Quisque: Porttitor

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Reborn in the Hindu Religion

By: Carlos Sánchez-Sicilia and Sebastian Paternina

This a picture of a youth Hindu priest arranging the three sacred threads.

Courtesy of Navesh Chitraka

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

As you can admire this a picture of Guru (spiritual advisor) witch mostly leads through the ceremony. Countesy of Alitangi

This a picture of self learning scripture book, witch kids have to learn by heart.

Courtesy of Dr Syde Abdul Raheem

In ancient India there was a very important coming of age ritual performed by the men of the population. It’s the ceremony of the sacred thread also called Upanayanam, a ceremony that is performed by the male children between 7 to 14 years old. Now its not too much religiously but is more meaningful for celebrating the initiation to puberty of the child. In the ceremony there is involved that the child learns Hindu scripts, for a better spiritual life. This ceremony involves the child learn and obey everything that his Guru (spiritual teacher) tells him. The child gets head shaved and taken to his household God’s. During this the kid sits on the Guru´s left hand while promising such act and then he will be covered with a cloth his both hands. The following step consists of the Guru whispering at his ear what words must he never repeat or say to anyone.

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

The ceremony that you have to master is a Hindu acquaintances such as to learn Vedas (Hindi calligraphy) three times every day for 2 months, his guru teaches him, and after the child concludes this course he has to know how to perform the ritual “Sandhya Vandanam” everyday by himself. In this process the child has to learn how to live in a simple and noble life style, even if the child is from a very high class family he needs to be able to live a simple life because children that conclude this ritual make less desires of material things and have a more pure religious life. In the ancient times the ceremony was performed when the child was leaving the house, so he needed to live by his own, giving it an explication for the performed ritual the child has to learn about how to live simpler and have a more responsible life by his own, Now a days the ritual is performed as if the kid was leaving home. In the final steps of the ceremony he is begged to stay with a promise from his uncle or priest giving him the hand of her daughter. Before he sets in to the “journey” that is actually cancelled so he would follow up to puts on new clothes, a pair of shoes and an umbrella.

At the end of the ceremony, the child receives a very precious gift, the sacred thread (yajJovapita). It´s made of cotton and nine different fibers that each one has a meaning, this fibers are Omkar, Agni, Nag, Som, Pitar, Prajapati, Vayu, Yama, Vishvadevata used across the chest of the boy and resting on the left shoulder, this thread has to be used cleaned, so one of their daily jobs is to clean this three threads. The three threads each has one responsibility they have to commit to they are: responsibilities for their parents, society and the knowledge and understanding of the master. The thread helps the person to remain his goods and give him spiritual blessings. After the child´s Guru has blessed the sacred thread, his community asks him for his long life, intelligence and strength. Once he is able to control his acts he will then be rewarded with a cloth called Kaupina representing the beginning of his phase of adulthood.

This a picture of the Sandya Vandanam being performed, in witch they learn all about Hindu calligraphy. Courtesy of Rhiarima

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

In the image you can see how the sacred thread looks like when it´s been put on.

Courtesy of Daniela G

The ceremony is very strict in many ways; the ceremony can’t be postponed and is usually performed in their own house. Just a few people come to this ritual and if they come they are usually from the family or from the Hindu Religion. Nowadays this ritual is forbidden for women to perform since they consider it a coming of age male ritual. People now are trying to incorporate this ritual but with females to, and are trying to support their argument showing evidence in the Hindu scriptures that this ritual was also performed by girls. Before protests like this didn´t take place in India, people didn´t even thing of incorporating coming of age male rituals, because it was a very important phase for the child´s religious cycle.

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

This ceremony is a very similar to other coming of age ceremonies made in other religions, like the first communion in the Catholicism, or bar mitzvah in the Jewish religion, however this particular ritual has more to it than just to further develop your religious, meaning that in the religion they now respond for their acts and children often performing this ritual tend to have a very successful and responsible life. And another thing that is very common in these rituals is that they are needed for the men to get marriage in the religious way. Also with the sacred threads there is an additional thread that has been added to the three because of it is one of the follow up ritual (marriage.) The sacred thread is very important for the person that uses it, it gives many privileges by having finished their ritual, they are provided with guidance through the culture, their responsibilities and their future. This ritual is an advantage for this children cause at an early age they have a bigger vision towards their future. They are getting privileges and prosperity in their futures by just having their thread that symbolizes their coming of age period and their enthusiasm to the religion.

This a picture of one of the responsibilities that you have after performing the Upanayanam, and it´s to clean the sacred thread because it must be worn clean. Niranjan Shretah

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

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