vandhana is done
and agnihotra is done.
These two have been referred to as nithya karma,
obligatory in nature.(2)
They do not produce any karma phalam,
but still they must be done for loka-kshemam ( benefit of the world).
In sandhyavandanam, the purification happening at all levels, physical, vital and mental
ultimately make the doer a person of ‘knowledge’ –
this again can be cross-checked with Brahma sutras,
which say, that the one who does nithya karma without fail
and with awareness will grow in ‘knowledge’ – which is about Brahman.
Another interesting aspect that can be noticed in these sandhya kaala karmas,
is the absence of darbhai!
After having come to know of the greatness of darbhai,
it is now understood why darbhai is not needed in the sandhya kaala karmas.
The Sun Itself undertakes the protection
and the karmas done are not wasted even negligibly is what is understood here.
The full phalam (benefit) is accrued.
But in grahana kaalam (during eclipse)
it is advised that we place darbha grass on food items.
This shows that at prolonged exposure to such rays (emanating from sun's polar region)
results in a situation that needs protection.
Protection from such radiation or rays in ensured by darbhai.
But in a short-time duration of exposure, say, at sandhya kaalam,
darbhai is not needed.
Again the placing of darbhai on food stuffs
and the starvation (recommended) much before grahaNam begins,
show that due to prolonged exposure to the polar rays of the sun,
some inconvenience is experienced.
Here again the Sun God is kind enough to give us the Best of Ailments!!
Of the different Bests mentioned in Vamana purana,
the best among ailments is indigestion or ajheerNAm. (“VyaadhIshu ajheerNa:”)
By this it is implied that of the different ailments,
indigestion is best, in that it can be easily avoided or cured.
Once occurred, Bhavana jeeraka rasayana,
an Ayur vedic preparation
(for the sake of information for those in need, this is being mentioned here)
relieves the ailment within an hour.
When it is expected to occur as during an eclipse,
it can be avoided by abstinence and by protecting the food stuff by darbhai.
It is really the Greatness of Sun God
that even in adversity, He gives us the easily manageable problem
and also the ways to avoid it.
Thinking about this ring around the earth at twilight zone, from the Sun’s poles,
it appears that the earth is at the constant grip of the sun’s polar arms.
It is as though the Sun god is holding the earth always by his hands extending from his poles.
The similar grip is happening to the moon.
If this is what is actually happening with all the other celestial bodies
(which seems logically possible),
then it gives a terrific picture that can be extended up to
Hiranyagarbha and Para Brahma Himself.
Scene –1:-
All the planets / matter in its system held in grip by the polar arms of the Sun.
Scene-2:-
All the stars of the galaxy being held by that central force residing at the galactic center
(Sagittarius in milky way) by its polar arms or something similar to it.
Scene-3:-
All the galaxies that include milky way galaxy which have been termed as Local group galaxies
that revolve around 'their' center which is holding them all with its polar (or some) arms.
(I strongly contend that polar arms are there for all bodies,
which will be taken up in detail in another post dealing with earth’s polar arm)
Scene-4:-
These Local group galaxies are believed to be revolving around
(as per our present level of knowledge of cosmos)
none other than a Super cluster having the constellation Virgo.
This cluster is known as Virgo Super cluster.
By extending the logic of the central one holding the others going around it,
this Virgo cluster is the one holding us all.
In other words, with successive layers of rotation starting from the Sn,
the earth along with the Sun is rotating around the Virgo constellation.
(Beyond this, science has not yet speculated any other rotation.
As per present knowledge, this Virgo cluster,
along with all of us is rotating around the center of our Universe.)
But what strikes me here is that –
this Virgo is the month of Purattaasi, kanni maasam, Bhathrapada, etc.,
when pithrus visit us during Mahalaya paksham starting from Full moon to New moon!!
Isn’t that surprising that our solar system is moving around a system,
which signifies a place for pithrus
and the time of the year
when they travel to earth through the golden rays of Sun
to be with their off-springs,
to receive the obeisance offered to them and bless them in return?
Also thinking about how the Universe–center is holding all those clusters
moving around it with its arms, it is just amazing.
Like this, numerous universes are there, as per scriptures
and also accepted by today’s cosmologists.
All these are once again in the grip of a further center.
This goes on endlessly – with The Supreme Centre holding everything in its arms,
enveloping everything by its rays..
as though hugging all Its Creation and protecting them all
with its Energy pervading in all directions…
This is That Purushottaman – ( 3 )
That Brahman –
A terrific and terrifying picture of thousand crores of arms of Him (Purusha)
stretching towards thousands of crores of Suns in all directions,
spreading on all directions, pervading all directions
and all things and non-things in its garbham (womb)
It is just mind-boggling to think of this ‘sweep’ –
a minuscule of which is felt at sandhya kaalam!
It seems not right to even ask for His (god's) grace.
He is already holding everything of this creation
by his sahasra koti (thousand crore) arms (of rays).
In this scenario, to ask Him to give His Grace to us
is like a son asking for a promissory note from his father to transfer all his wealth to him !!
All of us –(by this sweep) are under His grip.
Has the Sun left its grip?
No.
Did the Sun ask us before, about holding us?
No.
It is their duty- the duty of all celestial beings to go on with their work..
They are there doing their jobs out of fear of Him. ( 4)
For fear of Him they would not dare to do anything other than holding us.
It seems the sun is there
as also all those Universes
only to help us – by His order.
His order to us, the human beings
is foster the devas, so that they in turn can foster us.
That is how His Creation must be sustained
and equilibrium attained in Nature.
Fostering of the Surya deva is done at sandhya kaalam.
Fostering of the pithrus is done
with the help of the surya deva by way of tarpaNam.
Thus it goes...
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(1) Previous post "The role of sun and water in TarpaNam."
(2) ‘niyatham kuru karma’ -BG -3-8
(3) Purusha sookhtham
(4)Taiitriya Upanishad (2-8)
