Talk:Upanayanam

By Jammalamadaka Srinivas, Jammalamadaka Suryanarayana

Sometimes transliterated as: Upanayana, vadugu,poonal,upāyanaṃ, upayanam, Maunjī bandhanaṃ, maunji bandhanam, vaṭukaraṇaṃ, vatukaranam, vratabandhaḥ, vratabandha, sāvitrīvacanaṃ, savitrivachanam

Upanayanam is an important saṃskāra for the males of brāhmaṇa, kṣtriya and vaiśya varṇas. The word Upanayanam literally means 'Taking near'. It is natural that the question arises 'near whom or what?'. It means to take near an Āchārya or Guru. In the sanātana tradition approching an āchārya or guru is to gain knowledge. In order to gain knowledge in the form of vedas or through vedas from the āchārya or guru, one has to under go upanayana saṃskāra. In some gṛhya sūtras it seems that upanayana saṃskāra is a process where āchārya introduces the vaṭu to the stage of student-hood. This is evident in Hiraṇyakeśi gṛhya sūtra -

athanamabhivyāhārayati| brahmacharyamāgāmupa mā nayasva brahmachārī bhavāno devena savitrā prasutah

The āchāya makes the boy utter "I have come to brahmacharyaṣrama, lead me (kindly accept me as your student), I wish to be a brahmachāri (student) impelled by savitṛ"

Etymology

The term 'Upanayanaṃ' is derived from the root verb 'Niiñ- Prāpaṇē', which generally means 'to send'. Here the prefix 'upa' is added by which it derives the meaning 'going near to'. upanayana can be explained in two ways

1. upasamīpe ācāryādīnāṃ vaṭornayanaṃ prāpaṇamupanayanaṃ - which means taking the boy near ācārya is upanayanaṃ
2. samīpe ācāryādīnāṃ nīyate vaṭuryena tadupanayanaṃ - which means the rite by which the boy is taken to ācārya is upanayanaṃ

Both the derivations emphasize on the aspect of the boy going to āchārya. The purpose of this is to get initiated into gāyatri mantra and then into the study of vedas etc. During this phase the student is going near to the teacher to start learning 'tradition' from him. So going near to the teacher is 'Upanayanaṃ'.

Gurōrvratānāṃ vēdasya yamasya niyamasya ca, Dēvatānāṃ samīpaṃ vā yēnāsau nīyatē asau.

The purpose of this samskāra can be inferred by examining a portion of taittirīya saṃhita -

jāyamāno ha vai brāmhaṇstribhiṛrṇavān jāyate, bramhacaryeṇa ṛṣibhyo yajñena devebhyaḥ prajayā pitṛbhyaḥ| eṣa vā anṛṇo yaḥ putrī yajvā brahmacārivāsī

Every brāmhaṇa is born with three debts viz. in bramhacharya to sages, in sacrifice to devatas and in offspring to pitṛdevatas. He becomes free from these debts who has an offspring, who performs sacrifices and who spends some amount of time in the gurukula as a bramhacārī under the guidance of an ācārya. So one can infer that who under goes the upanayana saṃskāra becomes a bramhacārī and goes to an ācārya and gains knowledge and gets rid of one debt that he is born with.

Ultimate purpose of Upanayanaṃ

This concept of Upanayanam is further elaborated by some scholars. Concluding all the different concepts one can conclude that 'Upanayanaṃ' takes us near to not only the teacher but also introduces us to the vedic tradition, rituals, gods and ultimatly lead one to mokṣa.

In 'Vīramitrōdayaḥ', the author emphasizes on yamaḥ and niyamaḥ. In Yōga sūtraṃ mahaṛṣi Patañjaliḥ states that yamaḥ are a set of qualities which are to be followed for an entire life at any cost. They are:

• • Ahiṃsā - non-violence in thought and action.
  • Satyaṃ - truthful in thought and words.
  • Astēyaḥ - non-stealing others thoughts or things.
  • Brahmacaryaṃ - not indulging in sexual relationships without proper cause.
  • Aparigrahaḥ - not taking anything to fulfil one's pleasure.

Generally, niyama means a rule, which should be obeyed. But in the yōga sūtra, niyamas are set of qualities:

• • Śaucaṃ - observing cleanliness of thought and body.
  • Santōṣaḥ - being happy.
  • Tapaḥ - following certain rituals, being tolerant, following silence etc.
  • Svādhyāyaḥ - studying about the eternal truth.
  • Īsvarapraṇidhānaṃ - offering everything one has to the creator.

