WHAT IS THE DECODATION OF WEARING SACRED THREAD(Yagnopaveetham)?

SIGNIFICANCE OF WEARING YAGNOPAVEETHAM;- 07 FACTS;- 1-Vedic link that a child looses when the umbilical cord is cut is re-established in the form of Yagnopaveetham. In other words, Yagnopaveetham serves as an umbilical cord that connects him not just his immediate parents not just the three generations but the entire tree of generations and the Rishi on whose root the whole tree flourished. 2-The three strands remind the wearer that he has to pay off the three debts (Runas) he owes to the ancient seers, ancestors and to the God viz. Deva, Rushi, Pithru Runa. 3-Yagnopaveetham is not a mere symbol to identify a community, it has sanctity of its own. One has to qualify himself for wearing it not by birth alone but also by practice viz. the one who does his Nithya Karma, follows the path of Sanatana Dharma and remains free from ego, avarice, anger and pride. 4-One should not attend to nature calls, eat food, and participate in sensual pleasures without Yagnopaveetham. It is a prerequisite for learning Veda. It is a passport to obtain Vedic education.It gives power and authority to pursue one’s spiritual path. 5-It is not something that is worn for the world to know. It is for the realization of Brahman within. One who wears Yagnopaveetham should do justice to its sanctity and significance. 6-Wearing Yagnopaveetham would increase the longevity of a person who wears, gives physical and mental strength through the worship of Sun God (Savitha) using Gayathri Mantra initiated during his Upanayanam. 7-By wearing Yagnopaveetham one gets purified both externally and internally. By wearing Yagnopaveetham one gets the eligibility to perform spiritual and sacred rituals as prescribed in Vedas. Sacred rituals performed by wearing Yagnopaveetham give good results. CULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF YAGNOPAVEETHAM:- 04 FACTS;- 1-Upanayanam ceremony is a very important tradition among the Brahmins. A sacred thread, called Yagnopavitam is placed around the left shoulder of the boy. This thread is a composite of 3 threads, signifying Goddesses Gayatri (thought), Saraswati (word) and Savitri (deed) respectively. There is also a knot in the middle that signifies the unending Brahman. According to source, in Hinduism, Upanayana (Sacred Thread ceremony) is performed on boys of at least 7 years of age from the Brahmin varna, of at least 13 years from the Kshatriya varna, and of at least 17 years from the Vaishya varna. The youngster is taught during the ceremony the secret of life through Brahmopadesam (revealing the nature of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality) or the Gayatri mantra. 3-Everyone has a first, biological birth, but when a young man seeks his spiritual identity he symbolically accepts a spiritual teacher as father and the Vedas as mother. At the ceremony, he receives the sacred-thread, usually worn for his entire lifetime. It is replaced at intervals, but never removed until the new one has been put on. 4-Girls also have upanyanam according to Yajur Veda. In olden days both men and women used to wear Yagnopaveetham. But nowadays only men who are eligible and initiated into Gayathri Manthra wear it. Although Women wear other sacred threads around the neck. WHERE TO CONDUCT ? 06 FACTS;- 1-Upanayanam is an asset of a boy,So parents should not postpone it according to their own wishes and convenience. 2-Upanayanam of a son should not be conducted along with the marriage of his sister. It should be conducted in a Mandapam or in some similar place. It is preferable to conduct Upanayanam at one's own house. 3-Upanayanam should be conducted in 'Utharayana'. We should not adamant that Upanayanam can be conducted only during vacation of the boy after his exams. 4-We should not postpone the upanayanam on lame excuses as the boy's age is an odd number or even number. It is against 'dharmasasthra' to say the boy's period is Sade-Sati of Saturn as effortless GURU on referring horoscope. There is no connection between the time of Upanayanam and the present position of planets. 5- Any position of the planet will stand in the way of conducting Upanayanam at the age of 8. In fact Upanayanam destroy a boy's bad period. 'Sandhya Vandanam' performed at young age will bring him bright future. Upanayanam can keep at distance all the ill effects of the planets. 6-There is no need of pomp and show at ceremony,we should take care of the deeper meaning of Upanayanam.Because ,in reverse condition,it will serve only scientific purpose,and not the real purpose. TECHNICALITIES OF THE SACRED THREAD;- 07 FACTS;- The sacred thread is made up of nine fibers. 