| Your Location |
Upakarma Date |
Gayatri Japa Date |
| USA |
Friday, August 3 |
Saturday, August 4 |
| India |
Consult local vidvans |
| Singapore |
Saturday, August 4 |
Saturday, August 4 |
(1) Do morning nityakarmas including sandhyAvandanam as one
would do on any other day.
(2) kAmo'kArshIt manyur akArshIt japam
(first time upAkarmins [talai AvaNi aviTTam] skip this and goto (3))
Facing east:
(a) Acamanam twice
(b) prANAyAma
(c) sankalpam, including sAttvika tyAgam:
(i) guru-paramparA anusandhAnam. For example, for
me, this is:
SrImAn venkaTanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
vedAntAcArya varyo me sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||
gurubhyas tad gurubhyaS ca namo vAkam adhImahe |
vRNImahe ca tatrAdyau dampatI jagatAm patI ||
sva-sesha-bhUtena mayA svIyaiH sarva paricchadaiH |
vidhAtum prItam AtmAnam devaH prakramate svayam ||
(ii) vighna nivAraNam / viSvaksena dhyAnam
SuklAmbaradharam vishNum SaSivarnam caturbhujam |
prasanna-vadanam dhyAyet sarva-vighnopaSAntaye ||
yasya dvirada-vaktrAdyAH pAriSadyAH paraH Satam |
vighnam nighnanti satatam viSvasenam tam ASraye ||
(iii) mahA-sankalpa
hariH om tat
SrI govinda govinda govinda!
asya SrI-bhagavato mahApurushasya
vishNor AjnayA pravartamAnasya
adya brahmaNe dvitIya-parArdhe SrI-Sveta-varAha-kalpe
vaivasvata-manvantare kaliyuge prathamapAde
jambudvIpe, bhAratavarshe, bharatakhaNDe,
SakAbde, meror dakshiNe pArSve
asmin vartamAnAnAm vyAvahArikANAm
prabhavAdi shashTi samvatsarANAm madhye
vRsha nAma samvatsare
dakshiNAyane, grIshma Rtau, SrAvaNa mAse, Sukla pakshe,
paurNamAsyAm Subha-tithau,
(if in the USA):
bhRgu-vAsara-sravaNa-nakshatra yuktAyAm,
(if in Madras or Singapore):
Sthira-vAsara-sravaNa-nakshatra yuktAyAm,
SrI-vishnu-yoga SrI-vishnu-karaNa Subha-yoga Subha-karaNa
evam guNa-viSeshaNa viSishTAyAm,
asyAm Subha-tithau,
SrI-bhagavad-AjnayA
[ SrIman-nArAyaNa-prItyartham OR
bhagavat-kainkarya-rUpam OR
bhagavat-prItyartham, depending on sampradAya ]
taishyAm paurNamAsyAm adhyAya-utsarjana-akaraNa-prAyaScitta-artham,
ashTottara-sahasra (1008) [ashTottara-Sata (108)] sankhyayA "kAmo'kArshIt
manyur akArshIt" mahAmantra-japam karishye.
(iv) sAttvika tyAgam (see notes)
bhagavAn eva svaniyAmya sva-Sesha-bhUtena mayA
sva-ArAdhana-eka-prayojanAya idam "kAmo'kArshIt
manyur akArshIt mahAmantra-japam" svasmai svaprItaye
svayam eva kArayati.
(e) Do japam of "kAmo'kArshIt manyur akArshIt" 1008 or 108 times
as one has resolved.
(f) Acamanam once, followed by concluding sAttvika tyAgam
(3) Brahmacharis are supposed to have a haircut now.
(4) Perform mAdhyAhnikam, including mAdhyAhnika snAnam if one is
accustomed, followed by bhagavad-ArAdhanam. After this, strictly
speaking, one should wait until after midday (aparAhna) to perform
the upAkarma, but these days, due to exigencies of work, etc.,
people do it earlier.
