Namkaran Puja refers to the name giving ceremony of a newborn and is usually conducted on the 12th day of the child’s birth. Naam literally means ’name’ and karan means ’to make, to effect’.
Significance of Namkaran Puja
The Namkaran ceremony is an important puja conducted for every hindu child. It refers to the practice of initiating a child into a religion and reminding his/her parents about their responsibilities and duties towards their baby. Namkaran ritual is extremely essential since it helps in shaping the upbringing and the character of a child.
There are certain guidelines to be followed while naming a newborn known as Samskara as per Vedas and Sutras.
As per Grihya Sutra,
- a newborn baby should have a name that is pleasant and easy to pronounce.
- It should indicate the gender of the child and signify the social standing of the family.
- The name must contain a specific number of letters as per the gender of the child.
Benefits of conducting Namkaran Puja-
- The naming ceremony reflects an attempt to instill culture at an early stage and enhances the auspiciousness of the baby’s name.
- It brings fortune, good luck, success in the baby’s life and nullifies all the negative effects.
- The puja also helps in knowing what the basic personality traits of a child will be when grows up.
Namkaran Puja Ritual:
The baby and mother are given a ritual bath on the day of the Namkaran ceremony. The child is dressed in new clothes. The mother applies kajal to her child’s eyes and makes a beauty mark on his/her cheek. The baby is then put in the father’s lap. Then a puja is performed by the priest followed by a havan. Prayers are offered to all gods, the five elements and the spirits of forefathers which invokes them to bless and protect the child.
After that, the priest places a sheet on which betel leaves, lentils, moong dal and turmeric, are placed on a piece of red cloth along with the child’s horoscope in front of the idol or image of the deity. Using a betel leaf or its silver imprint, or Kusa grass leaves, the father whispers the chosen name in the right ear of the baby. After the naming ritual is done, relatives and friends bless the child and touch some honey to its lips.
About Dev Darshan
Started by IIT graduates, DevDarshan is Devotional Platform for 5000+ Hindu Temples in the Indian Subcontinent. DevDarshan’s long term vision is to provide a digital platform to Temples and Gurus for sharing the millennia-old teachings of Indian culture in the world and by doing so, projecting Bharat (India) as Vishwa Guru (Universal Leader) through its rich cultural and spiritual heritage.
DevDarshan facilitates online Daily Darshan, Pujas and digital donations for Devotees. Now, due to the present state of the pandemic, most of the temples have shifted to conducting online Namkaran Puja for the convenience of the devotees. However, it becomes a bit of a hassle to connect to the Mandir priests to get the puja conducted. Dev Darshan can come to your rescue at that moment. Dev Darshan is a platform which provides a smooth interaction between the temple houses and the devotees without much worry and hassle. It also conducts online Pujas such as online Namkaran Puja. Check out the online services provided by Dev Darshan here and get your bookings done in one click.
