Namkaran Puja

In the Hindu way, every child born is named and this ceremony is called the Namkaran Puja. This function is not just a religious one but also has the social and the legal aspects to it. This is the first ceremony in a baby’s life and so it helps to forge a good bond between the baby and his or her family. It is usually conducted after the 12th day of birth but this differs as per region and custom. The 12th day is chosen because the first ten days after a baby’s birth is thought off to be a period of impurity and so in a sense we can say that the ritual of namkaran is one to cleanse the baby and the mother as in some cultures both are given a good oil bath. The name for the newborn is chosen after consultations with the elders. The custom is to give a child a name that is significant for various reasons.

The guests present bless the child with good health, wealth and prosperity with a bright future so that he or she may follow the line of his or her great ancestors. This will also help the parents to understand the task of parenting that lies ahead of them. We can say that this ceremony is a reaffirmation of the importance and significance of the human life.

BENEFITS OF NAMKARAN PUJA

• Increases auspiciousness of the selected name.
• Brings good luck.
• Nullifies negative effects of the name.

SIGNIFICANCE OF NAM KARAN PUJA

• Namkaran ceremony is an important ritual which is performed for every Hindu child. It is a practice of initiating a child into a religion and reminding the parents their duties and responsibilities towards their baby.
• Namkaran Puja is very important as it helps in shaping the character and upbringing of a child. As per Vedas and Sutras, certain guidelines are needed to be followed while naming the newborn.
• The name must contain a specific number of letters as per the sex of the child.
• The naming ceremony has its own significance as it is an attempt to instil culture at an early stage with blessings of god so that the child can live happy, prosperous and fulfilled life.
• Namkaran puja signifies bestowing Sanskar on newborn which is performed with a joyous celebration. Namkaran Puja enhances the auspiciousness of the baby’s name. It brings good luck, fortune, prosperity and success in baby’s life and nullifies negative effects.