Mantras are recited, and food is offered to the Gods. It is also believed that the digestive system becomes active during this period due to the growth of teeth therefore, the child’s stomach is ready to receive solid food.ĭuring the Annaprashana ceremony, the child is given food made from ghee (clarified butter) or mixed with yogurt and honey. It is believed that the child has acquired infection in its stomach during its gestation through its mother’s womb. Annaprasana SanskarĪnnaprashana ritual is performed at 6 or 7 months after the child is born. The father of the child asks that the blessings of these five substances be granted to his son for his health and well-being. Because according to Hindu beliefs, man is composed of ether, air, fire, water, and earth. Nishkraman usually takes place in the fourth month of a child’s life when their sensory organs have fully developed so that the child can cope with the natural environment, heat, and air. This ritual is believed to aid in good health and long life. This ceremony takes place on an auspicious day, especially when both parents attend a pilgrimage. Nishkraman means to take the child out of the house. Gifts are exchanged, and the child is given a new name. Then the child’s head is placed towards the North and the feet towards the South. Then the prayer is made to the Sun, where the child is asked to be as bright as the Sun. Naamkaran consists of giving honey and ghee to the child while whispering wise words in his ear. In some regions, this ceremony is done 101 days after birth, and in other places, one year after the child is born. It is usually done on the tenth day of birth. This ceremony gives the baby the new name, bless it, and wish it a long life of fame and glory. By cutting the umbilical cord, the father performs a Yagya (ceremony with the presence of fire), whispers 9 mantras in one of the child’s ears, and asks for his fame, energy, knowledge, health, and wealth, and long life after this begins the ritual of the mother feeding her baby at her breast, praising the Gods and Goddesses. The father welcomes and blesses the newborn child and feeds it with a little butter and honey. This ritual is carried out when the baby is born but before the umbilical cord is cut to ask for his health, wealth, fame, energy, knowledge, and long life. This is the propitious moment to discuss with the mother the good actions to keep her happy and that these noble thoughts impact the unborn child. It is a ceremony performed in the fourth month of the woman’s pregnancy, and the husband combs his wife’s hair and expresses to her that he will not abandon her. This ritual is to purify the mother’s womb, raise her morale and help her only to have good and pure thoughts since it will be the child that comes in the womb who will absorb all these thoughts. It is believed that the parents’ mind has a great influence on the characteristics of the fetus, which is why this ritual is carried out since, according to the scriptures, this ritual makes the child develop physically and mentally strong. The importance of Pumsavan Sanskar lies in the belief that in this period, apart from beginning to develop the limbs and the brain of the baby, their mental traits also begin to develop. If this is the first pregnancy, then it can occur in the fourth month. It is performed in the third month of pregnancy. It is designed to ensure the birth of a boy. This ritual aims to procreate a male child and ensure that he is born healthy, beautiful, and intelligent, ensuring that the entire pregnancy period is normal and without the presence of problems. If fertilization occurs during the third phase of the night, for example, between 1200 am and 300 am, the born child will be a devotee of God and an upright and honest person. The act of first intercourse or fertilization is known as a niche.Īccording to the ritual, if the wife wishes to procreate a child with the ideal characteristics, as brave as Abhimanyu, as devout as Dhruva, as spiritual as King Janaka, or as generous as Karna, she should take a bath on the 4th day after the menstrual period to be chaste, then she must pay her respects to her elders and gurus and later join her husband at an auspicious hour. This first sanskara is performed immediately after each marriage and is part of Garbh Sanskar. This ritual is carried out between a married couple to procreate a healthy, prosperous, and cultured child. Samskara Garbhaadaan or Fertilization Ritual Each of these sanskaras, also known as shodasha samskaras, is briefly explained below.