After completion of the ceremony of marriage, scriptures have put special importance on pregnancy to give perfection. The whole creation is founded on motherhood power. According to the story of Sushrut, after the completion of 25 years of bramhacharya ashram, it is said that there must be at least 9 years of differences between male and female in Sanskrit saying – panchapawamse tato barshai puman nari tu sodase | Samtwagatawapreu tau janiyat kushalo bhisak || According to Manu, in order to give birth to son and daughter, pregnancy has to be made on even day like 14, 16 etc. and on odd date like 15, 17 etc. respectively, by leaving aushi, purnima, asthami, chaturdashi, parwadin, shrada, and devkarya except on 11th and 13th night of the seasonal pregnancy time of women. Necessity of ritual to worship god prior to conception has also been mentioned.

Tat pungsavansaukale wir has been said in the publication of wirmitrodaya sanskar. Garbo labyata yen karmananishikti biryammog bhawati tat garbhalambhanam pumanlabdho jayate yen tatu pungsawanam | It means when the symptoms of pregnancy is seen or felt inside own womb by a female after 3 or 4 month of being conceived, this sanskara (ritual) is to be made. According to the rule of byakaran the word pumas is formed when unadima dumsum prataya is used from the dhatu pa (rakshyane) punj(pawane)and while compiling pungsawan is formed. It means the life (man or woman) inside the womb be the healthy one who do have divine power to follow and protect. By worshiping  Brahma, Bishnu, Maheshwor  and other pancha parmeshwor, tadanu war gurjo, by grinding the green kush and inhaling fresh water juice of this grind through the right nostril after filtering it or should pour 2, 4 drop, should eat delicious healthy food. The mantra of veed – “Om biwashwannadityeisate; Om hiranyagarbha……. Om Adhvyayata:sambhrita…..||”  needs to be chanted at this situation. It is good to enchant the mantra “Om Suparno Si” by putting the fetal child on the lap of wife and by touching the uterus.

This ritual is done on 4th, 6th, 8th month of pregnancy. For the satisfaction of pregnant women and for praying for the healthy life of unborn child, the management of this ritual is made. For the satisfaction of wife, husband touches the head of wife and gives her a hair massage. Elite old women get gathered and give blessings to the pregnant woman on such occasion. During such ritual, according to baidik procedure, there is a practice of eating kheer after giving aahuti to fire. It is also said “Aswalayan guyasutrama chatarthe garbhamase simantonayanam |” Nowadays, such practices are not followed, but still such practices are taken as important to be prevented from unwanted and negative power.

This ritual should be done after the child borns and before it is separated from the placenta. By the agnisthapana procedure, after worshipping of fire by father, he should read out the mantra as “om ajati dasmasya gurbho jaryatma shaaha…|” in front of pregnant women who is in pain during labor time. After reading this whole mantra, it is to be prayed that may the prashuti bayu bring the child outside from mother’s womb. As mentioned in page 180 of Paraskar Guhesutra, “jatasya kumarya  achhinya nadya megha janana ayushe karoti |” means, this ritual is performed with desire to make the child mentally developed and with willingness to have the child’s age of more than 100 years. The five pranas – prana, apana, udana, samana, and byaana, needs to be worshipped at the surrounding areas on east, west, north, and south as well as at centre of the mandap, after worshipping of five brahmins.
If this is impossible, the father himself should worship by imagining those respective pranas. By worshipping goddess earth, the child is blessed with 100 years of age (paryam shard), by making/writing omkara symbol into the tongue of child with mixture of ghee and honey and making the child to taste it. At that time, father should bless the child with ashwabhara, parasu bhawa, hiranyashut bhawa wishing the child to become as “strong as stone, be destroyer to enemy as an axe, be pure like gold burning in fire. The whole ritual of jaatkarma ritual gets completed if finally, donation of a grey coloured cow and money is made to a priest. After completion of this ritual, father has to bath in accordance with nirnaya sindhu. No impurity is deemed on the occasion of birthday.

