Upanayana, Upanāyana, Upānayana: 29 definitions
Introduction:
Upanayana means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali, Marathi, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
Alternative spellings of this word include Upnayan.
In Hinduism
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Upanayana (उपनयन), ‘Initiation,’ is the name of a sacrament described in the Gṛhyasūtras and well-known to Vedic scholars, its other name is ‘Mauñjī-bandha,’ ‘Girdle-Investiture.’ That ceremony in which the child is taken over to—made over to—(upanīyatē)—the teacher, for the purposes of teaching—and not for any such other purpose as the building of a Avail, or the making of a mat—is what is called ‘Upanayana.’ It is the name of a particular sacramental rite.
Upanayana (उपनयन):—A boy makes entry into the student’s life by performing a special ritual. It is known as Upanayana. This term is derived as upa - √nī + ghañ reproducing the meaning ‘taking near’. Now the question arises to whom the boy is taken. The solution is that he is taken to his preceptor i.e. guru. Upanayana or the ceremony of submission of the responsibility of the boy to the teacher is considered as a holy performance. The Manusaṃhitā describes the Upanayana accomplished a second birth of a person which is purer in its origin than man’s natural birth.
Upanayana (उपनयन) refers to the “ritual of initiation into Vedic studies” and represents one of the eighteen bodily rituals (śārīraka-saṃskāras) mentioned in the Vaikhānasagṛhyasūtra (viz., vaikhānasa-gṛhya-sūtra) which belongs to the Taittirīya school of the Black Yajurveda (kṛṣṇayajurveda).—The original Gṛhyasūtra of Vaikhanāsa consists of eleven chapters or “praśnas”. Each praśna is subdivided into sub-divisions called “khaṇḍa”. But only the first seven chapters deal with actual Gṛhyasūtra section. Of these, the first three chapters dealing with the bodily rituals [viz., Upanayana].
Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Upanayana (उपनयन).—A ceremony for twice-born castes;1 of Sagara;2 of Kṛṣṇa and Rāma.3
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Arthashastra (politics and welfare)
Upanayana (उपनयन) refers to “initiation into adulthood” and represents one of the sixteen saṃskāras, or “ceremonies” accompanying the individual during the Gṛhastha (householder) stage of the Āśrama way of life. These ceremonies (e.g., upanayana-saṃskāra) are community affairs and at each ceremony relations and friends gather for community eating.
Arthashastra (अर्थशास्त्र, arthaśāstra) literature concerns itself with the teachings (shastra) of economic prosperity (artha) statecraft, politics and military tactics. The term arthashastra refers to both the name of these scientific teachings, as well as the name of a Sanskrit work included in such literature. This book was written (3rd century BCE) by by Kautilya, who flourished in the 4th century BCE.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Upanayana (उपनयन) refers to the “sacred cord ceremony”, which is mentioned as one of the fire-rituals related to the kuṇḍa (“fire-pit”), according to the various Āgamas and related literature. Upanayana is mentioned in the Vīra-āgama (chapter 41).
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
Upanayana (उपनयन) refers to one of the Saṃskāra routines (or “sacraments appropriate for initiates”), as discussed in the twenty-ninth chapter of the Nāradīyasaṃhitā: a Pāñcarātra document comprising over 3000 verses in 30 chapters presenting in a narrative framework the teachings of Nārada to Gautama, dealing primarily with modes of worship and festivals.— Description of the chapter [sarva-devatāsthāpanavidhi]: Gautama asks Nārada about the saṃskāra-sacraments appropriate for initiates (1). Nārada briefly tells when and how various saṃskāras are to be done: [e.g., upanayana (14-21)] [...]. The chapter closes with the general remarks that only pāñcarātra-mantras—which are professed to be Vedic in character, whether traceable to the Vedas or not—are to be used in the saṃskāra-routines [e.g., upanayana] (36b-40).
Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Upanayana (उपनयन) refers to one of the topics discussed in the Śiśuhitā, a Sanskrit manuscript collected in volume 1 of the catalogue “Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (first series)” by Rajendralal Mitra (1822–1891), who was one of the first English-writing historians dealing with Indian culture and heritage.— The Śiśuhitā manuscript authored by Kṛṣṇarāma represents a primer on astrology, giving rules for calculation of nativities and most of the topics usually treated of in Indian astrological. It contains 2,457 ślokas.—The catalogue includes the term—Upanayana in its ‘subject-matter list’ or Viṣaya (which lists topics, chapters and technical terms). The complete entry reads: upanayanaṃ.
Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Upanayana ritual.—A bird is called Dwija—twice born since it is first born as egg and then comes out of it as a bird. Similarly a Brahmin is called a Dwija sincehe has the birth of being launched into the world from his mother’s wombas well as the birth into the spiritual world by the ceremony called “Upanayanam” performed tor him hy his parents and family guru or preceptor. The Upanayanam of youths has a deep spiritual significance.
The world “upanayanam” means additional eye. By his knowledge of things beyond mundane, the Guru (preceptor) becomes an eye-opener to the youth and he begins to see the next higher world. In fact this ceremony was performed to Arjuna by Sri-Krishna in the battle-field. By strenuous application day after day, the youth develops this new sight more and more till it is fully open. In this way he is said to open and develop seven sights before completing his evolution.
In Hinduism, Upanayana is the initiation ritual by which initiates are invested with a sacred thread, to symbolize the transference of spiritual knowledge.
In Hinduism, the "sacred thread" (Sanskrit: यज्ञोपवीतम् yajñopavītam or upavīta) is a thin, consecrated cord, composed of distinct cotton strands, worn to symbolize the permission given to the wearer to perform sandhyavandanam and recite the Gayatri Mantra. The sacred Yajñopavītam is known by many names (varying by region and community), such as Bratabandha, Janivaara, Jandhyam, Poita, Pūṇūl, Janeu, Lagun, Yajnopavita, Yagyopavit, Yonya and Zunnar. The other Sanskrit term for it is Avyanga.
The ceremony that invests the wearer with the sacred thread is often considered a socially and spiritually significant rite (or samskara). It has varying formats across Hindu communities and is also called by varying names, including brahmopadesham, munji, munj, janeu rasm and bratabandha. Among Hindus, the ceremony is associated with the higher varṇas.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
upanayana : (nt.) 1. bringing near; 2. the ceremony of subsumption.
Upanayana, (nt.) (fr. upa + ni; cp. naya & nayana) tt. for the minor premiss, subsumption (see Kvu trsl. 11) Miln. 154; Nett 63; DhsA. 329 (so read with v. l. for °najana). (Page 143)
upanayana (ဥပနယန) [(na) (န)]—
[upa+nī+yu]
[ဥပ+နီ+ယု]
[Pali to Burmese]
upanayana—
(Burmese text): ကပ်၍ ဆောင်ခြင်း၊ အနီးသို့ဆောင်ခြင်း၊ ဖြစ်စေခြင်း။
(Auto-Translation): Carrying, bringing closer, causing to happen.
Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
upanayana (उपनयन).—n S Initiation of the three first classes; investiture with a thread or cord to be worn over the left shoulder and under the right. The cord of the Brahman is of cotton or of munja or Kusha grass; of the Kshatriya, of flax; of the Vyshya, of wool.
upanayana (उपनयन).—n Thread ceremony, vestiture with the sacred thread of the first three classes.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Upanayana (उपनयन).—
1) Leading to or near.
2) Presenting, offering; धारासारोपनयनपरा नैगमाः सानुमन्तः (dhārāsāropanayanaparā naigamāḥ sānumantaḥ) V.4.13.
3) Investiture with the acred thread; गर्भाष्टमे ब्राह्मण उपनेय इत्युपनयनं संस्कारार्थम् (garbhāṣṭame brāhmaṇa upaneya ityupanayanaṃ saṃskārārtham) Mahābhārata 6.6.84. आसमावर्तनात्कुर्यात् कृतोपनयनो द्विजः (āsamāvartanātkuryāt kṛtopanayano dvijaḥ) Manusmṛti 2.18,173.
4) Employment, application.
5) Introduction (into any science).
Derivable forms: upanayanam (उपनयनम्).
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Upanāyana (उपनायन).—= उपनय (upanaya) q. v.
Derivable forms: upanāyanam (उपनायनम्).
See also (synonyms): upanāya.
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Upānayana (उपानयन).—The act of leading near or home (a wife); Bhāg.
Derivable forms: upānayanam (उपानयनम्).
Upanayana (उपनयन).—n.
(-naṃ) See the preceding. E. As before, affix lyuṭ; also with aṇ added upanāyana.
