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Dear Bhagabatas:
The Saastras prescribe that Upanayanam should be performed at "GarbhaashTamam". 
That is at 7 years of age (including Garbha vaasam, it will be 8 years).

In the case of Brahmins, it can be done upto 16 years at the latest. For other 
two in the Traivarnikas (Kshatriyas and Vaisyas) there is some relaxation in 
the upper age limit. 

There is, however, no prohibition like odd years and even years etc. for 
performing Upanayanam. 

In any event, the earlier, the better. 


This is the position that I have been told in the "anushTaanam classes" in 
India.
Hope this helps.
Dasoham
Anbil Ramaswamy
=======================================================================
--- In SriRangaSri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Vijay & Lalitha Venbakkam" 
<vijaylalli@xxxx> wrote:
> I'd. like to find out if there's an appropriate age for performing 
Upanayanam & Brahmopadesam, for Srivaishnava brahmachari's.  Kindly 
advise.  I have heard the term "ottrai padai" (meaning only 
during 'odd' years) mention by some friends and I wanted to clarify 
if that's applicable for Srivaishnavas also.  

                       ***************

Dear member,

Many years ago I had the same question in respect of performing my 
son's 'upanayanam'. I consulted the revered U.Ve. Sri Mukkur 
Lakshminarasimhachariar and I still vividly remember his simple but 
logical advice: 

(1) The child should be old enough so as to be able to articulate 
clearly and repeat the 'gAyatri mantra' as it is ceremoniously 
uttered into his ear i.e. the child should have overcome lisping. 

(2) The child should also be so young that it is evident even 
incipient feelings of 'kAma' (i.e. the dawning of sexual awareness) 
have not yet taken seed inside his tender mind. 

Some boys do have a child's lisp ("mazhallai", in Tamil) even upto 
the age of 7 or 8. It is better to wait a while for him to outgrow 
the physical condition before performing "upanayanam". Some boys 
however, even at the age of 5 speak clearly. It's better 
the "upananayam" is performed at the earliest in such a case.

In any case, however, the "upanayanam" should be performed well 
before the dawning of sexual awareness... whatever be the age. In the 
modern age, the very environment in which we live (movies, TV shows, 
books, magazines, billboards etc.) arouses vague sexual curiousity, 
even if not real awareness, amongst boys at a very tender age even. 
This is rather unfortunate indeed, but we can do little about it. 
Hence, it is all the more urgent that the "upanayanam" ceremony must 
be performed as early as possible in order to heed the 'sAstra' that 
says the 'gAyatri' must enter into a child's mind well before 'kAmA' 
takes root there.

I performed my son's 'upanayanam' when he was 11 years of age.

Hope my own experience is of some use to you.

Thanks and regards,

dAsan,
Sudarshan   








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