Samskara

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The samskaras ( Sanskrit , m., संस्कार , saṃskāra ) are the rituals of passage in Hinduism . The tradition knows up to forty samskaras, twelve of which the scribes paid special attention to. Three are indispensable for all "twice-born": initiation, marriage, the ritual of the dead.

Prenatal and Birth Rites:

  1. Garbhadharana: procreation
  2. Pumsavana: transformation of the womb into a male fetus
  3. Simantonnayana: parting of the hair of the pregnant woman
  4. Jatakarma: birth

childhood

  1. Namakarana: naming
  2. Nishkramana: first excursion
  3. Annaprasana: First solid food
  4. Chudakarana : tonsure
  5. Karnavedha : piercing the ear

Puberty and adolescence rites

  1. Vidhyarambha: start of learning
  2. Upanayana: Initiation (giving of the sacred cord )
  3. Vedarambha: beginning of the Veda study
  4. Keshanta: First shave
  5. Samavartana: end of studies

Adults

  1. Vivaha: Wedding
  2. Anthyesthi: cremation
  3. Shraddha : ancestral ritual