Upanayana or the wearing of the Sacred Thread ceremony is one of the most important duties of a Hindu.
Please read my posts on Samskaras, Upanayana.
I received a call yesterday from reader in the US whether there is any procedure for performing the Upanayana Ceremony for the Blind and the Dumb and whether they are exempted from performing the Sandhyavandana.
In the earlier days the Blind and Dumb were exempted from Upanayana ceremony and consequently the Sandhyavandan.
Taking into consideration the importance of Upanayana and performance of Sandhyavandana, Sage Kapila has laid down rules for performing the Upanayana ceremony for the Blind and the Dumb.
All the procedure for Upanayana are to be followed for these handicapped.
But the father must chant the Mantras (for the Dumb) .
In the case of the Blind, the Samit must be placed by the Blind person.
The Blind must be made to write the Savitri with a Palasa stick in Water, Ghee, Milk and Curds.
The Dumb must perform Sandhyavandan by gestures.-Kapila Smriti 323-329
Citation.
http://www.indologica.com/volumes/vol17-18/vol17-18_art16_SASSARMA.pdf
