Thread by @ssaikuma

Upanayanam: To do or not?

This post is by request, an attempt to answer multiple questions I was asked on the Upanayanam ceremony.

Questions opposing Upanayanam:
- The sacred thread is an act of Brahminical patriarchy. Why should only Brahmin men wear it but not others?

We should strive to destroy Brahminism & the oppressive caste system that the Brahmins have imposed on us for 1000s of years. This casteist ceremony should simply stop. People should cast away the thread.
- Why should we spend so much money in this ceremony?

The priests nowadays charge so much! I don't do any Sandhyavandhanam. Neither did my parents or grandparents. What's the point? Let's simply not do it.
- Why should I wear this thread? I don't want to look strange in front of my friends in the locker room wearing it.

Even if you force me to wear it in the function, I'll remove it the very next day. Why do you even want to spend money & make this effort?
- A Upanayanam event was conducted in 5-star hotel. It had alcoholic drinks & meat being served.

The officiating priest got offended, & though he was offered additional money, he refused to conduct the event & left in a huff. The priest had brought an assistant who accepted the offer & conducted it. This is fundamentally just a social event, right?

What's wrong with some drinks & meat? It is my choice of diet for a party. Why was the priest so uptight?

Positive Stories:
- A strange case that just happened. A young boy's family simply weren't interested in doing the ceremony.

The father & grandfather don't do any Sandhyavandhanam. What's the point in spending the money for the kid? But the young boy was insistent. He forced his parents & grandparents to agree to doing the ceremony. They are doing it at their home.

- Why did the boy insist on the ceremony? This is a mystery. The scriptures state that saying the divine name even once, even inadverdently, will stay with you forever.

(Source: Haridas Giri Upanyasam) It will not leave you, until you reach the ultimate truth & merge with the divine, across lives. The priest who narrated this story wonders if this boy is an old soul who has chanted a lot of Gayatri Mantras who is reborn.

- This is in contrast to the Abrahamic religions, which based off Moses' third commandment, states that God's name shall not be taken in vain. The staunchly religious will use G-d instead of God even today.
- A father wanted to do the ceremony for his son.

He heard that the father had to do at least 1 lakh Gayathri Mantras before doing an Upanayanam. He kept count. It took him a couple of years. And he performed the Upanayanam once he was done.

What is the Upanayanam?

Upanayanam is a sacred ceremony where a sacred thread is vested for the first time.

Is Upanayanam only for Brahmanas?
No. It was performed by most Jatis & Varnas in India, and also adopted by some Dalit communities in history.

Per the scriptures, it is open for everyone, per the Sushruta Sutrasthana & Baudhayana Grihya sutras, which specifically say that it was done for all Varnas.

Is Upanayanam only for men?
No. Girls undergoing Upanayanam before studies are called Brahmavadinis.

Goddess sculptures such as those of Sarasvati & Durga have the thread. Relevant scriptures: Harita Dharmasutras, Asvalayana Grhya Sutra and Yama smriti. The Valmiki Ramayana refers to Sita's Sandhya Vandanam: Sundara Kanda - Sarga 14, ५-१४-४९.

The girls not going to a Gurukulam to study were Sadyovadhus, whose Upanayanam would be performed during marriage, when they will were their saree over their left shoulder like a thread.

Until the last generation, women would start wearing sarees after marriage over their left shoulder. Scriptures: Gobhila Gryha Sutra verse 2.1.19, Dharmasutras & Yajur Veda.

Why a thread?

Per the scriptures (2.2.4.22–2.2.4.23 of Apastamba Dharmasutra & Gobhila Gryha Sutra at verse 1.2.1), it simply means an upper garment (upavita) worn on the left shoulder. For those don't want to wear a garment, a thread.

Kapalikas used to wear an Upavita of hair instead of threads. Source: Periya Puranam

Number of fibers in each thread?
There are 9 fibers in each thread. Each fiber represents:
1. Omkaram,
2. Agni
3. Naga
4. Soma
5. Pitru
6. Prajapati
7. Vayu
8. Yama
9.

Vishvadevata

Number of individual threads?
The sacred thread has three individual threads. As is true for Hindu symbols & rituals, they have a multi-layared representation:
- Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
- Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Shakti
- Dharma, Artha, Kama
- Matru…

…(mother), Pitru (father), Guru
- the vow to respect debts to Guru (for knowledge), Matru/Pitru (parents/ancestores for the physical body), Samudhayam (society)
- Iccha (desire), Gnanam (knowledge), Kriya (action): Desire leads to knowledge which leads to action.

