Nitya Karma...

The word Nitya Karma means karma that recurs. It need not occur daily.
Of these things except the rituals concerning the manes others are done only by a few. We can see all those things and then discuss about the 40 samskaras.
Among the rituals concerning the manes most do the tharpana ritual on the new moon day . But there are 96 such dates on which the ritual is to be done. They are called shannavati tharpana.

Even the new moon day tharpana is in lieu of sradhdha. When the 96 tharpanas are rare what to say of 96th days of sradhdhda?
Any way let us list the ninety six days.
The first of the of the year – 1
(also known as yugadi)
The first day of Ayana. -2
(ayana are two; the northern sojourn of the sun is uththarayana, the southern sojourn of the sun is dhakshnayana.)
The First day of solar month - 12
The new moon days -12
manvathi -14
(These are days when the manvantharas started.)
First days of the four yugas. -4
(These are days when the yugas started mentioned as the lunar calendar days:
Vaikasi, shukla paksha 3rd day – krutha yuga started.
Karthika, shukla paksha ninth day – thretha yuga started.
Pathrapatha (Purattaasi) krisna paksha 13 th day dwapara yuga started.
Magha fullmoon day kali yuga started)

poorvedhyu, anvastaka, ashtaka – 12
(These are the eighth days of the waning moon, the days before and after that occurring in the hemantha and sisira ruthus.)
Mahalaya paksha – 15
Vytheepatha -12
Vaidhruthi -12
In addition to these two days in a year related to the parents. (the death anniversaries)
That makes it ninety six.

It is said that those who do the rituals on the yugadi and manvadi days satisfy the manes for 2000 years.

Some elders who know of things say that many of the problems that people face arise from the fact that the rituals concerning the manes is not done properly.

In these rituals there is a procedure that helps people who are barren. Not many people know of this.
Apart from these things are or what are called kamya sradhdhaa. These are done desiring something for which we are seeking the blessings of our ancestors.
The things desired can be swarga, progeny – boy or girl, ojas, lands, strength, something special, saubhagya, disease free life, growth of wealth etc.
These are listed by yagnavalkya. He also mentions the date, days and yoga etc. on which to do the rituals like these. Those who desire can search for it.
We are somehow slipped from daily rituals to rituals with desire.
In between there is something called naimithyakam. These arise in face of some special circumstances. For example if the hut of a agnihotri burns down a particular ishti is to be done.

the evening and night.

Having having spent the afternoon looking after the affairs of the family we come to the evening rituals.Vyasa says that we should finish the evening surya upasana,(sandhya vandana) agni upasana and vaishvadevam. After supper one retires to bed.
The evening fire ritual -aupasanam- is equivalent to donating gold to that extent the several mountains; performing hundred Vajabeya yagna; or performing 10 million kanya dhana. Wow!

Some people do puja in the evening or night.

Before retiring to bed one should wash one's hands, feet and wipe them dry. Once should lie on the left side while sleeping. One should not lie with the head pointing north. Any other side is all right.
Those who sleep very well are agasthya, madhava, musukunta, kapila and astheeka. It is recommended that one thinks of these people while going to bed to ensure a good sleep. One should keep in a vessel of drinking water at the headend. One can also recite vedic mantra or garuda mantras to protect oneself.

If it is the proper season to get a good progeny one can visit the spouse. On other days if a natural urge prevails one can do so. It is said that no male can refuse a spouse if she desires sex. This is because they have been a boon from Indra. The Shastras prescribes certain things. Perhaps more appropriate to say proscribes - certain dates. If anybody observes this thing automatically only have a planned family!

Thus we come to the end of the karma is that one should be doing daily. It is said that one who observes all these things will obtain everything that he desires.

after food....

Having finished eating one should drink a little water and move away to wash hands (upto elbows), feet (upto knees) and mouth. One should rinse the mouth 18 times. (Do it; you will never get dental problems! My wisdom tooth was pulled out. The dentist asked me not to brush for four days but to gargle 18 times.) The water must be spit out to the left side.

