Re: Upanayanam etc.

02-10-2005, 07:40 PM

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!
---------------------------------------

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.854 / Virus Database: 582 - Release Date: 2/3/2005

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]