Re. Sandhya Vandana

From the Bhakti List Archives

• August 5, 1999


Dear BhaghavatAs:

There have been wonderful discussions on this topic too.  We are blessed with
great minds
to think, analyze and then present it with a wonderful clarity of expression.  I
thought I would also
add my 2 cents worth.

For us Sandhya is as basic as taking a "SnAnam".  While preparing a prasAdam for
EmperumAn (Bhaghavat kaimkaryam), do we ever question the need to take a snAnam
 or which one gets a higher priority etc.,  In the same way Sandhya must be
viewed.

"SandhyA HinO asuchir-nityam anarha sarva karmasu" declares the shAstrAs.

Non-performance of sandhyA disqualifies us from performing any other karmA.
Since we view the entire karma kAnda as Bhaghavat kaimkaryam this
 rule applies to all our activities.  That's why when you visit
any achArya, the first thing they advise us is to do sandhyA-vandanam.  The way
we do
sandhyA (or for that matter any other activity) there is always a scope for
improvement.
Striving for excellence is in the human domain- for we can find perfection only
in the
divine realm.

Vijayaraghava Dasan
Bufflao, NY