.caUD,a kma-.

This should be performed during the third or fifth year.

Having performed early morning bath and worship of Visnu and the guru parampara, Sattvika Vriddhi Sraddha), the father should perform Kusandika rites, calling the fire called "Satya."

After completing Virupaksa japa, on the South side of the fire he should place twenty one pinjalis (A pinjal is composed of two blades of kusa grass of pradesa lenth tied together by a third blade. These are divided into three groups of seven each). He should also place there a bell metal vessel with warm water, and a copper razor or mirror. A barber with a regular razor should be situated there also.

On the East side of the fire he should place three cups of rice and barley, three cups of sesame, rice and urad-dhal.

The mother, with the cleanly dressed child in her lap, should sit on the kusa grass on the West side of the fire on the left side of her husband, facing East.

The father should offer ghee soaked wood in the fire silently, then perform Vyasta Samasta Mahavyahriti Homa:

! BaUr Bauva: sva: svaaha . [dM Anantaya [dM na mama.

Following this the husband should rise, and facing East, stand behind his wife. Looking towards the barber he should meditate on Visnu, saying:

kumaarma enaM Avatu vaO mauNDnama\ maM~a|vasaaiyanaa xauroNa ..

"May the Lord come here and cut the hair of this child using this blade made potent by mantra"

Looking at the warm water he should say:

"May visnu come here and cut the hair of the child using this warm water."

He should take the warm water in his right hand and apply above the right ear of the child saying:

"May these waters moisten his hair so that he may live long."

Looking at the copper razor or mirror he should say:

"You are the teeth of Visnu. May Visnu Himself cut the hair of this child."

He should place a bundle of the kusas, root side up, over the right ear of the child, saying:

"May Acyuta, Ananta and Narayan give this child long life.

O herbs, protect this child."

Holding the kusa with his left hand, he should place the copper razor or mirror over the right ear of the child saying:

"May Sankarsana cut the hair of the child without harming him."

Moving the copper blade without cutting the hair he should say:

"For continued life, long life, for strength, for beauty, I shave you with this harmless blade by which the Supreme Lord cuts hair."

Silently he should repeart this two more times.

Using the regular blade, hair should be shaven above the right ear and place on the bull dung held by a friend of the boy.

The previous seven mantras should be said while shaving the area below the sikha, and again while shaving the hair over the left ear. The cut hair should be placed on the bull dung.

Hoding the chil’s head the father should say:

"May there be three lifespans for Jamadagni, for Kasyapa, for Agasya, for the devatas and for the child."

The father should take the child to the North side of the fire. The barber should be garlanded. The barber should face the child east or North and shave him, leaving a sikha. The hari should be placed on the dung. This should be placed in a forest or amongst bamboo stalks.

Karna Vedha or piercing the ears may be performed at this time.

The father should perform Vyasta Samasta Mahavyahriti Homa:

11.! …………..

The father should touch the mouth, nostrils, eyes, and ears of the child with his right hand and say:

12.!……….(name of son).

"You are immortal like the Lord. Oh….(name of son) enter in this solar month."

………………………………….(name of son.

The husband should whisper the name in the left ear of his wife saying:

14.. EaI ……………(name of child) AyaM to pu~ .

"………is your son."

He should give the child back to his wife’s hands.

He should offer wood silently into the fire.

He should perform Vyasta Samasta Mahavyahriti Homa:

He should perform Udicya karma and concluding rites then give daksina to Vaisnavas.

d.kZ os/k Karna Vedha

According to Susruta, this ceremony should be performed in the sixth or seventh month after birth, though it may be performed along with the Cuda Karana ceremony or at Upanayanam.

It should be performed during the waxing phase of the moon on an auspicious day, before noon.

The child should be held on the lap of the mother.

Using a gold, silver or iron needle, the surgeon should take the right ear of the boy or left ear of the girl first, and pierce the ears with a single stroke.

Gifts should be given to the Vaisnavas, and surgeon.

.iv*arM-.

Procedure:

The Brahmana is invited by the parents.

He receives a daksina.

He should place a picture of Adi Sarasvati on the family altar (or a picture of Srila Prabhupada for a simplified procedure).

At the base of the picture, place a slate and a chalk.

He should offer a small arati (incense and white flowers) to the family’s deity, and to Adi Sarasvati (or Srila Prabhupada) and to the slate and the chalk.

