Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 281

ABSTENTION ON CERTAIN DAYS
241
teeth well with this brush, after which he
fresh water.
VI. He must not indulge in this cleanly habit every day.
He must abstain on the sixth, the eighth, the ninth, the
eleventh, the fourteenth, and the last day of the moon, on
the days of new and full moon, on the Tuesday in every
week, on the day of the constellation under which he was
born, on the day of the week and on the day of the month
which correspond with those of his birth, at an eclipse, at
the conjunction of the planets, at the equinoxes, the
solstices, and other unlucky epochs, and also on the anni-
versary of the death of his father or mother.
VII. Any one who cleans his teeth with his bit of stick
on any of the above-mentioned days will have hell as his
portion
VIII. He may, however, except on the day of the new
moon and on the ekadasi (eleventh day of the moon),
substitute grass or the leaves of a tree for this piece of
he scrubs all his
rinses his mouth with
!
wood.
IX.
On the day of the new moon and on the ekadasi he
only clean his teeth with the leaves of the mango, the
juvi, or the nere.
After having cleaned his teeth the Brahmin must direct
his steps to some water to go through the important act
l
of the sandhya
may
.
Section
III.
be observed by a
The First Part of the Sandhya.
Brahmin while washing.
Rules
to
I. He performs the sam-kalpa, then calling to mind the
gods of the waters, he worships them. He then thinks of
the Ganges, and addresses the following prayer to the sacred
river
O Ganges who were born in Brahma's pitcher,
whence you descended in streams on to Siva's hair, from
Siva's hair to Vishnu's feet, and thence flowed on to the
earth to wash out the sins of all men, to purify them and
'
!
:
The word sandhya answers to our word twilight
it indicates the
in the day when the sun reaches its apogee.
Thus the sandhya
must be performed three times a day, morning, noon, and evening.
1
'
'
;
moment
Dubois.
Sandhya
—Ed.
literally
means
'
meeting,' between day and night, that
is.