A three-stranded circular rope draped over the left shoulder and down over the right hip.
The holy thread is handed to a boy as part of the upanayana
samskara, or "second birth," which is teenage religious initiation.
A boy's right to study the Vedas, the oldest Hindu holy books,
is conferred upon him at his second birth.
This initiatory ceremony is mandated in the dharma canon for
all young males belonging to the three "twice-born" social groupings
(varnas): brahmins, kshatriyas, and vaishyas.
The holy thread would have been the most apparent indication
of a twice-born man, who was required to wear it since any religious activities
performed without it were deemed futile.
Its existence in current times usually indicates that the
wearer is a brahmin, since this ceremony is mostly performed by brahmins
nowadays.
The holy thread is worn for long periods of time, although
it must be replaced at particular occasions: after a violent impurity
(ashaucha), such as death; after completing any ceremony of expiation
(prayashchitta); and after eclipses or other very auspicious moments.
Pandurang Vaman Kane's A History of Dharmasastra was
published in 1968, while Raj Bali Pandey's Hindu Samskaras was published in
1969.
Despite their antiquity, they remain the greatest sources on
traditional Hindu customs.
The former is encyclopedic, while the latter is more
approachable.
