Kumaragara (कुमारागार)

Kumaragara refers to the infant care room specially designed to take care of a newborn child and mother. The design of this room has been discussed in depth by Ayurveda scholars. The special room for newborn is intended for isolation, protection and monitoring of the growth & development of the child.

Introduction

Newborn children, infants, toddlers were taken care of with lot of care and affection in ancient times. Their physiological needs, vulnerability to environmental harmful factors, health status and wellbeing parameters were well-known to the ancient scholars and they had given a complete guide to fulfill all these necessary things in detail. Therefore Ayurveda has proposed isolation of newborn baby with mother in a separate room where arrangements can be made as per the special health needs of a baby. In this way the baby and mother can be protected from known and unknown harmful factors and gradually the baby can become capable of surviving in the outside environment. Birth of the baby occurs in Sutikagara. The child with mother remains in Sutikagara upto one and the half month post delivery and then the child enter Kumaragara specifically designed to cater the newborn child's needs.

Nishkramana samskara refers to one of the rites of passages of the baby in childhood. This ceremony of samskara is performed in the 4th month post delivery. It is a samskara performed to mark the first exposure of the bay to the outside world. It is at this time when the newborn child is taken out of the house and taken to some other place (to the temple) for the first time in child's life. Till this period the child stays in Kumaragara with the mother.

In todays time we see that neonatal intensive units, special care neonatal units pediatric clinics and pediatric wards are designed in a specific manner and attractive way to make it acceptable by the child and fulfill the child's needs. Thus Kumaragara is an ancient time concept described in Ayurveda for infant care and it can be seen practiced even today in a modified way on the basis of similar logic.

Etymology

The term Kumaragara can be split into 2 parts, Kumara and Agara.

Kumara- The child

Agara- house or the dwelling place.

Thus Kumaragara refers to the house of a child.

Structure and arrangements in the Kumaragara

अतोऽनन्तरं कुमारागारविधिमनुव्याख्यास्यामः- वास्तुविद्याकुशलः प्रशस्तं रम्यमतमस्कं निवातं प्रवातैकदेशं दृढमपगतश्वापदपशुदंष्ट्रिमूषिकपतङ्गं सुविभक्तसलिलोलूखलमूत्रवर्चःस्थानस्नानभूमिमहानसमृतुसुखं यथर्तुशयनासनास्तरणसम्पन्नं कुर्यात्; तथा सुविहितरक्षाविधानबलिमङ्गलहोमप्रायश्चित्तं शुचिवृद्धवैद्यानुरक्तजनसम्पूर्णम्|

इति कुमारागारविधिः||५९||

शयनासनास्तरणप्रावरणानि कुमारस्य मृदुलघुशुचिसुगन्धीनि स्युः; स्वेदमलजन्तुमन्ति मूत्रपुरीषोपसृष्टानि च वर्ज्यानि स्युः; असति सम्भवेऽन्येषां तान्येव च सुप्रक्षालितोपधानानि सुधूपितानि शुद्धशुष्काण्युपयोगं गच्छेयुः||६०|| (Char. Samh. 8.59)

The concept of Kumaradhara

अभियुक्तः सदाचारो नातिस्थूलो न लोलुपः|

कुमारधारः कर्त्तव्यस्तत्राद्यो बालचित्तवित्|

अधार्मिकं दुराचारः स्थूलो विकटगामिनम्|

करोति लोलुपो बालं घस्मरत्वेन रोगिणम्||४४|| (Asht. Samg. utt. 1.44)

Kridabhoomi and Kridanaka

क्रीडाभूमिः समा कार्या निश्शस्त्रोपलशर्करा|

वेल्लोषणकणाम्भोभिः सिक्ता निम्बोदकेन वा|

जातुषं घोषविच्चित्रमत्रांस रमणं बृहत्|

अतीक्ष्णाग्रं गवाश्वादिमङ्गल्यमथ वा फलम्||४७|| (Asht. Samg. Utta. 1.47)