Namakaran - Hindu Naming ceremony

The Namakarana Samskara is a rite of passage and also one of the most important of the sixteen Hindu rituals.  The word is derived from the sanskrit roots  'nam' = name and 'karan' = create.  This ceremony enters an individual formally into the Hindu fold by presenting the name of the person to God for blessings. A function of the ceremony is also for guardian devas (angels) to connect with the individual so they can start guiding him or her in their life. The Namakarana samskara can be a simple or elaborate ceremony. 

This is the first ceremony that the child attends after birth. According to Hindu tradition, after birth, the child, the parents and everyone else living in the household is imposed a curfew. This tradition is akin to todays maternity or paternity leave. During this curfew the household is barred from long travels, they do not attend social functions nor fulfill religious obligations in the temple or at home.  It is a time of rest and adjustment. It is also meant to limit the exposure of the newborn to disease during its first days. During this time time the parents will decide on the name of the child. The duration of this curfew varies from a minimum of 7 days to a maximum of 31 days, depending on the traditions of the community. 

The end of the curfew period is celebrated by visiting the temple with the child. During the temple visit an archana is offered to God in the name of the child. During the archana the name of the child and his or her birth star (nakshatra) is chanted by the priest to God. After the archana, the sacraments from the ceremony, vibhuti (holy ash), kungkumum (red powder) and tirtham (blessed water) is given to the child. This concludes the Namakarana samskara. 

Alternatively the ceremony can also be done at home. A priest from nearby temple can be invited to do the ceremony in the house. The priest will do a puja in the house, inviting God to give blessings to the new child. After the puja, the child's father will whisper the name of his child in his or her right ear while the child rests on the mother's lap. 

More elaborate Namakarana Samskaras are usually done for converts to Hinduism. This ceremony was first introduced by Sri Adi Shankarachariya about two thousand years ago (a time after the advent of the Buddhist and Jain religions) when conversions in and out of formal religions started in India. This ceremony is done in a temple and includes a homa. In the middle of the ceremony, a vessel of water that was blessed during the ceremony (during the kumbha puja and homa) is poured on the devotee as a symbolic sign of transformation. After that the devotee puts on new clothing (usually traditional Indian attire) and then returns for an archana where the new name of the devotee is ceremoniously conferred upon him or her.

Kanhopatra, the devotee of Lord Vittal

Long Long ago lived a dasi, her name was Shyama in Mangalvedha, a town close to Pandharpur. She lived with her beautiful daughter, Kanhopatra. Kanhopatra learnt the art of singing and dancing as she grew up, she was so beautiful that there was no match to her beauty in this world.  Her mother wanted her to visit the durbar, but Kanhopatra flatly refused the offer and told that she will marry only the one who is more beautiful than her.  Days passed, one day a group of pilgrims passed as they sang the praises of the lord, as they were on their way towards Pandharpur .  

Praying Vittal

Suddenly they happened to meet Kanhopatra , she bowed and inquired as to where they were proceeding to, one of the piligrim responded they were all on their way to meet Lord Vittal at Pandrapur. She dint know who was Lord Vittal, so she asked them to describe his glory to which they said that even  Brahma and others were unable to describe his glory and that his beauty exceeds that of even Lakshmi a billion fold. 

Kanhopatra then asked them if she goes as a suppliant to the lord will he accept her. The saints then told her that he will definitely accept her and she then went home and told her mother that she is going to Pandhari and left with them taking a vina in her hand. She joined the pilgrims in singing the praise of lord and reached Pandhari. She had the darshan of Vitthal and decided to be in Pandhari. She would always remain in the great door of the temple and sing his praise.

Days passed, and one day a passer by saw her and mesmerized by her beauty decided to inform the king about her.  While the Muslim king found out about her, he sent his guards immediately to go get Kanhopatra from the temple of Pandharpur. The guards arrived at the temple gates and told Kanhopatra the ruler's order and that if she failed to listen to them, they would have to take her forcefully. She then told them that she would visit Vitthal for one last time and come back with them to the king. She went in and prayed to Vitthal and told him that if he abandons her now the whole world will blame him for this. As she pleaded to Vitthal, he removed her soul and united it with him. He took Kanhopatra in his lap and she died on his lap. Vitthal then asked the priest to bury her corpse at the southern gate of the temple. As soon as they buried her a tarati tree sprang up immediately in that place and everyone were surprised. 

This tree is still found in Vitthal Rukmani temple in Pandharpur. Meanwhile the king’s guards who were sitting in the main gate of the temple asked the priest what happened to Kanhopatra. They told them that she now got united with Vitthal and is no more. The guards then asked them to show her corpse to which the priest told them that it has changed in to a tree. The guards dint believe what they said and arrested the priest and took him to king. The priest then offered some of the offerings - a coconut from the temple as prasad to the king as he narrated what had happened. When the king took the coconut he saw a hair in the coconut and asked the priest how this came in the coconut offered to god. The priest was afraid and confused how it had come. He then decided to tell the king that it was Vitthal’s hair. The king dint believe this and asked him if it was true. The priest then told him to come to Pandhari and see it for himself and also gave it in writing. The king then decided to come to Pandharpur and visit the god to check if what they described about him was true. 

He entered the temple paid his respects to the god and went to god’s bed chamber and looked at the god. He then saw god’s brilliant crown, beautiful curly hair, his lotus eyes, his crocodile ear rings and the kaustubh around his neck. The moment the king saw this he became repentant and told the priest that he had seen the lord just the way they had described him. He then prostrated before the god and embraced his feet and said that Kanhopatra’s fortune is supreme in getting united with Vitthal.