In the Vedas, Upanishads, Gita and the Puranas, we often encounter the term, Dwija – twice born (Dwe – two; ja – born). A person was called a Dwija, after his thread ceremony.
What two births are implied here?
The First Birth refers to leaving our mother’s womb. There the fertilized egg transforms to an embryo and rapidly develops. Internal organs form and limb buds extend out; heart pumps its own blood and accesses nutrients through the placenta. In the womb, babies can taste, swallow and hiccup! We know they swim, stretch and frequently kick. Their hearing is well developed. The fetus thus extends its capabilities within the confines of the womb and as it reaches its limits, takes its first birth.
Our eyes open and what a fascinating, infinite world we are born into. We wean ourselves from our mother, learn to crawl, walk, bound and run. We babble, giggle, string words, compose, sing and write. All our faculties expand exponentially.
But even as kids, we find limits in our lives: physically and intellectually, in our ability to do and get things done; and philosophically, in understanding our purpose in this world and in the Universe. The aura of “conquering the infinite” is traded for “I want to be healthy and a good human.” But the infinite lurks.
Our scriptures tell us that each and everyone of us: woman, man, bird, animal, animate or inanimate, are ALL part of the supreme energy pervading the cosmos. The infinite Divine. The Upanishads coax us to aspire for this: You are that infinite!
When Yashoda peers into the mouth of baby Krishna, she sees the entire Universe, all births, all beings, there. Verily, the infinite!
But WE cannot see beyond our material existence, our human-ness, our limitations. I remember the advise to Jonathan Livingston Seagull (novel by Richard Bach): “Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation.” That is what our Scriptures tell us.
The Hindu thread ceremony is this initiation into our scriptures; initiation into the infinite. That WE ALL may transcend our human limitations by recognizing that the divine, the energy of the entire cosmos, resides within each of us. That we ARE a part of that divine. Scriptures guide us to cast aside our material veil, which binds us to our limitations, and be one with the divine.
That, our Second birth, dissolves our limitations and lets us live up to the expectations of infinity we see in conception. A Dwija is one who starts this journey – a seeker.
What a fascinating odyssey the thread ceremony sparks. On hearing this from our purohit (family priest) Sri Sudham Bhat during my thread ceremony, I was certainly NOT ready, and as can be seen, laughed mightily! Ha ha!
Here my father invests the sacred thread.
Now, I get it. I wear the sacred thread, coz I am a seeker of the infinite! A Dwija!
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Marathoner, Professor, Author, Citizen Journalist, Fitness Nut, Foodie, Meera's father, Hindu, Scientist, Photographer.
hey i love ur pics… arun they really r amazing… i m d girl frm south india… u r exactly correct arun v d people frm india should nt forget our tradition… if can v give our meaning full words to the modern people… am i right? n the last pic which u posted is sooooo nice
Beautiful name, and Thank you.
The last pic was shot is Alaska ~ another fabulous place.
Thank you for making the effort to write a comment.
Arun
thank u arun… actually my name is dwija priyadarshini… hw is it nw? lokng cute in above pics too
Arun,
Great blogs and wonderful treatment of the subject. Living in USA, you are trying to articulate a vision for common citizens here.
I could feel the warmth of it by reading you blog on Kumta.
Thank you Prabha for your kind words.
Don’t know what to say I am just sooo fascinated with life and particularly being a Konkani! Guess it shows.
Thank you
Arun
Amazing write up.. that last image of the bird soaring…. made the tempo just take off.. Wow!!!..
May we all seek the very best..
cheers!
Pradeep
Thank you Pradeep for sharing your thoughts.
Loved that bird ~ was shot in Alaska a few years ago. A fabulous place indeed.
May we all continue to soar above our human limitations.
Namaskar.
Arun
Excellent post and discussion Arun, beyond Advaita and Dvaita there is also Vishishtadvaita under which Bhakti is the only way to liberation. The verse you have quoted is the Invocation of the Isopanishad. Even more important is the following first verse
“īśāvāsyam idam sarvaḿ
yat kiñca jagatyāḿ jagat
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam”
Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.
http://vedabase.net/iso/1/en
Thank you Jay for reading and sharing this verse.
I love the Isopanishad and have been studying it for some time. Even though it is one of the shortest, it contains the essence of our Vedanta.
