47-453: [REDACTED] Look up प्रवर in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Pravara is Sanskrit for "excellent" or "best". It may also refer to: Sanskrit term for the call to a Brahmin to assume priestly functions; see Upanayanam an invocation of Agni at the beginning of sacrifice Pravaras , an invocation of ancestors Pravara River ,
94-497: A cord of threads, or a garment, or a rope of kusa grass", and it is its methods of wearing and the significance that matters. The proper manner of wearing the upper garment or thread, state the ancient texts, is from over the left shoulder and under the right arm. yajñopavīta contrasts with Pracinavīta method of wearing the upper garment, the latter a reverse and mirror image of former, and suggested to signify rituals for elders/ancestors (for example, funeral). The idea of wearing
141-617: A disciple in the Guru–shishya tradition of Hinduism. Gayatri Mantra marks as an individual's entrance to a school of Hinduism. This ceremony ends after the boy goes for his first alms round to relatives and leave for the guru's ashram. Traditionally, these boys were sent to learn in a gurukula system of education but in modern times, this act is only done symbolically. (arranged by year) Monier Monier-Williams Sir Monier Monier-Williams KCIE ( / ˈ m ɒ n i ər / ; né Williams ; 12 November 1819 – 11 April 1899)
188-534: A girl, before her wedding, is described in multiple texts such as the Gobhila Gṛhya Sūtra (verse 2.1.19) and some Dharmasutras. The sacred thread or the yajnopavita has become one of the most important parts of contemporary Upanayana ceremonies. There are accordingly a number of rules related to it. The thread is composed of three cotton strands of nine strands each. The strands symbolise different things in their regions. For example, among Tamils, each strand
235-668: A particular community. Indologically, the ritual is present in the Gṛhyasūtras and Dharmasūtras and Dharmaśāstras , as well as a couple of times in the Saṃhitās . Educational courses or training has been referred to in the Chandogya Upaniṣad and in the Yājñavalkya Smṛti ; Gharpure (1956) writes that during the Smṛti period , Upanayana may have attained a permanent fixture if
282-527: A particular mode of wearing the upper garment, and it is not necessary to have the yajñopavīta at all times". There is no mention of any rule or custom, states Patrick Olivelle , that "required Brāhmaṇas to wear a sacred string at all times", in the Brāhmaṇya literature (Vedic and ancient post-Vedic). Yajñopavīta, textual evidence suggests, is a medieval and modern tradition. However, the term yajnopavita appears in ancient Hindu literature, and therein it means
329-617: A river, a tributary of Godavari River in the Indian state of Maharashtra Pravara Rural Engineering College , Maharashtra, India Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Pravara . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pravara&oldid=1202688942 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
376-1747: A school in Hinduism . Some traditions consider the ceremony as a spiritual rebirth for the child or future dvija , twice born. It signifies the acquisition of the knowledge of and the start of a new and disciplined life as a brahmāchārya . According to the given community and its regional language, it is also known by numerous terms such as mekhal in Kashmiri (मेखल), janeo in Punjabi (ਜਨੇਓ), jaanoi in Gujrati (જાનોઇ), janya in Sindhi (जन्य), janev in Bhojpuri (जनेव), munja in Marathi (मुंजा), munji in Konkani (मुंजी), poite in Bangla (পৈতৈ), brataghara in Odia (ବ୍ରତଘର), logun dioni in Assamese (লগুণ দিওনী), bratabandha in Nepali (ब्रतबन्ध), chewar in Newari (छेवार), upanayana in Kannada (ಉಪನಯನ), upanayanamu in Telugu (ఉపనయనము), upanayanam in Malayalam (ഉപനയനം), and upanayanam or poonool in Tamil (உபநயனம் or பூணூல்). The Upanayanam ceremony
423-544: A thread grew out of convenience and manageability, becoming more popular than alternatives such as a kusa rope. The ancient Saṁskṛta texts offer a diverse view while describing the yajñopavītam or upavita. The term upavita was originally meant to be any upper garment, as stated in Apastamba Dharmasūtra (verse 2.2.4.22–2.2.4.23) or, if the wearer does not want to wear a top, a thread would suffice. The ancient Indian scholar Haradatta states, " yajñopavītam means
470-452: A thread or upper garment over their left shoulder. Those girls who chose not to go to a gurukula were called Sadyovadhu (literally, one who marries straight). However, the Sadyovadhu , too, underwent a step during the wedding rituals, where she would complete Upanayana, and thereafter wear her upper garment (saree) over her left shoulder. This interim symbolic Upanayana rite of passage for
517-453: A way of wearing the upper garment during a ritual or rites of passage. The custom of wearing a string is a late development in Hinduism, was optional in the medieval era, and the ancient Indian texts do not mention this ritual for any class or for Upanayana . The Gobhila Gṛhya Sutra (verse 1.2.1) similarly states in its discussion on Upanayana, that "the student understands the yajnopavita as
