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'''Number of Samskaras'''  

'''Number of Samskaras'''  

There is difference of opinion as to the number of Samskaras. Gautama in his Smṛti (Dharmaśāstram) enumerated forty Samskaras, including five Mahayajnas, seven Pākayajñas, seven Haviryajñas and seven Somayāgas. Finally, it is decided in Samskaradipika that the following sixteen Samskaras are essential:<blockquote>आधानपुंसवनसीमन्तजातनामान्नचोलकाः। मौञ्जीव्रतानि गोदानसमावर्तनविवाहकाः॥</blockquote><blockquote>ādhānapuṃsavanasīmantajātanāmānnacolakāḥ।mauñjīvratāni godānasamāvartanavivāhakāḥ॥</blockquote><blockquote>अन्त्यं चैतानि कर्माणि प्रोच्यन्ते षोडशैव तु। antyaṃ caitāni karmāṇi procyante ṣoḍaśaiva tu ।</blockquote>They are  

There is difference of opinion as to the number of Samskaras. Gautama in his Smṛti (Dharmaśāstram) enumerated forty Samskaras, including five Mahayajnas, seven Pākayajñas, seven Haviryajñas and seven Somayāgas. Finally, it is decided in Samskaradipika that the following sixteen Samskaras are essential:<blockquote>आधानपुंसवनसीमन्तजातनामान्नचोलकाः। मौञ्जीव्रतानि गोदानसमावर्तनविवाहकाः॥ ādhānapuṃsavanasīmantajātanāmānnacolakāḥ।mauñjīvratāni godānasamāvartanavivāhakāḥ॥  

 

अन्त्यं चैतानि कर्माणि प्रोच्यन्ते षोडशैव तु। antyaṃ caitāni karmāṇi procyante ṣoḍaśaiva tu ।</blockquote>They are  

# [[Garbhadhanam (गर्भाधानम्)|गर्भाधानम् ॥ Garbhadhanam]]  

# [[Garbhadhanam (गर्भाधानम्)|गर्भाधानम् ॥ Garbhadhanam]]  

# [[Pumsavana (पुंसवनम्)|पुंसवनम् ॥ Pumsavana]]

# [[Pumsavana (पुंसवनम्)|पुंसवनम् ॥ Pumsavana]]

# [[Antyesti (अन्त्येष्टिः)|अन्त्येष्टिः॥ Antyesti]]

# [[Antyesti (अन्त्येष्टिः)|अन्त्येष्टिः॥ Antyesti]]

It should be noted that the three Samskaras, viz. Garbhadhanam, Puṃsavanam and Simantonnayanam, have to be performed before the birth of the child. Since they are for Garbhashuddhi (cleansing of the womb and embryo), they need not be repeated.

It should be noted that the three Samskaras, viz. Garbhadhanam, Puṃsavanam and Simantonnayanam, have to be performed before the birth of the child. Since they are for Garbhashuddhi (cleansing of the womb and embryo), they need not be repeated.

