Upadesha is a vedic sacrament, may be like baptism, where it is a solemn religious ceremony in the Christian Church. It is a spiritual initiation, an investiture ceremony into the practice of japah. A qualified Aashrama upadeshaka shall grant upadesha to the seeker at the time, date and place convenient to both the giver and the receiver. Generally, upadesha is given late in the evening after sun-set or early in the morning before sun-rise. .

There are male upadeshakas and there are female upadeshakis. Any male upadeshaka can initiate either a male or a female seeker. Similarly a female upadeshaki can initiate either a female seeker or a male seeker. Gender has no relevance here. In fact, soul has no gender either.

For the initiation ceremony, the initiator and the seeker take a head bath. The seeker then shall wear kaupeena, a short made-up of two pieces of coarse cotton cloth, one tied around the loin in a specific way, and the other fold between the legs. The seeker is made to squat on the mat or a carpet in a sukhaasana, meaning an easy posture. Under the buttocks shall be a cloth roll which facilitates to sit comfortably so that both the knee-joints are firmly placed on the floor.

For the initiation ceremony, the initiator and the seeker take a head bath. The seeker then shall wear kaupeena, a short made-up of two pieces of coarse cotton cloth, one tied around the loin in a specific way, and the other fold between the legs. The seeker is made to squat on the mat or a carpet in a sukhaasana, meaning an easy posture. Under the buttocks shall be a cloth roll which facilitates to sit comfortably so that both the knee-joints are firmly placed on the floor.