Kuzhalmannam Agraharam

Upanayanam - Sacred Thread ceremony of a brahmin boy

A parent should have conducted the 'UPANAYANAM' of his child at the age of eight. A Purohit should be engaged for two months to teach 'Sandhya Vandanam'. The child should be compelled to perform Sandhya Vandanam daily.

Upanayanam is an asset of a Brahmin boy. Parents should not postpone it according to their own wishes and convenience. Upanayanam of a son should not be conducted along with the marriage of his sister. It should be conducted in a Mandapam or in some similar place. It is referable to conduct Upanayanam at one's own house. It is a holy function imbibing the child the powerful effect of Gayathri mantra.

People belonging to other case and communities should be avoided since Upanayanam is totally a religious function. Only Vedic Brahmins and family members should participate in the function. But it is not compulsory that every member of the family should be present. All modernity should be avoided for this function. We should consider only the convenience of the boy and his parents.

Upanayanam should be conducted in 'Utharayana'. We should not adamant that Upanayanam can be conducted only during vacation of the boy after his exams. We should not postpone the upanayanam on lame excuses as the boy's age is an odd number or even number. It is against 'dharmasasthra' to say the boy's period is 'ahtamasani', 'ezharasani' or effortless GURU on referring horoscope. There is no connection between the time of Upanayanam and the present position of planets. Any position of the planet will stand in the way of conducting Upanayanam at the age of 8. In fact Upanayanam destroy a boy's bad period. 'Sandhya Vandanam' performed at young age will bring him bright future. Upanayanam can keep at distance all the ill effects of the planets.

'Sandhya Vandanam' should be performed in the morning and in the evening. 'Madhyanikam' should be performed before mid-day meals. A boy may be able to perform 'Madhyanikam' only on holidays now. The continuous 'Gayathrijapam' will make the boy educative active and intelligent. Sandhya Vandanam should not be neglected on the wrong notion that the boy will not find time for studies. Anyhow, Sandhya Vandanam should not be considered as a second thing. We should strive to attain higher education without sacrificing our own customs.

The question of sending his parents to an old age home at their old age will not rise in the case of a boy performing Sandhya Vandanam daily. Sandhya Vandanam can give a boy a spirit of tolerance. We can see the boy having a high regard and respect for the elders. Gayathri Japam will help give a boy self confidence.

Postponing the Upanayanam of the last child of the family on the ground that there should not be three Brahmachari's in the family is a mistake committed knowingly by parents.

Author: Dr. Seshadrinatha Sasthrikal,
Formerly Principal, Sanskrit College Chennai and a native of Kuzhalmannam Agraharam.