Upanayana (उपनयन).—i. e. upa-nī + ana, n. 1. Bringing, [Vikramorvaśī, (ed. Bollensen.)] 76. 2. The initiation of the three first classes, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 2, 108.
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Upanāyana (उपनायन).—i. e. upa-nī + ana, n. The initiation of the three first classes, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 2, 36.
Upanayana (उपनयन).—[neuter] the same + seq.
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Upanāyana (उपनायन).—[neuter] leading to a teacher, initiation.
Upanayana (उपनयन) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—[dharma] Cs 2, 256.
1) Upanayana (उपनयन):—[=upa-nayana] [from upa-nī] n. the act of leading to or near, bringing, [Rāmāyaṇa; Bhāgavata-purāṇa; Vikramorvaśī]
2) [v.s. ...] employment, application, [Caraka]
3) [v.s. ...] introduction (into any science), [Prabodha-candrodaya]
4) [v.s. ...] leading or drawing towards one’s self
5) [v.s. ...] that ceremony in which a Guru draws a boy towards himself and initiates him into one of the three twice-born classes (one of the twelve Saṃskāras or purificatory rites [prescribed in the Dharma-sūtras and explained in the Gṛhya-sūtras] in which the boy is invested with the sacred thread [different for the three castes] and thus endowed with second or spiritual birth and qualified to learn the Veda by heart; a Brāhman is initiated in the eighth year [or seventh according to Hiraṇyakeśin; or eighth from conception, according to Śāṅkhāyana etc.], a Kṣatriya in the eleventh, a Vaiśya in the twelfth; but the term could be delayed)
6) [v.s. ...] See, [Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams] p.201 [Religious Thought and Life in India p.360seqq.; Āśvalāyana-gṛhya-sūtra i, 19-22; Śāṅkhāyana-gṛhya-sūtra ii, 1-6; Pāraskara-gṛhya-sūtra ii, 2-5; Gobhila-śrāddha-kalpa ii, 10; Hiraṇyakeśin-gṛhya-sūtra i, 1 seqq.; Manu-smṛti ii, 36; Yājñavalkya i, 14.]
7) Upanāyana (उपनायन):—[=upa-nāyana] [from upa-nī] n. initiation = upa-nayana above.
8) Upānayana (उपानयन):—[=upā-nayana] [from upā-nī] n. the act of leading near or home (a wife), [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
Upanayana (उपनयन):—[upa-nayana] (naṃ) 1. n. Idem.
Upanayana (उपनयन):—(wie eben) n.
1) das Zuführen, Bringen: vastrālaṃkāropanayanam [Rāmāyaṇa 4, 5] in der Unterschr. [Prabodhacandrodaja 110, 6.] —
2) das Zuführen der Söhne aus den drei freien Kasten zum Lehrer, wodurch sie in die Stellung vollberechtigter Mitglieder der religiösen Gemeinde einzutreten beginnen; Einführung. Als Zeitpunkt derselben wird [ĀŚV. GṚHY. 1, 19] (vgl. [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 2, 36. fgg.]) angegeben für den Brahmanen des 8te bis 16te Jahr, für den Kṣattriya das 11te bis 22ste, für den Vaiśya das 12te bis 24ste. [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 2, 7, 1.] [ĀŚV. GṚHY. 1, 4. 15.] [Pāraskara’s Gṛhyasūtrāṇi 1, 4.] [Śāṅkhāyana’s Gṛhyasūtrāṇi 1, 5.] [Weber’s Verzeichniss No. 321. 1039.] [Vopadeva’s Grammatik 23, 28.] cūḍopanayanāni [Mahābhārata 1, 8047.] vratopanayanābhyām [3, 7025.] kṛtopanayana [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 2, 108. 173.]
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Upanāyana (उपनायन):—n. dass.: garbhāṣṭame śabde kurvīta brāhmaṇasyopanāyanam [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 2, 36.] [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 1, 14.] — Vgl. aupanāyanika .
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Upanayana (उपनयन):—
1) dhārāsāropanayanaparāḥ (sānumantaḥ) [Vikramorvaśī 76.] [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 10, 53, 30.] [Prabodhacandrodaja 110, 6] gehört zu [3]). —
2) [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 11,17,21.] [Oxforder Handschriften 30,b,22. 85,a,18. 86,b,8. 268,b,22.] —
3) das Einführen (durch den Lehrer in eine Wissenschaft), das Vertrautmachen mit [Prabodhacandrodaja 110, 6.] —
4) Einleitung, introductio: upanayanādhyāya Titel des 1ten Adhy. in [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S.]
