About "Achamana"- Its significance.......

About Achamana......................Its significance.



Achamana precedes all rituals or ceremonial sipping of water and touching the various parts of the body like eyes, ears, nose, chest head etc., with wet hand in the prescribed order. This process invokes the life-energy to protect the performer.

There are three types of Achamana-

PURAANAACH AMAN,

SHROUTHAACHAMANA

AND

SMARTHAACHAMANA.

The first three names of Keshava, Naraayana and Madhava are remembered and water is taken as BRAHMATHEERTHA. The next 21 names are taken to touch different parts of the body and it invokes the deity who protects that part. With this it is expected that the FIVE GNYAANENDRIYAS, FIVE KARMENDRIAS, FIVE MUKHYA PRANAS, FIVE SUBSIDIARY PRANAS AND THE MIND are purified. It is expected that with this, the mind also becomes calm.

There is a system where instead of Keshavaayaswaaha, RUGVEDAYASWAAHA, YAJURVEDAAYASWAAHA, SAAMAVEDAAYASWAAHA are repeated. The method normally adopted is the Puraanaachamana with the names Keshava, Naarayana and Maadhava.

It is believed that while touching the different parts of the body with wet fingures and invoking the names of the ADHIDEVATHE of that part, the body and mind becomes pure so that further rituals are successful. It is also believed that at the tips of thumb, the forefinger, and the small finger there is BRAHMA THEERTHA, DEVATHEERTHA ANDPRAJAAPATHITHEERTHA.