Annaprashana (अन्नप्राशनम्)

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Annam means cooked rice and prāśanam is feeding. The child is to be fed rice –

जन्मनोऽपि षष्ठे मासि ब्राह्मणान् भोजयित्वा आशिषो वाचयित्वा दधिमधुघृतम् ओदनम् इति संसृज्य अवदाय उत्तरैः मन्त्रैः कुमारं प्राशयेत्। आपस्तम्बगृह्यसूत्रम् १६.१॥

janmano'pi ṣaṣṭhe māsi brāhmaṇān bhojayitvā āśiṣo vācayitvā dadhimadhughṛtam odanam iti saṃsṛjya avadāya uttaraiḥ mantraiḥ kumāraṃ prāśayet। Āpastambagṛhyasūtram 16.1॥

Annaprashana as directed in Ayurveda

Annaprashana Samskara is described in detail in Kashyapa Samhita, an authoritative text on pediatrics in Ayurveda written by Acharya Kashyapa. Acharya Kashyapa has advised to perform the ceremony of Annaprashana in the 6th or 10th month of age While acharya Sushruta and Vagbhata have advised this ceremony in the 6th month of age only. Acharya Kashyapa has stated that at the 6th month of age when the child hasn't developed teeth, only the fruits or fruit juices (liquids) need to be introduced and slowly when in the10th month of age child develops teeth soft solids like rice are to be introduced to the child. This samskara is usually celebrated as a ceremony and an detailed account on it has been given by Acharya Kashyapa.

Samskara vidhi or ceremony

The samskara has been described in brief below,

• On an auspicious day in the 6th month is to be selected for Phalaprashana and an auspicious day like the one having Prajapatya constellation is to be selected for Annaprashana of a child.
• On that day, a well ventilated spacious place in a house is to be cleaned thoroughly, sacred symbols like swastik should be painted on a square made for keeping Annaprashana related food items. Over that pitchers filled with water and decorated with flower garlands along with various food items like milk, ghee, honey, curd, cereals, fruits/fruit juices should be kept in attractive containers or pots. For phalaprashana liquids should be selected and kept while for annaprashana various soft solid foods like rice, non-vegetarian foods as per the culture & tradition, sweets and other delicious cuisines should be prepared and kept in attractive decorated jars and pots.
• The place should be well decorated and made attractive by using flowers, garlands and attractive toys.
• Prayers to be offered to Devata and brahmanas performing samskara.
• Then at first respects are paid to Prthvi i.e. land or soil on which the child sits and which holds the entire universe at place. (Arghyadaana)
• The child whos Phalaprashana or annaprashana samskara is to be performed should then be brought to that place after giving bath, wearing new cloths and ornaments.
• During Phalaprashana the child is made to sit in formt of the liquids and the one he touches first is then offered to him in very little introducing quantity i. e. 3 to 5 times in a quantity that would stay on his/her thumb of hand. Once done he is permitted to play with the toys and mingle with other children.
• For Annaprashana, whatever food items are prepared for the samskara are first offered to Agni devata (ignited fire) in a puja chanting following mantra praising Anna or ahara and its importance to mankind. In this way first the respects are paid to Anna or ahara and only then it is offered to the child.

यथा सुराणाममृतं नागेन्द्राणां यथा सुधा ।

तथाऽन्न प्राणिनां प्राणा अन्नं चाहुः प्रज।पतिम् ॥१६॥

त लिन लोकाश्चैव यथा ह्यमी !

जुद्यमि तस्मात्छय्यन्नमग्नेऽमृतसुखोपगम् ॥ १७॥

प्रजापतिरवमन्यतां साहा । (Kash. Samh. 12.16-17)

• The child is made to sit facing west while a vaidya is advised to be present in front of him/her facing.
• The food remnant from the sacred offerings to Agni is then taken in a bowl, mashed and made even more soft and then it is fed to the child 3 to 5 times. The quantity of the food should be such that it can stay (be accomodated) on his/her thumb of hand i.e. very little to begin with.
• Once the solids are introduced to the child Acharya Kashyapa advises that he can be fed these foods every 2nd or 3rd time of feed as the child demands till he becomes 1 year old. Later after 1 year of age foods can be given more frequently.

Types of foods to be fed to child as per prakrti and their properties

In the sixth month, when days are counted from the day of birth, i.e. after one hundred and fifty days, the sixth Saṃskāra called Annaprāśanam has to be performed. Having fed Brāhmaṇas and received benedictions from them, the son should be made to taste rice mixed with curd, honey and ghee (clarified butter), while the four Mantras, starting with "bhūrāpam" are being recited.