(5) Preparing for the upAkarma
Seated facing east, wearing a pavitram if available,
after Acamanam twice, prANAyama, and sankalpa, including
sAttvika tyAgam:
(repeat sankalpa portion from above, including dhyAna
slokas)
SrAvaNyAm paurNamAsyAm adhyAya-upAkarma karishye,
tad angam kAndarshi-tarpaNam karishye,
tad angam yajnopavIta-dhAraNam karishye,
tad angam snAnam karishye.
[ Brahmacharis add: tad angatayA maunji-ajina-daNDa-dhAraNAni karishye ]
(a) First, do the 'nimitta snAnam'. The very orthodox, performing this ritual
at a river bank or pushkariNi, would have done the snAnam immediately
upon reaching the water. If this is not possible, do mAnasika snAnam as
a bare minimum by meditating on the lotus-eyed Lord.
(b) Wear the new yajnopavItam (poonool-s) with appropriate mantras
(1) Sit squatting (kukkuTTAsanam) facing east. Acamanam twice
(2) prANAyAmam, wearing pavitram if available
(3) sankalpam, with sAttvika tyAgam:
adya pUrvoccarita evam guNa-viseshaNa-viSishTAyAm,
asyAm Subha-tithau,
SrI-bhagavad-AjnayA
SrIman-nArAyaNa-prItyartham (or variant)
Srauta-smArta-vihita-nitya-karma-anushThAna-
yogyatA-siddhyartham yajnopavIta-dhAraNam karishye
(4) Put one yajnopavItam on at a time. To do this,
hold the yajnopavItam with both hands, with your right
palm facing up over your head, and your left palm facing
the ground. The top of the brahma-mudi (knot) should be
on your right palm and should be facing right. Then say
this mantra, while holding the sacred thread this way:
yajnopavIta-dhAraNa-mantrasya
brahmA Rshi:
trishTup chanda:
trayIvidyA devatA
yajnopavIta dhAraNe viniyoga:
yajnopavItam paramam pavitram, prajApater yat sahajam purastAt |
Ayushyam agryam pratimunca Subhram yajnopavItam balam astu teja: ||
Now wear the yajnopavItam. Acamanam once.
If you are married, repeat this procedure for the second yajnopavItam,
from the praNAyAmam and sankalpa to the mantra, and wear the thread.
Acamanam. The sankalpa is:
pUrvoccarita evam guNa-viseshaNa-viSishTAyAm,
asyAm Subha-tithau,
SrI-bhagavad-AjnayA
SrIman-nArAyaNa-prItyartham (or variant)
gArhasthyArham dvitIya yajnopavIta-dhAraNam karishyE
Wear the second yajnopavItam as before.
Then, after saying
upavItam chinnantu jIrNam kaSmala-dUshitam |
visRjAmi punar brahman varco dIrghAyur astu me ||
remove the old yajnopavItam(s) and discard them under a tree, in a river,
or some other natural place. Don't throw them in the garbage!
Acamanam again followed by sAttvika tyAgam.
(c) Brahmacharis should recite mantras for the darbha belt (maunji),
krishNAjina (a piece of deer skin), and palAsa daNDa
and if possible wear them (see notes for the mantras)
(d) Acamanam
(5) Nava kANDa Rshi tarpaNam
(a) Acamanam twice
(b) Facing north, walk knee-deep into a river or pool of fresh water
if possible. Otherwise stand where you are; traditionally, your clothes
should be wet. Do as you can.
(c) For each of the following, offer a mixture of (uncooked) rice,
black sesame seeds (eL), and water, as you say 'tarpayAmi'. Each line
should be said three times. Preferably, someone should help
by pouring the water as you release the rice and sesame, as this
makes it easier.
