20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

The significance of the four commendations... 673várṣiṣṭhābhyāṃ devátābhyām páridadāti táthā hāsya brahmacārī nakṃcanrtimārcati na sa yá evaṃ véda | adbhyas tvaúṣadhībhyaḥpáridadāmti tád enam adbhyaś caúṣadhibhyaś ca páridadātidyvāpṛthivbhyāṃ tvā páridadāmti tád enamābhyāṃdyvāpṛthivbhyām páridadāti yáyor idaṃ sárvam ádhi viśvebhyastvā bhūtébhyaḥ paridadāmy aríṣṭyā iti tádenaṃ sárvebhyo bhūtébhyaḥpáridadāty áriṣṭyai táthā hāsya brahmacārī na kṃ canrtimrcati na sayá evaṃ véda | – “The boy says “I have come to the brahmacarya”and he introduces himself to the bráhma. He informs “I have become abrahmacārī” and he offers himself to the bráhma. The teacher asks theboy “Ka are you by name?”, and Ka is Prajāpati. And thus, having madehim one belonging to Prajāpati, the teacher initiates him. The teacherholds the boy’s hand saying “You are the brahmacārī of Indra, Agniis your teacher, I am your teacher, N.N.”. These two are the best andthe most powerful deities. He entrusts the boy to these two best andmost powerful deities, lest his brahmacārī meets with a calamity, lesthe who knows that. Then he entrusts him to the beings: “I entrust youto Prajāpati. I entrust you to the god Savitṛ. These two are the best andthe highest deities. He entrusts him to the two best and highest deities,lest his brahmacārī meets with a calamity, lest he who knows that. “Ientrust you to the waters and the plants”, he entrusts him to the watersand plants. “I entrust you to the heaven and earth”, he entrusts him tothe heaven and earth. To these two belongs all this [betrothal]. “I entrustyou to all beings for the sake of non injury”, he entrusts him to all beingsfor the sake of non injury, lest his brahmacārī meets with a calamity,lest he who knows that.”As it shows, paridāna in the upanayana means a commendation,wherein the teacher commits the pupil to the care of different entities. Itis a mere invocation of certain gods and it does not imply any specificoffering or action. The gods are invoked in pairs, Indra and Agni, Prajāpatiand Savitṛ. The former two are explicitly equated with the pupil and theteacher respectively, and the latter two are also identifiable with the same:it becomes evident from the question and the pun on the words that pupilis Prajāpati; Savitṛ, as the “impeller” is the teacher that “gives birth” 1 tothe pupil and that reads the sāvitrīmantra for the latter’s initiation. In thisway the pupil and the teacher imitate the pairs of gods illo tempore. Theelements to which the teacher consigns the pupil are also dual: waters andplants, heaven and earth. He concludes with pupil’s commendation to allbeings.1Cf. Śaunaka Saṃhitā (ŚS) 11.7(5).3: ācāryà upanáyamāno brahmacāriṇaṃ kṛṇutegárbham antáḥ |