Rites of Birth, Naming, and Choosing a Bride

Verse 1 (vishnu.3.10.1)

सगर उवाच कथितं चातुराश्रम्यं चातुर्वर्ण्यक्रियास्तथा । पुंसः क्रियामहं श्रोतुमिच्छामि द्विजसत्तम

sagara uvāca kathitaṁ cāturāśramyaṁ cāturvarṇyakriyāstathā puṁsaḥ kriyāmahaṁ śrotumicchāmi dvijasattama

Sagara said: You have told me of the four ashramas and the duties of the four varnas. O best of Brahmins, I now wish to hear also of the [further] rites incumbent on a man.

Verse 2 (vishnu.3.10.2)

नित्यनैमित्तिकाः काम्याः क्रियाः पुंसामशेषतः । समाख्याहि भृगुश्रेष्ठ सर्वज्ञो ह्यसि मे मतः

nityanaimittikāḥ kāmyāḥ kriyāḥ puṁsāmaśeṣataḥ samākhyāhi bhṛguśreṣṭha sarvajño hyasi me mataḥ

Tell me of the daily, occasional, and optional rites of men without exception, O best of the line of Bhrigu; to me you seem to be one who knows all things.

Verse 3 (vishnu.3.10.3)

और्व उवाच यदेतदुक्तं भवता नित्यनैमित्तिकाश्रयम् । तदहं कथयिष्यामि शृणुष्वैकमना मम

aurva uvāca yadetaduktaṁ bhavatā nityanaimittikāśrayam tadahaṁ kathayiṣyāmi śṛṇuṣvaikamanā mama

Aurva said: That which you have spoken of, relating to the daily and occasional rites, I shall now tell; listen to me with a one-pointed mind.

Verse 4 (vishnu.3.10.4)

जातस्य जातकर्मादिक्रियाकाण्डमशेषतः । पुत्रस्य कुर्वीत पिता श्राद्धं चाभ्युदयात्मकम्

jātasya jātakarmādikriyākāṇḍamaśeṣataḥ putrasya kurvīta pitā śrāddhaṁ cābhyudayātmakam

The father should perform for his newborn son the entire sequence of rites beginning with the birth-rite, and should also perform the auspicious (abhyudaya) shraddha.

Verse 5 (vishnu.3.10.5)

युग्मांस्तु प्राड्मुखान्विप्रान्भोजयेन्मनुजेश्वर । यथा तृप्तिस्तथा कुर्याद्दैवं पित्र्यं द्विजन्मनाम्

yugmāṁstu prāḍmukhānviprānbhojayenmanujeśvara yathā tṛptistathā kuryāddaivaṁ pitryaṁ dvijanmanām

O lord of men, let him feed pairs of Brahmins facing east; O twice-born, let him perform the rites for gods and ancestors to the point of full satiety.

Verse 6 (vishnu.3.10.6)

दध्ना युक्तैः सबदरैर्मिश्रान् पिण्डान्मुदा युतः । नान्दीमुखेभ्यस्तीर्थेन दद्याद्दैवेन पार्थिव

dadhnā yuktaiḥ sabadarairmiśrān piṇḍānmudā yutaḥ nāndīmukhebhyastīrthena dadyāddaivena pārthiva

O king, with joy, let him offer to the Nandimukha ancestors, by the proper libation-rite, balls of rice mixed with curd and jujube fruit, as a divine rite.

Verse 7 (vishnu.3.10.7)

प्राजापत्येन वा सर्वमुपचारं प्रदक्षिणम् । कुर्वीत तत्तथाशेषवृद्धिकालेषु भूपते

prājāpatyena vā sarvamupacāraṁ pradakṣiṇam kurvīta tattathāśeṣavṛddhikāleṣu bhūpate

Or let him, by the Prajapatya rite, perform the entire ceremonial with clockwise circumambulation; O king, this same procedure should be followed at all the remaining auspicious occasions of increase.

Verse 8 (vishnu.3.10.8)

ततश्च नाम कुर्वीत पितैव दशमेहनि । देवपूर्वं नराख्यं हि शर्मवर्मादिसंयुतम्

tataśca nāma kurvīta pitaiva daśamehani devapūrvaṁ narākhyaṁ hi śarmavarmādisaṁyutam

Then on the tenth day, the father himself should give the name -- first a name connected with a deity, then a worldly name, joined with 'sharman', 'varman', and the like.

Verse 9 (vishnu.3.10.9)

शर्मेति ब्राह्मणस्योक्तं वर्मेति क्षत्रसंश्रयम् । गुप्तदासात्मकं नाम प्रशस्तं वैश्यशूद्रयोः

śarmeti brāhmaṇasyoktaṁ varmeti kṣatrasaṁśrayam guptadāsātmakaṁ nāma praśastaṁ vaiśyaśūdrayoḥ

'Sharma' is prescribed for the Brahmin, 'Varma' for the Kshatriya; for the Vaishya and the Shudra, a name ending in 'Gupta' and 'Dasa' respectively is recommended.

