Upanayanam

A WRITE UP ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF UPA-NAYANAM
(SRI N.KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI)
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1. Introduction:
The purpose of this write-up is to present the significance and importance
of the sacred ceremony called upanayanam in the life of a Brahmachari. Two
definitions are available in the amara koSam for the word ?brahmacAri?:

Brahma vedaH, tad adhyayana niyamam carati iti brahmacAri ? One who follows
the rules for the learning of the veda.

Mu?nja mekhalAdiyuto vedAdhyAyI brahmacarya vrata sthitaH brahmacArI ?
One who, wearing the marks such as the girdle made of mu?nja grass, live
according to the vows that are required of one who learns the veda-s, is a
brahmacAri. The upanayanam sacrament is intended towards the initiation of
a child towards the life as a brahmacAri, during which the time the student
learns the veda-s and the vedic way of life.

While an effort is made to keep the write-up simple and understandable, it
is inevitable that the write-up will involve samskRt words and quotations.
It is hoped that the write-up will be found useful and beneficial at least
by some of the readers.

The purpose of the upanayanam ceremony is to initiate a student into the
study of veda-s and Vedic knowledge. In the olden days, the student was
sent to the house of a teacher to live with the teacher for several years
(between 8 and 12 years as a minimum), where he served the teacher in all
aspects of his life, and in return was rewarded with the training and the
knowledge in the veda-s. For a boy from a brAhmin family, this initiation
took place at the age of seven (eighth year after conception). This stage
of the student?s life was called brahmacarya, and a very high level of
discipline was expected of the student during this period, with regard to
the daily observances, the rites to be performed daily, the food that is to
be consumed, etc. The upanayanam ceremony is the first day of this
lifestyle, and all the events during the ceremony are meant to set the tone
for the life to be led by the student during the rest of the time of
brahmacarya with the teacher.

The vedic aspects of the upanayanam ceremony are easy to understand when the
purpose of the function as explained above is kept in mind. In this
write-up, we will briefly describe some of the individual events that take
place during the ceremony and the significance of these events in the future
life of the brahmacAri.

2. The term upa-nayanam explained.
The term upa-nayanam consists of two words, upa and nayanam. ?nayana? means
?to lead?, and ?upa, means ?near?. The significance of the term
?upa-nayanam? is that a teacher leads, or initiates, the student towards the
enquiry into the nature of Brahman, or the Supreme Deity. To denote the
importance of this aspect of the upanayanam sacrament, it is sometimes
called brahmopadeSam, even though brahmopadeSam is just one event in the
upanayanam ceremony. The sacred function of upanayanam is an important
milestone in the life of the student, namely, it initiates him towards the
study of the veda-s.

The upanayana samskAra means the crossing of the bar of childhood and
entering studentship under the care and guidance of an AcArya. In the
traditional system, it implied a life of perfect and stern discipline under
the care, close guidance and observation of an AcArya with whom the student
stayed for several years and learned. When initiated, the life of the
individual was one of dedication. Its aim was one of making a student a
successful scholar and a full-fledged man, fit to share the responsibility
of the world. Thus the upanayana samskAra had a distinctive role to play in
training an individual and preparing him for the life that lay ahead.

Sage yAj~navalkya says that the learning of the veda-s is the main object of
the upanayana. Sages Apastamba and bhAradvAja consider upanayanam as a
sacrament of a person desirous of learning. The upanayana is the most
important bodily samskAra that initiates a person in the learning of the
veda-s, with all the associated discipline and rules of conduct. The
phrase ?the discipline and the rules of conduct? is an important part of
this initiation as a student, and we will dwell on it throughout.

The term upa-nayana can also be understood as ?the student being taken near
the AcArya for advice and instruction?. In other words, the upanayana
ceremony is the initiation of the boy in the acquisition of true knowledge
about Brahman. During the upanayana ceremony, an AcArya (preceptor) accepts
a boy as his brahmacAri (disciple). The pupil pronounces the formula: ?I
have come for brahmacarya. Kindly take me near. May I be a brahmacArin
impelled by God?. He is conducted (nayana) to the nearness (upa) of the
Lord by the AcArya.

