Sīmantonnayana
सीमन्तोन्नयन
Also written: simantonnayana · sīmantonnayana · simantonnayana sanskar · simantonnayana ceremony
Sīmantonnayana (सीमन्तोन्नयन) is the third of the sixteen saṃskāras. The mother's wellbeing, and the child's first education — through her.
| Number | 3 of 16 |
| Stage of life | Prenatal |
| Performed | Sixth to eighth month |
| Purpose | The mother's wellbeing, and the child's first education — through her. |
The mantra
वैदिकैः कर्मभिः पुण्यैर्निषेकादिर्द्विजन्मनाम्। कार्यः शरीरसंस्कारः पावनः प्रेत्य चेह च॥
vaidikaiḥ karmabhiḥ puṇyair niṣekādir dvijanmanām kāryaḥ śarīra-saṁskāraḥ pāvanaḥ pretya ceha ca
By holy Vedic rites, beginning with the seeding, the refinement of the body is to be performed — purifying both here and hereafter.
What the rite is and why
Literally 'parting the hair upwards'. The husband parts the wife's hair with a porcupine quill and darbha grass while mantras are recited; she is given gifts, adorned, and freed from work.
The stated purpose is the mother's cheerfulness and calm, on the explicit ground that her mental state reaches the child. This is the rite that makes the doctrine of prenatal impression formal.
The tradition cites Abhimanyu, who learnt to enter the cakravyūha while in the womb, as the reason the practice is taken seriously — a story whose function is precisely to make the point memorable.
In most regions this has become the baby-shower rite: godh bharai, sīmanta, valaikāppu, seemantham.
Where it stands today
Widely alive across India under regional names, and one of the most joyfully observed of all the saṃskāras.
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…
Puṁsavana
Puṁsavana — the second saṃskāra, performed third or fourth month of pregnancy. Protection and healthy developm…
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.