Wear the yajnopavItam as a necklace (nivItam). For the first seven,
cup both your hands together, having the yajnopavItam's brahma-mudi
(knots) resting in your palms and with the threads going between
your thumb and forefinger of each hand. The water should be released
along with the sesame and rice between the two hands, at the base
of the little finger. This is known as Rshi tIrtham.
(i) prajApatim kANDarshim tarpayAmi
(ii) sOmam kANDarshim tarpayAmi
(iii) agnim kANDarshim tarpayAmi
(iv) viSvAn devAn kANDarshIn tarpayAmi
(v) sAmhitIr devatA upanishadas tarpayAmi
(vi) yajnikIr devatA upanishadas tarpayAmi
(vii) vAruNIr devatA upanishadas tarpayAmi
Now, still nivItam, the water mixture should be released towards
you, off of the base of the hands near the palms (i.e., away from
the fingertips). Typically this is done by pointing the fingers
straight up, keeping the sides of the hands together.
This is known as brahma-tIrtham.
(viii) brahmANaGM svayambhuvam tarpayAmi
Now the water should be poured as deva-tIrtham. This means that
the water mixture should be poured off the tips of the fingers.
(ix) sadasaspatim tarpayAmi
(x) See Note (f) below
(e) Return to upavItam, i.e., your poonool in its normal position.
Finish with Acamanam and sAttvika tyAgam, and change into dry clothes.
(6) 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.
[ 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 a
salutations to the rishis who perceived and revealed the Vedic mantras
to the world. This is the significance of the nava-kANDarshi tarpaNam
and the anuvAka recitation. ]
Notes
(a) On the UpAkarma day, strictly speaking, the rule is to eat only after
bhagavad-ArAdhana and the homam. If done properly this lasts well into
the afternoon. Because of the length of the procedure, young brahmacharis
and those others who are absolutely unable to bear their hunger are permitted
to eat before the homam itself. The typical meal consists of idli and
appam, but usually excludes rice. Complete fasting is observed after this
through the night, in preparation for the next day's gAyatrI japam.
In some traditions one meal is eaten during the day and phalAhAram
is observed at night.
(b) The mantra for the kAmo'kArshIt japam is "kAmo'kArshIt manyur akArshIt".
Most authorities end with this, and do not follow it by anything else.
However, in some traditions, the mantra is "kAmo'kArshIt manyur akArshIt namo namaH".
(c) Some people also change their yajnopavItam before the kAmo'kArshIt
japam, in addition to the changing done for upAkarma itself. It should
be remembered that the changing before upAkarma is the more important
one, and if one only wants to change once, the upAkarma changing is
preferred.
The reason for this is as follows. the kAmo'kArshIt japam is done as an
atonement, a prAyaScittam for not having done the traditional utsarjana
sankalpa earlier in the year. The sankalpa for the japam says this explicitly
('adhyAya-utsarjana-akaraNa'). Just as upAkarma is the formal
recommencement of Vedic studies, the utsarjana is a sankalpa done to
formally halt study of the Vedas and commence study of grammar, prosody,
pronounciation, astronomy, etymology, etc., as well as other shastras,
all of which are helpful in understanding the Vedas. The year was
therefore divided into two, one half for studying the Vedas, the other
half for studying the VedAngas or Vedic accessories.
The utsarjana has unfortunately fallen into disuse for quite a while,
so what remains is the meagre prAyaScittam for not having done it.
Therefore, the important yajnopavItam changing is for the upAkarma.
(d) sankalpa details
The following is said for any major sankalpa (mahA-sankalpa). The
underlined parts change depending on the day and are specified below
for upAkarma this year (2001).