If a person imbibes the above-said qualities in his life, he would lead it wonderfully. Eventually, upanayanaṃ would lead a person to these qualities and give a greater purpose to his life that could lead to mokṣa.

Age for Upanayana

It is instructed to perform this saṃskāra at the age of seven for brāhmaṇas, which is called as garbhāṣṭama. It should be performed at the age of ten for kṣtriyas which is called as 'garbhaikādaśa'. At the age of eleven it is performed on vaiśyas, which is called 'garbhadvādaśa'. According to Āśvalāyana gṛhya sūtras a brāhmaṇa boy should undergo upanayana in the eighth year from birth or conception, a kṣatriya boy should undergo in the eleventh year, a vaiśya boy in the twelveth year. The maximum age relaxation for a brāhmaṇa boy is sixteen, for a kṣatriya boy is twenty two and twenty four for a vaiśya boy. Some smṛtis prescribe upanayana can be performed at an earlier or different age for desired result. For example, if spiritual eminence for the boy is desired, then upanayana may be performed at 5th year for brāhmaṇa, in the 6th year for a kṣatriya if military power is desired and if there is a desire for endeavor to accumulate wealth then upanayana can be performed at the age of 8 for a vaiśya.

Garbhāṣṭamābde kurvīta brāmhaṇsyopanayanaṃ| garbhādekādaśe rajño garbhāttu dvādaśe viśaḥ||

Garbhāṣṭameṣu bramhaṇamupanayīta garbhaikādaśeṣu rājanyam garbhadvādaśeṣu vaiśym vasanto grīṣmaḥ ṣaradṛtavo varṇānupūvyeṇa|

Season for Upanayana

The auspicious season or time to perform the saṃskāra are 'vasanta ṛtu', 'grīṣma ṛtu' and 'śarad ṛtu' for brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya respectively. Śabara in his bhaṣya on Jaimini sūtras quotes - vasante brāhmaṇamupanayīta grīṣme rājanyaṃ śaradi vaiśyaṃ as vedic text and opines that this vedic text is the pramāṇa for the statement above.

When to do Upanayana?

Though there are no specific rules about when to perform upanayana in the smṛtis, but later works introduced many rules about the proper months, tithis, days and times for upanayana. Vṛddhagārya opined that six months form the month Māgha are proper for upanayana, while others opine that five months form Māgha are proper months to perform upanayana. Then 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 14th, and 15th (full moon and new moon) tithis are generally avoided.

Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Mercury are the presiding deities of Ṛg-Yajus-Sāma-Atharva Vedas respectively.

Gururbhṛgusuto dhātrīputraḥ śaśadharātmajaḥ| syurete ṛgyajussāmatharvaṇāmadhipāḥ kramāt||

Therefore the upanayana of those who have to study these vedas should be performed on the weekdays presided by these planets. Among the weekdays Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are the best, Sunday is mildling, Monday is the least suitable.

Hasta, Chitta, Svāti, Puṣya, Dhaniṣṭhā, Aśvini, Mṛgaśīrṣa, Punarvasu, Śravaṇa and Revati are the proper nakṣatras for upanayana. There is a rule that states that all nakṣatras other than Bharaṇī, Kṛttikā, Makhā, Viśākhā, Jyeṣṭhā, are good for all.

Garments

There is a detailed description of the garments that one should wear during Upanayana. Āpastambha Drama Sūtras state -

Vāsaḥ| Śāṇīkṣaumājināni| kāṣāyaṃ caike vastramupadiśanti| mañjiṣṭhaṃ rājanyasya| hāridraṃ vaiśyasya|

A brahmacāri has to wear two gārments on to cover the lover part of the body which is called as 'vāsaḥ' and one to cover the upper part of the body which is called as 'uttarīya' or 'upavastra'. The lower garment should be made of hemp for brāmaṇa boy, linen for kṣatriya boy and deerskin for vaiṣya boy. Some other ācāryas opine that the the garment should be made of cotton for all. But specific colors are prescribed for each varṇa i.e. reddish-yellow (kāṣāya) for brāhmaṇas, dyed with madder for kṣatriyas and dyed with turmeric for vaiśyas.

