Vedo vai putranämäsi

saàjéva çaradaù çatam

“From limb to limb you flow. From the heart you conquer. Your name is the Veda, eternal knowledge. Live a hundred autumns, a hundred harvests.”

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré näräyaëo devatä

pütrasya mürddhanam upasaàgåhya jape viniyogaù

oà asmä bhava paraçuù bhava

hiraëyäà amåtaà bhava

ätmäsi putra mä måthäù

saàjéva çaradaù çatam

“Be like a stone, be like a thunderbolt, be immortal wealth. Oh son, you are my very self. Do not die. Live a hundred autumns.”

He should smell the child’s head, saying:

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

anuñöup chandaù

çré puruñottamo devatä

pütra mürddhäbhighräëe viniyogaù

oà paçünäà tvä hiàkäreëa

abhijighrämi (name of son)däsa

“Oh ....(name of son), making a sound like the breathing of the cows, I smell your head.”

He should then apologize for any faults in the ceremony (acchidra väcanam):

If the father has not gone on a long journey, the ceremony can be performed when the child can recognize the father. Otherwise it is performed after the Upanayanam ceremony

This ends the Pütra Mürdhäbhighräëam.

Cüòä Karaëam

(Hair Cutting Ceremony):

This should be performed during the third or fifth year5.

Having performed early morning bath, worship of Viñëu and Sättvika Våddhi Çräddha, the father should perform Kuçandikä rites, calling the fire called “Satya”.

After completing Virupäkña Japa, on the South side of the fire he should place twenty one piïjalis (A piïjal is composed of two blades of kuça grass of prädeça length 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, a copper razor or mirror. A barber with an regular razor should be situated there also.

On the North side of the fire he should place bull dung and a pot of kitchuri made of sesame, rice and urad-dhal cooked together.

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

The mother, with the cleanly dressed child in her lap, should sit on kuça 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 Mahävyähåti Homa:

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré viñëuù devatä

Vyasta samasta mahävyährti home viniyogaù

oà bhür svähä - idam viñëave idam na mama

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

uñëik chandaù

çré acyuto devatä

Vyasta samasta mahävyährti home viniyogaù

oà bhuvaù svähä - idam acyutäya idam na mama

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

anuñöup chandaù

çré näräyaëo devatä

Vyasta samasta mahävyährti home viniyogaù

oà svaù svähä - idam näräyaëäya idam na mama

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

båhati chandaù

çré ananto devatä

Vyasta samasta mahävyährti home viniyogaù

oà bhür bhuvaù svaù svähä - idam anantäya idam na mama

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

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

sarveçvaraù çré bhagavän devatä

cuòä karaëe viniyogaù

oà ä ayam agät sarveçvaraù çré bhagavän kuru kumäraà

enaà avatu vai muëòanaà manträvaçayinä kñurena

“May the Lord come here and cut the hair of this child with this blade made potent by mantra.”

Looking at the warm water he should say:

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré viñëuù devatä

cuòä karaëe viniyogaù

oà ä ayam ägat çré viñëuù, kuru kumäraà

enaà avatu vai muëòanaà uñnodakena

“May Viñëu 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:

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré acyuto devatä

cuòä karaëe viniyogaù

oà äpa undantu jévase

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

Looking at the copper razor or mirror he should say:

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré viñëuù devatä

cuòä karaëe viniyogaù

oà viñëoù daàstro ‘si kuru kumäraà

enaà avatu vai viñëuù säkñät muëòanaà kñura

“You are the teeth of Viñëu. May Viñëu Himself cut the hair of this child.”

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

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré acyutänanta näräyaëä devatäù

cuòä karaëe viniyogaù

oà acyutänanta näräyaëaù kurvantu kumäraà

enaà cirajévinam auñadhe tryäçva enaà

“May Acyuta, Ananta and Näräyaëa give this child long life. Oh herbs, protect this child.”

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

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré saìkarñaëo devatä

cuòä karaëe viniyogaù

oà saìkarñaëaù kuru kumäraà

enaà avatu vai muëòanam svadhite mä enaà hiàséù

“May Saìkarñaëa cut the hair of the child without harming him.”

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

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré puruñottamo devatä

cuòä karaëe viniyogaù

oà yena puruñottamaù väsudeva viñëvoracyutasya cävapat

tena te vapämi vaikuëöhena jévätave jévanäya dérghäyñöäya baläya varcase

“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 repeat this two more times.

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

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

Holding the child’s head the father should say:

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

uñëik chandaù

çré jamadagni kaçyapägastyädyo devatä

cuòä karaëe viniyogaù

oà jamadagnes tryäyuñam

oà kaçyapasya tryäyuñam

oà agastyasya tryäyuñam

oà yad devänäà tryäyuñam oà tat te ‘stu tryäyuñam

“May there be three lifespans for Jamadagni, for Kaçyapa, for Agastya, for the devatäs 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 çikhä6. The hair should be placed on the dung. This should be placed in a forest or amongst bamboo stalks.

Karëa Vedha (piercing the ears) may be performed at this time (see Appendix III).

The father should perform Vyasta Samasta Mahävyähåti Homa, throw ghee soaked wood of one prädeça length into the fire silently.

He should perform Ñäöyäyana Homa, Vämadevya Gäëam and the other rites of Udicya Karma. He should give dakñiëä to the initiated Vaiñëavas and brähmaëas.

He should feed the Vaiñëavas and guests and give the kitchuri and grains around the fire to the barber.

This ends the Cuòä Karaëam rites.

Upanayanam

(Taking the Child Back to Godhead):

This ceremony should be conducted counting eight years from conception or eight years from the birth of the son, for brähmaëas, on an auspicious day.

Otherwise, the ceremony should take place at least before the sixteenth year 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.

(According to some authorities, the brähmaëa child should take the thread between the ages of five and sixteen; the kñatriya child should take the thread between the ages of six and twenty two; the vaiçya should take the thread between the ages of eight and twenty four).

The ceremony should be performed by an authorised äcärya.

.

On the morning of the Upanayanam ceremony, the äcärya should take bath, perform worship of the Supreme Lord and the Vaiñëavas and then perform Sättvika Våddhi Çräddha.

He should then perform Kuçandikä rites ending with Virupäkña Japa, calling the fire named “Samüdbhava”.

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

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

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

He should perform Vyasta Samasta Mahävyähåti Homa:

oà prajäpatiù viñëu åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré viñëuù devatä