Sage Gowthama advices to remember the King Saryati, his daughter Sukanya, the Risi Shyavana (yes, the shyavan prash is named after him as it is his formula) Lord Indra, aswins. (not the cricketer, but the celestial twins) and wet the eyes. Rubbing the eyes with the wet thumbs will prevent eye diseases. [All the above mentioned persons are linked by a story. I hope you know it!]

Good betle (piper betle) leaves along with a little lime and arecanut helps digestion. Taken on fridays it gives the benevolent looks of lakshmi!

On the other hand some people get into the habit of making a meal of it as well as snack out of it and they are sure to lose the longevity, intellect, strength, pragna and vitality. The tongue no longer can discriminate tastes.

One should walk 200 steps and then sit like a king and work.

The afternoon is the time for vedic recital (repetition),reading ithihasas, puranas and sastras.
Time can be taken off to attend to household works too.

What can be eaten and what not?

What can be eaten and what not?

Some food items as a species are not good. Some are to be avoided as they do something bad to us. Some are time barred! Some are to be avoided due to their association. Some due to their inherent quality. Like this there are various ways why some food items are to be not partaken.

Onion, red 'drumsticks', garlic, (in short allium cepa family ) mushrooms, stem of lotus flower, suraikaay belong to the species of the plant kingdom that is to be avoided.
if someone with nasty thoughts look at food it becomes bad. Food cooked in oil and stored for a long time becomes bad.
'pazhaiya sORu' which is popular in tamil nadu is also objectionable.
Curd, honey don't become stale and fried eatables stay for a long time.
Food items cooked with alcohol and onion; milk from cow which delivered just within 10 days are bad due to association.
If a doubt arises whether a particular foodstuff can be eaten or not it is not to be eaten. This concept is called 'sahrulleham'.
Sage parasara proscribes white brinjal, resins from tress (the famous asofoetida is one such), milk of camel, goat; and 'temple properties' .
Food items from yava and wheat are not time barred ever. Except curd no food items gone sour can be consumed. (for emergencies such item can be washed and eaten)
At night time sour ginger, curd, cooked rice with gingely, gooseberry (amla) are to be avoided.
Some items are not to be brought together. Bronze vessel + coconut water / cane juice; copper vessel + curd/ milk; salt + milk, ghee.
Such combinations denature the food.
Ok, ok you say we don't want don'ts tell us do-s.
If a person has one of these in his stomach Lord Hari is near him: Tulsi, agaththi, gooseberry, soil (sundaikkaay).
He who eats anything uttering the words 'Narayana' reaches good worlds ultimately.

(I know that there will be a lot of objections to including onions and garlic in this list but what to do? It is said so in sastras! Personal tastes are health concerns (by western concepts) might clash with these ideas. Make your choice!)

Food - do's and dont's

It is quite a while since i posted here and i sincerely apologise for it. I shall try to be more regular.
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Usually one should not drink with a vessel from the left hand.. but here is an exception – while eating one can drink so while touching the plate with the right hand.
Salt, pickles, vegetables, ghee, oil, paayasam and rice should always be served with a ladle – not with hand. What has been fried in oil can be served with hand if need be. Fruits too can be served with hand. Any fruit or snacks must be served to children first and then to guests.
Ghee, honey, payasam, curd and fruits can be eaten with out leaving any remnants. Other things – a little at least must be left in the plates. (perhaps this was meant for the dogs and a few gypsy clans whose dharma it used to be to partake only the leftovers from the plates or leaves used to eat. Dogs exist still but the gypsies have taken another path of life.)
one should not eat while walking or standing. One should not be wearing a headdress; one should not sit facing south. In such cases the nourishment from the food will only go to the rakshashas.
While eating one does not touch the feet; one should not have the food in the hands and eat from it – I mean the entire food in hand; one does not sit on the cot and eat (the ants will visit?); one does not eat while in transit; one avoids eating with the footwear on the feet.
Fruits, semi fruits, roots, sugarcane are not to be eaten using teeth to tear them. (serve them pre split)
what slipped out from the plate is also not worth eating.
Of course one does not eat with a dirty hand, dirty body...when you sit and eat dont put out the lower limb straight. Dont let the mind wander on other things – like reading a book- while eating. One is supposed to enjoy eating!
When is one not supposed to eat? During the sandya (twilight time) pradosham, (daily evening from about an hour before sunset) after ten in the night, (of course assuming a sunset time of six o’clock,) in the dark without light.

