Snāna
By Swami Harshananda
Snāna literally means ‘bath’.
Significance of Snāna[edit]
In the life of a person, even ordinary acts like snāna or bathing, needed to keep the body clean and pure are considered a sacrament that elevates one spiritually. A bath is compulsory for persons of all the varṇas. It is to be taken in a river, a big tank, the tank attached to a temple or from the water drawn from one’s own well or even a public well.
Denotation to Each Varṇa for Snāna[edit]
The brāhmaṇa householders are expected to take bath twice, before sunrise and at noon, whereas a brahmacārin is to take it only once. A sanyāsin should bathe thrice, the last one being before sunset. The bath should always be accompanied by the chanting of Vedic mantras such as Rgveda,[1] Taittirīya Samhita[2] and Ṛgveda.[3]
Types of Snāna[edit]
When a person is unable to take bath as prescribed with all the formalities and mantras shortcuts are permitted such as invoking river-goddesses into the water and sprinkling the same over himself. Some of the purāṇas and smṛtis[4][5] give a list of six varieties of snāna. They are:
- Nitya - Nityasnāna is the one already described.
- Naimittika - Naimittikasnāna is occasioned by a nimitta or a special reason like the birth of a son or the completion of a sacrifice or an eclipse and so on.
- Kāmya - Kāmyasnāna[6] is undertaken in a place of pilgrimage or at any other place.
- Kriyāṅga - Kriyāṅgasnāna is resorted to as a part of a religious rite.
- Malāpakarṣaṇa or abhyaṅga - Malāpakarṣaṇa snāna is actually an oil bath undertaken on certain auspicious days to get prosperity.
- Kriyā - Kriyāsnāna is the bathing done at a place of pilgrimage to get the merit and performed as per the procedure prescribed.[7]
Types of Gauṇasnāna[edit]
The dharmaśāstras have also enumerated six kinds of gauṇasnāna.[8] They are:
- Mantrasnāna - sprinkling water over oneself with certain mantras
- Bhaumasnāna - smearing the body with loose earth
- Āgneyasnāna - applying holy ashes
- Vāyavīyasnāna - taking on or exposing the body to the dust raised by the hoofs of cows
- Divyasnāna - wetting one’s body in a shower of rain accompanied by sunshine
- Mānasasnana - repeating the name of God in the mind
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore