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Upanayana

October 20, 2023

Upanayana (Sanskrit: उपनयनम्, romanized: Upanayanam, lit. 'initiation') is a Hindu educational sacrament,[2] one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor, such as a guru or acharya, and an individual's initiation into a school in Hinduism. Some traditions consider the ceremony as a spiritual rebirth for the child or future dvija, twice born. It signifies the acquisition of the knowledge of God and the start of a new and disciplined life as a brahmacharya. According to the given community and region, it is also known by numerous terms such as janai or janea, poita/paita, logun/nagun, yajnopavita, bratabandha, bratopanayan, and mekhal.[3] The Upanayanam ceremony is arguably the most important rite for the Brahmin male, ensuring his rights and responsibilities as a Brahmin and signifying his advent into adulthood.[4]

Upanayana Saṃskāra in progress in Bengaluru in the Indian state of Karnataka.
The Upanayana ceremony in progress in Nepal. Traditionally, this ritual was for 7, 9, and 11 year olds in South Asia, but is now practiced for all ages as seen above.[1]

The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism and varies regionally.[5] The sacred thread or yajnopavita (also referred to as Janeu, Jandhyam, Poonul, Munja and Janivara[6] Yonya[7]) has become one of the most important identifiers of the Upanayana ceremony in contemporary times, however this was not always the case.[8] Generally, this ceremony should be performed before the advent of adulthood.

Etymology Edit

Upanayana Edit

Upanayana literally means "the act of leading to or near, bringing", "introduction (into any science)" or "initiation" (as elucidated by Monier-Williams).[9] Upanayana is formed from the root √ni meaning 'to lead'. Nayana is a noun formed from the root √ni meaning 'leading to'. The prefix upa means 'near'. With the prefix the full literal meaning becomes 'leading near (to)'.[10] The initiation or rite of passage ceremony in which the sacred thread is given symbolizes the child drawn towards a school, towards education, by the guru or teacher.[9] The student was being taken to the Gods and a disciplined life.[11][12] As explained by PV Kane, taking (the child) near the acarya (for instruction), or alternately "introducing to studenthood".[13] It is a ceremony in which a teacher accepts and draws a child towards knowledge and initiates the second birth that is of the young mind and spirit.[5]

Variations Edit

A popular variation is Maunjibandhana, derived from two words munja, a type of grass, and bandhana which means to tie or bind.[14] The munjha grass is tied around the waist.[14] This word was used by Manu.[15] Another variation is vratabandha(na) meaning "binding to an observance".[16] The word janeu is a condensed version of yagyopaveeta.[17] The ceremony is also known as punal kalyanam (meaning auspicious thread ceremony)[18] and Brahmopadesa.[19]

Yajnopavita Edit

The sacred thread or upper garment is called the yajnopavita (Sanskrit: यज्ञोपवीतम्, romanized: yajñopavītam), used as an adjective, which is derived from the terms yajna (sacrifice) and upavita (worn).[20][21] The literal meaning would then become "something worn on the body for the sacrifice".[22] Accoutrements offered along with the yajnopavita may include be a danda (staff) and a mekhala (girdle).[23]

Description Edit

 
South India. A boy during his upanayana ritual. The thin, yellow yajnopavita thread runs from left shoulder to waist. Note the muñja grass girdle around the waist. The peepal tree twig in his right hand marks his entry into the Brahmacharya stage of life.

Background Edit

The earliest form of this samskara, whose name there are no records of, may have been to mark the acceptance of a person into a particular community.[15] Indologically, the ritual is present in the Gr̥hyasūtras and Dharmasūtras and Dharmaśāstra, as well as a couple of times in the Saṃhitas.[16][24]

Educational courses or training has been referred to in the Chandogya Upanishad[a] and in the Yājñavalkya Smṛti; Gharpure (1956) writes that during the Smriti period, Upanayana may have attained a permanent fixture if the life of students to be as compared to being optional before.[11]

In the Atharvaveda, and later in the Sutras period, the word Upanayana meant taking responsibility of a student, the beginning of an education, a student's initiation into "studentship" and the acceptance of the student by the teacher.[25] Preceptors could include a guru, acharya, upadhyaya, and rtvik.[26]

Gradually, new layers of meaning emerged, such as the inclusion of goddess Savitri or Saraswati, with the teacher becoming the enabler of the connection between this goddess and the student.[25] The meaning was extended to include Vedangas and vows among other things.[b][29]

The education of a student was not limited to ritual and philosophical speculations found in the Vedas and the Upanishads. It extended to many arts and crafts, which had their own, similar rites of passages.[30] The Aitareya Brahmana, Agamas, and Puranas genres of literature in Hinduism describe these as Śilpa Śastras.[30] They extend to all practical aspects of culture, such as the sculptor, the potter, the perfumer, the wheelwright, the painter, the weaver, the architect, the dancer, and the musician.[c][30] The training of these began from childhood and included studies about dharma, culture, reading, writing, mathematics, geometry, colours, tools, as well as traditions and trade secrets. The rites of passage during apprentice education varied in the respective guilds.[31][32] Susruta and Charaka developed the initiation ceremony for students of Ayurveda.[33] The Upanayana rite of passage was also important to the teacher, as the student would therefrom begin to live in the gurukula (school).[34]

Upanayana became an elaborate ceremony, that includes rituals involving the family, the child and the teacher. A boy receives during this ceremony a sacred thread called the yajnopavita to be worn. The yajnopavita ceremony announces that the child had entered into formal education.[35][36] In the modern era, the Upanayana rite of passage is open to anyone at any age.[1] The Upanayana follows the Vidyāraṃbhaṃ, the previous rite of passage.[14] Vidyāraṃbhaṃ became an intermediary samskara following the evolution in writing and language.[37] Vidyāraṃbhaṃ now marked the beginning of primary education or literacy while Upanayana went on to refer to spiritual education.[37][38] The Upanayana can also take place at the student's home for those who are home-schooled.[39] Ceremonial bhiksha as one of the rituals during Upanayana became important, attaining sizeable proportions.[40] The actual initiation occurred during the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra.[41] The spiritual birth would take place four days after the initial Upanayana rituals. It was then that the last ritual was performed, the Medhajanana.[42][43] The Samavartanam or convocation ritual marked the end of the course.[44] The Upanayana became a permanent feature around the Upanishadic period.[45]

Attire includes a danda or staff and a mekhala or girdle.[46]

Age and varna Edit

 
Upanayana Samskara in progress in West Bengal, India.

