Upanayanam etc.

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear SrIvaishnavas,

 

Three years back aDiyEn raised a question on karma/bhOga bhoomis in TiruvEnkaTam

group. Thanks SrI.Sudarshan svami and others for taking up this thread now,

which will benefit many SrIvaishNavAs.

 

Meanwhile, one of aDiyEn's SrIvaishNava friends has sent me the following note

on 'upanayanam' which aDiyEn hopes, will be useful to the members.

 

dAsan

Mukundan

 

----------

Sri:

 

asmath gurubhyo namaha

 

Apropos the recent threads on "upanayanam" and "puNya

bhUmi/karma bhUmi", I would like to share some of

the possible sources of the traditional views.

 

 

i. manu on the "performance of samskArA-s in the holy AryavartA

vs. other lands"

 

manu smRti describes the geographical of the land in aphorisms

17, 21, and 22 of the Second Adhyaya.

 

Further,

 

kR^ishhNasaarastu charati mR^igo yatra svabhaavataH |

sa GYeyo yaGYiyo desho mlechchhadeshastvataH paraH || (II.23)

 

etaan.hdvijaatayo deshaan.h sa.nshrayeran.h prayatnataH |

shuudrastu yasmin.h kasmin.h vaa nivased.h vR^ittikarshitaH ||

(II.24)

 

 

 

ii. On the suitable age for "upanayanam" and prayaschittam in

case of a

delay, manu says:

 

garbhaashhTame.abde kurviita braahmaNasyaupanaayanam.h |

garbhaadekaadashe raaGYo garbhaat.h tu dvaadashe vishaH ||

(II.36)

 

brahmavarchasakaamasya kaaryo viprasya paJNchame |

raaGYo balaarthinaH shhashhThe vaishyasyaihaarthino.ashhTame ||

(II.37)

 

 

aa shhodashaad.h braahmaNasya saavitrii naativartate |

aa dvaavi.nshaat.h kshatrabandhoraa chaturvi.nshatervishaH ||

ata uurdhvaM trayo.apyete yathaakaalamasa.nskR^itaaH | (II.38)

 

 

saavitriipatitaa vraatyaa bhavantyaaryavigarhitaaH ||

naitairapuutairvidhivadaapadyapi hi karhi chit.h |

braahmaan.h yaunaa.nshcha saMbandhaannaachared.h braahmaNaH saha

(II.39)

 

naitairapuutairvidhivadaapadyapi hi karhi chit.h |

braahmaan.h yaunaa.nshcha saMbandhaannaachared.h braahmaNaH saha

||(II.39)

 

 

--->

As pointed out by others, the "grihya-sUtrA-s" are our primary

reference-manuals for "upanayanam" and almost all other

samskArA-s. They provide the detailed procedures and mantrA-s to

be used for these samskArAs.

 

 

A quick glance at the more prevalent grihya-sUtrA-s in South

India,

namely "Apastamba and bOdhAyana" for yajur-vEdins and

khAdira/gObhilA

for sAma-vEdins all concur on the recommended age.

 

vide:

ApastambA gRhya-sUtrA IV.10.1: "garbhAshTamam braahmaN upayanIt"

khAdira gRhya-sUtrA: "ashTamE varshE upayanayEt"

 

 

(Also of interest, the prescribed seasons for the upanayanam to

be performedare, for the Brahmana in spring, the Kshatriya in summer, and

Vaisya in autumn.)

 

Narayana!

------

 

 

 

 

 

 

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