Vedic Sacraments (Sanskars) and its Relevance
in today’s life
By Ramesh Gupta MD
Performance
of sacraments seems to be universal phenomena.
This is practiced in some form or the other by people of all
faiths. This includes Hindus, Muslims,
Jews, and Christians, to name a few. The
main motive behind performance of sacraments is to eliminate, or at least
modify and improve preexisting vices, along with induction of virtues in life
and develop one’s personality to its fullest extent. Sanskars act like a road map, or form of
guidance, drawing attention to a particular period of development before and
after birth, until death. The sanskars are the total sum of 3 things. The actions of previous births, genetics of
parents and family we are born in and the 3rd and last is the
environment we live in, ever since birth.
Actions of past are sanskars of today and actions of today will be the sanskars
of tomorrow. There are a total of
sixteen sanskars that have been described. Three are performed before birth,
twelve during life, and one after death.
It seems that Upnayaan Sanskar is the most important and commonly
performed, besides of course the wedding ceremony and ritual after death.
At least for Hindus, Vedas are
the most ancient scriptures. Dharma Sutras apparently were written about
the same time as Grihya Sutras and have dealt with VarnaashramVyavasthaa. Here the four Varanas,
Braahamana, Kshatriya, Vaishya
and Shudra have been described as well as the four
stages of life and the 5 Yajyna. Swami Dayanand Saraswati, who founded Arya Samaj, gave us a sense of
direction at a time when Hindu Society was in a complete disarray and full of
all kinds of evils, including but not limited to child marriage, ill treatment
of widows, caste system with resultant ill treatment of some segments of
society, idol worship to its extreme etc. He studied hundreds of Hindu
scriptures, including of the Holy Vedas
“The oldest scriptures known to mankind. He lectured and held discourses with
religious leaders of different faiths. He also wrote several books. The chief
among them was “Satyarth Prakash”. This text and if I may call it an Epic, is the expression of Swami Ji’s
ideology or doctrine. Since he knew that theory alone is not enough to lead us
in our lives, He wrote “Sanskar Vidhi”, which is the
practical/functional aspect of the same ideology. It will be fool hearted to assume that Swami
Ji started the sanskar or sacrament system. Actually he clearly stated in all
his teachings that he was not starting any new religion or new ideology. He was simply putting forward before us, the
common people what has already been stated in the Holy Vedas. He rejected what
was Avedic or not in the Vedas.
Although the
base of the sanaskar system are the Vedas,
particularly the Yajurveda, a lot of mantras recited in the sanskar ceremonies
done today come from various subsequent texts. Main are Grihya
Sutras, mainly the Gobhil, Asshwa-laayan
and Paraskar Grihya Sutras.
Actually after Vedas came the Braahamanas,
where Vedic teachings are explained as various Yajnas. Upanayan sanskar for example is explained somewhat in Braahmana texts. Aaranyaks and
Upanishads which came after Braahamanas, also have
some reference to the Sanskars. Chhandogya
Upanishad for example describes how a student ceremoniously holds three
pieces of wood in his/her hand while applying for learning of Vedic teachings. Upanayan Sanskar is described as well in
several Upanishads. One example is that of Satyakaam
Jaabaal.
The question
now comes as to what is the need of sanskars?
It is very easy for us in our daily walks of life to loose sense of
duties as a human being. All living beings other than human are essentially
preprogrammed with no choice. We humans have a choice and have to bear the
fruits of our actions. Sanskars remind
us our responsibilities and can help us in leading a better life.
The next question comes as to what do we mean
by sanskars. In our lives we continue to perform actions,
some good some not so good. We don’t
always see the clear result of each and every action.
The Sanskars are the total sum of 3 things. The
actions of previous births, genetics of parents and family we are born in and
the 3rd and last is the environment we live in, ever since birth. Actions of past are Sanskars of today and
actions of today will be the Sanskars of tomorrow.
It is believed that by proper guidance and appropriate conduct, it
is possible to change the Sanskars or the character of an individual. This is what the Sanskar system is all
about.
