The action which is done to inculcate the qualities in a person is called Sanskar.
-Brahmasutra Commentary
'Sanskar' in Indian society The word has great importance, but this word is not mentioned even once in the Vedas. This system probably came into existence in the Upanishad period. 'Sanskar' Origin of the Word 'Kri' 'Sam' in metal Due to prefixing. It literally means 'well done' Happens.
'Sanskaroti' in the Upanishads The word is used, there the meaning of this word is 'shine' is from. This word is used many times in the sutras of Jaimini. In the Shabar Commentary of the Jaimini Sutra it is said that the sacrament is that, after which the substance or person becomes capable of any work. Later on, the meaning of Shabar Tika is 'Sanskar' The word got its original meaning.
Two types of qualifications were produced by performing the rites - (1) By performing the rites, a person became eligible to enter Vedadhyayan or Grihasthashrama. (2.) By performing the rites, semen in man and pregnancy in women were avoided. The importance of sanskars increased so much during the Smriti period that due to the Upanayana ceremony, the duality was proved - 'Samskarat Dwij Uchhayate.'
Although the word sanskar is not used in the Vedas, but in the Rigveda, the mantras of conception, marriage and funeral are found. The expansion of these hymns is found in the Atharvaveda. Only these mantras of Rigveda and Atharvaveda later gave rise to 'Sanskar' The form system would have given birth. The Vedas are explained in the Brahmanical texts. The word Sanskar is not discussed in these texts but 'Upanayana' Various related methods have been described.
In the Sutra literature, not only the word 'sanskar' has been mentioned many times, but different types of sacraments have also been discussed. The Grihya Sutras give detailed descriptions of the various rites to be performed from conception to funeral. In these sutras, the description of the rites has usually started with the marriage ceremony. In some Grihyasutras, the description of funeral rites is given in the appendix, not with the rites.
In all the Grihyasutras, the nature of the sacraments is basically the same, but due to the relation of these sutras with different Vedas, some distinction has been made in their form. In the Dharmasutras, the method of rites has been described very little, but the social utility of the rites has been written in detail. Samskaras are described in the Smriti texts in the form of conduct.
The Smritikars have described in detail the rites of Upanayana and Vivah. Because after these two sanskars, a person used to enter Brahmacharya Ashram and Grihastha Ashram. The importance of rituals has also been well explained in various Puranas. Various rituals have been written in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, but they have been discussed in more detail in the Mahabharata.
The relation of sacraments may appear to be joint with the individual, but in reality it is related to the interest of the whole human society. Through these rites, an attempt was made to bind man in the family, family in the society and society in the system of nation. That's why it was said that 'Parents who do not nurture their children are parents but like animals.' According to Manu, the sacraments purify the body and make it a suitable place for the soul to reside.
Their purpose has also been clarified in various texts along with the sacraments. The all-round development of human personality is the main purpose of these sanskars. According to Manu, the body is purified by conception and other rites and a person gets freedom from sin even in this and the hereafter. By performing specific rituals, the birth defects of a person are destroyed. Shankara has also expressed this view in the commentary of Vedantasutra.
These sanskars are beautiful steps in the path of progress of life, which, while purifying the thoughts and tendencies of man, continue to raise him higher. Childhood rituals have a special significance. According to the sutras, only a person who is purified by various rituals and rituals becomes capable of attaining Brahma. According to Medhatithi, a pure soul resides in a pure body. Veermitroday Sanskar Prakash, quoting the words of Harit, has written that a person who is possessed of Brahman sanskar attains the position of a sage and a person possessed of divine rites attains divinity.
Sanskars were also rendered for women, but in the Sutra period, it was also given that the Veda mantras should not be recited at the time of women's rites. Only at the time of marriage, along with the man, the woman is also cremated with Vedic mantras.
Number of sacraments
Forty sacraments are mentioned in Gautam Dharmasutra, in which rituals like Pakayajna, Haviryagya, Somayyagya and Devavrat etc. are also included. The number of sacraments is not mentioned in Manusmriti and Yajnavalakya Smriti, but complete legislation has been written from conception to funeral. In the later period the number of sacraments was reduced to 16.