Thank you for sharing this link.
Best Wishes
Arun
Arun,
I loved your photos — they brought back nostlagic memories of my own upanayanam in Mumbai.
You have lovingly and sensitively conveyed the second birth — dwija — experience. After this second birth, and if we continue the Vedic karmas and upasanas, there comes a time when the devatas take birth in us, through the power of their mantras. Devatas taking birth in our being means their particular functions or powers are awakened in our psyche or subtle body. As explained by Sri Aurobindo, Agni, for instance, is the Divine Will for spiritual aspiration. When Agni is kindled and awakens in us, we feel the urge to seek spiritual wisdom. He then guides and leads our progress on the path, as the invoker of all the other devatas. They can all be invoked and be born in us, if we do the needful sadhana. This is how the Vedas lead to our inner communion with the devatas.
I look forward to reading your posts on this and related topics.
Om Shanti
Kumar
Kumar:
Thank you so much for your kind words and the details of our second birth.
We ask for this kindling to occur in each and every one of us.
Looking forward to chatting with you about this sometime.
Namaskars,
Arun
Insightful and as always, well written Arun.The comments are equally enlightening. We Tamilians call this ceremony the Poonal function. It used to be done at a young age (emphasis being odd number of years), although these days it’s becoming common to postpone the ceremony for later. I wonder what is the right age to go through the ceremony?
Tuls recites slokas but he has questions that I struggle to answer – why does Ommachi not talk or move? when will we see real Ommachi? I don’t want to invite Krishna on Janmashtami because the police will catch me thinking that I stole butter with him? So I wonder if it is asking too much by thrusting the responsibility to become an infinite seeker at a young age.
Thank you Suman for sharing your thoughts.
Amongst Konkanis, the thread ceremony is done between 8-12 years. The timing depends on the maturity of the child. But a few postpone it till the day before their wedding
Atul is funny and amazing the types of questions he asks. Certainly a seeker in the making.
> All moves because of HIS presence.
I think the temple should celebrate a traditional Gokulashtami! It will be fun for all.
I think the ceremony was just the start of formal studies. I remember somewhere it takes about 7-10 years to learn our scriptures. By that time they would be ready to determine how they want to incorporate their learnings into their lives. ie. what type of Yoga they will follow. Ultimatey, we want to participate earnestly in our four goals/stages:
Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha.
Fascinating, no?
Arun
Interesting article. Insightful. Thanks for sharing this knowledge.
-Rishi
Thank you Rishi for visiting and reading.
Browse and you’ll find many similar posts here.
Best Wishes,
Arun
Beautiful article! Thanks for this article. I listened to Garbha samskar during my pregnancy because we know that the fetus can hear and I don’t know if it did any good for my daughter, but I sure felt good.
Anu
Heh! Anu
I AM Sure that the growing fetus was imbibed with the sound waves and the good vibes got incorporated into your daughter’s developing DNA. A blessing indeed!
BTW, where is your website? (Have I asked you this before?)
And thank you for sharing.
Arun
Are we infinite! independent!!…………
object vs mirror image
bimba vs pratibimba
paramatma vs aatman
.
.
.
Hi Gopal:
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts here.
According to Advaita philosophy, we are part of the infinite and thus each and every one of us IS infinite!
the aatman / paramatman distinction is a wonderful starting step in our spiritual evolution. Ultimately, all is ONE!
I realize this is slightly different than the teachings of Madhvacharya and the Dwaita philosophy.
We also recite this following prayer to remind us that essentially we are infinite:
Om Poornamadah, poornamidam, poornaat, poornamudhachyate
…
Also, enjoyed seeing Manaswini’s pics at the Chaul. OMG, She has grown so tall. I last saw her sleeping peacefully in the crib in Udupi.
Namaskar and regards to all.
Arun
Dear Arun,
Great Insight, as always!!
Unfortunately all the religious rites are done by us without understanding their profound meaning. You are doing yeomen service to bridge this gap.
Compliments and Congratulations to you.
Dilipdada
Hi Dilipdada:
Thank you for your kind words. and remember that you have continually inspired and encouraged me to follow this path.
Namaskars and look forward to seeing you in Mumbai. Please check with M about my travel plans.
