[Advaita-l] Trija?

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

Most people are familiar with the term Dvija meaning a Brahmana because he 
undergoes a second birth at the time of Upanayana.  Technically it could 
refer to a Kshatriya or Vaishya too but it is only the Brahmanas for 
the most part who have maintained the tradition consistently and 
completely.  Generally in Sanskrit Dvija is used as a synonym for Brahmana 
only.

Anyway while answering Raghava, I read an interesting shloka in the same 
adhyaya of the Bhagavata.  The first pada is:

kiṁ janmabhistribhirveha śauklasāvitrayājñikaiḥ |

"Ones births are of three kinds: śaukla, sāvitra, and yājñika." (4:31:10a)

Shridharacharya explains:

śaukla means from semen. It is the physical birth from father and mother.

sāvitra means from the Gayatri mantra which is taught at the Upanayana.

yājñika means from the Yajna.  When undergoing diksha in a soma yajna, the
yajamana is considered to have been born again.


So there are some people who are Trijas not just Dvijas.

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