August 20, 2024

Nishkramana: The Sacred First Outing of a Newborn

Nishkramana sanskar is sixth among the sixteen samskar mentioned in the Vedic scriptures. In literal sense, Nishkramana means the outing ceremony of the newborn. It is performed when the baby is ready for its first outing to interact with worldly elements. The baby here is made to experience nature with the essence of spiritual prosperity. This practice has great significance in Hinduism and also has scientific logic too. Without wasting much of time, let's dive into a blog to know more about Nishkramana sanskar.

What is Nishkramana sanskar?

Hindu tradition has rituals made for each passing phase of life. Nishkramana Sanskar is one among sixteen traditional Hindu sanskaras which hold a significant place in an individual's life. The ceremony is organized after the baby becomes three or four months old. Nishkramana Sanskar marks when a child is taken out of the house for the first time in sunlight, fresh air and other natural elements. It symbolizes the entry of the baby into the community. Here the family tends to perform the prayers and seek blessings from god to ensure the prosperity, longevity and health in life of the little one.

Often this ceremony is conducted in some holy place like a temple where priests bless the child. The event signifies a joyful celebration which marks the first interaction of the baby with the outside world.

However, these days, the baby and mother have to step out several times due to doctor’s appointments. But it is advised not to step out more unless necessary. This is applicable for about the first forty days as a confinement period of a newborn baby.

Procedure to perform Nishkramana sanskar

When a baby grows four months old, there is a tradition to take the baby out for the first time in the temple as a part of Nishkramana sanskar. This ritual is performed to promote the child’s reflexes. Remember the following points before taking the baby outside.

Dress up the baby in a comfortable environment with choosing clean and attractive clothes. It should match with the new surrounding of the baby to vibe with atmosphere.
Make the baby a little comfortable before outing with offering proper feed. This will avoid sudden crankiness in the baby when exposed to the outer environment.
Offer the prayers to God and seek blessings for the baby.
Baby gets exposed to a new environment with various colors and sounds like the recitation of mantras, the bell of the temple and more. This provides an opportunity to assess different responses of new sounds and colors with a divine atmosphere.
The baby is exposed to the Idol of God in the temple as well as other strangers. This marks their response socially with exchanging smiles or sounds.

Traditionally followed procedures of Nishkramana sanskar

Master Vaghela

Vaghela is conducted in the 4th month after the birth of a baby. Here the baby is beautifully dressed and the surroundings are decorated along with offering prayers to God. Members of the family need to carry Agni Dev and Skanda God idols and walk forward from the child. The father should follow the path with the lifting of the baby and enter the temple. After this, the family members gather and offer prayer to God for the well-being of the little one.

Master Kashyap

In the 4th month after the birth of the baby, dress it well for the upcoming ceremony. Preferably try to dress up the baby with traditional clothes. Before going out to avoid crankiness, feed the baby properly and allow it to rest. The mother or any other woman of the family lifts the baby. The one carrying the baby should have ghee, honey and mustard in hands to lead the way to the temple. In the temple, parents have to worship the sacred fire with mustard, honey and ghee carried along the way. Organize a pooja worshiping Lord Vishnu, Matrices, Skanda and offer them flowers, fumigants and garlands too. Sweets are also offered in the ceremony as prasad. The mother along with the baby take blessings from the priest and elderly members of the family and express their gratitude to make the ceremony fruitfully complete.

The baby is now brought back to the home and its ears are whispered with sacred words which have a message as, ‘oh little one, you are protected with God, blessed with brahmins and praised with teachers and elders to live a life of a hundred years.’

Yama Smriti

This sacred ceremony is performed in the 3rd month after the birth of a baby. In the 3rd month the baby is taken out to see the sun and in the following month for the moon. In the center of the courtyard of the house a square area is marked which is spread with cow dung and clay. Note preferably the cow dung is used because of its spiritual significance. After this, the mother of the baby has to spread the rice over the marked area. Father has to lift the sun and stand in a marked area and make the baby look towards the sun. Meanwhile, when father does this, other members should chant Vedic mantras and make the sound of conch shells. After this, the baby is shown a series of sacred symbols.

There are many benefits achieved to the baby behind these rituals. Some of these are as follows:

Baby tends to smile out loud
Little one learns to control the head and stabilize the posture
Holding of the neck
Baby responds successfully towards the sound
Social smile
Bidextrous reach
Recognize mother and father
Disappearance of rooting and galant reflexes which indicates total absence of disorders tackling the central nervous system.

Why is the baby exposed to the sun, moon and God in the Nishkramana sanskar?

