Talk:Dharma Shastra Introduction to Samskāraḥ
By Jammalamadaka Suryanarayana and Jammalamadaka Srinivas
Sometimes transliterated as: Samskara, Samskaarah, Samskar
What are Saṃskāras?[edit]
What is karma? It means work. For example, if one has to make a dhoti, there are a number of processes, that are to be followed. The cotton has to be gathered from the field; it has to be cleaned and spun into yarn; then the yarn has to be woven into cloth and dyed. In the same way if a man has to be made a ‘knower of the Atman’ i.e. brahmajñāni he has to be purified through a series of rituals. Karma has to be performed in such a way as to purify him both outwardly and inwardly. Such a karma is called saṃskāra.
That which removes the impurities from an object, takes away all the bad or evil elements and imparts good qualities to it is saṃskāra. For instance, if we take ‘keśa-saṃskāra’, It means shaving or delousing and applying oil to the hair. Saṃskāra is like combing the hair and applying oil to it. Certain types of saṃskāra are conducted on land. For instance, before sowing seeds into land for irrigation, first the land is allowed to dry in the sun, then it is ploughed and irrigated. Seeds, for example, of paddy, are sown and after they sprout the seedlings are transplanted. The weeds are removed, the field irrigated again and the excess water drained off. When the corn is ripe, the crop is harvested, threshed and the chaff winnowed. The paddy has to be "seasoned" and pounded before the rice is used. In the same way there are different steps in order to make a cotton flower into a dhoti/saree.
The weaver has to take great care that the yarn does not get tangled. In the same way our our Self is in a tangle caused by the senses. It has to be untangled in order to experience the one’s state of eternal bliss that is called as mokṣa. There are many obstacles to accomplish this. Now and then we experience some happiness in the midst of all our trouble and suffering. This happiness must be made to endure for ever. For that our tradition has advised several ways. In those ways all are to be purified by saṃskāras. The sages have laid down the forty samskaras and the eight "Atmagunas” for this purpose.
Etymology[edit]
The word Samskāra is derived from the root verb 'Ḍu kṛṅ karaṇē', which means to do. After a collaboration with a suffix 'saṃ', and a brief grammatical procedure, we get the complete word. 'Saṃ(s)' means well; 'kārā means making. 'Saṃskāra' means making something good, refining or purifying it. In other words, saṃskāra means ‘the means of refining’. As the term can be used in a vast sense, many etymologies emerge. Some of them are:
Ādi Śankarācārya[edit]
Saṃskārōhi nāma saṃskāryasya guṇādhānēna vā syāt dōṣāpanayēna vā[1]
The above said verse means to clean by taking away the pollutants or to enrich with purity.
Kumārila Bhaṭṭa[edit]
Yōgyatāṃ ādadhānāḥ kriyāḥ saṃskārāḥ[2]
This verse delineates a set of actions which make oneself capable.
Samskāra prakāśakāra[edit]
Ātma śarīrānyatara niṣṭaḥ vihitakriyājanyaḥ atiśayaviśēṣaḥ saṃskāraḥ[3]
It means that the virtuous excellence is derived because of the meritorious actions situated either in the soul or body.
So by evaluating the above-told etymologies, we can come to the conclusion that the term 'Samskāraḥ' means 'A set of meritorious actions, which are helpful in cleansing and enriching our body and soul to attain the eternal truth.'
“Chitrakarma yathānekai raṃgairunmīlyate śanaiḥ| brāmhhaṇyamapi tadvatsyāt saṃskārairvidhipūrvakaiḥ||”[4]
Number of Saṃskāras[edit]
According to Gautama there are 48 saṃskāras[5]. They are –
- Garbhādānaṃ
- Puṃsavanaṃ
- Sīmantōnnayanaṃ
- Jātakarmā
- Nāmakaraṇam
- Annaprāśanaṃ
- Chaulaṃ
- Upanayanaṃ
- 9-12 4 vedavratas
- 13 Snātakaṃ
- 14 Vivāhaḥ
- 15-19 Deva-pitṛ-manuṣya-bhūta-brāmhaṇa yajnāni
- 20-26 7(seven) Pākayajnas - Aṣṭaka, Pārvaṇa, Śrāddha, Śrāvaṇī, Āgrahāyaṇī, Chaitrī, Āśviyujinī
- 27-33 7(seven) Haviryajna saṃsthas - Agnyādheyaṃ, Agnihotraṃ, Darśapūrṇamāsau, Āgrayaṇaṃ, Chāturmāsyas, Nirūḍhapaśubandha, Sautrāmaṇī
- 34-40 7(seven) sōma saṃsthas - Agniṣṭoma, Atyagniṣṭoma, Ukthya, Ṣoḍaṣī, Vajapeya, Atirātra, Aptoryāma
- 41-48 'Dayā, kṣāntiḥ, anasūyā, śauchaṃ, anāyāsaḥ, mangalaṃ, akārpaṇyaṃ, aspṛhā' 8 (eight) Ātma guṇās
According to different Gṛhya sūtras the number of the Samskāras may vary, but we can come to a conclusion that there are fifteen (15) Samskāra accepted by most of them. Deva-pitṛ-manuṣya-bhūta-brāmhaṇa yajnas, 7 Pākayajnas, 7 Haviryajna saṃsthās, 7 sōma saṃsthās are rarely performed by selective people. 8 Ātma guṇas are normally imparted by moral stories et cetera in sanātana culture. By including Antyēṣṭi, we can conclude that the popular Samskāraḥ performed by many are sixteen(16) in number. Antyēṣṭi is the saṃskāra which is performed after one's death to dispose the body which the soul left.
Yasyaitē chatvārimśat saṃskārā na cāṣṭāvātmaguṇā na sa brahmaṇaḥ sāyujyaṃ sālōkuaṃ ca gacchati|[6]
One who does not get refined himself with these 48 saṃskāras, does he not the sāyujyaṃ and sālōkuaṃ of the bramhan. That means that he does not attain Mokṣa. The real purpose of these saṃskārāḥ is Mōkṣaḥ - final emancipation, the deliverance of the soul from recurring births or transmigration, but these saṃskārāḥ do not result in Mōkṣaḥ directly. They are considered to give chittaśudhdhiḥ[7], which would ultimately lead to Mōkṣaḥ.