Page:Castes and Tribes of Southern India.djvu/428

BRAHMAN The navel and head with all the fingers, repeating Padmanabha and Damōdar. This Āchamana is the usual preliminary to all Brāhman religious rites. The water sipped is believed to cleanse the internal parts of the body, as bathing cleanses the external parts. After Āchamana comes Prānāyāma, or holding in of vital breath, which consists in repeating the Gāyatri (hymn) and holding the breath by three distinct operations, viz.: —

Pūraka, or pressing the right nostril with the fingers, and drawing in the breath through the left nostril, and vice versa. Kumbhaka, or pressing both nostrils with finger and thumb or with all the fingers, and holding the breath as long as possible. Rēchaka, or pressing the right nostril with the thumb, and expelling the breath through the left nostril, and vice versa.

The suppression of the breath is said to be a preliminary yōga practice, enabling a person to fix his mind on the Supreme Being who is meditated on. The celebrant next repeats the Sankalpa (determination), with the hands brought together, the right palm over the left, and placed on the right thigh. Every kind of ceremony commences with the Sankalpa, which, for the Sandhya service, is as follows: — "I am worshipping for the removal of all my sins that have adhered to me, and for the purpose of acquiring the favour of Narāyana or the Supreme Being." The performer of the rite then sprinkles himself with water, repeating: — " Oh! ye waters, the sources of all comforts, grant us food, so that our senses may grow strong and give us joy.Make us the recipients of your essence, which is the