Sanskars
From naming to first letters: a child's sanskars, the tradition and a simple method.
9 pages
Annaprashan: the baby's first bite
Annaprashan is the samskara in which a baby is first given a taste of grain. The Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi gives the 6th or 8th month for a boy and...
Jatakarma: a newborn's first samskara
Jatakarma is the samskara performed at a child's birth: the father's blessing, prayer, and the first feed in the mother's arms. In the old r...
Karnavedh: the ear-piercing samskara
In karnavedh a child's ears are pierced. The Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi gives the 6th to 8th month, or an odd year. In many communities it is done fo...
Mundan: a child's first haircut
In mundan (chūḍākarma) a child's birth hair is shaved for the first time. The Manusmṛti gives the first or third year, many families also us...
Naamkaran: the day a baby receives its name
Naamkaran is a baby's first big samskara, when the family gathers to give the child a name. Tradition holds it on the 11th or 12th day after...
Nishkraman: the baby's first outing
Nishkraman is the samskara in which a baby is taken out of the house for the first time to see the sun and the sky. The Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi gi...
Upanayan: the first step towards learning
Upanayan is the samskara in which a child takes the first step on the path of learning and discipline under a guru, and puts on the sacred t...
Vidyarambh: the joy of the first letter
In vidyarambh a child writes letters for the first time. The Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi gives the 5th year and uttarāyaṇa, and tradition's best-loved...
Vivah: one samskara, two families
The wedding is the greatest celebration among the sixteen samskaras. The Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi's Vivāha-prakaraṇa gives its months, nakshatras,...