To do anything in the world, action is required.
- Gayatri (thought), Savitri (deed), Sarasvati (word)
- Brahmacharya (student), Grhasta (householder), Vanaprasta (retired householder who has given up all wealth & power)
- Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda
- Sattva,…

…Rajas, Tamas Gunas
- Karma, Dhyana (meditation), Bhakthi (devotion)
- Three fires: Garhapatya, Dakshinagni, Ahvaniya
Brahma/Sarasvatu represent the birth of a student. Vishnu/Lakshmi represent the householder life following Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha.

This means: follow your desires (Kama) & find meaning in life (Artha) but be bound by Dharma with a goal towards Moksha. Shiva/Shakti represent the secret of death & the ultimate reality.

The knot on the thread?
Each of the three threads have a knot.

They are the Brahma, Vishnu & Rudra Granthis. Lopamudra describes them in the Lalitha Sahasranamam as part of the Kundalini Yoga. The mysteries of creation, life & death will be unravelled through Yoga, yielding the ultimate truth.

Differences in number of threads?

After childhood, Hinduism has 4 Ashramas (stages of life).
- The Upanayanam introduces the student to the first Ashrama: Brahmacharya (the learning student). The student wears one set of threads.

This represents Brahma: the birth of the knowledge seeker, also giving him the term Dvija (twice-born).
- Vivaham (marriage) introduces the Brahmachari to Grhasta (house-holder). He gains one more set of threads. This represents Vishnu.

This Ashrama helps preserve & propagate the species (at a base level) and culture/knowledge (at a higher level).

- Rites of giving up current possessions of weath & power, and in some cases until a century back, permanently going away to Kashi is Vanaprasta (secluded retirement focussing on simple life & divine pursuits).

When the parents pass away, the aspirant is endowed ritually with one more set of threads.

This represents Shiva.
- Give up all human attachments including the sacred thread initiated during Upanayanam (in the common Advaita Sampradaya tradition) & focus purely on the divine by accepting Sanyasa (asceticism).

This has to happen with the mother's consent (if unmarried) or spouse's consent (if married), or if they are no longer alive. Sanyasa is interestingly not initiated (such as a Deeksha). One does Sweekaram of Sanyasa (welcome to oneself).

Source: Haridas Giri's Upanyasam on Adi Sankara. Like the Upanishads talk about a lamp extinguishing itself, the sacred thread is a prop that helps an aspirant towards divinity, that needs to be eventually discarded in Sanyasa.

Meaning of the thread?

The thread is called: Yajnopavitam meaning thread of sacrifice. Vivekananda once mentioned that the way of the world is that the best of us sacrifice themselves for the rest of us.

Where other ancient civilizations withered away under a brutal onslaught, the best of our ancestors sacrificed so much for so long to preserve the culture & traditions.

Meaning of twice-born?
This is again multi-layered.

With the Upanayanam ceremony & the birth of the knowledge seeker, the person is a Dvija (twice-born). There is a deeper meaning however. Deep meditation (Dhyana) practitioners talk about a light. Some with near-death-experiences (NDEs) also talk about a light.

The Yogic theory is that once one reaches the light through a meditative practice, they have the secret to death, and are born again. They are the truly twice-born.

This also gives rise to the term, Parpanar (in Tamizh, meaning one who can seen true knowledge), which is now used as a pejorative: Paapaan.
The religious thought of being born-again has made its way to other cultures, but relies on blind faith rather than quest for knowledge.

Why the left shoulder?
The threads are worn on the left shoulder, moving across to the right waist. Per the Aghori Vimalananda in the Robert Svoboda's Aghora/Kundalini book series, the right part of our body represents Shiva, while the left represents Shakti.

This will enhance Shiva's energies which will guide the aspirant through a Dakshina Marga (right path) (such as Yoga, Dhyana-meditation). The Aghoris themselves follow the tricky Vama Marga (left path) & will not wear the thread.

The Naga Sadhus follow the Dakshina Marga, but are Sanyais & will perform their last rites (Pindam Danam) when still alive, and hence will not wear the threads.

Why is it so expensive?
It doesn't need to be. It can be done in just your home cheaply.

For those who wish to preserve the culture & traditions, and have wealth that can be used for pleasure buys & travels, consider generosity for a once in a lifetime event.

Is serving alcohol & meat ok? This is just a social gathering right?

The Upanayanam is introducing the child to a student life of realizing the ultimate truth. It is a introduction to Yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga's 1st Anga (limb) is Yama, and the 1st Yama is Ahimsa.
Alcohol is called a Tamasic happiness of the mind, while the difficult Dhyana (meditation), which is the 7th Anga of Yoga is a Sattvic happiness. Alcohol is explicitly discouraged for truth seekers.

