This ceremony is performed when a boy is eight or nine years old. Upanayan
literally means taking a boy to an acharya or guru for initiation into
the life of a Brahmachari. At this ceremony, the boy is clad in
the garments of an ascetic. He is given a staff in his hand. A sacred
thread (Yajnopavit) is hung over his left shoulder and diagonally down
his right arm and he is expected to always wear it from that day onwards.
The family priest whispers into the ears of the boy the most sacred verse
from the hymns of the Rig Veda addressed to the Sun God, Savtiur. Known
as the Gayatri Mantra, the sacred verse initiates the boy into the world
of knowledge.
