"ABHIVADEYE"

In varnasram, all male Hindus are entitled for Yagnopaveetham, ie Poonal. The ceremony is known as 'Upanayanam', meaning, ' bringing near truth'. During the ceremony 'Gayatri' is initiated to the boy. After the ceremony, the boy does the first namaskaram to his mother seeking Biksha and pronouncing ' Abhivadheye', which is an introduction of himself on his lineage. The question arises as to why he does the first namaskaram to his mother, and not to his father & other elderly personnel in the family.

Among Dasavatharam, Lord Vishnu takes Vamana Avathar to protect Indra, King of Devas, since Asuras have won them & taken their Kingdom. Devas are in exile now. Vishnu is born to Athithi & Kashyapa Prajapathi as second son, as brother of Devendra, known as Vamana, meaning short. He is also known as 'Upendra', which is one of Sahasranamams. All the Hindu rituals for a boy since birth are conducted by Athithi & Kashyapa Prajapathi right from Namakarnam, Annaprachanam, and Upanayanam etc. Before proceeding to meet Bali Chakravarthy, King of Asuras to conquer, Vamana seeks his mother's blessings. Athithi is astonished to hear from GOD seeking her blessings, as HE is the one who blesses the whole world. HE informs her that HE is going for an important work, which will alleviate the problem of his brother, Devendra. Because of the simple fact that LORD himself is seeking the blessings from HIS mother, it is a custom that the first namaskaram is offered to mother, especially after Upanayanam, which is known as 'Dwija', second birth to an individual.

More over Abhivadheye is offered only to mother among ladies; however, among gents it is offered to one & all.