In Hindu traditions, a human being is born at least twice—once at physical birth and second at intellectual birth through teacher's care. The first is marked through the Jatakarman rite of passage; the second is marked through Upanayanam or Vidyarambha rites of passage.[47][48] A sacred thread was given by the teacher during the initiation to school ceremony and was a symbolic reminder to the student of his purpose at school as well as a social marker of the student as someone who was born a second time (dvija, twice born).[49][50]

Many medieval era texts discuss Upanayana in the context of three of the four varnas (caste, class) — Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas.[51] The ceremony was typically performed at age eight among the Brahmins, at age 11 among the Kshatriyas, and age 12 among Vaishyas.[52][53] Apastamba Gryha Sutra (verse 1.1.1.27) places a maximum age limit of 24 for the Upanayana ceremony and start of formal education. However, Gautama Gryha Sutra and other ancient texts state that there is no age restriction and anyone of any age can undertake Upanayanam when they initiate their formal studies of the Vedas.[54]

Several texts such as Sushruta Sutrasthana, however, also include the fourth varna, the Shudras, entering schools and the formal education process,[55] stating that the Upanayana rite of passage was open to everyone.[56][35]

The large variation in age and changes to it over time was to accommodate for the diversity in society and between families.[57]

Vedic period texts such as the Baudhāyana Grihyasutra encouraged the three Varnas of society to undergo the Upanayana.

Gender and women Edit

In some regions, in modern times, some girls undergo Upanayana rite of passage.[58][59] In ancient and medieval eras, texts such as Harita Dharmasutras, Asvalayana Grhya Sutra and Yama smriti suggest women could begin Vedic studies after Upanayana.[60][61][62][63]

Girls who decided to become a student underwent the Upanayana rite of passage, at the age of 8, and thereafter were called Brahmavadini. They wore a thread or upper garment over their left shoulder.[60] Those girls who chose not to go to a gurukula were called Sadyovadhu (literally, one who marries straight). However, the Sadyovadhu, too, underwent a step during the wedding rituals, where she would complete Upanayana, and thereafter wear her upper garment (saree) over her left shoulder.[60] This interim symbolic Upanayana rite of passage for a girl, before her wedding, is described in multiple texts such as the Gobhila Gryha Sutra (verse 2.1.19) and some Dharmasutras.[64]

Yajnopavita Edit

 
Bratopanayan in progress in an Odia household

The sacred thread or the yajnopavita has become one of the most important parts of contemporary Upanayana ceremonies. There are accordingly a number of rules related to it.[8] The thread is composed of three cotton strands of nine strands each.[8][49] The strands symbolise different things in their regions. For example, among Tamils, each strand is for each of the Tridevi, the supreme trinity of the Hindu goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati.[65] According to another tradition, each of the nine threads represents a male deity, such as Agni, Bhaga, and Chandra.[66]

The predecessor to the sacred thread was an upper garment (such as a dupatta or an uparane).[67] However, as traditions developed, the upper garment began to be worn continuously. The usage of a thread grew out of convenience and manageability, becoming more popular than alternatives such as a kusa rope.[68]

The ancient Sanskrit texts offer a diverse view while describing the yajñopavītam or upavita. The term upavita was originally meant to be any upper garment, as stated in Apastamba Dharmasutra (verse 2.2.4.22–2.2.4.23) or, if the wearer does not want to wear a top, a thread would suffice.[69] The ancient Indian scholar Haradatta[d] states, "yajñopavītam means a particular mode of wearing the upper garment, and it is not necessary to have the yajñopavīta at all times".[69]

There is no mention of any rule or custom, states Patrick Olivelle, that "required Brahmins to wear a sacred string at all times", in the Brahmanical literature (Vedic and ancient post-Vedic).[71] Yajnopavita, textual evidence suggests, is a medieval and modern tradition.[71] However, the term yajnopavita appears in ancient Hindu literature, and therein it means a way of wearing the upper garment during a ritual or rites of passage.[71] The custom of wearing a string is a late development in Hinduism, was optional in the medieval era, and the ancient Indian texts do not mention this ritual for any class or for Upanayana.[69][71]

The Gobhila Gryha Sutra (verse 1.2.1) similarly states in its discussion on Upanayana, that "the student understands the yajnopavita as a cord of threads, or a garment, or a rope of kusa grass", and it is its methods of wearing and the significance that matters.[69] The proper manner of wearing the upper garment or thread, state the ancient texts, is from over the left shoulder and under the right arm.[69] yajnopavita contrasts with Pracinavita method of wearing the upper garment, the latter a reverse and mirror image of former, and suggested to signify rituals for elders/ancestors (for example, funeral).[71]

The idea of wearing the upper garment or sacred thread, and its significance, extended to women.[60] This is reflected in the traditional wearing of sari over the left shoulder, during formal occasions and the celebration of rites of passage such as Hindu weddings. It was also the norm if a girl undertakes the Upanayana ceremony and begins her Vedic studies as a Brahmavadini.[60]

The sacred Yajnopavita is known by many names (varying by region and community), such as Bratabandha, Janivaara, Jaanva, Jandhyam, Poita, Pūṇūl, Janeu, Lagun, Yajnopavita, Yagyopavit, Yonya and Zunnar.[72][73]

Scholarly commentary Edit

Doubts about Upanayanam in old texts Edit

Scholars[74] state that the details and restrictions in the Upanayana ceremony is likely to have been inserted into ancient texts in a more modern era. Hermann Oldenberg, for example, states that Upanayana — the solemn reception of the pupil by the teacher to teach him the Veda — is joined into texts of Vedic texts at places that simply do not make any contextual sense, do not match the style, and are likely to be a corruption of the ancient texts.[74] For example, in Satapatha Brahmana, the Upanayana rite of passage text appears in the middle of a dialogue about Agnihotra; after the Upanayana verse end, sage Saukeya abruptly returns to the Agnihotra and Uddalaka. Oldenberg states that the Upanayana discussion is likely an insertion into the older text.[74]

Kane states in his History of Dharmasastra reviews,[34] as well as other scholars,[34][75][76] that there is high likelihood of interpolation, insertion and corruption in dharma sutras and dharma sastra texts on Upanayana-related rite of passage. Patrick Olivelle notes the doubts in postmodern scholarship about the presumed reliability of Manusmriti manuscripts.[77] He writes, "Manusmriti was the first Indian legal text introduced to the western world through the translation of Sir William Jones in 1794". This was based on the Calcutta manuscript with the commentary of Kulluka, which has been assumed to be the reliable vulgate version, and translated repeatedly from Jones in 1794 to Doniger in 1991.[77] The reliability of the Manusmriti manuscript used since colonial times, states Olivelle, is "far from the truth. Indeed, one of the great surprises of my editorial work has been to discover how few of the over fifty manuscripts that I collated actually follow the vulgate in key readings."[77]

Regional variations Edit

Nepal Edit

 
At Upanayana ceremony of Nepalis

In Nepal, a ceremony is held which combines choodakarma (tonsure, shave the head) and Upanayana saṃskāra locally known as Bratabandha (Sanskrit brata = promise, bandhan = to be bound).[78]

This Sanskara involves the participation of entire family and a teacher who then accepts the boy as a disciple in the Guru–shishya tradition of Hinduism. Gayatri Mantra marks as an individual's entrance to a school of Hinduism. This ceremony ends after the boy goes for his first alms round to relatives and leave for the guru's ashram. Traditionally, these boys were sent to learn in a gurukula system of education but in modern times, this act is only done symbolically.[79]

See also Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Upanayana.