In modern times, sage Dayanand has also supported 16 sacraments, but has described 17 sacraments – conception, punsavan, simmantonnayan, jatkarma, naming, nishkraman, annaprashan, chudakarma, karnavedha, upanayana, vedarambha, samvartan, marriage, grihastashrama, vanaprastha. , sannyasa and funeral.
Dr. Rajbali Pandey has divided all the sacraments into five parts - (1) pre-birth rites, (2) child's rites, (3.) education related rites, (4) marriage rites and (5. ) Funeral. Their doers are also different. The rites of pre-birth and infant stage are performed by the parents, the rites related to education are performed by the teacher, the rites of marriage are performed by the family and the society, the rites of retirement and retirement are performed by the man himself, while the funeral rites are performed by sons and grandsons etc. .
Sixteen Sacraments
It is considered the duty of every Indian family to observe the sixteen sanskars. The life of a human begins from the mother's womb and if there is no salvation, then even after death, it remains in the form of a phantom. Therefore, sixteen rites have been arranged from conception to funeral to make the human body healthy and long-lived and to make the mind pure and knowledgeable.
The rituals have been done for both men and women. The rites of women (except marriage) are mantraless. The rites were mainly for the Dwij castes, but some rites were prescribed for the Shudras also. Their actions were also mantraless. The following sixteen rites are considered obligatory in Hindu society-
(1.) Conception ceremony: This is the first sacrament. The arrangers like Gautam and Bodhayan have instructed to perform the necessary religious deeds in the proper period before conception for the couple desirous of producing a child. It has also been called Nishek (conception) and Chaturthikarma, but Vaishanakh has considered Nishek and conception to be different.
In this sanskar, a child is established in the mother's womb in the form of a seed. After marriage, the fourth day after the first season of the woman is said to be the time of conception. According to Manu, a couple desirous of having a child should perform this ritual except for four days of Ritudarshan, Ashtami, Chaturdashi, Amavasya and Poornamasi.
(2.) Pusanvan Sanskar: The mention of Pusavan Sanskar is in all the Grihyasutras. This sanskar is performed to give the child the form of a son in the womb, that is, the purpose of this sanskar is to get a son. According to some arrangers, this sanskar should be performed in the second or third month of conception, while according to some arrangers, this ceremony should be done in the third, fifth and sixth month of conception respectively.
In this rite, the goddess was praised and begged for a son. A vessel filled with water was placed on the woman's lap and the woman used to touch it with her abdomen. Ayurvedic medicines were also used for procreation and protection of the womb.
(3.) Seemantonnayan Sanskar: The purpose of this rite was to protect the pregnant woman from evil forces. This ceremony was performed between the third and eighth month of conception. In this ritual, the husband used to tie a twig of Udumbar around the neck of the wife from behind and firstly with the sprout of Darbha and later with a piece of Veertar wood, used to remove the demand (marginal) by grooming the wife's hair.
Its purpose was that the wife should be fertile and the child born from her womb should be heroic. On the occasion of Seemantonnayan, celebrations were held in the family and dance and singing etc. were organized.
(4.) Jatkarma Sanskar: The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and Grihyasutras give a detailed description of this ritual. This sanskar was performed immediately after the birth of a son and before the umbilical cord or within ten days after the birth of a son. On the birth of a son, bread (purodash) cooked in twelve different vessels was offered as a memorandum of gratitude to the gods.
The havan was performed with an incense of frozen milk (curd) and ghee. On this occasion, the father used to exhale thrice on his child while performing Nandipath and Shradh etc. and applied butter, honey and curd on his tongue with a golden utensil or spoon. After this the umbilical cord of the child was done and he was bathed and cleaned. Thereafter the father, praying to Saraswati, placed the infant near his mother's breast.
(5.) Naming Ceremony: The naming ceremony is performed on the tenth or twelfth day after birth. On this occasion, Havan and Bhoj etc. are organized for home purification. Manu gave the order that the name of a Brahmin should be Mangalya Purna, that of a Kshatriya should be Balyukt, the name of a Vaishya should be a person of wealth and the name of a Shudra should be Jugupsit. The girl's name should be easily pronounceable, auspicious, ending with a long vowel and blessed.
