The child should put on the deer skin.

The child, folding his hands, should stand in front of the ä cä rya and say:

oà prajä patiù viñ ë u å ñ iù

gä yatré chandaù

ç ré viñ ë uù devatä

ä cä rya mantraë e viniyogaù

oà adhé hi bhoù sä vitré à me bhavä n anubravé tu

“Teach me, sir. Please recite to me the Gä yatré mantra.”

The ä cä rya should make the child recite each phrase three times:

oà prajä patiù viñ ë u å ñ iù

gä yatré chandaù

ç ré viñ ë uù devatä

upanayane japopanayane viniyogaù

oà tat savituù vareë yaà (3x)

oà bhargo devasya dhé mahi (3x)

oà dhiyo yo naù pracodayä t(e) (3x)

The ä cä rya should make the child repeat the following two phrases three times each:

oà tat savituù vareë yaà bhargo devasya dhé mahi (3x)

oà dhiyo yo naù pracodayä t (3x)

The ä cä rya should make the child recite the full mantra three times:

oà tat savituù vareë yaà

bhargo devasya dhé mahi

dhiyo yo naù pracodayä t (3x)

The ä cä rya should make the child recite each of the Mahä vyä hå tis as follows:

oà prajä patiù viñ ë u å ñ iù

gä yatré chandaù

ç ré viñ ë uù devatä

mahä -vyä hrti pä ö e viniyogaù

oà bhü r oà

oà prajä patiù viñ ë u å ñ iù

uñ ë ik chandaù

ç ré viñ ë uù devatä

mahä -vyä hrti pä ö e viniyogaù

oà bhuvaù oà

oà prajä patiù viñ ë u å ñ iù

anuñ ö up chandaù

ç ré viñ ë uù devatä

mahä -vyä hrti pä ö e viniyogaù

oà svaù oà

The ä cä rya should make the child recite the Gä yatré mantra with the Mahä vyä hå tis three times:

oà prajä patiù viñ ë u å ñ iù

gä yatré chandaù

ç ré viñ ë uù devatä

japopanayane viniyogaù

oà bhü r bhuvaù svaù

tat savitur vareë yaà

bhargo devasy dhé mahi

dhiyo yo naù pracodayä t oà (3x)

Then the ä cä rya should hand the child a stick of bilva or palä ç a wood and make him address the stick, saying:

@footnote:

The daë ò a is given for protection and for tending the spiritual master’s cattle. Symbolically it represents the symbol of a traveller, in other words, the brahmacä ré is a traveller on the road of spiritual life.

The brä hmaë a’s daë ò a should measure up to his hairline, the kñ atriya’s up to the place between eyebrows, and the vaiç ya’s up to the tip of his nose.

The daë ò a should be unbroken, unscratched and with bark. It should be straight, fine looking and not burnt by fire.

oà prajä patiù viñ ë u å ñ iù

paì kté chandaù

ç ré viñ ë uù devatä

upanayane mä ë avaka daë ò ä rpaë e viniyogaù

oà suç ravaù suç ravasaà

mä kuru yathä tvaà suç ravaù

suç ravä deveñ u evaà

ahaà suç ravaù suç ravä

brä hmaë eñ u bhü yä sam

“You, being glorious with knowledge, make me glorious with the same knowledge. O glorious one, as you are glorious among the devas, may I be glorious among the brä hmaë as.”

Taking the daë ò a the brahmacä ri should begin begging, by first going to his mother and saying:

oà bhavati bhikñ ä à dehi

“Oh good woman, please give alms.”

@footnote:

In the Dharma ç ä stra it explains that

a brä hmaë a will exclaim “bhavati bhikñ ä m dehi”,

a kñ atriya, “bhikñ ä m dehi bhavati”,

and a vaiñ ya, “dehi bhavati bhikñ ä m”.

Receiving alms he should say:

oà svasti

“May there be auspiciousness”