Footnotes Edit

  1. ^ The story of Uddālaka Āruṇi and Śvetaketu
  2. ^ Rajbali Pandey compares the Upanayana rite of passage to Baptism, the Christian rite of admission and adoption where the person is born again unto spiritual knowledge, as Upanayana marked the initiation of the student for spiritual studies such as the Vedas.[27] Devdutt Pattanaik wouldn't compare the two.[28]
  3. ^ Ancient Indian texts assert that the number of the arts is unlimited, but each deploy elements of 64 kalā (कला, techniques) and 32 vidyā (विद्या, fields of knowledge)[30]
  4. ^ Scholars place Haradatta to 1100 C.E. or between 1100-1300 C.E.[70]

References Edit

  1. ^ a b Coward & Cook 1996, p. 67.
  2. ^ Kanitkar & Cole 2010, p. 4.
  3. ^ "Dr. Shashishekhar Toshkhani: The Literary Works". www.ikashmir.net. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  4. ^ Carstairs, G. Morris; Kapur, Ravi L. (1976). The Great Universe of Kota: Stress, Change, and Mental Disorder in an Indian Village. University of California Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-520-03024-4.
  5. ^ a b Kane 1941, pp. 268–287.
  6. ^ Sastry, C. V. (25 January 2022). Rituals & Practices of Hinduism. Zorba Books. ISBN 978-93-93029-12-6.
  7. ^ "Yonya (Janeu Holy Thread)". www.kashmiribazaar.in. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Ambedkar 1947, p. 158.
  9. ^ a b Monier-Williams (1899) "upanayana" in Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 1899. Via Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries. At Institute of Indology and Tamil Studies, University of Cologne, Germany. pp. 201 (print edition).
  10. ^ Deshpande 1936, p. 159.
  11. ^ a b Gharpure 1956, p. 71.
  12. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 275.
  13. ^ Kane 1941, pp. 268–269.
  14. ^ a b c Gharpure 1956, p. 70.
  15. ^ a b Deshpande 1936, p. 9.
  16. ^ a b Zotter 2010, p. 17.
  17. ^ Dwivedi, Bhojraj (2014). Religious Basis of Hindu Beliefs. Diamond Pocket Books. ISBN 9789351650928.
  18. ^ Coward & Cook 1996, p. 71.
  19. ^ Harshananda, Swami. Upanayana Sandhyavandana And Gayatrimantrajapa. Ramakrishna Mission. ISBN 978-81-7823-453-3.
  20. ^ Ambedkar 1947, p. 159, "How did this Yajnopavita come in? Mr. Tilak offers an explanation (in The Orion, Or, Researches Into the Antiquity of the Vedas by Bal Gangadhar Tilak dated 1893)... The word yajnopavita is derived by all native scholars from Yajna + Upavita; but there is a difference of opinion as to whether we should understand the compound to mean an upavita for yajna i.e for sacrificial purposes, or, whether it is the 'upavita of Yajnas.' The former is not incorrect, but authority is in favour of the latter. Thus the Prayoga-writers quote a smriti to the effect that 'the High Soul is termed Yajna by the hotris, this is his upavita; therefore it is yajna-upavita.' [...] This explanation by Mr. Tilak is no doubt very interesting. But it does not help to explain some of the difficulties.".
  21. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 294, 297.
  22. ^ Deshpande 1936, p. 161.
  23. ^ Kane 1941, p. 279-287.
  24. ^ "upanayana". Oxford Reference. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  25. ^ a b Pandey 2013, p. 115.
  26. ^ Gharpure 1956, p. 71, 74, Preceptors Classified. "He who gives the Vedas is called the Guru ; one who performs the Upanayana and gives the Vedas is called the Acharya ; one who tenches'a portion is au Upadhyaya, and one who performs tho sacrifices is called the Rtvik; those are entitled to respect in the order of priority ; but more than all these is the mother most entitled to respect..
  27. ^ Pandey 2013, p. 112.
  28. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (2 July 2017). "Is the Hindu thread ceremony same as baptism?". Devdutt. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  29. ^ Pandey 2013, p. 115-116.
  30. ^ a b c d Kramrisch, Stella (1958). "Traditions of the Indian Craftsman". The Journal of American Folklore. 71 (281): 224–230. doi:10.2307/538558. ISSN 0021-8715. JSTOR 538558.
  31. ^ Elgood, Heather (2000). Hinduism and the Religious Arts. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8264-9865-6.
  32. ^ Kramrisch, Stella (1976). The Hindu Temple. Raymond Burnier. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0223-0.
  33. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 290.
  34. ^ a b c Kane 1941, p. 268-287.
  35. ^ a b Kane 1941, p. 288-300.
  36. ^ Prasad 1997, p. 119-131.
  37. ^ a b Altekar 1944, p. 266-267.
  38. ^ Aiyangar 1949, p. 144, 146, The upanayana marks not the beginning of education, but of Vedic instruction. After the samskara of caula (tonsure) comes a ceremony named vidyarambha, initiation into learning, i.e. literacy. [...] If vidyarambha was the beginning of literacy, upanayana marks the induction into sacred and redeeming lore..
  39. ^ Gharpure 1956, p. 79.
  40. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 280.
  41. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 278.
  42. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 281.
  43. ^ Gharpure 1956, p. 75.
  44. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 287.
  45. ^ Pandey 2013, p. 123.
  46. ^ Mookerji 2003, p. 178-179.
  47. ^ Mary McGee (2007), Samskara, in The Hindu World (Editors: Mittal and Thursby), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415772273, pages 332–356
  48. ^ Jackson, Kathy Merlock (2005). Rituals and Patterns in Children's Lives. University of Wisconsin Press, Popular Press. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-0-299-20830-1.
  49. ^ a b Monier-Williams 1891.
  50. ^ Raman Varadara, Glimpses of Indian Heritage, ISBN 978-8171547586, page 51
  51. ^ Pandey 2013, p. 111-117.
  52. ^ Mookerji 2003, p. 174.
  53. ^ Monier-Williams 1891, p. 360.
  54. ^ Mookerji 2003, p. 174-177.
  55. ^ Mookerji 2003, p. 270-271.
  56. ^ Hartmut Scharfe (2007), Handbook of Oriental Studies, Brill Academic, ISBN 978-9004125568, pages 102-103, 197-198, 263-276
  57. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 273.
  58. ^ "A Village in Bihar, where Girl wear the Sacred Thread 'Janeu'". IANS. Biharprabha News. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  59. ^ Jaisinghani, Bella (29 May 2009). "Thread ceremony for Thane girl". The Times of India.
  60. ^ a b c d e Kane 1941, p. 293-295.
  61. ^ V.L. Manjul (December 2002). Starting Vedic Studies - Backed by scripture, girls get their sacred thread, Hinduism Today. on 15 January 2021.
  62. ^ C Tripathi (2005), The Evolution of Ideals of Womenhood in Indian Society, ISBN 978-8178354255, page 94
  63. ^ Kanitkar & Cole 2010, p. 217.
  64. ^ Oldenberg & Muller, The Grihya-Sutras: Rules of Vedic Domestic Ceremonies 1892, p. 44, Grihya Sutra of Gobhila Verse 2.1.19.
  65. ^ Arunachalam, M. (1980), Festivals of Tamil Nadu: Volume 3 of Peeps into Tamil culture, Gandhi Vidyalayam, 1980, p. 127, ... boy is invested for the first time with the sacred thread ... the three devis Sarasvati, Savitri and Gayatri ...
  66. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 298.
  67. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 276, 296.
  68. ^ Altekar 1944, p. 296-297.
  69. ^ a b c d e Kane 1941, p. 290-293.
  70. ^ Olivelle, Patrick (1999). "Sanskrit Commentators and the Transmission of Texts: Haradatta on Āpastamba Dharmasūtra". Journal of Indian Philosophy. 27 (6): 570. doi:10.1023/A:1004636609126. ISSN 0022-1791. JSTOR 23496389. S2CID 189820541.
  71. ^ a b c d e Olivelle 1992, p. 9-10.
  72. ^ Sultān Bāhū, Jamal J. Elias (April 1998), Death before dying: the Sufi poems of Sultan Bahu, University of California Press, 1998, ISBN 978-0-520-21242-8, ... in Punjabi, zunnar, the sacred Yajñopavītam worn by Brahmin Hindus ...
  73. ^ Shashi Ahluwalia, Meenakshi Ahluwalia (1992), Living faiths in modern India, Indian Publishers' Distributors, 1992
  74. ^ a b c Oldenberg, The Grihya-Sutras: Rules of Vedic Domestic Ceremonies (1886), p. 7-8.
  75. ^ Arun Kumbhare (2009), Women of India: Their Status Since the Vedic Times, ISBN 978-1440156007, page 56
  76. ^ J Sinha (2014), Psycho-Social Analysis of the Indian Mindset, Springer Academic, ISBN 978-8132218036, page 5
  77. ^ a b c Patrick Olivelle (2004), Manu's Code of Law, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195171464, pages 353-354, 356-382
  78. ^ Zotter 2010, p. 23-24.
  79. ^ Shore, Amanda (26 February 2011). "Hindu Bratabandha Ceremony, Nepal". inTravel Magazine. Retrieved 20 May 2014.

