The Samskaravidhi English Translation

The Samskāravidhi revived the practice of the Panchamahāyajnas, and the sixteen Samskāras. It represents the synthetic view of the rishis on the Samskāras. It is the authority on the Samskāras. It is not a manual only for the Purohitas. It is a guide book for all people of all classes. It is like the lighthouse in the ocean of life. It conveys the universal message of the Vedas and the rishis to build a better indivdual and a better world. Its message is for the brahmachari, the āchārya, the grihasthi, the vānaprasthi, and the sanyasin, that is, for all classes of people.

Bhoomika-Forward

May all people know that at the request of many righteous persons, we started the writing of Samskāravidhi for the first time on Saturday the 30th lunar date, of the dark fortnight of the month of Kārtika, in the year 1932 of Shriyuta Maharaja Vikramaditya!

In the book, the Samskrita part and the Bhasha (Hindi) part were written separately and because of this, those who performed the Samskāras experienced some difficulties as the Samskrita and Bhāshā sections were far from each other.

The one thousand copies which were published have already been sold. Therefore, on Sunday the 13th lunar date of the dark fortnight of the month of Ashāda, in the year 1940 of Shriyuta Maharaja Vikramaditya, we decided to bring out a new revised edition.

This time the appropriate authorities and statements from the Scriptures for each Samskära will be mentioned first, then the step by step description of the procedure of the Samskāra and other relevant information that should be followed up to the time of the next Samskāra, will also be mentioned. Whatever excess details were given in the first edition has been deleted, as they were not so important, but some essential information has been included in this edition.

However, it should not be misunderstood that those parts which have been deleted were not relevant. They have been revised. They were originally presented in an orderly way in the Samskrita Sutras. And, as they were not easy to understand, this time, they have been made simple. The learned persons can understand the subjects in Samskrita; but not the common people.

The common acts that should be performed in the beginning of all the Samskaras and at the proper time and place have been written in the Sämänyaprakarana-common procedure section. The mantras or acts which should be read or performed during the Samskaras, the page references from the Samanyaprakarana have been given so that they may be consulted and thus the Samskaras may be performed easily. The procedure of the Sämanyaprakarana which has been written should be performed first and then the specific acts of the Samskaras. As the acts have already been mentioned in the Samanyaprakarana it is not necessary to write them again in the procedure of the Samskaras.

First, we have written the Ishvarastuti Prarthana, Upāsanā then the Svastivāchanana, Shantipatha, and then the Sāmānyaprakarana followed by the Garbhādhāna up to the Antyesti Samskāra which have been described in their appropriate order. The meanings of all the mantras have not been given here because the Samskāras are mainly acts of Karmakanda-rituals. Therefore, primarily the acts to be performed have been written.

But where it was necessary to give the meanings of the mantras they have been given. Moreover, the meanings of the mantras have already been given in our Veda Bhāsya (commentaries on the Vedas). They may be seen there. Here, only the acts of the rituals are mainly to be performed. By their performance the Sharira (body) and the atman (soul) are refined and Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Moksha may be realized, and the children become better cultured and noble. That is why it is absolutely right for all people to perform the Samskāras.

Iti Bhoomikā – The End

-Svāmi Dayanand Sarasvati