upanayana

English

Etymology

From Sanskrit उपनयन (upanayana).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /uːpəˈnɑːjənə/

Noun

upanayana (plural upanayanas)

  1. An initiation ceremony undergone by Hindu boys over the age of seven belonging to the highest three castes, marking the start of their formal education.
    • 2006, Karen Armstrong, The Great Transformation, Atlantic Books 2007, p. 83:
      An Aryan boy had to undergo the upanayana that initiated him into the study of the Veda and the sacrificial procedure, or he would never be able to build a fully realized atman.
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