You and I are constantly changing. Throughout our lives, we change in many ways: at the level of the body, in the emotional sphere, in the mental realm, in our...
Every society will have its own view of what is a significant event in the life of a person living in that geographical region and in that period in time. What...
The word ‘saṃskāra’ has no single-word equivalent in English; it has many meanings including ‘refinement,’ ‘cultivation,’ ‘perfection,’ ‘embellishment,’ ‘consec...
The word ‘upanayana’ means ‘leading closer’ or ‘taking nearer.’ It could mean ‘leading closer to wisdom’ or ‘taking near the ācārya for the sake of learning.’[1...
Before we embark on a study of our traditional literature—what we call śruti and smṛti—with our modern conception of history, seeking the absolute chronology of...
Upanayana in the Saṃhitās Some of the characteristics of the upanayana described in the gṛhya-sūtras are seen in the Ṛgveda-saṃhitā itself.[1] The sacrificial...
It was in the Sūtra period that the upanayana saṃskāra seems to have been fully established.[1] Most of the details of the ceremony are laid out in the gṛhya-sū...
Most of our ancient thinkers were of the opinion that only the male members of the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, and vaiśya varṇas were eligible to study the Vedas.[1] An...
The Right Age for Conducting Upanayana[1] There are several varying rules and prescriptions about the age of the boy who is to undergo the upanayana (the boy i...
Preparations for the Upanayana[1] A śālā (canopy, pavilion) was built under which the saṃskāra would be conducted.[2] On the eve of the upanayana, Purāṇic per...
After tying the mekhalā, the boy was invested with the yajñopavīta (sacred thread).[1] While the yajñopavīta as a ‘sacred thread’ was largely unknown in ancient...
Daṇḍa – The Staff [1] The ācārya gave a daṇḍa (staff, stick) to the student, who accepted it by reciting the verse: “My daṇḍa fell down to the ground and...