What of contaminants?
If any ant, hair, worm are found the food surrounding it immediately should be removed and thrown away. After sprinkling a little water on the food one can continue eating. In case one realises the contaminant after putting the food in the mouth, one spits it out rinses the mouth with water, takes a little ghee and then continues with the eating.

How much to eat?
Simple, guided by one's hunger!
Well if some guidance is needed – for sanyasin 8 mouthfuls; for vanaprasthan 16; for gruhastha 32.

how many times a day?
The saying goes – one who eats once is a yogi; twice is a bhogi 9one who enjoys); thrice is a rogi (sick man)
Exceptions are made for some people – a brahmacary, agnihotri, bull, one who is doing samaveda recitation. Such people need a lot of energy and so there is no restriction.

Why am I writing about eating this much? It is the only karma that everyone still keep doing!

'echchcil' ...

Now I have to talk about a concept that has no parallel and therefore I don't find a term for it in English. The nearest term is 'defile'.
It is called uchchishtam in samskrit and echchil in Tamil.
Though echchcil means saliva in English the whole concept of echchil is not there. Also some people explain it saying this is just good hygiene, but it is not entirely true!
When you sip a glass of water as your mouth comes in contact with the cup the water in it becomes echchil. It is then unfit for others to drink.... mmmm … actually for you too! (That is because in the previous post we saw that “what remains when food is put in waster should not come back to the plate” - this is something like that.) This cup needs to be washed before it can be reused.
You are eating and wanting a food item from a vessel reach out for it on the table and serve yourself.... well that vessel just now became echchil. Others cant not consume it. In row of people eating you get up and leave and all the food items in that row in every plate... it just became echchil.
Till one goes and washes his hands, legs upto knee and fore limbs up-to elbow; then does acamana he is not pure. He is …. yes, you guessed it right, echchil. Till then anyone who touches him also becomes echchil; they will have to wash themselves and do acamana.

eating....

{ I find that this post written days ago has escaped publishing by the blogger demon! :-) hence.....}

After the rice is served some water is taken in the right palm and letting it leak through fingers the plate is circumambulated clockwise and the rice is sprinkles with the remnant. Doing what is called paricheshanam is kula acara -not applicable universally. In this case the water for the three circumambulations (pradakshina in samskrit) must be taken separately. Another person should pour a little water in your hand and you partake it. Taking little rice - mixed with ghee, if you are used to taking ghee with food- without touching the teeth the rice is swallowed five times one each for each prana. This is what is called prana agnihotram. Again a little water poured by another person is partaken. At last, is one free after this to eat the rest of the food? Just a minute, a little food is placed on the ground to the right side as bali for yama, chitragupta, and prethas. (chitra bali). This is done if vaishvadevam is not been practiced.
Ok, now you can eat, (at last!) but there are some do's and dont's. (I knew it!)

Food should not scattered on the ground around the plate. One should not comment on the food. 'Annam na nindhyath' says the upanishad. One should not talk while eating. If one does so his lifetime will be shortened. An exception has been made for the gruhasta who sits with others to eat. He has to see other's plates and give suitable instructions to the wife.

One should take just what his mouth will hold. Once food is put in the mouth it should not come back to the plate. Therefore one should not take something take a bite off it and return it to the plate. Sound should not be made while drinking or eating. While a group of persons are eating together one should not get up and leave. If anyone does so, all should leave says the sastras. If there is a compulsion to leave one can split the row with a little water and then leave.

Most of these are followed as etiquette.

more on aditi...

It is quite possible that this can be misused and sastras cover that eventuality too. A person living in the same village can not be an aditi. If a person comes on a day and then again on the next day he is not an aditi. A person staying in a village but keeps visiting nearby villages and poses as an aditi is condemned by sastras. Similarly one who quotes his lineage and gotra and demand food is like a person who, eats what he vomited (vanthaasee)! He will be born as a cow in the gruhasthas household in the next janma!

