🪷 सीमन्तोन्नयन · sīmantonnayana
Saṁskāra #3 of 16 · The hair-parting rite of the pregnant mother · stage: pre-natal
🪷 Sīmantonnayana · parting Devakī's hair for Krishna
In the 7th month of Devakī's pregnancy · Vasudeva ritually parted her hair in the sīmantonnayana rite · honoring the cosmic-egg about to manifest as Krishna. The Vasus and Ādityas attended invisibly.
— BG 4.7 · sambhavāmi yuge yuge — I take birth, age after age
Dharmic Purpose
To invoke Rākā · Sinīvālī · Anumati (the moon-phases as goddesses of fertility) · to part the mother's hair with darbha-grass three times upward (symbolizing the journey of the embryo upward toward higher consciousness) · to bring sattva to the mother's mind in the final trimester.
Canonical Timing
6th–8th month of pregnancy · before delivery becomes proximate · waxing moon, sattva-elevated nakshatras
Source-Text Citations
- Manu Smṛti II.27 — "sīmantonnayanāni ca"
- Āśvalāyana Gṛhya-Sūtra I.14 · Pāraskara Gṛhya-Sūtra I.15
Ritual Essence
The husband parts the wife's hair upward with a porcupine-quill or darbha-blade three times · while reciting Rākā-Sinīvālī-Anumati mantras · the goddess Rākā is invited into the home.
Modern Adaptation
Often combined with baby-shower style gathering of relatives · mantra-recitation by women of the family · prayers for safe delivery · garbha-saṁskāra music (Vedic chanting played to the womb).
Jyotiṣa Considerations
Performed on auspicious vāra (NOT Tuesday/Saturday) · prefer Rohiṇī, Mr̥gaśirā, Hasta · śukla-pakṣa · avoid void-of-course moon
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
- 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.27 — "sīmantonnayanāni ca" — Manu Smṛti — the foundational source for the 16-saṁskāra enumeration
- Āśvalāyana Gṛhya-Sūtra I.14 · Pāraskara Gṛhya-Sūtra I.15 — 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.)