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#1732876770633564-438: Is a complex "huge polygon or irregular multilateral figure" that was unified by Sanskrit literature . He stated that "no description of Hinduism can be exhaustive which does not touch on almost every religious and philosophical idea that the world has ever known." Monier-Williams compiled a Sanskrit –English dictionary, based on the earlier Petersburg Sanskrit Dictionary , which was published in 1872. A later revised edition
611-493: Is a noun formed from the root √ nī meaning 'leading to'. The prefix upa means 'near'. With the prefix the full literal meaning becomes 'leading near (to)'. The initiation or rite of passage ceremony in which the sacred thread is given symbolizes the child drawn towards a school, towards education, by the guru or teacher. The student was being taken to the Gods and a disciplined life. As explained by PV Kane , taking (the child) near
658-400: Is arguably the most important rite for Brāhmaṇa , Kṣatriya , and Vaiśya males, ensuring his rights with responsibilities and signifying his advent into adulthood . The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Samskṛta texts of Hinduism and varies regionally. The sacred thread or yajñopavīta (also referred to as Janeu , Jandhyam , Pūṇūl, Muñja and Janivara Yonya ) has become one of
705-399: Is derived from the terms yajña (sacrifice) and upavīta (worn) . The literal meaning would then become "something worn on the body for the sacrifice". Accoutrements offered along with the yajnopavita may include be a daṇḍa (staff) and a mekhala (girdle). The earliest form of this saṁskāra, whose name there are no records of, may have been to mark the acceptance of a person into
752-455: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Upanayanam Upanayana ( Sanskrit : उपनयन , romanized : upanayana , lit. 'initiation') is a Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor , such as a guru or acharya , and an individual's initiation into
799-522: Is for each of the Tridevī , the supreme trinity of the Hindu goddesses Sarasvatī , Lakṣmī , and Pārvatī . According to another tradition, each of the nine threads represents a male deity, such as Agni , Bhaga , and Chandra . The predecessor to the sacred thread was an upper garment (such as a dupatta or an uparane). However, as traditions developed, the upper garment began to be worn continuously. The usage of
846-475: Is high likelihood of interpolation, insertion and corruption in dharma sutras and dharma sastra texts on the Upanayana-related rite of passage. Patrick Olivelle notes the doubts in postmodern scholarship about the presumed reliability of Manusmṛti manuscripts. He writes, "Manusmriti was the first Indian legal text introduced to the western world through the translation of Sir William Jones in 1794". This
893-472: The 1860 election campaign for the Boden Chair of Sanskrit at Oxford University , in which he stood against Max Müller . The vacancy followed the death of Horace Hayman Wilson in 1860. Wilson had started the university's collection of Sanskrit manuscripts upon taking the chair in 1831, and had indicated his preference that Williams should be his successor. The campaign was notoriously acrimonious. Müller
940-587: The Isle of Wight where he and his family lived until at least 1881. (The 1881 census records the occupant was 61-year-old Professor Monier Monier-Williams; his wife, Julia; and two children, Montague (20) and Ella (22).) Monier Williams taught Asian languages at the East India Company College from 1844 until 1858 when company rule in India ended after the 1857 rebellion . He came to national prominence during
987-596: The Vedas. Several texts such as Suśruta Sūtrasthāna , however, also include the fourth varna, the Śūdras , entering schools and the formal education process, stating that the Upanayana rite of passage was open to everyone. The large variation in age and changes to it over time was to accommodate for the diversity in society and between families. Vedic period texts such as the Baudhāyana Gṛhyasūtra encouraged
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#17328767706331034-414: The acarya (for instruction), or alternately "introducing to studenthood". It is a ceremony in which a teacher accepts and draws a child towards knowledge and initiates the second birth that is of the young mind and spirit. A popular variation is Mauñjibandhana , derived from two words muñja , a type of grass, and bandhana which means to tie or bind. The munja grass is tied around the waist. This word
1081-591: The ancient texts. For example, in Satapatha Brahmana, the Upanayana rite of passage text appears in the middle of a dialogue about Agnihotra; after the Upanayana verse end, sage Saukeya abruptly returns to the Agnihotra and Uddalaka. Oldenberg states that the Upanayana discussion is likely an insertion into the older text. Kane, in his History of Dharmasastra reviews, as well as other scholars, state that there
1128-819: The book along with India, and India Missions: Including Sketches of the Gigantic System of Hinduism, Both in Theory and Practice : Also Notices of Some of the Principal Agencies Employed in Conducting the Process of Indian Evangelization When Monier Williams founded the University's Indian Institute in 1883, it provided both an academic focus and also a training ground for the Indian Civil Service . Since
