For Admission At This MP Institution, Students Beg Parents For Alms

In the Sagar district of Bundelkhand, the Mundan Upanayana initiation ceremony was performed for 100 Batukas (students), who enrolled in Shri Ganesh Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya. This institution is located in Garhakota, Madhya Pradesh. The students were admitted in its new session. Upanayana is a Hindu initiation ritual that marks the male child’s entrance into the life of a student (Brahmacharin). In this ritual, he is also accepted as a full member of his religious community. According to Local 18 Madhya Pradesh, the mundan ceremony was held at the Shri Jagdeesh Shala mandir located in Patharia, Madhya Pradesh. Following this ritual, the students had to beg for alms from their parents by placing a donation box in front of them. This was an emotional moment and everyone present was moved to tears. The students were seen walking slowly, resembling a monk, and were also holding a flag in their hands. The fresh session commenced with the chanting of mantras and the students’ parents and family members participated in the event with full enthusiasm.

When the students had completed asking for alms from their parents, they were asked to undergo a purification ceremony by taking a Panchgavya bath in Brahma Muhurta (4 am to 5:30 am). The Panchgavya bath rituals began when the Batukas started applying soil at 11 different places on their heads. They were then dressed in new clothes and made to sit alongside the havan kunda. Following this, the priests performed rituals for the world’s welfare and peace. They also chanted the Guru Mantra and Gayatri Mantra in the student’s ears.

In Shri Ganesh Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, the students will be taught in Sanskrit so that they can gain proficiency in religious knowledge. They will also be taught Vedas and Puranas. Veda is the religious text passed down orally, whereas the Puranas are the stories of religious legends and passed on through memory, one generation to another. Gopal Bhargava, a Member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party, has been managing this institution completely free of cost for the last several years. Gopal aims to propagate Sanatan Dharma through this institution. He has got his 8-year grandchild enrolled in Shri Ganesh Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya after completing all the religious ceremonies.