Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c11.25

c11.25

Saṃskāras too in the strict sense fall within the jurisdiction of the Gṛhyasūtras, for every Vedic school performs them in a particular way. The Smṛtis deal somewhat fully only with the ceremony of initiation and investiture with the sacred thread of the young Brahman² as it is the most important Saṃskāra (Vi. 27, 15—29; M. 2, 36—50, 68 etc.). For the Brahmans the 8. year is considered to be the most proper age for it. The Kṣatriyas and the Vaiśyas too have a right to be invested with the sacred thread (yajñopavīta) which is the external sign of the Ārya, who attains its spiritual rebirth through the Upanayana and along with it the right of calling himself a twice-born (dvija). Yet in their case the ceremony takes place a few years later, and moreover their sacred thread as well as the garment and the girdle, skin and staff, shall be of other materials than those of the Brahmans. The spiritual significance of the initiation ceremony lies therein that the right of studying the Veda and reciting the sacred prayer Sāvitrī is earned by it and for this reason the whole ceremony is also called Sāvitrī. The teacher (ācārya) who initiates the young Brahman and teaches him the Sāvitrī will therefore be regarded as his spiritual father and the Sāvitrī his spiritual mother. The young Brahman's going out for alms is an important part of the ceremony for which he first applies to his mother and other female relations. The expenses of the Saṃskāras, which in part are not inconsiderable, have to be defrayed by the parents and if they are not living by the elder brother, and the same in the case of the girl, for whom however there is only one proper Saṃskāra which is accompanied by sacred Mantras, namely the marriage¹ (vivāha, Nār. 13, 33, 27; Y. 2, 124; 1, 13 etc.).