The mantra for Adi Sarasvati is:

Offer some maha-prasadam to Adi Sarasvati (or to Srila Prabhupada).

Recite the pranama-mantra of Adi Sarasvati:

"O Devi you are worshipped by all. You are decorated with beautiful ornaments, holding a vina and books of knowledge. Please accept our humble obeisances."

"O most opulent one, O lotus eyed one, decorated with knowledge, please give this light of knowledge."

The pranama-mantra of Srila Prabhupada:

Then he should sit facing east. The child comes and sits on his knee or nearby. In front of him are placed the slate and the chalk. The brahmana should start with the following mantra:

"Together may the Lord protect us. May he take care of us. May the Lord give us strength and virility. May our study be full of light and power. May we never hate." (Katha Upanisad,VI.19)

"O Lord, lead us from illusio to eternal reality

Lord, lead us from darkness to light

Lord lead us from death to eternity

(Brihad-aranyaka Upanisad, I.3.28)

The brahmana should say:

"O Sarasvati, whose complexion defeats the beauty of the full moon, who sits on a white lotus, who holds a vina in her hands, who is clothed in white raiments. Who is glorified by the great personalities like Brahma, Visnu and Siva. O most opulent Sarasvati Devi, protect me and destroy all ignorance."

Then the brahmana helps the child write the three first letters of the alphabet and "Hare Krishna" in sanskrit devanagari or in the local language.

The brahmana must help the child to repeat twice (verbally) what he has written. He then erases what is written on the slate and applies some dust of the chalk on the forehead of the child like a tilaka, and on the sikha.

Recite Srimad – Bhagavatam 1.2.4).

"Let us offer our respectful obeisance’s unto the personality of Godhead, Narayana, unto Nara-Narayan Risi, the supermost buman being, unto mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, and unto Srila Vyasadeva."

Recite: all together the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

Optional: Read the first three verses with the translation of the canto, first Chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

. ]pnayanama\\ Upanayanam.

Items needed:

Standard yajna paraphernalia.

Belt that is made of three strands of kusa grass and is long enough to go three times around the waist of the student.

Brahmana thread.

Deer skin (if not availavle it is possible to substitute it with a new silk or cotton chaddar of a nice quality).

Stick of bilva or palasa wood for student’s danda..

The upanayanam ceremony should be conducted, for brahmanas, counting eight years from conception or eight years from the birth of the son, on an auspicious day. If that is not possible, the ceremony should take place latest before the sixteenth year from the birth of the child, has passed. According to the original rules, if there is more delay the child is not entitled to undergo the ceremony and receive the sacred thread.

On the morning of the upanayanam ceremony, the acarya should take bath, worship the Supreme Lord and the vaisnavas and then perform sattvika vriddhi sraddha.

He should then perform all kusandika rites up to the end of virupaksa japa, establishing the fire named "Samudbhava."

The child should be fed a little prasadam; he should be clean-shaved (with sikha), bathed, decorated, and dressed in one piece of clean silk or cotton cloth.

"Homakale na drisyante prayaschandarsi devatah."

Passing by the North side of the fire, the child should sit on the right hand side of the acarya, facing East.

The acarya should start by throwing ghee-soaked wood of pradesa length into the fire silently.

He should perform Vyasta Samasta Mahavyahriti Homa:

"I offer oblation to the bhu mandala."

! Bauva: svaaha . [dM Acyautaya [dM na mama .

"I offer oblations to the space between the heavens and the earth."

"I offer oblations to the upper planetary systems."

"I offer oblations to the manifested universe." The acarya or hotri should offer five oblations of ghee with the following mantra:

"O Vishnu, lord of scriptural rules! I request that you give mercy so I can perform this upanayanam rite.

By this, may I attain success. To remove illusion I undertake this act of absolute truth."

"O Acyuta, Lord of scriptural rules! I request that you give mercy so I can perform this upanayanam rite. By this, may I attain success. To remove illusion I undertake this act of absolute truth."

"O Narayan, Lord of scriptural rules. I request that you give mercy so I can perform this upanayanam rite. By thisk, may I attain success. To remove illusion I undertake this act of absolute truth."

"O Ananta, Lord of scriptural rules! I request that you give mercy so I can perform this upanayanam rite. By this, may I attain success. To remove illusion I undertake this act of absolute truth."

"O Sankarsana, Lord of scriptural rules! I request that you give mercy so I can perform this upanayanam rite. By this, may I attain success. To remove illusion I undertake this act of absolute truth."

