Sacred Thread

A circular cord made of three strands (in
which each strand itself has three
strands), which is worn over the left
shoulder, crossing the body to fall on the
right hip. The sacred thread is given to a
boy as part of the upanayana samskara,
which is the adolescent religious initiation also known as the “second birth.”
Second birth entitles a boy to study the
Vedas, the oldest Hindu religious texts.
In the dharma literature this initiatory
rite is prescribed for all young men
belonging to the three “twice-born”
social groups (varnas)—that is, the
brahmins, kshatriyas, and vaishyas.
The sacred thread would have been the
most visible sign of a twice-born man,
for whom wearing the thread was
mandatory, since any religious acts performed without wearing it were said to
be ineffective.
In modern times its presence generally means that the wearer is a brahmin,
since it is mainly the brahmins who
carry out this rite today. The sacred
thread is worn for extended periods of
time, although it must be changed at
certain times: after the wearer has suffered violent impurity (ashaucha), such
as that of death; after performing any
578
Sabarmati
rite of expiation (prayashchitta); and
after eclipses or other highly inauspicious times. For further information see
Pandurang Vaman Kane, A History of
Dharmasastra, 1968; and Raj Bali
Pandey, Hindu Samskaras, 1969. The
former is encyclopedic and the latter
more accessible; despite their age, they
remain the best sources on traditional
Hindu rites.