Samskaras
Also called: Sixteen samskaras · Topic: Society in Early India: Kinship, Varna-Jati, Women · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Samskaras are rites of passage, ceremonies that mark the important stages of a person's life. In Hindu tradition they are usually counted as sixteen (shodasha samskaras), from before birth to cremation. They are described in the Grihya sutras (texts on household rituals) and the Dharmashastras. In the ideal plan, they went along with the four ashramas, or stages of life.
Example
Important samskaras include namakarana (naming the child), annaprashana (the first feeding of solid food), upanayana (the sacred thread ceremony that begins Vedic study), vivaha (marriage) and antyeshti (the funeral rites).
Don't confuse with
- Ashramas: the four stages of life (student, householder, forest-dweller, renouncer). Samskaras are the rites performed at points along the way.
- Purusharthas: the four goals of life (dharma, artha, kama, moksha), not ceremonies.