I am asking this question for my friend. He belongs to a Sri Vaishnava family and was born abroad. He had his Upanayana Samskara performed abroad (in Singapore) at a very delayed age (17 years) by a temple priest according to the Vaikhanasa method. Furthermore, he has received Panchasamskaram from Shrimad Andavan. Since the Upanayana was performed abroad at a later age and is considered invalid, can he still perform daily rituals such as Sandhyavandanam? Or should he follow the Dharma meant for Bhagavathas (rituals without Vedic essence)? Adiyen.

Once the Upanayana is done, one must perform Sandhyavandanam. Even if the Upanayana was performed at an older age, it does not matter; performing Sandhyavandanam is mandatory. What needs to be checked here is that each person has their own specific Sutra, and one must verify if the Upanayana Samskara was performed according to their specific Sutra method. If it was not done that way, then the Upanayana needs to be performed according to that specific Sutra method. In any case, Sandhyavandanam must be performed. Previous SUDARSANAM Questions and Answers