Guest guest Posted February 7, 2005 Report Share Posted February 7, 2005 --- wrote: > Message: 3 > Sat, 5 Feb 2005 04:06:04 +0800 > "S Rajalingam" <s.rajalingam > Upanayam > > Dear Vaishnavas > > I agree with all the input but what is the case on > Devotee like myself who> only got Upanayam at the age of 39.> I would very much appreciate if the bhagavathas on this list can throw some light. Thank You ************** Dear Sri S Rajalingam, That's a really good question! Besides the obvious humour laced in it, it is thought-provoking! I commend your candidness in raising it openly. Many members have given their inputs on the subject. They are quite right in pointing out age-old 'sAstra', the traditional convention we all abide by, sets the age for 'upanayanam' very early in life. But Sri Anbil svAmi is right in asking for the actual 'pramANam' to support members' view that says the ceremony must be performed at ages 7, 9, 11, 13 or 15 and that thereafter performance of 'upanayanam' is actually a "waste of time and money". We also need to know the actual "pramANam" for the other view which holds after a boy turns 16 without undergoing 'upanayanam', it is just as well he goes all his life without the sacred thread. (Perfunctorily, of course, later in life, in order to duly solemnize such a boy's wedding, say at age 25 or 30, just before the main wedding-rites, a separate and hurriedly arranged ritual is usually performed for the purpose of investiture of "yagnyOpavItam" (sacred thread) on the poor young groom. The purpose of this rite is really to ensure the officiating priest is not inconvenienced, that he is not incapacitated from performing due processes of Vedic wedding-ritual. It is to enable the priest to go ahead, without let, hindrance or embarrassment, and ceremoniously proclaim the blessed couple as Man and Wife). Be that all as it may, the question of Sri Rajalingam is pertinent enough to warrant scrutiny and a serious response. My views given below are NOT to be taken as authoritative. It comes with the caveat to members they are entering uncharted waters. The "sAstrA" is unambiguous a boy's "upanayanam" must be performed ASAP in life. Very little room is provided in the "sAstra" by way of concessions extended to the timing or performance of this important Vedic rite. There are few circumstances in life under which lapses relating to performance of "upanayana" may be condoned or extenuated. But that does not mean persons like Sri Rajalingam have no hope. On one hand, our Vedic "sAstrAs" are, no doubt, strictly inviolable, but then, on the other hand, the 'sAstra' also does not totally abandon or damn trangressors. It shows them a way out too to somehow redeem themselves. The Vedic faith is a compassionate one. It always seeks to hold everyone in its embrace. ****************** "Upanayana" is a Vedic "samskAra". If we understood what "samskAra" truly means in the Vedic faith, we will not fail to understand why "upanayana" must be performed at the appropriate time pre-ordained by 'sAstra'. Equally, we will also not fail to appreciate why even those who, unfortunately, have transgressed the "sAstra" in this regard, cannot be held wholly irredeemable. The Sanskrit word "samskAra" is extremely difficult to translate into any other language. Usually, "samskAra" is translated by English-speaking persons as "rite of passage", implying threby that the "upanayana samskAra" is something akin to the "baptism" of the Christians, the "bar mitzvah" of the Jews or the "sunnat" (circumcision ceremony) of the Muslims. The latter are all indeed "rites of passage" marking as they do solemn initiation into adulthood. When a Christian, Jew or Muslim boy "comes of age", he is said to be ready to cross a major calendar-milestone in the voyage of life. A Vedic "samskAra" is far, far more than mere rite of passage. For a Vedic adherent, the whole course of human life is like a flowing river of "samskArAs". There are something like 40 different Vedic "samskArAs" beginning with the "seemantham" performed for the human foetus beginning its great journey of life within a mother's womb. On the 10th day after birth, there is the "samskAra" of "nAma-karana" or "punyAvachanam" for the infant. Thereafter, there is the "chaula samskAra", the first tonsuring for the toddler. Childhood is also marked by other "samskArA-s" like "anna-prasnam", "aksharAbhyAsam" etc. When the child reaches the age of 7 or 8, there is the "upanayana samskAra" about which we are all now discussing. The boy who has undergone "upanayana samskAra", when he matures into a young man, becomes ready for the "vivAha samskAra", the wedding-rite which ushers him into the "gruhastAshrama" (householder) phase in life. Then there are other various "samskArA-s" a full-grown man undergoes in the onward voyage of life. There are the SriVaishnava "samskArA-s" collectively called "pancha-samskArA". In ripe old age, there is also the "samskArA" of "shashtiabdapoorthi" (60th birthday) which a "gruhastA" undergoes... At the end of life too, when a man sheds his mortal coils, there is a "samskAra" to