This whole system is based on the Vedic belief that there are 3
bodies. Besides the physical body,
which is physical and part of nature and is cremated or buried after death,
there is so-called Psychic or subtle body, which is physical enough
to interact with the physical body and non-physical enough to interact with the
soul. Also there is even more subtle body caused the Causal Body. It is
the causal body, which carries the seeds of Sanskars upon death when it goes
with the soul. This unfolds in the form of fate of an individual in the next
life as has already been explained above. It is believed that the function of
subtle body depends on its 17 components. These are: 5 pranas
(vital breath- namely; pran, apaan,
samaan, vyan and udaan), 5 jyanendriya (sense
organs- namely; eyes, ears, nostrils, skin, and tongue), 5 suksham
bhut (subtle elements- namely; touch, smell, sight,
sound and taste), mind and intellect.
Swami ji
has put together a system of 16 Sanskars,
which are as follows;
Samanya Prakaranam is the
central and indispensable part of each and every Sanskar that is
performed. Sanskar ceremonies without
Agnihotra are like flour without water, which cannot make bread. Vedic mantras are recited during the
performance of Sanskars have a positive effect. Appropriate sound waves have to
be created for the Sanskars, which is achieved by Vedic Mantras.
If we look
at this whole system of sacraments, most popular ones are Seemaant-unnayan (which is
celebrated as baby shower in the
western world), Upanayan
( which could be similar to communion, bismillaa, batmitzwah or barmitzwah), Samaavartan (
graduation/convocation ceremony), vivah( vedding) and finally the antim Sanskaar or the (death rites).
Occasionally ear piercing and hair cutting or mundan
is performed. Rest of the Sanskars may have had a serious significance in the
old times, but today so much has changed, we are living with all kinds of
comforts and protection and medical care and some of these Sanskars less
significant.
Here is the
brief description of these 16 sanskars:
1.
Garbhaadhaan Sanskar: This should be performed when the married
couple decides to have a child. Would be mother should be absorbed in such
thoughts, which she would desire her offspring to imbibe & absorb. There are many obstacles in having a good
offspring. These are: attraction to money more than a child, differences in
opinion among the would be parents, inability to bear
a child etc. According the Aitareya Upanishad, Atharva Veda and Manu Smriti,
father is the first mother of an individual. Transfer of seminal fluid
transfers the fetus in the mother. There is some discussion in sanskar vidhi about the birth of male v/s female child which
may be influenced by choosing a specific day for copulation in the menstrual
cycle. Minor age mothers are considered bad for the upcoming offspring.
2.
Punsavan Sanskar: This is to be performed after 2-3 months of
conception. This is for the good
physical development of the fetus.
Punsavan denotes health & vigor of the offspring. There has been
some suggestion in literature that by doing this sanskar in a specified way one
can secure that the offspring will be of a desired gender but Swami ji does not agree with that ideology.
3.
Seemantonnayan Sanskar: This is for the mental development of the
child. This can be performed in 4th,
6th, or 8th month of conception. At this stage the mother
is called “Two Hearts”. Seemant
means head, skull and the brain in it. Unnayan
means to develop it. Compilers of scriptures believed that the mother is such a
mould which can cast the child according to will to a great extent. Mother’s
thoughts have a lot of influence on the unborn child. There are many stories to
try to prove this point such as story of Abhimanyu,
story of Madalsa who converted her 8 sons in
to sages through Sanskars, how the killer of president Garfield was born with
aggressive Sanskars and it is believed that Napolean became a great warrior
because of his mother’s watching the parade of soldiers etc.
The procedure of this sanskar is as follows:
First regular havan is performed and then offerings are given with Khichri or a mixture of rice, dal and ghee with recitation
of mantras. The wife is praised for her beauty, she is compared to mother
earth, which with proper care gives good harvest and similarly all care should
be taken for the health of the womb, its nourishment and the physical and
mental development of the unborn. Mantras are recited to state that just as for
long and healthy life water and medicines are helpful, in a good family life,
food and fun should be healthy. The parents of this baby speak that we may have
such a child who has divine qualities and is outstanding. Then husband oils the
hair of his wife with fragrant oil and combs her hair with some background
soothing instrumental music and a mantra is recited which means that our life
should be full of peace an tranquility like the moon and our conduct should be
limited like the boundaries of the course of a river. Our path of life should
be like the calmness of the moon in the sky and cool like the water in the
river. Darkness and brightness come in the cycle of the moon and hope and
despair come in life but cool and calm should remain with is us.
