92 
E. T. Atkinson —Notes on the history 
[No. 1, 
taycy Ac., and gifts are bestowed on the celebrant. The hair of the 
child, except the top-knot, is now cut oh whilst an appropriate service is 
read. The hair is then buried with cow-dung near some water and the 
boj is bathed and clothed in his best and placed near the celebrant and 
s held to be entitled to the name mdnavaka or religious student. The 
ceremony as usual winds up with gifts to the celebrant and assembled 
Brahmans, replied to by a mantra and the gift of a flower {asisha) as a 
benediction. 
Assumes the garh of a student. —According to the FdrasJcarasutraf 
the son of a Brahman may assume the janeo at seven or eight years of 
age, the son of a Kshatriya at eleven years of age and the son of a Vaisya 
at twelve years. These limits can be doubled where necessity exists, 
but the ceremony cannot take place after the second limit has expired. 
The father and son now approach the upanayana-vedi and the boy pre¬ 
sents the tila'pdtra to the altar. This tilapdtra is an iron pot containing 
sesamum oil in which coins have been placed and which form a portion 
of the honorarium of the celebrant. The invitation, Ac., is again recited 
and the dedication is made to ensure the success of the young student 
in his studies. Next follows a formal burnt-sacrifice of clarified butter. 
The celebrant then receives from the father of the boy a loin-cloth, belt, 
sacrificial-thread, waist thread, walking-stick and bason for receiving 
alms and gives them one by one to the boy with the mantra for each. 
Separate woods are prescribed for the walking-stick according to caste ; 
for the Brahman, paldsa; for the Kshatriya, lei; and for the Vaisya, 
gular. The celebrant then asperses the head and breast of the boy and 
accepts him as one duly prepared and fit to be raised to the degree of a 
religious student. The boy next seats himself to the north of the cele¬ 
brant and his father goes through the Agni-joujd and offers a sacrifice of 
clarified butter and presents gifts to the Brahmans. The title hhatta is 
given to the student who has assumed the sacrificial thread. 
SctlutijUg the rel'igious 'preceptor. The astrologer fixes the lo/gnaddncL 
or propitious moment for repeating the gdyatrf and when it comes the 
boy seats himself in front of the celebrant and turning his face towards 
the north-east salutes the celebrant and presents gifts to his purohita. He 
then crosses his arms and places his right hand on the right foot and his 
left hand on the left foot of the puroliitoj and bows his head down until 
it touches his hands. The purohita then gives the asisha and for a 
Brahman reads the gayadri three times, thus :— 
(1) Om hhur hhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam. 
(2) Repeat first line adding bhargo devasya dhimahi. 
(3) Repeat both preceding and add dhiyo yo nah prachodaydt. 
