प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

APPENDIX II. YAJÑOPAVĪTA OR THE SO-CALLED SACRED THREAD. **Introduction :—**Yajñopavīta is at present under- stood to be the Sacred Thread, that is to be worn by the twice-born classes from the time of the Upanayana ceremony onwards. The popular belief is that the Upanayana ceremony is primarily intended for investing the boy with this mysterious thread, and the Śrāvaṇī ritual for the purpose of renewing it annually. We have already shown how both these conceptions are wrong (App. I, B and C). Here we propose to trace briefly the history of Yajñopavīta. **Yajnopavita, the upper Garment :—**Later writers explain Yajñopavīta thread as a symbol of the Guṇamayī Māyā, as it was visualised by the Creator at the time of creation ;¹ but its original significance was entirely different. Grammatically, Yajñopavīta is an adjective and refers to something that was worn at the time of the sacrifice ; यज्ञाय उपवीतं यज्ञोपवीतम् । Hindu notion of decency required that the upper part of the body should be properly covered when one was engaged in sacred functions like sacrifices, charity

1. सिसृक्षुरेक एकाग्रे समासीनः शिवः स्वयम् । दृष्ट्वा गुणमयीं मायां सूत्ररूपामिवाकरोत् ॥ तया तदात्मकं विष्णुं स्पृष्ट्वा पालं दिवौकसाम् । स्वयं ब्रह्माऽभवद्बुद्धो रुद्रश्चास्य ज्ञयाय सः ॥ ज्ञानात्मकेन हरिणा ब्रह्मात्मनि शिवेऽव्यये । तत्सूत्रमुपवीतत्वाद्ब्रह्मसूत्रमिदं कृतम् ॥ Āśvalāyana quoted in VMS, p. 419.