The upanayana opens a new chapter in the life of an initiate. The student
starts his life of learning with a ritual. The AcArya is all-in-all during
the studentship of a brahmacAri (the initiate), and is the pivot of the
whole educational system. This was strictly meaningful in the old
traditional system where a student was in gurukula vAsam. In the current
system, the father of the child performs this role as the AcArya subsequent
to the ceremony.

Another aspect of the upanayana samskAra (initiation ceremony) is that it
signifies a kind of purity and spirituality by giving the child a ?second
birth?. Those who undergo the upanayana samskAra are also called dvija-s
(twice-born), because the investiture with the sacred thread is considered
the second birth. A simple example is used to illustrate this point. A
bird that is in its nest before coming out into this world, knows only the
world within the nest. However, when it comes out of the nest, it is
exposed to an entirely new world. So also, the child is being introduced to
an entirely new world with the initiation through the upanayanam ceremony.

Going one level further, upanayana is a purification rite by which a boy is
able to realize the gAyatri mantra. The guru (preceptor) becomes an AcArya
and accepts the boy as his pupil. The gAyatri mantra is the source by which
the student is able to study all the veda-s. The power of mantra-s is
experienced only by meditation and practice, and not by theoretical
knowledge alone. Thus, the child who undergoes the upanayanam ceremony
should remember to meditate on the gAyatri mantra regularly, knowing the
meaning of the mantra, and meditating on the meaning while the gAyatri japa
is performed thrice everyday as part of the sandhyA vandana karma. It is
very important to know the meaning of the mantra from day one, and learn to
meditate on the meaning of the mantra as the japa is performed. This is
what brings the power of the mantra to bear fruit.

Looking at it from another perspective, the upanayana ceremony is the
initiation into a lifestyle involving a kind of upAsana (religious)
meditation by which one regularizes the disciplinary life with regular
practice of worship that could be cultivated in the hermitage of an AcArya.

There may be some amongst us who may think that the traditional system of
gurukula vAsam is not available to us anymore, even if we wanted to follow
it. This is not true. On the contrary, it is within our very easy reach.
Our great AcArya-s have set up veda pAThaSAlA-s (schools for learning
veda-s) in various places in India under their leadership and guidance, the
sole purpose of which is to give education in the traditional style to
students who live the in the campus during the several years during which
they study, and are guided and trained by capable teachers who are dedicated
for this purpose. While it is not the same as the guru kula vAsam (staying
with the AcAryan?s family in his house and being trained), it is very close.

In the olden days, the upa-nayanam ceremony was also the formal initiation
of education or studies for the child. Study in those days meant only the
study of the veda-s. The veda-s contain all the knowledge that there is to
be attained, and so there is no need for any other study. This is true even
today, even though most of us spend all our time and energy ?study?ing
things other than that which is truly needed for the welfare of our soul,
namely the acquisition of vedic knowledge, and putting this knowledge into
practice.

3. The Sruti-s and smRti-s on the importance and significance of upanayanam.
The Rg veda mentions the simple but important ceremony of upanayana as an
important precondition for a student. The upanayana rite helps shape the
mind of the young student. Rabindranath Tagore was initiated into the rite
at the age of 12, and gives a brief account of the positive impact it made
on him in his work called jIvan-smRti 39 years later.

Apastamba declares: upa-nayanam vidyArthasya SrutitaH samskAraH ? The
upanayana is a vedic sacrament that is administered for a student who seeks
knowledge.

