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.
(सलक्षणं तु प्राणानामायामं कीर्त्यतेऽधुना । नानापापैकशमनं महापुण्यफलप्रदम् ॥) पञ्चाङ्गुलीभिर्नासाग्रं पीडयेत्प्रणवेन तु । सर्वपापहरा मुद्रा वानप्रस्थगृहस्थयोः
(Now the characteristics of breath control are described, which destroy all kinds of sins and bestow great merit.) With five fingers, one should press the tip of the nose while uttering the praṇava; this mudrā removes all sins for householders and forest-dwellers.
कनिष्ठानामिकाङ्गुष्ठैर्यतेश्च ब्रह्मचारिणः । आपो हि ष्ठेति तिसृभिः प्रोक्षणं स्यात्कुशोदकैः
For brahmacārins, the pressing is done with the little finger, ring finger, and thumb; sprinkling with kuśa water is performed with the three words 'āpo hi ṣṭha'.
ऋगन्ते मार्जनं कुर्यात्पादान्ते वा समाहितः । नवप्रणवयुक्तेन आपो हि ष्ठेत्यनेन तु
At the end of the Ṛgveda or at the feet, one should perform mārjana with concentration, using the phrase 'āpo hi ṣṭha' joined with nine praṇavas.
नश्येदघं मार्जनेन संवत्सरसमुद्भवम् । तत आचमनं कृत्वा सूर्यश्चेति पिबेदपः
By mārjana, the sin accumulated over a year is destroyed; then, having performed ācamana, one should drink water reciting 'sūryaś ca'.
अन्तःकरणसम्भिन्नं पापं तस्य विनश्यति । प्रणवेन व्याहृतिभिर्गायत्र्या प्रणवाद्यया
Sin that has entered the mind is destroyed by the recitation of the Pranava, the Vyahritis, and the Gayatri, beginning with the Pranava.
आपो हि ष्ठेति सूक्तेन मार्जनं चैव कारयेत् । उद्धृत्य दक्षिणे हस्ते जलं गोकर्णवत्कृते
With the hymn 'Āpo hi ṣṭha', one should perform the rite of purification, taking water in the right hand shaped like a cow's ear.
नीत्वा तं नासिकाग्रं तु वामकुक्षौ स्मरेदघम् । पुरुषं कृष्णवर्णं च ऋतं चेति पठेत्ततः
Bringing that water to the tip of the nose, one should mentally direct the sin into the left side of the abdomen, and then recite 'puruṣaṃ kṛṣṇavarṇaṃ ca ṛtaṃ ca'.
द्रुपदां वा ऋचं पश्चाद्दक्षनासापुटेन च । श्वासमार्गेण तं पापमानयेत्करवारिणि
Afterwards, reciting the Drupadā verse, and using the right nostril, one should expel that sin through the breath into the water held in the hand.
नावलोक्यैव तद्वारि वामभागेऽश्मनि क्षिपेत् । निष्पापं तु शरीरं मे सञ्जातमिति भावयेत्
Without looking at that water, one should cast it onto a stone on the left side, contemplating, 'My body has now become free from sin.'
उत्थाय तु ततः पादौ द्वौ समौ सन्नियोजयेत् । जलाञ्जलिं गृहीत्वा तु तर्जन्यङ्गुष्ठवर्जितम्
Then, rising up, one should place both feet together, and taking water in the hands—excluding the index finger and thumb—