This is the Upanayanam ceremony.

Savitré Caru Homa

This homa is performed on the fourth day after the Upanayanam rites by the ä cä rya.

After having bathed, he should perform Agni Sthä pana calling the fire “Samü dbhava”. He should do the rites upto the Brahma Sthä pana. Then facing East he should sit down and cook caru in the same fire.

The process (of making caru) is as follows:

On the Western side of the fire he should place kuç a with their tips facing East and on top of that he should place a mortar and pestle made of wood. He should also place a bamboo winnowing basket there and a bell-metal bowl with barley grains in it. He should purify all the items with water from a wooden spoon (prokñ ané). He should chant the following mantra:

oà savitre tvä yuñ ö aà nirvapä mi

Then he should take a portion of the barley from the bell-metal bowl and place it in the mortar without mantra. The rest of the barley should be divided into two portions. Then holding the pestle in his right hand, he should crush the grains in the mortar and then thresh them with the winnowing basket. Similarly, crush and thresh the other two portions of barley. After doing this thrice, he should wash the grains three times.

Keeping two pieces of kuç a on the carusthä li (the place where the pot of caru will be kept) with their tips facing North, he should put the washed grains in a pot and slowly add milk and water, a little at a time. Stirring it with a spoon in a clockwise direction, he should cook it on the fire (that he has installed) making sure that it doesn’t become burned or that the water evaporates completely. The spoon he uses for stirring should be made from khadir, palaç a or udü mbara wood with a flat face on both sides, half an inch thick and of a square shape.

When the caru is ready, he should add two spoons of ghee and keep it on the North side of the fire on top of the kuç a. He should then add one more spoon of ghee.

He should then continue with Bhü mi Japa and end with the Sruva Saà skä ra. He should keep the ghee on top of kuç a on the Western side of the fire, and then perform Udakaï jali Seka and finish the Kuç andikä rites with the Virupä kñ a Japa.

He should begin the homa by offering ghee-soaked wood of prä deç a length into the fire silently.

At the start of the Caru Homa, the Mahä vyä hrti Homa should not be chanted, but it should be done afterwards.

If the performer of the Caru Homa wishes to make the homa shorter, due to lack of grains, then he can put only one spoon of ghee into the caru and take one spoonful of caru from the carustä li and offer it into the fire chanting:

oà viñ ë ave savitre svä hä

According to Pravara Saì khyä nusä ra, one should make three or five mekhalas. If one wants to get more benefit and there is enough barley grains, then those brä hmaë as who belong to Bhå gu gotra should put five spoons of ghee and others should put four into the North side of the fire pouring towards the east chanting:

oà viñ ë ave svä hä