[Advaita-l] Advaita-l Digest, Vol 70, Issue 10

[Bhaskar YR]

I am not familiar with this.  Do you have a reference for where in the 
Ramayana this episode supposedly occurs?  I cannot really respond 
otherwise.

sAshtAnga praNAms Sri Vyas prabhuji
Hare Krishna

The author of the book Sri R.K. Srikanta Kumara Swamy gives two examples 
from the vAlmeeki  rAmAyaNa in support of 'stree upanayana'. 

(a)  ayodhyAkAnda 30-15 & 16 :  sAkshauma vasanA hrushvA nityaM 
vrataparAyaNA, agniM juhOtisma tadA maNtravat krutamaMgalA, pravishyatu 
tadA rAmO mAturaMtaHpuraM shubhaM, dadarshamAtaraMtatra hAvayanteeM 
hutAshanaM...kausalya, mother of Sri Rama without knowing rAma's vanavAsa, 
by wearing silk dress, was doing vrata and doing hOma by reciting 
maNtra-s, rAma saw this while entering the antaHpura. 

(b)  sundarakAnda : 14-49 :  saNdhAkAlamanAHshyAmA dhruvameshTati jAnaki, 
nadeemchemaM shubhajalAM saNdhyArThevara varNinee..Hanuman while searching 
for seeta in ashokavana thinks that since there is river flowing  here and 
it is the time for saNdhyAvandana, if seeta around here she would 
definitely come here to do saNdhyAvandana. 

Author argues that since according Apasthamba, upanayana saMskAra is only 
for getting 'vidya' (vidyArjana) both stree & purusha are eligible to 
undergo this saMskAra. 

Your humble servant
Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar