{This article is a sequel to an article posted more than a year ago. That article titled "How difficult is the life of a Brahmana!" was written by our regular reader and Vedic Scholar, Mr R. Ramanathan. Responding to the request of a reader Mr Murali (smk), Mr Ramanathan has taken time out his busy and dual schedule as an IT professional and a Vedic learner & teacher, and has written this article. The article is not complete and will be continued. My sincere thanks to Mr Ramanathan for his contribution}
A
list of the 42 samskaras is given in the website
Note
this list is not always constant and there are differences in the samskaras
listed. For example I see that the a
samskara called the “Karna Vedanam”-‘Piercing of
the ear and adornment with gold earrings”, which is mentioned in the
Yajnavalkya smriti is not found in the above list. Also this list seems to be
oriented towards the taittriya yajur veda shaka. The persons who follows
Jaiminya sama veda shaaka who are found in and around thogaiyur(near Trichy)
follow some more samskaras. We will stick to the above list for the purposes of
elucidation. Note that I will not be discussing the procedures followed in each
samskara but the significance of each, with respect to “Brahmaniyaa” and how
they are corrupted today.
Garbaadana
This
is the laying of the seed in the womens womb and is the first samskara. This is usually after vivaaha “marriage”.
Here what I mean by marriage is the 4 day dharma shastraic marriage and not the
current 2 day extravaganza happening now. Will discuss more one this in the
vivaaha samskara. This samskara in today’s terminology is called “Shanti
muhurtam”. Note thus the samskara for a brahmana child happens even before
birth of the child. So, there
is no question whether “Braahmaniya” is by birth or not. It starts from birth alone. This samskara
ensure “Kshetra shuddi” “Purification of the field” for the female. Just as
brahmacharya results in bija shudda for the male.
Pumsavana
This
karma is performed to pray for a male child. This has been discussed in detail
in the apastamba.
Seemanthonayana
This
is the parting of female hair with a porcupine claw. This is done during
pregnancy usually during the 4 or 5th month. It is also performed
during 8th months. Currently seemanthonayana is performed for the 1st
child as per Apastamba.
Jatakarma
This
is performed when the placenta is cut from the child. This has to be performed
at the hospital directly. Though it never happens practically.
Namakaranam
Naming
ceremony. This name is later used in “Abhivadana” of the male child when introduced into Vedic
school.
Nishkramana
First
outing of the child outside of the house after
birth.
Annaprashnam
First
food in-take (Solid food)
Choulam
First
hair-cut. This depends on sampradaya. This karma
results in the kudumi or tuft. Depending on one’s sampradaya one can have a poorvashika (Tuft in front like the thilla
deekshitas and namboodris), or normal tuft worn by majority south Indian
Brahmins. Note, the tuft is important for all the future karmas to be done. The
present practice of having a crop and doing adhyayana and other vaidika karmas
is to be condemned in no uncertain terms. Also note even the basic daily bath (Snana)
that is performed without a shika is not valid. Since after bath, one has to
give “shika-udakam”. i.e. give the residual
water of the shika with a chant of mantras to pitrus. Note this is to be done by everyone,
brahmacharis or grihastas, whether father alive or not. If this is not
performed, the bath is not considered purificatory and one is not eligible for
even sandhyavandana. Also the shika is to be let loose
during rites to pitrus and tied closely during other times. Performed in
the 3rd year of a male child.
Upanayanam
Sacred
thread ceremony. This is a very well-known samskara
where the brahmachari is instructed in the savitri mantra and begins his study
of his vedic shaaka under a competent acharya in the gurukula along with proper
vratas. Upanayana samskara as per
Apastamba and the Ekagani kandain the Taittriya yajur veda, is a very simple
samskara and if performed strictly as per shastra should not cost more than
Rs75,000/- . Not many of the costly items used like a
silk dhoti, jari “poonals” etc are specified in the shastras. Even the pancha
patra given for a brahmachari is supposed to be made of wood or coconut.
Nowadays there seems to be no difference in the performance of marriages and
upanayana. Many people seem to conduct a reception on the evening of the
upanayana at 6.00pm, the most important time for evening sandhyavandana and
samidhadhana. Where can the brahmachari perform it? Rather he is asked to wear
a “Sherwani”, when ideally he should be adorned with a dhoti and deerskin and
made to sit on the stage and asked to shake his hands with his father’s office
colleagues who wish him “Happy upanayana”
without understanding the purpose.
The
biggest atrocities are from the photographers, who tell when an act is to be
performed and from videographers who tell when the mantras are to be started
and how much should be told. Also they enter the ceremonial area with their
socks on their foot which is disgusting. What is supposed to be a private
ceremony is made into an extravaganza of sorts filled with complete anaachara.
But unfortunately no one
including the purohit tells the brahmachari to perform his sandhya and do his
adhyayana and what constitutes aachara and so on.
One
event adiyeen saw which I want to mention, as it would be relevant here.
Adiyeen went with his family to Vaitheeswaran koil near Mayiladuthurai last
year, as it is my family deity. We were put up in Kanchi Shankara mutt. On the day we came there was a upanayanam
going on. We went on with our temple visits and came back to our room around
12.00 in the afternoon. Adiyeen came out of the room and went to the well, to
draw water for performing Maadhyahnika and brahma yajna, when adiyeen overheard
a conversation between the boy who had this upanayanam and his father. The boy asked his
father whether he too do need to do madhyahnika. The father replied “No only Vaathyars
(priest in tamil) do maadhyahnika and people like us who got to school and read
well do not need to”. Adiyeen was too stunned for words. In fact the
first karma the newly initiated brahmachari gets to do after upanayana is
madhyahnika as the ceremony would cross over to noon. This is how Brahmin
parents are today and it’s really pathetic.
