This is a simple ceremony in which the child is given a name. The ceremony of naming a child. Nama literally means 'name' and karana means 'to make, to effect'.

As the primary means of identification and social interaction, the naming of a child developed into a religious ritual believed to be the root of the child's destiny.

This ceremony takes place after the 10-day 'impure' postnatal period (See Jatakarma). Then the house is cleaned and purified, and the child and mother ceremonially bathed. Friends and relatives are invited to see the child and participate in the celebration. The puja involves, other than the child and priest, the father, mother, and sometimes the paternal grandmother. First the mother covers the child in a new cloth. She wets the child's head with water, symbolically bathing him, and then gives the child either to the father or the paternal grandmother. Next, the priest invokes the blessings of Agni, the planetary bodies, and other gods.

This ceremony takes place after the 10-day 'impure' postnatal period (See Jatakarma). Then the house is cleaned and purified, and the child and mother ceremonially bathed. Friends and relatives are invited to see the child and participate in the celebration. The puja involves, other than the child and priest, the father, mother, and sometimes the paternal grandmother. First the mother covers the child in a new cloth. She wets the child's head with water, symbolically bathing him, and then gives the child either to the father or the paternal grandmother. Next, the priest invokes the blessings of Agni, the planetary bodies, and other gods.

The Grihyasutras do not specify a Namakarana procedure for the actual naming of the child. The Paddhatis (Sampradayas), however, say that the father should lean towards the child's right ear. Holding a betel leaf near the ear, he should whisper four names to the child. Then Brahmins, specially invited for the occasion, bless the child. Finally, gifts are given to the relatives and Brahmins present.

The word nama meaning 'name' is common in early Sanskrit literature and occurs in the Rig Veda Although initially no Vedic mantras were recited during the naming ritual, it developed into a Samskaras because of its social importance. Many of the early texts prescribe more than one name for