The prayoga cintAmaNi defines the term upanayanam thus: yena karmaNA yasmin
vA karmaNi AcAryeNa vidyArtham su-muhUrte kamArasya sva-samIpe nayanam ? The
auspicious event wherein a teacher leads the student desirous of knowledge
to his nearness (for administering this knowledge that is sought).
The atharva veda and the Sata-patha brahmaNa give details of the spiritual
significance of this initiation ceremony. All the three upper castes
(brAhmaNa-s, kshatriya-s and vaiSya-s) were entitled to receive education.
After upanayana, the minimum age of entry to education was 8 for brAhmaNa-s,
11 for kshatriya-s, and 12 for vaiSya-s. upanayana (involving investiture
with the sacred thread) is considered to be one of 16 important samskAra-s
(sacraments), followed by vedArambha.



4. The Major vedic events on the day of the upanayanam ceremony.

As explained earlier, a teacher and a student are the main parts of
the event. The student formally seeks knowledge from the teacher.
The teacher in turn gives the student several instructions on the
life that the student should lead from that day onwards as a
brahmacAri. The teacher first undergoes a formal purification in
order to make himself fit to instruct the student on the vedic mantra-
s etc., the student undergoes purification in order to make himself
fit to receive the instruction, then the student asks the teacher
formally, with humility, to give him the instruction, and the teacher
does so. The teacher also initiates the student on the various
aspects of day-to-day life that the student is expected to lead from
that day on. At a high level, this is what the ceremony consists of.

The following list is from a book titled `upanayanam', published by
SrI Ramakrishna Mutt, giving the major events that take place on the
day of the upanayanam:.

pUrvA'ngam,
puNhAhavAcanam
yaj~nopaveeta dhAraNam
kumAra bhojanam
brahmacarya li'nga dhAraNam
upanayanam
upanayana homam
brahmopadeSam
bikshAcaraNam
ASeervAdam

In SrImad bhAgavatam, there is a beautiful description of the
bhagavAn in His vAmana incarnation undergoing the upanayanam
sacrament. Some of the events of the upanayanam ceremony of today
(e.g., yaj~nopavIta dhAraNam, bhikshAcaraNam, the wearing of the
mekhalA, daNDa dhAraNam, etc.). are all described in the Sloka-s
below, and are briefly explained subsequently.

tasya upanIyamAnasya sAvitrIm savitA abravIt |
bRhaspatir-brahmasUtram mekhalAm kaSyapo'dadAt || (8.18.14)

dadau kRshNAjinam bhUmir-daNDam somo vanaspatiH |
kaupinAcchAdanam mAtA dyauS-catram jagataH pateH ||

kamaNDalu, vedagarbhaH kuSAn saptarshayo daduH |
akshamAlAm maharaja sarasvatyavyayAtmanaH ||

tasmA itupanItAya yaksharAt pAtrikAm adAt |
bikshAm bhagavatI sAkshAt umA adapt ambikA satI ||

sa brahma varcasenaivam sabhAm sambhAvito vaTuH |
brahmaRshi gaNa sa'njushTam atyarocata mArishaH ||

samiddham Ahitam vahnim kRtvA parisamUhanam |
paristIrya samabhyarcya samidbhir-ajuhot dvijaH ||
(8.18.19)
.
A brief summary of the meaning of the above Sloka-s is given
here. "At the time of upanayanam, sUrya instructed Him on the
gAyatrI mantra, guru gave him the yaj~nopavIta, and kaSyapa gave Him
the waistband called mehkalA. BhUmi devi gave Him the deer skin, and
soma gave the wooden stick (palASa daNDa); Mother aditi gave Him the
loin cloth, the god of the upper worlds gave Him the umbrella; brahmA
gave the kamaNDalu, the seven Rshi-s gave the darbha grass, sarasvati
gave the japa mAlA (the strand for meditation), kubera gave the
vessel for collecting bikshA, and umA (pArvati) gave Him bikshA.
This brahmacAri thus equipped, spread the sacred grass (darbhA grass)
on all four sides of the fire, performed the agni pUjA, and then
performed the homa with the samit-s".

Some of the above steps in the upanayanam ceremony, and their
significance are briefly explained next, with the main purpose of
illustrating how each of these events is directed towards the
initiation of the student in the strict discipline of studentship for
learning veda.

