उपनयनम्Upanayana, investiture with the sacred thread
Verse 196
यज्ञोपवीतं परमं पवित्रं बृहस्पतिर्यत् सहजं पुरस्तात् । आयुष्यमग्र्यं प्रतिमुञ्च शुभ्रं यज्ञोपवीतं बलमस्तु तेजः ॥ १९६ ॥
yajñōpavītaṁ paramaṁ pavitraṁ bṛhaspatiryat sahajaṁ purastāt | āyuṣyamagryaṁ pratimuñca śubhraṁ yajñōpavītaṁ balamastu tējaḥ || 196 ||
Translation
"The sacred thread, supremely pure, which was born with Bṛhaspati of old: put on this foremost, white sacred thread that gives long life; may it be strength and splendour to you."
Word by word
- yajñōpavītaṁ
- the sacred thread
- paramaṁ
- supremely
- pavitraṁ
- pure
- bṛhaspatiḥ
- (bṛhaspatiḥ) Bṛhaspati
- yat
- (yat) which
- sahajaṁ
- born with
- purastāt
- (purastāt) of old
- āyuṣyam
- (āyuṣyam) giving long life
- agryaṁ
- foremost
- pratimuñca
- put on
- śubhraṁ
- white
- balam
- (balam) strength
- astu
- may be
- tējaḥ
- (tejaḥ) splendour
Meaning
The Vedic mantra of the yajñopavīta (from the Pāraskara Gṛhyasūtra), said by the guru as he gives the thread. Bṛhaspati, the guru of the gods, was the first to wear it. The metre is the long triṣṭubh.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
See the commentary on verse 195.