Bound by the same thread
Ramya Gopal wants to extend Upanayanam ceremony to women
Upanyanam. My first response, as an American
Born Confused Desi was "What the heck?". That was the
was same response I got when I asked my Indian girl
friends about their knowledge of Upanyanam.
Another two words: thread ceremony? Oh, I think I know what
that is. As ABCD girls, we are lost on the topic of
Upanyanam, a ritual for males to be spiritually
reborn. We've seen some of our friends' dads or our
dads wear the thread, but that's the limit of our
exposure to this holy sacrament.
Upanyanam is an ancient samskara, or ceremony, where
boys of the divja castes are lead through, at
different ages depending on their individual caste: 8
for Brahmins, 11 for Kshatriays, and 14 for a Vaishya.
In ancient times both male and females were able to
participate. People of the Shudra caste were
not and still are not permitted to take part in the
ceremony, because the belief prevails that only the upper 3
castes were Sanskrit-knowing Hindus and that the
Shudras are ignorant laborers that have no need to be
twice born.
Tying the thread symbolized
being twice-born, or being spiritually re-born,
entering the status of Brahmacharya, or asceticism. Over
the years, Upanyanam has lost its some of its original
Vedic significance and now only means to be spiritually
reborn. This caused the initiation age to be raised to
the mid-twenties or usually before marriage, as the
boys did not follow through the religious duties required of students in their childhood. These include Vedic studies, memorizing
certain shlokas and performing other rituals. The
ceremony leads the boys into the first step to the
final goal which is 'Realization of Brahman', the
ultimate truth. Shudras, women and so-called
untouchables are the only Hindus excluded from the
ceremony.
Though this ceremony is spiritually important in
Hinduism, unfortunately it is limited to only a
certain section of society, not unlike the old voting
rights that were limited in America. But instead of
white American men, Upanyanam is confined to the upper
caste, young Hindu boys. This leaves out the lower
caste and women who were stopped from taking part in
the ritual. I asked Professor Rambachan, Professor of
Religion, Philosophy and Asian Studies at St. Olaf's college, Minnesota, if there was any
reason why women were not allowed to take part in the
ceremony. He replied, "The reasons why women were/are
excluded from Vedic study are complex. At some point
women were equated with Shudras and debarred. It may
have to do with beliefs about so-called "female
pollution" during the events of menstruation and
child-birth."
I believe that these condemnations are
irrational because these reasons do not apply in the
contemporary age.
Initiation processes for both genders is seen in
other religions such as Christianity and Judaism--
communion for the Christians, and Bar and Bat-Mitzvahs
for the Jews. Like in Hinduism, Judaism traditionally
had an initiation ceremony for only boys, but unlike
us they changed their customs, leaving Hinduism the
only religion yet to modify our religious practices
with time.
Women, over the years, have proved they
have the ability to do anything as well as men, so why
do we still cling to antiquated beliefs that restrict
our society just because it says so in the Shastras,
when the rest of the world has moved on? The only
objection is that women cannot wear the thread as men
do. A possible alternative is wearing a three thread
bangle, for men and women, or any other symbol of the
ceremony, as Professor V. V. Raman, Professor Emeritus Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, suggested in a private exchange.
Upanyanam is an ancient yet still important ritual in
Hinduism that has been and continues to remain
restricted to a small sect of society like many other
privileges were restricted in other societies before.
Unlike other societies, however, we haven't moved on to
change with times, and those who want to learn to
Vedas and do not fit in the allotted section are
forced to break the traditional rules.
Can we then
call ourselves hypocrites, saying that we are one yet
insist that there is enough of a difference that some
cannot go through this ritual? As Professor Vasudha
Naryanan, Professor of Religion at the University of Florida, writes in her article Women and
Vedas, "Our women are well aware of western culture
and even western religion--can we not open the doors
of our own scripture and our own tradition to our
women? Sometimes, we even praise western scholars who
study our Vedas; yet we do not want to share it with
our women".
Let us start modifying our traditions as
seen fit without destroying the essence, beginning
with allowing women and all Hindus to take part in
Upanyanam and feel equal in this manner. Hari Om.
This article appeared in Jan 23, 2004 issue of India Abroad
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Letters (India Abroad February 13, 2004)
Vedic Tradition
Ramya Gopal's Bound by the same thread (January 24) was thoughtful,
relevant and extremely well-written.
Gopal dealt with the important and potentially divisive issue with
sensitivity and objectivity. I hope that as she continues to explore
the Vedic tradition she will be pleased to discover several
progressive and open-minded spiritual groups which extend the
Upanayanam initiation rite to anyone willing to undertake devotional
study and practice---regardless of gender, race, religion or caste.
I hope India abroad continues to print articles about how second
generation explores, embraces and sometimes questions India's great
spiritual heritage.
If this heritage has to grow, it is vital the second generation plays
a role in freeing it from sectarianism and politicization.
Vineet Chander
Hindu Chaplain
George Washington University