🔘 Samskara In Children

Samsakara

The important cultural events in an individual’s life from birth to death are grouped under the term ‘samskaaras’. 

The  number of samskaaras varies in different communities. 

The customary samskaaras are 16 in number which were put forward by Maharshi Dayananda.

All the samskaaras are not medically important; rather they posses much of a socio-cultural dimension. 

Only the medically important ones are dealt by the ancient medical scholars.

💫 NAAMAKARANA SAMSKAARA

(Naming Ceremony) :

👉🏻 Time of Naamakarana -

According to Ashtanga samgraha naamakarana can be done either on the 10th or 12th day. Kasyapasamhita and Ashtanga Hridayam mentions 10th day as appropriate for naamakarana. 

👉🏻 Preparation of the baby -

Mother and the baby having taken bath in water mixed with aromatic drugs, wearing light and clean cloth and ornaments should worship deity and receive blessings from braahmanas. 

Then the baby is made to sit over a pad of clothes with the head towards east or north.

There after, the father of the baby should utter that the child is offering salutation to the diety and braahmanas. 

Having said so, the child should be given two names.

👉🏻 Characters of names -

Out of the two names, one is based on the constellation present at the time of birth and the other should be a popular name for day to day use. The popular name should begin with ‘ghosha’ alphabets and end with ‘antastha’ alphabets.

There should not be a letter with vridddhi or parvam. 

The name should not be newly established. It should be similar to that of the preceding generation. 

The name should be denotable with baby’s star or devotee.

💫 NISHKRAAMANA SAMSKAARA

(Outing Ceremony) :

It is the ceremony of taking the baby out of the Kumaaraagaara. 

This samskara enables the baby to acclimatize with the external environment.

👉🏻 Time of Nishkraamana -

Kasyapa and Vagbhata considers 4th month as the appropriate time for niskraamana karma.

👉🏻 Preparation of baby -

The baby having bathed, adorned and worn new clothes and possessing the rakshoghna oushadhas like siddhaartaka, madhu, ghrita and gorochana on his body, should be brought out.

👉🏻 Nishkraamana vidhi -

The baby along with the mother should be taken out of the Kumaaraagaara and made to enter the temple. 

After worshiping the burning fire, braahmana, God Vishnu, skanda and receiving their blessing should re-enter their own house. 

Having entered, the physicians should chant mantras for offering prayer.

It is for the first time during Nishkraamanakarma that the child is exposed to some sort of ‘external environmental’ stimuli, mainly visual and auditory. This karma helps the physician to confirm the proper functioning of the sense organs especially the eye and the ear.

According to modern view, macular fixation and pupillary adjustment is attained during the same 4th month. 

During the early weeks eye movement and coordination may not be perfect. 

However, proper coordination should be achieved by 3-6 months.

💫 UPAVESANAM SAMSKAARA

(Sitting Ceremony) :

Upavesana is a ceremony of making the baby sit without support in a proposed manner to ensure the activity, growth and development of the baby.

👉🏻 Time of Upavesana -

Kasyapasamhita says upavesana at the age of 6th month. 

Ashtanga Samgraha mentions the same at 5th month.

👉🏻 Preparation of child -

The baby should be bathed, adorned and dressed in intact cloths. 

Before the ceremony, worshiping of gods and satisfying the beaahmanas by diets and donations has to be performed.

The site where baby is to be seated has to be smeared with cowdung. 

Toys used by the baby are to be placed nearby.

The baby should be made to sit for a muhurta(48 min.) at a time facing eastwards in the middle of site. 

After completion of a muhurta, the child should be carefully lifted up. 

The whole procedure has to be repeated everyday.

👉🏻 Precautions -

The duration of sitting should not be too long.

The child should always be assisted and never left alone.

This need not be performed while the baby is ill.

👉🏻 Complications of prolonged sitting -

Fixing

Weakness of hip

Hunch back

Tiredness

Fever

Retention of feces,urine and flatus develop due to sitting for longer duration.

👉🏻 Complications of early sitting -

If the baby is made to sit prior to the prescribed age, vitiation of vaata occurs which leads to fever, pain, hardness of body parts and even arrest of further growth and development.

 

TO BE CONTINUED....