SAMSKARAS

Classification of samskaras

Originally the samskaras were several. Later they were divided and further classified into manushya samskaras (for human beings who are ruled by the mind) and daivi samskaras (for enlightened beings who have transcended the mind). Out of the original number of forty-eight samskaras, sixteen were chosen for mankind and the wonder of it is that all these sixteen are practised in every home even today.

No tradition could survive that long if it did not have the eternal values suited to all mankind. Bharatavarsha is a land of unity in diversity. Many races, many tribes and powerful civilizations came to this land and found it very congenial to stay here. They mingled and merged to become the present day Indian. A medley of diverse cultures, differing dialects and food habits, varied dress conducts, skin tones ranging from very, very dark to extremely light, hair and eyes of all colours, their roots and ancestries evident. But they are all united in the tradition of initiating a new life into sixteen samskaras. This is unanimously accepted even though they come from diverse cultures. These vedic rites coexist with their own cultural traditions. There is a peaceful and coherent amalgamation of the two.

Garbhadhana – entering the womb

The first samskara is given when life enters the womb and conception takes place. It is known as garbhadana, which strangely enough means 'to enter the womb'. It is the first ceremonial occasion and preliminary purification conducted for the new life or jiva. In a sense it is also to propitiate and at the same time rejoice for the life that is being created. This is a very interesting and unique concept. It is a sort of invitation for a soul of your choice to enter the womb and take birth in this world. This samskara is very crucial for it is here that the destiny of the new life is being made. In scientific parlance you may say his DNA is being codified, and in philosophical language his prarabdha is being determined and defined. What is decided now goes with him throughout his life. His physical, mental, emotional and spiritual attributes take shape here.

In the very first samskara itself you can see how the animalistic instinct of procreation is purified and refined into an act whereby a male and a female unite not for pleasure but to enact a very important tradition of Nature, creation. Their union is performed with discipline in a congenial and pure atmosphere, while both the husband and wife chant specific mantras to invite a soul of their choice to enter the womb.

Through this samskara the sex of the new life can be influenced and also his personality. Whether he should be an intellectual or a warrior, a criminal or a saint, intelligent or idiotic. Whether he will amass wealth and fame as well as bear good and beautiful children. Even life can be prolonged by it. In finest detail many different ways are described to achieve all of this and much more through this first samskara.

Pumsavana – a stir in the womb

The second samskara, pumsavana, is generally performed in the third month when the foetus first moves in the womb. Here again mantras are recited with the belief that the new life listens to them with attention and recollects past lives. Once again the jiva is given a direction and foundation on which his future rests. Here too the parents have an opportunity to choose the kind of progeny they wish to inherit.

Simantonnayana – birth of the mind

The third samskara is simantonnayana, which is performed in the fifth month at the crucial moment when the mental formations of the foetus begin to arrange themselves. This samskara is conducted to emphasize that at this juncture the female bearing the unborn child should be kept in the most pleasant and conducive environment in order to prevent any physical or mental shock to the foetus. It is a time for rejoicing, song, mirth and laughter. Ballads are recited of brave, famous, handsome and dashing heroes as well as of great spiritual luminaries. Epics are narrated and mantras are chanted in order to educate the foetus, because it is believed that learning begins here with the birth of the mind. It is said that if you want your child to remember something for the rest of his life you should sing it to him at this time. It is the time for making a sankalpa for the prosperity of the unborn child.

Jata karma – establishing an identity

After these three prenatal samskaras, the next samskara is given at the time of birth, seconds before the ties are severed from the mother who bore the garbha for nine long months. This is known as jata karma, the precise moment when birth takes place and breath or prana is infused into the new life. This is a very important moment for the child. Prana is vital for life. Until now the foetus had shared the prana of the mother, but at this juncture he receives his own and all his organs swing into action. Medical science too has acknowledged this moment to be critical for the quality of life the new born will enjoy. If there is the slightest delay between the moment when the umbilical chord is cut and the first inhalation, the brain and other vital organs can be irreparably damaged.

It is also a time of extreme emotion for the mother. The extremity of emotion directly influences the awakening of intellect in the newborn. Heightened emotion is conducive to the production and growth of higher intellect. Great importance should be given to this samskara, as the quality of intellect is very vital for the decisions he takes in his life, those decisions which make or break a man. In addition, his creative capacity is also heightened by the extreme emotion the mother experiences during childbirth.