According to Manu, the ritual of naming child is to be done on 11th, 12th day of child birth, after crossing of 10th night of birth.
Namadhyadashamyatudwadasyawasyakarayeta| Punyatithaumuhurtewanaxetrewagunanbinte ||

In some granthas, it says dasamyamuthaye pita namakarankaroti | This means, namakaran should be done on 10th day early morning. Name is an identity of person.

And to explain this, it says – rattrayamatitayam prasutikagrehat utthaye trin bramhanaan bhojayitwa kumarsyodwaratha pitaa naamkaran karoti | Boy child’s name should be of two or four letters and girl child’s name should be of three, five and seven letters, says sastra. According to Yagyaballaqya’s consent it is said ahanyakadashe name, which means in our rituals after 10th night of child birth naming ceremony should be done with agnisthapana, devdevipujan, hawan and child’s birth year, month, tithi, nakxetra, pau and rashi name should be written in peepal and banana leafs and should be said on child’s ear along with sankha and bell sound.

On 4th month of child’s birth, child should be brought outside of house on mother’s lap for suryadarshan with father saying Om tachaxurdebahintapurastata | Then priest should be giving their blessings with Towa jibasharada:shatam. Nowadays, homadis aren’t possible near naming ceremony days so suryadarshanis is being done on the same day of naming ceremony, in front of agnidevata.

According to Sauraman, “Sasthemasennaprasanam” that means after six month of child birth, annaprasan ritual should be done. If not possible on that month, Narad says, “tadavave shtame mase nawame dashamepi wa | dwadashe wapi vuvirt prathamannanashanam param | sambatsare wa sampurne kechidichchhaniti pandita: |” But Annaprasan should be done according to Jyotish Sastra which is “jod sashte vapyaste mashe pumsa strenaa tu manme samptame mashe wa karya navannaprasanam param | This means, in case of a boy child, aannaprashan is to be done on sixth or eighth months and in case of girl child, it is to be done on fifth or seventh month.
Prior to doing annaprasanthese, following four matras should be chanted while agnihawan:
“Praanenannamashiya swaha”
“Apanena gandhanashiya swaha”
“Chaxusha rupannashiya swaha”
“Trotrena yesho shiya swaha”

After this, shadras and vakxya vojyadi should be served to children and be served with curd, honey, ghee mixed food.

By calculating the age from the birth of child chewar (chudakarma) should be done during 1st or 3rd year. By worshiping Brahma, Bishnu and Maheswor in a knot of yellow cloth, in the previous day, it is to be tied at right, left and back part of head where hair will be cut. At the occasion day of Chewar, the mixture of hot and cold water with nauni ghee is to be poured in order to make the hair wet. The hair divided by the throne of dangsi (percupine) and the hair kept on dung kept in the plate of kash, should be kept by covering through yellow cloth. The child should not look at such cut hair. After that, according to own family tradition, the hair should be disposed into such place where no women from the family can see it. There is a practice of giving child massage bath with mixture of fried mustard seed and besar.

This ritual falls under the procedure of piercing of ear of boy child and piercing nose and ear of girl child. Different scholars do have different opinions in the matter of month, year, tithi and day. In the words of Basistha and Shridhar, it has been said that – Mase, Saste, Saptame, Chastame wa | madan ratnama prathame saptame mase chastame dashame pi wa | Karnaved prasansanti suklapakshye suva dine.

Brihaspati’s opinion published in Madanratna is: “Ditiya Dashami Sasti Saptami Cha Trayodashi | Dwadashi Panchami Sasta Tritiya karnabedhane || In the subject matter of day, for piercing nose and ear the fact has been mentioned as “Sashigurukavyangnam dine parbariktarahittithisu sudhee karnavedh” These issues are to be considered while perching nose and ears.

There is a trend to begin education of child along with worship to god, at the age of 5 years in order to make the child’s life successful by educating child aimed at making the child live a successful life which generates essential qualities useful for a perfect life (for example educating about morality, high idealism humility, etiquette, expertise on art and skill, pure knowledge and science, justice, philosophy, effective lectures, effective analysis etc).

