Baby Naming | Significance of Naming Ceremony

There are 16 sanskaras (ceremonies) in Hinduism, the name of the fifth sanskara is the baby naming ceremony. This article will tell you about this naming ceremony. As the name suggests, the newborn baby is given a name in this ceremony, which will hold utmost importance in their’s life. That name greatly influences that child's life, behavior, and deeds. The name must be kept carefully after thinking. This ceremony should be performed with proper rituals and vidhi.

The importance of the baby naming ceremony (Namkaran Sanskara) has also been written in the Vedas. It can be well understood through this verse:

“आयुर्वेदभिवृद्धिश्च सिद्धिर्व्यवहतेस्तथा।

नामकर्मफलं त्वेतत् समुदृष्टं मनीषिभि:।।“

Meaning of this verse: The age and smartness of the child increase by the naming ceremony. Along with this, a person gets popularity in the world by his name, behavior, conduct, and deeds and creates a strong and meaningful identity for himself.

When is the baby naming ceremony performed?

Generally, the naming ceremony is performed ten days after an infant's birth. In the Hindu religion, it is believed that Sutak begins with the child's birth. The duration of Sutak varies from religion to religion or society to society. But most commonly, it varies from 10-13 days. According to Parashara, ten days Sutak is considered for Brahmin Varna, 12 days Sutak for Kshatriya Varna, 15 days Sutak for Vaishya Varna, and one-month Sutak for Shudra Varna.

But in today's modern era, there has no meaning for the varna system, and most of the sutaks are considered to end on the 11th day. There is a verse in Veda - “दशम्यामुत्थाप्य पिता नाम करोति।” This means that on the 10th day of the baby, the baby naming ceremony should be performed by the father. At the same time, this naming ceremony can be done after 100 days from the child's birth or even after one year. Another verse in Hindu scriptures states that “जननादृशरात्रे व्युष्टे शतरात्रे संवत्सरे वा नामधेयकरणम्,” which means baby naming ceremony can be performed on the 100th day of the childbirth or the first birthday of the child. 

Namkaran Sanskar Vidhi

For the naming ceremony or Namkaran Sanskar, priests find the most auspicious muhurat. It is because every auspicious work should be done at an auspicious time. The ceremony starts with the licking of honey. When the child licks honey, they are taken to take the blessings of Lord Sun. According to scriptures, by doing this, the child also becomes energetic and gets life-giving power like the sun. After that, the child is bowed down to earth. In Hindu scriptures, the earth is considered a mother, and bowing in front of the mother is the Dharma. Through this, the child can get blessings to touching new heights and still be connected to the earth. With so many wishes and desires, the child is given a baby name per birth chart. While giving the name to the child, it is extremely important to remember all the gods and prayers are offered for the good fortune and long life of the child. While keeping the name, it is very important to keep the lineage, birthplace, and gotra in mind. Often two names are kept while the naming ceremony. One name is written in secret in the birth chart, and the other name is prevalent for common use. Doing this also increases the good fortune of the child.

Astrology and naming ceremony

It is said in the scriptures that the name of the child should be kept according to his birth constellation (birth nakshatra). By doing this, he may get the special blessings of his Ascendant and Nakshatra lord. Along with the constellation, it should also be seen in which phase of the constellation the child is born. If their name is kept with the same letter, then that child will get respect and good fortune in their life. A special letter is mentioned in the astrology for each constellation phase, and you can get this knowledge from a priest or a pandit. There is a lord of the zodiac sign in which the child is born. If the child is named based on it, they will get all the things in their life smoothly. 

Points to be remembered while naming the baby

An important point about names is that the qualities of a name are unintentionally passed on to the child like Lakshmi, Gautam, Vishnu, or Krishna, irrespective of gender. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the names of persons with those qualities for the child you want to keep away from your child. Therefore, select specific letters as per the child's birth chart, the planetary yoga, the position of the birth star, and the constellation. With the advice of predictions of an experienced astrologer, you can keep the baby’s name. If any name sounds good or its pronunciation is new, do not keep any meaningless, bad, or malicious name under the influence of such things.