1175-518: The child had entered into formal education. In the modern era, the Upanayana rite of passage is open to anyone at any age. The Upanayana follows the Vidyārambhaṃ , the previous rite of passage. Vidyārambhaṃ became an intermediary samskāra following the evolution in writing and language. Vidyārambhaṃ now marked the beginning of primary education or literacy while Upanayana went on to refer to spiritual education. The Upanayana can also take place at
1222-479: The conversion of India to the Christian religion should be one of the aims of orientalist scholarship. In his book Hinduism , published by SPCK in 1877, he predicted the demise of the Hindu religion and called for Christian evangelism to ward off the spread of Islam. According to Saurabh Dube this work is "widely credited to have introduced the term Hinduism into general English usage" while David N. Lorenzen cites
1269-458: The details and restrictions in the Upanayana ceremony is likely to have been inserted into ancient texts in a more modern era. Hermann Oldenberg , for example, states that Upanayana — the solemn reception of the pupil by the teacher to teach him the Veda — is joined into texts of Vedic texts at places that simply do not make any contextual sense, do not match the style, and are likely to be a corruption of
1316-453: The early 1870s Monier Williams planned this institution. His vision was the better acquaintance of England and India. On this account he supported academic research into Indian culture . Monier Williams travelled to India in 1875, 1876 and 1883 to finance his project by fundraising. He gained the support of Indian native princes . In 1883 the Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone; the building
1363-557: The end of the course. The Upanayana became a permanent feature around the Upaniṣad period. Attire includes a daṇḍa or staff and a mekhala or girdle. In Hindu traditions, a human being is born at least twice—once at physical birth and second at intellectual birth through teacher's care. The first is marked through the Jatakarman rite of passage; the second is marked through Upanayanam or Vidyārambha rites of passage. A sacred thread
1410-779: The hyphenated "Monier-Williams". In 1822, he was sent to England to be educated at private schools at Hove, Chelsea and Finchley. He was educated at King's College School , Balliol College, Oxford (1838–40), the East India Company College (1840–41) and University College, Oxford (1841–44). He took a fourth-class honours degree in Literae Humaniores in 1844. He married Julia Grantham in 1848. They had six sons and one daughter. He died, aged 79, in Cannes , France . In 1874 he bought and lived in Enfield House, Ventnor , on
1457-715: The inclusion of goddess Sarasvatī or Sāvitrī, with the teacher becoming the enabler of the connection between this goddess and the student. The meaning was extended to include Vedāngas and vows among other things. The education of a student was not limited to ritual and philosophical speculations found in the Vedas and the Upaniṣads . It extended to many arts and crafts, which had their own, similar rites of passages. The Aitareya Brāhmaṇa , Āgamas , and Purāṇas genres of literature in Hinduism describe these as Śilpa Śāstras . They extend to all practical aspects of culture, such as
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1504-437: The initiation ceremony for students of Āyurveda. The Upanayana rite of passage was also important to the teacher, as the student would therefrom begin to live in the gurukula (school). Upanayana became an elaborate ceremony, that includes rituals involving the family, the child and the teacher. A boy receives during this ceremony a sacred thread called the yajnopavita to be worn. The yajnopavita ceremony announces that
1551-537: The life of students to be as compared to being optional before. In the Atharvaveda , and later in the Sutras period , the word Upanayana meant taking responsibility of a student, the beginning of an education, a student's initiation into "studentship" and the acceptance of the student by the teacher. Preceptors could include a guru , ācharya , upādhyāya , and ṛtvik. Gradually, new layers of meaning emerged, such as
1598-426: The most important identifiers of the Upanayana ceremony in contemporary times, however this was not always the case. Generally, this ceremony should be performed before the advent of adulthood. Upanayana literally means "the act of leading to or near, bringing", "introduction (into any science)" or "initiation" (as elucidated by Monier-Williams ). Upanayana is formed from the root √ nī meaning 'to lead'. Nayana
1645-433: The sculptor, the potter, the perfumer, the wheelwright, the painter, the weaver, the architect, the dancer, and the musician. The training of these began from childhood and included studies about dharma , culture, reading, writing, mathematics, geometry, colours, tools, as well as traditions and trade secrets. The rites of passage during apprentice education varied in the respective guilds. Suśruta and Charaka developed
