कालातिक्रमणे जाते चतुर्थार्घ्यं प्रदापयेत् । अथवाष्टशतं देवीं जप्त्वादौ तां समाचरेत्
If the proper time has passed, one should offer the fourth libation, or else, after reciting the goddess's name eight hundred times, then perform it at the beginning.
यस्मिन्काले तु यत्कर्म तत्कालाधीश्वरीं च ताम् । सन्ध्यामुपास्य पश्चात्तु तत्कालीनं समाचरेत्
At whatever time a rite is to be performed, one should first worship the goddess who presides over that time, and then carry out the act appropriate to that time.
गृहे साधारणा प्रोक्ता गोष्ठे वै मध्यमा भवेत् । नदीतीरे चोत्तमा स्याद्देवीगेहे तदुत्तमा
At home, the twilight worship is considered ordinary; in a cowshed, it is middling; on a riverbank, it is excellent; and in the goddess's temple, it is supreme.
यतो देव्या उपासेयं ततो देव्यास्तु सन्निधौ । सन्ध्यात्रयं प्रकर्तव्यं तदानन्त्याय कल्पते
Wherever the goddess is to be worshipped, there, in her presence, all three twilight worships should be performed; this leads to endless merit.
एतस्या अपरं दैवं ब्राह्मणानां च विद्यते । न विष्णूपासना नित्या न शिवोपासना तथा
There is no other divine rite for Brāhmaṇas besides this; neither the constant worship of Viṣṇu nor of Śiva is prescribed.
यथा भवेन्महादेव्या गायत्र्याः श्रुतिचोदिता । सर्ववेदसारभूता गायत्र्यास्तु समर्चना
As the worship of the great goddess Gāyatrī is enjoined by the Vedas, so is the worship of Gāyatrī, the essence of all the Vedas.
ब्रह्मादयोऽपि सन्ध्यायां तां ध्यायन्ति जपन्ति च । वेदा जपन्ति तां नित्यं वेदोपास्या ततः स्मृता
Even Brahmā and the others meditate on her and recite her at twilight; the Vedas always recite her, and thus she is remembered as the one to be worshipped by the Vedas.
तस्मात्सर्वे द्विजाः शाक्ता न शैवा न च वैष्णवाः । आदिशक्तिमुपासन्ते गायत्रीं वेदमातरम्
Therefore, all twice-born are Śāktas, not Śaivas or Vaiṣṇavas; they worship the primordial power, Gāyatrī, the mother of the Vedas.
आचान्तः प्राणमायम्य केशवादिकनामभिः । केशवश्च तथा नारायणो माधव एव च
Having rinsed the mouth and controlled the breath, one should recite the names beginning with Keśava: Keśava, Nārāyaṇa, and Mādhava.
गोविन्दो विष्णुरेवाथ मधुसूदन एव च । त्रिविक्रमो वामनश्च श्रीधरोऽपि ततः परम्
Govinda, Viṣṇu, Madhusūdana, Trivikrama, Vāmana, and then Śrīdhara.
हृषीकेशः पद्मनाभो दामोदर अतः परम् । सङ्कर्षणो वासुदेवः प्रद्युम्नोऽप्यनिरुद्धकः
Hṛṣīkeśa, Padmanābha, Dāmodara, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha.
पुरुषोत्तमाधोक्षजौ च नारसिंहोऽप्युतस्तथा । जनार्दन उपेन्द्रश्च हरिः कृष्णोऽन्तिमस्तथा
Puruṣottama, Adhokṣaja, Nṛsiṃha, Janārdana, Upendra, Hari, and finally Kṛṣṇa.
ॐकारपूर्वकं नाम चतुर्विंशतिसङ्ख्यया । स्वाहान्तैः प्राशयेद्वारि नमोऽन्तैः स्पर्शयेत्तथा
With the syllable 'Om' prefixed, the twenty-four names should be recited; with 'svāhā' at the end, water should be sipped, and with 'namo' at the end, it should be touched.
केशवादित्रिभिः पीत्वा द्वाभ्यां प्रक्षालयेत्करौ । मुखं प्रक्षालयेद्द्वाभ्यां द्वाभ्यामुन्मार्जनं तथा
After sipping with the first three names starting with Keśava, one should wash the hands with two, the mouth with two, and likewise perform cleansing with two.
एकेन पाणिं सम्प्रोक्ष्य पादावपि शिरोऽपि च । सङ्कर्षणादिदेवानां द्वादशाङ्गानि संस्पृशेत्
With one, sprinkle the hand, the feet, and the head as well; then touch the twelve limbs with the names from Saṅkarṣaṇa onward.