(6.) Evacuation Ceremony: The process of taking the child out of the house for the first time in the fourth month of birth is called Nishkraman Sanskar. In this, the child is brought out of the house and the sun is seen during the day and the moon in the night. The vision of Sun and Moon has a good effect on the development of the child.
(7.) Annaprashan Sanskar: This sanskar is performed in the sixth month after the birth of the child. In this sacrament, the child is first tasted curd, rice, honey, ghee etc.
(8.) Chudakarma Sanskar: This rite is performed in the first or third year after the birth of the child. It is also called Chaul or Keshochhedan Sanskar. In this rite, the hair of the baby's head is shaved for the first time and only the chuda (braid) is left on the head. Keeping the crest (peak) starts with this rite.
(9.) Ear piercing ceremony: This sanskar is performed in the third or fifth year after the birth of a child. In this ceremony the ear is pierced. The baby is bathed and dressed and then the right ear is pierced first and then the left ear by a Vaidya or skilled person. This sanskar is performed to protect the child from diseases and to wear ornaments in the ears.
(10.) Vidyarambha Sanskar: Through this sanskar the child is imparted alphabet-knowledge. After retiring from the bath, the child reads the letters in front of the guru with praise to the deities.
(11.) Upanayana Sanskar: 'Sub' Means 'closer' and 'Nayan' Means 'carry'. That is, Upanayana is the sacrament by which the child is taken near the Guru for education. It was accepted by the Acharya to impart Brahma-vidya to the disciple. Brahmacharyashram used to start from this sanskar.
It is called 'Yagnopaveet' They were also called sanskars because by this sanskar a brahmachari used to wear the sacrifice. Except for the Shudras, the remaining three Varnas had the right of Upanayana. The child was sent to the Guru in the eighth, eleventh or twelfth year, depending on the caste. The child used to take a vow of ashram-life by wearing a dhoti and uttari, having his head shaved, wearing Mekhla and Dand.
According to the Sutra literature, women also had the right to Upanayana and Veda studies, but later when girls started getting married at a young age, then their education stopped and Upanayana started taking place only at the time of marriage as a religious ritual. According to Manu, the Upanayana of girls should be done without studying.
The age of Upanayana is different for all the three Varnas. Manu instructs Brahmins to perform Upanayana in the fifth year, Kshatriyas in the sixth year and Vaishyas in the eighth year. According to some arrangers, Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya sons must have performed the sacrificial rites till the age of sixteen, twenty-two and twenty-four years respectively, otherwise they are guilty of grave sin.
