Words on the Way - Muz Murray Mantra Yoga Master

Bib:
Refs:
1 Kena Upanishad—Commentary by Ramamurti S. Mishra M.D. (Yoga Society of Syracuse, N.Y.
1964)
2 In the Woods of God Realisation—Swami Rama Teertha (Rama Teertha Pratisthan, Lucknow,
1956)
Yajña — see Yagna.
Var: Yajna, yagnya
Sense: ‘Sacrificial ritual worship, generally by fire.’
Yajñopavita-samskara
(yagj-nyo-pah
pah-vittah-sam-skar
skar-rah)
Synon: Upanayana-samskara
(cf.)
Sense: The ceremony of the investiture of the sacred thread,
given to young brahmin boys at the age of eight (by parents and
priest), at the time of initiation into the Gayatri mantra. As part of
the ceremony the mother ties a new loincloth on the boy and
enjoins him to lead a celibate and holy life and to look upon every
woman as his mother until the age of twenty-four. After this
ceremony the boy is considered to be ‘twice-born’ (dvija) and is
thereby entitled to study the revelations of the Vedas.
Root: Yaj — the act of sacrificing, worshipping (or the sacrificer
himself.)
The sacred thread, known as a Janeu, is composed of three
intertwined strands, offered as a symbol of purity, representing
the Holy Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It also represents
many other triads, such as the feminine deities, Mahasarasvati,
Mahalakhsmi, and Mahakali; the three gunas (or qualities of
nature) sattva, rajas and tamas; the past, present and future; the
states of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep; the gross, subtle and
causal bodies; the three dimensions, heaven (swarga) earth
(martyaloka) and the nether regions (patala); the three letters A-
U-M forming the sound of OM; the three ‘feet’ (the three lines of
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