Finally people
bless the mother with the following mantra
Om veersoostvam bhava,
jeevasoostvam bhav, jeevapatnee tvam bhava.
That means may you
give birth to a brave child and that may you deliver a baby full of mental and
physical health.
4.
Jaat-karma
Sanskar: This is performed at birth. Baby is cleaned, bathed. ‘Om’ is symbolically written on the tongue of
the newborn with Ghee & Honey. Also
to utter in the ear of the newborn “Twam Vedo Asi” which means, “you are a
being of wisdom & knowledge.” Purpose of this sanskar is make the child
safe, to invoke God and parental promise to guide the child so that he/she will
follow the path of spiritualism/dharma.
5.
Naamkaran Sanskar: This is performed some time after birth. Significance of name is to create a positive
perception. Purpose of name is not only
to address an individual, but also to present a purpose before the child. Names should not be difficult to
pronounce. In USA, we have to name the
child before discharge from the hospital, which makes it very difficult sometimes
to give an appropriate name. In this
Sanskar, after Swishtkrit Aahuti, oblations (Aahuti) are offered for the
harmonious development of a child. The
essence of these oblations is “O Child you may have a long life, you be
learned, religious, famous, industrious, glorious, charitable &
prosperous”.
6.
Nishkraman Sanskar: The work nishkraman means to
come out. Through the performance of this ceremony, the child can benefit from
the cool fresh air and the sunshine, which are of vital significance and gift
of nature. While doing so, we seek God’s blessings through the ritual of this sanskar.
Today, our environment is quite controlled, we are really not exposed to the
elements and therefore this ceremony may be perceived to be of less
significance, but in reality, basic human needs of fresh air, water, sunshine
and protection have not changed much through the times.
7.
Anna-Praashaan
Sanskar: Milk is
the most complete food known to humanity. However at some point in the first
year of life, solid food is introduced to provide the wholesomeness and
nutrition to the growing body and mind. Even in the age of science, this
introduction of food other than milk is of great significance. Our ancestors
have appropriately set a ceremony to be performed
when the teething has begun and the child is being weaned from Mother’s milk
& solid food is going to be introduced.
8.
Chudaa-Karma (Mundan) Sanskar: Chudaa is the same
word as Judaa, which women
wear. This means top covering of the
head. This is to be performed in 1st
to 3rd year of life, because by this time the skull bones have come
together and the brain in more safe. The
significance of this is to draw attention of parents towards the mental and
spiritual development of the child. In this ceremony original hair is shaved.
9.
Karna-Vedh Sanskar: This is the sanskar in which ears are
pierced. Historically, this ceremony was performed for both male and female
children. Now it is not performed as a sanskar and the girls simply get their
ears pierced by a skilled person for the purpose of wearing jewelry. The
original purpose of this sanskar was to protect the child from evil and of
course to beautify the face through jewelry. This may be a form of acupuncture
practice and to prevent the development of inguinal and umbilical hernia.
The next three Sanskars are Educational Sanskaars. Two are performed at the inception of
pursuit of education and one the end of education. This phase of life is
designed to take care of Rishi rin and is called Brahmaacharyashram or the stage of celibacy.
10. Upanayan Sanskar: This marks the start of
pursuit of knowledge (That is the knowledge of all three entities, The God,
Soul and Nature. Both boys and girls
are entitled to it. Gobhilya Grihasutra
mentions in the marriage ceremony that the girl wearing yajjopaveet
may be brought near the husband for the ceremony. It is also clear from various
quotations in the Vedas that girls were free to study Vedas. Swami Dayanand ji
has quoted Athrva-Veda in Satyarth Prakash to prove
this point as well. Also Yajurveda has called the women as “stoma-prishthaa” which means the one who inquires and curious to
study veda mantra.
