Initiation

In general, an initiation is a ritual
in which a person is given certain
new rights, capacities, and responsibilities. In a Hindu religious context,
there are two important rites of
religious initiation.
One of these is the upanayana samskara, an adolescent religious initiation
performed on a “twice-born” male—
that is, a member of the brahmin, kshatriya, or vaishya group—which is also
known as the “second birth.”
The other rite of initiation, diksha,
is conferred on a person at the pleasure
of a guru or religious preceptor and
has no limitations on who or when it
can be received.
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Initiation