12. UPANAYANA

D: Can upanayana be performed during dakṣiṇāyana? (Dakṣiṇāyana is the period of the progress of the sun to the south.)

A: For Brahmins, upanayana should not be performed during that period.

D: We come across upanayana of two brothers being performed simultaneously. The father gives the upadeśa to one son while an elderly relative gives it to the other. Some consider this wrong. What is Acharyal’s view?

A: Simultaneous performance of the upanayana of brothers, one being initiated by the father and the other by another relative, is not in accordance with the śāstra-s.

D: When should upanayana be performed?

A: The boy should be initiated even when he is young. It is said that a brāhmaṇa should be invested with the sacred thread at garbhāṣṭama (the eighth year from the period of pregnancy). However, specific occasions have been prescribed for better results. If a boy is initiated at the age of five, he attains brahma-varcas (spiritual splendour). Postponing the investiture is certainly not good. But there is no need to think as follows: “This boy has passed the age specified for the performance of upanayana. He need not, therefore, be invested with the sacred thread henceforth.”

D: Which is the appropriate time to start the morning sandhyāvandana?

A: A short while before sunrise.

D: Does Acharyal advise that one should wake up early in the morning?

A: Yes. In the morning, the period just before sunrise is most suitable for anuṣṭhāna. Going to bed between ten and eleven at night and waking up between four and five in the morning is a very good habit.

D: If, due to some reason, the sandhyā (twilight) period passes without sandhyāvandana being performed, can that particular sandhyāvandana be given up?

A: Even it be late, sandhyāvandana should not be neglected. If delayed, it should be performed by offering the prāyaścitta-arghya. This does not mean that one must not strive to do it at the proper time.

D: What if one is ill?

A: If consciousness and control over the mind are present during the illness, it can be performed mentally.

D: Should one bathe before sandhyāvandana in the morning?

A: Yes. A bath before the morning sandhyāvandana is compulsory. During illness, mantra-snāna can be done. If illness is severe, at least the sandhyāvandana should be performed mentally.

D: How many times should gāyatrī-mantra be chanted?

A: As many times as possible. But there is a lower limit, such as hundred and eight times during the morning sandhyāvandana. One should not, normally, chant fewer times than the limit. In case of an emergency, when there is no way out, the consideration is entirely different.

UPANAYANA 81

D: Are samidādhāna and brahma-yajña included among the nitya-karma-s of a brahmacārin?

A: Yes.

D: The necessity of attending school, college, office etc., often precludes the performance of mādhyāhnika at the proper time. When, then, should it be done?

A: Mādhyāhnika can be performed after the morning sandhyāvandana itself. This is in case there is no other option.

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❑ Experiences of Devotees

Many devotees sought Acharyal’s guidance to solve their

problems, both religious and secular. Every time, the solution given by Acharyal was the best and pragmatic.

A person, known to me, had two children, the elder one a daughter and the younger, a son. He was in a dilemma about a dharmic issue and he approached me for solution. As per the śāstra, the upanayana for a boy should not be performed before performing the kanyādāna of a girl who is elder to him. The scriptures also emphasise that the upanayana of the male child should take place before he completes 14 years of age. Due to unavoidable reasons, the marriage of his daughter could not be performed even until the age of 17. The father was in a fix because the son had, by then, reached 14 years of age, which is the upper limit for performing the upanayana. The father did not know if he should go ahead with the upanayana or postpone it indefinitely. I could not find a solution to this and submitted the problem to Acharyal. On many an occasion, I had sought and received Acharyal’s advices on such complex dharmic issues. Acharyal analysed the issue and said, “As the boy has already reached fourteen years of age, upanayana should not be postponed any further. Let it be performed even if the girl has not got married.” I conveyed the same to the father and the upanayana for the boy took place without further delay.

[Swami Jnanananda Theertha]

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A person employed in the Math’s gośālā had a large family to support and he was finding it difficult to make ends meet. Added to this, his second son was deaf, dumb, blind, lame, etc. The worker felt that he was like a vegetable. Everything for the boy had to be done by someone else. The worker did not know whether upanayana should be performed for him or not. Some Pandits, whom he consulted, were not able to give a definite answer and so he decided to consult Acharyal Himself. Acharyal patiently listened to his tale of woe and said, “Upanayana should be performed, but because the boy cannot perform his nitya-karma, it will suffice if you do some extra Gāyatrī-japa daily on his behalf.” Not stopping with this, Acharyal went out of His way to see that the upanayana was conducted at the Math itself. He arranged for a priest, and provided a place, money and even food for the conduct of the function. All this He did, despite His busy schedule during the Sri Shankara Jayanti celebration.

[Sri K.Srinivasan]

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