Page 10 - Imperience Beckons

start from is the very point which corresponds closely with the Destination.
Importance is also given to Sandhya at the time of noon (Tam). But in that case the power is utilised in a different way. The sun's rays are quite direct at the time causing greater heat. Nature's eternal heat which proceeds from the origin is also attached with it. Thus indirectly we connect ourselves with the Ultimate Power through the medium of the material heat and secure closeness to it. This continues till the time when the heat begins to subside and we draw the fullest benefit thereof. Now the time that follows will enable us to have a taste of the condition which comes next, helping us to acquire still further closeness. The sages have therefore advisedSandhya at noontime too. The reason is that by continuous influence the sun's rays get connected with the plane wherefrom they have originated and which is next to the Ultimate. Since the rays of the sun are closest to the perpendicular at noon the effect brought about by them is more direct owing to the nearness. The heat which seems to be coming from the sun is in fact the heat of the particles. Thus if we meditate at noon our thought gets unconsciously attached with the Centre or the Ultimate. Putting it in a different way, I may say that in order to solve a problem we often assume the answer first. Similarly in order to solve the problem of life we assume the very real thing first, however hazy it may be to our view, because on arriving at the last phase the cognizance of the previous ones is often lost. In this way we utilize that excessive heat to our best advantage. But since the material heat at the time is also great we do not treat Sandhya at noon to be compulsory in our system. During the time that follows, the heat of the sun begins gradually to subside. In other words, we begin to advance towards coolness till we reach the point where both the heat and coolness are at par and this is the evening time which is fixed for the practice of Sandhya. It helps us to derive the full benefit of the time getting more closely attached with the coolness of the hour. As the time advances further we go on getting closer and closer to greater coolness. Finally we reach the point where we are closest to it and that is the time of dawn. The sun's rays have their least influence at that time. It is a scientific principle upon which the division of the timings for puja and Sandhya is based in accordance with the natural effect of the time.
A question now arises as to why Sandhya has been fixed only at the times of Sattva and Tamas and not at the time of Rajas. The principle of Invertendo is well known to everybody. Both terminals are taken into account, viz., the beginning and the end. The beginning is Sat and the end is Tam. Inverting them we get the reverse. The beginning becomes the end and vice versa. The middle