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Upanayanam: The thread ceremony
From being a boy to becoming a man. The journey has just begun. It is a time of transition in a young man's life and Brahmins mark it with the Upanayanam Samskara or the sacred thread ceremony. The ceremony is usually performed between the ages of seven and thirteen. If, for some reason, it has not been done by then, most elders will tell you that it needs to be completed before he gets married. It is performed with the same gusto as a wedding.
Male domain
Upanayanam is the Samskara or the ceremonial rite in which the young Brahmin boy is invested with the sacred thread and initiated into the Gayatri - the Holiest of all mantras in the legacy of the Rishis. This ceremony is only for boys from the top three social classes. Traditionally, an auspicious time and date was chosen to shave the boy's head completely, leaving only a small tuft in the centre of the scalp, called bodi. These days however, this right has been generously made optional.
Symbolical
Besides other things during the ceremony, this is the last time the boy sits in his mother's lap to be spoon-fed by her. All of this is symbolic of the passing of the child's care from his parents to his guru. The boy sits on his guru's left and promises to obey all the orders that he will be given. Both their hands are then covered with a long cloth and amidst beating drums and sounding conches, the guru whispers into the right ear of the boy a mantra or words of wisdom, which are never repeated to anyone else.
 The boy is then supposed to beg alms from his mother and the other ladies present at the ceremony. The alms, more like blessings, usually consist of wheat, rice, sweets, small tokens of gold and silver and money. He then hands these alms over to his guru, who proceeds to place the janeo thread across the boy's shoulder, which is henceforth to be worn for life.
The sacred thread
The sacred thread used for the ceremony consists of three strands, joined by a knot known as Brahmagranthi or the knot of Brahma. The three strands symbolise the Hindu trinity - Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. There are various interpretations of the three strands to represent many of the other triads like Mahasarasvati, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali. Or the three qualities known as sattva, rajas and tamas; past, present and the future; the three states - wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. Some even say that it represents the three dimensions known as heaven (swarga), earth (martyaloka) and nether regions (patala).
But the most important meaning of the three strands is ida, pingala and susumna nadi, through which the kundalini energy manifests as prana and consciousness. Yajno-pavita means 'thread of sacrifice.' That is so called because it symbolises the sacrifice of ego.
No thread, no wife
The sacred thread is a passport to obtain education. It is a prerequisite for education and also for marriage. For without it no man can dream of getting a bride for him. It was considered important because a person with Yajnopavita must have undergone all the oaths associated with wearing it and should have led a celibate life and should have completed a major portion of his education. Brahmachari or the bachelor (also, a learner) wears a single sacred thread. The householder or the married person wears two. A person who is married and has lost one or both of his parents wears three.
Different methods
There are different methods of wearing the Sacred Thread at different occasions. While performing an auspicious ceremony one should be Upaviti, that is, the Sacred Thread should hang from his left shoulder. At the performance of some inauspicious ceremony one should be Prachnaviti, that is, the Sacred Thread should hang from the right shoulder; and at times he is called Niviti when the Sacred Thread is worn round the neck like a garland.
Study time
After the Upanayanam is performed, the boy or the Vatu - as the young Brahmachari is called, becomes eligible to study the Vedas. As this samskara signifies a spiritual rebirth as it were, the boy becomes a Dvija or a "Twice Born" after the Upanayanam is performed. Etymologically speaking, the word means, taking (NAYANAM) near (UPA). The Guru took him near the Vedas (i.e.taught him to chant them in the traditional way), which in turn ultimately took him near God. Thus, the ceremony opens for the young Brahmachari, a succession of gates, leading to the ultimate goal of human existence - the realisation of God. In the scheme of the four ashramas prescribed for the individual, the Upanayanam Ceremony signifies the boy's entry into the ashrama namely Brahmacharya. Once initiated, the dvija must henceforth chant the Gayathri Mantra at least thrice a day. Literally, Gayathri means which protects him who chants it. She is the mother of all the mantras, and when chanted with devotion and single pointed concentration and purity, takes the chanter to the ultimate bliss - the knowledge of the Supreme Truth, called the Brahman. It is a prayer for universal welfare which the brahmin must perform as a sacred trust enjoined on him.
New age thinktank
In the years gone, the Upanayanam or thread ceremony was imperative in the life of a young boy. However, today much criticism has been made against this samskara as it is available only to males, born into the higher castes and denied to all others, including women. Contrary to the popular belief, there are scriptural and also epic references to women scholars receiving the Upanayanam samskara. There is a specific record in the Ramayana of Sita having performed the Sandhya puja and also reciting the Gayathri. But due to the patriarchal system having overtaken Hindu culture, women have since lost the right to this special sacrament. Some social reformers today insist that such a partisan sacrament should be discarded altogether in the modern age. Others feel that it should be redesigned and made available to all Hindus.
Whatever be the case, even today a Brahmin is not sociologically potent unless the thread ceremony has been performed for him. Go ahead and tie the knot. At least this one need no thinking and we are sure, won't give you cold feet!
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Pooja Mittal-Aggarwal
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