This sacrament is
the third Vedic Sacrament and is performed when the pregnancy of the mother
is fairly well established; it is performed during the fourth, sixth and
eighth months of pregnancy. It is aimed at the integral growth and
development of the foetal brain and its mental processes, as well as at the
mental and physical well-being of the mother.
The healthy
development of the mental faculties can only occur if the mother herself is
in sound physical and mental health. Therefore, in a Vedic family, all
possible measures are taken to provide a congenial environment for a sound
healthy development of the mother and child.
We all know that
when we plant a seed in fertile soil it is with the intention it will grow
into a healthy plant and bear fruits it was intended to bear-provided we
dutifully nurture it with water, manure and the right types of chemical
fertilizers. In a similar manner, the child in the mother’s womb also
requires consistent nourishment through psychological and spiritual
endowments to enable him/her to attain the maximum developments in brain,
mental and psychic faculties. The Simantonnayan sacrament is directed
towards these attainments.
The Vedic
scriptures say that when the child (foetus) is four months old in the
mother’s womb it begins to develop its mental faculties; and by the fifth
month, its perceptive faculties (sense organs) are fairly well developed.
By the sixth month the intellectual faculties begin to develop. During the
seventh month the foetal body parts are well developed and defined. And
beginning in the eighth month and through to the end of the ninth month, the
intuitive faculties and ability to differentiate and respond become
comparatively functional; and the hormones that have been in the embryonic
forms in the earlier stages have now comparatively attained their functional
endowments and virility, and the child is now ready to respond appropriately
to the stimulations of the external world when born. Therefore it is crucial
that this sacrament is performed for the sound and healthy development of
the child’s mind and the physical body.
It is highly recommended that during these months of the
pregnancy the mother herself is fairly well exposed to a healthy
environment, both for her psychological well-being and for her spiritual
satisfaction. The active support of the family members and relatives in
creating this congenial atmosphere is very imperative.
The way the mother
maintains her visual likings and appreciations, and the subsequent thoughts
that emanate from these visual perceptions, all have a direct bearing on the
growing foetal mind. She should always utilize all her perceptual faculties
(the five sensory organs) to gain positive values and knowledge and to
reject and dispel ignorance. It is essential that the pregnant mother
always endeavours to keep herself in an environment which generates honesty
and transparency, congeniality, love and understanding; and her daily
activities have the embodiment of sacrificial motives. These are all
positive attributes and have direct positive bearings on the psychological
and spiritual development of the child to be born.
These sacraments are
performed by a priest well versed in the rituals of Vedic sacraments. The
sacrament is very ably described in “Sanskar Vidhi” authored by Swami
Dayanand.
