प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

296 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [App.
When and How the Thread came in :—
In the early period, Yajñopavīta was normally in
the form of a full upper garment like the Dupaṭṭā of
northern India or the uparaṇe of Mahārāshṭra. Āpas-
tamba Dharma Sūtra states distinctly that Yajñopavīta
should be normally in the form of the upper garment ;
wearing a thread instead is only the second alternative.¹
Jātukarṇya quoted in the Smṛitichandrikā distinctly
declares that Yajñopavīta in the form of the thread is
permissible only when the upper garment of the normal
size is not available.² The view of Ṛishyaśṛiṅga is the
same.³ Yajñopavīta was to be worn on sacred occasions
like the sacrifice or the prayer. In the course of time
the conception of the sacrifice changed ; the whole life
came to be viewed as a kind of sacrifice when everything
that one does should be dedicated to the Creator. If
then the Yajñopavīta was to be continuously used
during the time one is engaged in sacred duties, it must
be worn all the twenty-four hours. This could be
feasible only if the Yajñopavīta assumed a more
manageable form. It was probably on this account
that Yajñopavīta was allowed to dwindle in form into
the modern Sacred Thread. The alternatives placed
before society were many. Some were in favour of the
continuance of the old custom ; they held that it was
sufficient if the Yajñopavīta was worn as long as prac-

1. नित्यमुत्तरं वासः कार्यम् । अपि वा सूत्रमेवोपवीतार्थे ।
   II, 2, 4, 21-22.
2. वस्त्रोत्तरीयाभावे द्वयंगुलं त्र्यंगुलं चतुरंगुलं वा सूत्रैर्वस्त्राकृति
   परिमण्डलं तदुत्तरीयं कुर्यात् । p. 84.
3. अपि वा वाससा यज्ञोपवीतार्थं कुर्यात्तदभावे त्रिवृता सूत्रेण ।
   Ibid, quoted in SCS., p. 84.