History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c24.s1.74

v2.c24.s1.74

A few rules about yajñopavīta may now be stated here.⁶⁸³ The yajñopavīta is to have three threads of nine strands well twisted (for each thread). Vide Baud. Dh.S.I. 5. 5., Devala quoted in the Sm. C.⁶⁸⁴ The nine devatās of the nine *tantus* (strands) are given by Devala viz. Oṁkāra, Agni, Nāga, Soma, Pitṛs, Prajāpati, Vāyu, Sūrya,⁶⁸⁵ all gods. Medhātithi on Manu II. 44 says that in iṣṭis, animal sacrifices and soma sacrifices, the yajñopavīta was to have only one thread of three *tantus*, but it was three-fold in three classes of *ahīna*, *ekāha*, and *sattra* sacrifices as they required three fires and in the seven *somasaṁsthās* seven-fold and five-fold when viewed with reference to the three savanas and two saṁdhyās. The yajñopavīta should reach as far as the navel, should not reach beyond the navel, nor should it be above the chest.⁶⁸⁶ Manu II. 44 and Viṣṇu Dh. S. 27. 19 prescribe that the yajñopavīta for brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya should respectively be of cotton, hemp and sheep wool. Baud. Dh. S. (I. 5. 5), Gobhila gṛ. (I. 2. 1) say that it may be of cotton thread or of kuśa grass and Devala as quoted in Sm. C. says that all twice-born persons should make their yajñopavīta of cotton, of kṣumā, hair of cow's tail, hemp, tree bark or kuśa according to the availability of the material.⁶⁸⁷ The remarks of the Saṁskāramayūkha after quoting Manu II. 44 are interesting 'we do not know the origin of (or authority for) the practice of present-day kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, viz. of wearing cotton yajñopavīta'. This shows that in the 17th century A. D. many kṣatriyas and vaiśyas put on yajñopavīta.⁶⁸⁸ Kumārila also says that wearing yajñopavīta and studying Vedas is common to all the three varṇas.