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Upanāyana (उपनायन):—[Z. 1] lies bde st. śabde .
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Upānayana (उपानयन):—(von 1. nī mit upā) n. das Heimführen [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 10, 69, 33.]
Upanayana (उपनयन):—n. —
1) das Zuführen , Bringen. —
2) das Anwenden. snehasya [Carakasaṃhitā 1,29.] —
3) das Einführen (in eine Wissenschaft) , das Vertrautmachen mit. —
4) Aufnahme eines Schülers in die Lehre , wodurch dieser in die Stellung eines vollberechtigten Mitglieds der relgiösen Gemeinde einzutreten beginnt. —
5) Einleitung , introductio.
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Upanāyana (उपनायन):—n. = upanayana 4).
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Upānayana (उपानयन):—n. das Heimführen.
Upanayana (उपनयन) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Uvaṇayaṇa.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Hindi dictionary
Upanayana (उपनयन) [Also spelled upnayan]:—(nm) a ceremony marking the investiture of the sacred thread ([yajñopavīta] or [janeū]).
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Upanayana (ಉಪನಯನ):—
1) [noun] the act or an instance of bringing near or carrying toward.
2) [noun] a religious function, held just before sending a Brāhmaṇa student to the residence of the teacher for learning, in which he is initiated with the hymn of light (the Gāyatri hymn) by his father and invested with the sacred thread; (now that religious function only).
3) [noun] a pair of eye-glasses; spectacles.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Upanayana (उपनयन):—n. 1. bringing near; 2. sacred thread initiation ceremony;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches (+0): The, The, Yu, Ao, Yu, Upa, Nayana, Mi, Upanayana, Te, Ni.
Starts with (+0): Upanayanacatukka, Upanayanacintamani, Upanayanakara, Upanayanakarika, Upanayanakarman, Upanayanakarmapaddhati, Upanayanakicca, Upanayanalakshana, Upanayanam, Upanayanapaddhati, Upanayanapannatti, Upanayanaprayoga, Upanayanarasa, Upanayanasampattika, Upanayanatantra, Upanayanavidhi.
Full-text (+81): Aupanayanika, Samupanayana, Upanaya, Upanayanacintamani, Samskara, Upanayanam, Upanayanalakshana, Patitasavitrika, Abhavupanayana, Upanayanakara, Allabhavupanayana, Arammanabhavupanayana, Bhavannathattupanayana, Upanayanapannatti, Uvaniyam, Upanayanakicca, Upanidhi, Upanayanarasa, Upanayanacatukka, Upanayanasampattika.
Relevant text
Search found 132 books and stories containing Upanayana, The upanayana, Upa-nayana, Upa-nāyana, Upā-nayana, Upa-ni-yu, Upa-nī-yu, Upanāyana, Upānayana; (plurals include: Upanayanas, The upanayanas, nayanas, nāyanas, yus, Upanāyanas, Upānayanas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Yajnavalkya-smriti with Mitakshara and Viramitrodaya (by J. R. Gharpure)
Verse 1.14 < [Chapter 2 - The Celibacy]
Verses 1.37-38 < [Chapter 2 - The Celibacy]
Verse 1.95 < [Chapter 4 - Of the distinction of Varṇa (Class) and Jāti (Caste)]
Formal Education System in Ancient India (by Sushmita Nath)
The Upanayana Saṃskāra (Introduction) < [Chapter 2 - Rituals of the Education System]
Eligibility of an Initiate (Upanayana—initiation ceremony) < [Chapter 2 - Rituals of the Education System]
Ceremonies associated with Upanayana (initiation) < [Chapter 2 - Rituals of the Education System]
Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi (by Ganganatha Jha)
Verse 2.68 < [Section XV - Sacraments for Females]
Verse 2.36 < [Section XIII - Initiation (upanayana)]
Verse 2.171 < [Section XXIX - Meaning of Term ‘Twice-born’]
Harshacharita (socio-cultural Study) (by Mrs. Nandita Sarmah)
7. Customs (2): Upanayana and Samāvarttana Saṃskāra < [Chapter 6 - Other Socio-Cultural Aspects]
Part 2: Formal Education and Informal Education < [Chapter 3 - Education System]
Part 5: Women Education < [Chapter 4 - Status of Women]
Kausika Sutra (study) (by V. Gopalan)