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Hindus believe
that every aspect of life is sacred.
That is why each significant stage,
from conception to cremation,
is celebrated as a reminder that
life is a gift from God
which should be duly respected and
lived according to His wishes.
This is the first installment
describing the significance of the 16 Samskaras.
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Since eternity man has strived to improve
his own self. This
realisation, unique only to mankind, has led him to think deeper about
his physical, mental and spiritual well being. Towards this end, the
Vedic seers prescribed a set of observances, known as Samskaras. (Though
pronounced Sanskaras in Gujarati, we shall use the original Sanskrit
form.)
The nearest English word for samskara is sacrament, related to the
phrase 'rite of passage'. In the Oxford English Dictionary, sacrament
is defined as a "religious ceremony or act regarded as an outward
and visible sign of inward or spiritual grace." In classical
Sanskrit literature texts, such as Raghuvamsha, Kumarsambhava, Abhijnan-Shakuntal,
Hitopadesha and Manu Smruti, samskara is used to mean: education,
cultivation, training, refinement, perfection, grammatical purity,
polishing, embellishment, decoration, a purificatory rite, a sacred
rite, consecration, sanctification, effect of past actions (karmas),
merit of karmas, etc.
A general definition of samskara, encompassing nearly all of the above
is "to improve upon something while removing its undesirable
attributes."
Purpose of Samskaras
(1) Cultural. The variety of rites
and rituals related to the samskaras help in the formation and development
of personality. In the Parashar Smruti it is said, "Just as a
picture is painted with various colors, so the character of a person
is formed by undergoing various samskaras." Thus, the Hindu sages
realised the need of consciously guiding and molding the character
of individuals, instead of letting them grow in a haphazard manner.
(2) Spiritual. According to the
seers, samskaras impart a higher sanctity to life. Impurities associated
with the material body are eradicated by performing samskaras. The
whole body is consecrated and made a fit dwelling place for the atma.
According to the Atri Smruti a man is born a Shudra; by performing
the Upanayana Samskara he becomes a Dvija (twice born); by acquiring
the Vedic lore he becomes a Vipra (an inspired poet); and by realising
Brahman (God) he becomes a Brahmin. The samskaras are a form of spiritual
endeavor (sadhana) - an external discipline for internal spiritual
edification. Thus, the entire life of a Hindu is one grand sacrament.
The Isha Upanishad reveals that the final goal of the samskaras, by
observing the rites and rituals is "to transcend the bondage
of samsara and cross the ocean of death." To this we can add
that after transcending the cycle of births and deaths, the atma attains
Paramatma - the Lord Purushottam.
Although the number of samskaras prescribed by various scriptures
vary, we shall consider the sixteen that are a consensus among scholars:
Pre-natal Samskaras
(1) Garbhadan (Conception)
(2) Pumsavana (Engendering a male issue)
(3) Simantonayana (Hair-parting)
Childhood Samskaras
(4) Jatakarma (Birth rituals)
(5) Namakarana (Name-giving)
(6) Nishkrama (First outing)
(7) Annaprashana (First feeding)
(8) Chudakarma (or Chaul) (Shaving of head)
(9) Karnavedh (Piercing the earlobes)
Educational Samskaras
(10) Vidyarambha (Learning the alphabet)
(11) Upanayana (Sacred thread initiation)
(12) Vedarambha (Beginning Vedic study)
(13) Keshant (Godaan) (Shaving the beard)
(14) Samavartan (End of studentship)
Marriage Samskara
(15) Vivaha (Marriage Ceremony)
Death Samskara
(16) Antyeshti (Death rites).
Pre-natal Samskaras
(1) Garbhadan (Conception)
'Garbha' means womb. 'Dan' means donation. In this the man places
his seed in a woman. The Gruhyasutras and Smrutis advocate special
conditions and observances for this, to ensure healthy and intelligent
progeny. Procreation of children was regarded as necessary for paying
off debts to the forefathers. Another reason for having progeny is
given in the Taittiriya Upanishad. When the student ends his Vedic
studies, he requests permission to leave from his teacher (see Samskara
14). The teacher then blesses him with some advice which he should
imbibe for life. One of the commands is:
"Prajaatantu ma vyavyachchhetseehi..."