उपनयन संस्कार में विद्यार्थी जब गुरु के समीप जाकर बैठता था तब गुरु हवन करता था और फिर विद्यार्थी के वस्त्र एवं हाथों को अपने हाथ में लेकर उसे गायत्री मन्त्र की दीक्षा देता था। इसके बाद आचार्य उसे ब्रह्मचर्याश्रम की अन्य बातें बतलाता था। वह कहता था- ‘तुम ब्रह्मचारी हो, जल का पान करो, काम करो, दिन में शयन मत करो, आचार्य के नियंत्रण में वेदों का अध्ययन करो।’
इस संस्कार के सम्पन्न होने पर विद्यार्थी ब्रह्मचर्य व्रत धारण करके गुरु से वेद तथा अन्य शास्त्रों का अध्ययन आरम्भ करता था। इस संस्कार के किए बिना किसी भी विद्यार्थी को वेद पढ़ने अथवा गायत्री मन्त्र के उच्चारण का अधिकार प्राप्त नहीं हो सकता था। उपनयन संस्कार के बाद आचार्य अपने शिष्य का आध्यात्मिक पिता और गायत्री उसकी माता बन जाती थी। इस संस्कार को दूसरा जन्म भी कहा जाता था, क्योंकि इस संस्कार के बाद उसका सम्पर्क विद्वानों तथा गुणीजन से होता था और वह ‘द्विज’ कहलाता था।
(12.) वेदारम्भ संस्कार: वैदिक युग के प्रारम्भिक काल में उपनयन संस्कार के साथ ही वेदों का अध्ययन आरम्भ होता था। अतः वेदारम्भ संस्कार की आवश्यकता नहीं थी किन्तु जब संस्कृत बोलचाल की भाषा न रही, तब उपनयन संस्कार के बाद लगभग एक वर्ष तक संस्कृत का अध्ययन कराया जाता था और उसके बाद वेदाध्ययन आरम्भ होता था। वेदों के पठन-पाठन का अधिकार मिलने के पूर्व विद्यार्थी को वेदारम्भ संस्कार सम्पन्न करना पड़ता था।
(13.) केशान्त अथवा गोदान संस्कार: इस संस्कार के अन्तर्गत ब्रह्मचारी को अपने बाल कटवाने पड़ते थे। इस अवसर पर ब्रह्मचारी का परिवार आचार्य को गौ-दान देता था। इसलिए इस संस्कार को गोदान संस्कार भी कहते थे। सामान्यतः यह संस्कार सोलह वर्ष की आयु में सम्पन्न किया जाता था।
(14.) समावर्तन संस्कार: ब्रह्मचर्याश्रम का प्रारम्भ उपनयन संस्कार से और अंत समावर्तन संस्कार से होता था। सूत्रकारों के अनुसार अध्ययन समाप्ति के पश्चात् ब्रह्मचारी को अपने आचार्य को गुरु-दक्षिणा देकर उसका आशीर्वाद ग्रहण करना चाहिए तथा स्नान करना चाहिए। इस स्नान के कारण ही ब्रह्मचारी को ‘स्नातक’ कहा जाता था। इसके बाद विद्यार्थी अपने घर लौट आता था।
(15.) विवाह संस्कार: विवाह संस्कार के बाद ब्रह्मचारी, गृहस्थाश्रम में प्रवेश करता है। इस संस्कार में कन्या का पिता वस्त्र एवं आभूषणों से अलंकृत अपनी कन्या का, उसके योग्य गुणवान वर को, यज्ञ-की अग्नि के समक्ष दान करता है। इस संस्कार में ‘पाणिग्रहण’ (वर द्वारा वधू का हाथ थामना), ‘लाजाहोम’ (अग्नि में धान की खीलों की आहुति देना), ‘सप्तपदी’ (वर-वधू का अग्नि के चारों ओर सात परिक्रमा करना), ‘ध्रुव दर्शन’ (ध्रुव तारे को देखना) आदि विधान सम्पन्न किए जाते हैं। वर और वधू आजीवन एक दूसरे के साथ रहने की प्रतिज्ञा करते हैं। भारतीय परिवार में विवाह एक धार्मिक बन्धन माना जाता है। अविवाहित पुरुष को ‘यज्ञ’ करने का अधिकार नहीं होता।
(16) अंत्येष्टि संस्कार: यह मनुष्य जीवन का अन्तिम संस्कार है। इसमें मृतक के शरीर को स्नान आदि कराकर अर्थी पर लिटाकर श्मशान ने जाया जाता है और वहाँ चिता पर रखकर मन्त्रोच्चारण के साथ अग्नि को अर्पित कर दिया जाता है। तीसरे या दसवें दिन मृतक की अस्थियाँ चुनी जाती हैं जिन्हें फूल कहा जाता है।
इन अस्थियों को कलश में भरकर ऋग्वेद के मन्त्रों का उच्चारण किया जाता है तथा किसी पवित्र नदी, सरोवर या जलाशय में मृतक की अस्थियां एवं भस्मी विसर्जित की जाती हैं। सपिण्डीकरण श्राद्ध द्वारा मृतक को पितरों में शामिल किया जाता है। मृत व्यक्ति के लिए समाधि या चबूतरा बनाया जाता था।
वर्तमान समय में बहुत से संस्कार विलुप्त हो गए हैं। केवल नामकरण संस्कार, विवाह संस्कार एवं अंतिम संस्कार ही प्रचलन में रह गए हैं।