Garbh Dharana Samskar
What is a Samskar?
The word Samskar has multiple related meanings depending on the context of its use.
The word Samskar can be broken down to its root forms. “Sams” refers to betterment or evolution. “Kar” is also the root for “kaaram” referring to an action or thing. Thus, the word Samskar has a general definition of “betterment of an action or thing.”
One aspect of the word Samskar is to describe various important stages in a person’s life (stages implying evolution and maturity over time), particularly someone following the Vedic lifestyle. The first Samskar is generally considered to be the Garbh Dharan Samskar (details below), followed by the Punsavan Samskar and Shreemant Samskar.
Science describes evolution from a very macroscopic level across species and millennia. However, there is also evolution within each individual during the span of life. Samskar refers to many key moments during life that affect that evolution, positively or negatively.
The idea behind having ceremonies or events centered around these Samskars was for the purposes of making efforts to enhance one’s evolution in the proper direction. Strong emphasis is placed on parental actions for the Samskars. For example, the first 3 are pre-birth Samskars, where the parents have the strongest influence. The next 8 Samskars are related to childhood development, where parents often have the most responsibility. As a child develops and is able to exert more free will, the child becomes more responsible for his or her own actions, as reflected in the later Samskars. However, the choices the child makes as an adult will depend heavily on the child’s development and influences in early life.
How many total Samskars are there?
There are 16 primary Samskars in life based on Vedic philosophy, although there are many more “sub-Samskars” also. This website discusses the pre-birth Samskars. However, this is only a small fraction of the knowledge available. One website (among many others) that is helpful in describing some of the more philosophical aspects is available here.
What does Garbh Dharana mean?
Garbh is the Sanskrit word for “womb.” Dharana in this context means “concentration.” Thus, Garbh Dharana signifies concentration on the womb, meaning concentration on conception of children and parenthood in general.
When is the Samskar performed?
The Samskar is performed when a couple has decided that they are ready to enter parenthood. It signifies a firm commitment from both parents-to-be to focus on the next stage in life. There are many details on the timing, dates, relationship to menstrual cycle, et al. These details are beyond the scope of this website. In general though, the concept of this Samskar is that it signifies a couple’s intention to enter parenthood and devote themselves fully to the process.
What is the purpose behind the Garbh Dharana Samskar?
In Vedic philosophy, birth is not a random occurrence. Birth occurs because a soul’s karmas have ripened for it to be born and there are parents available whose karmas have ripened to produce a birth. Thus, an appropriate soul is matched with appropriate parents.
The Garbh Dharana Samskar is for the purposes of attracting a soul that will help advance the household to betterment. Parents generally hope for a child with good health, good intelligence, and good character (amongst many other qualities). However, we attract the kind of soul that fits the qualities within us. The Pooja is for the purposes of developing good qualities in the parents-to-be so that an appropriate soul is attracted.
The Pooja involves chanting of several mantras for the purposes of blessing the parents, purifying the Garbh (womb), avoiding negative thoughts and emotions, and enhancing the vitality of both parents. The act of conception is to be performed with the proper thoughts and not simply for lustful purposes.
The purpose of the Samskar is for the parents to prepare themselves for parenthood. It is the first step in making a firm commitment to conceiving a child and dedicating themselves fully towards the child’s development.
Preparation involves physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects. From a physical standpoint, the parents-to-be should avoid any overtly harmful acts such as smoking and alcohol consumption. A high percentage of pregnancies result in miscarriages or birth defects because the parents are often unaware of the pregnancy during the first few weeks when many important structures (such as the heart and neural system) are being formed. A recent New England Journal of Medicine article discusses this issue in depth. Parents are also responsible for not only avoiding negative acts but also promoting positive acts such as healthy eating habits and exercise.
From an emotional standpoint, the parents-to-be are advised to maintain a positive environment for themselves. This includes maintaining a warm and positive mood for themselves while not letting negative emotions such as anger and depression interfere. Emotional balance is important because of the environment that is created for the child-to-be.
The parents-to-be are also advised to have spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, yoga, or chanting of mantras as a part of their daily routine. These practices help stabilize and purify the mind so that an appropriate soul is brought into this world.
What comes next?
Hopefully pregnancy. 🙂 The next Samskar is the Punsavan Samskar.