(Shikshavalli, Anuvak 11.11)
"Do not terminate one's lineage - let it continue (by having
children)."
(2) Pumsavana
(Engendering a male issue)
Pumsavana and Simantonayana (the third samskara) are only performed
during the woman's first issue. Pumsavana is performed in the third
or fourth month of pregnancy when the moon is in a male constellation,
particularly the Tishya-nakshatra. This symbolises a male child. Therefore
the term pumsavana literally means 'male procreation'. Sushrut, the
ancient rishi of Ayurveda, has described the procedure in his Sushruta
Samhita: "Having pounded milk with any of these herbs - Sulakshmana,
Batasurga, Sahadevi and Vishwadeva - one should instil three or four
drops of juice in the right nostril of the pregnant woman. She should
not spit out the juice."
(3) Simantonayana
(Hair-parting)
In Gujarati this is known as Khodo bharavo. In this, the husband parts
the wife's hair. The religious significance of this samskara is to
bring prosperity to the mother and long life to the unborn child.
It also wards off evil influence. The physiological significance is
interesting and advanced. Sushrut (Sharirsthan, Ch.33) believed that
the foetus's mind formed in the fifth month of pregnancy. Hence the
mother is required to take the utmost care for delivering a healthy
child. Stipulating the details, Sushrut enjoined the pregnant mother
to avoid exertion of all kinds: refrain from sleeping during the day
and keeping awake at night, and also avoid fear, purgatives, phlebotomy
(blood letting by slicing veins) and postponing natural excretions.
(Sharirsthan Ch.21).
Besides samskaras which affect the physical health of the foetus,
ancient scriptures contain examples of learning samskaras imprinted
on it. From the Mahabharat, we know that Arjun's son, Abhimanyu, learnt
the secrets of battle strategy while in his mother's, Subhadra's, womb.
The child-devotee Prahlad of the Shrimad Bhagvatam, learnt about the
glory of Lord Narayan while in his mother's, Kayadhu's, womb. Just
as a foetus can grasp good spiritual samskaras from the external world,
the opposite is also true. It can definitely be affected by certain
undesirable habits of the mother. Today we know that smoking, alcohol,
certain medications and drugs have a detrimental effect on the foetus.
The Varaha Smruti prohibits eating meat during pregnancy. Therefore,
the Smrutis enjoined the husband to take every possible care to preserve
the physical, mental and spiritual health of his pregnant wife. The
Kalavidhan prohibits him from going abroad or to war, from building
a new house and bathing in the sea.
Childhood Samskaras
(4) Jatakarma (Birth rituals)
These rituals are performed at the birth of the child. It is believed
that the moon has a special effect on the newly born. In addition,
the constellation of the planets - nakshatras - also determine the
degree of auspiciousness. If birth occurs during an inauspicious arrangement,
the jatakarmas are performed to ward off their detrimental effects
on the child. The father would also request the Brahmanishtha Satpurush
for blessings.
(5) Namkaran
(Name-giving)
Based on the arrangement of the constellations at birth, the child
is named on a day fixed by caste tradition.
In the Hindu Dharma, the child is frequently named after an avatar,
deity, sacred place or river, saint, etc., as a constant reminder
of the sacred values for which that name represents.
In the Swaminarayan Sampraday, the devotees approach Pramukh Swami
Maharaj or the other senior sadhus to name their children.
(6) Nishkrama
(First outing)
In the third month the child is allowed agni (fire) and chandra (moon)
darshan.
In the fourth month he is taken out of the house for the first time,
by the father or maternal uncle, to the mandir for the Lord's darshan.
(To be continued.)
Sadhu
Mukundcharandas