MY YANJOPAVEETHAM

I was very much impressed by the posting about Yanjopaveetham quoting Taitathreya Upanishath by Mr Ramakrishnan in to days mail. In fact it was one of the most informative mails I have read in the recent period .The substance of the mail was Upaveetham was a cloth rather than threads earlier. Even dear skin could be the upaveetham. Upaveetham was required for important functions. It was not an item for initiation for Vedic study.

Rather than making this posting as a response of appreciation I thought of slightly elaborating with my added points. In fact many things told in the mail I had in my mind.

1.Kerala Nampoothiries wear only one Upaveetham. (Thread). Nampoothiri do not change to 2 or 3 at any instance (samskara). This I have specifically read from Nampoothiri. com and personally seeing them.

2. During the current days upanayanam also our Vadhyar tie a small bit of deerskin to the threads though many do not explain its purpose.

3. My most important point was wearing a twisted cloth across, like Upaveetham by Nampoothiries during Yanjas and in temples during Utsava Bali. In fact not only nampoothiri, but all his assistants are also seen wearing Upaveetham of cloth like varier, marar etc during Utsavabali.

4. Sanyasins do not require upaveetham. They do not perform Yajya.

5. Though slightly I do make a side track, if any soothra dictate the number of Upaveethams, during our Upakarma just like vadhyar announcing Bodhyanam come separately, they would have announced- Apasthamba wear two, Bodhyana wear three etc while distributing Upaveethams during our Avani avittam (Rig vedi Yajur vedi Upakarma)!!!

6. Though I have read manusmrithi English translation I do not recollect anywhere mentioned of Upaveetham and its numbers. So Threads can be from a later period after Manusmrithi. Is it like Tali tying is not told for marriage but it has become a mandatory custom (Among nampoothries it is not bride groom, but brides father tie thali to his daughter!!! - refer Nampoothiri. com)

7. Now we have changed upaveetham to thread except during Yanja where an additional cloth is compulsorily worn after twisting.

My personal conclusion

I feel in order to identify a Grihastha from a bachelor a second upaveetham would have been introduced as a custom. In my opinion the third Upaveetham can better be worn after parents demise.

If third Upaveetham is worn after seemantham, it can many times identify a man still not having a child. I personally do not appreciate it on that ground. Probably this may be the reason our vadyar simply announce to take as 2 or 3 leaving the decision to ourselves for married peoples.

Sincerely

Gopala krishan7-9-09