Eleventh Skandha · Chapter 19
Sourceमध्याह्नसंध्यावर्णनम् श्रीनारायण उवाच अथातः श्रूयतां ब्रह्मन् सन्ध्यां माध्याह्निकीं शुभाम् । यदनुष्ठानतोऽपूर्वं जायतेऽत्युत्तमं फलम् ॥ १ ॥ सावित्रीं युवतीं श्वेतवर्णां चैव त्रिलोचनाम् । वरदां चाक्षमालाढ्यां त्रिशूलाभयहस्तकाम् ॥ २ ॥ वृषारूढां यजुर्वेदसंहितां रुद्रदेवताम् । तमोगुणयुतां चैव भुवर्लोकव्यवस्थिताम् ॥ ३ ॥ आदित्यमार्गसंचारकर्त्रीं मायां नमाम्यहम् । आदिदेवीमथ ध्यात्वाऽऽचमनादि च पूर्ववत् ॥ ४ ॥ अथ चार्घ्यप्रकरणं पुष्पाणि चिनुयात्ततः । तदलाभे बिल्वपत्रं तोयेन मिश्रयेत्ततः ॥ ५ ॥ ऊर्ध्वं च सूर्याभिमुखं क्षिप्त्वार्घ्यं प्रतिपादयेत् । प्रातःसन्ध्यादिवत्सर्वमुपसंहारपूर्वकम् ॥ ६ ॥ मध्याह्ने केचिदिच्छन्ति सावित्रीं तु तदित्यृचम् । असम्प्रदायं तत्कर्म कार्यहानिस्तु जायते ॥ ७ ॥ कारणं सन्ध्ययोश्चात्र मन्देहा नाम राक्षसाः । भक्षितुं सूर्यमिच्छन्ति कारणं श्रुतिचोदितम् ॥ ८ ॥ अतस्तु कारणाद्विप्रः सन्ध्यां कुर्यात्प्रयत्नतः । सन्ध्ययोरुभयोर्नित्यं गायत्र्या प्रणवेन च ॥ ९ ॥ अम्भस्तु प्रक्षिपेत्तेन नान्यथा श्रुतिघातकः । आकृष्णेनेति मन्त्रेण पुष्पैर्वाम्बुविमिश्रितम् ॥ १० ॥ अलाभे बिल्वदूर्वादिपत्रेणोक्तेन पूर्वकम् । अर्ध्यं दद्यात्प्रयत्नेन साङ्गं सन्ध्याफलं लभेत् ॥ ११ ॥ अत्रैव तर्पणं वक्ष्ये शृणु देवर्षिसत्तम । भुवः पुनः पूरुषं तु तर्पयामि नमो नमः ॥ १२ ॥ यजुर्वेदं तर्पयामि मण्डलं तर्पयामि च । हिरण्यगर्भं च तथान्तरात्मानं तथैव च ॥ १३ ॥ सावित्रीं च ततो देवमातरं साङ्कृतिं तथा । सन्ध्यां तथैव युवतीं रुद्राणीं नीमृजां तथा ॥ १४ ॥ सर्वार्थानां सिद्धिकरीं सर्वमन्त्रार्थसिद्धिदाम् । भूर्भुवः स्वः पूरुषं तु इति मध्याह्नतर्पणम् ॥ १५ ॥ उदुत्यमिति सूक्तेन सूर्योपस्थानमेव च । चित्रं देवानामिति च सूर्योपस्थानमाचरेत् ॥ १६ ॥ ततो जपं प्रकुर्वीत मन्त्रसाधनतत्परः । जपस्यापि प्रकारं तु वक्ष्यामि शृणु नारद ॥ १७ ॥ कृत्वोत्तानौ करौ प्रातः सायं चाधः करौ तथा । मध्याह्ने हृदयस्थौ तु कृत्वा जपमुदीरयेत् ॥ १८ ॥ पर्वद्वयमनामिक्याः कनिष्ठादिक्रमेण तु । तर्जनीमूलपर्यन्तं करमाला प्रकीर्तिता ॥ १९ ॥ गोघ्नः पितृघ्नो मातृघ्नो भ्रूणहा गुरुतल्पगः । ब्रह्मस्वक्षेत्रहारी च यश्च विप्रः सुरां पिबेत् ॥ २० ॥ स गायत्र्या सहस्रेण पूतो भवति मानवः । मानसं वाचिकं पापं विषयेन्द्रियसङ्गजम् ॥ २१ ॥ तत्किल्बिषं नाशयति त्रीणि जन्मानि मानवः । गायत्रीं यो न जानाति वृथा तस्य परिश्रमः ॥ २२ ॥ पठेच्च चतुरो वेदान् गायत्रीं चैकतो जपेत् । वेदानां चावृतेस्तद्वद्गायत्रीजप उत्तमः ॥ २३ ॥ इति मध्याह्नसन्ध्यायाः प्रकारः कीर्तितो मया । अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि ब्रह्मयज्ञविधिक्रमम् ॥ २४ ॥
madhyāhnasaṃdhyāvarṇanam śrīnārāyaṇa uvāca athātaḥ śrūyatāṃ brahman sandhyāṃ mādhyāhnikīṃ śubhām | yadanuṣṭhānato'pūrvaṃ jāyate'tyuttamaṃ phalam || 1 || sāvitrīṃ yuvatīṃ śvetavarṇāṃ caiva trilocanām | varadāṃ cākṣamālāḍhyāṃ triśūlābhayahastakām || 2 || vṛṣārūḍhāṃ yajurvedasaṃhitāṃ rudradevatām | tamoguṇayutāṃ caiva bhuvarlokavyavasthitām || 3 || ādityamārgasaṃcārakartrīṃ māyāṃ namāmyaham | ādidevīmatha dhyātvā''camanādi ca pūrvavat || 4 || atha cārghyaprakaraṇaṃ puṣpāṇi cinuyāttataḥ | tadalābhe bilvapatraṃ toyena miśrayettataḥ || 5 || ūrdhvaṃ ca sūryābhimukhaṃ kṣiptvārghyaṃ pratipādayet | prātaḥsandhyādivatsarvamupasaṃhārapūrvakam || 6 || madhyāhne kecidicchanti sāvitrīṃ tu tadityṛcam | asampradāyaṃ tatkarma kāryahānistu jāyate || 7 || kāraṇaṃ sandhyayoścātra mandehā nāma rākṣasāḥ | bhakṣituṃ sūryamicchanti kāraṇaṃ śruticoditam || 8 || atastu kāraṇādvipraḥ sandhyāṃ kuryātprayatnataḥ | sandhyayorubhayornityaṃ gāyatryā praṇavena ca || 9 || ambhastu prakṣipettena