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Thursday 4 June 2015

Yagnopavit (Sacred Thread)



यज्ञोपवीतं परमं पवित्रं प्रजा पतेर्यत्सहजं पुरस्तात् । 
आयुष्यमग्रयं प्रतिमुंञ्च शुभ्रं। यज्ञोपवितम् बलमस्तुतेज:।।

yajnopavitam paramam pavitram prajapateryat-sahajam purastat |
ayushyamagryam pratimuncha shubhram | yajnopavitam balamastu tejah ||

Above sloka describes the sanctity, spirituality and sacredness of yagnopavitam and its benefits. It says that, yagnopavitam is "the best among those that purify; the one that has emerged along with Brahma (Prajapati) at the time of creation; that which bestows life (longevity) and prominence; the one that is sacred clean and unsoiled; and the one which confers on to the wearer both knowledge and power."


Dwija


Dwija mean twice born. There is no difference between one child and another at the time of birth. All are born out of the mother's womb only. This is the first stage of life (Sudra). Second stage is getting upadesa of Gayathri at the time of Upanayanam when the boy becomes Dwija or twice-born. He is then purified. The third stage is Vipra when one has mastered the study of the Vedas. The fourth stage is Brahmana when he actually realizes the Brahman through the knowledge of the Self. One becomes a Brahmana not by birth but only when one realizes the Supreme Brahman. One becomes a Brahmana by action and not by birth.

Why should one wear Yagnopavit?


Wearing Yagnopavit would increase the longevity of a person who wears, gives physical and mental strength through the worship of Sun God (Savitha) using Gayathri Mantra initiated during his Upanayanam. By wearing Yagnopavit one gets purified both externally and internally. By wearing Yagnopavit one gets the eligibility to perform spiritual and sacred rituals (Sroutha/Smartha Karmas) as prescribed in Vedas for his Varna. Sacred rituals performed by wearing Yagnopavit give good results.

One should not attend to nature calls, eat food, and participate in sensual pleasures without Yagnopavit. It is a prerequisite for learning Veda. It is a passport to obtain Vedic education. Yagnopavit is a mark of formal entry into Brahminhood. It gives power and authority to pursue one’s spiritual path.

Significance of wearing Yagnopavit


The Vedic link that a child looses when the umbilical cord is cut is re established in the form of Yagnopavit. In other words, Yagnopavit serves as an umbilical cord that connects him not just to his immediate parents or the immediate three generations but to the entire tree of generations and the Rishi on whose root the whole tree flourished. The three strands remind the wearer that he has to pay off the three debts (Runas) he owes to the ancient seers, ancestors and to the God viz. Deva, Rushi, Pithru Runa.

Yagnopavit is not a mere symbol to identify a community. One who wears Yagnopavit need not necessarily be a Brahmin and the one who does not wear Yagnopavit may not be a non-Brahmin either. Yagnopavit has sanctity of its own and one has to qualify himself for wearing it not by birth alone but also by practice. He alone is a Brahmin who does his Nithya Karma, follows the path of Sanatana Dharma and remains free from ego, avarice, anger and pride.

The Parivita in the Womb


In Sanskrit, parivita refers to a piece of clothing that is wrapped around the body to protectively cover it and the upavita denotes a circular yarn, worn in such a way that it touches the vital areas - like the shoulder, the heart (the left chest), the navel and the right hand – of the human body. 

The Rigveda, in a statement about the processes involved in the biological birth of the human being, makes a mention of another upavita – “Sa maturyonaparivito antarbahuprajah…” -The fetus(-es) in the mother’s womb is/are enveloped in aparivita. It is needless to mention that it is a reference to the amniotic sac wherein the fetus is safely cocooned. And if, by divine dispensation, the fetus gets an innate parivita, should not an innate upavita exist too? The very mantra of yajnopavita (Paraskara Grihya Sutra 2.2.10) indicates that there is an innate upavita that has been sanctioned by Prajapati by himself:-