which he is finally subjected. It is called "antima samskAra", "prEta-samskAra" etc. -- the last Vedic rites by which a human soul departs into the beyond... If it is not really a rite of passage, we may now ask, what then is Vedic "samskAra"? In his book of discourses, "deivattin kural" ("The Hindu Dharma"), the Sage of Kanchi, PujyaSri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati has explained it all very beautifully. When we sit down to eat a typical south Indian meal, we should, for once, take a moment to ponder over the plentiful rice served. Before we tuck into the meal with gusto, we should ask ourselves, "From where does this wonderful "annam" come? And where does it go?". No one needs enlighten us where the rice goes. It goes right down our throat into the belly, of course. But if we reflect a little more deeply upon the fact, we realize that the "annam" ultimately transforms itself into vital "prANa" or Energy. And it is mysterious, ethereal, vital Prana that sustains the life-force within us. In a metaphysical way of speaking, (as indeed the Taittiriya Upanishad does in a very famous passage), we are ourselves, body, mind and soul, comprised of nothing but the essence of "annam". What then, we should hence ask, is this "annam" made of? How did it get to become the vital source of life and the hi-octane energy that it verily is? If we ponder upon that question, we will be led into a grave contemplation of the various processes (or "samskArAs") through which the grain that we are about to eat had to serially undergo before arriving as steamingly wholesome "annam" upon on our meal-plate. First, there was the process of "seeding" which the farmer performed. Then after careful tending in the field, the paddy was "harvested". Merely upon "harvesting" (which we may regard as roughly analogous to a "rite of passage" for paddy), paddy does not become fit for human consumption. Thereafter, the grain has to undergo a few more "samskArAs". It has to be "de-husked", then it has to be "separated from the chaff". Then the grain has to be "bagged" and transported before it finally arrives home. At home (the "gruhasthAshrama", we might say!), the rice has to undergo yet a few more kitchen "samskArAs" before it can be served as full meal on a table. The rice has to be "cleaned", for example, and then "cooked" and placed inside a vessel... The long and short of it all is that just as a grain of rice, travelling from the farmer's field to the dinner-table, must necessarily undergo a series of processes before it can become fit finally for human consumption, likewise, so does a human soul, according to the Vedic faith, need to undergo a series of "samskArAs", before it can become fit to arrive at its divine destination in heaven -- on God's dinner-table, so to speak. (In Vedantic theology, the Almighty is often referred to as the ultimate "bhOgi", the ultimate enjoyer of souls!). The Kanchi AchAryA's metaphor of rice is a very apt one indeed, if you think about it deeply enough. Each of the several "processes" by which paddy is rendered into rice and then finally into a meal... each has to be necessarily performed at the right time. None can be delayed or postponed if the final wholesome quality of the rice is to be ensured. A farmer must perform the "seeding" operation, for example, at just the right season. The paddy must be "harvested" at the right time. The rice cannot be "de-husked" in the rainy season... so on and so forth. So is the case indeed with Vedic "samkskArAs"! Each must be performed at the appropriate time. When a young man does not get married in time i.e. his "vivAha samskArA", for some reason or other, gets delayed, everyone besides himself will get terribly perturbed. Again, when a person dies, his relatives make sure they lose no time whatsoever in performing his last rites, isn't it? People actually shudder to even think of delaying or postponing the "antima prEta-samskArA" of a deceased, don't they? We should now ask ourselves rather pointedly why the "upanayana samskAra" alone should receive a different, rather cavalier treatment at our hands? Why should we be lax in performing this particular "samskAra" when we will ordinarily never brook delaying others? In the Vedic scheme of things, a "samskAra" performed at the right time ensures that a man faithfully carries out the responsibilites appropriate to his station in life. We can say hence that a "samskAra" is really not so much a "rite of passage" as it is a a "rite of growing responsibility". The "upanayana samskAra", for example, ensures that a boy between the ages of 7/8 and 18/20 diligently carries out the duties enjoined upon him by the stage in life called "brahmacharyam". It is during this period in his life that he must apply himself to gaining knowledge and cultivating his intellectual acumen. The "upanayana samskAra" he has undergone helps him greatly indeed in remaining deeply aware of this responsibility of his. Such awareness instils in him mental concentration, perseverance and humility. He also acquires good habits of personal