This sanskar is performed between 8 to 12 years of age. Out of all the Sanskars (sacraments)
described so far, this is probably the most important one and most widely
performed in most if not all religions all over the world. For examples Parsees call the sacred thread “kushti”. Muslims call this type of sacrament Bismillaa. Christians perform communion.
Up-means near and Nayan-is to go near the
teacher. Guru or teacher vows and
assures the child that “I accept your heart as mine, I accept your mind as mine”(both teacher and student become “Ek Manah”. Word for pupil in
Sanskrit is “Antey-Vasi”.
Manu ji write in Manu Smriti that all are born Shudras and it is
the Sanskaras which make a person “Dwij”.
Significance of Yajjopaveet: It has three threads. We have three obligations in
life:
1. Rishi Rin (debt to rishis)
2. Pitra Rin
(debt to
parents and elders)
3. Dev Rin (debt to the environment).
The word Devata actually means “one who gives”. Examples of these
are, God, other souls, the nature and the Vedic teachings. The three ashrams of life Brahamacharya, Grihasth and Vaanprasth.
These ashrams are designed to take care above three obligations in order
listed.
Just to repeat therefore, the three threads
remind us of our duties towards all three entities in this universe. These are:
God, Souls (ourselves
and all other souls) and Nature.
While doing this
sanskar, different devatas
are invoked and the child takes a vow to follow path of truth and virtue. Acharya releases water from his palm to the
palm of the child, symbolizing learning transfer & then student spreads
this knowledge in world.
11. Vedarambh
Sanskar: This is really performed along
with the Upanayan Sanskar. Both material & spiritual knowledge are
stressed. Here the qualities and conduct of teacher are discussed. Here Instructions are given by the parents to
the child. Special emphasis is given to
the avoidance of anger.
12. Samaavartan
Sanskar: This is suppressed to be
performed 14 years after the initiation ceremony. This really is Graduation ceremony. Here teacher gives instructions to the
student just as the parent’s five instructions to the pupil at the time of Vedarambh.
In short these are “Satyam Vada”,
“Dharmam Chara”, “Swadhyaayaanmaa Pramadah”.
Although unfortunately, Manu ji is
often misquoted and wrongly criticized that some of his teachings are divisive,
he has given us explicit guidelines for making life better. One such example
is:
“ satyam bruyat, priyam
bruyat, na bruyat satyam apriyam
priyam cha naanritam bruyat
eshah dharmah sanatanah”(manu 4.138)
Which
means: speak the truth and with a pleasing tone, don’t speak the
truth which would hurt someone, but don’t say sweet things which are untrue.
“Maatri
Devo Bhava, Pitri Devo Bhava,
Acharya Devobhava and Atithi
Devo Bhava”
Here Deva are
those who posses more knowledge that you.
Pitar are those who are elder to you.
Manu Smriti says that Dharma in not a particular doctrine, it a code of conduct in society which keeps
its structure intact. “swasya-cha
Priya-maatmanah” or the call of
the inner conscience is to be listened to.
Manu ji also said,”aachaarah parmo dharmah” or the virtuous code of conduct is
supreme. It is this, which benefits the individual, society, country and the
world. This is
Dharma. Actually Manu ji maharaj had identified 10
elements necessary in the life of a person one who practices Dharma. These are Dhritih( patience), ksama
(forgiveness), damah( self restrain), asteyam( not to steal), shaucham(
cleanliness of body, mind and soul), indriya nigrah(control over one’s senses), dheeh(
intellect), vidya(knowledge of nature and
spirituality), satyam( truthfullnes),
akrodhh( control on anger).
Similarly in the
epic Mahabharat, maharshi Vyas expresses that
“refrain from treating others in the manner you would not like yourself to be
treated.
13. Vivah Sanskar: This is the marriage ceremony. Eight
forms of marriages have been described in our Dharma Shashtraas.
These are: Braahama, Daiva,
Aarsh, aasur, Gaandharv, Raakshas and Paishaach Vivaahas.
