Editor's note: You may find the title misleading. 'Oh why only male child', 'this is so patriarchal' etc are very common thoughts given the current conditioning by some flag bearers. Let me give you a meditation pill. This Samskara guides you to get a male child only but it does not say that you cannot have a female one. There is a separate process for obtaining a female child. There is a process to even get a neuter child. But you know what society wants to pick on priority and in mass and in that way, it becomes popular.
Also read about all the sixteen Samskara.
What are Samskaras?
संस्कार, Samskaras are rites of passage in a person’s life recorded in ancient Sanskrit literature, as well as a notion in Indian philosophies’ karma theory. In ancient Sanskrit and Pali literature, the term literally means “putting together, making perfect, getting ready, to prepare” or “a sacred or sanctifying ceremony”.
In Hinduism, Samskaras comprise both exterior rituals such as those commemorating a baby’s birth and naming ceremonies, as well as interior rites of resolves and ethics such as compassion for all living beings and a good attitude.
When referring to rites of passage, the etymological origins of the word samskara are also “preparation, purifying, perfecting” from one’s previous condition to one’s future one. The term samskara is uncommon in the earliest stratum of Vedic literature, although its origins सं and कृ appear often. The term appears in Rig Veda hymns 6.28.4 and 8.33.9, as well as other Vedic texts, where the context implies it simply means “purify, prepare”.
Samskaras are ceremonies in Hinduism that begin with one’s birth and celebrate certain early steps in a baby’s development and his or her welcome into the world in the presence of friends and family, then various stages of life (Four Ashramas/stages) such as first learning day, graduation from school, wedding and honeymoon, pregnancy, raising a family, as well as those related to final rites associated with death.
These rites of passage are not standard and differ among Hinduism’s many traditions. Some may include formal rites, such as yajna (fire) ceremonies accompanied by the chanting of Vedic hymns.
With today’s groundbreaking advances in technology and science, a baby’s genetic composition can be artificially selected via genetic engineering and in-vitro fertilization to assure the presence or absence of specific genes or features.
With an increased desire to adopt natural ways, different alternative approaches for the conception of healthy, intellectual offspring with desirable qualities have shifted the spotlight to Ayurvedic procedures that are straightforward and scientific.
In this article let us look at the second samskara, पुंसवन Pumsavana – पुमान् प्रसूयते येन कर्मणा तत्पुंसवनमीरितम् pumān prasūyate yena karmaṇā tatpuṁsavanamīritam | and “a rite quickening a male child.”
Pumsavana (Quickening the fetus rite)
Pumsavana is a composite word of पुंस्+ सवन. पुंस् Pums means “to grind, a man, a human being, a soul or spirit”, while सवन means “ceremony, rite, oblation, festival”.
Pumsavana literally means “quickening a being or male”, usually translated as “quickening a male fetus, bringing forth a male baby”. The ritual is performed when the fetus starts moving in the womb, typically in or after the third month of pregnancy. The ritual commemorates the rite of passage of the growing fetus, recognizing the stage at which the baby begins to kick as a developmental milestone.
The Pumsavana ritual has its origins in sections 4.3.23 and 4.6.2 of the Atharva Veda, where charms are chanted for a newborn boy. Section 4.6.17 of the Atharva Veda offers charms to be chanted for the birth of a child of any gender and the prevention of miscarriages. The ceremony is carried out in a variety of ways, but all include the husband serving something to the expecting wife. In one version, he feeds her a paste made of yogurt, milk, and ghee (clarified butter).
Another variant of the Pumsavana ceremony is more complex, performed in the presence of yajna fire and Vedic chanting, in which the husband inserts a drop of Banyan leaf extract in the wife’s right nostril for a son and her left nostril for a daughter, followed by a feast for everyone present.
The duration of the pumsavana varies amongst ग्र्ह्यसुत्र Grhyasutras and can be extended up to the eighth month of pregnancy, according to some.
Read about the 3rd Samskara: The Simantonnayana Samskaram
Process of पुंसवनं
In the पारस्करगृह्मसूत्रम् it is stated:
‘अथ पुंसवनं पुरा स्पन्दत इति मासे द्वितीये तृतीय वा ।’
‘atha puṁsavanaṁ purā spandata iti māse dvitīye tr̥tīya vā।’
The Acharyas consider this Samskara essential to the growth and development of children. As part of the Samskara for a child, which is still inside the mother’s womb, Shubh Nakshatra is performed. In performing Punsavan Samskara, we hope to bring forth a child that is healthy and bright.
In this Samskara, Agni (God of Fire) should be worshipped, Mantra of one’s own इष्टदेव Ishtadev (the belief in one’s own personal deity) should be repeated 100 times, and then meals and दक्षिणा Dakshina (the act of offering alms with reverence) should be offered to Brahmins and obtain their blessings.
Objectives of Pumsavana
- गर्भ ग्रहणाय Garbha Grahanaya – Ensure healthy progeny before conception
- गर्भ स्थापनार्थ Garbha Sthapanartha – Initiated immediately following conception to ensure proper implantation and stability
- गुत्र अपत्य जननार्थ Gutra Apatya Jananartha – Preconceptional (for desired sex) before the third month of pregnancy
Pushya Nakshatra is the time to perform this procedure. Pumsavana is a ritual that is celebrated in the third month of pregnancy when there are visible signs of pregnancy as mentioned before. If suitable locality and timing are combined with the prescribed methods, the desired result is said to be produced.
Pre-conception
Charaka teaches that the rites of conception should be performed by a priest in front of the woman and man before conception. Sushruta teaches that both the husband and the wife should observe celibacy for a month. For a desire of a male baby, it advises intercourse on even nights (sixth, eighth, tenth or twelfth), and otherwise for a desire of a female baby. Intercourse is deemed futile after 13 nights.
Post conception
Whenever symptoms of pregnancy are recognized, i.e. nausea, abdominal pain, appetite changes, and weight gain, Pumsavanas should be performed. Lakshmana (Pomoea sepiaria Roxb.), Vatanguru (Ficus benghalensis Linn.) Sahadeva or Vishvadeva (Vernonia cinerea Less.) are administered as Nasya (nasal insufflations) after crushing with milk.
The two to four drops of medicine are dropped into the nostrils of the woman who desires to have a healthy child. Additionally, pastes or solutions made from two young undamaged clean leaf buds of Banyan trees are mentioned, as are powdered white mustard seeds that are crushed and mixed in curd.
History of Pumsavana Samskara
Due to the fact that early Vedic settlements were pastoral and later agrarian, a son was a household’s primary source of income, since he cared for cattle and worked in the fields. As a result, he was his father’s preferred progeny. Moreover, when the Hindu belief that a son was a ‘Rinachyutha’ or a repayer of one’s karmic debts (of birth) s, mainly of a moral kind, such as one owed to one’s ancestors, society’s aspiration for a son became even more concrete.
As a result, in the ritual-ridden Vedic society, ceremonial rites evolved to influence the outcome of pregnancy in favor of a male. Secondly, agrarian work required a huge amount of physical labor and due to menstruation in females which causes bodily and hormonal changes, weakness in the lower body while menstruating, and lack of hygiene facilities and medical advancements, there was a gap in their work and suggested to stay home and rest; again increasing the preference of a male child over a female child.
The texts by Charaka (2nd century BCE), Sushruta (5th century BCE), and Bhaavaprakaasa (12th century AD) contain references to methods for sex selection and healthy conception. In Ayurveda, the timing of the intercourse and a special diet can not only impact the sex of the fetus, but they can also change it during the early months of conception.
