What is "sandhyavandanam"

Sandhyavandana ( Sanskrit: , ) is a mandatory religious ritual performed, traditionally, by Dvija communities of Hindus , particularly those initiated through the sacred thread ceremony referred to as the Upanayanam and instructed in its execution by a Guru, in this case one qualified to teach Vedic ritual. The Sandhyavandanam consists of recitation from the Vedas, accompanied by ritual. These rituals are performed three times a day- at morning (), noon () and evening ().

The Sandhyavandanam is the oldest extant liturgy in world religion. As a practice, it may be descended from the much older daily Agnihotra ritual.

Sandhyavandanam literally means "salutation to Sandhya". Sandhya, in turn, has traditionally been interpreted either as "the transition moments of the day" (namely the two twilights dawn and dusk), or as "the solar noon". Thus, Sandhyavandanam may be defined as the ritual "salutation to twilight or the solar noon".

The term , when used by itself in the sense of "daily practice", may also refer to the performance of these rituals at the opening and closing of the day.

The steps in the Sandhyavandan always include the following essential components:

1. Āchamana consists of Nama Sankirthana - taking the names of the Lord
2. Prāṇāyāma is the ritual purification of internals via breathing exercises
3. Mārjana is a ritual self-purification
4. Mantra Prokshanam is a prayer for atonement of sins
5. Aghamarshana (performed by some schools, especially Rig Vedins) is a prayer for forgiveness of sins
6. Gāyatri japa is meditation
7. Upastānam is a prayer to the Hindu deities Mitra (performed during the morning prayer) and Varuna (performed during the evening prayer)
8. Abhivādana is a salutory introduction offered to all deities. It usually follows a prostration to the deities in each direction (dikpālas)

In addition to the above Vedic components of the Sandhyavandanam, many include the following Tantric component:

1. Navagraha tarpana are offerings made every day to each of the nine planets.

The steps in the Rigveda Sandhyavandan are twenty-eight in number. The emerging need to perform the Sandhyaavandanam daily is increasing .