Number of vaidhyars required to conduct upanayanam

[Vanaja Mani]

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Can the learned members of this forum please help me.

I am living in Sydney and would like to perform upanayanam for my son (13 year old) sometime next year when he turns 14.

From memory of my brothers' upanayanams, I think that we need at least 5 -6 vaidhyars to perform all the rituals connected with the upanayanam. Am I correct?

In Sydney, I cannot find more than 2-3 vaidhyars, that too they are from different backgrounds, Iyer, Iyengar, Srilankan Iyer etc.

Could someone enlighten me as to how many vaidhyars do I need to perform the upanayanam here.

Are there major differences in the conduct of this ceremony, between Iyers and Iyengars?

Is it possible for the three vaidhyars of different backgrounds to come together to a common ground in conducting this ceremony?

Would I be majorly compromising on the vaidheega aspect of this ceremony by conducting it in sydney?

I was told by a vaidhyar in chennai that any ceremony conducted in a place other than Bharat ( India) does not have any meaning.

But then, my son was born in Sydney and getting his upanayanam done in his country of birth should not be that bad, eh?

Another school of thought is that since we have crossed the seas, we are no longer Brahmins. If the upanayanam of my son has to be performed, we have to be "converted" to Brahminism first!! This can only be done in India.


Please share your thoughts with me.

Regards

Vanaja

 

[tbs]

Can the learned members of this forum please help me.

I am living in Sydney and would like to perform upanayanam for my son (13 year old) sometime next year when he turns 14.

From memory of my brothers' upanayanams, I think that we need at least 5 -6 vaidhyars to perform all the rituals connected with the upanayanam. Am I correct?

In Sydney, I cannot find more than 2-3 vaidhyars, that too they are from different backgrounds, Iyer, Iyengar, Srilankan Iyer etc.

Could someone enlighten me as to how many vaidhyars do I need to perform the upanayanam here.

Are there major differences in the conduct of this ceremony, between Iyers and Iyengars?

Is it possible for the three vaidhyars of different backgrounds to come together to a common ground in conducting this ceremony?

Would I be majorly compromising on the vaidheega aspect of this ceremony by conducting it in sydney?

I was told by a vaidhyar in chennai that any ceremony conducted in a place other than Bharat ( India) does not have any meaning.

But then, my son was born in Sydney and getting his upanayanam done in his country of birth should not be that bad, eh?

Another school of thought is that since we have crossed the seas, we are no longer Brahmins. If the upanayanam of my son has to be performed, we have to be "converted" to Brahminism first!! This can only be done in India.


Please share your thoughts with me.

Regards

Vanaja

hi vanaja ji,
my son is going to be 9 yrs old..im living in USA....he is getting
upanayanam on may 02. at chennai....i think many NRI children
are getting uppanayanam as samasthi upanayanam....we are going
to conduct naandhi sradham first day...second day poonal....third
day sumangali prarthanai....these things are possible especially
in chennai/india...may not be overseas.....

regards
tbs

 

[sabha1103]

hello vanaja madam

"Another school of thought is that since we have crossed the seas, we are no longer Brahmins. If the upanayanam of my son has to be performed, we have to be "converted" to Brahminism first!! This can only be done in India"


Regarding the last paragraph you had mentioned, this is a issue you should consult with Vadhyar's who are well versed in Dharma Shastra.

But in these days such factors are not taken into consideration.Basically these things have evolved as the Upanayanam and subsequently doing of Sandhyavandhanam are all classified as " KARMA" exclusively for Brahmins. Hence the Bharatha Bhoomi is termed as Karma Bhoomi. Hence these types of strictures were provided in Dharma Shastra.

Regarding your question of conducting the Upanayanam in India would be more apt and convenient as can have answers for your questions here.:smokin:

 

[kunjuppu]

for those folks living outside of india, including singapore, i find that the poonal function appears to be a 'must' for the parents. for many different reasons.

almost in all cases, of such folks, i know, in canada, the kids hang the poonal on the wall the day after. and that is it.

it might take the parents a few minutes, to ponder over the conducting of a ritual, which perhaps, might give them some sense of duty or completion, but which in itself, appears meaningless and onerous to the one who is supposed to be blessed by it.

my proverbial 2 pennies worth. thank you.

 

[anandb]

Smt. Vanaja,

Can the learned members of this forum please help me.

I am living in Sydney and would like to perform upanayanam for my son (13 year old) sometime next year when he turns 14.

From memory of my brothers' upanayanams, I think that we need at least 5 -6 vaidhyars to perform all the rituals connected with the upanayanam. Am I correct?

In Sydney, I cannot find more than 2-3 vaidhyars, that too they are from different backgrounds, Iyer, Iyengar, Srilankan Iyer etc.

Could someone enlighten me as to how many vaidhyars do I need to perform the upanayanam here.

Are there major differences in the conduct of this ceremony, between Iyers and Iyengars?

Is it possible for the three vaidhyars of different backgrounds to come together to a common ground in conducting this ceremony?

Would I be majorly compromising on the vaidheega aspect of this ceremony by conducting it in sydney?

I was told by a vaidhyar in chennai that any ceremony conducted in a place other than Bharat ( India) does not have any meaning.

But then, my son was born in Sydney and getting his upanayanam done in his country of birth should not be that bad, eh?

Another school of thought is that since we have crossed the seas, we are no longer Brahmins. If the upanayanam of my son has to be performed, we have to be "converted" to Brahminism first!! This can only be done in India.


Please share your thoughts with me.

Regards

Vanaja

Just my thoughts. This Upanayanam is a major ceremony for any brahmin boy. Even I live abroad and all this talk about being a "dur-brahmana" or a "degenerate brahmana" is all fine (since we crossed seas) but I feel there is no harm in adhering to certain rituals and customs where it is possible to do so and you are convinced about it. Of course, like Sri. Kunjippu said, no point in being a cat on the wall. If you want to shed it, then shed it all. But personally, it has got lot of benefits. I had myself done Sandhya only for about two years after my Upanayanam but then took it up again about four years before my first son's Upanayanam (3 years back) and now doing it daily. One never knows when the interest revives but when it does one should be mentally prepared to take it up. I have seen many fast track corporate executives slow down in their mid-life and turning towards spiritual and ritualistic practices in a big way so one never knows.

When it comes to the place of performance, India is the place because it is still the karma-bhoomi as someone put it. Of course, depending on your convenience, it is better to perform somewhere than not perform at all. Upanayanam is heavy on rituals. There are a minimum number of homas to be performed so it needs a reasonable number of rtkviks. For my first son, I had 16 rtkviks (14 from Matur and 2 from chennai) because I specifically performed Ekadashi Rudram which needs at least 11 rtkviks. I am having my second son's Upanayanam on March 31st and am having 12 rtkviks from Matur but this is possible only in India. I feel 3 is quite less but if you are performing in Sydney and you don't have Vadhyars, I guess you have no choice.

As your son is already 13, I suggest you perform as early as possible. On the Vaideega aspect you probably need to consult your family vadhyar or your Sydney vadhyar.