बाजसनेयी यज्ञोपवीत मंत्र

यज्ञोपवीतं परमं पवित्रं प्रजा पतेर्यत्सहजं पुरस्तात् । 
आयुष्यमग्रयं प्रतिमुंञ्च शुभ्रं। यज्ञोपवितम् बलमस्तुतेज:।।

yajnopavitam paramam pavitram prajapateryat-sahajam purastat |
ayushyamagryam pratimuncha shubhram | yajnopavitam balamastu tejah ||

छन्दोग यज्ञोपवीत मंत्र

यज्ञो पवीतमसि यज्ञस्य त्वोपवीतेनोपनह्यामि।

yajnopavitamasi yajnasya tva yajnopavitenopanahyami | – Par. Gr. Sutra 2.2.10

Now, Prajapati is the appellation for God - indicative of his creative powers. It indicates that He is the lord of genesis – of procreation. Most of the mantras recited during the VivahaSanskara (the wedding ceremony), therefore, address God by the epithet Prajapati. In the hridaya-sparsha mantra, ordained in the Vivaha Sanskara, we have – “Mama vrate te hridayam dadhami … Prajapatishtva niyunaktu mahyam”. Understandably wedding is the precondition to propagation of progeny, and hence God is Prajapati here. But theupanayana sanskara is a precursor to education, where the ruling Godhead is Brihaspati. Theupanayana mantra (Paraskara Grihya Sutra 2.2.16) goes – Brihaspatishtva niyunaktu mahyam. Why should then the epithet Prajapati, for God, be used in the above quotedmantra (Paraskara Grihya Sutra 2.2.10) and not Brihaspati (the epithet for God as a giver of knowledge)?

The mantra, therefore, needs to be well understood in order to resolve the problem at hand. In it, the cord, described as the “paramam pavitram yajnopavitam” is said to have been sanctioned by Prajapati himself, congenitally (sahajam), at the very beginning (purastat), and has been acclaimed to be the foremost sustainer of life (ayushyamagryam). Certainly this cannot be the description of the sacred thread or the shubhra yajnopavita, but the one that comes before it (agryam). About which Manu says – Maturagre’adhijanam dwitiyam maunjibandhanam i.e. the birth given by the mother comes before the second birth through the tying of the yarn. 

This innate cord, hence, has to be the ‘amrita naadi’ (of Ayurveda) on which the life of the fetus depends. Right from Charaka and Sushruta down to the modern day researchers of human anatomy have spoken about the three strands of this innate upavita, which is nothing else but the umbilical cord. The illustrations will clearly show that the cord has three vessels – two arteries and a vein - which are responsible for the exchange of oxygen (and carbon dioxide), nutrients and hormones between the mother and the child.

Imitating the Innate Upavita


Does the innate upavita (the umbilical cord) not bear a very close resemblance to theshubhram yajnopavitam, which too is a cord of attachment and exchange between theAcharya (the preceptor) and the antevasi (the intern)? The mantra now becomes meaningful. Now, it may be thus interpreted – ‘The yajnopavita is very sacrosanct. Prajapati Himself had initially sanctioned that congenital cord. I invest you with this whiteyajnopavita, which, akin to that foremost sustainer of life, may bring you strength and brilliance by bringing’. “Why then is the innate upavita called a yajnopavita?” - the cynic may ask. “And, why not,” would be the reply, “when the sustenance of the spirit of life is a yajna, as the Yajurveda says?”

So, what exchanges do the strands of the white yajnopavita stand for? The rejoinder would first take into account the three vital areas – nabhi (the navel), hridaya (the heart) and murdha (the crown of the head) – which the Rigveda (4.58.3) considers as the energy centres to which man is thrice bound (‘tridha baddho vrishabho roraviti’) and then move on to describe that just like the exchange of nutrition (compare – nabhi), oxygen (compare –hridaya) and hormones (compare – murdha) as conducted by the umbilical cord, the white upavita passing through these vital areas stand for the exchange of the intellect of the Acharya with that of the intern (murdha – the head), the exchange of affection and cordiality (hridaya – the heart) and the care for the health and continence of the intern (nabhi – the navel). In the modern educational terminology, the three ply sutra would stand for the sharpening of the cognitive, the affective and the psychomotor domains of the intern by the preceptor. It is this relation of the mind, body and soul that the Acharya pledges during the hridaya, skandha and nabhi sparsha.