After the cord is cut, the mother sees the child for the first time and repeats mantras into his ear. The position of the planets and constellations at the exact time of birth are also fixed and astrological predictions are made, in order to acquaint his kith and kin about him. He is then swaddled in a piece of unstitched cloth and placed near the mother's breast. Thus begins his grand entry into this world. It is strange but true that most infants cry and wail loudly at this moment. When all around him are rejoicing, the jiva cries in confusion. This ceremony is conducted in front of the sacrificial fire, or agni, who bears witness to the event as well as purifying the mother and child.

Namkarana – the naming ceremony

Namkarana, or the naming ceremony, follows jata karma. This is the first samskara of social significance. Until this moment the child was a private individual not known to any other apart from his parents and immediate relatives. Now his is introduced to society for the first time. Friends and relatives are invited to this ceremony and sumptuous meals are fed to guests and family members. The poor are given alms and the rich gifts. Havans are performed. Sacrificial fires are lit and oblations offered into it to make his journey auspicious and his relationships fruitful. The ceremony is performed on the tenth day after both mother and son have undergone purificatory rites prior to emerging in public. It is the moment of glory for mother and child after long months of labour.

Nishkarmana – introduction to the world

The next samskara, nishkarmana, follows soon after the twelfth day when the child is introduced first to the family deity and then to the different forms of nature. It is his first outing. The air, wind, sun, moon, light, darkness, plants, animals, birds are shown to the child. For the first time he perceives his new destination, the home where he is going to live for the next hundred years. Although barely a few days old and unable to speak, walk or crawl, through the faculty of touch, sight and sound he creates many impressions in his deeper mind, which he does not forget through his life. That first touch, that unique taste, the sounds and the smells that he registers at this time linger with him forever. At this juncture the child receives every kind of protection, as it is a vulnerable time of transition when he is stepping into the future without fully forgetting the past.

Annaprasana – the first morsel

The samskara known as annaprasana follows next. It is the first feed apart from mother's milk that the infant receives. Conducted when he is six months old amidst the chanting of mantras, its object is to propitiate speech. Anna means grain and this first morsel to enter his body is a mixture of well-cooked grains. On swallowing it his digestive fire is kindled and the juices and secretions which aid digestion begin to flow. Soon after he utters his first syllable, “Maa”, which he addresses to his creator and first guru, his mother, she who has borne him for nine long months, nourished him and ushered him safely into the world.

Food is the first gross matter to enter the body of the child. No doubt it strengthens his organs and facilitates his growth. But more than that the effect of the food he consumes is transferred to the subtle realms of the mind, emotions and spirit as well. It is a well known fact that the food you eat has a direct and immediate bearing on your thoughts, actions, emotions and responses.

As explained in yoga, the annamaya kosha is the first covering or sheath of the physical body. It is made up of the food we eat and intimately connected to the other four koshas known as pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya and anandamaya. Any influence on annamaya kosha is immediately transferred to the other four koshas that constitute the vital energy or prana, the mental patterns or mind, the intellect, or vijnana, and pure bliss, or anandamaya.

During the course of life we accumulate a lot of dross in the annamaya kosha on account of faulty food intake. But the annamaya kosha of a newborn infant is pure and any wrong food input would send shock waves through all the five koshas.

Annaprasana is a way of gradually adapting his system to all kinds of food that he will be required to eat later on in life. It is wonderful to note that even the everyday act of eating was introduced to the child as an initiation. This impresses on him the importance of eating the right food that can stimulate his vital energy, as well as be assimilated by all the koshas.

Chudakarana – shaving of the head

The samskara of chudakarana is conducted at the end of the first year. It is a simple ceremony in which the head of the infant is shaved, leaving a small tuft at the top back portion of the head where a vital energy centre know as bindu is located. The main purpose of this samskara is to induce longevity in the infant. Hair and nails are toxic emissions of the body. They contain the impurities that the body has expelled. Thus removing them adds strength, vitality, vigour and longevity to his body. This can be repeated many times in the life of the child to induce the same results. This is a good practice to adopt for good health and long life. Although the prescribed age for chudakarana is one year, it can also be conducted any time between the first and seventh year. Many even combine it with the next samskara known as upanayana, which is performed in the seventh year.