CHENNAI: When Bengaluru-based Soumya Aravind Sitaraman had done her son’s upanayaam a few years ago, he had innumerable questions which she couldn’t answer. That’s when she began researching about Sandhyaa Vandanam. The author/artist/documentary filmmaker has released a two-part book — Follow the Hindu Sun: Sandhyaa Vandanam, which has explanations for each of the mantras recited during the process along with photographs.
“It’s really sad to note that the simple traditions of Hinduism are not being taught in school. It’s a misconception that sandhyaa vandanam is done only by Brahmins,” she says.
The research took her seven years during which she met many saints and read a lot of books. “If you go to a shop to find a book on sandhyaa vandanam , you are sure to find a tiny booklet with flimsy pages. This is one of the most ancient practices that deserve an explanation,” she shares.
The first part of the book is a quick guide on the practice, more like a refresher course for those who already know about it. The second part is the understanding. It deals with all the ‘whats’ and ‘whys’. During research, she met Swami Paramathmananda to clear all her queries.
“When I met him and explained the topic of my research, I was not put down because I was a woman. Instead, he questioned me in every way possible to check my interest in this subject,” she smiles.
Ask her if she got different perspectives while researching, Soumya says, “I wouldn’t say I got different perspectives, but my idea and knowledge of the subject enhanced at every step. The people I met guided me to the right path, which I knew I had already chosen.”
She also met late SV Radhakrishna Shastry, a scholar, in Tiruchy. She took the final draft to one of the senior most Shankaracharyas, who helped her with the correct presentation of Sanskrit words. “The book has a mix of Sanskrit and English and we had to work on the diacritical marks.” While she did the layout and graphics for the book, photographer Usha Kris (her mother) did the photo shoots.
Soumya rues that it was a misconception that was perpetuated by the British that sandhyaa vandanam was done only by the Brahmins. “They had written books on Indian culture at that time. Even our varnashrama dharma does not say that only Brahmins should practice sandhyaa vandanam. In Mahabaratha, the kshatriyas (warriors) did sandhyaa vandanam during the war.”
When quizzed if women have a role to play in this practice Soumya explains, “While women are good at multitasking and taking care of the family, the practice is done by men and it is a sweet deal. It is said that when the man does sandhyaa vandanam, he needs to fast and follow certain protocols to attempt to recieve all the benefits of it, but women get 50% of the benefit without following them.”
Soumya is working on an audio-visual series and a book on samaskaras and another on vivaham.
The book is available on Amazon and Flipkart.