Why Yagnopavit for the one who is known to the world as a Brahmin? 


It is not something that is worn for the world to know. It is for the realization of Brahman within. The one who has thrown away his Yagnopavit but has led a life of truth is nobler compared to the one who wears Yagnopavit but does nothing to justify it.

 Anthareeyam and Utthareeyam


Yagnopavit is a word consisting of two words, yagna and upavit. Vit means that which is woven, that is cloth and Upavit means the upper garment. One is born naked. Then the baby is kept wrapped in one garment. Till the thread ceremony is performed the boy can remain clad in one garment. The use of the upper garment begins after the thread ceremony. After the thread ceremony one garment refers to the loin cloth (langoti) and the second (upper) garment to the sacred thread (janave) which is in a way a condensed form of the shawl on the shoulder (uparne).

In early times, clothing was of two kinds, "Anthareeyam", a piece of covering cloth, and "Utthareeyam", a cloth or hide to cover the chest to keep the lungs warm and strong during Veda recital.  Yajnopavit got the name as it is to be specially worn during sacred rituals such as yajnam. Yajnam means Vishnu, while Upavit connotes a covering, and thus, together the word could mean a cover for the god that dwells in the heart. Since the soul is supposed to dwell in the heart, Upavit got the other name, Yajnasoothram. Yagnopavit is called "Poonool" in Tamil (Poo = Flower, Nool = Thread), meaning thread made of cotton flower. 

Nine fibres - One deity is established in each fibre as follows: 


- Omkar, 
- Agni (deity of fire), 
- Nag (serpent), 
- Som (moon), 
- Pitar (ancestors), 
- Prajapati (deity of procreation), 
- Vayu (air), 
- Yama (deity of death) and 
- Vishvadevata (deity of the universe). 

Three strands are created by twisting three of the nine fibres in each strand. 

The three Vedas


- Rigveda, 
- Yajurveda and 
- Samaveda are established on each of these strands. 

Three fibres are woven into one strand and the three strands are then knotted together. This knot is called the Brahmagatha (gatha means a knot) or the Brahmagranthi (granthi means a gland). [The knot of sacred grass (darbha) tied to a gold ring (pavitrak) is also called a Brahmagranthi.] It is the site of establishing the Atharvaveda. This knot is extremely important and one requires skill to tie it. 

The three strands of the sacred thread represent the three stages (ashrams) 


- celibate student (brahmacharya), 
- the married householder (gruhastha) and 
- retired householder (vanaprastha); 

The three Fires


- the fire worshipped in the home (garhapatya), 
- the fire placed in the south (dakshinagni) and 
- the sacred fire lit for a specific spiritual purpose (ahvaniya) as well as spiritual knowledge (dnyan), devotion (bhakti) and action (karma). 

The one who possesses all these three qualities gets the spiritual experience of Brahman. Based on 96 items listed below, the length of the sacred thread should be 96 times the breadth of a finger (angul).

तिथिर्वारं च नक्षत्रं तत्त्‍ववेदगुणान्‍वितम्‌ ।
कालत्रयं च मासाश्र्च ब्रह्‍मसूत्रं हि षण्‍णव ।।

Meaning: 

- 15 auspicious dates (tithis), 
- 7 days of the week,  
- 27 lunar asterisms,  
- 25 principles,  
- 4 Vedas, 
- 3 components (gunas),  
- 3 time periods (kals) and  
- 12 months = 96. 

Thus, the length of the sacred thread (Yagnopavit) is 96 times the breadth of the middle part of one's own right hand middle finger (angulam).
 
