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48-499: Some Brahmin Christian families of South Canara have reverted to their pre-conversion surnames like Shenoy. There are two theories about the origin of Shenoy or Shenvi. The Shenoys were generally involved in administration of the city. The word 'Shenoy' itself means a writer. GSBs were administrators of the temples. The word 'Shenoy' is also interchangeable with its counterpart ' Shanbhag ' The Saraswats migrated from Goa during

96-497: A cord of threads, or a garment, or a rope of kusa grass", and it is its methods of wearing and the significance that matters. The proper manner of wearing the upper garment or thread, state the ancient texts, is from over the left shoulder and under the right arm. yajñopavīta contrasts with Pracinavīta method of wearing the upper garment, the latter a reverse and mirror image of former, and suggested to signify rituals for elders/ancestors (for example, funeral). The idea of wearing

144-634: A friend. Tuzo pūtų khǎiñ assā? To seireānger assā. Where is your son? He is at a relatives' house. Tūñ khǎiñčea gǎrānt assāi? Āuñ Porbuger assāñ, mozo bāu Kāmtiger, moji boiņ Nāikāger, moji māusi Šēţiger, mozo sentur Šeņǎiñger. In whose house do you reside? I stay at the Prabhu household, my brother at the Kamath household, my sister at the Naik household, my aunty at the Shet household, my great-grandchild at

192-534: A girl, before her wedding, is described in multiple texts such as the Gobhila Gṛhya Sūtra (verse 2.1.19) and some Dharmasutras. The sacred thread or the yajnopavita has become one of the most important parts of contemporary Upanayana ceremonies. There are accordingly a number of rules related to it. The thread is composed of three cotton strands of nine strands each. The strands symbolise different things in their regions. For example, among Tamils, each strand

240-668: A particular community. Indologically, the ritual is present in the Gṛhyasūtras and Dharmasūtras and Dharmaśāstras , as well as a couple of times in the Saṃhitās . Educational courses or training has been referred to in the Chandogya Upaniṣad and in the Yājñavalkya Smṛti ; Gharpure (1956) writes that during the Smṛti period , Upanayana may have attained a permanent fixture if

288-527: A particular mode of wearing the upper garment, and it is not necessary to have the yajñopavīta at all times". There is no mention of any rule or custom, states Patrick Olivelle , that "required Brāhmaṇas to wear a sacred string at all times", in the Brāhmaṇya literature (Vedic and ancient post-Vedic). Yajñopavīta, textual evidence suggests, is a medieval and modern tradition. However, the term yajnopavita appears in ancient Hindu literature, and therein it means

336-460: A single Christian caste of Bamonn . Since the conversions of Brahmins of a particular area became instrumental in the conversions of members of other castes because it resulted in loss of mandir priests, such converts were highly valued and esteemed by the church and Portuguese authorities alike. They were even allowed to wear the Yajnopavita (sacred threads) and other caste markings by

384-442: A special dispensation of Pope Gregory XV in 1623, on the condition that these were to be blessed by a Catholic priest. The Bamonns in general consider their Indian caste system to be a class form of social categorisation. Since their concept is divorced from all the religious elements associated to it by their Hindu counterparts, they tend to justify their maintenance of caste as a form of social stratification similar to

432-544: A thread grew out of convenience and manageability, becoming more popular than alternatives such as a kusa rope. The ancient Saṁskṛta texts offer a diverse view while describing the yajñopavītam or upavita. The term upavita was originally meant to be any upper garment, as stated in Apastamba Dharmasūtra (verse 2.2.4.22–2.2.4.23) or, if the wearer does not want to wear a top, a thread would suffice. The ancient Indian scholar Haradatta states, " yajñopavītam means

480-458: A thread or upper garment over their left shoulder. Those girls who chose not to go to a gurukula were called Sadyovadhu (literally, one who marries straight). However, the Sadyovadhu , too, underwent a step during the wedding rituals, where she would complete Upanayana, and thereafter wear her upper garment (saree) over her left shoulder. This interim symbolic Upanayana rite of passage for