Verse 10 (vishnu.3.10.10)

नार्थहीनं न चाशस्तं नापशब्दयुतं तथा । नामङ्गल्यं जुगुप्साकं नाम कुर्यात्समाक्षरम्

nārthahīnaṁ na cāśastaṁ nāpaśabdayutaṁ tathā nāmaṅgalyaṁ jugupsākaṁ nāma kuryātsamākṣaram

The name should not be meaningless, nor inauspicious, nor accompanied by a harsh sound; it should not be inauspicious or repugnant -- let him give a name of well-balanced syllables.

Verse 11 (vishnu.3.10.11)

नातिदीर्घं नातिह्रस्वं नातिगुर्वक्षरान्वितम् । सुखोच्चार्यं तु तन्नाम कुर्याद्यत्प्रवणाक्षरम्

nātidīrghaṁ nātihrasvaṁ nātigurvakṣarānvitam sukhoccāryaṁ tu tannāma kuryādyatpravaṇākṣaram

It should be neither too long nor too short, nor composed of too many heavy syllables; let him give a name that is easy to pronounce and whose syllables flow smoothly.

Verse 12 (vishnu.3.10.12)

ततोऽनन्तरसंस्कारसंस्कृतो गुरुवेश्मनि । यथोक्तविधिमाश्रित्य कुर्याद्विद्यापरिग्रहम्

tato'nantarasaṁskārasaṁskṛto guruveśmani yathoktavidhimāśritya kuryādvidyāparigraham

Then, purified by the succeeding rites, in the house of his teacher, following the prescribed procedure, let him take up the study of learning.

Verse 13 (vishnu.3.10.13)

गृहीतविद्यो गुरवे दत्त्वा च गुरुदक्षिणाम् । गार्हस्थ्यमिच्छन्भूपाल कुर्याद्दारपरिग्रहम्

gṛhītavidyo gurave dattvā ca gurudakṣiṇām gārhasthyamicchanbhūpāla kuryāddāraparigraham

Having received his learning, and having given his guru the customary fee, O king, one who desires the householder's life should then marry.

Verse 14 (vishnu.3.10.14)

ब्रह्मचर्येण वा कालं कुर्यात्संकल्पपूर्वकम् । गुरोः शुश्रुषणं कुर्यात्तत्पुत्रादेरथापि वा

brahmacaryeṇa vā kālaṁ kuryātsaṁkalpapūrvakam guroḥ śuśruṣaṇaṁ kuryāttatputrāderathāpi vā

Or else, with deliberate resolve, let him spend some further time in celibate studentship, and render service to his guru, or to his guru's son and the like.

Verse 15 (vishnu.3.10.15)

वैखानसो वापि भवेत्परिव्राडथ वेच्छया । पूर्वसंकल्पितं यादृक्तादृक्कुर्यान्नराधिप

vaikhānaso vāpi bhavetparivrāḍatha vecchayā pūrvasaṁkalpitaṁ yādṛktādṛkkuryānnarādhipa

Or else he may become a Vaikhanasa (forest-dweller), or, of his own will, a wandering mendicant; O lord of men, whatever his earlier resolve may have been, that same course he should follow.

Verse 16 (vishnu.3.10.16)

वर्षैरेकगुणां भार्यामुद्वहेत्त्रिगुणःस्वयम् । नातिकेशामकेशां वा नातिकृष्णां न पिङ्गलाम्

varṣairekaguṇāṁ bhāryāmudvahettriguṇaḥsvayam nātikeśāmakeśāṁ vā nātikṛṣṇāṁ na piṅgalām

A man himself threefold superior [in family, age, and learning] should wed a maiden of but one measure less; not one with excessive or absent hair, not overly dark, nor tawny in complexion.

Verse 17 (vishnu.3.10.17)

निसर्गतोधिकाङ्गां वा न्यूनाङ्गामपि नोद्वहेत् । नाविशुद्धां सरोमां वाकुलजां वापि रोगिणीम्

nisargatodhikāṅgāṁ vā nyūnāṅgāmapi nodvahet nāviśuddhāṁ saromāṁ vākulajāṁ vāpi rogiṇīm

He should not marry one who is by nature excessive or deficient in limb; nor one who is impure, overly hairy, born of a low family, or given to frequent illness.