Works cited Edit

(arranged by year)

  • Sacred Books of the East. Oxford University Press. 1879-1910.
  • Monier-Williams, Monier (1891), Religious Thought and Life in India: As based on the Veda and other sacred books of the Hindūs, J. Murray, 1891
  • Deshpande, Kamalabai (1936). The Child in Ancient India. Poona.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Kane, Pandurang Vaman (1941). "VII. Upanayana". History of Dharmasastras. Vol. 2 Part 1. Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. pp. 268–287.
  • Altekar, Anant Sadashiv (1944). Education In Ancient India. Nand Kishore & Brothers.
  • Ambedkar, B. R. (1947). Who Were the Shudras?. Thacker and Co.
    • Ambedkar, B. R. (2019) [1979]. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches. Dr. Ambedkar Foundation. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India. ISBN 978-93-5109-178-3.
  • Aiyangar, K.V. Rangaswami (1949). Aspects of the Social and Political. System of Manusmrti. Radha Kumud Mookerji Lectures 1946. Lucknow University.
  • Gharpure, J. R. (1956). Teachings of Dharmasastra. Dr Radha Kumar Mukerjee Endowment Lectures No 4. 1949-50-51-52. Lucknow University.
  • Olivelle, Patrick (1992). The Samnyasa Upanisads: Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-536137-7. ISBN 978-0195070453
  • Kanitkar, V. P. (Hemant); Cole, W. Owen (2010) [1995]. Hinduism - An Introduction. Teach Yourself, Hodder Education, Hachette UK.
  • Coward, Harold; Cook, Philip Hilton (1996). Religious Dimensions of Child and Family Life: Reflections on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 978-1-55058-104-1.
  • Prasad, Ram Chandra (1997). The Upanayana: The Hindu Ceremonies of the Sacred Thread. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1240-6.
  • Mookerji, Radha Kumud (2003). Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0423-4.
  • Zotter, Christof (2010). "Notes on the Evolution of an Initiation Ritual. The Vratabandha of the Bāhun and Chetri". In Zotter, Astrid; Zotter, Christof (eds.). Hindu and Buddhist Initiations in Nepal and India. pp. 17–44. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  • Pandey, Rajbali (2013). Hindu Saṁskāras: Socio-religious Study of the Hindu Sacraments (2nd ed.). Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-8120803961.

Further reading Edit

  • Hastings, James, ed. (1914). Encyclopedia Of Religion And Ethics. T&T Clark. p. 323.
  • "Yajnavalkya Smriti with Commentary of Vijnaneswara called the Mitakshara. The Achara Adhyaya Book 1". Sacred Books Of The Hindus. Vol. 21. Translated by Vidyarnava, Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra. Allahabad. 1918.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Apte, VM (1959) [1939]. Social and Religious Life in the Grihya Sutras. Popular Book.
  • Gonda, J (1965). Change and continuity in Indian religion. Mouton & Co.
  • Barua, Bharati (1975). A study of the socioreligious ceremony of Upanayana (investiture with sacred thread) in the Sutras and the Dharmasastras (Thesis). Gauhati University. hdl:10603/67755. via Shodhganga.
  • Kakar, Sudhir (1979). Indian Childhood: Cultural Ideals and Social Reality. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-561199-1.
  • Flood, Gavin (1994). "3. Hinduism". In Holm, Jean; Bowker, John (eds.). Rites of Passage. Pinter Publishers. ISBN 978-0-567-31072-9.
  • Bronkhorst, Johannes (1996). "Svetaketu and the upanayana" (PDF). Études Asiatiques / Asiatische Studien. 50 (3): 591–561 – via Université de Lausanne serveur académique lausannois.
  • Murthy, H V Narasimha (1997). A critical study of upanayana samskara (Thesis). Mangalore University. hdl:10603/132206. via Shodhganga.
  • Kadam, K. N. (1997). The Meaning of the Ambedkarite Conversion to Buddhism and Other Essays. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7154-810-1.
  • Saraswati, Chandrashekarendra (2008). Introduction to Hindu Dharma: Illustrated. World Wisdom, Inc. ISBN 978-1-933316-48-2.
  • Mahadevan, B (June 2014), Thoughts on Sandhyā Vandanam (PDF), Sumathi Samskriti Trust, Bangalore
  • Sundareswaran, N. K. (2015). "The upanayana ritual in the Satapathabrahmana". Texts and Rituals: Issues in Indology. Sukṛtīndra Oriental Research Institute. ISBN 978-93-83846-05-4.
  • Flueckiger, Joyce Burkhalter (2015). Everyday Hinduism. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4051-6021-6.
  • Kajihara, Mieko (2016), "The Upanayana and the 'Repeated Upanayana(s)'", in Koskikallio, Petteri; Parpola, Asko (eds.), Vedic Investigations. Papers of the 12th World Sanskrit Conference held in Helsinki, Finland, 13-18 July 2003, vol. 1, Motilal Banarsidass, pp. 271–296, ISBN 978-81-208-4030-0
  • Haas, Dominik A. (2019), Thinking inside the Ritual Box: The Employment of sāvitrīs in the Upanayana, 11th International Indology Graduate Research Symposium{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Basava and Upanayana
  • Samartha, M. P. (1977). "Basava's Spiritual Struggle". Religious Studies. 13 (3): 335–347. doi:10.1017/S0034412500010118. ISSN 0034-4125. JSTOR 20005425. S2CID 170976283.
  • "Correct textbooks or face agitation, say Lingayat maths". The Hindu. 2022. ISSN 0971-751X.
  • "Veerashaiva seers endorse lesson on Basaveshwara but with a few modifications". The Hindu. 6 June 2022. ISSN 0971-751X.
News articles
  • "Hyderabad devotees welcome 57-feet tall Ganesh idol". The Asian Age. PTI. 25 August 2017. Nearly 500 weavers who took part in making the 'kanduva' and 'jandhyam' ...{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)