528-458: A way of wearing the upper garment during a ritual or rites of passage. The custom of wearing a string is a late development in Hinduism, was optional in the medieval era, and the ancient Indian texts do not mention this ritual for any class or for Upanayana . The Gobhila Gṛhya Sutra (verse 1.2.1) similarly states in its discussion on Upanayana, that "the student understands the yajnopavita as

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576-461: Is a Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor , such as a guru or acharya , and an individual's initiation into a school in Hinduism . Some traditions consider the ceremony as a spiritual rebirth for the child or future dvija , twice born. It signifies the acquisition of the knowledge of and

624-497: Is a noun formed from the root √ nī meaning 'leading to'. The prefix upa means 'near'. With the prefix the full literal meaning becomes 'leading near (to)'. The initiation or rite of passage ceremony in which the sacred thread is given symbolizes the child drawn towards a school, towards education, by the guru or teacher. The student was being taken to the Gods and a disciplined life. As explained by PV Kane , taking (the child) near

672-904: Is a unique surname to be found among some Bamonn families that hail from Udipi district in Karnataka. Most Mangalorean Catholic Bamonn families trace their patrilineal descent to Goud Saraswat Brahmins. There were a few historical instances in the Mangalorean Catholic community, wherein some Protestant Anglo-Indians were admitted into the Bamonn fold by Catholic priests at the time of their conversion to Catholicism, their descendants are known as Pulputhru Bamonns (Pulpit Bamonns). A 1976 genetic analysis study conducted on three groups of Saraswat Brahmins and one group of Goan Catholic Bamonns in Western India, confirmed

720-400: Is arguably the most important rite for Brāhmaṇa , Kṣatriya , and Vaiśya males, ensuring his rights with responsibilities and signifying his advent into adulthood . The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Samskṛta texts of Hinduism and varies regionally. The sacred thread or yajñopavīta (also referred to as Janeu , Jandhyam , Pūṇūl, Muñja and Janivara Yonya ) has become one of

768-399: Is derived from the terms yajña (sacrifice) and upavīta (worn) . The literal meaning would then become "something worn on the body for the sacrifice". Accoutrements offered along with the yajnopavita may include be a daṇḍa (staff) and a mekhala (girdle). The earliest form of this saṁskāra, whose name there are no records of, may have been to mark the acceptance of a person into

816-530: Is for each of the Tridevī , the supreme trinity of the Hindu goddesses Sarasvatī , Lakṣmī , and Pārvatī . According to another tradition, each of the nine threads represents a male deity, such as Agni , Bhaga , and Chandra . The predecessor to the sacred thread was an upper garment (such as a dupatta or an uparane). However, as traditions developed, the upper garment began to be worn continuously. The usage of

864-483: Is high likelihood of interpolation, insertion and corruption in dharma sutras and dharma sastra texts on the Upanayana-related rite of passage. Patrick Olivelle notes the doubts in postmodern scholarship about the presumed reliability of Manusmṛti manuscripts. He writes, "Manusmriti was the first Indian legal text introduced to the western world through the translation of Sir William Jones in 1794". This

912-590: The Brahmins among the " New Christians ". Two Portuguese Prime Ministers Antonio Costa and Alfredo Nobre da Costa were from the Catholic Brahmin community In Goa , the Brahmins were engaged in the priestly occupation, but had also taken up various occupations like agriculture, trade, goldsmithing, etc. The origins of this particular caste can be traced back to the Christianisation of

960-600: The Latin Church , in parts of the Konkan region that were annexed into the Portuguese East Indies , with the capital ( metropole ) at Velha Goa , while Bombay ( Bom Bahia ) was the largest territory ( province ) of Portuguese India . They retain some of the ethno-social values and customs of their ancestors, and most of them exhibit a noticeable hybrid Latino - Concanic culture. They were known as

1008-825: The Velhas Conquistas ( Portuguese : Old Conquests ) that was undertaken by the Portuguese during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was during this period that the Jesuit , Franciscan and Dominican missionaries converted many Brahmins to Christianity. The first mass conversions took place among the Brahmins of Divar and the Kshatriyas of Carambolim . All converts from Brahmin sub-castes ( Chitpavan Brahmin , Deshastha Brahmin , Karhad Brahmins , Saraswat Brahmin , Daivadnya Brahmin , etc) were unified into