The meaning to this word is Upa Samipe Nayanam Upanayanam. For doing all its process, child should be brought near to the guru (teacher) and make the child to wear yagyopawit (sacred thread). Different conceptions put forward by different scholars, as mentioned in scriptures are as follows:
According to Aswalayan: Garbhastamestame wabde panchame Saptame Pi Wa
According to Manu: Brahmawarchas: Kamasyakasrya Biprasya Panchame.
According to Nirnaya Sindhu: Saste tu Dhankamasya Vidhyakamasya Saptame. Astame Sarwakamasya Nawamekantimichchat

Though there are different thoughts, the ritual of upanayan should be done at the age of 8 years for Brahmin, 11 years for Keshtriya, 13 years for Vaisyas. This culture if not done within 24 years will be bratya according to Manu. This upanayan ritual is believed to be good if performed during the virtuous days of the month of Magh, Falgun, Chaitra, Baisakh, Jestha, Ashad.

Cutting beard and hair after the bedarambha for the first time means Keshant Sanskar. Sumukh keshante means the culture is done for getting beautiful hair. As said by Acharya, prior to doing this ritual, there is a necessity to gaudhan so this ritual is also known as Gaudhan Culture. Staying bhramacharya for 1 years after completing this ritual has been prescribed by rishimuni. Keshantasodashe warse Brahmanasyawidhiyate | Rajanyabandha dwabingse waisyasya dwayadhike tat || This means, the age is is decided to be 16 years for Brahmin, 22 years for Keshtriya, and 24 years for Baisyas.

This ritual is done after completing full course within the school of Guru. In this ritual, worship is done to Agni, 4 vedas, gods and goddesses through agnisthapana bidhi. The ceremony of convocation, which are done these days in university are similar with this ritual. The student who graduated from guruasram can officially be eligible to enter into married life only after completion of this ritual.

Among four ashrams, marriage ceremony is considered as the second one. Human, by birth bring three debts with them – 1.Dev Reen 2. Rishi Reen, and 3.Pitri Reen. Dev Reen is paid by worshipping gods and yagya yaghadi. Rishi Reen is paid by bedhadyan, swadhyan etc. Pitri Reen is paid by bearing a child after marriage. Dharmasatra has directed that marriages are of 8 types:

Brahma 2. Daiba 3. Arsa 4. Prajapatya 5.Aasura 6.Gandarva 7. Rakshyas 8. Paisach

1. The kind of marriage where the groom and bride are made graceful and kanyadan is given, mutual review is made by shilling of jayamomadi and vendor (shindhurdan) is done is known as Bhrama marriage. 2. Daiba marriage means a kind of marriage where kanyadan is given by gifting astrologer rishimuniv who work on yagya with many gifts. 3. Arsa is such marriage where the marriage where a sets of cow and ox is presented to rishitwa and kanyadan is done. 4. Prajapatya-The marriage where a bride is given to groom for the child bearing purpose and groom are bride are said to live happily by following the religion according to the religious process is known as Prajapatya marriage. 5. Asur marriage- The marriage where the property is given to people of bride side or is done by buying them is known as Asur marriage. 6. Gandarva marriage- The marriage done due to the love affairs of bride and groom or on any terms is known as Gandharva marriage. 7. Rakshyas marriage-The marriage done forcefully or by kidnapping the bride is known as Rakshyas marriage. 8. Paisach marriage- The marriage where a girl is married by a man who has commited the crime of ravishing her either when asleep or when made drunk by intoxicating drugs or when in sate of mental disorder is known as Paisach marriage.

Soul will make the human life by accumulating 24 aspects of love and karma done in past-life (purbajanma). Soul needs to roam into 84 lives in order to enjoy and tolerate the fortune or fate committed in past life. Human life is the best life among 84 lives. Good deeds in human life will be rewarded with the luxury of heaven and bad deed will curse the human with hell life after death. Hindu society is that society which has to stay in vedic values. The Antyasthi ritual performed in Hindu society is evidentially proved by dharmashastra.