nānyathā śrutighātakaḥ | ākṛṣṇeneti mantreṇa puṣpairvāmbuvimiśritam || 10 || alābhe bilvadūrvādipatreṇoktena pūrvakam | ardhyaṃ dadyātprayatnena sāṅgaṃ sandhyāphalaṃ labhet || 11 || atraiva tarpaṇaṃ vakṣye śṛṇu devarṣisattama | bhuvaḥ punaḥ pūruṣaṃ tu tarpayāmi namo namaḥ || 12 || yajurvedaṃ tarpayāmi maṇḍalaṃ tarpayāmi ca | hiraṇyagarbhaṃ ca tathāntarātmānaṃ tathaiva ca || 13 || sāvitrīṃ ca tato devamātaraṃ sāṅkṛtiṃ tathā | sandhyāṃ tathaiva yuvatīṃ rudrāṇīṃ nīmṛjāṃ tathā || 14 || sarvārthānāṃ siddhikarīṃ sarvamantrārthasiddhidām | bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ pūruṣaṃ tu iti madhyāhnatarpaṇam || 15 || udutyamiti sūktena sūryopasthānameva ca | citraṃ devānāmiti ca sūryopasthānamācaret || 16 || tato japaṃ prakurvīta mantrasādhanatatparaḥ | japasyāpi prakāraṃ tu vakṣyāmi śṛṇu nārada || 17 || kṛtvottānau karau prātaḥ sāyaṃ cādhaḥ karau tathā | madhyāhne hṛdayasthau tu kṛtvā japamudīrayet || 18 || parvadvayamanāmikyāḥ kaniṣṭhādikrameṇa tu | tarjanīmūlaparyantaṃ karamālā prakīrtitā || 19 || goghnaḥ pitṛghno mātṛghno bhrūṇahā gurutalpagaḥ | brahmasvakṣetrahārī ca yaśca vipraḥ surāṃ pibet || 20 || sa gāyatryā sahasreṇa pūto bhavati mānavaḥ | mānasaṃ vācikaṃ pāpaṃ viṣayendriyasaṅgajam || 21 || tatkilbiṣaṃ nāśayati trīṇi janmāni mānavaḥ | gāyatrīṃ yo na jānāti vṛthā tasya pariśramaḥ || 22 || paṭhecca caturo vedān gāyatrīṃ caikato japet | vedānāṃ cāvṛtestadvadgāyatrījapa uttamaḥ || 23 || iti madhyāhnasandhyāyāḥ prakāraḥ kīrtito mayā | ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi brahmayajñavidhikramam || 24 ||
English translation
1-24. Narayana said O Narada! Now I am speaking of the auspicious midday Sandhya, the practice of which leads to the wonderfully excellent results. Listen. Here the Achamana and other things are similar to those of the morning Sandhya. Only in meditation (Dhyanam) there is some difference. I will now speak of that. The name of the midday Gayatri is Savitri. She is ever a youthful maiden, of white colour, three-eyed; She holds in Her one hand a rosary, in Her other hand a trident and with Her two other hands She makes signs to Her Bhaktas to dispel fear and to grant boons. Riding on the bull. She recites the Yayur Vedas; She is the Rudra S’akti with Tamo gunas and She resides in Brahmaloka, She daily traverses in the path of the Sun. She is Maya Devi, beginningless; I bow down to Her. After meditating on the Adya Devi Bhagavati perform Achamanas and other things as in the morning Sandhya. Now, about the offering of Arghya (an offer of green grass, rice, etc., made in worshipping a God or Brahman). Collect flowers for Arghya; in the absence of flowers, the Bael leaves and water will serve the purpose. Facing the Sun, and looking upwards, offer the Arghya to the Sun upwards. Then perform other acts as in the morning Sandhya. In midday, some offer Arghya to the Sun, only with the recitation of the Gayatri mantra. But that is not approved of by the tradition and community; there is the likelihood of the whole work being thwarted or rendered fruitless. For, in the morning and evening Sandhyas, the Raksashas named the Mandehas become ready to devour the Sun. This is stated in the S’rutis. Therefore the midday offering of the Arghya is not for the destruction of the Daityas but for the satisfaction of the Devi; so with the mantra “Akrisnena, etc.,” the offering of Arghya can be effected; and the reciting of the infallible Gayatri mantra is only to create disturbance in the shape of thwarting the action. So in the morning and evening, the Brahmana is to offer the Suryarghya, repeating the Gayatri and Pranava; and in the midday to offer flowers and water with the mantra “Akrisnena,