 
Three angulams equal a mushti. Eight angulams equal a padam and twelve angulams a thalam.
 

अजिन धारणं (Ajina dharanam)


The boy should be made to wear a deerskin after chanting a mantra. Usually deerskin is used as later one is supposed to use the hide as a seat for spiritual practice.

In the Saiva sect, the three strands of the sacred thread represent the three horizontal lines of holy ash (tripundra) on the forehead of Lord Shankar which symbolize spiritual knowledge (dnyan), purity and penance (tapashcharya). The Brahmagath indicates the origin of these three, that is divine consciousness (chaitanya).

अजिन धारण मन्त्र (Ajina dharan mantra)


मित्रस्य चक्षुर्धरणं बलीयस्तेजो यशस्वी स्थविरगं समिद्धं |
अनाहनस्यं वसनं जरिष्णु परीदं वाज्यजिनं दधेहं ||

mitrasya chakshurdharunam baleeya: tejao yashasvi sthaviragm samiddham |
anahanasyam vasanam jarishnu pareedam vajyajinam dadheham ||

How many Yagnopavitas one should wear?


The cords of the sacred thread are made up of three strands. The celibate (brahmachari) and ascetic (yati) should wear one and the married householder (gruhastha) should wear two. One cord indicates that an ascetic and a celibate are concerned only with their own spiritual progress while two cords in the married householder indicate that they are also responsible for the spiritual progress of their wives besides their own. The third cord is to be worn by all gruhasthas. People in the early days used to cover their upper body only with a cloth - uttariyam (angavastram). If the upper cloth is missing during a ceremony, the third cord of the yagnopavit takes its place. 

Posture of Yagnopavit (Savya, Praachinavita, Nivita)


Generally we come across three postures of wearing Yagnopavit. One is Upavita where the Yagnopavit is worn over the left shoulder and under the right arm. This posture is used for performing auspicious ceremonies and sacred rituals related to Gods. This is called Savya position. Under normal circumstances Yagnopavit should always be in Savya position.

The thread is worn on the left shoulder and falls on the right side below the waist. The thread is worn on the left shoulder crossing the 3 naadis (pinagala/sushumna/ida) for the centering effect.

The second one is Praachinavita where, Yagnopavit is worn above the right shoulder and under the left arm. This position is used while performing sacred rites to the Forefathers (Pitru Karya). This is called Apasavya position.

When Yagnopavit is worn around the neck and over the chest in maalakara (like a garland) and is held with both thumbs in the region of the heart and above the naval, it is Nivita. This form is used during Rishi tarpana, sexual intercourse, answering nature calls, while carrying a corpse etc.

Sacred thread over the right ear lobe during urination or defaecation.


निवीती दक्षिणे कर्णे यज्ञोपवीतं कृत्‍वा मूत्रपुरीषे विसृजेत्‌ ।
ऊर्ध्‍वं नाभर्मेध्‍यातर: पुरुष: परिकीर्तित: ।।

In short, it means that since the part of the body above the navel is considered pure and that below it impure, during urination and defaecation the sacred thread is worn as a chain (nivit) around the neck and is placed on the right ear. The scriptures often mention the importance of the right ear. Since it is the seat of various deities like Aditya, Vasu, Rudra, Vayu, Agni, Dharma, Veda, Apa, Som, Surya, Anil, etc. mere touch of the right ear bears the benefit of the ritual of sipping water from the palm (achaman). Thus by placing the sacred thread on the right ear which is pure, one is not bound by the restrictions of impurity.

The right ear assumes such scientific importance because the nerve endings and receptors situated here are closely related to the testes. During urination there is a likelihood of passage of sperms in a small quantity. It is well documented by Ayurveda that seminal loss is prevented by encircling the right ear with a thread. The frequency in case of repeated nocturnal emissions can be reduced by keeping the right ear tied during sleep. An animal is subdued as soon as its ear is held. Of the seven causes of scrotal swelling, one is urinary. Encircling the ear with a thread prevents a scrotal swelling due to a urinary cause.