There is specific reason behind exposing the baby to the sun, moon and God which are as follows:

Moon has the tendency to have control over emotions and mind. The prayers offered to the moon strengthen the mental health of the baby.
Pray to the sun for the good health of the baby. It imparts positive spiritual values to the baby as sun is the vital force of the body.
The exposure of the baby to the Sun, moon and God increases the feeling of respect, gratitude for mother nature.
Baby is exposed to all these elements to lead a good social life further.
This process fosters the sense of curiosity in the baby for exploring different things.
Priests and deities offer the blessing to babies to lead a life with spiritual values, intelligence and good health.

What is the significance of Nishkramana sanskar?

The main motive behind this ritual is to make a strong bond between the baby and mother. In this ritual, the baby is exposed to five elements of nature for the first time. It includes earth, water, fire, air and sky. On the day of ceremony surya mantras are chanted at the day time whereas the moon mantras are recited during night time. In this process, the sun and moon play the role to bring force and emotions in the baby respectively. The ritual brings the respect of these five elements collectively known as ‘Panchal Bhoota’ to the baby. After performing this, the baby is taken to the temple to incorporate the spiritual values. If a person is less connected with these five elements then he/she might face more adverse situations in life. Nishkramana Sanskar brings longevity and a healthy life for little ones.

What is the science behind Nishkramana sanskar?

All of the rituals followed during the entire life of the individual have proven scientific reasons for performing it. Nishkramana is conducted for little one due to following reason:

This ritual access activities which makes the developmental milestone with muscle coordination, responses of sense organs, motor control of baby and more.
The exposure of different sounds like chanting of the mantras and ringing of bells checks sound responses of the baby.
In a temple, looking at God or any other strangers brings a sense of social contact to the baby. Also, little one learns to exchange smiles, laugh or react to different sounds.
When a baby sights the sun or moon the actions of pupils are checked.
Nishkramana Sanskar provides a chance for the parents to see and confirm the presence of the disease related to the central nervous system.
Exposure of the baby to the sun in the early morning delivers vitamin D to the body. The source of Vitamin D is essential for bone development in little ones.
Moon exposure during chilling nights leads to release of good hormones like serotonin in the body.

Benefits of Nishkramana sanskar

Nishkramana sanskar is performed when the baby is taken out of the home for the very first time. These rituals benefit the little one in many ways unknowingly. Let’s explore the benefits gained out of Nishkramana sanskar.

Introduction to world

Nishkramana Sanskar marks the introduction of the baby to the world around. This gives the transition of the protected environment at home to the outside world in a broader way.

Health and well-being

The baby is exposed to sunlight which is a rich source of Vitamin D. It helps in the construction of good bone health. Further, exposure to the moon leads to release of the good hormones in the baby giving a good mood and sleep.

Cultural and religious significance

It reinforces the baby with cultural values and traditions also. Therefore, even after growing up, the baby gets attached with the heritage and community.

Family bonding

The ceremony brings together family, friends and relatives to strengthen their bonds.

Blessings and good wishes

The ritual includes prayers and blessings for the health of the child. Also, it brings happiness, divine protection and guidance to the journey of a baby.

Conclusion

Nishkramana sanskar is an important Hindu ritual in which the baby is taken outside for the first time. The ritual symbolizes the first time introduction of the baby to the world after four years of age. The procedure includes the entire family members together to strengthen the bond and wish a bright future for the baby. The ritual holds great significance in Hindu culture. Further, this ritual has proven scientific values which is indeed beneficial for the baby. It is thus a perfect opportunity for the parents to make the little one connect with a broader community and environment.

FAQs

1. Why is a baby exposed to the sun in Nishkramana sanskar?

Sun is exposed with the intention to get Vitamin D from the ultraviolet rays which is beneficial for the baby’s bone health.

2. What is the correct time to perform Nishkramana sanskar?

According to rituals, the correct time for Nishkramana sanskar is after the baby gets four months old.

3. Why is the baby made to visit temples?

Temples are the holy and sacred place where babies can get blessings from God. It is a way in which spiritual values are incorporated into a baby. The chanting of mantras and ringing of bells together makes a divine atmosphere to foster positive and spiritual values in little ones.

4. Which is the sixth ritual among sixteen sanskaras and what does it mean?

The sixth ritual is Nishkramana sanskar. It denotes the first time outing of the baby and knowing the nature and community. It also strengthens the bond between mother and baby before it gets exposed to this world.

5. Why is the little one exposed to the moon?

In the night with a peaceful environment, the little one is exposed to the moon which brings the stimulation and release of good hormones in the body. These hormones make a positive environment, uplifts the mood of the baby as well as fosters good and sound sleep.