Sacred thread
“upavita”
object · 2 works · 3 mentions · 4 anchored passages
sacred thread · prācīnāvīta · savya · the sacred girdle · top-knot · upavīta · śikhā
spoken of as
1 expressionŚikhā (top-knot) and Upavīta“sacred thread”1 mention
Āṅgirasa Smṛti (Sanskrit)
**If the Top-Knot is Cut by an Enemy**
in the texts
Āṅgirasa Smṛti
The sacred thread worn by Brahmins, whose orientation (left or right shoulder) is ritually prescribed at different moments of śrāddha.
At the time of dedicating the offering, the sacred thread should indeed be on the left shoulder (*savyam* (सव्यम्)).
At the time of abandoning the food, one should not recite the Annasūkta, nor wear the sacred thread on the right shoulder (*prācīnāvītikaṃ* (प्राचीनावीतिकं)).
**If the Top-Knot is Cut by an Enemy**
Manusmṛti
The sacred thread worn by the twice-born, varying in material by varna, marking initiation status.
The sacred thread of a Brāhmaṇa shall be of cotton, twisted upwards, and of three strands;
A twice-born man is called 'upavītī' when his right arm is raised and the sacred thread is over his left shoulder;