Snataka

(“[one who has] bathed”) In the dharma
literature, this is the name for a
young man who had performed the
samavartana samskara, the life-cycle
ceremony that marks the end of
his stage of life as a celibate student
(brahmacharin) and return to his
parental home. The most important element in the rite was a bath, after which
he changed into new clothes, marking
his change in status. Before doing this
he was supposed to ask his guru’s permission, and also to give him his
teacher’s fee (dakshina), both as payment for services rendered and as a sign
of respect. A young man who had performed this rite would be eligible to get
married, and the literature prescribes
that this should follow in short order.