Danḍa (Staff)

Part of the dress code of a brahmacāri is danḍa. Danḍa means a staff made of wood. There is some difference of views about the tree of which the staff has to be made. According to Āśvalāyana Gṛhya Sūtras a staff of palāśa wood for brāhmaṇa, udumbara for kṣatriya and bilva for vaiśya. In case of unavailability of difficulty in acquiring then any one of these trees's wood can be used by any varṇa. According to Āpastamba palāsa wood for brāhmaṇa, nyagrodha for kṣatriya and badara or udumbara for vaiśya. Some other acharyas opine that staff made of any wood which is used in sacrifices should be used as danḍa. The danḍa is required for support, for controlling cattle of the ācārya, for protection, for navigation in darkness, for guidance while enttering river etc.

tatra danḍasya kā ryamavalambanaṃ gavādinivāraṇaṃ tamovahanaṃ apsu pravesanamityādi

Mekhalā

Mekhalā is a girdle that is made of grass which is tied around the waist of the vaṭu. Many ācāryas prescribe that the mekhalā should be made of muñja grass for brāhmāṇa, one made of mūrva grassfor kṣatriya and one made of hemp for vaiśya. The mekhala should have three strings to it and the grass should have its ends turned to the right and the knot of the mekhalā should be brought near the navel.

Yajnopavītam

Yajnopavītam is a sacred thread that is given to the vaṭu in the saṃskāra. It is one of the main components of upanayana saṃskara. The yajnopavīta will have three threads. Each thread is made in such a way that there shall be 9 strands well twisted in it. Each thread has a devata for it viz. 1.Omkara, 2.Agni, 3.Nāga, 4.Soma, 5.Pitṛ 6.Prajāpati 7. Vāyu 8. Sūrya, 9. Sarvadevata (all gods).

Omkārah prathamaṃ tanturdvitīyognistathaiva ca| Tṛtīyo nāgadaivatyaścaturtho somadevataḥ|| paṃcamaḥ pitṛdaivatyaḥ ṣaṣṭhaścaiva prajāpatiḥ| saptamo vāyudaivatyaḥ sūryaścāṣṭama eva ca| navamaḥ sarvadaivatya ityete nava tantavaḥ||

The yanopavīta's size should be in such a way that it should reach the navel and not exceed the navel. Even though smṛtikāras state that the yajnopavīta for brā hmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya should be made of cotton, hemp and sheep wool respectively, but nowadays the yajnopavīta is made of cottton for all varṇās. The number of yajnopavītas to be worn are different according to their āṣrama. The brahmacāri should wear one yajnopavīta. A snātaka (i.e. one who completed his studies at gurukula and returned home after brahmacarya) and a Grhastha, should wear two yajnopavītas, while one who desires long life may wear more than two.

Qualities of Brahmacāri

Smaraṇaṃ kīrtanaṃ kēliḥ prēkṣaṇaṃ guhyabhāṣaṇaṃ

Saṇkalpōdhyavasāyaśca kriyanirvṛttirēva ca

Ēnanmaithunaṃ aṣṭāṇgaṃ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ

There are eight types of maithunaṃ (copulation) and not having those relations is brahmacaryaṃ. After upanayanaṃ a student is expected to follow brahmacharyaṃ, that is why he is called brahmacārī. The relation which is not encouraged is with the opposite sex. These eight types of maithunaṃ (copulation) are:

• Smaraṇaṃ - Remembering without any valid reason.
• Kīrtanaṃ - Praising without any valid reason.
• Kēliḥ - Flirting
• Prēkṣaṇaṃ - Staring
• Guhyabhāṣaṇaṃ - Talking in secret.
• Saṇkalpaḥ - Wanting a physical relation.
• Adhyavasāyaḥ - Planning a physical relation.
• Kriyanirvṛttiḥ - Executing a physical relation.

In order to avoid the above-said relations and lead a smooth student life, he is expected to follow rules regard to food, performing rites etc. Following these rules make him humble. The spirit behind these rules is not hurting the boy, but to nourish him in a correct fashion. In this training, he learns to develop sāttvic/ subtle qualities by serving his teacher. A student is expected to complete his traditional training within twelve years. During these twelve years, the student must learn Vedas and Caturdaśa-vidyā. On completion of his training in the gurukulaṃ he performs the samăvartanas, returns home and gets married.