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Explaining The Necessity And Significance Of Upanayam

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous in Parenting' started by Gauri03, May 1, 2018.

  1. rupz

    rupz Silver IL'ite

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    Dear OP,

    Thank you for this thread and posts..
    Very well explained.

    Thank you.
     
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  2. sokanasanah

    sokanasanah IL Hall of Fame

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    What about the thread itself? What is the point?

    Many cultures, ancient and modern, have used such devices. The most closely analogous one that comes to mind is the 'tzitzit' that orthodox Jews still wear.

    Tzitzit.jpg

    This is a set of strings, pretty much like the sacred thread - a Jewish version of the yajnopavitam. The threads hang from the edges of a shirt or a prayer shawl. Sometimes they are tucked in and invisible. If you walk through a Jewish neighborhood, you can see many examples. There are numerous rules about how the threads are to be twisted, the color, the number and type of knots they have, and so on; just like it is with the brahminical sacred thread. We need not dwell on those details here. That information is freely available online. Let's ask, what do the sacred threads of the tzitzit signify?

    Consider these verses from the Old Testament:

    Deuteronomy:
    22:12 "You shall make yourself twisted cords, on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself."

    Book of Numbers:
    15:39 - "You shall look at it (the tzitzit) and recall all the commandments of the LORD and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge. 15:40 - Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your God."

    From the Midrash, Sifrei Zuta 15:
    "The commandment of tzitzit is as important as all the other commandments [together], and he who regularly wears tzitzit is considered as if he observed all the commandments."

    And so it is with the sacred thread. The Yajnopavitam (threads) lie close against your skin. They are to be worn at all times. They are instantly visible, even more so in ancient times when a novice would remain bare-chested, except perhaps for an 'angavastram'. The significance is that "... ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them". The sacred thread is thus a symbolic reminder to keep your precepts. It is a visual mnemonic, to repeatedly draw your wandering attention back from the profane to the sacred. It is a piece of the sacred that you carry around with you everywhere and at all times, as you go about your daily business in the profane, material world. (Think of it as an app!).

    As the Talmud expresses it (Menachot 43b):
    "Seeing leads to memory, and memory leads to action."

    The Yajñopavīta (यज्ञोपवीत) - i.e. thread sanctified (पवीत) by the sacrificial rite (यज्ञो) of the upanayana ceremony - indicates that the one who wears it is committed to the control of body, speech, and mind. For a modern sensibility, the sacred thread is an invitation and a reminder to stay true to your best self, to act honorably, and to not betray your education and upbringing.
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2018
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  3. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks Jag. That's the thing. In this case I do believe in the utility of the practice. I think it is a form of meditation that is probably more important today, in the times of smart phones and gaming consoles, than it has ever been. The fact that it is tied to religious identity is immaterial. To me teaching my son to take time out for single-minded focus is important (if not imperative). The other aspect, as you said, is the value of family and traditions, and doing things simply because they make others happy. I am having an honest conversation with him about everything I have learned from this thread and he is being surprisingly receptive.
     
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  4. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks Geeta. In my family it is still an important rite of passage. The decision not to do it would have hurt a lot of people. The way I look at it, it wasn't my decision to make. I could have said no but that would have been easy considering I live thousands of miles away. The people in the middle of it all, my in laws would have borne the brunt of my idealism. Hardly fair. Their social stature, identity, relationships are tied up with these customs and beliefs, and so long as they are affected by my choices, I must place their wishes above mine.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2018

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