Nishkramana
Encyclopedia
Nishkramana (literally, first outing) is the sixth of the 16 saṃskāra
s (sacraments) practiced by the Hindu
s. On the day of the Nishkramana, a square area in the courtyard from where sun can be seen is plastered with cow dung and clay and the sign of svastika is marked on it. The mother of the child scatters grains of rice over it. The child is brought by a nurse, and the ceremony ends when the father makes the child look at the sun with the sound of the conch-shell
and the chanting of Vedic
hymns. According to the Manusmriti (II.34), in the fourth month after birth, the Nishkramana of the child should be performed. According to the Yamasmriti, quoted in Viramitrodaya, a child should see the sun in the third month and the moon in the fourth month after birth.
Samskara
Samskara may refer to:* Saṃskāra, Hindu rites* Saṃskāra , in Buddhism, mental and volitional formations* Samskara , a technique in ayurvedic medicine...
s (sacraments) practiced by the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s. On the day of the Nishkramana, a square area in the courtyard from where sun can be seen is plastered with cow dung and clay and the sign of svastika is marked on it. The mother of the child scatters grains of rice over it. The child is brought by a nurse, and the ceremony ends when the father makes the child look at the sun with the sound of the conch-shell
Shankha
Shankha bhasam , also spelled and pronounced as Shankh and Sankha, is a conch shell of ritual and religious importance in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is the shell of a large predatory sea snail,Turbinella pyrum found in the Indian Ocean....
and the chanting of Vedic
Vedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
hymns. According to the Manusmriti (II.34), in the fourth month after birth, the Nishkramana of the child should be performed. According to the Yamasmriti, quoted in Viramitrodaya, a child should see the sun in the third month and the moon in the fourth month after birth.