During the Upanayana (sacred-thread) ceremony of the Kshatriya class, recitation of which mantra was prescribed?

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Correct — D, Trishtubh Mantra. During the Upanayana (sacred-thread) ceremony, every dvija (twice-born) boy — Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya — was initiated with the same Savitri/Gayatri verse (addressed to the solar deity Savitr), but classical Dharmashastra texts (e.g. Manusmriti 2.243) prescribe that it be recited in a different Vedic metre (chanda) for each varna: Gayatri metre for Brahmins, Trishtubh metre for Kshatriyas, and Jagati metre for Vaishyas. For a Kshatriya initiate, the prescribed recitation was therefore in the Trishtubh metre.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) The metre prescribed for Vaishya initiates, not Kshatriyas — swapped from its correct varna.  (b) The metre prescribed for Brahmin initiates. The underlying verse recited by all three varnas is popularly called 'the Gayatri mantra,' which makes this the most tempting wrong answer — but strictly, 'Gayatri' names the Brahmin-specific metre, not the Kshatriya one.  (c) Not part of the recognised Brahmin–Kshatriya–Vaishya metre scheme (Gayatri–Trishtubh–Jagati) prescribed for the Upanayana; no established varna-specific recitation by this name.

Concept: The Upanayana was the Vedic 'second birth' rite formally initiating a boy of the three dvija (twice-born) varnas — Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya — into Vedic study under a guru. All three received the same core Savitri/Gayatri verse (addressed to the solar deity Savitr), but tradition prescribed it be recited in a different Vedic metre for each varna.

State PCS 2024 Q67 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2024 Q67 — History PYQ with Answer