CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION of the KEVALAJÑĀNAVINAYATĀPASYA-SAṄGHA
KEVALAJÑĀNAVINAYATĀPASYA-SAṄGHA THE UNIVERSAL JAIN SAṄGHA (RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY) [44 of 78]
APPENDIX V
ANNUAL MEETING - MEMBERS ENTITLEMENTS TO VOTING AS OF THIS DATE
Sacred Thread
There are other signs of the Jainas. The sacred thread. This is used by the Brahmins as well as the Jainas. The Brahmins always connect philosophy of the sacred thread with materialistic views. They say the three rounds represent activity, passivity and grossness, the three properties of primordial matter. We Jainas say the three rounds represent the three sets of the prophets that have flourished in all ages. There have been innumerable prophets but we takt three sets immediately connected with our time – the past, the present, and the future. In the immediate past we had 24, in the present 24, and in the near future there will be 24. Therefore, the three rounds of the sacred thread represent thee sets of prophets who have left their sublime teachings as our heritage. We carry it on our shoulder. It means we carry these teachings on our shoulders and practise them every day. It is a symbol of your willingness to practise and obey the teachings given to us by our prophets.
Virchand R. Gandhi, Religion and Philosophy of the Jainas, Lalit C. Shah, Ahmedabad 1993, p. 92.
Posts by Dr. Malarvizhi Jayavijaya Nainar Jain, former in charge of Tamil Jain temples across India on the subject of the meaning of the three sacred threads
(The same author also wrote a book on the meaning of the different rites so that the meaning is not forgotten)
08/08/2014 00:05
HOLY LINE CEREMONY NEXT SUNDAY, 08/10/2014
This is the most important ceremony among NAINAR Jains
Upanayana is the initiation ritual in which initiates are given a sacred thread to symbolize the transmission of spiritual knowledge.
140808 00:08 Upanayana or Yagno Pavit (Sacred Cord Ceremony): This is essentially an initiation ritual that marks a child's transition from the infantile stage.
140808 00:10 It is a ceremony of worship that takes place in the temple.... In some NAINAR families the Sacred Cord Ceremony is performed when a boy is growing up
140808 00:19 The strands of the Sacred Cord have a symbolic meaning that varies by community and region. The sacred thread has three strands. A bachelor wears only a sacred thread; a married man wears THREE of them, so NINE strands.
140808 00:21 JAIN SAMSKARAS carry a sacred thread
140808 00:23 Three debts
The three strands sometimes symbolize three debts (ऋण, rin) that must never be forgotten:
the debt to his teachers (गुरु ऋण, guru rin), i.e. those who taught the wearer of the cord;
guilt towards parents and ancestors (पितृ ऋण, pitr rin), i.e. those who nurtured the wearer and made possible its existence;
the debt to the wise/scholars (ऋषि ऋण, rishi rin), i.e. those who over time have discovered both spiritual and secular knowledge that now enriches the life of the wearer.
In some versions, guilt to the wise is replaced with guilt to God (देव ऋण, devrin). At marriage, the number of strands sometimes increases to nine because the man is expected to assume his wife's debts as well.[10][11][12]
Comments on this post:
Boobalan Jain: Can you explain why 3 strands increase to 9 in marriage?
Malarvizhi Jayavijaya Nainar Jain: I dunno sir but they say it is a responsibility of the sravak to look after the girl he married. There are 6 additional responsibilities besides the 3 as said by my grandfather but I'm not sure if the answer is correct.
Boobalan Jain: As a bachelor, the boy wears three strands of poonul. This means that he respects and follows Ratna Traya (Samyak Darsan, Samyak Gnan, Samyak Caritra) and observes Bhramacharya until marriage. The boy is in the fourth Gunasthan. When he marries he retains the Rathna Traya and renounces Bhramacharya up to the sixth degree (resulting in an additional six strands in the Poonul) in Saravak status, which is the fifth Gunasthan.
Vinod modes: six strands for six Shravak Dharam
Jayabal Jayakumar: 3 rathnathryam 6 dharam must follow after marriage
Aadi Bgm: there are 6 Dharama Shravakas to follow i.e. (Shat Kriya of Shravaka)
- dev pooja (worshipping the 24 elders by reading their biographies, etc.)
- Guru pasthi
- Swadhyaya (svādhyāya) = self-study/studying the literature beneficial to the soul
- sayyam
- tap
- tyaga (voluntary) renunciation.
Mool Panth to Boobalan Jain: what is this dharpanam sir why is it done in jinalayam ? please kindly answer this
Boobalan Jain: Tharpanam is only performed by Bhramins. We Jains do Vissarjan, that is, we leave the old Punool after setting the new. This is done by chanting the mantra (which means I leave old Punool with Tharpy and some coins for the benefit of those who purify the place upon return. Other actions during this time are mainly copied from the Bhramin ritual.
Malarvizhi Jayavijaya Nainar Jain
140808 00:29 Cord Ceremony
The Brahmachari ashram is not generally given as much importance these days and more emphasis is placed on secular education. Often the father himself performs the ceremony.