1692-550: The student's home for those who are home-schooled. Ceremonial bhikṣa as one of the rituals during Upanayana became important, attaining sizeable proportions. The actual initiation occurred during the recitation of the Gāyatrī Mantra . The spiritual birth would take place four days after the initial Upanayana rituals. It was then that the last ritual was performed, the Medhajanana. The Samavartanam or convocation ritual marked
1739-503: The three Varṇas of society to undergo the Upanayana. In some regions, in modern times, some girls undergo Upanayana rite of passage. In ancient and medieval eras, texts such as Harita Dharmasūtras, Aśvālayana Gṛhya Sutra and Yama smrṛti suggest women could begin Vedic studies after Upanayana. Girls who decided to become a student underwent the Upanayana rite of passage, at the age of 8, and thereafter were called Brahmavadinī . They wore
1786-610: The upper garment or sacred thread, and its significance, extended to women. This is reflected in the traditional wearing of sari over the left shoulder, during formal occasions and the celebration of rites of passage such as Hindu weddings. It was also the norm if a girl undertakes the Upanayana ceremony and begins her Vedic studies as a Brahmavadinī . The sacred Yajnopavita is known by many names (varying by region and community), such as Bratabandha, Janivaara , Jaanva , Jandhyam , Poita , Pūṇūl , Janeu , Lagun , Yajnopavita , Yagyopavit , Yonya and Zunnar . Scholars state that
1833-401: The vulgate in key readings." In Nepal, a ceremony is held which combines choodakarma (tonsure, shave the head) and Upanayana saṃskāra locally known as Bratabandha ( Sanskrit vrata = promise, bandhana = bond). In Nepal , The one who wears the sacred thread are called as Tagadhari . This Sanskara involves the participation of entire family and a teacher who then accepts the boy as
1880-471: Was a British scholar who was the second Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University , England. He studied, documented and taught Asian languages , especially Sanskrit , Persian and Hindustani . Monier Williams was born in Bombay , the son of Colonel Monier Williams, surveyor-general in the Bombay presidency . His surname was "Williams" until 1887, when he added his given name to his surname to create
1927-557: Was based on the Calcutta manuscript with the commentary of Kulluka, which has been assumed to be the reliable vulgate version, and translated repeatedly from Jones in 1794 to Doniger in 1991. The reliability of the Manusmṛti manuscript used since colonial times, states Olivelle, is "far from the truth. Indeed, one of the great surprises of my editorial work has been to discover how few of the over fifty manuscripts that I collated actually follow
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1974-403: Was given by the teacher during the initiation to school ceremony and was a symbolic reminder to the student of his purpose at school as well as a social marker of the student as someone who was born a second time ( dvija , twice born). Many medieval era texts discuss Upanayana in the context of three of the four varnas (caste, class) — Brāhmaṇas , Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas . The ceremony
2021-466: Was inaugurated in 1896 by Lord George Hamilton . The Institute closed on Indian independence in 1947. In his writings on Hinduism Monier Williams argued that the Advaita Vedanta system best represented the Vedic ideal and was the "highest way to salvation" in Hinduism. He considered the more popular traditions of karma and bhakti to be of lesser spiritual value. However, he argued that Hinduism
2068-428: Was known for his liberal religious views and his philosophical speculations based on his reading of Vedic literature. Monier Williams was seen as a less brilliant scholar, but had a detailed practical knowledge of India itself, and of actual religious practices in modern Hinduism. Müller, in contrast, had never visited India. Both candidates had to emphasise their support for Christian evangelisation in India, since that
2115-405: Was the basis on which the professorship had been funded by its founder. Monier Williams' dedication to Christianisation was not doubted, unlike Müller's. Monier Williams also stated that his aims were practical rather than speculative. "Englishmen are too practical to study a language very philosophically", he wrote. After his appointment to the professorship Williams declared from the outset that
2162-538: Was typically performed at age eight among the Brāhmaṇas , at age 11 among the Kṣatriyas , and age 12 among Vaiśyas. Apastamba Gryha Sutra (verse 1.1.1.27) places a maximum age limit of 24 for the Upanayana ceremony and start of formal education. However, Gautama Gṛyha Sūtra and other ancient texts state that there is no age restriction and anyone of any age can undertake Upanayanam when they initiate their formal studies of
2209-425: Was used by Manu . Another variation is vratabandha(na) meaning "binding to an observance". The word janeu is a condensed version of yagyopaveeta . The ceremony is also known as punal kalyanam (meaning auspicious thread ceremony) and Brahmopadeśa . The sacred thread or upper garment is called the yajñopavīta ( Sanskrit : यज्ञोपवीतम् , romanized : yajñopavītam ), used as an adjective, which
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