By pandita Dr Indrani rampersad
(Vedic/Hindu pandita, Fellow in Advanced Studies, Hindu University of America, Journalist and Women’s Activist.
Email:[email protected]
The naming ritual (namkarana samskara) of a Hindu child bonds the child to the parents, community, and cosmos. The parents prepare to receive a child and meet the child’s material and spiritual needs. Ideally, this happens within a community-recognized family structure.
While there are deviations in today’s world, the essence of the naming ritual remains alive. It reinforces the Hindu worldview that connects child, parent, community and cosmos, generating a strong sense of duty, focus, and meaningfulness in life.
During their marriage samskara, the couple would have been told of their duty to bring forth and rear children who are nation-builders. They would have recited mantras entreating them to see themselves as twin forces in the sustenance of society and the universe. Hindu marriage is a sacrament and not a contract, and this sentiment still holds, even if divorces are now a viable option in failed marriages.
Sixteen major samskaras focus on shaping the child’s psychological, spiritual and material being. In our part of the diaspora, we perform the rites and rituals mainly found in North Indian folk cultures. It’s a community celebration when a baby is born, and this event is marked by several rites and rituals conducted over many days, and accompanied by folk songs and dancing.
The namkarana samskara, or naming ceremony, is performed on the 11th day after the child is born, on the 101st day, or on the first birthday of the child. This may vary according to different sampradayas (spiritual lineages) within the Hindu world.
The name of the child is specially chosen, taking into consideration the configuration of the planets in the skies at the time of birth. A specially chosen letter is used to start that special or rasi name that is only called and used on ritual occasions in the life of a person.
This naming ritual is centred on a yajna or puja with the holy Agni (Fire) in the middle. At the start, the father says to the child, in ancient Vedic poetic verses called mantras:
“O child! Since your birth, we have been looking after your needs with milk. Today, as we prepare to give you a name, we do so through this naming ceremony of namkarana samskara. We don’t know for sure who you are and from where you have come. We don’t know what your special qualities are and what impressions you bring from your previous lives. What name shall we choose for you? O Lord, may we become proud parents of a fine, heroic child, and may we earn enough wealth to provide for our child’s needs. (Yajur Veda 7:29)
At another stage, the parents chant the mantra saying:
O child, who are you? From where have you come? All we know is that you are an immortal atman/consciousness. We welcome you into your new home, and we pray that you have a long and fruitful life. In this lifetime, we, your parents, give you the name (name of the child is mentioned here) (Gobhil 2:8:29).
The parents bless their child in high, sublime, ancient poetry, praying for the full span of life of the child as they recite,
O (name of the child), may the sun hand you over to the day, and may the day hand you over to the night. May the night hand you over to day and night. May the months lead you to seasons, and may the seasons entrust you to the year. May years add up to a full span of life, leading to your senior years.
At the end of the samskara, guests bless the child with flowers, coloured rice, and mantras praying for a long life filled with lustre, brilliance and wealth. There is much merriment and feasting.