4.1. pUrvA'ngam:

In general, on the previous evening, a vedic chanting called udaka
sAnti is performed, wherein several vedic scholars will chant several
vedic mantra-s, invoke the power of these mantra-s in water, and give
a bath to the student with the water thus sanctified.

The pUrvA'ngam on the day of the upanayanam consists of the sankalpam
(undertaking) by the teacher or AcArya of the father of the child,
that he is seeking the blessings of the elders in the gathering for
administering the sacrament of upanayanam on the child. This is
followed by a purification rite called puNyAha vAcanam.

4.2. Yaj~nopaveeta dhAraNam:
The teacher will make the student repeat the mantra for wearing the
yaj~nopaveetam, which is something that the student will need for the
rest of his life ? every time the yaj~nopaveetam is to be changed and
replaced with a new one. The sacred thread, as it is called in
English, identifies a student as a brahmacAri who has undergone the
upanayanam initiation. The vishNu dharma sUtra and the Manu smRti
both state that the sacred thread of a brAhmaNa is made of three
cotton threads twisted to the right. The smRti candrikA specifies
that the sacred thread should be worn such that it does not go below
the navel, not should it be worn above the chest level: The
yaj~nopaveeta is the external symbol to show that one is a
brahmacAri. Purity, self-restraint, non-violence, patience, love for
one's fellow-beings - these are the internal marks.

4.3. KumAra bhojanam:

One of the events in the ceremony is called kumAra bhojanam. In
this, the student is fed meals specially prepared for this event.
The food is made such that there are no spices of any kind in the
food (no salt, no chilly, no other spices). The idea is that the
student should leave aside interest in tasty food and other kinds of
sense-oriented gratifications while leading the life of a student.
The Apastamba gRhya sUtra declares this as follows: kshAra lavaNa
varjanam ca | - Leaving out spicy, pungent, and salty components.
Even though in the case of a brahmacAri this applies throughout the
period of his studentship, the explanation for the sUtra says that
this should be observed for three days. In current practice, this is
observed only during the time of kumAra bhojanam.

4.4. Brahmacarya li'nga dhAraNam ?
Decorating the student with the signs of a brahmacAri student:

There are several steps involved in this, but we will cover four of
the steps under this title: the wearing of the mekhalA, the ajinam,
the daNDa, and the aSma ArohaNam. Of these, aSma ArohaNam, are
ascending a rock, is not strictly the `wearing of a sign as a
brahmacAri', the student is made to stand on a rock while the actual
wearing of the mekhalA, ajinam, and daNDa take place, and so it is
included as a part of the li'nga dhAraNam, or wearing of the signs of
a brahmacAri, and is included as the first step in the li'nga
dhAraNam here.

4.4.1 The aSma ArohaNam ? The vow taken while standing on the solid
rock:

AtishThemam aSmAnam aSmeva tvam sthiro bhava |
AbhitishTha pRtanyataH sahasva pRtaAyataH ||

The student is asked to climb on to a solid rock, with his right foot
first, and then with both feet resting on the rock, and instructed by
the AcArya: "Stand on this rock. You should be as firm as this rock
(in your firm determination to observe your discipline). You should
firmly oppose those who cause obstruction to your discipline. You
should have the strength to put up with any difficulties caused by
those who oppose you".

4.4.2 The mekhalA:

The mekhalA or the girdle is made of a type of grass called mu'nja
grass. According to the Apastamba and the baudAyana gRhya sUtra-s,
the girdle is made of three strings, and the grass should have its
knot turned to the right. The knot of the girdle should be
positioned near the navel. The triple cord symbolized that the
student was always encircled by the three veda-s, according to one
source. This same reason is given behind the existence of three
strands in the yaj~nopavIta, in one of many explanations given for
the three strands in the yaj~nopavIta.