What of those who refuse to do aditi puja?
When a gruhastha refuses someone, the visitor takes all the punya of the gruhastha when he leaves. Whatever sins the aditi had is transferred to the gruhastha who refused. For fifteen years the pitrus won't visit his house. Even if he does homas with 100 pots of ghee no benefit will ensue.

Such are the values that our forefathers had. Even if things have changed a lot and this has become difficult to follow one needs to contemplate on this wonderful concept.
Ok, so can we now sit down to eat?

Aditi Pooja

Sanyasins, brahmacaries, travelers, those who are in abject poverty are all qualified to take bhiksha. Sanyasins and brahmacaries are not not in a position to cook. Sanyasins have no right to use fire whereas the brahmacaries have no time as they are studying. So they must be given cooked rice. A gruhasta who is asking for bhiksha should be offered only uncooked rice.

The householder can eat only after checking that adities, elders in the house, married girls, pregnant ladies, sick persons, and the workers in the household have partaken their food.

Aditi Pooja

The person who comes at the end of vaishvadevam is a good Aditi, it is said that one need not inquire about his caste, his gotra, his acara, branch of veda he belongs to, or what Shastra he follows. We must do Aditi Pooja to this person. Many risis see him as Vyasa himself. To do such a Puja is equivalent to an yagna without the yupa (a staff planted in the yagna-shaalaa).

This Puja involves inviting the person, giving water to drink, washing the feet, offering water in the hand and giving pain relieving oil. He is offered a seat, fed and to rest a bed is offered.

A special offering can be what is called Madhu barga.
This is offered if the Aditi is one learnt bhrahmana, one's teacher, rthvik (one who does yagna for the person), the King, the father in law and the maternal uncle.(only if these people have not visited in the last one year they must be offered madhu barga.) This is prepared by mixing honey with milk or curd. With each action in this Puja, we please, a particular Devatha. Inviting pleases Soorya; Good words spoken pleases Sarasvati; well coming agni; offering a seat indra; washing feet pitrus; food prajapati; offering bed – bhrahma, vishnu and maheswara!!

This thing is to be done according to one's ability. Even if your resources does not allow, let your wife and children reduce their consumption but never neglect your aditis and workers – this is the rule. If you cant offer food offer water, if you cant offer bed offer a place to lie down and rest.

Sathathapar says that the worlds reached by people who do aditi puja is not reached even by people who do yagnas and thapas.

What of the evening? Even if a person does not arrive by the time of vaishvadeva he is to be taken care of. He is called 'Suryotan' and where would he go in the night? This person should never be refused- sastras say eight times sin accumulates if such a person is refused compared to refusing during the day.

It is quite possible that this can be misused and sastras cover that eventuality too.

aditi

Now we're going to see a fantastic concept which has no equal in any other place This is manusha yagna. For this very important person is the adity.

The sastras prescribe that before setting for lunch , one should go to the entrance of the house and watch for any guest who might take the food one has to watch for the duration of milking a cow. Someone comes along If you're lucky. If you are unlucky, nobody turns out. Then with a heavy heart that no one has blessed you with his presence that day, you go and eat your food.
It's amazing to see what sort of attitude people have had those days.

An aditi is not one who gives you a call and says that, “I am coming for dinner today. Can I have the potato fries?”. On the other hand, there a long list of criteria to determine an aditi starting from one who has walked a long way and is tired. In short aditi is a person who is not known to the gruhasta and qualifies certain criteria.

To feed such a person his caste is NOT a criterion. If the aditi is a brahmin there will be aditi pujaa too. One may in accordance to one's household acaram choose the place of feeding like the pial but one should never refuse to feed the aditi. It follows that once there is no dearth of food and people need not worry about the next meal what sort of society will exist!

bhootha yagna

Next comes bhootha yagnam. Bhoothas are all around our house. Don't get scared! They are all good spirits. They are in bodies that are not visible to us. We call them bhoothas.
There are a lot of variations in this, so we should do as prescribed by tradition. There are many Devathas which reside in water; the medicinal plants; the house; parts of the house; vasthu devatha; Indira; indra purusha; Yama purusha; varuna; varuna purusha; soma, soma purusha; brahma; brahma purusha; vishvedevaa; all other bhootha ganas; those who move about in the day, those who move about in the night; rakshashas in the north, manes in the south.... this is the list given by suanaka. Just an example.....


