Gayatri Mantra and adhikara

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Tue, 26 May 1998, Sankaran Jayanarayanan wrote:

> My question can still be paraphrased: Dvijas alone are eligible to chant
> the Gayatri Mantra. Why?
>

The Gayatri is a Vedic mantra and only the Dvijas may use them.  The
reasoning goes like this.  In ordy to study the Vedas certain
prerequisites have to be met.  The main one is the Upanayana sanskara.
The section of the Vedas which mention Upanayana gives rules, for
Brahmans, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas.  But not for Shudras.  Therefore we
conclude Shudras are excluded.  Furthermore they are all in the masculine
gender and say "The boy should say" such and such a mantra etc. thus we
conclude girls are excluded.  If the prerequisites of Vedic study cannot
be met then the Vedas cannot be sudied and therefore cannot be chanted
properly.

--
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>