The mantra-s associated with the wearing of the mau'njee, or the
mekhalA (girdle) made of mu'nja grass, in part, have the following
meaning: "This girdle will protect the student from all ill fame.
It will purify the body of the student who is wearing it. It will
give strength to the air in the body of the student. May this
mekhalA protect the student by standing around the student and
warding off all evil forces".

4.4.3 The ajinam ? Deer skin:

A full-sized deer skin used to be given to serve as the upper garment
for the student. This is specified in the Apastamba gRhya sUtra, the
baudAyana gRhaya sUtra, the manu smRti, etc. According to one
source, every Hindu is required to cover his upper body during
religious ceremonies, and so the significance of this is described as
symbolizing the beginning of a religious life for the child.
Nowadays, a small piece of the deer skin is tied to the yaj~nipavIta
when the uapnayanam is performed.



4.5. upa-nayanam ? The teacher taking the student near him:

As has been explained earlier, the literal meaning of the term `upa-
nayanam' is `(the teacher) taking the student near (him)'. The
formal process of `upa-nayanam' takes place at this time, after the
student has been equipped with all the signs of a brahmacAri or
student. The teacher formally accepts the student as a brahmacAri
under his guidance.

The teacher first blesses the child, and then invokes the protection
of the different devatA-s for his student: agni, soma, savitA,
sarasvati, mRtyu, yama, gada, antaka, water, the herbal gods, earth,
and vaiSvAnara. Then he embraces the child as his own from that
point on for the purpose of teaching vedic knowledge. The teacher
accepts the child with the words "devasya tvA savituH prasave (name
of the child) Sarman" - "I bring near me the child named ?. by the
order of savitR devatA". The child responds with the words "I have
accepted the brahmacarya vRata or the vow of a brahmacAri. Please
accept me as your student and keep me near you". The teacher again
involves the blessings of sUrya for the protection and proper
guidance of the child. The teacher starts giving some instructions,
and the student expresses his commitment to those instructions. This
is the initiation of the upa-nayanam, or the start of the student
being brought to the nearness of the teacher for continued
instructions and training in the vedic path of life.

4.6. The upa-nayana homam:

This is the first homa or sacrificial offering to the fire on which
the AcArya instructs the student. This is again, a joint prayer by
the teacher and the student for the well-being of the student as a
brahmacAri, and for the grace of the gods in helping him stay the
course of a brahmacAri by bestowing good physical and mental health
on the student during his life.

4.7. BrahmopadeSam ? The beginning of the instruction on Brahman:

This starts with the child prostrating at the feet of the AcArya, and
seeking the instruction of the sAvitrI mantra from the AcArya. (The
sAvitrI mantra and the gAyatrI mantra are essentially similar, with
the gAyatrI mantra having the words "Om bhUr-bhuvas-svaH" added at
the beginning of the sAvitrI mantra).

4.7.1. The gAyatrI mantra:
After circumambulating the sacrificial fire, the student is shown the
sun and explained that the quest for knowledge should be like the
light of the sun, which permeates through all things. Next the
gAyatri mantra is recited by the guru and repeated by the pupil, who
memorizes it.

Literally, gAyatri means "That 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. The gAyatri is a mantra praying for divine guidance to
inspire and illumine the intellect so that the Jiva may know his real
self - the Atman. Universal in its approach, it does not seek any
personal benefit for the chanter. The venerable BhIshma, while
extolling the greatness of the gAyatri from his bed of arrows
declares - Where the gAyatri is chanted, ultimately deaths, involving
the performance of obsequies for children by their elders will not
occur. Thus it is a prayer for universal welfare which the brAhmaNa
must perform as a sacred trust enjoined on him.

This mantra is considered to be the essence of the three veda-s ? Rg,
yajus, and sAma all at once ? sarvebhyo vai vedebhyaH sAvitRyanUcyata
iti brAhmaNam. (As mentioned earlier, the sAvitri mantra referred to
in this quote is a subset of the gAyatri mantra, and they have been
used interchangeably in the literature). There is a kramam or order
in which this is taught, in the ear of the student by the teacher,
with a silk cloth covering the student and the teacher. This is
because the mantra is not to be given out in public, and is not be
taught, except one-on-one by a teacher to a student who seeks this
knowledge. As mentioned earlier, the efficacy of the mantra is in
the sincerity with which it is meditated on. The first instruction
is just the initiation.

