upanayana

English

Etymology

From Sanskrit उपनयन (upanayana).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uːpəˈnɑːjənə/

Noun

upanayana (plural upanayanas)

1. (Hinduism) 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, published 2007, page 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.