SadAchAra Smriti

Lord Shiva

SadAchAra Smriti

Hymns of Pious Living -by Sri Madhvacharya

(translated to Kannada by Vidhvan Anandathirtha Nagasampige, translated from Kannada to English by Madhukrishna.)

1. The Pious people should have a liking for Sri Hari who is the controller of the body and who is supreme. They should leave their ego, attachment, and desire for material objects and should do their duty as a service to God.
2. Remember God while waking at Brahmamuhurtam (around 4:00 am) and when one sits after getting up. Go to the toilet, brush teeth, do achamana, and take bath.
3. Reciting “OdrutAsi varAhEna” hymn one should apply tulasimruttike to the body. Then immerse yourself into the water three times by chanting vasudeva 12 letter mantra, Narayana 8 letter mantra, Vishnu 6 letter mantra or Krishna 6 letter mantra.
4. Then do achamana, then recite “Apo hi shTha” and sprinkle water on the body. Repeat the process once again. This time instead of “Apo hi shTha” recite the aghamarshaNa Sukta – “rutvancha Satyam cha”
5. Holding the breath immerse your head into the water and remember Sri Hari as described in aghamarshaNa sUkta. Recite purushasUkta and sprinkle water on your head.
6. After the bath, wear dry clothes, do achamana, and sprinkle the water on the body by reciting “Apo hi shTha”. Purify the water by reciting “sUryascha mAmanyuscha” and drink. Remember Sri Narayana who is embedded in the Sun god, recites the Gayatri mantra and gives arghya three times.
7. Sprinkle water around you by reciting “asavAdityo Brahma”, do achamana, give tarpana to Lord Narayana, and wash the clothes which were kept on the eastern side.
8. Remember Sri Narayana who is told in the Gayatri mantra, who is present in Sun by chanting “dhyeyah sadA” hymn. Meditate on the Gayatri mantra thousand or hundred or at least ten times.
9. Meditate Gayatri standing until Sunrise. After Sun rises one can sit. Do the morning sandhyavandana when stars can be seen in the sky, evening sandhyavandan when Sun is seen. Maintain silence while performing Sayam sandhya.
10. Sri Narayana is sitting in Padmasana in the solar system. He is wearing vanki on the shoulder, makara kundala on the ears, a crown on the head, a pearl necklace on the neck, he has a golden body, conch and disk on both hands. Meditate on such Narayana.
11. After Gayatri japa meditates Narayana 8 letter mantra three times that of Gayatri. After the japa remember the devotees of Vishnu like Brahma, Indra, guardians of eight directions, other devatas, teachers, and parents.
12. One should serve God according to one's ability by remembering him, by talking about him. Acquire things for sadhana in a righteous way. Take an afternoon bath, and worship Sri Hari according to Veda-Pancharatra-tantrasara.
13. Perform Vaishvadeva and Baliharana every day with faith. Offer daily activities, dear wealth, wife, children and all activities motivated by the sense organs to Sri Hari.
14. Give the offered food to guests, then thinking of satisfied Sri Hari eat food. After taking food do achamana, chant Narayana 8 letter mantra.
15. Please (used as verb) Sri Hari by spending time studying, teaching, and discussing Vedas and Vedanta shastras. Perform sAyam sandhya before Sunset.
16.  Night after 9’O clock sleep thinking about Janardana. If you get up in between in the sleep, think about Janardana.
17. Whatever jiva does with body, senses, mind, and intelligence should be offered to Narayana.
18. In the society of Jivas which are everlasting, there are two types, Kshara and Akshara. Brahma and other devotees who have the destruction of the body are called Kshara. Lakshmi is called Akshara as her body is everlasting and without destruction.
19. In Vedas, it is told that there is a “paramAtman” one who is different from Kshara and Akshara. He is all-pervading. He is wearing the whole universe and is feeding it. Even if there is the destruction of this universe which is governed by Him, there is no destruction for Him.
20. Sri Hari is above Kshetra tatva and is superior to Lakshmi who represents the Akshara. That is the reason why Hari is called “Purushottama” in man-made puranas and in Vedas, which are not man-made.
21. One who has faith in what is told above and worships Hari as the Supreme being above all knows the essence of Vedic Scriptures.
22. This is secret knowledge. One who knows this is a Jnanin and gets liberated.
23. All Devatas are dependent on Rudradeva, and Rudradeva is dependent on four-faced Brahma. Four-faced Brahma is dependent on Sri Hari. Sri Hari is not dependent on anybody.
24. One should perform every activity with love and affection for Sri Hari. “What is told here is faithful and is of purpose” – one who thinks so and follows it sincerely without any ill feeling will get liberated from this world.
25. One who does not follow the above said teachings with ill feeling, know that they will go to Hell.
26. Remember Sri Vishnu always, never forget him, philosophy behind all the discipline and austerity while performing an activity is to remember Him.
27. Even if Sri Vishnu’s devotees perform an unrighteous act (by mistake) it will become righteous. It results in good only. Non-devotees of Vishnu even if they perform righteous act it results in bad.
28. Keep always your mind in Sri Hari. Always have devotion to Sri Hari. Do every activity to get the love and affection of Sri Hari. By remembering Sri Hari one can get all the fruits. One who wants liberation from the material world should always be sinscier to Sri Hari.
29. All the above austerities hold good both for Gruhastas (married people) and Vanaprastas. Except for Vaishvadeva, Baliharana, and Dantadhamana – the rest of the austerities should be performed by Brahmacharis also.
30. Like brahmacharis, even sanyasis should not do vaishvadeva and baliharana. Apart from this yatis should perform deva pooja from the things collected without asking. They should take bath with “pranava 8 letter mantra”, They should give tarpana only to Vishnu.
31. For Sanyasis the five yajnas like brahma yajna, devayajna, pituryajna will not be there. They should give tarpana only to Sri Vishnu. Even the sanyasis has to perform Gayatri and other japa. Brahmacharis should think of Parusharama who is present in mukhyaprana and do the homa with Samit.
32. People belonging to all the varnas and Ashramas should worship Vishnu as he is the supreme personality. Lakshmi, Brahma, and other devotees should be worshiped as members of Sri Vishnu’s family.
33. One who knows Sri Hari as the knower of all, ever new, a regulator of the universe, one who wears, having limitless attributes, one who is brighter than Sun, that Jiva will get liberated with the grace of Sri Hari.
34. He is the cause and governor of all Jivas, he is above modes of nature, he is complete, he is brighter than Sun.
35. Chaturmukha at the beginning of the creation of the universe worshiped Narayana as the Supreme, Devendra who knows the Anirudha and other chaturmurthis worshiped Narayana as the supreme – I know such supreme personality Narayana. One who hears the superior qualities of ParamAtma and one who sees him through his sadhana will get liberated. There is no other way to get liberated.
36. Let Sri Hari with infinite attributes, one who is devoid of all impurities, who is above Sri Lakshmi and Brahma be satisfied with my work.

|| bhArateeramaNa mukhyaprANAntargata shree lakShmeenArAyaNAya namaH ||