🪷 अन्नप्राशन · anna-prāśana
Saṁskāra #7 of 16 · The first solid-food feeding · stage: infancy
🪷 Annaprāśana · Krishna's first solid food
Krishna's annaprāśana was performed by Yaśodā at 6 months · feeding him sweetened cow-milk + a grain of rice · Bhāgavata 10.5 describes this as the moment the cosmic-Krishna chose to taste annaṁ for the first time as an infant · the food becoming Krishna's vibhūti (BG 15.14 ahaṁ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā prāṇinām dehaṁ āśritaḥ).
— BG 15.14 · "ahaṁ vaiśvānaro" — I am the digestive fire in all bodies
Dharmic Purpose
To consecrate the child's first solid food · to invoke Annapati (Lord of Food, often identified with Viṣṇu) · to recognize that food is Brahman (annam brahma) · to begin the lifelong relationship between the child and dharmic nutrition.
Canonical Timing
6th month after birth (or when teeth begin to emerge) · auspicious tithi and nakshatra
Source-Text Citations
- Manu Smṛti II.34 — "ṣaṣṭhe 'nna-prāśanaṁ māsi"
- Pāraskara Gṛhya-Sūtra I.19
Ritual Essence
Father feeds the child a small portion of cooked rice mixed with ghee (and sometimes honey) using a golden or silver spoon · while reciting Annapati-mantra · the food is first offered to Krishna, then to the child as prasāda.
Modern Adaptation
Family gathers · rice-payasam or kheer is offered to deity first · then fed to baby with mantra · the rice is from a freshly-cooked offering, never reheated food.
Jyotiṣa Considerations
Prefer Aśvinī, Rohiṇī, Mr̥gaśirā, Puṣya, Hasta, Anurādhā, Mūla, Śravaṇa, Revatī · avoid Saturday
🪷 A muhūrta-finder is available for this saṁskāra.
Sources and Connected Saṁskāra Readings
After the ritual essence, modern application, Jyotiṣa considerations, and available muhūrta guidance, these links connect this saṁskāra with its lifecycle index, paramparā, relevant Krishna-līlā or Bhagavad-Gītā readings, and the Bindu and philosophy foundations. Manu-Smṛti and Gṛhya-Sūtra citations remain as text because they are not yet hosted as local corpus pages.
🪷 ॐ श्री गणेशाय नमः · श्री गुरवे नमः 🪷
📚 See Also
- anna-prāśana Muhūrta-Finder · Find auspicious dates for this rite
- All 16 Saṁskāras · index · Garbhādhāna through Antyeṣṭi · the full lifecycle
- Saṁskāra Muhūrta Finder · Pick auspicious dates for any of the 16 rites
- Paramparā · Vyāsa-Nārada lineage · The chain transmitting Manu-Smṛti through generations
- Birth-Chart Calculator · See if YOUR Lagna supports performing this rite
📖 References
- Manu Smṛti II.34 — "ṣaṣṭhe 'nna-prāśanaṁ māsi" — Manu Smṛti — the foundational source for the 16-saṁskāra enumeration
- Pāraskara Gṛhya-Sūtra I.19 — Gṛhya-Sūtra — the household-ritual treatise specifying mantra + procedure
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa · saṁskāra-context in various skandhas — Krishna-līlā models the saṁskāras (Krishna's own nāmakaraṇa · cūḍākarma · etc.)