Some say it may represent a spiritual umbilical cord to his new religious parent and teacher. While others suggest it is merely representative of another garment the boy will wear when he is fit to perform the rituals of sacrifice.
Next the Brahmin priest starts reciting sacred mantra, and passes it along to the young boy. The priest, sitting underneath a silk cloth along with the boy and his father, instructs the young man to recite this mantra 108 times. "The mantra is short. "I meditate on the brilliance of the sun; may it illuminate my mind." This sun mantra is commonly called the Gayatri mantra, and is regarded as the most important of all mantras. The boy is then taken outside, and is told to view the sun, and all its eminence, by intertwining his fingers and staring at it via his hands.
Finally, the young man begs for food. The young male is then approached by various women, and is given rice by each of them. Upon the completion of this portion, the boy is now considered present in his second stage of life. "In Vedic times and possible even well into the first millennium of this new era, the young boy began his Vedic studies at this stage and went to live with his new teacher for several years." .
The importance of this ritual in the life of a Hindu male is one that has changed over time. The major premise of the salience of this sacrament has been the voyage to the second stage of life. This ritual as described by the Book of Manu, is part of any upper male's dharma, and it is supposed to be one of many stages for the child's path to moksha (liberation).
Currently, this ritual does not have the same religious and spiritual importance of yesteryear. Today this important sacrament is more of a symbolic gesture, which is still required by Hindu families.
One such sacrament that does still play and important role in the lives of Hindus" is that of Vedic Astrology. Astrology and its ritualistic workings, which are found within the Vedangas, play a pivotal role in every aspect of life.
One of the greatest ways to gain an understanding of a culture is to plunge yourself into it. The soul of Hindu religion lies within its thriving diversity of the worship of many gods. Many gods are worshiped on a daily basis throughout India and the Hindu world. Sanskrit, the word for culture means the most cultured language. Prominent languages within the Hindu religion include Hindi, Gujarati, Avadhi, Tamil and Bengali. ...
Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama, also know as Buddha or the enlightened one. Is credited with the founding of Buddhism, Siddhartha was most likely born in 563 b.c. according to scholars. The son of a king of a petty kingdom, he was said to become a great leader and man at birth according to sage...
The Hindu Caste System is a social/class structure that has been around and enforced for thousands of years. The system categorizes four main groups beginning with the Brahmins. This category is at the top and contains priests, scholars and philosophers. The Kshatriyas are warriors and rulers...
The four paths of Hinduism Introduction: In this essay I will investigate the paths that a spiritual athlete has to follow to "win a gold medal" and what are exactly the four paths of Hinduism. So my question is: What are the paths that an athlete can follow to concretize his aim? The four paths of Hinduism are Blakh, karma, Jhana, and Yoga. Blakh is a devotion to a personal God; it is the path of the Baghavad Gita. Karma is action; this means that every action of this life affects the next one. ...