Serving meat & alcohol misses the point of the function. This is no mere social party gathering.

"I don't feel like wearing it."
There is a much deeper purpose to this function. It introduces the student to rituals that will eventually yield the ultimate truth.

This is an opportunity to showcase the depth & richness of an ancient culture. If this is not the path that you wish to take, that is fine.

"I never did the rituals.

Should I do it for my child?"
If you've read this far, and if you wish to contribute to preserving an ancient culture of knowledge & sacrifice, why not start now? Why deny an opportunity to your child?

Why do I need the thread to proceed on the path of learning?

In cultures throughout history, there are rites of passage. Rites of passage have profound effects on the mind & culture. They can be used for good or bad (as in bad cults).
You don't have to follow a rite of passage, though it will help.

Per the scriptures, this is a recommended path. You can certainly choose your own path.

Who is a Brahmana?
A Brahmana, by definition, is someone who knows Brahman.

Brahman is the all-pervading within & without divinity, per the Brahma Sutras.

What is the thread ceremony for a Brahmana?

A Brahmana aspirant, that is someone who wishes to know the ultimate nameless truth, which is simply given a name called Brahman, is prescribed procedures. This is called the Shodasha Samskara. Dasha means 10 in Samskritam.

This influences the Indo-European English words of Decimal, Deci, Deca. Shat is 6. Shodasha means 16.

There are 16 Samskaras.
Of these Samskaras, the prominent one is the Upanayanam, per the Smritis.
If most were wearing the thread & the scriptures allowed it, why are Brahmanas criticized? What about Brahminism?

Roberto de Nobili, a missionary who dressed up as a Brahmana to convert the natives was thwarted by the Brahmanas. He coined the term: Brahminismo (Brahminism) to demonize them. Robert Caldwell, the Tirunelveli Bishop continued the propaganda.

In historian Meenakshi Jain's "Plight of the Brahmins", she cites an observer: "70% of those felled by British bullets were Brahmins". 1879 Tanjore collector's communication to Sir James Caird, member of the famine commission calls Brahmins the most hostile to the British.

Numerous British CID reports confirmed the predominance of Brahmins in all levels of the freedom movement. This led to the British actively setting up a framework demonising the Brahmins, the results of which are seen today.

For instance, the British commissioned 1835 Adam's report clearly shows that India had a thriving education system educating all Jatis including women. A systematic dismantling of India's education system led to the British leaving India with an abysmal literacy rate.

The British would also specially target thread-wearing Hindus by cutting off the sacred thread & hair in the infamous Kalapani Andaman prison through vicious Afghan & Baloch prison guards who would torture, with the offer of stopping if the prisoner converted.

Sikhs & Muslims would be allowed to keep their religious symbols.

What happened after Upanayanam for a Brahmana?
In the olden days, students will be sent to a Patashala or Gurukulam (school). They have to live on alms every day.

Having to do this will hit the ego (Aham BhAvam) hard.
They would then learn the Vedas & related scriptures, train in Vyakarana (grammar), MimAmsa (critical examination) & Tarka (debate), typically between ages 8 to 16. The historical results are profound.

Hindu India's contributions to the world are staggeringly immeasurable in math, sciences, medicine & every conceivable field. (I've captured an ocean drop here: vedham.blogspot.com/2019/08/hindu-… ). Ancient India's historical debates are legendary in their rules, reasoning & philosophy.

75% of Nobel laureates of Indian origin are Brahmanas.

What were the rules for a Brahmana?
The Brahmana aspirant was expected to have no power & no wealth. They could assume advisory roles or teach, but had to continue to live on alms.

There were derogatory terms used for the aspirants who would accept positions of power. The old tales of India, including the Buddhist Jataka tales, have multiple tales of poor indigent Brahmanas.
This system's design gets more interesting.

The Kshatriyas had power, but had to give up all their wealth back to the people.

Yudhishtira (in Mahabharatha), Jayachandra (Prithivraj Chauhan's father-in-law), Harshavardha (as recorded by San Zhang) all would perform Rajasuya Yagnas on a periodic basis & give away their wealth.

In every other society in the world, the kings with power would accumulate wealth. In today's English language, the word: realty-mogul or media-mogul means a business person with great power. This word comes from India's Moghul rulers.

Since India had the world's highest GDP at that time, and the Moghuls would accummulate wealth, practically every Moghul ruler was the richest man in the world.

San Zhang, arguably used to similar wealth accumulation by the Chinese royalty, wondered at Harshavardhana, and says that India is great because of kings like Harshavardhana who gave up the kingdom's wealth on a regular basis.

