?The story of Sandhya & her marriage with Vasishta—Shiva Purana?
This is the tale of dawn and dusk, or Sandhya. She became the Prataḥ Sandhya (dawn) in the top half of her body and the Shyaṃ Sandhya (dusk) in the lower half. Prataḥ Sandhya (dawn) is the time before sunrise, when the day begins. The gods are pleased. The time of Shyaṃ Sandhya (dusk) begins when the sun has set and turned into a red lotus. It makes the manes happy.
Brahma’s mind gave birth to a lovely woman. She went by several names, including Sandhya, Divakṣanta, Sayaṃ Sandhya, and Jayantika. She was extremely attractive, with delicately formed eyebrows that could captivate even the most learned people. Sandhya was reborn as Arundhati, the daughter of the great sage Medhatithi, after performing penance on the mountain Candrbhaga and casting off her body.
Vasishta, Brahma’s mental son, gave Arundhati instructions on how to carry out sacred rituals. Using the mantra “Oṃ Namaḥ Saṃkaraya Oṃ,” Vasishta suggested that she silently focus on Shiva, the only initial cause of all worlds. She was instructed by Vasishta to follow a complete fast [without even drinking water] in the third Sastakala and to consume just water during the first and second Ṣaṣṭakalas (four hours). Each Ṣaṣṭakala was to conclude with the performance of the rites. Sandhya used the mantra to worship Shiva and carried out penance in accordance with Vasishta’s instructions.
She continued her great penance for four Yugas, keeping her thoughts focused and properly focused on Shiva. Shiva was quite happy after being appeased by her penance. He made Himself known to her both in heaven and outside of it. She was meditating on Shiva when he appeared to her in such form. She was ecstatic to see the Lord Shiva in front of her in the exact shape that she was meditating on, his face smiling with joy. Shiva entered her heart while her eyes were closed, bestowing upon her divine eyes, divine speech, and divine wisdom. As a result, she developed divine voice, sight, and intelligence. She praised the lord Shiva after seeing the lord of Durga up close.
Sandhya said, ”
That which is devoid of form, that which is known by complete knowledge, that which is neither high nor subtle nor gross, that which is to be contemplated by Yogis within themselves—I give thanks to the One who created the worlds and who is the object of such art.
I give thanks to Lord Shiva, whose shape is like a pathway to heaven, beyond the path of darkness, and who is serene, pure, unchanging, unfathomable by worldly understanding, self-illuminated, and unchangeable.
obedience to the one whose form is alone, pure, bright, devoid of illusion, knowledge-cum-bliss, inherently immortal, ecstatic at the results of wealth and truth, and fruitful of glory.
obedience to him whose shape can be pictured in the nature of Vidya (Perfect Knowledge), which is distinct from insentient things; Sattvika unvolition, that which ought to be contemplated as the form of Atman, the highest essence and the most sacred of all objects of sanctification.
He is obeyed by the Yogi, whose Saguṇa form is beautiful, pure, and adorned with jewels. It is as white and pure as camphor, and it carries the trident, the scalp, the requested boon, and fearlessness in its hand.
The sky, the earth, the quarters, the fire, the seas, and eternal time are all forms of obedience to him.
obedience to the unmanifest Shiva, from whom Puruṣa and the unmanifest primordial essence emanated.
The creator of this cosmos, Brahma, the sustainer, Vishnu, and the destroyer, Rudra, are all subject to these laws.
To the brightest of the great, to the best owner of the wealth of all other worlds, to the cause of causes, to the giver of wisdom, prosperity, and holy nectar.
The earth, the quarters, the sun, the moon, Cupid, the devas, and the ether all emerged from the umbilical area of Shiva, who is the object of all other worlds’ obedience.
How can I properly praise Lord Shiva, who is beyond words, beyond the mind’s comprehension, the origin of the world, and without beginning, middle, or end?
How can I explain him, whose forms are beyond the description of even Brahma and other gods or austere sages?
The personification of penance, homage to him, O Lord Shiva; obeisance to him repeatedly, O Shiva, lord of the gods, be pleased.
Shiva said, ”
O kind lady, This eulogy and your excellent penance make me very happy. You can pick your boon, o wise and fortunate woman.
I will give you whatever boon you wish and that seems to be helpful to you. Your rights make me happy.
