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A monk who studies the scriptures or approves of someone studying the scriptures in the four sandhyas: morning sandhya, evening sandhya, midday, and midnight, incurs the minor four-month penance.
**Explanation:**
The four sandhyas are:
1. **East Sandhya:** The reddish hue in the eastern direction at sunrise is called "East Sandhya." This is the junction of night and day. The reddish hue persists for a longer time before sunrise and for a shorter time after sunrise. This time is approximately one muhurta.
2. **West Sandhya:** Similar to the East Sandhya, the West Sandhya should be understood as the time of sunset. The reddish hue in the western direction persists for a shorter time before sunset and for a longer time after sunset. This entire period of the reddish hue is called "West Sandhya."
3. **Afternoon:** The middle of the day. The middle muhurta of the day, based on the number of muhurtas in the day, is called midday. In the sutra, it is called "Afternoon." This time usually falls between 12 noon and 1 pm. Sometimes it may be slightly earlier or later.
4. **Midnight:** The middle of the night is called "Midnight." It should be understood similar to "Afternoon."
The middle of the day and night are considered unsuitable times for reading secular scriptures. The other two sandhyas are mentioned in the scriptures as the time for performing pratikramna and writing down the shayya upadhi. Studying the scriptures during these times would infringe upon the time for these essential activities.
These four times are for the movement of the Vyantara Devas. Therefore, if there is any negligence, it is possible for them to cause trouble. In the secular world, morning and evening are considered times for worship and remembrance, and midnight is considered the time for the movement of spirits.
By not studying the scriptures during these four times, the monk gets some rest. The duration of these four sandhyas is as follows:
1. **East Sandhya:** 24 minutes before sunrise and 24 minutes after sunrise, or 36 minutes before sunrise and 12 minutes after sunrise.
2. **West Sandhya:** 24 minutes before sunset and 24 minutes after sunset, or 12 minutes before sunset and 36 minutes after sunset.
From a subtle perspective, the duration of these sandhyas is as long as the reddish hue persists, which may be slightly shorter or longer than the above durations.
3-4. **Midday and Midnight:** Traditionally, the time from 12 noon to 1 pm is considered the midday and midnight. From a subtle perspective, it is one muhurta in the middle of the day or night.