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

II] YAJÑOPAVITA, THE SACRED THREAD 297 ticable ; it need not be worn continuously for 24 hours¹. Others were in favour of substituting a Kuśa rope for the unmanageable upper garment². But Kuśa rope was not pleasant in touch and so some others advocated that cotton thread should be preferred for the purpose³. The reason in recommending the new substitutes was convenience and nothing else. For a long time they were not popular ; hence we find that in the Upanayana ceremony, as it is described in most of the Gṛihya-sutras, there is no mention of the boy being invested with the Sacred Thread. In stead, we have the description of the boy being offered the dupaṭṭā or uparaṇe i. e. the upper garment at one stage of the ritual, The Number of Sacred Threads increases, why :— In the course of time, however, owing to its obvious convenience, the innovation of the Sacred Thread became popular and its original significance was gradually forgotten. Brahmachārī was to wear only one Sacred Thread, but Snātaka was to wear two, one for the under garment and the other for the upper garment⁴. It was clearly forgotten by this time that Yajñopavīta was intended to be the upper garment. If Snātaka was to wear two Yajñopavītas, the Gṛihastha must wear three, for he was one stage higher. The Gṛihyā- saṅgraha however thinks that this third Sacred Thread

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1. कार्पासक्षौमगोबालशणवल्कत्तृणोद्भवम् । सदा संभवतो धार्यमुपवीतं द्विजातिभिः ॥ Nigamaparisishṭa in SCS., p. 84.
2. यज्ञोपवीतं कुरुते सूत्रं वस्त्रं वापि कुशरज्जुमेव वा । Go. Gr. S., I. 2. 1.
3. अपि वा सूत्रमेवोपवीतार्थे । Āp. Dh. S., II. 2. 4. 22.
4. स्नातकानां द्वितीयं स्यादन्तर्वासस्तथोत्तरम् । Vasishṭha in VMS., p. 421.