When the Gayatri mantra is offered men, they are offered also sacred thread, and girls, they are not offered sacred thread. If their husband is a brahmana, she automatically becomes brahmana because wife is considered to be the half, better half

Expressions researched:
"when the Gāyatrī mantra is offered men, they are offered also sacred thread, and girls, they are not offered sacred thread. If their husband is a brāhmaṇa, she automatically becomes brāhmaṇa, because wife is considered to be the half, better half"

Lectures

Initiation Lectures

When the Gāyatrī mantra is offered men, they are offered also sacred thread, and girls, they are not offered sacred thread. If their husband is a brāhmaṇa, she automatically becomes brāhmaṇa because wife is considered to be the half, better half. She is the better portion. So she automatically becomes better brāhmaṇa. So better brāhmaṇa does not require any thread.

680811 - Lecture Initiation Brahmana - Montreal

So these ten kinds of offenses should be avoided, and at least sixteen rounds you must chant. All the Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, they had a limited . . . not limited, a number, fixed, that "So many times I shall chant." So we are offering only minimum of sixteen rounds. That, it will take, sixteen rounds, it will take about, utmost, three hours. So you should . . . out of twenty-four hours, you should engage at least three hours for chanting.

So then this is the beginning of initiation, and those who have chanted at least for one year, then the next initiation is to offer him Gāyatrī mantra. Some of the students, boys and girls, will be offered this Gāyatrī mantra. And when the Gāyatrī mantra is offered men, they are offered also sacred thread, and girls, they are not offered sacred thread. If their husband is a brāhmaṇa, she automatically becomes brāhmaṇa, because wife is considered to be the half, better half. She is the better portion. So she automatically becomes better brāhmaṇa. (laughter) So better brāhmaṇa does not require any thread.

There is a Bengali proverb, ya va nauket poiyete darkana naya. The proverb is that in India if one has got sacred thread, he is immediately understood that he must be belonging to the higher caste, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiṣya. But if somebody knows that he is brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya, he doesn't require to show the sacred thread.

Similarly, the wives of brāhmaṇa is already known that he (she) is brāhmaṇani, so she does not require to show the sacred thread. So don't be sorry because you will not be offered the sacred thread. (chuckles) That's all right.