Nitya and Naimittika Rites

Krishna said

Illustrious one, I wish to hear about following Shiva's ashrama, the nitya and naimittika rites given in Shiva's sacred texts.

Upamanyu replied

He rises from bed in the morning and meditates on the divinity with Amba. Thinking of the tasks to be done, he leaves the house when the sun rises. He does his necessary business in a secluded spot where nothing obstructs. Cleaning himself by the norms, he cleans his teeth. When a twig is not available, or on days like the eighth, he rinses his mouth twelve times with water and cleans himself that way. After rinsing his mouth in the recommended way, he bathes in water from a river, a natural canal, a pond or at home. The things for bathing are placed on the bank and outer impurities washed off. Mud is smeared over the body, and after bathing cow dung. Having bathed, he takes off his clothing and washes it. Thinking of himself as a king, after the bath he puts on a pure garment. When washing off dirt, a brahmachari, ascetic or widow should not use fragrances or a twig for the teeth. Then he binds his tuft and sacred thread, enters the water, rinses his mouth and submerges three times. Immersed in Soumya, he remembers Shiva and Shakti and does japa with the mantra. On rising he sprinkles water on his body five or three times with a cow's horn and darbha grass, a palasha leaf, a lotus leaf or his two hands. If he is bathing in a garden or house, he pours water over himself from a pot at the moment of submerging, sprinkling himself with mantras. If unable to bathe in water, he takes a pure wet cloth and wipes himself from head to foot. Or he can take only the auspicious path called Agneya, the bath of immersion in thoughts of Shiva. Beginning with rinsing and ending with a sacrifice to Brahma, he follows the traditions of his own order and offers himself to the divinity. He meditates on Mahadeva inside the mandala and worships him by the norms, offering Shiva arghya in his form as the sun. Or, following his own order, he cleans his hands and does kara-nyasa or nyasa over the whole body. He takes white mustard and water in his left hand and, with the basic mantra and a clump of kusha grass, sprinkles himself. With the mantra "apo hi shtha" he smells the remaining water through his left nostril and thinks of the divinity. He offers an arghya and, through the left nostril, symbolically draws the dark impurities out of his body and pictures them turned to stone. He does special water rites for gods and rishis and, by the norms, offers arghya to bhutas and ancestors. With a handful of red sandalwood paste mixed with water he draws a beautiful round mandala on the ground and decorates it with red powder. Then he worships Bhanu with the enclosures. If he wants happiness and success, he uses the mantra "khakholkaya." He again makes a mandala and worships it and its parts. He places a golden vessel of one prastha, in the Magadha measure, filled with fragrant water, red sandalwood paste, red flowers, sesame, kusha and unbroken rice. If he follows the way of water alone, it can be filled with durva grass and water. He kneels on the ground and bows to the divinity within the mandala, places the pot on his head and offers an arghya to Shiva. Or with the basic learning he can take water in his cupped hands with darbha grass and symbolically throw it up into the air to Shiva in his form as the sun.

As before, he again cleans his hands and does kara-nyasa, realizing Shiva in his form of the five brahmanas, from Ishana to Sadyojata. He takes ash and touches his limbs with it. With the mantra of the one who ends the day, in order, he touches his face, heart, generative organ and feet. With the basic mantra he touches all his limbs and puts on a different garment. Having put it on, he rinses his mouth twice and with the mantra sprinkles water over himself eleven times, rinses twice again and remembers Shiva. With the mantra he again does kara-nyasa. With ash mixed with fragrant water he draws a Tripundra on his forehead, straight and clear; it can be square, round, half-round or a dot. As he has drawn Tripundra on the forehead, he draws a similar mark with ash on his arms, head and chest. Dusting all the limbs with ash is not the same as Tripundra, so without the dusting one should draw the Tripundra. Rudraksha should be worn on the head, neck, ears and hands. A golden-coloured rudraksha is auspicious, and a broken one or one inauspicious in any other way should not be worn. For benefit, the three varnas, brahmanas and the others, should wear beads that are respectively yellow, red and black. If these are not available, one wears whatever is available. An inferior varna should not wear one meant for a higher varna, though a higher varna may wear one meant for a lower. An impure person must never wear rudraksha. According to capacity, everyone must bathe at the three sandhyas, at two sandhyas, or once a day, doing the rites and worshipping Parameshvara. He fixes his mind on a picture of the divinity seated on a beautiful seat. When meditating on Deva or Devi he faces north or east. From Shveta to Nakulisha, he bows to the gurus and the disciples. He bows again to Shiva and does japa with his eight names: Shiva, Maheshvara, Rudra, Vishnu, Pitamaha, Samsaravaidya, Sarvajna and Paramatman. Or he can do japa of Shiva's name alone, eleven times. To calm an illness he should meditate on a mass of energy at the tip of his tongue. Washing his hands and feet, he applies sandalwood paste to them, washes his hands again as before and does kara-nyasa.