Yajnopavita or Janeu

Yajnopavita consists of two words, yajno and upavit. Vit means that which is woven, that is cloth and upavit means the upper garment. It is hand spun cotton thread worn across the chest resting on the left shoulder. Yajnopavita is mentioned as Janeu in Hindi. Under Upanayana Samskar, first Yajnopavita is performed to bring person to his father Gotra and then Upanayana ceremony is done to initiate teaching of Veda and teaching started with Gayathri Mantra. The Yajnopavita should be done in seventh years. However, it can be done up to eleventh years of age. The power of Yajnopavita inspires pure character and hard work. By wearing this Yajnopavita, one can reach to the ultimate.
 
In chapter 2 of Taittireeya Aranyaka discusses the five Maha-yajnas, the daily recitation of the Veda (svadhyaya), the yajnopavita (sacred thread) and sandhya worship. It describes the method of preparation of yajnopavita.
 The Yajnopavita is made up of nine fibers.

1. As per "Samvediya Chandogya Sutra", nine deities reside in the fibers. one deity is established in each fiber viz. Omkar, Agni (deity of fire), Nag (serpent), Som (moon), Pitar (ancestors), Prajapati (deity of procreation), Vayu (air), Yama (deity of death) and Vishvadevata (deity of the universe).
2. The nine threads symbolize the nine qualities viz. Non-violence, Truthfulness, Non-stealing, forbearance, not accumulating, self-restraint, religiousness, Peace and Piety-purity. The nine numbers also signify viz. compassion, sweetness in speech, Simplicity in practice, Feeling of motherhood in women only, display of beauty in karma & art, Expression of generosity and service to all, Respect and discipline to gurus, Self- study & satsang of holy scriptures, and cleanliness, proper order & not slothfulness in nature.
3. Three strands are created by twisting three of the nine fibers in each strand. The three Vedas Rig-veda, Yajur-veda and Sama- veda are established on each of these strands.
4. The three strands are then knotted together. This knot is called the Brahma-gatha (gatha means a knot) or the Brahma-granthi (granthi means a gland). It is the site of establishing the Atharvaveda.
5. The three strands represent:
   1. the three stages (ashrams) – celibate student (brahmacharya), the married householder (grahastha) and retired householder (vanaprastha);
   2. the three fires, the fire worshipped in the home (garhapatya), the fire placed in the south (dakshinagni) and the sacred fire lit for a specific spiritual purpose (ahvaniya);
   3. the spiritual knowledge (dnyan), devotion (bhakti) and action (karma). The one who possesses all these three qualities gets the spiritual experience of Brahman.
6. The length of the sacred thread should be 96 times the breadth of a finger (angul). 96 items listed below:
7.  च नक्षत्रं तत्त्‍ववेदगुणान्‍वितम्‌ ।
   कालत्रयं च मासाश्र्च ब्रह्‍मसूत्रं हि षण्‍णव ।।

96 items: 15 auspicious dates (tithis) + 7 days of the week + 27 lunar asterisms + 25 principles + 4 Vedas + 3 components (gunas) + 3 time periods (kals) + 12 months = 96. Thus, the length of the sacred thread (yajnopavita) is 96 times the breadth of a finger (angul).
 
The 96 number has special significance. Vedas has 96000 Mantras related to karma and Upasana (fire-sacrifice & worship). After Yajnipavita, the student gets the right to study these Mantras. Total Mantras are 100,000. The remaining 4000 Mantra are for Sanyasis.
 
The Yajnopavita is placed over the right ear lobe during urination or defecations. The reason is explained as under:

1. Since the part of the body above the navel is considered pure and that below it impure, during urination and defecation the sacred thread is worn as a chain (nivit) around the neck and is placed on the right ear. The right ear is mentioned in the scriptures as the seat of various deities like Aditya, Vasu, Rudra, Vayu, Agni, Dharma, Veda, Apa, Som, Surya, Anil, etc. Mere touch of the right ear bears the benefit of the ritual of sipping water from the palm (achaman). Thus by placing the sacred thread on the right ear which is pure, one is not bound by the restrictions of impurity.
2. The right ear assumes such scientific importance because the nerve endings and receptors situated here are closely related to the testes. During urination there is a likelihood of passage of sperms in a small quantity. It is well documented by Ayurveda that seminal loss is prevented by encircling the right ear with a thread.