दक्षिणेनोदकं पीत्वा वामेन संस्पृशेद्बुध: । तावन्न शुध्यते तोयं यावद्वामेन न स्पृशेत्
After sipping water with the right hand, the wise should touch with the left; the water is not purified until it is touched with the left hand.
गोकर्णाकृतिहस्तेन माषमात्रं जलं पिबेत् । ततो न्यूनाधिकं पीत्वा सुरापायी भवेद्द्विजः
With the hand shaped like a cow's ear, one should drink water equal to the size of a black gram; if one drinks more or less than this, a twice-born becomes as if he has drunk liquor.
संहताङ्गुलिना तोयं पाणिना दक्षिणेन तु । मुक्ताङ्गुष्ठकनिष्ठाभ्यां शेषेणाचमनं विदुः
With the fingers held together, using the right hand, except for the thumb and little finger, one should perform ācamana with the remaining fingers.
प्राणायामं ततः कृत्वा प्रणवस्मृतिपूर्वकम् । गायत्रीं शिरसा सार्धं तुरीयपदसंयुताम्
Then, having performed prāṇāyāma with remembrance of the praṇava, one should recite the Gāyatrī along with its śiras and the fourth pāda.
दक्षिणे रेचयेद्वायुं वामेन पूरितोदरम् । कुम्भेन धारयेन्नित्यं प्राणायामं विदुर्बुधा:
Exhaling through the right nostril, and filling the belly through the left, one should always retain the breath with kumbhaka; thus the wise know prāṇāyāma.
पीडयेद्दक्षिणां नाडीमङ्गुष्ठेन तथोत्तराम् । कनिष्ठानामिकाभ्यां तु मध्यमां तर्जनीं त्यजेत्
One should press the right nāḍī with the thumb, and the left with the little and ring fingers, leaving out the middle and index fingers.
रेचक: पूरकश्चैव प्राणायामोऽथ कुम्भक: । प्रोच्यते सर्वशास्त्रेषु योगिभिर्यतमानसै:
Exhalation, inhalation, and then retention—these are called prāṇāyāma and kumbhaka in all the scriptures by striving yogis.
रेचकः सृजते वायुं पूरकः पूरयेत्तु तम् । साम्येन संस्थितिर्यत्तत्कुम्भकः परिकीर्तितः
Exhalation expels the air, inhalation fills it, and the state of balance between them is called kumbhaka.
नीलोत्पलदलश्यामं नाभिमध्ये प्रतिष्ठितम् । चतुर्भुजं महात्मानं पूरके चिन्तयेद्धरिम्
During inhalation, one should meditate on Hari, dark as a blue lotus petal, established in the center of the navel, with four arms and great in spirit.
कुम्भके तु हृदि स्थाने ध्यायेत्तु कमलासनम् । प्रजापतिं जगन्नाथं चतुर्वक्त्रं पितामहम्
During retention, one should meditate in the heart on the lotus-seated Lord, the Lord of creatures, the Lord of the world, the four-faced Grandsire.
रेचके शङ्करं ध्यायेल्ललाटस्थं महेश्वरम् । शुद्धस्फटिकसंकाशं निर्मलं पापनाशनम्
During exhalation, one should meditate on Śaṅkara, the great Lord established in the forehead, shining like pure crystal, spotless, and destroyer of sins.
पूरके विष्णुसायुज्यं कुम्भके ब्रह्मणो गतिम् । रेचकेन तृतीयं तु प्राप्नुयादीश्वरं परम्
By inhalation, one attains union with Viṣṇu; by retention, the state of Brahmā; by exhalation, one attains the supreme Lord, the third.
पौराणाचमनाद्यं च प्रोक्तं देवर्षिसत्तम । श्रौतमाचमनाद्यं च शृणु पापापहं मुने
The ancient method of ācamana has been described, O best of divine sages; now hear the Vedic method of ācamana, which destroys sins, O sage.
प्रणवं पूर्वमुच्चार्य गायत्रीं तु तदित्यृचम् । पादादौ व्याहृतीस्तिस्रः श्रौताचमनमुच्यते
First uttering the praṇava, then the Gāyatrī and the verse 'āpo hi ṣṭha', and the three vyāhṛtis at the beginning and end—this is called Vedic ācamana.
गायत्रीं शिरसा सार्धं जपेद्व्याहृतिपूर्विकाम् । प्रतिप्रणवसंयुक्तां त्रितयं प्राणसंयमः
One should recite the Gāyatrī along with its śiras, preceded by the vyāhṛtis, joined with the praṇava each time, three times, with control of the breath.