October 20, 2023
upanayana, sanskrit, उपनयनम, romanized, initiation, hindu, educational, sacrament, traditional, saṃskāras, rites, passage, that, marked, acceptance, student, preceptor, such, guru, acharya, individual, initiation, into, school, hinduism, some, traditions, cons. Upanayana Sanskrit उपनयनम romanized Upanayanam lit initiation is a Hindu educational sacrament 2 one of the traditional saṃskaras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor such as a guru or acharya and an individual s initiation into a school in Hinduism Some traditions consider the ceremony as a spiritual rebirth for the child or future dvija twice born It signifies the acquisition of the knowledge of God and the start of a new and disciplined life as a brahmacharya According to the given community and region it is also known by numerous terms such as janai or janea poita paita logun nagun yajnopavita bratabandha bratopanayan and mekhal 3 The Upanayanam ceremony is arguably the most important rite for the Brahmin male ensuring his rights and responsibilities as a Brahmin and signifying his advent into adulthood 4 Upanayana Saṃskara in progress in Bengaluru in the Indian state of Karnataka The Upanayana ceremony in progress in Nepal Traditionally this ritual was for 7 9 and 11 year olds in South Asia but is now practiced for all ages as seen above 1 The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism and varies regionally 5 The sacred thread or yajnopavita also referred to as Janeu Jandhyam Poonul Munja and Janivara 6 Yonya 7 has become one of the most important identifiers of the Upanayana ceremony in contemporary times however this was not always the case 8 Generally this ceremony should be performed before the advent of adulthood Contents 1 Etymology 1 1 Upanayana 1 2 Variations 1 3 Yajnopavita 2 Description 2 1 Background 2 2 Age and varna 2 3 Gender and women 2 4 Yajnopavita 3 Scholarly commentary 3 1 Doubts about Upanayanam in old texts 4 Regional variations 4 1 Nepal 5 See also 6 Footnotes 7 References 7 1 Works cited 8 Further readingEtymology EditUpanayana Edit Upanayana literally means the act of leading to or near bringing introduction into any science or initiation as elucidated by Monier Williams 9 Upanayana is formed from the root ni meaning to lead Nayana is a noun formed from the root ni meaning leading to The prefix upa means near With the prefix the full literal meaning becomes leading near to 10 The initiation or rite of passage ceremony in which the sacred thread is given symbolizes the child drawn towards a school towards education by the guru or teacher 9 The student was being taken to the Gods and a disciplined life 11 12 As explained by PV Kane taking the child near the acarya for instruction or alternately introducing to studenthood 13 It is a ceremony in which a teacher accepts and draws a child towards knowledge and initiates the second birth that is of the young mind and spirit 5 Variations Edit A popular variation is Maunjibandhana derived from two words munja a type of grass and bandhana which means to tie or bind 14 The munjha grass is tied around the waist 14 This word was used by Manu 15 Another variation is vratabandha na meaning binding to an observance 16 The word janeu is a condensed version of yagyopaveeta 17 The ceremony is also known as punal kalyanam meaning auspicious thread ceremony 18 and Brahmopadesa 19 Yajnopavita Edit The sacred thread or upper garment is called the yajnopavita Sanskrit यज ञ पव तम romanized yajnopavitam used as an adjective which is derived from the terms yajna sacrifice and upavita worn 20 21 The literal meaning would then become something worn on the body for the sacrifice 22 Accoutrements offered along with the yajnopavita may include be a danda staff and a mekhala girdle 23 Description Edit nbsp South India A boy during his upanayana ritual The thin yellow yajnopavita thread runs from left shoulder to waist Note the munja grass girdle around the waist The peepal tree twig in his right hand marks his entry into the Brahmacharya stage of life Background Edit The earliest form of this samskara whose name there are no records of may have been to mark the acceptance of a person into a particular community 15 Indologically the ritual is present in the Gr hyasutras and Dharmasutras and Dharmasastra as well as a couple of times in the Saṃhitas 16 24 Educational courses or training has been referred to in the Chandogya Upanishad a and in the Yajnavalkya Smṛti Gharpure 1956 writes that during the Smriti period Upanayana may have attained a permanent fixture if the life of students to be as compared to being optional before 11 In the Atharvaveda and later in the Sutras period the word Upanayana meant taking responsibility of a student the beginning of an education a student s initiation into studentship and the acceptance of the student by the teacher 25 Preceptors could include a guru acharya upadhyaya and rtvik 26 Gradually new layers of meaning emerged such as the inclusion of goddess Savitri or Saraswati with the teacher becoming the enabler of the connection between this goddess and the student 25 The meaning was extended to include Vedangas and vows among other things b 29 The education of a student was not limited to ritual and philosophical speculations found in the Vedas and the Upanishads It extended to many arts and crafts which had their own similar rites of passages 30 The Aitareya Brahmana Agamas and Puranas genres of literature in Hinduism describe these as Silpa Sastras 30 They extend to all practical aspects of culture such as the sculptor the potter the perfumer the wheelwright the painter the weaver the architect the dancer and the musician c 30 The training of these began from childhood and included studies about dharma culture reading writing mathematics geometry colours tools as well as traditions and trade secrets The rites of passage during apprentice education varied in the respective guilds 31 32 Susruta and Charaka developed the initiation ceremony for students of Ayurveda 33 The Upanayana rite of passage was also important to the teacher as the student would therefrom begin to live in the gurukula school 34 Upanayana became an elaborate ceremony that includes rituals involving the family the child and the teacher A boy receives during this ceremony a sacred thread called the yajnopavita to be worn The yajnopavita ceremony announces that the child had entered into formal education 35 36 In the modern era the Upanayana rite of passage is open to anyone at any age 1 The Upanayana follows the Vidyaraṃbhaṃ the previous rite of passage 14 Vidyaraṃbhaṃ became an intermediary samskara following the evolution in writing and language 37 Vidyaraṃbhaṃ now marked the beginning of primary education or literacy while Upanayana went on to refer to spiritual education 37 38 The Upanayana can also take place at the student s home for those who are home schooled 39 Ceremonial bhiksha as one of the rituals during Upanayana became important attaining sizeable proportions 40 The actual initiation occurred during