SAMSKARAS INTRODUCTION

Besides the daily activities (nitya kriya) and the
fortnightly and monthly activities, which are performed by the devotee
regularly, there are some activities which an individual performs, not
on a regular basis, either daily or yearly, but more irregularly.


Vedic Griha Samskaras (the household purificatory rites):

The
vaidic samskaras are performed not upon the Lord, nor on oneself, but
are performed by the husband upon his own wife an children, at specific
periods of development of the child.

The vaidic samskaras,
starting from garbhadhana (impregnation ritual) an ending with marriage
of the child, sanctify the person during progressive stages of family
life. Two of the samskaras mark change of asrama: upanayam, by which
the child becomes a brahmacari, and vivaha, or marriage ceremony by
which a man becomes a grhastha. In addition there is the antyesthi
(death rites) which are performed upon everyone regardless of family
connections. Rites for entering vanaprastha asrama and sannyasa are
usually not included in the samskara manuals, though technically
speaking they are part of the complete cycle of life which the
samskaras serve to define.

Function:

Though the vaidic
samskaras may be considered secondary activities because they are
discarded when one passes from the material body and society, they are
important because they sanctify and prepare the body and mind for the
primary activities of devotional service. Though there is no
qualification for taking to devotional service other than faith, one
who has undergone the samskaras in proper manner and also has faith
will have some advantage in the progress of his sadhana. Therefore the
acaryas have emphasised the importance of undergoing all of the
samskaras.


"There is a need for a good and intelligent
class of brahmanas who are expert in performing the purificatory
processes prescribed in the system of varnasrama dharma. Unless such
purificatory processes are performed, there is not possibility of good
population."
SB 1.12.13


The vaidic samskaras for grihastas are as follows:

garbhadhana (impregnation)
pumsavana (making a male child)
simantonayanam (parting the hair)
sosyanti homa (safe delivery)
jata karma (birth)
niskramana (first outing)
nama karana (giving a name)
pausti karma ( nourishment)
anna prasanam (feeding grains)
karna vedha (piercing the ears)
cuda karanam (hair cutting)
vidyarambha (entering school)
upanayanam (gayatri initiation)
samavartana (graduation)
vivaha (marriage)
antyesthi (funeral)


These
rites are performed upon the wife and upon the child by the husband.
One purpose of the rites is for the production and raising of healthy,
intelligent, mentally sound offspring, who will be assured of achieving
devotion to the Supreme Lord and final shelter in his abode after
giving up the material body.

The rites also serve the purpose of
insuring that the man and wife become aware of spiritual duty in
married life, and do not exploit married life for their own sexual
pleasure.


Adhikari (candidate for samskaras):

According
to the scriptures, anyone who is born, any one who is to be call
civilised, should undergo the samskaras. Women and sudras also undergo
the rites (except for upanayanam and samavartana), though without
pronouncing the Vedic mantras.

"A sudra may attend sacrifices
and Vedic ritualistic ceremonies along with his master, but he should
no utter the mantras, for these may be uttered only be the members of
the higher sections of society.
SB 7.11.25


In general,
the married man is the performer of the rites (upon his own wife and
children). Though the strict rules of the nitya kriyas are also
prescribed with the grhastha in mind, all of the asramas practice them
to some degree. The vaidic samskaras however are directly concerned
with the one item that is characteristic only of the grhastha asrama:
sex life and its consequences. Performance of the vaidic samskaras are
therefore the specific duty of the married man.