Nishkramana Samskara (निष्क्रमणम्)

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Nishkramana Samskara is one of the Shodasha Samskaras practiced in Sanatama dharma. It signifies new born child's first outdoor visit or first exposure to environment outside home. It is celebrated as a ceremony of socializing the newborn for the first time. It is the time when 1st in his/her life the baby goes to the place outside home thus as a first place to visit, the baby is taken to the temple. God's blessing are invoked by offering prayers to various devatas for the well being of the baby.

Time to perform Nishkramana Samskara

Nishkramana is performed when the child becomes 4 months old. The time described for this in our texts is fourth month which is appropriate as by this time baby develops enough immunity and tolerance to external environment. The presence of a Vaidya (pediatrician) on this occasion provides an opportunity for routine check up and examination of normal milestones development in baby.

Some developmental milestone s of a child at 4th month

By 4th month, child should develop head control to be carried out to the temple.

Reaction to social contact by a smile or laugh and produce sound with pleasure helps in assessment of respective milestones.

By this Samskara, child is exposed to some sort of external environment stimuli, mainly visual and auditory. By this we can also assess the visual and auditory milestones.

By 3-4 months the child turns his head towards the source of sound. In temple, ringing bell helps in observing a pattern of evolving maturity of hearing or checking the development milestone of child hearing.

By 3-4 months the child fixate intently on an object shown to him. ((Shobhit Kumar Int. J. Ayur. Pharma Research, 2017;5(5):78-81)

presence of neck holding, no head lag when pulled to sit, head above the plane of trunk on ventral suspension, hand eye coordination, bidextrous grasp approach to a dangling ring, laughing loud, social smile and recognition of mother.[14] During this Sanskara the baby gets in an unfamiliar environment when his reaction in form of social smile, anxiety, fear, laugh or reaction to sound of bell can be observed. Persistence of primitive reflexes, if any can also be noticed. (Deepshikha Rai. Int. J. Ayur. Pharma Research, 2014; 2(2): 95-100)

Samskara vidhi

Nishkramana Samskara is the ceremony of talking the baby out of the Kumaragar. The baby having bathed adorned and worn new clothes and possessing the Rakshoghna Aushada like Sidharthaka, honey, Ghrita etc., should be bought out. The baby should be made enter in the temple after worshiping the burning fire; Brahman’s, god Vishnu, Skanda and receiving their blessing should reenter their own house. Importance of Nishkramana Samskara (Shobhit Kumar Int. J. Ayur. Pharma Research, 2017;5(5):78-81)

It is the ceremony of invoking God’s blessings to expose the new comer to the outside world and to pray for the well being of the baby. In the fourth month after giving bath, the baby should wear new cloths and ornaments and should be taken to the family temple, i.e. out of the house for the first time[12]. In the temple religious offering should be offered to the god. The baby should be blessed by the priest and elders and should be taken back home. A pediatrician should be present when the baby comes back home. He should bless him and do a thorough routine checkup[13]. (Deepshikha Rai. Int. J. Ayur. Pharma Research, 2014; 2(2): 95-100)

This refers to the ceremony of taking the baby out of Kumaragara. This enables the baby to acclimatize with external environment. It is performed at 4th month (Vagdhata and Kashyapa) by father and mother (Gruhya Sutra).[29] Here the child is first time taken outside usually to a temple with Shankha Nada and chanting of Vedic mantras. The baby is given bath, adorned, wearing clean clothes, possessing mustard, honey and Ghrita or Gorochana, he along with Dhatri (wet nurse) should be taken out of the house and ready to enter the temple. Thereafter worshiping the Agni (burning fire) with Ghrita and Akshata and then after venerating the Brahmana, God Vishnu, Skanda, Matrikas and other family gods with Gandha (fragrances), Pushpa (flowers), Dhupa (fumigations), Mala (garlands) etc. gifts and eatable substances and so many other methods; thereafter reciting the Brahmanas and taking their blessings and saluting the Guru, should re-enter own house; having entered, the physician should recite the mantra for offering prayer.(Arun Raj GR, Shailaja U, Prasanna N Rao. The childhood samskaras (Rites of passage) and its scientific appreciation. Ayurpharm Int J Ayur Alli Sci. 2013;2(12):372-383.)

Relevance and importance

This Samskara is important for observing the developmental milestones. As the child meets many unknown persons its reaction in the form of social smile, laugh, fear, anxiety or curiosity can be observed. By the end of 4th month child develops head control. In temple, the child reacts to sounds of bell by turning the head around. Here lifting of the head with complete head control can be observed. Also the disappearance of grasping reflex (3-4 months), placing reflex (3-4 month), stepping reflex (3-4 months), rooting reflex (3-4 months), tonic neck (2-6 month) and Moro‟s reflex (3-4month). But persistence of these reflexes indicative of cerebral palsy.According to Acharya Kashyapa, the teeth inseminated in fourth month are weak, decay early and are afflicted with many diseases.[30] At fourth month age, following developmental changes appear in infant such as the infant been able to reaching out for objects with both hand (Bidextrous reach), able to rolls over the bed, recognizes the mother and responds to her voice, anticipate the feeds, laugh loudly when talked by someone, responds to sound well, starts cooing, curious and shows interest in surrounding environment, Able to fix eyes on external objects and adaptation to external environment begins.[31] (Arun Raj GR, Shailaja U, Prasanna N Rao. The childhood samskaras (Rites of passage) and its scientific appreciation. Ayurpharm Int J Ayur Alli Sci. 2013;2(12):372-383.)