Avani Avittam - Yajur Upakarma
Disclaimer:
Often times some of us go through the motion of a ceremony without an
understanding. And before we resolve the ceremony is over and the same cycle
happens each time. The objective of this
document is to make available and to help understand the significance of the
Upakarma ceremony. For the limited purpose,
I extracted select material and reproduced here from the referenced sources
given at the end of this document.
Disclaimer:
Often times some of us go through the motion of a ceremony without an
understanding. And before we resolve the ceremony is over and the same cycle
happens each time. The objective of this
document is to make available and to help understand the significance of the
Upakarma ceremony. For the limited purpose,
I extracted select material and reproduced here from the referenced sources
given at the end of this document.
- Yearly event – usually sometime in August
- Changing of poonal and yes before that chanting kamokarsheeth, manyurakarsheet japam
- Nava kandarishi tarpanam
- Followed by Gayatri japam the next day
- In some cases performing homam, samhita danam
- Pala - aharam
- What is meant by upakarma, why avani avittam
- Meaning of kamo karsheeth and manyaurakarsheet japam and why it precedes?
- Why do we change thread – whats so special, we anyway change many times
- Significance of upakarma and Gayathri Japam
What is meant by Upakarma / avani avittam?
Avani Avittam – the Day
and Date of the occasion is referred as the name of the ceremony. It refers to the month “avani” / “shravan”,
nakshatra “avittam” / “shravista” tithi “Pournami”.
Upakarma – Upa Karma
(Upa – preceding / before, karma – shastraic injunction). It means an action performed before a
beginning. Upakarma means arambham or
beginning. Beginning of what? Beginning of learning of the Vedas.
Q: Hold on! What – learn Vedas? Why now, in the middle of
the year?
In the not so
distant past, a year was divided into 2 parts – one part dedicated to learning Vedas
and the other part to learning other branches of studies that supports the Vedas. Typically the Upakarma period is from “Avani”
/ “shravan” for 6 months till “Tai” / “Pushya”.
This also coincides with Hayagreeva Jayanti (when Lord Vishnu in Hayagreeva
avatar retrieved the Vedas). Hence, to begin
study of Vedas, the ritual used to start with the Upakarma i.e. of changing
threads. Followers of each Veda perform
this Upakarma. Followers of Yajur Veda
therefore do yajur Upakarma.
Just like a Upakarma
function there was a Utsarjana function in “Tai” / “Pushya”. The period between
January to August was then devoted to learning other branches of our shastras.
Why do Kamokarsheet japam before Upakarma?
Thus the cycle of
Upakarma and Utsarjana with regard to Vedic studies was established. However,
this method took 12 or more years to learn just one veda. Slowly this became
impractical and Vedic studies continued throughout the year.
Therefore, the first
thing to do before the Upakarma function is to do a prāyaścitta (atonement) for
having learned Vedas during the prohibited period. Specifically, one atones for
not having performed the Utsarjanam in the month of Tai. That’s why we begin
the function by doing the “kāmo’karshīt…” japam.
The purpose is
declared as “adhyāya-utsarjana-akarana-prāyashcittārtham..” (to atone for not
doing the utsarjana of Vedic study) and the sankalpam continues as “…ashṭottara-sahasra-sankhyayā kāmo’karshīt manyur akārshīt mahā-mantra-japaṁ karishye” (I will now do
recite the great “kāmo’kārshīt” mantra 1008
times). The meaning in Tamil is “kāmaththāl seyya pattadhu, kōpaththāl seyya
pattadhu” — done out of desire, done out of anger. The correct way of chanting
this mantra is “kāmo’karshīt manyur akārshīt”. Don’t add namo nama: etc. The right
time to perform is immediately after your morning anushthanam like sandhya,
samidaadaanam (if you are a brahmachari), brahma-yajnam etc. This is performed
during the abhigamana kaalam.
Why do we change thread?
This is the core
ceremony, wherein we change the poonal: dharanam means adorning. Poonal is not
an ornament: it is ‘yagna upaveedam’, to help us perform yagna, or, various
prescribed karmas. It is a symbol of purity and ultimate sacredness: ‘paramam
pavitram’. It is a constant reminder to us to stay the course in pursuit of what
is ordained in the shastras and as guided by poorva acharyas.
Kanda Rishi tarpanam
However, it is often
erroneously thought that upAkarma or AvaNi aviTTam is primarily the changing
the yajnopavItam (poonool). This cannot be further from the truth. Changing the
poonool happens very often, whenever a significant vedic karma is performed.
