Nishkramana (, ) (literally, first outing) is the sixth of the 16
saṃskāras (sacraments) practiced by the
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
s. On the day of the ''Nishkramana'', a square area in the courtyard from where sun can be seen is plastered with cow dung and clay and the sign of
svastika is marked on it. The mother of the child scatters grains of rice over it. The child is brought by a nurse, and the ceremony ends when the father makes the child look at the sun with the sound of the
conch-shell and the chanting of
Vedic hymns.
[Pandey, R.B. (1962, reprint 2003). ''The Hindu Sacraments (Saṁskāra)'' in S. Radhakrishnan (ed.) ''The Cultural Heritage of India'', Vol.II, Kolkata:The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, , pp.390-413] According to the
Manusmriti (II.34), in the fourth month after birth, the ''Nishkramana'' of the child should be performed.
According to the ''Yamasmriti'', quoted in ''
Viramitrodaya'', a child should see the sun in the third month and the moon in the fourth month after birth.
Notes
{{Hindu samskaras
Samskaras