the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra 41 The spiritual birth would take place four days after the initial Upanayana rituals It was then that the last ritual was performed the Medhajanana 42 43 The Samavartanam or convocation ritual marked the end of the course 44 The Upanayana became a permanent feature around the Upanishadic period 45 Attire includes a danda or staff and a mekhala or girdle 46 Age and varna Edit nbsp Upanayana Samskara in progress in West Bengal India In Hindu traditions a human being is born at least twice once at physical birth and second at intellectual birth through teacher s care The first is marked through the Jatakarman rite of passage the second is marked through Upanayanam or Vidyarambha rites of passage 47 48 A sacred thread was given by the teacher during the initiation to school ceremony and was a symbolic reminder to the student of his purpose at school as well as a social marker of the student as someone who was born a second time dvija twice born 49 50 Many medieval era texts discuss Upanayana in the context of three of the four varnas caste class Brahmins Kshatriyas and Vaishyas 51 The ceremony was typically performed at age eight among the Brahmins at age 11 among the Kshatriyas and age 12 among Vaishyas 52 53 Apastamba Gryha Sutra verse 1 1 1 27 places a maximum age limit of 24 for the Upanayana ceremony and start of formal education However Gautama Gryha Sutra and other ancient texts state that there is no age restriction and anyone of any age can undertake Upanayanam when they initiate their formal studies of the Vedas 54 Several texts such as Sushruta Sutrasthana however also include the fourth varna the Shudras entering schools and the formal education process 55 stating that the Upanayana rite of passage was open to everyone 56 35 The large variation in age and changes to it over time was to accommodate for the diversity in society and between families 57 Vedic period texts such as the Baudhayana Grihyasutra encouraged the three Varnas of society to undergo the Upanayana Gender and women Edit In some regions in modern times some girls undergo Upanayana rite of passage 58 59 In ancient and medieval eras texts such as Harita Dharmasutras Asvalayana Grhya Sutra and Yama smriti suggest women could begin Vedic studies after Upanayana 60 61 62 63 Girls who decided to become a student underwent the Upanayana rite of passage at the age of 8 and thereafter were called Brahmavadini They wore a thread or upper garment over their left shoulder 60 Those girls who chose not to go to a gurukula were called Sadyovadhu literally one who marries straight However the Sadyovadhu too underwent a step during the wedding rituals where she would complete Upanayana and thereafter wear her upper garment saree over her left shoulder 60 This interim symbolic Upanayana rite of passage for a girl before her wedding is described in multiple texts such as the Gobhila Gryha Sutra verse 2 1 19 and some Dharmasutras 64 Yajnopavita Edit nbsp Bratopanayan in progress in an Odia householdThe sacred thread or the yajnopavita has become one of the most important parts of contemporary Upanayana ceremonies There are accordingly a number of rules related to it 8 The thread is composed of three cotton strands of nine strands each 8 49 The strands symbolise different things in their regions For example among Tamils each strand is for each of the Tridevi the supreme trinity of the Hindu goddesses Saraswati Lakshmi and Parvati 65 According to another tradition each of the nine threads represents a male deity such as Agni Bhaga and Chandra 66 The predecessor to the sacred thread was an upper garment such as a dupatta or an uparane 67 However as traditions developed the upper garment began to be worn continuously The usage of a thread grew out of convenience and manageability becoming more popular than alternatives such as a kusa rope 68 The ancient Sanskrit texts offer a diverse view while describing the yajnopavitam or upavita The term upavita was originally meant to be any upper garment as stated in Apastamba Dharmasutra verse 2 2 4 22 2 2 4 23 or if the wearer does not want to wear a top a thread would suffice 69 The ancient Indian scholar Haradatta d states yajnopavitam means a particular mode of wearing the upper garment and it is not necessary to have the yajnopavita at all times 69 There is no mention of any rule or custom states Patrick Olivelle that required Brahmins to wear a sacred string at all times in the Brahmanical literature Vedic and ancient post Vedic 71 Yajnopavita textual evidence suggests is a medieval and modern tradition 71 However the term yajnopavita appears in ancient Hindu literature and therein it means a way of wearing the upper garment during a ritual or rites of passage 71 The custom of wearing a string is a late development in Hinduism was optional in the medieval era and the ancient Indian texts do not mention this ritual for any class or for Upanayana 69 71 The Gobhila Gryha Sutra verse 1 2 1 similarly states in its discussion on Upanayana that the student understands the yajnopavita as a cord of threads or a garment or a rope of kusa grass and it is its methods of wearing and the significance that matters 69 The proper manner of wearing the upper garment or thread state the ancient texts is from over the left shoulder and under the right arm 69 yajnopavita contrasts with Pracinavita method of wearing the upper garment the latter a reverse and mirror image of former and suggested to signify rituals for elders ancestors for example funeral 71 The idea of wearing the upper garment or sacred thread and its significance extended to women 60 This is reflected in the traditional wearing of sari over the left shoulder during formal occasions and the celebration of rites of passage such as Hindu weddings It was also the norm if a girl undertakes the Upanayana ceremony and begins her Vedic studies as a Brahmavadini 60 The sacred Yajnopavita is known by many names varying by region and community such as Bratabandha Janivaara Jaanva Jandhyam Poita Puṇul Janeu Lagun Yajnopavita Yagyopavit Yonya and Zunnar 72 73 Scholarly commentary EditDoubts about Upanayanam in old texts Edit Scholars 74 state that the details and restrictions in the Upanayana ceremony is likely to have been inserted into ancient texts in a more modern era Hermann Oldenberg for example states that Upanayana the solemn reception of the pupil by the teacher to teach him the Veda is joined into texts of Vedic texts at places that simply do not make any contextual sense do not match the style and are likely to be a corruption of the ancient texts 74 For example in Satapatha Brahmana the Upanayana rite of passage text appears in the middle of a dialogue about Agnihotra after the Upanayana verse end sage Saukeya abruptly returns to the Agnihotra and Uddalaka Oldenberg states that the Upanayana discussion is likely an insertion into the older text 74 Kane states in his History of Dharmasastra reviews 34 as well as other scholars 34 75 76 that there is high likelihood of interpolation insertion and corruption in dharma