History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c24.s1.41

v2.c24.s1.41

The whole procedure of upanayana is more elaborately described in the Āp. gṛ., in Hira. gṛ. and Gobhila. A few points of interest and divergence may be noted here briefly. It is remarkable that Āśv., Āp. and several other sūtrakāras do not say a word about the sacred thread, while a few like Hir. gṛ. (I. 2. 6), Bhār. gṛ. (I. 3) and Mānava gṛ. (I. 22. 2) say that the boy already wears the yajñopavīta before the homa begins; while Baud. gṛ.⁶⁶² (II. 5. 7) says that the boy is given the yajñopavīta and then made to recite the well-known mantra ‘the Yajñopavīta is extremely sacred’ and the Vaik. smārta (II. 5) says that the teacher gives the upper garment to the boy with⁶⁶³ the verse ‘parīdaṁ vāsaḥ’, the sacred thread with the mantra ‘Yajñopavītam’ and the black antelope skin with the mantra ‘the eye of Mitra’. Sudarśana on Āp. gṛ. 10. 5 says that the boy puts on the yajñopavīta with the mantra before he takes his meal (according to some) or (according to others) before⁶⁶⁴ he puts the fuel stick on the fire and relies on Āp. Dh. S. I. 5. 15. 1 for support. According to Karka and Harihara (on Pāraskara) the yajñopavīta was given to the student by the teacher after the tying of the girdle. The Saṁskāratattva p. 934 says the same. Late works like the Saṁskāraratnamālā (p. 202) prescribe the wearing of the sacred thread before the homa. The origin and development of the ideas about yajñopavīta will be dealt with separately later on. Āp. gṛ. (X. 5), Baud gṛ. (II. 5. 7) and Pār. gṛ. (II. 2) prescribe a dinner to brāhmaṇas before the ceremonies begin and receiving their benedictions. Āp. gṛ. (X. 5), Bhār. gṛ. (I. 1), Baud gṛ.⁶⁶⁵ (II. 5. 7) say that the boy also is made to take food; according to later works (e. g. Saṁskāraratnamālā) the boy takes his meal in the same dish with his mother (for the last time) and other brahmacārins (eight in number) are also invited at the same time for meals in the company of the boy. This practice is observed even in modern times. Almost all prescribe that the boy is shaved on this day (as in caula); this also is done in modern times. But in ancient⁶⁶⁶ times the shaving was done by the ācārya himself as stated by Sudarśana on Āp. gṛ. 10. 6–8. There are several other matters detailed in Āp. and others, on which Āśv. and some others are silent. The important ones are mentioned below.