Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.1104

c9.1104

SANDHYĀ III. Time of union or conjunction. There are three Sandhyās in a day. These are morning sandhyā (Prātaḥsandhyā), noon sandhyā (Madhyāhna sandhyā) and evening sandhyā (Sāyaṃ Sandhyā). The meeting time of night and day, is morning Sandhyā, the joining time of the first half and the second half of the day, is noon (Madhyāhna Sandhyā), and the joining time of day and night, is evening Sandhyā (Sāyaṃ sandhyā). Brahmins should keep the three Sandhyās properly. The morning sandhyā is of three kinds. Good, Medium and Bad. When the morning stars are seen and the sunrise is approaching it is good morning; when the stars are not seen and the sun is not risen it is medium sandhyā and the morning time after the sunrise is bad Sandhyā. In sāyaṃsandhyā also there is this difference of time, as good, medium and bad. The time till the sunset is good; the time after the sunset and before the rising of the stars is medium and the evening after the rising of the stars is bad. In the Vedas it is metaphorically mentioned that Brahmins are trees, and the three sandhyās are their roots, the Vedas, their branches and the rites and rituals ordained in the Vedas their leaves. From this it is clear that Brahmins should on no account leave unobserved, worships at these three sandhyās. The Brahmin who does not observe these three sandhyās carefully will, in his life time, become a śūdra and after the death, will be born again as a dog. Moreover the Brahmin who does not do the three evening, morning and noon worships, will have no right to conduct any other Vedic rites.