Talk:Annaprāśanaṁ
By Jammalamadaka Srinivas & Jammalamadaka Suryanarayana
Sometimes transliterated as: Annapraasanam, Annaprasanam
Annaprāśanaṁ is a compound of two words, annaṃ, and prāśanaṃ. Annaṃ means food and prāśanaṃ means consuming it. So taking the food for the first time is annaprāśanaṁ. Even though the Indian traditional knowledge system is very vast in volume and variety, there is an extraordinary instance of interdisciplinary relation and coordination.
Ṣaṇmāsaścainaṃ annaṃ prāśayēt laghu hitaśca[1]
Significance[edit]
Annaprāśanaṁ is the saṁskāra in which the child is fed solid food for the first time. Both Āyurvēda[2] and dharma śāstra has stated annaprāśanaṁ. In the āyurvēda the emphasis is on the quantity and the type of food. As the intake of solid food has just started for the baby, Suśruta[3] prescribes a very small quantity of well-cooked food. The food which is given must not be spicy or salty. It must be suitable for the baby. That is why a sweet dish like pāyasaṁ, made by milk, jaggery/honey and rice is fed with a golden spoon or ring by the elders on that day.
Procedure[edit]
Tatōnnaprāśanaṃ māsi ṣaṣṭhe kāryaṃ yathāvidhiǀ aṣṭamē vāpi kartavyaṃ yacceṣṭaṃ mañgalaṃ kulēǁ[4]
It is instructed to perform the saṁskāra on the sixth or eight-month from the child's birth. If that time is not suitable for the parents then it can be performed at whichever time felt to be auspicious by the elders of the family. The saṁskāra can also be be performed after the child gets his/her tooth. Every saṁskāra is performed using some mantra[5]. Annaprāśanaṃ is done using a mantra which means 'My dear baby! I am giving you the best essence of herbs and liquids. It would help your health and growth'.
Saṣṭhe māse annaprāśanaṃ jāteṣu daṃteṣu vāǀ[6]
Jīvikāparīkṣā[edit]
After annaprāśanaṁ, on the same day, a small display of different objects generally used in the house is arranged. The child is placed in front of the objects and the elders observe which object does the child touch first. The objects placed normally are pen & book, gold, knife, cloth, utensils, money, etc. It is believed that whichever the object the child touches first, becomes the means to earn his/her livelihood when he grows up. For example, if the child touches a pen and a book, he is believed to become well read and makes a living out of teaching. This occasion is called as jīvikāparīkṣā.
Tasyāgratotha vinyasya śilpabhāṇḍāni sarvaśḥǀ śastrāṇi chaiva vastrāṇi tataḥ paśyettu lakṣaṇamǁ prathamam yatsprśedbālastato bāḍham svayam tathāǀ jīvikā tasya bālasya tenaiva tu bhaviṣyatiǁ[7]