When to Change the Yagnopavit?


When once a person starts wearing Yagnopavit in normal circumstances it should not be removed and should be worn always (24 hours-365 days). It is like a woman wearing a Mangala-Suthra forever. But in practice it is not possible to wear the same Yagnopavit permanently. Due to wear and tear, it may get soiled or worn out or gets broken and needs to be changed. One should not wear a broken or worn out Yagnopavit. Apart from this it should be changed under the following circumstances.

- Once in a year on the day of Upakarma,
- After performing Sraddha,
- After completion of the stipulated period of asoucha (birth/death in the family),
- Whenever one visits the Cremation Ground or touches a Corpse,
- Whenever one happen to touch a woman during menstruation,
- Whenever the threads of Yagnopavit are severed or it is soiled or worn out,
- Whenever one attends 10th day ceremony and gives Dharmodaka.

Whenever there is a need to change Yagnopavit it should not be removed recklessly. First wear the new one and then remove the worn out as per the laid down procedure.

Procedure to wear the new Yagnopavit and remove the old one


ममोपात्त दुरितक्षय द्वारा श्री परमेष्वर प्रीत्यर्धम आयुष्याभि वृद्धिअर्थम्
मम श्रौत स्मार्थ नित्य कर्मानुष्ठान योग्यता फल सिध्यर्थं नूतन यज्ञोंपवीत धारणं करिष्ये ॥
(Dip your right hand middle finger in Panchapatra)

New Yagnopavit should be purified with turmeric paste or kumkum.

यज्ञोंपवीते तस्य मंत्रस्य परमेष्टि परब्रह्मर्षि परब्रह्म देवता।
देवी गायत्री च्छंदः यज्ञोंपवीता धारणे विनियोगः ॥

Wear Yagnopavit one set of threads after another reciting the following mantra.

While wearing Yagnopavit it should be held by both hands, the knot in the Yagnopavit being held above the head by the right hand facing upwards.

यज्ञोंपवीत धारण मंत्र (Yagnopavita dharana mantra)


यज्ञोपवीतं परमं पवित्रं प्रजा पतेर्यत्सहजं पुरस्तात् । 
आयुष्यमग्रयं प्रतिमुंञ्च शुभ्रं। यज्ञोपवितम् बलमस्तुतेज:।।

yajnopavitam paramam pavitram prajapateryat-sahajam purastat |
ayushyamagryam pratimuncha shubhram | yajnopavitam balamastu tejah ||

(In case of Brahmachari only one Yagnopavit is prescribed. Grihastha should wear a second one after performing Aachamanam and reciting the Sankalpa:

मम गृहस्थाश्रम योग्यता सिध्यर्थं द्वितीय यज्ञोंपवीत धारणं करिष्ये ।
mama gruhastasrama yogyata sidhyartam dwitiya yagnopavita dharanam karishye |

The second Yagnopavit should be worn in the same manner as the first one by holding the thread above the head and reciting the यज्ञोंपवीत धारण मंत्र (Yagnopavita dharana mantra).

Further, Grihastha should wear a third one in similar manner after performing Aachamanam with the following sankalpa:

मम उत्तरीयार्धम तृतीय यज्ञोंपवीत धारणं करिष्ये ।
mama uttariyartama tritiya yagnopavita dharanam karishye |

and then recite once again the यज्ञोंपवीत धारण मंत्र (Yagnopavita dharana mantra).

Remove the old Yagnopavit 


Hold the knots of both the old and new Yagnopavit together in the right hand and recite the following mantra:

गायत्री वेद मातसी सूत्र रूपेण दिष्टसि
पूर्व सूत्र गतं तेजा नूतने स्थापयाम्यहम ।

gayatri veda matasi sutra rupena dishtasi
purva sutra gatam teja nutana stapayamyaham |
 
Do the japa of Gayatri mantra 10 times holding together the knots of both the old and new yagyonpaveetham.