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1056-619: The Muslim and Christian conquests during 1600, and carried their surname with them.Shenoy is derived from old Konkani word šeṇəy.Thus the word 'शणै' is transliterated in Latin script as Shenoy in Karnataka and as Xennai, Shenoi, Shenai, Shenvi or even Sinai in Goa . Xennoi is less commonly used in the erstwhile Portuguese Goa and Damaon , but nowadays it has given way to Xennai today. It

1104-560: The Shenoy household. Somi Jezu Krist vāur kǎrtālo, teātz jinsār tūñ vāur kǎr ani asseñ sompūrņ zatoloi. Everyone should live as Jesus Christ did; Live like him and you will become complete. Zōkōņ Jezu Kristāčer sǎtmāndināñ, pātienāñ ani tātso mōg kǎrināñ, takā zǎrti zāun zǎli. The man who does not trust, believe in, and love Jesus Christ, will be judged. Upanayana Upanayana ( Sanskrit : उपनयन , romanized :  upanayana , lit.   'initiation')

1152-605: The Vedas. Several texts such as Suśruta Sūtrasthāna , however, also include the fourth varna, the Śūdras , entering schools and the formal education process, stating that the Upanayana rite of passage was open to everyone. The large variation in age and changes to it over time was to accommodate for the diversity in society and between families. Vedic period texts such as the Baudhāyana Gṛhyasūtra encouraged

1200-863: The Western class concept. They are an endogamous group and have generally refrained from inter-marriage with Catholics of other castes. However, while the Bamonns never inter-married or mingled with the lower castes, the statutes and norms of the Roman Catholic church restrained them from practising Hindu caste based discrimination against the latter. Although most now carry Portuguese surnames, they have retained knowledge about their ancestral pre-conversion surnames, such as Bhat , Kamat , Nayak , Pai , Prabhu , Shenoy and Shet . The konkanised variants of these surnames are Bhôtt , Kāmot , Nāik , Poi , Porbų (Probų) , Šeņai , and Šet . Mudartha

1248-414: The acarya (for instruction), or alternately "introducing to studenthood". It is a ceremony in which a teacher accepts and draws a child towards knowledge and initiates the second birth that is of the young mind and spirit. A popular variation is Mauñjibandhana , derived from two words muñja , a type of grass, and bandhana which means to tie or bind. The munja grass is tied around the waist. This word

1296-609: The ancient texts. For example, in Satapatha Brahmana, the Upanayana rite of passage text appears in the middle of a dialogue about Agnihotra; after the Upanayana verse end, sage Saukeya abruptly returns to the Agnihotra and Uddalaka. Oldenberg states that the Upanayana discussion is likely an insertion into the older text. Kane, in his History of Dharmasastra reviews, as well as other scholars, state that there

1344-620: The army of Baji Rao II in Poona (Pune) , after trying to overthrow the Portuguese government in the Conspiracy of the Pintos . "No, I'm not going to delve deep down and discover, I'm really de Souza Prabhu even if Prabhu was no fool and got the best of both worlds. (Catholic Brahmin! I can hear his fat chuckle still.)" Mezār lugaţ gallāiñgī? Galtāñ. Have you covered

1392-518: The child had entered into formal education. In the modern era, the Upanayana rite of passage is open to anyone at any age. The Upanayana follows the Vidyārambhaṃ , the previous rite of passage. Vidyārambhaṃ became an intermediary samskāra following the evolution in writing and language. Vidyārambhaṃ now marked the beginning of primary education or literacy while Upanayana went on to refer to spiritual education. The Upanayana can also take place at

1440-462: The details and restrictions in the Upanayana ceremony is likely to have been inserted into ancient texts in a more modern era. Hermann Oldenberg , for example, states that Upanayana — the solemn reception of the pupil by the teacher to teach him the Veda — is joined into texts of Vedic texts at places that simply do not make any contextual sense, do not match the style, and are likely to be a corruption of

