The Samāvartana or Convocation Ceremony

At the end of the formal studentship, the Samāvartana ceremony was performed. This ceremony marked the termination of the formal education life. This ceremony was also called Snāna because bathing formed the most prominent item of the Saṃskāra. During the Brahmacarya period, the students live in a divine contact. So, before entered in to the ordinary life, he had to put off divine influence, otherwise he pollute the divine attributes. So, the Samāvartana ceremony was performed on the completion of the formal studentship.

Like the Upanayana ceremony, the Samāvartana ceremony is also go back hoary antiquity. All the authorities basically the Brāhmaṇas, the Upaniṣads, the Sūtras and the Smṛti elaborately describe the Convocation ceremony. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa and Taittirīya Upaniṣad describe the teacher’s farewell addressed to the students^[1].

In this address, the teacher gives advice to his students that when enter in to a new life, he should follow this rule and regulation:

“Say what is true! Do thy duty! Do not neglect the study of the Veda! After presenting gifts to thy teacher, take care that the thread of thy race be not broken! Do not swerve from truth, from duty! Do not neglect your health! Do not neglect your worldly prosperity! Do not neglect the learning and the teaching of the Veda!

“Do not neglect the (Sacrificial) works due to the Gods and the manes! Let thy mother be to thee like unto a God! Let thy father be to thee like unto a God! Let the guests be to thee like unto a God! Whatever action are blameless, those should be regarded, not others. Whatever good works have been performed by us those should be observed by thee”—

“Not others. There are some Brāhmins better than we. Those you should show proper reverence. Whatever is given should be given with faith, with joy, with modesty, with fear and form a sense of duty. If there be any doubt in the mind with regard to any sacred act or with regard to conduct”—

“In that case conduct thyself as Brāhmaṇas who possess good judgment conduct themselves therein, whether they be appointed or not, as long as they are not to severe, but devoted to duty. And with regard to thing that are doubtful as Brāhmanis who possess good judgment conduct themselves therein, whether they are appointed or not, as long as they are not to severe, but devoted to duty”.

“Thus conduct thyself. This is my admonition. This is the teaching. This is the true purport (Upaniṣad) of the Veda—this is the command. Thus should this be observed”.

This farewell address to the students has no change in the Sūtra period or the later Sūtra period. Even in the modern time, when the Convocation ceremony is held, the Chancellor also gives this advice to his students.

Age:

It is very difficult to say, at what age the Samāvartana ceremony was performed because our authorities do not prescribe any definite age limit for the Saṃskāra^[2]. The longest period of Brahmacarya was forty-eight years, allowing twelve years for the study of each Veda. The smaller period stopped at eighteen, twenty-four and thirty-six years according to the circumstances of the students and his parents. The last but one period was the most common type of Brahmacarya and in the majority cases education finished at twenty-four. So in most of the case Samāvartana ceremony was performed in the age of twentyfour but upper age limit was forty-eight years^[3].

Eligibility for the Samāvartana:

The Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya and Vaiśyas were eligible for the Samāvartana ceremony. They were performed the Upanayana. So they were allowed to perform the Samāvartana ceremony. But this ceremony was originally performed in case of those who had finished his entire course of studies. If any Dvija had not finished his entire course of studies then he was not allowed to perform the Samāvartana ceremony. And in other case, those students, who simply memorized the text of the Vedas, without understanding the meaning and without following the rules and regulations prescribed for a Brahmacāri, then he was also excluded from the right of performance of Samāvartana ceremony. Only those students who had finished their education were allowed to take bath and performed the Convocation ceremony^[4]. These students were called Snātaka. The origin of the term Snātaka may be inferred from such passage of the Brāhmaṇa as ‘one should not bag any more after the last bath^[5].

That is to say, begging was prohibited for the householder, and the injunction was judicious and logical considering economic set up of the Society. However in the opinion of the Gṛhyasūtra, there were three types of Snātaka. The first was that of Vidyā Snātakas (who had completed their entire course of studies but not the full term Brahmacarya). The second type was that of Vrata Snātakas (who had observed all the vows and spent the full period of Brahmacarya at the house of the guru but had not finished the full course of studies). And the last type was Vidyā-vrata Snātakas (who had finished their full course of studies and observed all the vows)^[6]. They were also called Ubaya-Snātaka because they finished their entire course of studies. And they were also the best students. These Snātakas were also called the Upakurvāṇa Brahmacāri and the Naiṣṭhika Brahmacāri. The Upakurvāṇa Brahmacāri was those who had finished their education and returned from their Gurukula and become full fledged house holder. The Naiṣṭhika Brahmacāri, who observed permanent celibacy and resided in his preceptor’s house^[7]. Both types of Brahmacārin were allowed to perform the Samāvartana ceremony.

