Samskars make living easier, better and fuller, if performed as they should, with right earnestness. Lord Sri Krishna declared in the Gita: “That person easily succeeds in both the physical and spiritual realms (worlds) whose Samskars have been duly completed and that has achieved control over senses.
The book 16 Hindu Samskars incorporates all the Samskars that make a person refined and cultured, to grow from inside and to enable one to lead a pious, complete, healthy, happy, pleasant and prosperous life. If all the Samskars are performed and the patterns and rules obeyed then life of a person would be worth living, blissful, and pure enough to get bliss and salvation, and that person would be a worthy citizen able to make the earth a better place for all living beings and to ensure continuity of life.
Read 16 Hindu Samskars, learn about them and be Samskari.
About the Author(s)
Prof. Shrikant Prasoon is a reader, teacher, thinker, poet and above all, a humanist. The more he reads and thinks, the more he writes on varied topics, but with one aim \'to show man the need of Nature and natural life\'. He believes that all religions are integral and inseparable, living and developing parts of one basic religion called Humanism; and all the systems are an outcome of the greatest celestial system, which is devised and regulated by the Unseen and Unknown Creator.
A retired Professor of English, Prof. Prasoon writes in Hindi with equal ease and also in Samskrit. His recent books are Knowing Buddha; Knowing Guru Nãnak; Indian Scriptures; Panch Mahabhuta Tatwa and Sharira; Chãnakya; Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose; Absorbing Buddha; Knowing Kabir and Hinduism Clarified and Simplified.
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Preface
Prayers
Samskars in Spiritual Quadruplets
Section I - The Samskars
Samskars: Meaning and Philosophy
Rishis on Samskars
Samskars as Culture
Importance of Samskars
List of Samskars
Governing Factors in Samskars
Need of Samskars
Lack of Samskars
The Scriptures on Samskars
Samskars and the Problems of the World
Samskars and Supernatural Power
Benefits from Samskars
Essentials and Forbidden in Samskars
The Samskars of the Previous Life
The Samskars of Grihastha Dharma
Samskars Given during Childhood
Samskars for Inner Growth
Role of Women in Samskars
Samskars in Ayurveda
Samskars in a Nutshell
Progress, Peace, Prosperity and Perfection through Samskars
Section II – Poojan Vidhi
Shatkarma (The Six Rituals)
Shodashopachara (The Sixteen Steps)
Swasti Vachan (End of Worship)
Ashirvada Mantra (Blessings)
Shodasha Matrika Poojan (Worshipping Mothers)
Section III – Sixteen Samskars
1. Garbhadhan Samskar (Conception)
2. Punswan Samskar (Fertilisation)
3. Seemantonnayan Samskar (Prosperity)
4. Jatkarma Samskar (Birth ceremony)
5. Namkaran Samskar (Naming)
6. Niskraman Samskar (First ceremonious outing)
7. Annaprashana Samskar (Giving first cereal food)
8. Chudakarma Samskar (Cutting hair)
9. Karnabedha Samskar (Piercing of ears)
10.Upanayan Samskar (Investiture with the sacred thread)
11.Vedarambha Samskar (Initiation into study)
12.Samavartan Samskar(Convocation)
13.Vivah Samskar (Marriage)
14.Awasthyadhana Samskar (Sacred fire)
15.Tretagnisangrah Samskar (Conservation of fire)
16.Antyeshti Samskar (The Funeral)
Vanprastha Samskar
Samyas Samskar
Prosper with Samskars
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Sample Chapters
(Following is an extract of the content from the book) | Hide  |
IMPORTANCE OF SAMSKARS
Samskars play a vital role in making a better society. They have made the development and progress possible. If our ancestors had not strived hard for the betterment and achieved near perfection in almost every field; and protected that knowledge for the generations then man would never have become civilised.
Lack of Samskars
The Samskars have made man great and sublime but the lack of Samskars resulted in the growth of animal instincts. Among such people, criminal and demonic feelings grew stronger and resulted into degeneration. All the loss of natural wealth and ecological balance is due to the lack of Samskars. The men with no humanity and sublimity turn into materialists and remain thoroughly absorbed in physical pleasure, luxury, money and crime. They try to prove themselves right in every possible way and with their foolish deeds they bring destruction and ruin. Security withers out, and life comes to the brink of total annihilation.
Samskars give the ability and acumen to make steady and balanced progress in all the four `great eternal human pursuit\' known as Dharma (religiosity), Artha (finance), Kama (physical work and pleasure) and Moksha (the final accomplishment in the form of peace, blessing and salvation). They make a better man out of us and give healthier and better children that ensure both the continuation of life and definite progress towards perfection.
Samskars for Growth
The Samskars are really important as they ensure progress, prosperity, knowledge, wisdom, moral character and ethical deeds; and thus guarantee a better and prosperous social set-up and continuity of life. The good, moral deeds make the world a better and peaceful place to live in harmony with others and make collective progress.
The men with Samskars get respect. They do not indulge in too much physical pleasure and remain absorbed in religious, moral and spiritual deeds. They follow the rules formulated by the wise forefathers and followed by others through the ages. In place of only personal growth they think of all, work for all and ensure overall growth and prosperity.
So, Samskars in India stand for the ways, extent and quality of formation, growth and effect. The formation and growth may be in phases but Samskars refer to the totality. Hence, the disbursement of Samskars is as important as their possession. One must show in daily life that he/she is cultured, refined, aesthetically and spiritually cultivated and graceful. It can be compared only to the process the bees use to make honey. In a nutshell, the final product i.e. honey is the Samskar.
Dwija – Born Again
Samskars are like second birth. They make one Dwija, born again. This second birth is not physical, it is the inner change. Those that are unable to take Samskars remain Shudra. It is misquoted and wrongly explained that Shudras have no right to take Samskars. In fact all are born as Shudra. They one Dwija that took Samskars and refined themselves and rest remain Shudra. They also can try for refinement, first without Mantras, and after attaining some purity with Mantras. It applies to women also because they too get physically impure and are hardly able to free themselves from physical pleasure, lust and jealousy. But women in India have risen to great heights to become deities and Rishikas. They are the embodiment and incarnation of power. They have greatly influenced Indian life, art, music, culture and civilisation. Similar is the case with Shudras. They too attained great heights but after making themselves pious, cultured and refined; they no longer remained Shudra, they got rebirth, and were treated as Dwija, Brahmin and even Rishis. There are many saints that were born in Shudra family but it is a social, moral and spiritual crime to call them Shudra. Once the saints became Dwija and got the Brahminhood they can’t be called Shudras. This is the greatness of Samskar and Indian life, philosophy, culture and civilisation.
Persons born in Shudras family that got higher education, higher post and possess mental, economic and political power should ask a question and answer to themselves: are they still Shudra? Then there will be no fight on caste-basis.
There are many good and bad influences which we carry from one birth to another and experience almost everyday from the moment we gain subtle and unknown consciousness in the mother’s lap. Samskars give us power to distinguish between good and bad influences; and help in opting for good influences and rejecting the bad ones. If we study well, take on the required articles and medicines and perform the Samskars with pure soul, then we are able to absorb a lot of power, grow better and achieve significant success.
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