UpAkarma, however, is a rededication of oneself to the study of one’s Veda,
along with salutations to the rishis who perceived and revealed the Vedic
mantras to the world. This is the significance of the navakANDarshi tarpaNam
and the anuvAka recitation.
The first thing we
do with the new poonal is ‘kandarishi’ tharpanam: offering our thanks and
salutations to various kandarishis, those that helped in our veda being
revealed to us and also seeking their blessings for a deep understanding of the
vedas even as we do adyayanam.
Vedarambham
Traditionally there
is now a upAkarma homa, where the rishis and devatAs mentioned above are once
again saluted using the sacred fire. Then there is vedArambha, where the first
four anuvAkas of the yajur veda samhita are taught to the sishyas. This is the
most important part of the upAkarma. This is followed by jayAdi homam. These
may not be available if one is away from one’s elders and acharyas. At minimum,
it is recommended that you recite one anuvAka from your veda on this day. The
Purusha Sukta suffices, for example. If you haven’t learnt any of your veda,
you should do gAyatrI japam in its place.
Gayathri Japam
This is performed
the next day. We recite Gayathri 1008 times, as if to say, that we start the
veda adyayana period with a huge entry on the credit side.
Success in any
endeavour, be it studies, or, in a job, we know comprises three things. First
we need to have clarity on our objectives. Second, we need a framework for
delivering. Third, we need to execute, for which discipline is most important.
Kamokarsheet Japam
and mahasankalpam start with a review of the past and let us go in our mind
over what we did not or did do and atone for our sins, but, more importantly,
set out our objectives. The schedule of karmas, nithya karmas, provides us with
a framework for performance. Upaveedam is a symbol of sanctity to constantly
remind us of what we need to do and help us in our karmas. Gayathri japam is
the first and a rather substantial step in following the discipline in
execution.
Let us remind
ourselves: all we have done on the Upakarma day is veda aarambam, It needs to
be followed by an intense period of veda paarayanam and veda adyayanam!!
Footnotes
a) Why every year? Will it ever get over?
In the modern world,
we know that professions, like those of a doctor, lawyer, or chartered
accountant, have to meet at least three important criteria.
First, one gets into
the profession, only after a long and intense period of study and
apprenticeship. It is about knowledge and skill, theory and practice, both,
and, therefore one has to be initiated into it and trained by someone already
in the profession.
Second, profession
is about practice. You become a lawyer so that you can practise it in your
chambers and in the courts of law.
Third, a
professional has to constantly update and enhance his or her professional
skills: you do not want a doctor to just practise what he or did study when
they qualified, but, use contemporary diagnosis and therapy. Equally, they have
to contribute to professional development, chiefly, by taking apprentices and
training future professionals.
The three essentials
of a profession are, thus, intense initial learning and apprenticeship,
sustained practice and continued professional development.
Our tradition
provided a similar structure to Vedic professionals. First, they spent several
years, 15 or 20 years, as a sisya to a guru, doing veda adyayanam, learning
veda from their acharyas. Thereafter, every year, part of the year, they only
practised what they had already learnt, veda paarayanam, and learn other
sastras. Thirdly, for the balance part of the year, they taught and trained
future professionals and also learn more of veda for themselves. Upakarma is
the day every year when they started the annual phase of learning and teaching.
About six months later, poornima day in the Tamil month of Thai, they did a
visarjanam, or suspended teaching and learning of vedas. And, come the day of
upakarma, they started once again the annual cycle with veda aarambam. For
about six months of the year they did veda adyayanam, and for the rest of the
year, they did veda paarayanam.
b) Checklist
Day of upakarma
1.
Pratah snanam,
pratah sandhya, then kamo karsheet japam (1008 or atleast 108 times)
2.
Best way to wear
darbhai pavitram, asanam, etc as guided by the priest.
3.
Proceed for
upakarma, carry rice, vessel, plate, betel leaves, nuts, fruits, sambhavanai
for the priest
4.
Upakarma as per priest
guidance.
5.
Veda arambham with
rememberance of preceptor
Following day
6.
Pratah snanam, pratah
sandhya, then gayatri japam (1008 or atleast 108 times)
7.
Best way to wear
darbhai pavitram asanam etc.
8.
Obeisances to
preceptor
Credits
/ references
