Puṁsavana
पुंसवन
Also written: pumsavana · puṁsavana · pumsavana sanskar · pumsavana ceremony
Puṁsavana (पुंसवन) is the second of the sixteen saṃskāras. Protection and healthy development of the embryo once the pregnancy is established.
| Number | 2 of 16 |
| Stage of life | Prenatal |
| Performed | Third or fourth month of pregnancy |
| Purpose | Protection and healthy development of the embryo once the pregnancy is established. |
What the rite is and why
Performed when the pregnancy has become evident, traditionally in the third or fourth month — the period at which the embryo's development enters its formative phase.
The rite includes herbal preparations (classically the juice of banyan shoots administered through the nostril), mantras for the health of the child, and the mother's withdrawal from strain.
The Āyurvedic texts attach an elaborate regimen to this month: specific foods, avoidance of agitation, and the beginning of the garbha-saṁskāra — the deliberate shaping of the child's temperament through the mother's environment.
Where it stands today
Observed in many families as a simple ceremony with prayers for the child's health; the dietary and rest prescriptions survive in ordinary practice.
The sixteen Saṃskāras
From before conception to the final fire: the sixteen refinements that mark a human life, what each one actual…
Garbhādhāna
Garbhādhāna — the first saṃskāra, performed before conception. The conscious invitation of a life, rather than…
Sīmantonnayana
Sīmantonnayana — the third saṃskāra, performed sixth to eighth month. The mother's wellbeing, and the child's …
Jātakarma
Jātakarma — the fourth saṃskāra, performed at birth, before the umbilical cord is cut. Welcoming the child, an…
Nāmakaraṇa
Nāmakaraṇa — the fifth saṃskāra, performed eleventh or twelfth day after birth. The giving of the name — an id…
Niṣkramaṇa
Niṣkramaṇa — the sixth saṃskāra, performed third or fourth month. The child's first journey out of the house —…
Last revised 2026-08-16. Corrections are welcome — see how this site is written.