After the death of human, according to classical procedure, from first day till twelfth day, dasagatra bidhi, madhyam, uttam, sodasli, sapindanadhi fall under this. The various 15 rituals mentioned prior to this ritual are destined to give human beings, happy and complete life.

These days, practice of these rituals is getting weak. Therefore, deviation needs to be stopped by looking and reading the guidelines provided by Nirnaya Sindhu, Dharma Sindhu, Parashkarguhiya sutra, smriti etc. Good character is constructed only from sanskaras. These characters will make human good. Human life cam rise to high level only after imitation and compliance with these rituals.

The point of origin and source of santan (existing from time immemorial from the time of origin of earth) dharma is Veda. Veda is considered as a base and mother of Santan Dharma. Among the six parts of Veda – sikshya (education), kalpa (craft), byakaran (grammar), nirutta (agent), jyotish (astrologer) and chhanda (way of pronunciation), jyotish (astrologer) is deemed as eye of Veda. The science of astrology (jyotish shastra) studies about the impact of 9 planets in space, 12 horoscopes, 27 nakshyatra (constellation) of space etc. on living beings and nonliving earthly materials. It is a depth study capable enough to predict future, explain about past and present as well. The origin of Astrology became on the same day when the mantras of Veda got spread and enlightened in the world. Surya, Parasar, Brighu, Gargacharya etc. are considered as the propounders or scholars of astrology. Falit astrology, Facial science, Hastarekha (palmestry), vastu science, Anka (numerical) astrology etc. are the branches or divisions of astrology categorized by the scholars. In the cycle of altogether 360o, each rashi (zodic sign) gets 30o where 12 rashis – Mesh, Brish, Mithun, Karkat, Singha, Kanya, Tula, Brischik Dhanu, Makar, Kumba and Meen are very popular in astrology. Similarly, the role of nine planets- Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Guru, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu are ornamental in astrology. Among these 9 planets, all the seven planets except Rahu and Ketu are materialistic or objective structurally whereas the two- Rahu and Ketu are shadow planets. Along with these planets, the various 27 nakshyatras (constellations) also play important place in astrology.
Human beings from birth carry three kinds of reens (debt) with oneself. These three debts of human are devreen (indebtedness to god), rishireen (indebtedness to guru/teacher) and pitrireen (indebtedness to ancestors). Among these three reens, pitrireen is important for grihasthi (human living in married life with family and household). Different holy books and texts have pronounced that no grihasthi can feel peace and happiness without recovering from pitrireen.

Ritual of shradda is an easy way to be free from pitrireen. Shradda means remembering and being gratitude towards dead close relatives. In the words of Hemadri, shradda denotes jaaldaan (donation or offering of water), pindadaan (donation of cooked food), annadaan (donation of grains), and brahmanvojan (offering meal to priest). Shradda diyatee kriyate eti shraddhaa| Meaning- it is called shradda because these things are offered to dead relatives with sradda (humility and faith). Shradda are of various types- Nitya, Naimityik, Kamya, Bridhi, Sapindan, Tirtha and so on.

Holy books and texts have explained that those houses where the ritual of shradda is not performed for pitris, gods won’t bless such houses. Pure heart as well as pure words are necessary to complete the ritual of shradda. It has been said that wrong pronunciation of words while offering these materials to pitri will deny pitri from receiving the materials (jaal and anna) offered, in the same manner as one can’t get letter if sent to wrong address. While performing the ritual of shradda, it is to be ensured that karta (the person doing shradda), samagri (materials of shradda), mantra (words enchanted) of shradda, house, and wife, all need to be clean and pure. Cow milk, silver utensils, gangajal, tulasi, kush, til etc. are considered to very important for shradda. The benefits of shradda, as told by scriptures is that the doer is blessed with property, prosperity, welfare, long life, achievement of heaven and salvation after death.