1-One deity as per scriptures is established in each fiber as follows.... 1-1. Omkar, 1-2. Agni (deity of fire), 1-3. Nag (serpent), 1-4. Som (moon), 1-5. Pitar (ancestors) 1-6. Prajapati (deity of procreation-to generate (offspring), 1-7. Vayu (air), 1-8. Yama (deity of death) 1-9. Vishvadevata (deity of the universe). 2-Three strands are created by twisting three of the nine fibers in each strand. The three Vedas - Rig-Veda, Yajurveda and Samaveda are established on each of these strands. 3-Three fibers are woven into one strand and the three strands are then knotted together. This knot is called the Brahmagatha (gatha means a knot) or the Brahmagranthi (granthi means a gland). [The knot of sacred grass (darbha) tied to a gold ring (pavitrak) is also called a Brahmagranthi.] It is the site of establishing the Atharvaveda. This knot is extremely important and one requires skill to tie it. 4-The three strands Represent ;- 4-A-The three stages (ashrams) - celibate student (brahmacharya), the married householder (gruhastha) and retired householder (vanaprastha); 4-B-The three fires, the fire worshipped in the home (garhapatya), the fire placed in the south (dakshinagni) and the sacred fire lit for a specific spiritual purpose (ahvaniya) 5-The three yogs,Viz KARAMYOG,BHAKTIYOG,and JNANAYOG. 5-As well as spiritual knowledge (dnyan), devotion (bhakti) and action (karma). 6-The one who possesses all these three qualities gets the spiritual experience of Brahman. Based on 96 items listed below, the length of the sacred thread should be 96 times the breadth of a finger (angul). 7-Meaning of 96: 15 auspicious dates (tithis) + 7 days of the week + 27 lunar asterisms(नक्षत्रों )+ 25 principles + 4 Vedas + 3 components (gunas) + 3 time periods (kals) + 12 months = 96. Thus, the length of the sacred thread (yadnyopavit) is 96 times the breadth of a finger (angul). MANTRA OF SACRED THREAD:- Yagnopaveetham paramam pavithram Prajapatheryasahajam purasthad Aayushyamagryam prathimuncha shubram Yagnopaveetham balamasthu thejah MEANING :- Above sloka describes the sanctity, spirituality and sacredness of Yagnopaveetham and its benefits. It says that, Yagnopaveetham is "the best among those that purify; the one that has emerged along with Brahma (Prajapathi) at the time of creation; that which bestows life (longevity) and prominence; the one that is sacred clean and unsoiled; and the one which confers on to the wearer both knowledge and power. POSTURE OF YAGNOPAVEETHAM;- 05 FACTS;- 1-Generally we come across three postures of wearing Yagnopaveetham. One is Upavita where the Yagnopaveetham is worn over the left shoulder and under the right arm. This posture is used for performing auspicious ceremonies and sacred rituals related to Gods. This is called Savya position. Under normal circumstances Yagnopaveetham should always be in Savya position. 2-The second one is Praachinavita where, Yagnopaveetham is worn above the right shoulder and under the left arm. This position is used while performing sacred rites to the Forefathers (Pitru Karya). This is called Apasavya position. 3-When Yagnopaveetham is worn around the neck and over the chest in (like a garland) and is held with both thumbs in the region of the heart and above the naval, it is Nivita. This form is used during Rishi tarpana, intercourse, answering nature calls, while carrying a corpse etc. 4-One would have observed devout Brahmins tying their Yagnopaveetham tightly to the right ear/left ear while attending nature calls. While it is to protect the sacred thread from becoming soiled during the course of attending nature calls, there is also a health significance involved in it. 5- It is said that important nerves connecting excretory system pass through right/left ear. While passing urinals it is worn round the right ear and while passing stools it is worn round the left ear. When pressure is applied it helps in regulating the functioning of excretory organs, perhaps the concept of Acupressure. SCIENTIFIC REASON;- 05 FACTS;- 1-Since the part of the body above the navel is considered pure and that below it impure, during urination pressing the ear eases the anal sphincter making defaecation easier. This thousands of years old knowledge is proved right by research in UK.moreover when it is coiled around the ear it presses some points like acupressure..... 2-It is a scientifically proven fact that a vein passing through the ear regulates the flow of urine. Therefore, when the boy wears the sacred thread around his ear while passing urine, he is unconsciously helping his urinary system to regulate the urine flow, thus keeping his urinary system, bladder, etc. healthy and free of problems. 