ally each Brahman performs by himself these rites of
prescribed acts and gestures. First the internal ablution: the
worshipper takes water in the hollow of his hand, and, letting it
fall from above into his mouth, cleanses his body and soul. Meanwhile
he mentally invokes the names of Vishnu, saying, 'Glory to Keshava,
to Narayana, to Madhava, to Govinda,' and so on.

"The second rite is the exercise or 'discipline' of the respiration
(_prajayama_). Here there are three acts: first, the worshipper
compresses the right nostril with the thumb, and drives the breath
through the left; second, he inhales through the left nostril,
then compresses it, and inhales through the other; third, he stops
the nose completely with thumb and forefinger, and holds his breath
as long as possible. All these acts must be done before sunrise, and
prepare for what is to follow. Standing on the water's edge, he utters
solemnly the famous syllable OM, pronouncing it _aum_, with a length
equalling that of three letters. It recalls to him the three persons
of the Hindu trinity: Brahma, who creates; Vishnu, who preserves;
Siva, who destroys. More noble than any other word, imperishable,
says Manu, it is eternal as Brahma himself. It is not a sign, but a
being, a force; a force which constrains the gods, superior to them,
the very essence of all things. Mysterious operations of the mind,
strange associations of ideas, from which spring conceptions like
these! Having uttered this ancient and formidable syllable, the man
calls by their names the three worlds: earth, air, sky; and the four
superior heavens. He then turns towards the east, and repeats the verse
[415] from the Rig-Veda: 'Let us meditate upon the resplendent glory of
the divine vivifier, that it may enlighten our minds.' As he says the
last words he takes water in the palm of his hand and pours it upon the
top of his head. 'Waters,' he says, 'give me strength and vigour that
I may rejoice. Like loving mothers, bless us, penetrate us with your
sacred essence. We come to wash ourselves from the pollution of sins:
make us fruitful and prosperous.' Then follow other ablutions, other
_mantras_, verses from the Rig-Veda, and this hymn, which relates the
origin of all things: 'From the burning heat came out all things. Yes,
the complete order of the world; Night, the throbbing Ocean, and after
the throbbing Ocean, Time, which separates Light from Darkness. All
mortals are its subjects. It is thi