In the
Indian culture, historically, it is known that around 1929, it was okay to have
a marriage between an 18 year old boy and a 14 year old girl. In 1949, the girl’s minimum age to get
married was raised to age 15. In 1976,
it was considered appropriate to have marriage between a 21-year-old man and an
18 year old woman.
As noted above,
there are 8 kinds of marriages. In 4 of
these, the father gives away the daughter, and the other 4 are marriages of an
inferior category.
A) Father gives
away the daughter:
1. Brahma Vivah: this is the main type of marriage. The 3 main
elements of this are acceptance of marriage by the parents, marriage according
to proper vedic rituals, and no exchange of a dowry.
2. Dev Vivah: this is a marriage between the purohit
who performed yajna and the daughter of the yajmaan.
This was a marriage with splendor, but no dowry.
3. Aarsh Vivah: here there is some exchange of dowry.
4. Prajaapatya Vivah: It is almost similar to Brahma Vivah,
but no guests are invited.
B) Inferior Marriages:
1. Asur Vivah: this is basically selling the girl.
2. Gandharv Vivah: This is a situation where man and woman live
together without marriage basically to fulfill their passions.
3. Rakshas Vivah: In this, the girl is either kidnapped or abducted
(by force).
4. Pishaach Vivah: This is basically rape.
Marriage should really be a sacrament and not
a contract, as it is perceived and practiced today. The main aim of marriage should be to settle
the debt of the parents by having your own children and taking care of your
family and parents. Here are some of the
statements which should be made during a marriage ceremony.
I am Samveda, you are Rigveda. I am heaven, you are the earth. (Atharva 15.2.71)
While acknowledging
the omnipotent God, she says: O, God! Release me from the family of my father,
but don’t release me from the family of my husband.
During the
ceremony, rice which has not been husked is used. This symbolizes the growth of the harvested
rice when it is replanted, which relates to the bride because she is taken from
her home and flourishes in her new home with her husband.
In marriage
ceremonies, seven steps are taken (Sapt Padi):
1. Food.
2. Physical
Strength
3. Wealth
4. Happiness
5. Offspring
6. Togetherness in all circumstances and all
weather conditions
7. Friendship,
Comradeship.
The significance
here is that the couple is convinced that the Grihasthashram
is not pure fun and games, you have to work at
it. It is a commitment. One of the very important mantras recited is:
“Om mama vrite te hridayam dadhaami,
mama chittam anu chittam te astu
mama vaacham ek manah, jushasva
prajapatishtva niyunaktu mayam,”
Here the couple
takes a pledge to conjoin their thoughts and emotions. The groom takes the vow that:
“I consider it my
duty and I take a vow with God as the first witness that I shall fulfill your
desires and keep you as a part of my life forever.”
Marriage has been
compared to the two eternal stars in the north sky. These are Dhruv and
Arundhati. Both are ever-present and
Hence the comparison. The groom is compared to
Dhruv, and the bride to Arundhati, which is
right next to it.
Vivah leads to the phase
of family life or Grihasthaashram. This is designed
to take care of Pitri rin.
14. Vanprastha Sanskar: This is the first stage of detachment
from material possessions. In the stage of life one needs to concentrate on
those aspects of social service, which were neglected during period of intense
family responsibilities in the Grihasthashram. This
is designed to pay back or take care of Dev rin.
15. Sanyas: In this next and
last stage of life, one is to detach from all actions, where fruit is desired.
These are teachings of Vedas, Upanishads and Geeta. In the modern context, it
should not really require one to leave home. Here one is to do more of
introspection, meditation and social service.
16. Antyeshti: This is performed
after death, where the physical body is offered back to nature with God’s
blessings. The soul leaves the body at
the time of death and takes the subtle and causal bodies with it.
After death,
Atma enters the emptiness of cosmos, and as
preordained according to its karma, either takes a new birth or achieves
salvation or MOKSHA.
Summary:
This topic really is meant to be the guidance
or a path in various stages for our entire life and it is very difficult to
cover it in a page or two. For more
details please refer to “Sanskar Vidhi” by Swami Ji
and many other excellent books written on this subject subsequently.