== The Purpose of Shodasha Samskarakarmas ==

== The Purpose of Shodasha Samskarakarmas ==

The very purpose of each Samskara is explained in the following verses:<blockquote>निषेकात् बौजिकं चैनः गार्भिकं चापमृज्यते। क्षेत्रसंस्कारसिद्धिश्च गर्भाधानफलं तथा॥</blockquote><blockquote>गर्भे भवेच्च पुंसूतेः पुंस्त्वस्य प्रतिपादनम्। निषेकफलवत् ज्ञेयं फलं सीमन्तकर्मणः॥</blockquote><blockquote>गर्भाम्बुपानजो दोषः जातात्सर्वोऽपि नश्यति। आयुर्वर्चोऽभिवृद्धिश्च सिद्धिर्व्यवहृतिस्तथा॥</blockquote><blockquote>नामकर्मफलं त्वेतत् समुद्दिष्टं मनीषिभिः। अन्नाशनान्मातृगर्भमलाशादपि शुद्ध्यति॥</blockquote><blockquote>बलायुर्वर्चोवृद्धिश्च चूडाकर्मफलं स्मृतम्। उपनीतेः फलं त्वेतत् द्विजतासिद्धिपूर्विका॥</blockquote><blockquote>वेदाधीत्यधिकारस्य सिद्धिरृषिभिरीरिता। देवपित्रर्णापगमः विवाहस्य फलं स्मृतम्॥</blockquote><blockquote>niṣekāt baujikacainaḥ gārbhikaṃ cāpamṛjyate। kṣetrasaṃskārasiddhiśca garbhādhānaphalaṃ tathā॥</blockquote><blockquote>garbhe bhavecca puṃsūteḥ puṃstvasya pratipādanam। niṣekaphalavat jñeyaṃ phalaṃ sīmantakarmaṇaḥ॥</blockquote><blockquote>garbhāmbupānajo doṣaḥ jātātsarvo'pi naśyati। āyurvarco'bhivṛddhiśca siddhirvyavahṛtistathā॥</blockquote><blockquote>nāmakarmaphalaṃ tvetat samuddiṣṭaṃ manīṣibhiḥ। annāśanānmātṛgarbhamalāśādapi śuddhyati॥</blockquote><blockquote>balāyurvarcovṛddhiśca cūḍākarmaphalaṃ smṛtam। upanīteḥ phalaṃ tvetat dvijatāsiddhipūrvikā॥</blockquote><blockquote>vedādhītyadhikārasya siddhirṛṣibhirīritā। devapitrarṇāpagamaḥ vivāhasya phalaṃ smṛtam॥</blockquote>Meaning : Niṣeka and Garbhadhana (both mean the same – the first physical union of wife and husband) would remove the impurities related to sperm, blood and cleanses the womb. Puṃsavanam is for having a male child. Simanta (parting) is as good as Garbhadhanam. Jatakarma (the rite performed to a son just born) kills the bad affects born out of consumption of the water of the womb by the child.

The very purpose of each Samskara is explained in the following verses:<blockquote>निषेकात् बौजिकं चैनः गार्भिकं चापमृज्यते। क्षेत्रसंस्कारसिद्धिश्च गर्भाधानफलं तथा॥  

 

गर्भे भवेच्च पुंसूतेः पुंस्त्वस्य प्रतिपादनम्। निषेकफलवत् ज्ञेयं फलं सीमन्तकर्मणः॥  

 

गर्भाम्बुपानजो दोषः जातात्सर्वोऽपि नश्यति। आयुर्वर्चोऽभिवृद्धिश्च सिद्धिर्व्यवहृतिस्तथा॥  

 

नामकर्मफलं त्वेतत् समुद्दिष्टं मनीषिभिः। अन्नाशनान्मातृगर्भमलाशादपि शुद्ध्यति॥  

 

बलायुर्वर्चोवृद्धिश्च चूडाकर्मफलं स्मृतम्। उपनीतेः फलं त्वेतत् द्विजतासिद्धिपूर्विका॥  

 

वेदाधीत्यधिकारस्य सिद्धिरृषिभिरीरिता। देवपित्रर्णापगमः विवाहस्य फलं स्मृतम्॥

Namakarma (naming a child) is for increased longevity and brightness and to pronounce name during rites as well as mundane day to day transactions. Annaprāśana (feeding rice for the first time) purifies the child from the defects of eating the bad material while in the womb. Chudakarma (cutting of hair on the head for the first time) is meant for increased strength, longevity and brightness. Upanayanam is for attaining Dvijatva (second birth) that is essential to get eligibility to learn Veda and perform different rites. The four Vedavratas, viz. Agneya, Saumya, Vaisvadeva and Prajapatya are performed before the beginning of the learning of Veda for injecting more power into the Veda that is learnt. Vivaha (marriage) is for paying back the debt of deities and father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Namakarma (naming a child) is for increased longevity and brightness and to pronounce name during rites as well as mundane day to day transactions. Annaprāśana (feeding rice for the first time) purifies the child from the defects of eating the bad material while in the womb. Chudakarma (cutting of hair on the head for the first time) is meant for increased strength, longevity and brightness. Upanayanam is for attaining Dvijatva (second birth) that is essential to get eligibility to learn Veda and perform different rites. The four Vedavratas, viz. Agneya, Saumya, Vaisvadeva and Prajapatya are performed before the beginning of the learning of Veda for injecting more power into the Veda that is learnt. Vivaha (marriage) is for paying back the debt of deities and pitrs.

