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Hindu naming ceremony: Namkaran is the traditional Hindu
Indian practice of naming the baby child. Nama literally means 'name' and karana
means 'to make, to effect'. The Namkaran is held at home or in a temple where the father of the
child whispers the name in the child's right ear usually after 2 or 3 weeks of the
child's birth. The ceremony usually takes place on the twelfth day after birth.
Choosing a Hindu name is a difficult process. Friends and relatives are invited
celebrate the namkaran ceremony.
The naming of a Hindu baby is done with a lot of enthusiasm and fanfare. After
all a new life is always a joy to any household. The naming of a baby in the
Hindus is followed by a few rules known as the Samskara. There are several
Samskaras that revolve around a Hindu’s life. In the beginning there is
Garbhadana i.e. conception, Punsavana i.e. fetus protection, Jatakarma i.e.
child birth, Namakarna i.e. naming of the baby and Annaprasana i.e. feeding the
baby with solid food. Namakarna is sometimes done according to the deity that a
particular household is following. These names are called theophoric. This
custom was common in Persia, Greece and India in the ancient times. One could
even locate the lineage of a person by knowing his name. For instance in the
Vedic times if Garga was the name of the father, the son would be named Gargi,
next the grandson would be called Gargya and then Gargyayana would be the great
grandson.
Next the name of a Hindu child also depends on the caste of the family. The
Indian Hindu system is divided into Brahmins – the upper class, the Kshatriyas –
the warriors, the Vaisyas – merchants and farmer class and the last were the
Shudra – the slave caste. Hence giving a name that belongs to the caste was
known to be important.
The names are also procured from mythology and as there are hundreds or gods and
goddesses in the Hindu religion there is variety, be it a girl or a boy. Every
name has to mean something like Atul means cannot be matched, Abhay is fearless,
Nityanand is endless happiness and so on.
However in modern times, people do keep with tradition yet play modern. After
all with sons and daughters migrating, it can be quite difficult for foreigners
to pronounce a tongue twisting mythological name. Hence the custom and
traditions are followed these days yet the names are kept simple.
According to the Grihyasutras, there are 5 requisites to
selecting a name for the baby. This is the name that the child is will be
called. It depends on the culture, religion & education of the family, and
should be auspicious.
1. The name of the baby should be easy to pronounce and
sound pleasant.
2. The baby name should contain a specified number of
syllables and vowels.
3. The new born baby name should indicate the sex of the baby.
4. The baby' name should signify wealth, fame or power.
5. The child's name should be suggestive of the caste of the family.
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