3-The right ear assumes such scientific importance because the nerve endings and receptors situated here are closely related to the testes. During urination there is a likelihood of passage of sperms in a small quantity. It is well documented by Ayurveda that seminal loss is prevented by encircling the right ear with a thread. 4-The frequency in case of repeated nocturnal emissions(an involuntary ejaculation of semen during sleep ) can be reduced by keeping the right ear tied during sleep. An animal is subdued as soon as its ear is held. Of the seven causes of scrotal (a part of the external male genitalia) swelling, one is urinary. Encircling the ear with a thread prevents a scrotal swelling due to a urinary cause.’ 5-Further, we should take into account the fact that the Brahmins of olden days did not lead a very active lifestyle (i.e.) they were mostly conducting Pujas, where their primary role was to be seated and chant Mantras. In this scenario, it would have been difficult to keep their kidneys in top-shape. This is why this alternative system of Yagnopavitam (sacred thread) has been formulated. This practice is not something that is to be done away with, as there are chances of this problem being carried on down the generations. SPIRITUAL REASON;- 07 FACTS;- 1-The sacred thread used for the ceremony consists of three strands, joined by a knot known as Brahmagranthi or the knot of Brahma. The three strands symbolise the Hindu trinity - Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. There are various interpretations of the three strands to represent many of the other triads like Mahasarasvati, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali. 2-Or the three qualities known as sattva, rajas and tamas; past, present and the future; the three states – wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. Some even say that it represents the three dimensions known as heaven (swarga), earth (martyaloka) and netherworld (patala). 3-The twist of the thread must be upwards to ensure that the Sattwaguna or the good quality of truth predominates. 4-The most important meaning of the three strands is ida, pingala and susumna nadi, through which the kundalini energy manifests as prana and consciousness. Yajno-pavita means 'thread of sacrifice.' That is so called because it symbolises the sacrifice 5-In the Shaiva sect, the three strands of the sacred thread represent the three horizontal lines of holy ash (tripundra) on the forehead of Lord Shankar which symbolize spiritual knowledge (dnyan), purity and penance (tapashcharya). The Brahmagath indicates the origin of these three, that is divine consciousness (chaitanya). 6-The scriptures often mention the importance of the right ear. Ear is the seat of various deities like Aditya, Vasu, Rudra, Vayu, Agni, Dharma, Veda, Apa, Som, Surya, Anil, etc. So mere touch of the right ear bears the benefit of the ritual of sipping water from the palm (achaman). Thus by placing the sacred thread on the right ear which is pure, one is not bound by the restrictions of impurity. 7-Also it is believed river Ganges is in the right year. That is if water is not available after urination for achaman, touching the right ear with Pranava mantra is done. SOCIAL REASON;- It was meant for reminder of God . When a person watches it or a tilak on forehead, it gives him a reminder of religion and customs. The person who was wearing it, was supposed to act as a role model. INTERESTING FACTS;- 06 FACTS;- 1-The thread is changed once a year on the occasion of Shravani Purnima, the full moon day in the month of Shravan. This is also known as Avaani Avittam in Tamil, and coincides with the Raksha Bandhan 2-The sacred thread should never be removed from one’s body. If for some reason, the sacred thread is lost or slips off, it should not be reused. A new sacred thread should be worn. 3-The celibate/Bachelors should wear sacred threads with 3 strands. Married men should wear sacred threads with 6 strands. Men who chose to become hermit /ascetic (yati)should wear sacred threads with 8 strands. 4-One thread /3 strands indicates that an ascetic and a celibate are concerned only with their own spiritual progress while two threads/6 strands in the married householder and the retired householder indicate that they are also responsible for the spiritual progress of their wives besides their own. 5-The Gayatri Mantra should be chanted before wearing sacred thread. It is the person’s responsibility to keep the thread clean. 6-Upakarama is not just simply a festival to celebrate and enjoy. It is an occasion to make us remember the significance of Yagnopaveetham and Gayathri Manthra and rededicate ourselves to the spiritual path. .....SHIVOHAM......