This is the act of introduction of the solid food material for the first time. It is performed at 10th month (Kashyapa), 6th month (Susruta and Vagbhata) or 5th/6th month (Gruhya sutras).[32] According to Kashyapa, on the day of ceremony in Prajapatya Nakshatra, cooked food is kept in between the square place prepared by besmearing the cow dung. The sign of swastika is made on that. A picture filled with water is also placed there. Physician is the performer of the ceremony. After offering the food to the Agni the remaining part of the food is offered to child for 3 or 5 times.[33][34]

As teeth erupt in 6th month, introduction of solid food in 10th month is more justified. Scientifically right time for solid food as GIT is ready in terms of its enzymatic activity.Starting solid food before this time leads to fat accumulation which may be problematic afterwards. Prolonged breast feeding may lead to calcium deficiency disorders like rickets, scurvy etc. As growing child attains different milestones, its range of activities also increases and it needs more and more food substances. Only breast milk and even the other liquid food in the form of dal water and fruits may be insufficient to fulfil day to day needs of the baby. Rich carbohydrate, fatty & proteinaceous food in solid form can only.fulfil the need. Fruit juices should be given to the child from sixth month which are source of vitamins especially vitamin C. First meal offer to infant would be easily digested, light and soft as advised by Acharya Kashyapa. At age of 6 month, breast milk now not enough to fulfil the requirement of growing child. So, it is the accurate time to introduction of supplementary feeding as Phalprashana. Breast milk is deficient in iron, vitamin A, D, K and calcium, so by offering Phalprashana and Annprashana ceremony at this time with breast milk, we can reduce the deficiency of related essential vitamins. We can examine the six month infant which has following milestone (6): Starts sitting with own support (Sits in tripod fashion), Unidextrous reach, recognizes strangers or develops stranger anxiety, pronounce monosyllables (pa, ba, da etc.), lift the head and chest off the surface with weight bearing on hands, may roll from prone to supine, able to bear most of the weight on legs when holding the child in standing position. Similarly tenth month corresponding milestones may also examine e.g. bisyllables, standing with support, sitting without support, waves bye-bye etc. Primary teeth also start erupted e.g. central incisors (5-7 month), Lateral incisors (7-11 month, First molars (10-16 month). (Ayurpharm Int J Ayur Alli Sci., Vol.2, No.12 (2013) Pages 372 - 383)

Phalprashana and Annaprashana Samskara (Int. J. Ayur. Pharma Research, 2017;5(5):78-81)

Phalprashana

Acharya Kashyapa said that child should be given fruit juices from the age of 6 months. Annaprashana Age of child Acharya Kashyapa: 10th month Acharya Susruta: 6th month Dharma Sindhu Sara: between 6-12 months, depending on availability of milk. For male child, in even months and for female, child in odd months.

Annaprashana should be done on an auspicious day. After igniting fire, a delicious diet comprising of cereals and drinks made from meat of Laavaka, Kapinjala etc., should be first offered as oblation to the fire along with chanting of mantras. After oblation, the remaining food made soft by mashing is given to child 3 or 5 times in a quantity equal to that of a thumb (Angustha Matra). Importance of Annaprashana Samskara

 Fruit juices provide vitamin c and other nutrients to child.

 By this time the child digestive system get ready to digest complex food substances.

 According to modern science also, Milk fulfils all the requirement of the child up to the age of 6 months. Weaning food is needed after 6 months of age for fulfilling nutritional requirements of child. A child who receives solid food late suffers from a number of aliments deficiency diseases.

 Teeth eruption also starts in child by this time.

षष्ठे मासि पुखयाहेऽभ्यच्यं देवतां; द्विजां च मोज-

नेन सन्तप्ये दक्िणाभिः स्वस्ति वाच्य च; गृहमध्ये वा-

सुमध्ये वा शुचौ देशे गोमयेनाद्धिश्च चतुहस्तमात्र

स्थरिडलमुपलिप्य मण्डलं चतुरस्रं वा एह् रस्यदुबणः

रजतताम्रकास्यशीसायसानि मणयो युक्तप्रवाला(दयः)

सर्वे, सर्वाणि धान्यानि ब्रीहयः सवेसतालेष्टक(?) सीर

दधिघृतमधुगोमयगोमूत्रकार्पासादीनि, बालक्रीडन-

कानि पिष्टमयानि, तद्यथा--गोगजोष्टाश्धगदेभमदहिषमेष

च्छागमृगवरहवानररुरशरभसिंहव्याघ्रकपितरकुव-

ककू्मेमीनशुकसारिकाकोकिलकलविङ्कचक्रवाकषंसक्रौ

च्चसारसमयूरक्रकरचकोरकपिञ्चलचरणायुधवतंकाकारा-

णि, शेलकमगरह(क)रथकयानकस्यन्दनकशद्चिकाज ञमि

प्किसैरिकेशीकातम्बीकादुष्पवाहकमभद्रकसं चोल्लकपी

टप ` ` `` "` "न्दिकादुितकाकुमारकगोलगन्दुकादीन्य-

न्यानि च खीकोतुकानीतिः भिषक् तस्य मण्डलं सन्नि-

धाय वसुधाये अध्यं दच्ाऽनेन मन्त्रेण-॥ & ॥

स्वमग्रजा खं प्रभवाऽव्यया च

लोकस्य धात्री सचराचरस्य ।

त्वमीजञ्यसे त्वं यजसे मही

मात्रेऽव नः ( पा › हि कुमारमेनम् । ७ ॥

तं ब्रह्मा अनमन्यतां स्वाहा । (Kashyapa Samhita Khilsthanam Adhyaya 12 Sutra 7)