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The Puranas on Sacramental, Ethical and Philosophical Planes
245
As enjoined by the author, the sacrament should be performed in the fifth year of the child After proper worship, the child was to be taught alphabets by a learned householder. Jinasena's stress on the appointment of a householder as the tutor of the child49 may, however, be taken as suggestive of the fact that the rite, at least in its origin, was secular in character
Scholars are of the opinion that the benedictory formula Om namah Siddhebhyahbo which the children were required to recite before the beginning of the alphabet is a clear pointer to the Jaina influence on the Hindu sacraments 61 But here it may be noted that the author of the Mahapurāna while prescribing the Jaina formulas52 to be recited on the occasion, does not refer to the said formula Moreover the corrupt form, in which the original phrase has come down to us, does not appear to be a derivative of the original Om namah Siddhebhyaḥ or Siddhāya We know that the popular phrase in its corrupt form 18 onā-māsi-dham, which may be a corruption of Om namah siddham and may mean "the utterance of Om may lead to the fruition of the act" or "may the object of beginning the alphabet be gained " Another point to be borne in mind in connection with the above formula is the use of the mystical monosyllabic Om Our study of the Jaina works shows that the Jainas do not have any regard for the sacred syllable On the contrary, we meet with some passages which bitterly criticize those who believe in the efficacy of the term 68 Furthermore, the religious formulas and some of the prayers, prescribed by the different authors to be recited on various occasions, do not begin with the said pranava 54 Under the circumstances,
49. उपाध्यायपदे चास्य मतोऽधीती गृहवती
MP 38 103b 50 Rasprakafas and Their Times, p 309. 61 HS p 142, note 1 62 MP 40 152 58 og 7 TU AUT
Ullará 26 31 64 Sf. 24.50-46, 25 66-217 JHV 8 206-228.