One might also add feeding the Crow and the dog in this list.

Pancha maha yagna

One comes home after work for the noon rituals. It begins with the noon bath followed by surya upasana (maadhyaniham). If brahma yagnam has not been done in the morning now it is to be done followed by deva, risi, pitru tharpanam. This involves reciting mantras remembering
1. the devas from bhramhaa onwards – all devas, their consorts and there subordinates!
2. The risis who gave us the vedas mentioning each division of veda and their risis starting from veda vyasa, all risis, their consorts and there subordinates!
3. All the pitrus starting from soman and yama angiraswan all pitrus, their consorts and there subordinates!
Tharpanam means literally pleasing someone. This is done by remembering the person and pouring water on the hand in a prescribed way. It is best that the water is poured on the hand and it reaches the earth. If such a situation is not possible it can be collected in a vessel and later on poured on the earth.
If for some reason the daily puja has not taken place till now it is to be done.
Next comes the pancha maha yagna.
It is basically offering food to 1. devas, 2. pitrus, 3.mankind, 4. the rest of the living being from worms onwards! The brahmins have to do a ritual called vaishvadevam. There is a difference of opinion as to what pancha maha yagna; one school says what has been said above is what it is; another school says it is something more. Anyway....
To offer at least one twig (samith) in fire (agni) is deva yagna.
Feeding pitrus -usually offering to crows- is pitru yagna.
Offering to the non visible beings called boothas is bootha yagnam.
Offering food to people is manushya yagnam.
The concept of vaishvadevam comes from recognising that while we do our routine house hold work we unknowingly kill several things.
The fireplace, the pestle and mortar, grinding stone, winnowing fan, and the water vessel are places that it can happen. Though we normally don't use things much nowadays and they are out of fashion think of the gas/electrical stove, grinder, mixie and water purifier. When we use these things some insects microbes etc. Will die. As an atonement wee do this karma.
Why this is only for brahmins? That is because unlike other classes he is expected to have jeeva karunya (love for all life forms) as a primary attitude.
(more to come....)

earning a living...

Those who have learnt vedas must recite them after pooja. Though classically this should last an hour or so, hardly anyone do so. One should try to recite at least a chapter if not then at least a part of a chapter. Those who have not learnt the vedas properly should learn and recite at lest the beginning verses of the four vedas.
What of those who don't have a 'right' to vedas? They should recite verses from the divine books like Thiruvasakam, Bhagavat gita etc.
After this now one goes out to earn money for the sustenance of the family. If you have been wondering whether I will get around to this here is the answer. our shastras and kalpas or realistic. They know the plight of a family holder, so they have given the ways and means to earn a living. Of course, they lay down restrictions about who can do what work. All these things are discussed in detail in Dharma sastras.
One should earn money in a way that is not proscribed.
Classically teaching and other intellectual workis the job of Brahmins, The kshatriyas take up jobs that depend on the body strength like police, defense etc. The vaishyas are the traders. The shudras do much of the legwork, which has multiplied a lot nowadays. Such a division of labor was called varnasrama dharma.
This age-old system is in shambles now, and many people have taken up jobs that do not belong traditionally to that class. However, many new jobs have sprung up in one wonders where to put them up. Therefore, let us not go into the controversies.

One should work as much as the money received is worth. Just attending an office and pocketing money without doing any work is to be frowned upon.
Let us now see how to manage this money that has been earned. One sixth goes to the King - that is tax. Nowadays, since we don't trust the governments, we go about looking how to reduce the tax burden.
You'd have other one sixth goes to charity. The rest of the money is ours to spend as they see fit. Money earned and distributed thus is good money that does not carry any karma along with that.. one can boldly receive money from such people as donation. Otherwise money carries – sort of tainted – with ones karma and is transmitted.
what to say about the mass that hankers after the freebies announced by political parties and vote for them? One can only pity them. :-(

why the puja is structured in a certain way.

