" Yagyopaveeta" - The real meaning..

Yagnopavitam is a Sanskrit word…Yagna means the homa or sacred ritual and upaveetham means a covering(we are getting different meaning like vastra etc). Yagnopaveetham means a sacred covering on the body without which a Yagna or a sacred ritual cannot be performed.Yagopavita should were from the day when a person start gayatri manta that day we says upanayana samskara. A brahmachari should were yagopavita that has three strands; grihasta could wear two such yagnopavita.

Wearing of the Yajñopavītam is in three forms:

One is Upavītam, where the Yajñopavītam is worn over the left shoulder and under the right arm. Upavītam is also called savya.

The Second is Nivītam, where the Yajñopavītam is worn around the neck and over the chest. Nivīta form is to be used during Rishi Tharpana, sexual intercourse etc.

The third, Prachīnavītam is where the Yajñopavītam is worn above the right shoulder and under the left arm. This is for Spirits and is used by men when performing the death ceremonies of an elder.

Yagnopaveetham Navathanthu Nirmitham(यज्ञोपवीतं नवतन्तुनिर्मितम्).

Yagnopaveetham is made up of nine layers of woven cotton thread. The length of the thread used for making Yagnopaveetham should be 96 breadths of four fingers measured by ones own hand. Gayathri Manthra has 24 letters and when it is added together from four Vedas it becomes 96 (24x4) that gives the power to recite gayatri mantra. Four fingers represent the four states of the soul a man experiences from time to time (waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep, and absolute knwoledge).

It is said that nine layers represent nine devathas who are the presiding deities of Yagnopaveetham. ओंकारोग्निश्च नागश्च सोम पितृप्रजापति, वायु सूर्यो विश्वेदेवाः इत्येतास्तन्तुदेवताः. They are Pranavam (Omkara), Agni, Naga, Moon (Soma), Pithru Devathas, Prajapathi, Vayu, Sun (Surya), and all other Devathas. These nine threads indicate the nine gates of human body. it is prescribed that the Yagnopaveetham should have knots. The knot with which the three strands are tied together is called Brahma Granthi and it represents the pranavaswarupa.

The three strands represent Ida, pingala and sushumna nadi, which the kundalini energy manifests as prana and consciousness. Its symbolozes the three trinal lords brahma vishnu and maheswara, same its three worlds bhu bhuvar and suvar, Three faminine energies lakshmi sarasvati and durga, and three tatvas satva, rajas and tamas.

It also gives the symbolism that every human being there are three kinds of debts Viz, Mathru-Pitru-Rina, Rishi-Rina and Deva-Rina. Mother and father are supposed to be the first teachers of Man / woman. They are the creators of our physical body. One should be grateful to them because of their selfless service towards their children. The Second debt is Rishi-Rina i.e. gratitude towards one’s teachers or Gurus who give meaning and a second life to the students by giving them true knowledge and leads him on to the right path. The insensate deities are earth, water, fire, air and ether. Man should try not to pollute these deities as because of them we receive food, shelter and clothing. Yagnopaveeth’s three threads also teach a man that he ought to be very cautious about his thoughts and means Goddess Gayatri (Goddess of mind), Goddess Saraswati (Goddess of word) and Goddess Savitri (Goddess of deed).

A dvija means twice born. In first stage all are born out of the mother womb and there is no difference at all. Second stage is the upadesha of gayatri, means upanayana, then we will cal him dvija or twice born. The third stage is vipra, when one has masterd the study of the vedas. The fourth stage is brahmana when one actually realizes the Brahman through the knowledge of the self. One becomes a brahmana not by birth, but only when one realizes the knowledge, one becomes brahmana by action not by birth.

By wearing yagnopaveetam one gets purified both exernally and internally through his mind. It’s not a thing we can understand through physically, it is completely internal.

Yagnopaveetam is not a mere symbol to identify a community. One who wears a yagnopaveeta may not necessorily be a Brahmana and one who does not wear a Yagnopaveetham may not be a non-Brahmin either. Yagnopaveetham has the sanctity of its own and one has to qualify himself for wearing it, not by birth alone but also by practice. Yagnopaveetham is not something that is worn for the world to know. It is for the realization of Brahman or knowledge within.

So there is no need of quarrel because one is using a Yagyopaveeta, its not showing any community. It’s only a symbolic representation of pure knowledge. May b present time know body understand the meaning of yagyopaveeta. Hari Omh...

Courtesy- Shri Krishnakumar