Re: Veda-Upanayana Samskara-Agamic Initiation?
Originally Posted by
Anirudh
Namaste Ram ji
Without Upanayanam a person is not entitleded to say OM among many other things. "OM Namo Naaraayana" is Astaksharam that a Vaishnava is supposed to say. Hope you can get the link now.
So If you have raised this question for the academic reasons, I have no detailed answer.
Namaste Anirudh Ji,
I understand that for Ashtakshari Diksha Upanayanam is required.
Giving initiation with Pranava is a very high diksha as it a Vedic mantra,I did not know that all are given Pranava.
I was curious to know the nature of this initiation for sort of academic reasons also.I will share something I read once in history books.
At a point of time there were no Kshatriyas left in Southern India.There were only Brahmins and non-Brahmins.Some people from the fourth Varna having warrior-gunas took up arms against the barbaric foreign invaders and repelled the brutes.They filled the void and became quasi-Kshatriyas as they protected Dharma,Temples and provided for Brahmins.There are a number of inscriptions found in temples across Southern India in which these new rulers declare with pride that they defeated hordes of foreign looters and made generous daanas to Brahmanas for upholding Veda Dharma.
Some time later,some of these quasi-Kshatriyas were elevated to Kshatriya Varna by Brahmanas by employing some rituals.(The Vedic rituals involved are very interesting but that is another long topic),while in some places they were granted an intermediate status as Sath-Sudras.
So while some changed/shifted Varna(which is considered today by some people as impossible) and got Upanayana Samskara,others who remained in their own birth-Varna did not receive Yajnopavita.
The quasi-Kshatriyas/Sath-Sudras rulers were scholars which is known from the available works written by them.So I assume that these people had Brahmin gurus who taught them Sanskrit,Shastra knowledge etc.
The Agamas I heard are open to all so they might have studied Agamas,Itihasas,Puranas & Tantras but what is not clear to me is were they learning the Vedas or not.
That is where the nature of Upanayana Samskara comes into picture,are the initiates who received Yajnopavita(mentioned in examples in OP)actually doing Veda Adhyayana or studying other scriptures?
As per Manu Neethi Upanayanam has certain rules and restriction (even according to parasara neethi) and in the later period
it was declared all can undergo Upanayanam.
Never heard that,could you provide reference?
Every one is pursuing their spritual journey at different level using different modes. It is difficult to follow Shastras word by word because there are multiple interpretations and lack of practical applicability.
As you say,there are many paths and many many interpretations and I am confused at times as to what to accept.
How can a initiated person do Sandhya Vandanam every day without fail in the present lifestyle? And what's the effect of not doing it vis a vis not taking care of the other worldly duties that eat up the prescribed time of Sandhya Vandanam?
Biggest challenge as I see it is the journey. How can one shed lust and greed when there is blatant display of wealth and sex right into the living room?
This a challenge as there is too much of sleaze around!!
Last edited by Ram11; 22 January 2015 at 12:16 AM.
He dances in the golden hall of Chidambaram, Let us worship His rosy anklet girt Feet.
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