The gAyatri must be chanted in the prescribed manner, thrice a day,
as a part of the nitya karma (daily required duty) called the sandhyA
vandanam. The sandhyA vandanam is an excellent daily exercise in
calming the mind and rendering it fit for meditation on the highest
truth epitomized by the gAyatri. Because of its great importance as a
spiritual practice, the SAstra-s have proclaimed its primacy of place
in unequivocal terms, to the extent that no exceptions are provided.
It has to be definitely performed thrice daily, throughout one's
life. All the good things a person may do are of no avail, if he
fails to perform his sandhyA vandanam and gAyatri japa regularly. The
scriptures are unanimous on this point. The immense benefit accruing
from regular and assiduous practice of the sandhyA vandanam and
meditating on the gAyatri, is something that can be corroborated by
those who perform this nitya karma regularly.

4.7.2. Undertaking the brahmacarya vrata-s ?
The giving of the daNDa or staff:
After the gAyatrI mantra upadeSam is completed, the student is given
a staff from a jack tree (palASa daNDa). With this staff in hand,
the student makes additional commitments towards his brahmacarya
vRata or the vow of being a student seeking knowledge of Brahman (a
brahmacAri).

The student undertakes the following vRata-at this time:

Following the initiation to the gAyatri mantra, the student is
administered the vow of brahmacarya by the teacher. The mantra is
very sweet to chant, and the meanings are given below:

? I will remember that which is fit to remember, but forget
that which is not fit to remember. Both are my vows.
? I will spurn that is worth being spurned, and will not spurn
that which should not be spurned. Both are my vows.
? I will pay attention to that which deserves attention, and
will not pay attention to that which is unfit to be paid attention
to. Both are my vows.
? I will learn what is fit to be learned, and will desist from
learning what is unfit to be learned. Both are my vows.
? I will hear the good, and will desist from hearing the bad.
Both are my vows.
? I will speak the truth, and will desist from speaking
untruth. Both are my vows
? I will perform tapas, and will desist from performing acts
that are not consistent with tapas. Both are my vows.
? I will adhere to the vow of brahmacarya, and will desist from
acts that are contrary to brahmacarya. Both are my vows.

The AcArya once again reaffirms that he is accepting the student as
his own, and invokes the grace of the Lord for the success of the
relationship between him and the student.

The student is compared to a traveler with a long road of knowledge
ahead of him. The staff is the symbol of a traveler, and while
accepting it, the student prays that he should reach the end of his
journey safely and happily. Most sUtras prescribe the staff of a
jack tree for the staff for a brAhmin boy. The length of the staff
is specified as reaching up to the hair level on the head of the
student, in some of the gRhya sUtra-s. The staff should be perfect,
straight, and beautiful to look at. Most importantly, the student
should not allow anyone to pass between himself and the staff. In
the current day practice, a small piece of stick, hopefully from a
jack tree, is given to the student.

In some books, the wearing of the palASa daNDa is included as a part
of step 4 described above (brahmacarya li'nga dhAraNam), since they
consider it a symbol of the student undertaking the brahmacarya
vratam.

4.7.3. samidhAdhAnam:
This is a daily ritual required of a brahmacAri, and the training is
started on the day of the upanayanam. It involves the daily offering
by the brahmacAri to the fire, praying for all the strength and
energy needed for the continuance of the brahmacarya vrata. This
practice now probably exists only in families where vedic Brahmins
practice their dharma-s rigorously, and bring out the children
according to tradition. It is sure to be followed in the veda
pAThaSAla-s of the Asrama-s and MaTham-s. In most other families in
the current times, the samidA dhAnam is performed by the student only
on the day of the yearly upAkarmA observance.