Essential for the members of the three higher classes, this ceremony marks the official induction of a boy into his varṇa.[1] At this point he is "twice born". Everyone has a first biological birth, but when a young man seeks his spiritual identity he symbolically accepts a spiritual teacher as his father and the Sasthras as his mother. It can also be given a new, spiritual name. At the ceremony, he receives the Jenoi (Sacred Cord), which is usually worn throughout his life. It is swapped out at intervals, but never removed until the new one is put on. There is a separate samskara that marks the beginning of training, but today the two ceremonies are often combined.
Upanayana means "to sit near" and refers to the boy's refuge with the guru (spiritual teacher). Traditionally, he moved away from home to the teacher's ashram, who was called "gurukula". Even members of the royal family were trained to simply live without luxury or sense gratification in order to keep their minds pure and unspoilt. When they later married, they stuck to the spiritual values they had inherited during their school days. The emphasis at gurukula was on the study of the Vedas and the development of character.
Malarvizhi Jayavijaya Nainar Jain
140808 01:33 What do we do in our temple on the day of the sacred cord ceremony?
1. In Tamil it is known as AVANI AVITAM
2. AVANI IS A MONTH NAME AND AVITAM IS A STAR NAME
3. THE AVANI AND AVITAM SHOULD NORMALLY FALL ON THE FULL MOON DAY
4. THIS YEAR THE AVITAM STAR COMES ON MONDAYS ONLY
5. But the ceremony only on SUNDAY 08/10/2014
6. we go to the temple and give our sacred cord to the temple priest.
7. All the sacred cord of the NAINARS of the village is collected and kept on a plate
8. sacred cord known as POONUL in Tamil, here after words I will use the word poonul
9. The collected poonul is washed with the water while chanting the mantra,
10. Washed in water for the first time
12. For the second time they are washed in milk
13. Again they are washed in water
14. The washing activity takes place in a vessel called "Thethra Pathra".
15. After that, the Poonul collection is kept in a plate and the plate is kept before the deity
16. First the grand gala Panchamurtha Abishek takes place
17. During the abhisheak, two persons will sit in front of the deity and perform homam (rite of fire) - Agni is the element of transformation. It symbolizes the absorption and digestion of experiences. As you make offerings in fire and burn them in fire, various spiritual experiences are processed and digested by your inner fire.
18. After finishing the homam, start chanting 108 times SHANTHI MANTRA with flowers and it is for poonul
19. After chanting SHANTHI MANTRA 108 times, the temple priest will make Arathi and perform some rituals
20. Then MAHA ARATHI comes to the poonul and it is kept in the hall of the temple
21. Each family poonul will have a tag to identify the name of the person who gave the poonul.
22. In the village temple the TAG lives on a palm tree and in the town and city temple there is a piece of paper or a business card
23. The Temple DHARAMA ADIKARI or the TEMPLE OPERATOR or ELDER or A PRIEST OF THE TEMPLE will read the name and distribute the Poonul to all
24. After distributing the poonul, the priest will say the mantra to wear the new sacred thread
25. Again the temple priest will give the mantra for removing the old sacred thread
26. Usually it is the Sravak's duty to give Poonul to the Temple Priest
27. The Homa Pottu (ashes of the fire ritual) will be preserved on our forehead by the Temple Priest
28. Then the Temple Priest will give all Sravak Viratha either EKA POKTHAM or MARU THANNI
29. But all should gather without failing in the evening ASTAMANGALA ARATHI.
30. All Nainar will come to their own Jain temple just for this ceremony
31. Normally all temple accounts, elections, renovations and all discussions take place only on this day.
Comments on this post:
Malarvizhi Jayavijaya Nainar Jain
removed Sir (Pt. 32 was removed at Boobalan's request not to do dirty laundry. It contained that Malarvizhi remembered as a child that every year on this occasion people would argue about how the money should be divided! Kalah (quarrel) No. 12 among the 18 faults; this error and the other 17 must not occur in the assembly and are to be referred to the important point of the Jain doctrine as soon as they arise.)
Malarvizhi Jayavijaya Nainar Jain
140808 02:08 The sacred cord ceremony is not for girls, but we use to provide a female child on this day like others wear, just to please her.
140808 02:10 When a Muni (Dīgambara sādhu) is around, it is a great Puṇiya (merit) to receive the Poonul from his hand
140808 02:11 All my dear NAINAR FB friends please update this ceremony photos in the fb I could not find a single photo
140808 02:14 Padmaraj Varthamanan Jain: For pictures of Thanjavur Aadi Utsavam 2014 see the following links: https://padmarajjain.blogspot.com/?m=1 .
[next … Appendix VI → … https://www.om-arham.org/blog/view/13737/certificate-of-incorporation-of-the-kevalajnanavinayatapasya-sa%E1%B9%85gha]
[1] The varṇa system is recognized as distinct from the caste system. The varṇa system approximates the familiar class system of modern European societies more closely than the caste system. The varṇa system is elastic and appears to be based more on occupation than birth. Jaina Brāhmans (ascetics, scribes, students, etc.), Kṣatriyas (soldiers) and Vaiśyas (merchants) are recognized and found even today in southern India. These Brāhmans etc. would probably form the varṇas, Brāhman etc. with the Hindus of the corresponding class. The caste system is more likely to be identified with prohibitions on interdining etc. etc. and is certainly a later evolution or degeneration of the varṇa system.