sutras and dharma sastra texts on Upanayana related rite of passage Patrick Olivelle notes the doubts in postmodern scholarship about the presumed reliability of Manusmriti manuscripts 77 He writes Manusmriti was the first Indian legal text introduced to the western world through the translation of Sir William Jones in 1794 This was based on the Calcutta manuscript with the commentary of Kulluka which has been assumed to be the reliable vulgate version and translated repeatedly from Jones in 1794 to Doniger in 1991 77 The reliability of the Manusmriti manuscript used since colonial times states Olivelle is far from the truth Indeed one of the great surprises of my editorial work has been to discover how few of the over fifty manuscripts that I collated actually follow the vulgate in key readings 77 Regional variations EditNepal Edit nbsp At Upanayana ceremony of NepalisIn Nepal a ceremony is held which combines choodakarma tonsure shave the head and Upanayana saṃskara locally known as Bratabandha Sanskrit brata promise bandhan to be bound 78 This Sanskara involves the participation of entire family and a teacher who then accepts the boy as a disciple in the Guru shishya tradition of Hinduism Gayatri Mantra marks as an individual s entrance to a school of Hinduism This ceremony ends after the boy goes for his first alms round to relatives and leave for the guru s ashram Traditionally these boys were sent to learn in a gurukula system of education but in modern times this act is only done symbolically 79 See also Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Upanayana Sikha Upakarma Rishi Tagadhari Navjote Zoroastrian initiation ceremony Kushti the Zoroastrian sacred thread Izze kloth the Apache Native American sacred cord Bar and Bat Mitzvah Initiation ceremonies for men women in JudaismFootnotes Edit The story of Uddalaka Aruṇi and Svetaketu Rajbali Pandey compares the Upanayana rite of passage to Baptism the Christian rite of admission and adoption where the person is born again unto spiritual knowledge as Upanayana marked the initiation of the student for spiritual studies such as the Vedas 27 Devdutt Pattanaik wouldn t compare the two 28 Ancient Indian texts assert that the number of the arts is unlimited but each deploy elements of 64 kala कल techniques and 32 vidya व द य fields of knowledge 30 Scholars place Haradatta to 1100 C E or between 1100 1300 C E 70 References Edit a b Coward amp Cook 1996 p 67 Kanitkar amp Cole 2010 p 4 Dr Shashishekhar Toshkhani The Literary Works www ikashmir net Retrieved 7 February 2023 Carstairs G Morris Kapur Ravi L 1976 The Great Universe of Kota Stress Change and Mental Disorder in an Indian Village University of California Press p 49 ISBN 978 0 520 03024 4 a b Kane 1941 pp 268 287 Sastry C V 25 January 2022 Rituals amp Practices of Hinduism Zorba Books ISBN 978 93 93029 12 6 Yonya Janeu Holy Thread www kashmiribazaar in Retrieved 7 February 2023 a b c Ambedkar 1947 p 158 a b Monier Williams 1899 upanayana in Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary 1899 Via Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries At Institute of Indology and Tamil Studies University of Cologne Germany pp 201 print edition Deshpande 1936 p 159 a b Gharpure 1956 p 71 Altekar 1944 p 275 Kane 1941 pp 268 269 a b c Gharpure 1956 p 70 a b Deshpande 1936 p 9 a b Zotter 2010 p 17 Dwivedi Bhojraj 2014 Religious Basis of Hindu Beliefs Diamond Pocket Books ISBN 9789351650928 Coward amp Cook 1996 p 71 Harshananda Swami Upanayana Sandhyavandana And Gayatrimantrajapa Ramakrishna Mission ISBN 978 81 7823 453 3 Ambedkar 1947 p 159 How did this Yajnopavita come in Mr Tilak offers an explanation in The Orion Or Researches Into the Antiquity of the Vedas by Bal Gangadhar Tilak dated 1893 The word yajnopavita is derived by all native scholars from Yajna Upavita but there is a difference of opinion as to whether we should understand the compound to mean an upavita for yajna i e for sacrificial purposes or whether it is the upavita of Yajnas The former is not incorrect but authority is in favour of the latter Thus the Prayoga writers quote a smriti to the effect that the High Soul is termed Yajna by the hotris this is his upavita therefore it is yajna upavita This explanation by Mr Tilak is no doubt very interesting But it does not help to explain some of the difficulties Altekar 1944 p 294 297 Deshpande 1936 p 161 Kane 1941 p 279 287 upanayana Oxford Reference Oxford University Press Retrieved 22 June 2022 a b Pandey 2013 p 115 Gharpure 1956 p 71 74 Preceptors Classified He who gives the Vedas is called the Guru one who performs the Upanayana and gives the Vedas is called the Acharya one who tenches a portion is au Upadhyaya and one who performs tho sacrifices is called the Rtvik those are entitled to respect in the order of priority but more than all these is the mother most entitled to respect Pandey 2013 p 112 Pattanaik Devdutt 2 July 2017 Is the Hindu thread ceremony same as baptism Devdutt Retrieved 14 June 2022 Pandey 2013 p 115 116 a b c d Kramrisch Stella 1958 Traditions of the Indian Craftsman The Journal of American Folklore 71 281 224 230 doi 10 2307 538558 ISSN 0021 8715 JSTOR 538558 Elgood Heather 2000 Hinduism and the Religious Arts Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN 978 0 8264 9865 6 Kramrisch Stella 1976 The Hindu Temple Raymond Burnier Motilal Banarsidass ISBN 978 81 208 0223 0 Altekar 1944 p 290 a b c Kane 1941 p 268 287 a b Kane 1941 p 288 300 Prasad 1997 p 119 131 a b Altekar 1944 p 266 267 Aiyangar 1949 p 144 146 The upanayana marks not the beginning of education but of Vedic instruction After the samskara of caula tonsure comes a ceremony named vidyarambha initiation into learning i e literacy If vidyarambha was the beginning of literacy upanayana marks the induction into sacred and redeeming lore Gharpure 1956 p 79 Altekar 1944 p 280 Altekar 1944 p 278 Altekar 1944 p 281 Gharpure 1956 p 75 Altekar 1944 p 287 Pandey 2013 p 123 Mookerji 2003 p 178 179 Mary McGee 2007 Samskara in The Hindu World Editors Mittal and Thursby Routledge ISBN 978 0415772273 pages 332 356 Jackson Kathy Merlock 2005 Rituals and Patterns in Children s Lives University of Wisconsin Press Popular Press pp 51 52 ISBN 978 0 299 20830 1 a b Monier Williams 1891 Raman Varadara Glimpses of Indian Heritage ISBN 978 8171547586 page 51 Pandey 2013 p 111 117 Mookerji 2003 p 174 Monier Williams 1891 p 360 Mookerji 2003 p 174 177 Mookerji 2003 p 270 271 Hartmut Scharfe 2007 Handbook of Oriental Studies Brill Academic ISBN 978 9004125568 pages 102 103 197 198 263 276 Altekar 1944 p 273 A Village in Bihar where Girl wear the Sacred Thread Janeu IANS Biharprabha News 10 February 2014 Retrieved 10 February 2014 Jaisinghani Bella 29 May 2009 Thread ceremony for Thane girl The Times of India a b c d e Kane 1941 p 293 295 V L Manjul December 2002 Starting Vedic Studies Backed by scripture girls get their sacred thread Hinduism Today Archived on 15 January 2021 C Tripathi 2005 The Evolution of Ideals of Womenhood in Indian Society ISBN 978 8178354255 page 94 Kanitkar amp Cole 