Verse 18 (vishnu.3.10.18)

न दुष्टां दुष्टवाक्यां वा व्यङ्गिनीं पितृमातृतः । न श्मश्रुव्यञ्जनवतीं न चैव पुरुषाकृतिम्

na duṣṭāṁ duṣṭavākyāṁ vā vyaṅginīṁ pitṛmātṛtaḥ na śmaśruvyañjanavatīṁ na caiva puruṣākṛtim

One who is ill-natured, or harsh of speech, or has some deformity from the maternal or paternal side; one who shows signs of facial hair, or whose form resembles a man's -- such a one he should not wed.

Verse 19 (vishnu.3.10.19)

न घर्घरस्वरां क्षामां तथा काकस्वरां न च । नानिबन्धेक्षणां तद्वद्वृत्ताक्षीं नोद्वहेद्बुधः

na ghargharasvarāṁ kṣāmāṁ tathā kākasvarāṁ na ca nānibandhekṣaṇāṁ tadvadvṛttākṣīṁ nodvahedbudhaḥ

One of a rasping voice, or emaciated, or crow-voiced; one of restless gaze, or round-eyed -- the wise man should not marry such a woman.

Verse 20 (vishnu.3.10.20)

यस्याश्च रोमशे जङ्घे गुल्फौ यस्यास्तथोन्नतौ । गण्डयोः कूपरौ यस्या हसंत्यास्तां न चोद्वहेत्

yasyāśca romaśe jaṅghe gulphau yasyāstathonnatau gaṇḍayoḥ kūparau yasyā hasaṁtyāstāṁ na codvahet

One whose two calves are excessively hairy, whose ankles are unnaturally prominent, and whose cheeks show dimples when she laughs -- such a one he should not wed.

Verse 21 (vishnu.3.10.21)

नातिरूक्षच्छविं पाण्डुकरजामरुणेक्षणाम् । आपीनहस्तपादां च न कन्यामुद्वहेद्बुधः

nātirūkṣacchaviṁ pāṇḍukarajāmaruṇekṣaṇām āpīnahastapādāṁ ca na kanyāmudvahedbudhaḥ

One of overly dry complexion, sallow with the pallor of jaundice, red-eyed, or unduly stout of hand and foot -- the wise man should not marry such a maiden.

Verse 22 (vishnu.3.10.22)

न वामनां नातिदीर्घां नोद्वहेत्संहतभ्रुवम् । न चाति च्छिद्रदशनां न करालमुखीं नरः

na vāmanāṁ nātidīrghāṁ nodvahetsaṁhatabhruvam na cāti cchidradaśanāṁ na karālamukhīṁ naraḥ

A man should not marry one who is a dwarf, or excessively tall, or whose eyebrows meet; nor one with excessively gapped teeth, nor one of a fearsome countenance.

Verse 23 (vishnu.3.10.23)

पञ्चमीं मातृपक्षाच्च पितृपक्षाच्च सप्तमीम् । गृहस्थश्चोद्वहेत्कन्यां न्यायेन विधिना नृप

pañcamīṁ mātṛpakṣācca pitṛpakṣācca saptamīm gṛhasthaścodvahetkanyāṁ nyāyena vidhinā nṛpa

A householder should, in due and lawful manner, marry a maiden who is beyond the fifth degree on the mother's side and the seventh degree on the father's side, O king.

Verse 24 (vishnu.3.10.24)

ब्राह्मो दैवस्तथैवार्षः प्राजापत्यस्तथासुरः । गान्धर्वराक्षसौ चान्यौ पैशाचश्चाष्टमो मतः

brāhmo daivastathaivārṣaḥ prājāpatyastathāsuraḥ gāndharvarākṣasau cānyau paiśācaścāṣṭamo mataḥ

The Brahma, the Daiva, and likewise the Arsha, the Prajapatya, and the Asura marriage; and two others, the Gandharva and the Rakshasa; and the eighth is held to be the Paishacha.

Verse 25 (vishnu.3.10.25)

एतेषां यस्य यो धर्मो वर्णस्योक्तो महर्षिभिः । कुर्वीत दारग्रहणं तेनान्यं परिवर्जयेत्

eteṣāṁ yasya yo dharmo varṇasyokto maharṣibhiḥ kurvīta dāragrahaṇaṁ tenānyaṁ parivarjayet

Whichever of these marriage-forms has been declared by the great sages to belong to a given varna, by that one alone should marriage be contracted; any other form should be avoided.

Verse 26 (vishnu.3.10.26)

सधर्मचारिणीं प्राप्य गार्हस्थ्यं सहितस्तया । समुद्वहेद्ददात्येतत्सम्यगूढं महाफलम्

sadharmacāriṇīṁ prāpya gārhasthyaṁ sahitastayā samudvaheddadātyetatsamyagūḍhaṁ mahāphalam

Having obtained a wife who is his partner in dharma, and dwelling with her in the householder's life, he fulfils his purpose; a wife rightly wedded bestows great reward.