== Eligibility ==

== Eligibility ==

== संस्कारफलम् || Effect of Samskaras ==

== संस्कारफलम् || Effect of Samskaras ==

The Bhagavata Purana (Skandha 7, Adhyaya 15) mentions that a dvija (ie. brahmana, kshatriya and vaishya) who is consecrated with the 16 purificatory rites from garbhadana to the funeral rites, offers all his activities as an offering into his five cognitive senses kindled by the light of spiritual wisdom. He offers (ie. merges) the senses into the mind or the thinking faculty full of thoughts, the mind born of Vaikarika (sattvika) ahamkara into the Speech; the speech into the body of articulate sounds (which go to form Speech), and that collection of sounds into Pranava Om; he should merge that into Bindu, the Bindu into Nada, the Nada into Prana (vital breath) and Prana in the Supreme (Brahman).<ref>Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare, The Bhagavata Purana (Part III), Ancient Indian Tradition & Mythology (Volume 9), Edited by J.L.Shastri, New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, P.no.[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.150116/page/n115/mode/2up 985-996].</ref><blockquote>निषेकादिश्मशानान्तैः संस्कारैः संस्कृतो द्विजः | इन्द्रियेषु क्रियायज्ञान्ज्ञानदीपेषु जुह्वति ||५२||</blockquote><blockquote>इन्द्रियाणि मनस्यूर्मौ वाचि वैकारिकं मनः | वाचं वर्णसमाम्नाये तमोङ्कारे स्वरे न्यसेत् ||५३|| ॐकारं बिन्दौ नादे तं तं तु प्राणे महत्यमुम् | <ref>Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 7, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%AD/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A7%E0%A5%AB Adhyaya 15].</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''niṣēkādiśmaśānāntaiḥ saṁskāraiḥ saṁskr̥tō dvijaḥ | indriyēṣu kriyāyajñānjñānadīpēṣu juhvati ||52||''</blockquote><blockquote>''indriyāṇi manasyūrmau vāci vaikārikaṁ manaḥ | vācaṁ varṇasamāmnāyē tamōṅkārē svarē nyasēt ||53|| oṁkāraṁ bindau nādē taṁ taṁ tu prāṇē mahatyamum |''</blockquote>

The Bhagavata Purana (Skandha 7, Adhyaya 15) mentions that a dvija (ie. brahmana, kshatriya and vaishya) who is consecrated with the 16 purificatory rites from garbhadana to the funeral rites, offers all his activities as an offering into his five cognitive senses kindled by the light of spiritual wisdom. He offers (ie. merges) the senses into the mind or the thinking faculty full of thoughts, the mind born of Vaikarika (sattvika) ahamkara into the Speech; the speech into the body of articulate sounds (which go to form Speech), and that collection of sounds into Pranava Om; he should merge that into Bindu, the Bindu into Nada, the Nada into Prana (vital breath) and Prana in the Supreme (Brahman).<ref>Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare, The Bhagavata Purana (Part III), Ancient Indian Tradition & Mythology (Volume 9), Edited by J.L.Shastri, New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, P.no.[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.150116/page/n115/mode/2up 985-996].</ref><blockquote>निषेकादिश्मशानान्तैः संस्कारैः संस्कृतो द्विजः | इन्द्रियेषु क्रियायज्ञान्ज्ञानदीपेषु जुह्वति ||५२||  

 

इन्द्रियाणि मनस्यूर्मौ वाचि वैकारिकं मनः | वाचं वर्णसमाम्नाये तमोङ्कारे स्वरे न्यसेत् ||५३|| ॐकारं बिन्दौ नादे तं तं तु प्राणे महत्यमुम् | <ref>Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 7, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%AD/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A7%E0%A5%AB Adhyaya 15].</ref>

 

''niṣēkādiśmaśānāntaiḥ saṁskāraiḥ saṁskr̥tō dvijaḥ | indriyēṣu kriyāyajñānjñānadīpēṣu juhvati ||52||''

== References ==

== References ==

[[Category:Samskaras]]

[[Category:Samskaras]]

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