The Acarya should then stand facing East on the west side of the fire with his hands folded in prayer, upon a kusa asana with tips facing North.

The child should stand facing the acarya between the fire and the acarya, upon a kusa asana with tips facing North.

A brahmana should stand on the child’s right hand side and give a handful of water first to the child, then to the acarya.

The acarya should look at the child and say:

"O Lord, we have met with this boy who has come for upanayanam and testify to his character. Please bestow your company on this splendid youth. Let us go without obstacles to the supreme goal of life. May the boy attain the ultimate goal."

He should have the child say:

! ba`*macaya-M AagaaM ]p maa nayasva ..

"I have come to accept the vow of brahmacaryam. Please initiate me."

The acarya asks:

"What is your name?"

The child should say:

]pnayanao Aacaaya-sya maaNavak\ kqanao ivainayaaoga: ..

! ……………………(child name) dova Xamaa- naama Aisma..

"My name is _________"

The child and the acarya should pour the water from their hands.

The acarya should hold the right hand and thumb of the child in the right hand and say:

saMkYa-Nasya hstaByaama\ hstM gaR*Naaima ……………(name of child)

"In this activity of Visnu, I grasp your hand with the armas of Narayan and Vasudeva, with the hands of Sankarsana."

"May visnu take your hand. May Narayan and mahavisnu take your hand, may Mukunda and Prabhavisnu take your hand. By this action, you are a friend. Visnu is your teacher."

The acarya should then circumambulate the child and then face East while saying:

! ivaYNaao: ivak`maNaM Anvaavat-svaa EaI ……(name of the child) dovaXamaa-..

"Turn the child following the strides of Visnu."

The acarya should then touch the right shoulder of the child with his right hand and then lower the hand to the child’s uncovered navel saying:

tuByaM [dM pirddaima EaI ……(Child’s name) dova Xama-na\ ..

"You are the knot of the life airs. Do not become loosened. Acyuta, to You I give this child."

Touching above the navel the acarya should say:

! naarayaNa tuByaM [dM pirddaima EaI ………(child’s name) dova Xama-na\ ..

"O Narayana, to you I give this child."

Touching the child’s heart he should say:

"O Janardana, to you I give this child."

Touching the child’s right shoulder with his right hand he should say:

"To Visnu, Prajapati I give you this child."

Touching the child’s left shoulder with his left hand he should say:

! ivaYNavao damaaodraya %vaa pirddaima EaI ………………dova Xama-na\ ..

"To Visnu, to Damodara I give you this child."

He should address the child saying:

"You are a brahmacari______"

The acarya should order the brahmacari:

"Put wood on the fire."

The child should reply:

"I will."

The acarya orders:

"Drink water for purification(acamana)."

The child should reply."

"I will."

The acarya orders:

"Do your work."

The child should reply:

"I will."

The acarya orders:

"Refrain from sleeping in the daytime."

The child should reply:

"I will."

The acarya should go and sit on the North side of the fire facing East upon kusa with tips facing North.

The child should face the acarya, and kneel with right knee touching the ground, upon kusa with tips facing North.

The acarya should wrap the child’s waist three times with a belt of three strands of kusa by walking around him three times in a clockwise direction.

He should make the child say:

"This belt is the consort of the Lord, pure and auspicious, like a sister.

Freeing and protecting one from bad words and acts, it preserves the purity of ones Varna, bringing strength for inhaling and exhaling breath. I have obtained this belt."

"This belt is the protector of truth, the greatest wealth of austerity, which prevents injury, and causes victory over enemies. O secret belt of fortune, please surround me completely. As your wearers may we not bring harm to you."

The acarya shold take the sacred thread saying:

"You are the sacred thread for sacrifice. I tie you with this thread for the purpose of performing sacrifices."

He should place the thread on the child’s left shoulder and under the right arm saying:

"The sacred thread is most pure, born at the time of the appearance of the lord, long before. Put on this shining white thread bestowing long life. Let there be strength and energy."

The acarya should place the deer skin in the child’s hands and make him say:

AnaahsyaM vasanaM jairYNau pirdM vaaija AijanaM dQaohma\ ..

"I am giving you this deer skin, which is the light of the sun, the presiding Lord, strength, energy and fame, eternal and effulgent, chaste, giving valor, giving long life."