Have the Brahmanas ruled India?
it is rare.

What happened in the rare cases when they did have power?
Raja Dahir of Sindh decided to fight (citing Dharmic morals) against a much superior fighting force of Muhammad bin Qasim. He lost and his daughters were enslaved.

The Sindhi Buddhists, following Shunyatha (nothingness) decided not to fight. Today, there are hardly any Sindhi Buddhists. But Sindhi Hindus still exist today. After the loss, Acharya Medhatithi inspired a counter aggression.

In 3 decades, Sindh would be reconquered & hold fort for 2 centuries before falling again.
After Shambaji's torture & death, the Peshwas would extend Shivaji's vision, building an empire from Attock (Afghanistan) to Cuttack (modern Odisha).

They would fight to death in Panipat 3 trying to break Ahmed Shah Abdali Durrani's siege, but a weakened Abdali would never return to Delhi. The Peshwas would also win the 1st Ango-Maratha war.
Mangal Pandey would spark the Sepoy Rebellion. Rani Lakshmibai (Manikarnika)…

…riding the rebellion would lose to the worthy British Hugh Rose, but the battle would end the rule of the British East India company to be replaced by the Crown.
Gautamiputra Satakarani repulsed the Greek invasion led by Demetrius II.

Didn't the Brahmanas setup an…

…oppressive caste system over 1000s of years?
Let's look at historical records, while comparing similar societies. The worst human system can be called slavery.
Megasthenes notes in Indica that India is a land without slaves.

How did India manage a system without slaves when the rest of the world had slaves & continued to do so, until recently?
When invasions brought slavery to India, Shivaji banned it, the first king in the world to do so.

Travancore Rani Lakshmi Bayi banned it as well, before it was banned elsewhere. Hindus across the spectrum were enslaved & traded in slave markets in Kabul & notably the Dutch East India company.
The next worst system could be argued as untouchability.

This did exist, but was hardly unique to Hinduism. Every society & religion in the world had a caste system. Christianity had a 7 fold caste system with slaves & the untouchable cagots/gong-farmers at the bottom. Heathens/Heretics were burned.

Islam had Qureshi (Caliphs), Ashraf, Ajlaf & Arzal, with the slaves, Kafirs/Murtad (apostate) at the bottom, who faced atrocities. Even today, a forcibly converted girl is not even allowed to meet her Kafir parents.

Communists had their bourgeouise & reactionaries who would be sent to Gulags (concentration/re-education camps).
It is also inconceivable that an oppressive system can exist for millenia, and naturally, no evidence exists for this charge.

If someone only blames Hindus but is silent on others, what is the agenda?

How did the Brahmanas perform when not in power?
In Alexander's India invasion, he summons the Brahmana ascetic, Dandi-Swami (Dandamis). Dandi-Swami refuses. Alexander threatens to behead him.

He responds that only his body may be killed but not his soul, and warns Alexander that he is no match for the Hindu kingdoms that he's yet to face.(Source: Plutarch). Alexander would end up going to meet him. Their conversation is the Alexander-Dandamis colloquy.

Alexander was told of Dandi-Swami by Kalana (Kalanos) of Takshashila. Kalana accompanied Alexander to Persia. He told Alexander that he would meet him in 1 year in Babylon & would self-immolate in a burning fire without flinching when his body was burning.

In 1 year, Alexander would die in Babylon.
The Brahmanas (Brahmanak Janpad) of a town in Mulastan (current day Multan) gave refuge to a few Malla fugitives. Alexander slaughtered the entire town. (Research: @TrueIndology).

@TrueIndology Alexander asked a Brahmana before beheading him the reason for his opposition. Plutarch LX1V records him as fearlessly saying that one should live with honor or die.
Chanakya helped Chandragupta Maurya build his empire & wrote the Artha Shastra.

@TrueIndology Vidyaranya would negate the forcible conversion of Harihara Raya & Bhuvahara Raya (Hakka & Bukka), who would build the Vijayanagara empire. The lake Madhavateertha was used for further negations of forced conversions.

@TrueIndology In the 1948 Kashmir invasion, Kashmiri Hindus, Pandit men & women led an armed resistance, until the arrival of the Indian army.

Conclusion:
As we can see with these examples, this simple ritual of Upanayanam has had a profound effect on history & culture.

@TrueIndology There are great people & bad people in all cultures. But the great people who performed this Samskara have had immense positive contributions, and have shown us the way. It is a way of ascetic knowledge, debate & fearlessness of death.

@TrueIndology It is up to all of us if we wish to preserve this tradition, and how far we wish to travel in the path shown.