Upaveshana Samskara (उपवेशन संस्कारः)

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This is the ceremony of making a normal baby to sit with support. It is performed at 5th month (Ashtanga Sangraha) or 6th month (Kashyapa). Daily the child is trained to sit for a while and thus by 12 months of age, he shall be able to sit without support. This is a method of giving stimulus for the ability to sit in a normally growing child. It also assess the different milestones such as rolling over, sitting with support, sitting without support, crawling, creeping etc. (.Arun Raj GR1*, Shailaja U2, Prasanna N Rao. Ayurpharm Int J Ayur Alli Sci., Vol.2, No.12 (2013) Pages 372 - 383)

It is a ceremony of making the baby sit without support in a proposed manner to ensure the activity, growth and development of baby. Age of child Acharya Vagbhata: 5th month. Acharya Kashyapa: 6th month. Duration of sitting: 1 Muhurata (not more than 48 minutes). Preparation of baby The baby should be bathed, adorned and dressed in intact clothes. The ceremony should be done, after worshiping of god and satisfying the Brahmins by diets and donation. The site of sitting has to be smeared with cow dung and toys should be placed hereby. The baby should be made to sit for a Muhurata at a time facing eastwards in the middle of the site. After this, child should be lifted up carefully. The whole process has to be repeated daily. One has to take care that child should not made to sit for long duration as it can result in weakness of hip, tiredness, fever, retention of feces, urine and flatus etc. Importance of Upaveshana Samskara

 Upaveshana Samskara explains accurate timing for sitting of child. Sitting in early age can leads to complications like vitiation of Vata Dosha, fever, pain and arrest in further growth.

 According to modern science also, child should start sitting in tripod position by this age. So it helps in assessment of gross motor milestone of child. By this age child should developed unidextrous reach for a toy or object.

 Introduction to toys in this ceremony provides visual, auditory and sensory stimulation to child, so finally helps in better growth and developments. Toys introduction to child also provides psychological satisfaction to child. (Shobhit Kumar. A Critical Appraisal on Various Samskara’s with their Scientific and Medical Importance in Pediatric Age Group. International Journal of Ayurveda and Pharma Research. 2017;5(5):78-81.)