Several other mantra-s and several homa-s are introduced to the
student throughout the course of the ceremony.

4.8. The bhikshAcaraNam ? Collecting alms:
Soon after the samdihA dhAnam, additional instructions from the
AcArya, are given and are followed by the undertaking of additional
vrata-s by the student.

Among some of the other injunctions on the student are:

? ApoSAna ? Perform ApoSAnam without fail. (a kind of prayer
repeated before and after eating).
? Parishecanam is the common term used for this.
? karma kuru ? Perform your duties without fail.
? mA sushuptAH - Do not fall asleep (during day time).
? BhikshAcaryam cara ? Live with what you get out of the
bikshA (This is the rice that the student receives everyday through
bikshA, and the student is initiated on this as well on the day of
the upanayana, with a ceremony called bhikshAcaraNam. In fact, in
the traditional system, the rice that is thus collected by the
student really belongs to the AcArya. The student should go and
offer the bikshA to the teacher, who then uses it to feed all his
students).
? AcArya adhIno bhava ? Be subservient to the teacher always.

For every one of these injunctions from the AcArya, the student
responds: "bADham" ? "I will definitely follow that".

Among the other injunctions included in the Apastamba gRhya sUtra are:

* mayA ananuj~nAtam apa eva piba, nAnyat ? Without my permission, do
not consume anything except water
* a-gandhasevee - Do not use perfumes or cosmetics.

4.8.1. The bikshA or collecting alms:
Note that one of the injunctions above was: BhikshAcaryam cara ?
Live with what you get out of the bikshA. The student is now taught
the procedure and the mantra for collecting bhikshA, which is a daily
duty on the part of the student from now on.

In the traditional life, a brAhmaNa is supposed to lead his life
learning vedas and then propagating this knowledge to others.

IN PARTICULAR, IT IS THE NOT THE DHARMA OF A BRAHMANA TO SEEK
PROFESSIONS FOR THE SAKE OF GATHERING WEALTH. HE IS SUPPOSED TO
COLLECT JUST WHAT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE ESSENTIAL FOOD FOR THE DAY,
BY COLLECTING ALMS EACH DAY FROM PEOPLE WHO USED TO CONSIDER IT THEIR
PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO DONATE ALMS TO THE ONE WHO COMES SEEKING
ALMS.

This is the concept behind the event where the student is asked to go
and collect alms from the few ladies present in the function ? this
is an initiation for the daily life of the brahmacAri. The student
addresses the lady through the words: "bhavati bikshAm dehi" ?
"Madam, give alms". In addition to supporting the prescribed dharma
for a brAhmaNa, this step in the daily life of a brAhmaNa also taught
him humility, while earning the respect of the society for the noble
purpose for which his life was being dedicated (namely, the study of
the veda-s and its proper propagation).

The spirit underlying the BhikshAcaraNam is that it will induce
humility and quell the ego - it will root out all difference of high
and low, wealthy and poor, since, in the traditional lifestyle, every
brahmaAari, regardless of his family's standing, has to practice it.
Above all, it will enable the young student to overcome the craving
of the tongue, and induce the restraint of the senses so very
necessary for properly imbibing the Vedic Knowledge.

4.9. AseervAdam:
This is the final part of the sacrament, wherein all auspiciousness
is invoked for the continuous bestowing of all virtues on the
subjects of the occasion, on the family members, on all the
attendees, and on all beings all over the world.

5. Conclusion:
The attempt of the write-up was to bring out the purpose behind the
Vedic sacrament called upa-nayanam ? one of initiating the student
into the study of the veda-s. Associated with the initiation into
the study of the veda-s, a strict life of discipline and code of
conduct is prescribed for the student. All the events during the
sacred thread ceremony are directed towards initiating the student on
this road to the brahmacarya ASrama. It is hoped that an
understanding of the basis of the ceremony, along with the spiritual
and moral significance associated with this initiation, will lead to
more devoted following of the requirements of the ASrama, and
subsequent life following the completion of the ASrama