Achamana

(“sipping”) The act of sipping water that
has been poured or scooped into one’s
right hand. This is performed as a rite of
purification. Achamana is a symbolic
action that has been incorporated into
many religious rituals. It is also part of
the required early morning ablutions,
the purpose of which is to remove any
impurity (ashaucha) encountered while
sleeping. In the Hindu tradition, human
beings are considered impure upon
waking for a number of reasons. Since
sleep entails loss of consciousness, one
may not know whether one has come
into contact with impurity. Further, bodily functions that may occur while sleeping cause impurity. In addition, it is
popularly believed that one’s soul
(atman) leaves the body during sleep
and then reenters it before the body
awakens. While the soul is gone, the
body is believed to be a corpse, which is
an impurity that must be cleansed.