After acharya vandanam and vishvaksena dhyAnam,
hariH om tat (not "om tat sat")
SrI govinda govinda govinda!
asya SrI-bhagavato mahApurushasya
vishNor AjnayA pravartamAnasya
adya brahmaNe dvitIyaparArdhe SrI-Sveta-varAha-kalpe
vaivasvata-manvantare kaliyuge prathamapAde
jambudvIpe, bhAratavarshe, bharatakhaNDe,
SakAbde, meror dakshiNe pArSve
asmin vartamAnAnAm vyAvahArikANAm
prabhavAdi shashTi samvatsarANAm madhye
vRsha nAma samvatsare
dakshiNAyane, grIshma Rtau, SrAvaNa mAse, Sukla pakshe,
paurNamAsyAm Subha-tithau,
(if in the USA):
Sukra-vAsara-sravaNa-nakshatra yuktAyAm,
(if in Madras or Singapore):
Sani-vAsara-sravaNa-nakshatra yuktAyAm,
SrI-vishnu-yoga SrI-vishnu-karaNa Subha-yoga Subha-karaNa
evam guNa-viSeshaNa viSishTAyAm,
asyAm Subha-tithau,
SrI-bhagavad-AjnayA
[ SrIman-nArAyaNa-prItyartham OR
bhagavat-kainkarya-rUpam OR
bhagavat-prItyartham, depending on sampradAya ]
followed by the sankalpa for the particular karma.
Having said a mahA-sankalpa once for a particular ritual, it need not be
said again and again in its entireity. It is enough to say "pUrvoccarita
evam guNa-viSeshaNa viSishTAyAm, asyAm Subha-tithau, SrI-bhagavad-AjnayA..."
(e) sAttvika tyAgam details
sAttvika tyAgam is a moment of contemplation whereby one dedicates
the act and all its fruits entirely to Bhagavan, and where one recognizes
that Bhagavan himself is performing the act through you entirely for His own
purposes. Typically, as an expression of this attitude, a brief sentence
is stated before and after performing the karma. In an abbreviated form,
here is one version:
Before doing the karma:
bhagavAn eva svaniyAmya sva-Sesha-bhUtena mayA
sva-ArAdhana-eka-prayojanAya idam [name of the act]
svasmai svaprItaye svayam eva kArayati.
After doing the karma, say the same thing, except replace the
last word "kArayati" with "kAritavAn".
(f) After the kANDa-rishi tarpaNam, some people add:
Rg-vedam tarpayAmi
yajur-vedam tarpayAmi
sAma-vedam tarpayAmi
atharvaNa-vedam tarpayAmi
itihAsam tarpayAmi
purANam tarpayAmi
kalpam tarpayAmi
Some also now recommend pitR tarpaNam (prAcIna-vItam) for
those whose fathers are no longer alive.
(g) procedure for wearing the yajnopavitam (poonool)
(h) mantras for wearing the maunji, ajina, and palAsa daNDa:
(1) maunji
, , , ,,
iyam duruktAt paribAdhamAnA Sarma varUtham punatIna AgAt |
- - - - - -
, , , ,
prANApAnAbhyAm balamAbharantI priyA dEvAnAGM subhagA mEkhaleyam ||
- - - - - - - - - -
, , , ,
Rtasya gOptrI tapasa: parasvIghnatI raksha: sahamAnA arAtI: |
- - - - - -
, , , , ,
sAna: samantamanu parIhi bhadhrayA bhartAraste mekhale mA rishAma ||
- - - - -
(2) ajina
, , , , ,
mitrasya cakshur dharuNam balIyas tejo yaSasvi sthaviraGM samiddham |
- - - - - - - -
, ,
anAhanasyam vasanam jarishNu parIdham vAjyajinam dadhe'ham ||
-- - - - - - -
(3) daNDa
, , , ,
suSravassuSravasam mA kuru yathA tvaGM suSrava: susravA asyevamahaGM
- - - - - - - -
, , , , ,, ,,
suSravassuSravA bhUyAsam yathA tvaGM suSravassuSravo devAnAm nidhigOpO-
- - - - - - - -
,, , ,
'syevamaham brAhmaNAnAm brahmaNo nidhigOpO bhUyAsam ||
- - - -
Upakarma index