rajasa etc.,” else it will go against the S’ruti. In the absence of flowers, the Durba grass, etc., can be offered carefully as the Arghya; and the full fruits of the Sandhya will be secured. O Best of Devarsis! Now hear the important points in the Tarpanam (peace offerings). Thus
“Om Bhuvah purusam tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Yajurvedam tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Mandalam tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Hiranyagarbham tarpayami name namah.”
“Om antaratmanam tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Savitrim tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Devamataram tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Samkritim tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Yuvatim sandhyam tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Rudranim tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Nimrijam tarpayami name namah.”
“Om Bhurbhuvah Svah purusam tarpayami name namah.”
Thus finish the midday Sandhya mga Tarpanam. Now, with your hands raised high up towards the Sun, worship Him by the two mantras, praising thus “Om Udutyam Jatavedasam, etc.,” “Om Chitram Devanam, etc.” Next repeat the Gayatri. Hear its method. In the morning, repeat the Gayatri at the proper moment with hands raised; in the evening time with hands lowered and in the midday with hands over the breast. Begin with the middle phalanx (joint) of the nameless finger, then the phalanx at its root, then the phalanx at
the root of the little finger, its middle phalanx and its top, then the tops of the nameless, fore and ring fingers, then the middle and finally the root of the ring finger (in the direction of the hands of the watch; avoiding the middle and root phalanx of the middle finger). Thus ten times it is repeated. In this way if the Gayatri be repeated one thousand times, the sins arising from killing a cow, father, mother, from causing abortions, going to the wife of one’s Guru, stealing a Brahmana’s property, a Brahman’s field, drinking wine, etc., all are destroyed. Also the sins acquired in three births by mind, word, or by the enjoyments of sensual objects are thereby then and there instantly destroyed. All the labours of him, who works hard in the study of the Vedas without knowing the Gayatri, are useless. Therefore if you compare on the one hand the study of the four Vedas with the reciting of the Gayatri, then the Gayatri Japam stands higher. Thus I have spoken to you of the rules of the midday Sandhya. Now I am speaking of Brahma Yajha. Hear.
Here ends the Nineteenth Chapter of the Eleventh Book on the midday Sandhya in the Mahapuranam S’ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24045, revision 84662 (2016-10-07T17:31:31Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk11ch19.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.