Nitya Karma

(“perpetual [ritual] action”) One of the
three broad types of ritual action, the
others being naimittika karma and
kamya karma. Nitya karma is ritual
action that is prescribed at regular fixed
intervals, often on a daily basis; one
gains no religious merit from performing them, but omitting them is considered a religious demerit. One example of
a nitya karma is the Gayatri Mantra,
which must be recited at morning and
evening worship (sandhya) by every
“twice-born” man who has received the
adolescent religious initiation known as
the “second birth.” Another nitya karma
is the Five Great Sacrifices (panchamahayajna), which are daily religious
duties for a “twice-born” householder;
they are rarely performed today.