let us see why the puja is structured in a certain way.
Let us think of a guest visiting us. He is a very respectable person. What we do first?
We welcome him. In the villages such a person will be taken in made to sit and water is to offered wash the feet and drink. Once he is refreshed . He bathes , depending on the weather and his physical condition in hot water or cool water from the well. Then he is given clothes to wear. While the food is getting ready we chat something that is warm to the heart. Then we eat. After that comes beetle leaves and areca nut. It is customary to offer dhakshina to one who has taken the food. Since this person is an elder of repute we prostrate before him and receive his blessings. When he wants to take leave we arrange a vehicle for him.
Now look at the puja. We think of God being in a particular picture or stone. That is Dyanam. We request Him to be in it till the puja is over. This is avahanam. Then we offer a seat – asanam. We pour water in his feet and hands- patha prakshalanam and argyam. Asamanam is offering water to drink. Then the bath. Samanam again. Wearing the sacreed thread and dress. Wearing the jewels. Arcana with flowers; showing the doopa and ghee lamp. Offering the food that has been prepared with love and care- nivedanam. Showing the burning camphor in front of him. Saying his praise by verses. Offering a golden flower. Circumnavigating and prostrating at his feet. Showing the mirror to him. Letting him ride an elephant or chariot. Finally submitting all the effects from puja acts to Him. Such a puja is called shodopasara puja.

Puja

Next on the list is doing Pooja to God. It is said that we should not eat anything that has not been offered to God. Offering food to God is an essential step in doing Pooja.
I'm not saying that you should do Pooja for an hour or two daily. We can choose how long we want to/ afford to spend doing the Pooja. Even if we are in tearing hurry to get on with our daily routine, like going to the office, we should plan to spend at least 5 min in pooja. We should find time at least to light a lamp near the picture or figurine of God, likes to doopa sticks, offer 2- 3 fresh flowers and offer 4 to 5 dry fruits or sugar candy, with a concentrated mind. Pray for the well being of all the life forms, fall in the h feet of god and be on our way. Those who have time in hand can do the Puja in an extensive manner as described in books. It all depends on how much time we can set aside for this they should make it a habit to do this daily. All this requires mainly is the mindset.
But what it takes is a well thought out plan. It should not become a stress. Instead the focusing our mind on God and making it quiet, we should not start getting angry and agitated because this is not ready or that is not available. There is no point in doing a puja in a hurry in such a way that the mind does not get quiet. If you find that time is not available, it is better to shorten the puja and do that at a quiet mind.
As seen in earlier the Puja must be done by the males while the ladies help that process. If we do like this, the entire family will benefit. But i we see that this puja is delegated to the ladies usually.

There was a boy who went to a Guru Kula seeking Vedic education. Looking at him the teacher had an intuition. He gave him the work of looking after the three fires in his household. He was teaching Vedic lessons for the other students, but this boy was left alone with the fire. Being a good student, the boy was not really bothered that he was not being instructed. Since he has been given a work to do, he diligently did that job.

Thus several days passed. Days became weeks and still, he was not called to any class. One day the boy was just leaving the fire place in the three agnis started talking among themselves. "This boy has been here for years but has not received any Vedic education. What shall we do?" "He has served us very well!" said another. "Let us impart him the knowledge!" said the third. The fires called out to the boy and he came in. He fell in front of them seeking the blessings which they duly gave. With the blessing of the Fires, Brahma vidya came to him in entirety.

The teacher who had gone out came back at this juncture and saw that the boy was shining with knowledge. He asked the boy what happened. The boy replied in all humility that the fire was talking to each other and when he entered and fell in front of them, they blessed him. The teacher immediately understood everything. And was immensely pleased that is initial assessment was right.. He blessed the boy and sent him home.

agni upasana.

Next comes the agni upasana.

While the sun is helping us indirectly the fire helps us directly in several ways. The physical fire that we see is influenced by its own Devata and is called Agni. The fire worship is of various forms. The basic form is aupasanam. The ritual itself takes about 5 min in the morning and the evening. Preparing this fire takes anywhere from 5 to 10 min. After the marriage through a ritual this worship is started. This fire is maintained continuously as long as one lives. It is in this agni that several rituals are performed later.

