And so the first week of the Deity worship course has come to an end for me here....and what do I have to show for it...well...I can now do the long acaman procedure!
What is acaman? Well if you asked me this a few weeks ago I would say it's to clean your hands and the long version seems to be this extremely complicated and convoluted process with lots of mantras and symbols! But now, I have a much better understanding. Acaman is not about ONLY washing your hands...but it's about purification. And the mantras that you chant along with doing it...they are the most important element in the process. In fact I didn't know this before (and I would hazard a guess that perhaps there are one or two of you out there who may not know this either) but when putting the drops of water in your hand, you're supposed to look at the water and chant the mantras into the water. Otherwise there is no use! It is the mantras that purify the water, and upon sipping that water it can then purify you. Acaman is a way of purifying oneself on the subtle level and is also a means of purification when it is not possible to take a bath.
So whether you are doing the long or short version, remember that the purpose is purification. This way, no matter what we do for Krishna, we can try to do be as pure as possible and therefore serve Krishna the way he likes to be served.
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