Trisandya

Hindu tradition

The Trisandya (from Sanskrit: त्रिसन्ध्या पूजा, romanized: Trisandhyā Puja, lit. 'three-cusp prayer') is a commonly-used prayer in Indian Hinduism and Balinese Hinduism. It is uttered three times each day: 6 am at morning, noon, and 6 pm at evening, in line with the Sandhyavandanam tradition.^[1]^[2]

History

Prior to Indonesia's independence, standardized prayers did not exist in Balinese Hinduism. Only brahmins recited mantras in temple environments. After the declaration of Indonesian independence in 1945, Sukarno enshrined the Pancasila, or Five Principles, as the basis of the new state, the first of which is "Belief in the one and only God". The Ministry of Religious Affairs, created in 1946 to enforce this principle, initially did not recognize Hinduism, and its adherents faced pressure to convert to either Christianity or Islam.

To gain official recognition, Balinese Hindus systematically reformed the religion along the lines of Christianity and Islam. One such reform was the synthesis of the Puja Tri Sandya, which was modelled along the Adhan (call to prayer) in Islam and the Angelus prayer in Christianity. Starting from the 1950s, the mantra was taught to schoolchildren. After the granting of official religious status to Hinduism in 1963, the Puja Tri Sandhya began to be broadcast on loudspeakers and radios.

Starting from the 1980s, it has also been broadcast on televisions as well.^[3]

Mantram Tri Sandhyā

Mantram Tri Sandhyā ^[4]

Part I

The first part of this mantra was derived from the Gayatri Mantra. ^[5]

Oṁ, Oṁ, Oṁ

Bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
Tat savitur vareṇyaṃ
Bhargo devasya dhīmahi
Dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt

OM is the Earth, Sky, and the Heavens.
Let us meditate on the light of the Sun
and may our thoughts be
inspired by that divine light.

Part II

Oṁ Nārāyaṇa evedaṁ Sarvām
Yad bhūtaṁ yac ca bhavyam
Niṣkalaṅko nirañjano nirvikalpo
Nirākhyātaḥ śudho deva eko
Nārāyaṇaḥ na dvitīyo asti kaścit

OM, Narayana is all that has been and what will be,
free from taint, free from dirt,
ever existing and without form,
Holy God Narayana,
He is the only one and there is no other.

Part III

Oṁ tvaṁ Śivas tvaṁ Mahādevaḥ
Īśvaraḥ Parameśvaraḥ
Brahmā Viṣṇuś ca Rudraś ca
Puruṣaḥ Parikīrtitāḥ

OM, You are Shiva, You are the Great God;
You are Ishvara, Parameshvara;
You are Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra;
You are Purusha, the supreme soul, and the source of everything.

Part IV

Oṁ Pāpo ’haṁ pāpakarmāhaṁ
Pāpātmā pāpasaṁbhavaḥ
Trāhi māṁ puṅḍarikākṣaḥ
Sabāhyā bhyāntaraḥ śuciḥ

OM, I am full of sin, my action is sinful,
I myself am sinful, and my birth is sinful,
save me, O Lotus-Eyed One,
purify my body and mind.

Part V

Oṁ Kṣamasva mām Mahādevaḥ
Sarvāprāṅi hitāṅkaraḥ
Mām moca Sarvā pāpebhyaḥ
Pālayasva sadāśiva

OM, forgive me, Great God,
You who give salvation to all sentient beings,
save me from my sins
and protect me, O Sada Shiva.

Part VI

Oṁ Kṣantavyaḥ kāyiko doṣāḥ
Kṣantavyo vāciko mama
Kṣantavyo mānaso doṣaḥ tat
Pramādāt Kṣamasva mām

OM, forgive my wrong actions,
forgive my wrong speech,
forgive my sinful mind,
forgive me for all of my misdeeds.

Part VII

Oṁ, Śāntiḥ, Śāntiḥ, Śāntiḥ, Oṁ

OM, may there be peace, peace, peace, OM

References

^ Blum, A. (2018). Island Secrets: Stories of Love, Lust and Loss in Bali. Monsoon Books Pte. Limited. ISBN 978-1-912049-27-1. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
^ Nordholt, H.S.; Van Klinken, G.; van Klinken, G.A. (2007). Renegotiating Boundaries: Local Politics in Post-Suharto Indonesia. KITLV Press. p. 412. ISBN 9789067182836. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
^ Hynson, Meghan (2021). "A Balinese 'Call to Prayer': Sounding Religious Nationalism and Local Identity in the Puja Tri Sandhya". Religions. 12 (8): 668. doi:10.3390/rel12080668.
^ Drs. K. M. Suhardana (2008). Pūjā Tri Sandhyā – Kramaning Sembah. PĀRAMITA. p. 13. ISBN 9789797225100.
^ Kamakhya Devi Temple: Story and History