One might be hesitant as this which will inevitably produces smoke. But the sastras have defined which smoke is good and which is bad. Any smoke from ritual fires is good for health.

This upasana is not just for Brahmins. Others can also do with a small change in the mantra, namaha replacing swaha.

Generally, it is said that these rituals are to be performed by the males and female have no right. Here is one glaring exception. Up to 7 times (3 1/2 days) consecutively, the ladies can do this aupasana homam if the husband is away. It doesn't matter if the husband is not in the house . The Agni Devatha will remain alive in the physical fire. But if the wife is not in the house when the ritual is to be performed the devatha will not be present in the physical fire. One will have to do a small procedure again to make it alive.

from sunrise to...1

Our forefathers have linked each and every action that we perform to God.
As soon as you're awake in the morning we should recite the names of Lord Vishnu who is the God protecting us. After clearing our bladder and gut we should brush our teeth.
Taking the sunrise as six o'clock the best time for any mantra japa or meditation is four o'clock in the morning. More on this later.
The time for the morning bath is when you see the reddish sky in the East. This is called Arunodaya time. If you're wondering whether bathing is a karma, it certainly is. This becomes all the more important if we are taking bath in a river or in any holy waters. There are even special sankalpas for them.
Next comes the worship of the Sun. Though most important for the Brahmins, it should be done by one and all, including ladies. The only difference is how it is done.
Here I give the methods and mantras that is applicable universally.

Take a little water in your right hand and drink it. Stand facing east.
Make a cup with both your hands take water in it and having recited the sloka end it by throwing the water towards the sun. (So better choose the place where you're doing this). The best place would be a water body or a clean ground. If you're forced to do it in doors that a water drop in a clean vessel; you can dispose of the water later.

Gaṇādhipa surādhyakṣa cintāmaṇi Gaṇēc\'vara
siddhidāyaka vighṉēca\' gru\'hāṇārghyam namōstutē.

Gaṇapatayē nama: idamarghyam.
Gaṇapatayē nama: idamarghyam.
Gaṇapatayē nama: idamarghyam.

rajju-vētra-kacā\'pāṇē kāc\'yapē Garudāgraja
arkka-sūtāruṇa-svāmiṉ gru\'hāṇārghyam namōstutē.

aruṇāya nama: idamarghyam.
aruṇāya nama: idamarghyam.
aruṇāya nama: idamarghyam.

ēhi sūrya sahasrāmcō\' tējōrācē\' jakatpatē
aṉukampaya mām bhaktyā gru\'hāṇārghyam namōstutē.

sūryāya nama: idamarghyam.
sūryāya nama: idamarghyam.
sūryāya nama: idamarghyam.

Having done this, we offer our namaskaras .

1) mitrāya nama: , 2) ravayē nama:, 3) sūryāya nama:
4) bhaṉavē nama:, 5) khagāya nama:, 6) pūṣṇē nama:
7) hiraṇyaGarbhāya nama:, 8) marīcayē nama:, 9) ādityāya nama:
10) savitrē nama:, 11) arkkāya nama:, 12) bhaskarāya nama:

After this is our prayer. The meaning of which is, “Oh Sun, remove my sins, grant me a long life, health and an end to my illnesses. Grant me wealth, intellect and moksha.”

kāma-krōdhadi bhir-mūDā pātakam nu karōmyaham
sarva-pāpa-kṣayam\' kru\'tvā rakṣa mām dyumaṇē prabhō
āyur-ārōgyam aic\'varyam\' jñāṉam vittam prayaccha mē
svarGam apyapavarGañca jaGatīc\'vara bhāskara

PS: Ladies should avoid doing this when they are having the periods.
The sun is the ultimate source of energy. Even if we are eating non-vegetarian food, that animal ate a plant source. The plants make food directly from the Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the sunlight – for we are thankful to the sun, who gives the energy that we need.

If I do all these what do I get?