Veda-vratas
The
4 Veda vratas listed in the site above 1. Praajapatya
2. Sowmya 3. Agneeya
4. Vaishwadeva pertain to the corresponding portions
of the Taittriya Krishna yajur veda (TKY hereafter). When the brahmachari
learns each portion he has to take up each vrata one by one and learn it. Sadly
this is not followed even in paatashalas now. Other vedic shaakas may have
their own vratas during study. The 5th
portion of the TKY called the Aruna involves the TKY Aaranyaka and is involved
with forest hermits.
These
are the vratas that are performed now during marriage in an abridged manner.
Though, adiyeen questions the need for such a thing. If a person does not do
adhyayana of a single line in the TKY what’s the need to do all these things
during the marriage as done now?. This is just a farce.
Samavartanam
This
literally means bringing the brahmachari to equality with the world. As
the period of brahmacharya involves strenuous tapas (Not just intellectual
study) along with study, the brahmachari is said to attain brahmavarchas or luster
pertaining to vedic study. If the boy after completing the course of study
chooses to marry, the samavartana is performed
for him. All the paraphernalia associated with the brahmacharya ashrama like
the bhiksa paatra, Krishna ajina,dhanda, the munji
belt, and the kaupina are given up in this ceremony. After the
samavartana ceremony the brahmachari becomes a snataka brahmana and has 2 yajnopavitas. He is now
an eligible bachelor. Now since all these years (10 or 12) he was studying in
the paatashala and did not have worldly knowledge he is asked to undertake a yaatra to kashi so that he gains worldly knowledge. He
can ask for a girl from a qualified family. During marriage the 3rd
yajnopavita is worn indicating entry into grihastashrama. If one understands
the sankalpa for the yajnopavita dharana vidhi all this is told there.
The
kashi yatra mentioned above is again one of the farces performed in the
marriage ceremony today. What has to be done
after brahmacharya but prior to marriage is done during the marriage.
Vivaaha
This
is the dharmic marriage done for 4 days as per the shruti and dharma
shastras. This is one of the most
corrupted samskaras today. The biggest lie in
weddings performed nowadays is that the purohit (or boy) asks the girl if she
can see the Arundati naksharta during the
afternoon. Usually weddings are conducted in Tamil Nadu during the summer time
frame, when the sun is blazing in the sky. It is not possible to look at the
sun. How on earth can anybody see anything!!!. But when I asked the question to
the purohita he said that if he asked this question he would be out of
business!!!. Actually the star sighting is done on the night of the 2nd
day. Also I mentioned the kashi yaatra
farce in the previous section.
When
people think of 4 day weddings they immediately think that money is a waste.
But they do not bother for one moment on the amount of money being spent on the
farce that is called reception (having no dharmic value). I attended a
reception in chennai once and saw that 15 varieties of dosa were being
served. Also the reception is
conducted nowadays before the wedding which is adharmic.
I
had the fortune of attending a 4 day wedding performed strictly according to
the shruti and the ceremony was simple. The wedding was performed at home and
the person told me that the wedding expense for all 4 days put together was not
more than 2lacs. There were no 10 course reception meals. No pointless quarrels for coffee as happen in
Tamil Brahmin weddings. No Ambattiooru (51 in tamil) mysore paaku or murkku as a
seeru. Also there were no quarrels associated
with it like one mysore paaku was missing and so on. It was a simple dharmic ceremony were the
purohitas were all ghanapatis and kramapatis as my friend himself is a dvi vedi
(he knows the yajus and samans). The vivahaa was performed as per the ekagni
kaanda of the KTY. And he had his aupasana agni. Also the shanti muhurtam
happened only after the sheesha homa was performed. No
kattu sadha koodai or jaanavasm farces.
The couple did not
bath for 4 days and drank milk only for 3 times a day for 4 days.
Note
that tying of taali is not mentioned as part of the
shruti or dharma shastras and is part of kula aachara or family tradition.
A dharmic marriage is affected if the ceremonies, till the saptapadi is
performed. Even for legal registration this is sufficient. The famous mangala
sutra mantra “Mangalyam thantunanee” is not part
of any vedic shaaka and comes in the purana(Vayu purana??). So tying of
taali may or may not be done in a dharmic marriage and is done solely for
social purposes.
Note
the rest of the samskaras like performing yajnas depend on a proper marriage. And if one does not have it than he is
ineligible to perform any agni based rite.
Antyeshti
The
last rites. This in strict technical sense is
applicable only for a person who undergoes all the samskaras properly, has a
proper vedic adhyayana. Thus for persons not doing these thing it has to be
called dahana and not antyeshti.
These
are the major 16 samskaras. The others
are yajnas to be performed as a householder. The rest to
be continued in the next article…
5 comments:
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Good article on various samskaras...
Rajaji felt that half a day should be earmarked for traditional vocation and the rest half for school. There were vociferous protests that he was seeking to continue the caste system. Today, many a traditions are on the brink of extinction thanks to our own lack of respect for our culture. It would be good if an hour and a half is utilised for traditional learning and the rest of the day for formal schooling. But personally, I am against caste based denial of knowledge. Shi Ramanujacharya was willing to take anyone in his fold after offering them the sacred thread
When is the right time to perform Upanayanam? Many people are saying it is between 6 and 7years after birth. Our son has completed 8 years now. So, should it be between 8 and 9 OR after he completes 9 years. I have referred to Kanchi periyaval's site and it seems it is 7 years + 2 months.
http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part17/chap6.htm
Now, for our son the next available one seems to be after he completes 9 years. But there is lot of confusion as people around us are all performing between 8 and 9. Or, between 10-11. Please clarify.
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