#AyurvaidWay: Introduction to Bala Samskara

Hello all I am Dr Aswathi and I am here today with a topic Bala Samskara- ceremony or rituals explained in Ayurveda. The word Samskara means- putting together or getting ready. It represents the moments of life from a time individual is conceived and to one's deathbed. So there are in total 16 Samskara- Shodasha Samskara- out of which three are done when the baby is in the womb and 6 during the Infanthood and other seven are done later in life. Here I am going to explain the ones which are done in a newborn until 6 months of age. The first one is Jata Karma samskara- the immediate measures done after birth. This is including the cleaning and  resuscitating the newborn. There are also detailed explanation about how to stimulate the newborn baby through touch, sound and taste. Ayurveda advises giving Suvarna Prasha- a mix of gold, ghee and honey as soon as the baby is born. This help in stimulating the sucking reflex and activating the digestive system in the newborn. Then comes the Namkarana Samskara- the naming ceremony. It is done by 10th day which marks the completion of early neonatal period. A  name is bonding the baby to its family and baby recognises and responds to its name by fourth month of development. Next is Nishkramana samskara done in the fourth month where the baby is taken out of home. Ayurveda says to wait until then that to expose the child to outside environment as the immune system of the baby is still developing. Samskaras mark the various stage of human life, knowing and acknowledging each milestone is very important. It also explains the transitional stage from one phase of the life to another one. And this also plays a major role in developing immunity, health and vitality in an individual. So we should adopt and  follow the principles of these traditional rituals for better health and longevity. Thank you