2010 p 217 Oldenberg amp Muller The Grihya Sutras Rules of Vedic Domestic Ceremonies 1892 p 44 Grihya Sutra of Gobhila Verse 2 1 19 Arunachalam M 1980 Festivals of Tamil Nadu Volume 3 of Peeps into Tamil culture Gandhi Vidyalayam 1980 p 127 boy is invested for the first time with the sacred thread the three devis Sarasvati Savitri and Gayatri Altekar 1944 p 298 Altekar 1944 p 276 296 Altekar 1944 p 296 297 a b c d e Kane 1941 p 290 293 Olivelle Patrick 1999 Sanskrit Commentators and the Transmission of Texts Haradatta on Apastamba Dharmasutra Journal of Indian Philosophy 27 6 570 doi 10 1023 A 1004636609126 ISSN 0022 1791 JSTOR 23496389 S2CID 189820541 a b c d e Olivelle 1992 p 9 10 Sultan Bahu Jamal J Elias April 1998 Death before dying the Sufi poems of Sultan Bahu University of California Press 1998 ISBN 978 0 520 21242 8 in Punjabi zunnar the sacred Yajnopavitam worn by Brahmin Hindus Shashi Ahluwalia Meenakshi Ahluwalia 1992 Living faiths in modern India Indian Publishers Distributors 1992 a b c Oldenberg The Grihya Sutras Rules of Vedic Domestic Ceremonies 1886 p 7 8 Arun Kumbhare 2009 Women of India Their Status Since the Vedic Times ISBN 978 1440156007 page 56 J Sinha 2014 Psycho Social Analysis of the Indian Mindset Springer Academic ISBN 978 8132218036 page 5 a b c Patrick Olivelle 2004 Manu s Code of Law Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0195171464 pages 353 354 356 382 Zotter 2010 p 23 24 Shore Amanda 26 February 2011 Hindu Bratabandha Ceremony Nepal inTravel Magazine Retrieved 20 May 2014 Works cited Edit arranged by year Sacred Books of the East Oxford University Press 1879 1910 The Grihya Sutras Rules of Vedic Domestic Ceremonies Vol xxix Translated by Oldenberg Hermann 1886 The Grihya Sutras Rules of Vedic Domestic Ceremonies II Vol xxx Translated by Oldenberg Hermann Muller Max 1892 Monier Williams Monier 1891 Religious Thought and Life in India As based on the Veda and other sacred books of the Hindus J Murray 1891 Deshpande Kamalabai 1936 The Child in Ancient India Poona a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Kane Pandurang Vaman 1941 VII Upanayana History of Dharmasastras Vol 2 Part 1 Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute pp 268 287 Altekar Anant Sadashiv 1944 Education In Ancient India Nand Kishore amp Brothers Ambedkar B R 1947 Who Were the Shudras Thacker and Co Ambedkar B R 2019 1979 Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches Dr Ambedkar Foundation Ministry of Social Justice amp Empowerment Govt of India ISBN 978 93 5109 178 3 Aiyangar K V Rangaswami 1949 Aspects of the Social and Political System of Manusmrti Radha Kumud Mookerji Lectures 1946 Lucknow University Gharpure J R 1956 Teachings of Dharmasastra Dr Radha Kumar Mukerjee Endowment Lectures No 4 1949 50 51 52 Lucknow University Olivelle Patrick 1992 The Samnyasa Upanisads Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 536137 7 ISBN 978 0195070453 Kanitkar V P Hemant Cole W Owen 2010 1995 Hinduism An Introduction Teach Yourself Hodder Education Hachette UK Coward Harold Cook Philip Hilton 1996 Religious Dimensions of Child and Family Life Reflections on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Wilfrid Laurier University Press ISBN 978 1 55058 104 1 Prasad Ram Chandra 1997 The Upanayana The Hindu Ceremonies of the Sacred Thread Motilal Banarsidass ISBN 978 81 208 1240 6 Mookerji Radha Kumud 2003 Ancient Indian Education Brahmanical and Buddhist Motilal Banarsidass ISBN 978 81 208 0423 4 Zotter Christof 2010 Notes on the Evolution of an Initiation Ritual The Vratabandha of the Bahun and Chetri In Zotter Astrid Zotter Christof eds Hindu and Buddhist Initiations in Nepal and India pp 17 44 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Pandey Rajbali 2013 Hindu Saṁskaras Socio religious Study of the Hindu Sacraments 2nd ed Motilal Banarsidass ISBN 978 8120803961 Further reading EditHastings James ed 1914 Encyclopedia Of Religion And Ethics T amp T Clark p 323 Yajnavalkya Smriti with Commentary of Vijnaneswara called the Mitakshara The Achara Adhyaya Book 1 Sacred Books Of The Hindus Vol 21 Translated by Vidyarnava Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Allahabad 1918 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Apte VM 1959 1939 Social and Religious Life in the Grihya Sutras Popular Book Gonda J 1965 Change and continuity in Indian religion Mouton amp Co Barua Bharati 1975 A study of the socioreligious ceremony of Upanayana investiture with sacred thread in the Sutras and the Dharmasastras Thesis Gauhati University hdl 10603 67755 via Shodhganga Kakar Sudhir 1979 Indian Childhood Cultural Ideals and Social Reality Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 561199 1 Flood Gavin 1994 3 Hinduism In Holm Jean Bowker John eds Rites of Passage Pinter Publishers ISBN 978 0 567 31072 9 Bronkhorst Johannes 1996 Svetaketu and the upanayana PDF Etudes Asiatiques Asiatische Studien 50 3 591 561 via Universite de Lausanne serveur academique lausannois Murthy H V Narasimha 1997 A critical study of upanayana samskara Thesis Mangalore University hdl 10603 132206 via Shodhganga Kadam K N 1997 The Meaning of the Ambedkarite Conversion to Buddhism and Other Essays Popular Prakashan ISBN 978 81 7154 810 1 Saraswati Chandrashekarendra 2008 Introduction to Hindu Dharma Illustrated World Wisdom Inc ISBN 978 1 933316 48 2 Mahadevan B June 2014 Thoughts on Sandhya Vandanam PDF Sumathi Samskriti Trust Bangalore Sundareswaran N K 2015 The upanayana ritual in the Satapathabrahmana Texts and Rituals Issues in Indology Sukṛtindra Oriental Research Institute ISBN 978 93 83846 05 4 Flueckiger Joyce Burkhalter 2015 Everyday Hinduism John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 978 1 4051 6021 6 Kajihara Mieko 2016 The Upanayana and the Repeated Upanayana s in Koskikallio Petteri Parpola Asko eds Vedic Investigations Papers of the 12th World Sanskrit Conference held in Helsinki Finland 13 18 July 2003 vol 1 Motilal Banarsidass pp 271 296 ISBN 978 81 208 4030 0 Haas Dominik A 2019 Thinking inside the Ritual Box The Employment of savitris in the Upanayana 11th International Indology Graduate Research Symposium a href Template Citation html title Template Citation citation a CS1 maint location link CS1 maint location missing publisher link Basava and UpanayanaSamartha M P 1977 Basava s Spiritual Struggle Religious Studies 13 3 335 347 doi 10 1017 S0034412500010118 ISSN 0034 4125 JSTOR 20005425 S2CID 170976283 Correct textbooks or face agitation say Lingayat maths The Hindu 2022 ISSN 0971 751X Veerashaiva seers endorse lesson on Basaveshwara but with a few modifications The Hindu 6 June 2022 ISSN 0971 751X News articles Hyderabad devotees welcome 57 feet tall Ganesh idol The Asian Age PTI 25 August 2017 Nearly 500 weavers who took part in making the kanduva and jandhyam a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint others link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Upanayana amp oldid 1180648760, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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