The child should put on the deer skin, and folding his hands, should stand in front of the acarya, saying:

"Teach me, sir. Please recite to me the Gayatri mantra."

The acarya should make the child recite each phrase three times:

tt\ saivatur varoNyama .(3x)

Bagaao- dovasya iQamaih . (3x)

QaIyaao yaao na: P`acaaodyaat\ . (3x)

The Acharya should make the child repeat the following two phrases three times each:

! tt\ saivaturvaroNyaM Bagaao- dovasya QaImaih . (3x)

! QaIyaao yaao na: p`caaodyaat\ . (3x)

The Acarya should make the child recite the full mantra three times:

yaao na: p`caaodyaat\.(3x)

The Acarya should make the child recite each of the mahavyahritis as follows:

The Acarya should make the child recite the Gayatri mantra with the mahavyahriti three times:

yaao na: p`caaodyaat\.(3x)

"Let us meditate on the worshipable effulgence of the divine sun who enthuses our meditation."

Then the Acarya should hand the child a stick of bilva or palasa wood and me him address the stick, saying:

"You, being glorious with knowledge, make me glorious with the same knowledge.

O glorious one, as you are glorious among the devas, may I be glorious among the brahmanas."

Taking the danda the brahmacari should begin begging, by first going to his mother and saying:

"O good woman, please give alms."

Receiving alms he should say:

"May there be auspiciousness."

In the same manner he should approach women friends of his mother and then thank them on receiving the alms.

He should then go to his father and say:

"O sir, Please give alms."

Receiving alms he should say:

"May there be auspiciousness."

He should approach friends of his father in the same way and give what he receives to the acarya.

The Acharya should perform vyasta amasta mahavyariti homa:

! BaUr svaaha . [dM ivaYNavao [dM na mama..

"I offer oblation to the bhu mandala."

"I offer oblation to the space between heavens and the earth."

"I offer oblation to the upper planetary systems."

"I offer oblation to the manifested universe."

He should offer ghee-soaked wood of pradesa length into the fire silently.

He should now perform all the rites of udicya karma, beginning with satyayana homa, up to the end of vamadevya ganam. Then the father of the child should give daksina to the invited Vaisnavas, Brahmanas and he should serve prasad to all the devotees and guest.

Samidadhanam homa:

The brahmacari should remain at the place of the homa silently until sunset. Then he should begin kusandika rites, drawing the lines (panca rekha sthapana) and puritying them, and establishing the fire named "Samudbhava" He should fold his hands and say:

"May this fire, all knowing Jataveda, carry the offering to the devatas."

He should perform udakanjali seka and agni paryuksana from kusandika section.

Taking three sticks of ghee-soaked wood of pradesa length, he should offer the first without mantra.

The second he should offer saying:

46.! p`jaapit ivaYNau ?iYa: . gaaya~I Cnd:. EaI ivaYNaur dovata .

He should offer the third stick silently.

Then he should perfrom agni paryuksana and udakanjaliseka from udicya karma section.

Identifying himself by gotra, he should salute the fire, saying:

47.!………………………… gaao~: (his own name)

"I_____ of ______gotra salute you, O fire."

He should dismiss the fire saying :

"please forgive my offenses."

After the sun has set, the child should eat the grains that he has begged with gee but without salt. Before eating he should sprinkle the grains with water, then sip water saying:

"You are the sitting place of nectar."

After finishing his meal he should again sip water saying:

"You are the water to cover the nectar."

For the rest of his life he should take his meals in this manner.

As long as he lives as a Bramacari, which is up until the samavartana Samskara, the boy should perform the Samidadhana homa every morning and evening.

This is the end of the upanayanam ceremony.

"I am the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living entities, and I join with the air of life, outging and incoming, to digest the four kinds of foodstuff."

Items needed:

Standard yajna paraphernalia.

Juhu-sruk made of palasa wood.

Wooden mortar and pestle.

Winnowing basket.

Bell-metal bowl.

Barley grains.

Loose kusa grass.

Earthen bowl (carusthali) for cooking caru.

Milk.

Stirring spoon, flat on both sides, made from khadira, palasa or udumbara wood.

This homa is performed on the fouth day after the upanayanam rites either by the father with relatives, or the father with brahmacaris or by an Acarya.

After taking bath, he should begin the kusandika rites through Agni sthapana, calling the fire named "Samudbhava." Then facing East he should sit down and cook caru in the same fire.