The Ceremonies:

The Samāvartana ceremony was performed in a very simple way. After the permission of his teacher, a student was allowed to perform the Samāvartana ceremony. The permission is provided by the students’ giving gurudakṣina, the proper fee to the preceptor^[8]. If the pupil is unable to give gurudakṣina, he should at least go to him for his permission. The teacher would never mind about the gurudakṣina. He is satisfied with his merits. The ancient scriptures write that, “Earth in the seven continents is not sufficient for the gurudakṣina”. Because the status of the guru in ancient India was very high. The teacher gives all his knowledge, love and affection to his students. So for a student, it is unable to give proper gurudakṣina. But it is rule that when he leaves, he should honour him and give some acceptable presents. However an auspicious day was selected to perform the Samāvartana ceremony. In this day, the student was required to shut himself in a room throughout the morning. It was a very strange procedure. But according to the Bhāradvāja Gṛhyasūtra, it was done, so that the sun may not be insulted by the superior luster of the Snātaka, as the former shines only with the light borrowed from the later^[9]. The student then came out of his room at the midday, shaved his head and beard and cut off all marks of his studentship. Then he followed the bath accompanied with number of luxuries like—powder, perfumes and ground sandal wood. The teacher himself offers these luxuries to his students. He also thrown his upper and lower garments, the griddle (mekhalā), the skin (ajina), the daṇḍa (staff) etc. These were the external signs of a Brahmacarya. After the bath, he becomes Snātaka and wears new clothes, ornaments, garland, callyrium, turban, umbrella and shoes. Thereafter a Homa was performed and the hope was expressed that the Snātaka would get plenty of students to teach.

Then the Madhūpark was offered by the teacher, which is the mixture of ghee and honey, indication a great honour, for it was for a few e.g., king, teacher, a son-in-law etc^[10]. Dressed with new dress the student would proceed in a Chariot or an Elephant, to the nearest learned assembly. Where he was formally introduced as competent scholar by his teacher and which recognizes his merits and learning, so that he comes out as a worthy scholar^[11].

A critical survey of education in ancient India shows that, those students, who had completed their education received very high status in a society. So the Gṛhyasūtra assert that a Snātaka was a powerful personality because he had completed his education^[12].

But, unfortunately at present, the whole ceremonies are performed in very simple way. Without the proper procedure, these ceremonies are performed. So the proper tastes of the ceremonies are decreases and the people forgot the actual ceremony.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vedamanūcyācāryohantevāsinamanuśāsti | satyaṃ vada | Dharmaṃ cara |svādhyāyanmā pramadaḥ |ācāryāya priyaṃ dhanamāṛtya prajātantṃ mā vyavcacetsīḥ |satyānna pramditvyam | dharmānna pramaditavyam |kuśalānna pramaditavyam |bhūtaiya na pramaditavyam | svādhyaya pravacanābhyāṃ na pramaditavyam |devaptṛkāryābhyāṃ na pramaditavyam |matṛdevo bhavo |ptṛdevo bhavo |ācāryadevo bhavo |athitidevo bhavo |yānyanavadyāni karmāṇi |tani sevitavyāni |no itarāṇi | yanyasmākaṃ sucaritāni |tāni tvayopāsyāni || no itorāṇi |ye ke cāsmacchreyāṃso brāhmaṇaḥ | teṣāṃ tvayāsanena praśvasitavyam |śraddayā deyam |aśraddyāhadeyam |śriyā deyam |hriyā deyam | bhiyā deyam |saṃvidā deyam |atha yadi te karmavicikitsā vā vṛttavicikitsā va syāt ||ye tatra brāhmaṇaḥ sammarśinaḥ |yuktā āyuktāḥ | alūkṣā dharmākamāḥ syuḥ | ytha te tatra varteran | tathā tatra vartethāḥ |athābhyākhyateṣu ye tatra brhāmaṇaḥ sammarśinaḥ |yuktā āyuktāḥ | alūkṣā dharmakāmāḥ syuḥ |yathā te teṣu varteran |tathā teṣu vartethāḥ |eṣa ādeśaḥ || eṣa upadeśḥ | eṣā vedopaniṣat| etadanuśāsnam | evamupāsitavyam |evamu caitadupāsyam | Taittirīya Upaniṣad I.11;Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa XI.3.3.7.

[2]:

dvādaśakeỏpyeke | guruṇāỏnujñātaḥ ||P.G.S.II.6.2.3.

[3]:

tathā vratena-aṣṭācatvāriṃśat parīmāṇena|Āpastamba Gṛhyasūtra I.11.30.2.

[4]:

vidyayā snāti-ity eke || Āpastamba Gṛhyasūtra I.11.30.1

[5]:

Na ha vai snātvā bhikṣeta | Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa XI.3.3.7.

[6]:

Trayaḥ snātakā bhavanti vidyāsnātako vratasnātaka vidyāvratasnātako iti | P.G.S.II.5.33.

[7]:

Yadi tvātyantikaṃ vāsaṃ rocayeta guruḥ kule | Manusmṛti II.243; naiṣṭiko brahmacārī tu vasedācāryasaṃnidhau|Yājñavalkya-Smṛti II.49.

[8]:

Vidyānte gurumarthena nimantraya kṛtvānujñatasya vā snānam ||Ā.G.S.III.9.4;
na purvaṃ gurave kincidupakurvīt dharmavit |
snāsyaṃsattu guruṇajñapth śaktyā gurvathmāhreta ||Manusmṛti II.245.

[9]:

Etadahaḥ snātānāṃ ha vā eṣa etatejasā tapati tasmādenametadaharnābhitapreta ||Bhāradvāja Gṛhyasūtra II.6.

[10]:

Saḍardhyā bhavanti | ācārya ṛtvigavaivahno raja priyaḥ snātaka iti | P.G.S.I.3.1.

[11]:

Āpastamba Dharmasūtra I.11.5-6.

[12]:

Mahdvai bhutaṃ snātako bhavatīti vjñayate || Ā.G.S.III.9.8.