Sandhya said, ”
If I am to be blessed, O Lord Shiva, if I am deemed deserving of a blessing, then let no live being, O Lord of the Gods, born in this environment be lustful at birth.
Another blessing I have selected is that no other woman will ever achieve the level of fame I have or will in the three worlds.
My creations will never get rusty or deteriorate in any way. The person who marries me will be my close, honest friend.
Anybody who gives me a lustful gaze will turn into a eunuch and lose his manliness.
When Shiva, who is friendly to his followers, heard what the woman who had been set free from sin had to say, he was thrilled and said the following. Shiva stated,
Listen, Madam Sandhya. Ash has been made out of your sin. You are now pure as a result of this penance. I give you all you’ve asked for. I am quite pleased with this wonderful penance of yours.
Infants, children, youths, and elderly people are the first, second, third, and fourth stages of life, respectively. The living things will develop lust when they reach the third stage of life. In certain situations, it will occur at the conclusion of the second phase.
No living thing should be lusty when it is born.
No other woman in the three realms will be able to achieve the level of chastity that you will. Anyone who gazes at you with lustful eyes will instantly become weak and impotent, with the exception of your spouse.
Your husband will be blessed with good fortune, good character, and penance. Together with you, he will live for seven Kalpas.
As a result, I have given you every boon you asked for. I’ll tell you about another incident from the prior birth.
It has been predicted that you will cast off your body in the flames. I will explain to you how to do it. You will definitely do it.
Let you do that in the flaming sacrificial fire during the sage Medhatithi’s twelve-year sacrifice.
Medhatithi is doing a huge penance in his hermitage on the banks of the Candrabhaga River, on the ridge of this mountain. The sages don’t notice you going there. You will be his fire-born daughter because of my favor.
As you commit your body to the fire, you will think of the attractive man you have in mind to be your husband.
Sandhya, during the earlier period of the Treta Yuga, after the Kṛta Yuga had ended, Dakṣa had produced numerous chaste daughters who were also legally married, while you were undergoing intense penance that had lasted for four yugas. He married the moon to twenty-seven of his daughters. However, the moon just liked Rohini and ignored everyone else. Consequently, Dakṣa cursed the moon, with the promise that he would find the Ether there upon seeing her. The gods were close to you at that point, but you were too focused on me to notice them because you were with Brahma. In order to free the moon from the curse, Brahma constructed the river Candrabhaga. Medhatithi came here at that moment. In terms of penance, no one is comparable to him. A person like that has never existed and never will. He has now begun the Jyotiṣṭoma sacrifice of numerous important ceremonies. You are going to cast off your flesh in that raging sacrificial fire. Now you are pure. I hope your other wishes come true as well.
Sandhya also went to the location where Medhatithi was offering sacrifices after Shiva disappeared after giving her the boons. No one watched her as she walked inside the sacrificial hall. Unnoticed by the sages, Sandhya entered the scorching sacrificial fire while meditating on that Brahmachari Vasishta, her tutor in the style of austerities, and envisioned him as her future husband.
The god of fire delivered her body to the sun’s pure zone. For the benefit of the Devas and Pitṛs, the sun split her body in two and put the pieces on his own chariot. Her lower body became the Shyaṃ Sandhya (dusk), and her upper body became the Prataḥ Sandhya (dawn). The time before sunrise, when the day begins, is known as Prataḥ Sandhya. The gods like it. During the time of Shyaṃ Sandhya, the sun has set and turned into a crimson lotus shape. It is enjoyable for the manes.
When the sacrifice was over, the sage discovered his daughter in the sacrificial pit, gleaming brightly like hot gold. The sage picked up the daughter with tremendous pleasure, treating her as if she were a sacrifice. He kept her on his lap while giving her a bath. She was named Arundhati by the great sage. His disciples were all around him as he joyfully celebrated the occasion. “One who does not hinder sacred rites in any manner whatsoever” is the definition of the word arundhati. She was given this moniker, which subsequently gained popularity throughout the three worlds.
The divine woman was raised in the Tapasaraṇya hermitage on the banks of the Candrabhaga River. By virtue of her virtues, the chaste woman sanctified the area around the Tapasaraṇya and the river Candrabhaga when she was five years old. Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma celebrated their marriage with Brahma’s son, Vasiṣṭha. In addition to bearing the auspicious sons Shakti and others, she also secured Vasiṣṭha.
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