Best Wishes,
Arun
For me a thread ceremony used to be an occasion of meeting long lost relatives and catch up with latest development in relation circle. I did not know the spiritual aspect of the ceremony. Thanks for the informative write up here. Now I wish I too had undergone this wonderful ceremony. It is good to know that the thread ceremonies are being conducted for girls as well these days (may not be common, but a few). I found this article on web on thread ceremony for girls.. There is a college in Uttara Pradesh which is performing thread ceremonies for girls.
http://www.hindu-blog.com/2009/06/upanayana-samskara-for-girls-janoi-or.html
@Porus: Yeah, there are strict rules in Hinduism when it comes to menses, but there is no guideline which says women cannot be priests. In fact there are many women who have taken up priesthood. Have a look here:
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49389
@Arun: Once again thanks a lot for the post. Your post has provided us an opportunity to be a part of a healthy discussion
Thank you Poornima for sharing your thought and finding these perfect links for us.
Yes, I wish I can now coax more girls to have their thread ceremony. And prepare Meera! Yaay! (you are invited!)
Fascinating to hear what is going on in UP ~ I’d never have thought they’d be so progressive (or traditional).
Despite all the progress, there are still many aspects of the practiced form of our religion that is not very fair to women. I hope that we can highlight and end these inequalities.
Thank you for this.
Arun
Arun, the ceremony is a tradition. If you say it is not necessary, then people will start forgetting this tradition. Anyone can talk of God, but if we ancient people start forgetting our traditions, then we will be no different from the modern people who have none, and these ancient traditions will be lost for ever. So I would say these ancient ceremonies both in Hindusim and Zoroastrianism are very necessary.
Also, what is the view on menstruation in Hindusim. I have heard that there are very strict rules and that is the reason women cannot become priests. In our religion, no ancient prayer of Avestan (similar to Vedic Sanskrit) can be prayed in this state.
Arun,
The upanayana I attended where they had done this sanskara to a girl was in Southern California. The preist is Shukhwat Das, Canadian, trained in India. He is a preist at Laxminarayan Temple, Riverside, CA. Hope this info is useful.
Fabulous and Thank you Pratibha.
Simply Amazing. Will find out more.
Arun
In the middle of the night, feeding my NEWLY BORN…I appreciate this reading. It’s insightful, educational, and, as always, inspiring. I look forward to our son learning and exploring with his mama as he seeks his own truths in the world. Thank you!
Manisha
And Meera is going to love playing with him!
Awwww! That is soooo beautiful to hear! So perhaps at this early age he will imbibe through you the meaning of the infinite.
How is Syon doing? we need pics! How are you managing?
And we already know he is going to be such a smart chap
A belated Happy Mother’s Day to you!
Arun
Arun,
Last year we attended dwija or Upanayana samskara for a girl and a boy. I thought it was very progressive. After reading your post I understand that it is not really progressive but falling back to original tradition. However, I have a question, to seek the infinite do you really need a CEREMONY? I came across many who seek the infinite never had UPANAYANA.
Pratibha:
It is fabulous that you have actually attended a upanayana service for a girl. Can you give me more details: Where, who did, any contact info etc? I really want to do that for Meera in a few years.
And you are right – the ceremony is just a service. You or Anyone can simply start on the journey. no ceremony is needed. And yes, we meet enlightened souls from all walks of life in all sorts of places.
You made my day just telling me that you have seen a girl’s thread ceremony.
Arun
I had the same question… ‘women not entitled to knowledge’.. I got the answer in the comment section. It just goes on to prove that knowledge is indeed power, and in the game of controlling this power , probably men did win over women by blocking women’s access to knowledge during the middle ages..The same game, now playing in the parliament but to the new tune of political representation!!!!
Everyone is entitled to knowledge and opportunities. Considering all the atrocities committed by our current bunch of politicians, we should just ban males for a generation and see what happens – couldn’t be worse.
And now I tell all my cousin sisters to go ahead chant the Gayatri Mantra and be liberated.
You do it too.
Arun
Good question Rachna. We Zoroastrians put the sacred thread on both men and women when they reach a certain age. I believe the ancient Aryan ancestors treated both men and women equally in that respect. Both men and women can wear the sacred thread.
We Zoroastrians have retained that gender equality of our ancient ancestors. By the way the earliest idols of Agni-Deva in India show the sacred girdle around the waist, as we still wear it today. In India, the Aryans started wearing their sacred thread in a different way, and also stopped the thread ceremony for the women.