यज्ञोंपवीत विसर्जन मंत्र 


उपवीतं भिन्न (छिन्न) तन्तुं जीर्णं कश्मल दूषितं
विसृजामि जले ब्रम्ह वर्चो दीर्घायु रस्तुमे ।

upavitam binna tantum jeernam kasmala dushitam
visrujami jale brahma vajo deergayu rastume |

(Old Yagnopavit should be dropped into water or on a Tree and should not be thrown into garbage)

Perform Aachamanam again.

When to Perform Upanayana


A Brahmin child's upanayana must be performed when he is eight years old from conception, that is when he is seven years and two months old from birth. A Ksatriya's is to be performed at the age of twelve. Krishna Paramatma who belonged to the clan of Yadus (Yadavas) was invested with the sacred thread at that age. The corresponding age for a Vaisya is sixteen.

According to the sastras, the lower limit of Brahmin youngsters is eight years and the upper limit is sixteen which means a grace of eight years. It is sinful not to have performed upanaya of a Brahmin boy before his passing the upper age limit.

Uttarayana is the right period to perform upanayana- from the Tamil month Thai to Ani (Mid January to mid- July) when the sun journeys northwards. While this is the right time for marriages also, the season of spring - Chittirai to Vaikasi (Mid- April to mid June) is considered particularly auspicious. For upanayana the month specially favoured is Masi (Mid- February to Mid- March). Upanayana and marriage are not favoured during Daksinayana - from the Tamil month Adi to the end of Margazhi (Mid- July to mid-January).

Nowadays, for various reasons, the upanayana and marriage ceremonies are delayed for as long as possible and celebrated in any month other than Margazhi (Mid-December to mid-January). The results are there for you to see. But one must be happy perhaps that a function called marriage is still performed somehow. So long as people perform it, let them perform it at any time. If we take this attitude, marriages may be permitted in any season as a desperate step. But upanayana is a different matter. It should never be permitted in Daksinayana. If it is for some reason celebrated during this period, I would ask for its performance again in Uttarayana. Money is the main problem in conducting an upanayana or a marriage. Parents postpone the upanayana because they want to perform it at the same time as the marriage of their daughter so as to minimise the expenses.

Kamyopanayana


The upanayana is sometimes performed when the boy is only five years old. This is called "kamyopanayana", "Kamya" meaning in persuance of desire. Such early upanayana is all right if you want the child to develop inwardly at an early age. But seven years is the proper age for the child to be invested with sacred thread because by now he would have learned enough Sanskrit to chant the mantras clearly. Nowadays, the "thread ceremony" is conducted together with the marriage, that is when the "boy" is 30 or 35 years old. So to suggest that the upanayana needs to be performed only when the child is seven years old - and not at five - would be taken as a joke. Joke or no joke, it [the delay in performing the upanayana] should make you uneasy deep within if you have some concern for the vedic dharma.

Adi Sankara's upanayana, it is believed, was performed when he was five years old. If the child is extraordinarily intelligent and can articulate words properly, his upanayana may be performed at five years.

Why not for girls?


According to some appendix of the Manusmriti, girls were allowed to study Vedas in another Kalpa (Yuga of creation), and therefore some Arya Samaj sects do perform Upanayanam for girls also. In general, Hindus do not accept the appendix of the Manusmriti, because no Hindu Canonical (meaning = according to religious law) text allows this ceremony for girls in this Kalpa and therefore do not perform it for girls.


Collated from: 
https://vedic-shlokas-mantras.blogspot.in/
http://www.salagram.net/Brahmin-threads.html
http://www.namboothiri.com/articles/poonool.htm
http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part17/chap6.htm
http://amankizuban.blogspot.in/2014/04/is-janeu-only-for-brahmins.html
http://bhargavasarma.blogspot.in/2009/06/yagnopaveetham-paramam-pavithram.html
http://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.in/2013/04/upanayanam-sacred-thread-ceremony-of.html
http://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism/knowledge/article/what-do-the-three-strands-of-the-sacred-thread-represent.html

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