40 purification ceremonies

For the Hindus 40 purification ceremonies have been described. They are called samskaras.

Let us see a table listing all these.

The first is garbha dhana – this one is to ensure the progeny.

Pumsavanam -

seemanthonayanam – these two are meant to ensure the birth of a good child.

Jatakarma – this is done after the child is born.

Namakaranam – this is the naming ceremony.

Anna prasanam- in this ceremony child is is given the first solid food

chaulam – in this ceremony.. The boy is ceremoniously given a tuft as his hair style.

Upanayanam – this ceremony is to take the child near a teacher to learn Vedas.

Praajapatya vratam

Saumya vratam.

Aagneya vratam

Vaishvadeva vratam. - all these four are karmas which are done before and after learning the particular section of vedas.

Samavartanam – is the ceremony by which one leaves the stage of brahmacarya and is ready to take up the responsibilities of the house holder.

Vivaha – the marriage.

Deva yagna, Pitru yagna, Manushya yagna, Bootha yagna and Brahma yagna – these are primary responsibilities of a householder. We can see what these are later.

Paka yagna are seven in number and in all cooking the food and offering it to the God.

Havir yagna what also seven in number involve offering a different item to God.

Soma yagna are again seven in number and involve offering juice of a plant to gods.

The last one is called antiyeshti and is the final ceremony involved with the body.

So that is a total of 40.

Quite a lengthy one right? So that ends this post.

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More on this later....