All this in my humble opinion only.
Porus – thank you for the details.
Actually we boys (and girls) get a girdle around the waist as well. Growing up we had first a black thread and some even silver or gold girdles. Many did not understand the significance and moved on.
Arun
Just beautiful reading…. thanks Arun for this article, a reminder of the real purpose in our life, to understand the limitations we see in life and understand the infiniteness of the divine. There is so much more that the eyes cannot see and the mind cannot fathom.
I remember my brother had this ceremony performed on him before his marriage. Is this the same as what is called ‘Upanaynam sanskara’? This also brings a question to my mind, why is this thread ceremony not done for women in the Sanatana Dharma, are they not entitled to take birth again (Dwija) ??
Yes, Rachna:
Thank you for patiently reading the article.
The thread ceremony is also called the Upanaynam sanskara and more casually the “Munji.”
As I just wrote on Bhagyareema’s similar query – Our scriptures did not discriminate amongst men or women and both wore the thread. If you look at old art, you will see women with the sacred thread as well.
In our scriptures you also see many of the discussions were led by women – so gender was NOT to be discriminated against. One of the lead debaters of Adi Shankaracharya was the wife of Madan Mishra. And she became one of his earliest followers and took dhiksha from him.
But somewhere in the middle ages, women stopped having the thread ceremony. We do not know all the reasons for the same. But I see a resurgence in the thread ceremony amongst women.
I already know of two women who had their thread ceremony – and I want to plan a thread ceremony for Meera (you are invited)
Besides, the ceremony is just a formality. YOU are invited and can start on this fabulous journey. Just pick a mantra, read the scriptures and you are on your way. If you want to formalize, meet with Swami Tejomayananda (Chinmaya Mission) who will be coming to Boston in July and ask him to give you a mantra. It is that easy.
SO the Infinite is always open to all, men and women, and you don’t even have to be a Hindu. Because that is what Sanatana Dharma is – the Eternal Quest of life, transcending all religious boundaries.
Next time you are in Boston, we should spend time over chai and discuss all this. Fascinating.
Hope all is coming along well.
Best Wishes,
Arun
lovely read. SO Thread ceremony is an initioation into the infinite, so women don’t have this opportunity of initiation?
Hi Bharyareema:
Thank you for your patience in going through this.
Our scriptures are clear – this invitation to the divine does NOT discriminate. Both men and women are invited. In our scriptures, we see many instances of learned women participating in all these activities, and also had their thread ceremony.
But unfortunately in the middle ages, the thread ceremony has fallen out of favor amongst women. There prolly was chauvinism at play. We should now right this wrong.
I know a couple women here who have had their thread ceremony. Am also thinking and planning of how I’d do it for our daughter Meera.
So … the infinite is equally accessible to women as well as men. And if you have not had a thread ceremony, fret not. As boys, it was just a fun event. Just ask your swami and he will give you a mantra, essentially initiating you in this journey.
… where someday I hope to meet you.
Best Wishes
Arun
Thanks for ur response and guidance, I suppose my cynicism took the better of me. Just that the ongoing events of honor killing, inequality, female foeticide etc bog me down.
Happy to note that atleast history was fair to us…..
B – I think you raised a very valid point; And OMG! was just reading an article on the female foeticide and it is maha depressing. We NEED to do something. I NEED to write about this!
Am surprised the Govt is NOT doing anything. Drag down GE and the other makers of the ultrasound and make them liable for misuse of their machines. aaaarrrrrgh!
Beautiful, Arun. But you are not a seeker of the infinite, you *are* the infinite. Jai jai.
Hi Ganga:
Thank you so very much;
Intellectually I can understand, but the key is to “realize” it and in that regard I am still a seeker.
And I know that you too are on this fabulous quest.
Best
Arun
Wonderful article by my classmate Arun. I was in school with Arun at that time. This reminds me of my own Navjot ceremony in which we Parsi Zoroastrians also are invested with the sacred thread (Kusti) made of lamb’s wool around our waist.
Regards,
Porus.
Porus – thank you for this. It was tough going to school completely shaven. But now I am glad i did. And I don’t think you guys gave me a difficult time.
The similarities between zoroastrianism and Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) blows me.
Arun