1488-563: The end of the course. The Upanayana became a permanent feature around the Upaniṣad period. Attire includes a daṇḍa or staff and a mekhala or girdle. In Hindu traditions, a human being is born at least twice—once at physical birth and second at intellectual birth through teacher's care. The first is marked through the Jatakarman rite of passage; the second is marked through Upanayanam or Vidyārambha rites of passage. A sacred thread

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1536-470: The historical and ethnological evidence of a relationship between Goan Catholic Bamonns land Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins . The study further revealed that intergroup differences between the subject groups suggested a genetic closeness, with genetic distance ranging from 0.8 to 1.5. Some Christian Brahmins such as the Pinto brothers Jose Antonio and Fransisco from the famous Goan noble family joined

1584-719: The inclusion of goddess Sarasvatī or Sāvitrī, with the teacher becoming the enabler of the connection between this goddess and the student. The meaning was extended to include Vedāngas and vows among other things. The education of a student was not limited to ritual and philosophical speculations found in the Vedas and the Upaniṣads . It extended to many arts and crafts, which had their own, similar rites of passages. The Aitareya Brāhmaṇa , Āgamas , and Purāṇas genres of literature in Hinduism describe these as Śilpa Śāstras . They extend to all practical aspects of culture, such as

1632-437: The initiation ceremony for students of Āyurveda. The Upanayana rite of passage was also important to the teacher, as the student would therefrom begin to live in the gurukula (school). Upanayana became an elaborate ceremony, that includes rituals involving the family, the child and the teacher. A boy receives during this ceremony a sacred thread called the yajnopavita to be worn. The yajnopavita ceremony announces that

1680-547: The life of students to be as compared to being optional before. In the Atharvaveda , and later in the Sutras period , the word Upanayana meant taking responsibility of a student, the beginning of an education, a student's initiation into "studentship" and the acceptance of the student by the teacher. Preceptors could include a guru , ācharya , upādhyāya , and ṛtvik. Gradually, new layers of meaning emerged, such as

1728-426: The most important identifiers of the Upanayana ceremony in contemporary times, however this was not always the case. Generally, this ceremony should be performed before the advent of adulthood. Upanayana literally means "the act of leading to or near, bringing", "introduction (into any science)" or "initiation" (as elucidated by Monier-Williams ). Upanayana is formed from the root √ nī meaning 'to lead'. Nayana

1776-433: The sculptor, the potter, the perfumer, the wheelwright, the painter, the weaver, the architect, the dancer, and the musician. The training of these began from childhood and included studies about dharma , culture, reading, writing, mathematics, geometry, colours, tools, as well as traditions and trade secrets. The rites of passage during apprentice education varied in the respective guilds. Suśruta and Charaka developed

1824-1584: The start of a new and disciplined life as a brahmāchārya . According to the given community and its regional language, it is also known by numerous terms such as mekhal in Kashmiri (मेखल), janeo in Punjabi (ਜਨੇਓ), jaanoi in Gujrati (જાનોઇ), janya in Sindhi (जन्य), janev in Bhojpuri (जनेव), munja in Marathi (मुंजा), munji in Konkani (मुंजी), poite in Bangla (পৈতৈ), brataghara in Odia (ବ୍ରତଘର), logun dioni in Assamese (লগুণ দিওনী), bratabandha in Nepali (ब्रतबन्ध), chewar in Newari (छेवार), upanayana in Kannada (ಉಪನಯನ), upanayanamu in Telugu (ఉపనయనము), upanayanam in Malayalam (ഉപനയനം), and upanayanam or poonool in Tamil (உபநயனம் or பூணூல்). The Upanayanam ceremony

1872-556: The student's home for those who are home-schooled. Ceremonial bhikṣa as one of the rituals during Upanayana became important, attaining sizeable proportions. The actual initiation occurred during the recitation of the Gāyatrī Mantra . The spiritual birth would take place four days after the initial Upanayana rituals. It was then that the last ritual was performed, the Medhajanana. The Samavartanam or convocation ritual marked

