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……… Man Making is a science. Like a gardener, parents & teachers work on a
person so that the best can flower out from him or her. The whole thrust is
to help bring about greater awareness & love in the mind, and
channelize the interest & energies into positive fields. The whole
‘work’ is on the mind alone, and is comparable to the work of a genetic
engineer. The only difference is that while a genetic engineer plays &
transforms with the basic structure, a teacher works to manifest the basic
inherent beauty, freedom & potential which facilitates to carve out a
dynamic, creative, intelligent & magnanimous personality.
……… Interest is a very subjective thing, and has to come
out from within. It can never be imposed. Interests are created by
impressions & knowledge. That is what ad agencies too do. They create
impressions, and this ‘works’ on the mind of the person to bring about the
interest in him in the desired field. Once the interest has been manifested
we can just sit back and see the person work for his or her field of
interest in a dynamic way. While the experts of the advertisement world are
generally seen to use this ‘knowledge of impressing minds’ for their
selfish & commercial ends, the Vedic Masters used this knowledge to
help bring out a positive & dynamic personality. While the former
conditions the mind to the extent that the very thinking process of their
target crowd is conditioned in their favor, but the Rishis saw to it that
the very power to think & question daringly, independently &
creatively grew. Thus we have all our scriptures in the form of question
& answers.
……… These deliberate & positive impressions which help
create a deep & lasting impressions on the mind of a person - so as to
generate interest in him about the Truth & Dharma, help bring out a
positive personality and free the mind of its negativities are called ‘Samskaras’.
No one while living in the world remains free of the conditionings of his
or her environs & teachings, so the question is not whether we can stop
all conditionings but to see to it that a person is looked after like a
plant and help his or her potentials bloom. To a question whether Samskaras
are deliberate positive conditionings, well the answer is that, the
objective of the entire exercise is to help a person awake to a state which
is free from all conditionings, so while impressions are certainly put
effectively & deliberately yet they are the very anti-thesis of what is
implied by the word conditionings. This is one of the finest & blessed
science, and has been perfected here as an art form too.
……… Samskaras are the turning points of life and need to
be celebrated. Celebrations are very important ingredients of Samskaras.
They directly or indirectly involve our respected elders, scholars, near
& dear ones. Everyone gets together to convey their best wishes &
blessings to the person concerned and thus there is social & religious
sanction for the act & ceremony. Samskaras are great, time-tested tools
in our traditional systems which help carve out a great personality. Apart
from scriptural validation, history also proves to us the great
effectiveness of these methods. When Vedic Masters had their way, India was
on top of the world. The people of the far off land prayed that they will
one day see this great land of plenty, prosperity & righteousness.
……… In this section we shall present an introduction to
these famous sixteen Samskaras of Hindus which cover the entire life span
of a person and take him to the door steps to Truth.
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1.
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Garbhadan
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The first coming together
of the husband & wife for bringing about conception.
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2.
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Pumsvan
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Ceremony performed when the first signs of
conception are seen, and is to be performed when someone desires a male
child.
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3.
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Seemantonayan
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A ceremony of parting of the hairs of the
expectant mother to keep her spirits high & positive. Special music is
arranged for her.
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4.
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Jatakarma
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After the birth of the child, the child is
given a secret name, he is given taste of honey & ghee, mother starts the
first breast-feeding after chanting of a mantra.
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5.
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Nama-karana
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In
this ceremony the child is given a formal name. Performed on the 11th day.
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6.
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Nishkramana
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In this
the formal darshan of sun & moon is done for the child.
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7.
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Annaprashana
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This ceremony is performed, when the child is given solid food (anna) for
the first time.
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8.
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Chudakarana
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Cuda means the 'lock or tuft of hair' kept
after the remaining part is shaved off.
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9.
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Karna-vedha
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Done in 7th or 8th month. Piercing of the ears.
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10.
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Upanayan & Vedarambha
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The thread ceremony. The child is thereafter authorized to perform all
rituals. Studies of Vedas begins with the Guru.
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11.
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Keshanta
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Hairs are cut, guru dakshina is given
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12.
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Samavartan
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Returning to the house
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13.
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Vivaha
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Marriage ceremony
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14.
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Vanprastha
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As
old age approaches, the person retires for a life of tapas & studies.
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15.
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Sanyas
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Before leaving the body a Hinddu sheds all
sense of responsibility & relationships to awake & revel in the timeless
truth.
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16.
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Antyeshthi
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The last rites done after the death.
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