hygiene, mental alertness, gentle manners and a pleasing personality. These ingrained habits of his soon turn into character, and then character gradually transforms itself into his very destiny... The "vivAha samskAra" too similarly ensures that a man duly carries out his various duties as a "gruhasthA" --faithfully and responsibly. The marital vows he takes as part of the "samskAra" include the "saptapadhi" -- the solemn circumambulation of the ritual fire 7 times -- and it is meant to help him remain ever aware, at a deeply spiritual level, of the many important tasks and duties that he, as even a simple householder, owes to society. *************** A Vedic "samskAra" is thus no mere "rite of passage". It has much, much more profound significance. It is an affirmation of a certain way of life, symbolizing as it does, a commitment to a certain lofty Vedic ethos and outlook on life and the world itself. A "samskAra" can perhaps be defined, if definition is possible at all, as a spiritual process of refinement in life, a "kArmic" process meant to leave its felicitous imprint upon the human soul as it progresses through its long and eventful journey on earth -- from its beginnings as an amorphous foetus in the maternal womb, through the four great "ashrama-s" of "brahmacharya", "gruhasthA", "vAnaprastha" and "sannyAsa", and finally to its ultimate destination in the lap of God... ************** And now for a final word of solace to Sri Rajalingam. Sir, just because your "upanayana samskAra" was inordinately delayed in life it does not mean you have no hope. It does not mean you have missed the bus. It is actually a God-sent opportunity for you to re-double your spiritual efforts and reap greater rewards of the spirit eventually. Instead of doing "gAyatri japa" 10 or 28 times daily, perhaps you should make an extra effort, on as many occasions as possible, to perform "japa" 108 or 1008 times. The more often you do this, I would reckon, the more easily you will overcome any handicap you might have suffered as a result of undergoing the "upanayana samskAra" so late in life, at age 39! God be with you, Sir, have no doubt about it! Thanks and regards, respectfully, dAsan, Sudarshan ______________________ India Matrimony: Find your life partner online Go to: http://.shaadi.com/india-matrimony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2005 Report Share Posted February 7, 2005 Excellent elucidation by sudarshan swamin. For those of us who couldn't go through the upanayana samkAra at the right age for some reason or the other, it is indeed comforting to know that all is not lost if only the thrikala sandhyavandanm is done with redoubled vigour and reinforced conviction as enjoined upon us by sashtras. The point however to be noted is that there shall be no conscious violation of dharmic rules and it very much applies to the rules of observance of UpanaYana samsKara too. Dasan Dorairajan R(anganathan) --- sudarshan madabushi <mksudarshan2002 wrote: > > --- wrote: > > Message: 3 > > Sat, 5 Feb 2005 04:06:04 +0800 > > "S Rajalingam" <s.rajalingam > > Upanayam > > > Dear Vaishnavas > > > I agree with all the input but what is the case > on > > Devotee like myself who> only got Upanayam at the > age of 39.> I would very much appreciate if the > bhagavathas on this list can throw some light. > Thank You > ************** > > Dear Sri S Rajalingam, > That's a really good question! Besides the obvious > humour laced in it, it is thought-provoking! I > commend > your candidness in raising it openly. > > Many members have given their inputs on the subject. > They are quite right in pointing out age-old > 'sAstra', > the traditional convention we all abide by, sets the > age for 'upanayanam' very early in life. But Sri > Anbil > svAmi is right in asking for the actual 'pramANam' > to > support members' view that says the ceremony must be > performed at ages 7, 9, 11, 13 or 15 and that > thereafter performance of 'upanayanam' is actually a > "waste of time and money". > > We also need to know the actual "pramANam" for the > other view which holds after a boy turns 16 without > undergoing 'upanayanam', it is just as well he goes > all his life without the sacred thread. > > (Perfunctorily, of course, later in life, in order > to > duly solemnize such a boy's wedding, say at age 25 > or > 30, just before the main wedding-rites, a separate > and > hurriedly arranged ritual is usually performed for > the > purpose of investiture of "yagnyOpavItam" (sacred > thread) on the poor young groom. The purpose of this > rite is really to ensure the officiating priest is > not > inconvenienced, that he is not incapacitated from > performing due processes of Vedic wedding-ritual. It > is to enable the priest to go ahead, without let, > hindrance or embarrassment, and ceremoniously > proclaim > the blessed couple as Man and Wife). > > Be that all as it may, the question of Sri > Rajalingam > is pertinent enough to warrant scrutiny and a > serious > response. My views given below are NOT to be taken > as > authoritative. It comes with the caveat to members > they are entering uncharted waters. > > The "sAstrA" is unambiguous a boy's "upanayanam" > must > be performed ASAP in life. Very little room is > provided in the "sAstra" by way of concessions > extended to the timing or performance of this > important Vedic rite. There are few circumstances in > life under which lapses relating to performance of > "upanayana" may be condoned or extenuated. But that > does not mean persons like Sri Rajalingam have no > hope. On one hand, our Vedic "sAstrAs" are, no > doubt, > strictly inviolable, but then, on the other hand, > the > 'sAstra' also does not totally abandon or damn > trangressors. It shows them a way out too to somehow > redeem themselves. The Vedic faith is a > compassionate > one. It always seeks to hold everyone in its > embrace. > > ****************** > > "Upanayana" is a Vedic "samskAra". If we understood > what "samskAra" truly means in the Vedic faith, we > will not fail to understand why "upanayana" must be > performed at the appropriate time pre-ordained by > 'sAstra'. Equally, we will also not fail to > appreciate > why even those who, unfortunately, have transgressed > the "sAstra" in this regard, cannot be held wholly > irredeemable. > > The Sanskrit word "samskAra" is extremely difficult > to > translate into any other language. Usually, > "samskAra" > is translated by English-speaking persons as "rite > of > passage", implying threby that the "upanayana > samskAra" is something akin to the "baptism" of the > Christians, the "bar mitzvah" of the Jews or the > "sunnat" (circumcision ceremony) of the Muslims. The > latter are all indeed "rites of passage" marking as > they do solemn initiation into adulthood. When a > Christian, Jew or Muslim boy "comes of age", he is > said to be ready to cross a major calendar-milestone > in the voyage of life. > > A Vedic "samskAra" is far, far more than mere rite > of > passage. For a Vedic adherent, the whole course of > human life is like a flowing river of "samskArAs". > There are something like 40 different Vedic > "samskArAs" beginning with the "seemantham" > performed > for the human foetus beginning its great journey of > life within a mother's womb. On the 10th day after > birth, there is the "samskAra" of "nAma-karana" or > "punyAvachanam" for the infant. Thereafter, there is > the "chaula samskAra", the first tonsuring for the > toddler. Childhood is also marked by other > "samskArA-s" like "anna-prasnam", "aksharAbhyAsam" > etc. When the child reaches the age of 7 or 8, there > is the "upanayana samskAra" about which we are all > now > discussing. The boy who has undergone "upanayana > samskAra", when he matures into a young man, becomes > ready for the "vivAha samskAra", the wedding-rite > which ushers him into the "gruhastAshrama" > (householder) phase in life. Then there are other > various "samskArA-s" a full-grown man undergoes in > the > onward voyage of life. There are the SriVaishnava > "samskArA-s" collectively called "pancha-samskArA". > In > ripe old age, there is also the "samskArA" of > "shashtiabdapoorthi" (60th birthday) which a > "gruhastA" undergoes... > > At the end of life too, when a man sheds his mortal > coils, there is a "samskAra" to which he is finally > subjected. It is called "antima samskAra", > "prEta-samskAra" etc. -- the last Vedic rites by > which > a human soul departs into the beyond... > > If it is not really a rite of passage, we may now > ask, > what then is Vedic "samskAra"? > > In his book of discourses, "deivattin kural" ("The > Hindu Dharma"), the Sage of Kanchi, PujyaSri > Chandrasekharendra Saraswati has explained it all > very > beautifully. > > When we sit down to eat a typical south Indian meal, > we should, for once, take a moment to ponder over > the > plentiful rice served. Before we tuck into the meal > with gusto, we should ask ourselves, "From where > does > this wonderful "annam" come? And where does it go?". > > > No one needs enlighten us where the rice goes. It > goes > right down our throat into the belly, of course. But > if we reflect a little more deeply upon the fact, we > realize that the "annam" ultimately transforms > itself > into vital "prANa" or Energy. And it is mysterious, > ethereal, vital Prana that sustains the life-force > within us. In a metaphysical way of speaking, (as > indeed the Taittiriya Upanishad does in a very > famous > passage), we are ourselves, body, mind and soul, > comprised of nothing but the essence of "annam". > > What then, we should hence ask, is this "annam" made > of? How did it get to become the vital source of > life > and the hi-octane energy that it verily is? > > If we ponder upon that question, we will be led into > a > grave contemplation of the various processes (or > "samskArAs") through which the grain that we are > about > to eat had to serially undergo before arriving as > steamingly wholesome "annam" upon on our meal-plate. > > > First, there was the process of "seeding" which the > === message truncated === Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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