Looking at the lengthy list, one might start wondering how all these things are going to help us go towards God or any spiritual elevation.
Performing these ceremonies in one's lifetime will give one what is called atma gunas. This means virtues that qualify an elevated soul. All karmas lead to the purification of mind and intellect such a mind is capable of receiving godliness. This will lead to revelation of the true nature of the man.
We are all born with three runas -debts. Runam a something like money borrowed, which needs to be returned.
The first is what we owe to devas. According to the legends God created devas and mankind and told them to help each other. The devas hold control over the natural forces like sunshine, rain. They make rains and we reap the harvest. This food sustains us. So we need to pay back the devas. This we do by performing rituals which please them like Pooja homa etc.
The second is what we owe to the risis. The risis obtained the Vedic mantras and gave them to us. We are using this mantras in conducting rituals mentioned above. Therefore we owe them. This we can pay back by helping the sustenance of Vedas. We can do this by reciting the Vedas if we qualify for that, or by helping those who are learning, teaching Vedas. This help can also be by bodily effort or by donation of money or kind to vedic schools.
The third is what you owe to our forefathers. I want to stress this here as we see many people suffering a lot, not knowing what the cause is. Almost throughout the world there are rituals to appropriate the Manes. Agnihotram thathacaryar has complied a huge book on this subject that is yet to see the print..
We must strive to pay back these debts in our lifetime.

Okay. Enough of preamble . Let us get to the classification of karma.
There are actions which need to be done daily, and these are called nitya karma. The examples are the daily bath, Pooja, et cetera.
There are actions which need to be done on occasions and these are called naimitya karma. Examples are rituals concerned with our birthday, marriage anniversary, et cetera.
The actions that may be done to get something that we desire and these are called kaamya karma. Examples are plenty right from the need to get out of debts to desiring a progeny.
The list of daily actions is a long one, starting from early morning, eight o'clock. We will see them on by one in the coming posts.

karma of husband and wife.... what is the difference?

A genuine doubt could be that this list looks male oriented.
And you would be right.. Karma is mainly centered around the male. The husband is expected to carry out the karma with the help of the wife.
Don't let this fool you into thinking that the female is unimportant for any karma.
As long as the person is not married, there is no restriction in what he has to do. But once he is married, the rest of the rich ones can be carried out only when the wife is present. Actually the sankalpa is done along with her. In some rituals like srouta karma the wife also does the sankalpa. Once the wife is dead, the person can no longer carry out most of the rituals.
So that for the bias.

One may ask how the ladies benefit from, karma yoga.
They benefit by carrying out that part of the duty by getting things ready for the rituals. Since they have a lot of household duty to look after at the same time, they are not burdened with any duties during the rituals.

The sastras are loaded against the males.

When the husband does any good karma, 50% of the punya goes to the wife. On the other hand if he does anything bad hundred percent of the papa remains with him.
One might expect, the wife to be treated similarly. But it is not so. Through any good karma, if any, punya arises hundred percent of that remains with her. If by chance she does anything wrong. 50% of the papa goes to the husband. Isn't that strange?
So let us not fool anybody claiming that the ladies are discriminated wrongly, they are discriminated, Yes, but see how!

Now back to the 40 purification rituals.
Of all these 40, the one and only karma that is done with any enthusiasm is the first one. Alas! It is done with enthusiasm for the wrong reasons. It is no longer a serious business with a view to get a good progeny, but carried out for fun.
The rest of the rituals have been slowly disappearing and taking a different form.
Ever since the invasion by the moguls, the kshatriyas have been fighting wars and slowly they have deviated from the vedic traditions. The vaisyas have been traveling to all corners of the world in search of wealth and have naturally deviated from the traditions and rituals. These two classes on account of these, learn and practice the Vedas no more.
Actually the fourth class, that of workers were not expected to follow the Vedic tradition, but follow the family traditions which they do admirably even today.

The Brahmins had departed from the Vedic tradition to a large extent, and have gone on to seek money, position and power. When they did that they lost the respect of the society. So many reasons are cited for this deviation right from lack of support of the society for vedic studies to active antagonism. Much debate has arisen as to who is a Brahmin. Going by strict definitions we can hardly count any. Still there are a lot of people who have the potential to be a Brahmin.

Let us not get into any debate as most of them are non-productive or counter-productive. Let each of us present question ourselves what our duties are and try to do that. The problems arise when you start deciding what others duties are. Let us not get into that trap.