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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