The process (of making caru) is as follows:

On the western side of the fire he should place kusa with their tips facing East and on top of that he should place a mortar and pestle made of wood. He should also place a bamboo winnowing basket there and a bell metal bowl with barley grains in it. He should purify all the items with water from a wooden spoon (proksani). He should chant the following mantra:

"Homakale na drsyante prayaschandarsi devatah"

Then he should take one third of a portion of the barley from the bell metal bowl and place it in the mortar without mantra. The rest of the barley should be divided into two portions.

Then holding the pestle in his right hand, he should crush the grains in the mortar and then thresh them with the winnowing basket. Similarly, crush and thresh the other two portions of barley. After doing this thrice, he should wash the grains three times.

He should put two pinjalis into the carusthali (the earthen bowl in which the caru will be cooked) with their tips facing North, and then put the washed grains in a pot and slowly (so as not to create lumps) add milk and water a little at a time, stirring it with a spoon in a clockwise direction; he should cook it on the fire (that he has installed) making sure that it doesn’t become burned or that the water doesn’t evaporate completely. The spoon he uses for stirring should be made from khadira, palasa or Udumbara wood with a flat face on both sides half an inch thick and of a square shape.

When the Caru is ready, he should add two spoons of ghee and place it onto kusa on the North side of the kunda. He should then add one more spoon of ghee.

He should then continue the kusandika from bhumi japathrough Sruva samskara. Then, after, placing the ghee on top of kusa on the Western side of the fire, continue with Udakanjali seka and finish the Kusandika rites with the Virupaksa uapa.

Afer that he should begin the homa by offering ghee-soaked wood of pradesa length into the fire silently.

The Vyasta samasta mahavyariti homa should be chanted at the beginning of the Savitri caru homa, but only afterwards.

Abridged homa:

If the performer of the caru homa wishes to make the homeshorter, or if he doesn’t have a juhu, then he can put one spoon of ghee into the caru and take one spoon of caru from the carustali and offer it into the fire, while chanting:

Unabridged homa:

If one wants to get more benefit, then he may use the juhu for offering the caru. Those brahmanas who belong to bhrgu gotra should put five spoons of ghee and others should put four into the North side of the fire puring towards the East, while chanting:

Then they should offer a spoon of ghee on the Southern side of the fire chanting:

If the brahmacari belongs to the Bhrgu gotra, then he should pour one spoon of ghee into the juhu and one spoon into the middle of the carusthali. One should then take a spoon of caru from the middle of the carusthali, where the ghee was poured, and put it into the juhu. Again pour one spoon of gheee into the middle of the carusthali.

Then put one spoon of ghee in the Eastern side of the carusthali, and taking a spoonful of caru from the Eastern side, place it into the juhu; then again pour one spoon of ghee into the carusthali on the Eastern side.

After that, take one spoon of ghee and pour it into the juhu. Then offer the caru and ghee from the juhu into the fire, while chanting:

However, if the brahmacari belongs to another gotra, then he should pour one spoon of ghee into the Western side of the carusthali (but not take any caru out of the pot) One spoon of ghee into the juhu and one spoon of ghee into the middle of the carusthali. Then he should offer the ghee in the juhu into the fire, while chanting the above mantra.

Then the brhmacari from the Bhrgu gotra should pour one spoon of ghee into the juhu and one spoon into the North-East side of the carusthali. Then take one heaping spoonful of caru from North-East side of the carusthali and place it into the juhu. After that put one spoon of ghee into North-East side of the carusthali.

He should put two spoons of ghee into juhu and offer it into the North-East side of the fire, chanting:

Brahmacaris from differrent gotras whould pour two spoons of ghee into the juhu and one spoon of ghee into the North-East side of the carusthali.

The rest of the ritual is the same.

After that, the brahmacari should offer the spoon used for stirring the caru into the fire without mantra.

He should then perform Vyasta samasta mahavyariti homa with ghee.

"I offer oblation to the bhu mandala."

"I offer oblation to the space between the heavens and the earth."

"I offer oblation to the upper planetary systems."

"I offer oblation to the manifested univers."

Offer wood into the fire silently.

He should now perform all the rites of udicya karma, beginning with Satyajana homa, up to the end of Vamadevya ganam. The brahmacari should give daksina to the acarya. If the acarya is his father, then he gives it to the initiated Vaisnava who officiated as the brahmana priest.