🚩 *MY UPANAYANA IS OVER. BUT I DO NOT WEAR MY YAGNOPAVEETA REGULARLY ! I PUT IT OVER ONLY OCCASIONALLY !*
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Namo Namah
We come across many Brahmins who do not wear *Yagnopaveeta (poonal/janeu/munj/poita/janivara/Jandhyam)* at all, after their Upanayana. When asked why they don't wear it they give the following reply/ excuses as mentioned in above heading of the article and the below 4 reasons.
1. In our family tradition we don't wear it constantly. Only during pooja /Shraddham (Many Brahmins from North India today say this).
2. If we wear it we have to be extra careful as when we go to toilet we have to wrap it around the ear, which is difficult in public/with shirt. So better not to wear it.
3. Our Upanayana happens 1 day before marriage then next day after marriage we remove it and hang in the cupboard / locker, we wear it during pooja/festivals etc. (many Brahmins today in Andhra and North India perform Upanayana 1 day before marriage)
4. We don't wear it regularly as we eat onion, garlic and sometimes non veg.
These are the 4 commonest responses we have got when questioned why don't you wear Yagnopaveeta and we will answer each of it point by point as per Dharma Shastra. Let us understand a few things before we come to answering these 4 statements.
The Upanayana Karma which confers the position of *"Dvija"* to the individual who is undergoing the Upanayana. Dvija means *"twice born"* or "rebirth" of the boy to Brahmacharya Ashrama. Shastras say that now after he becomes a Dvija, his biological father is no more the father, but now his father is the Acharya/Guru and the mother is Gayatri Devi as the boy receives Gayatri Mantra Upadesha from the Acharya and that too only after the Yagnopaveeta (sacred thread) is put on this shoulders during the ceremony. So his Dvijatva (or the title of being a dvija), also eligibility to get Gayatri Mantra Upadesha comes after he receives the Yagnopaveeta and only after which he can get permission for Gayatri mantra Upadesha and Sadhana. Also, receiving the Yagnopaveeta (sacred/holy thread) symbolizes the movement of the boy from free child who behaves however he wants, to a more strict and disciplined life under the observation of the Guru and he needs to worship his new mother as a "Dvija" who is Gayatri Devi, 3 times a day through Sandhyavandana. Similar to our earthly mother who can provide food and affection, only the spiritual mother can provide us all-round and spiritual progress, clarity of thought, purpose in life and innermost satisfaction of knowing the divine.
Today, most of our problems in life are due to non-adherence to the promise which we make during Upanayana to take care of this spiritual mother or doing her upasana daily. Without Her (Gayatri Devi) divine grace, support and regular chanting of the Gayatri mantra through the step wise process as written by our Rishis in Sandhyavandhana, we are like a chargeless battery unable to illuminate our spiritual self and get clarity of purpose in life. And thus in the latter part of life, we roam from one astrologer to another to seek opinion to correct our course of life and go from temple to temple for performing Pariharams.
So as cited in the above 4 examples when we remove our Yagnopaveeta voluntarily, we sacrifice being a Dvija, we fall down from our existent level of Brahmana, we voluntarily give up the opportunity to be disciplined and voluntarily commit sin, we voluntarily give up worshipping our mother Gayatri Devi by giving up Sandhyavandana despite taking her Mantropadesha, we voluntarily lose the eligibility to perform any Nityakarma or any rituals. Thus whatever we do becomes fruitless. We become a dead battery as we are never bothered to charge our spiritual selves with the power of Nitya Karma, Anushtanas and Mantra Japa as recommended in Shastras.
Here are some answers to the 4 statements above
1. *There is not even a single Sutra/Mantra/Sloka in Dharma Shastra which allows us to remove the Yagnopaveeta and hang it and re-use it whenever we want.* The families who say that as per our custom we don't wear it, are following this *baselessly without a single Pramana (evidence) from Shastras to do so*. Also such people who haven't worn Yagnopaveeta for many days / months/ years together *cannot again become Dvija by wearing it again* and whatever Karmas they perform, will be fruitless. They spend money with no results and happiness. They cannot be included in the category of Dvija again without Prayaschittas (expiation for sins).
2. *Going to toilet without wearing Yagnopaveeta itself is a bigger sin, compared to wearing it and not keeping it in the ear and going to toilet*. If by mistake the Yagnopaveeta comes out and we did not observe and we go to toilet for passing urine, then we come back and notice that our Yagnopaveeta is not there, first thing we need to do is immediately wear it and then perform a Prayaschitta for the Yagnopaveeta coming out unknowingly. *The Prayaschitta for not wearing Yagnopaveeta and going to toilet is to perform 800 Gayatri Japas* for each time of visiting toilet. So imagine how many sins the person would be committing by permanently removing the Yagnopaveeta and going to toilet for many years altogether after Upanayana. Similarly if we eat without Yagnopaveeta, the following day we have to consume only 1 meal at night after full day fasting.
3. *Performing Upanayana 1 day before marriage is totally against Dharma and Shastras of Sanatana Dharma.* No book, no Rishi, no Gyani and not even in Vedas which is the supreme and in any Sanatana Dharma Shastra Grantha, has it it been written that this can be done. *This practice is totally against Hindu Dharma and has to be stopped immediately*. The Upanayana for a Brahmin boy should be done from 7 years of age and on or before 16 years of age which is the maximum limit recommended in Shastras for a Brahmana. Upanayana after that is a big sin and it cannot be done without proper Prayaschittas. And such a marriage immediately after 1 day of Upanayana is also *not possible /permissible in Shastras.*
4. Once again here, people choose to eat whatever they want, to do sin they have thrown away something very very highly sacred and spiritual. How can the mind decide to do this? *Voluntary sin carries more punishments and Prayaschittas compared to sins committed unknowingly.*
Rishi Bharadwaja mentions that a person should not stay for even a single day without Yagnopaveeta and if he continues to be without it, he will be born as a dog in the next janma.
Bhishma Pitamaha says that a person who doesn't understand the importance of Yagnopaveeta, for him the Yagnopaveeta is like the rope in the neck of cow.
In the Yagnopaveeta Dhaarana mantra which is chanted before wearing it, the wearer looks at the Yagnopaveeta and address the sacred thread as below:
*"Oh Yagnopaveeta, you are the object of the highest regard, you existed at the beginning of creation and came along with Brahma during his birth. Let this sacred Yagnopaveeta offer me long life, may I be first in whatever it do, and by wearing it may I be pure, may I get strength to perform my duties and divine Tejas [brilliance]"*
*So by not wearing/voluntarily removing the Yagnopaveeta, do we confirm to the Gods that we do not want any of the above?*
*Veda Ghosham* is working towards bringing spiritual wisdom in terms of right knowledge to people today as exactly recommended by our Dharma Shastras which are Rishi vaakyaas. We also aim to bring back ancient rituals (Nitya Karma Anustanams) to the current set of seekers but who don't know from whom and what to learn.
If interested in knowing more and becoming a part of practitioner of Dharma Shastra and Nitya Karma Anushtanas, you can contact us on email on vedaghosham@gmail.com
May Devi Gayatri bless you all!
_Om Sandhyayai Namaha!_
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