1920-564: The table with cloth? I will! Suriār kiteñ assā moņ, amkāñ sǎrkeñ kǎļnāñ: zipki mǎnis moņtāt, suriār sǎbār kǎtañ assāt. We do not know properly what’s there in the moon: Learned people say that there are many spots in the moon. Kitleañ uorānčer amiñ yēzāi? Dånparā yā sānjer. At what time should we come? Afternoon or in the evening? Amiñ Devā kurpā sāmbaļtāuñ moņasăr, Deu amger rāutā. God resides at our home, as long as we keep His grace. Pātkiānger Deu rãutãgī? Rāutā, puņ išţa bǎri niñ. Does God stay at sinners' home? He stays, but as

1968-507: The three Varṇas of society to undergo the Upanayana. In some regions, in modern times, some girls undergo Upanayana rite of passage. In ancient and medieval eras, texts such as Harita Dharmasūtras, Aśvālayana Gṛhya Sutra and Yama smrṛti suggest women could begin Vedic studies after Upanayana. Girls who decided to become a student underwent the Upanayana rite of passage, at the age of 8, and thereafter were called Brahmavadinī . They wore

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2016-610: The upper garment or sacred thread, and its significance, extended to women. This is reflected in the traditional wearing of sari over the left shoulder, during formal occasions and the celebration of rites of passage such as Hindu weddings. It was also the norm if a girl undertakes the Upanayana ceremony and begins her Vedic studies as a Brahmavadinī . The sacred Yajnopavita is known by many names (varying by region and community), such as Bratabandha, Janivaara , Jaanva , Jandhyam , Poita , Pūṇūl , Janeu , Lagun , Yajnopavita , Yagyopavit , Yonya and Zunnar . Scholars state that

2064-401: The vulgate in key readings." In Nepal, a ceremony is held which combines choodakarma (tonsure, shave the head) and Upanayana saṃskāra locally known as Bratabandha ( Sanskrit vrata = promise, bandhana = bond). In Nepal , The one who wears the sacred thread are called as Tagadhari . This Sanskara involves the participation of entire family and a teacher who then accepts the boy as

2112-562: Was based on the Calcutta manuscript with the commentary of Kulluka, which has been assumed to be the reliable vulgate version, and translated repeatedly from Jones in 1794 to Doniger in 1991. The reliability of the Manusmṛti manuscript used since colonial times, states Olivelle, is "far from the truth. Indeed, one of the great surprises of my editorial work has been to discover how few of the over fifty manuscripts that I collated actually follow

2160-755: Was common in Goa for Shenoys and other Saraswats to add the name of their ancestral village or title after Shenoy to denote their origin. The Roman Catholic Brahmin Roman Catholic Brahmin ( IAST Bamonns /baməɳ ~ bamɔɳ/ in Romi Konkani & Kupari in Bombay East Indian dialects ) is a caste among the Goan , Bombay East Indian and Mangalorean Catholics who are descendants of Konkani Brahmin converts to

2208-403: Was given by the teacher during the initiation to school ceremony and was a symbolic reminder to the student of his purpose at school as well as a social marker of the student as someone who was born a second time ( dvija , twice born). Many medieval era texts discuss Upanayana in the context of three of the four varnas (caste, class) — Brāhmaṇas , Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas . The ceremony

2256-538: Was typically performed at age eight among the Brāhmaṇas , at age 11 among the Kṣatriyas , and age 12 among Vaiśyas. Apastamba Gryha Sutra (verse 1.1.1.27) places a maximum age limit of 24 for the Upanayana ceremony and start of formal education. However, Gautama Gṛyha Sūtra and other ancient texts state that there is no age restriction and anyone of any age can undertake Upanayanam when they initiate their formal studies of

2304-425: Was used by Manu . Another variation is vratabandha(na) meaning "binding to an observance". The word janeu is a condensed version of yagyopaveeta . The ceremony is also known as punal kalyanam (meaning auspicious thread ceremony) and Brahmopadeśa . The sacred thread or upper garment is called the yajñopavīta ( Sanskrit : यज्ञोपवीतम् , romanized :  yajñopavītam ), used as an adjective, which

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