GHARBHADYA NYAS PARYANTAH SANSKARAN SAVDHARVDA HI KAH |
TE SARVETRA NIRUPYANTE HETUVADA PARISHKRITAH||

Like the daily routine, the routine of the life is also regular. Studying the human life since, its birth till death, in detail, our great sages have outlined certain consecrations for the all round development of the life - "Such a development that embraces holistic progress. We call these beautiful rules, formed by our great sages, the rules for the routine of the life. Consecrations are the major part of this routine of life.
Two kinds of materials are available in the world; One is PRAKRIT - that is natural and second is Sanskrit - cultured.

PRAKITI - The nature - is the working force of the native primitive man (ADIPURUSH) and is the base of the whole Universe. All the visible and invisible materials are as if the toys created by this innocent girl that is PRAKRITI. Every moment she plays with these toys. Human being is also a toy made by the nature i.e. PRAKRITI. Every moment she plays with these toys. Human being is also a toy made by the nature (Prakriti). But it is somewhat extra ordinary type of toy. This peculiarity is nothing but the knowledge of the human being. With the power of the knowledge human being revolts against the nature, although he also a dependent top only. He is not pleased to see the things created by nature in their natural form. Instead he feels happy trimming and culturing the natural things and making them useful for him. This strong feeling of consecration is the second peculiarity of human being.

Things Produced by nature are called natural in their raw form. These natural things are called cultured only after human being revises or minimizes them and consequently these are converted into refined forms. Nature has created cotton, wood etc., but man refined them in various ways and made beautiful clothes from them. These beautiful clothes are the lively example of man's consecrational feelings or cultural desires.

Today's luxurious or cultural desires world is also beautiful result of the same feeling of the man. It means to say that this cultural feeling is the main reason for the man reaching the top of the civilization. This feeling is also a gift of God and natural. Sixteen consecrations of the Vedas are pure and refined form of this feeling. It can be checked scientifically also. Seeds of the major produces are specially cultured now days so that they can produce more and the plants could appear beautiful.

NEED OF THE CONSECRATIONS

Consecrations are needed the most today, Today, when we conceptualizes world - Union - a union in the wings of which every citizen would be equal and there would be no upper or lower class. Then we have to rejuvenate those Consecrations at this occasion, in which generous and reverence feelings have special place. This is the call of the humanity also everywhere at this time. Humanity is now absorbing the historical significance of the caste, class, religion, tradition and culture. Tortured by the so called the disturbance of the class difference, man wishes to establish fraternity and unity among the entire human being of the world. It is an auspicious sign. If we become human in real sense, all of the inhuman happenings that occur in the name of religion, caste and nation would be ceased. But, for this refuge is to be taken in the SANATAN DHARMA that is the old perpetual religion. Creation of that Universal human, complete in physical and spiritual ways, would be possible through these consecrations otherwise not.

All the countries and all the castes have some kind of culture. But, the highly ideal culture of unity, love and universal fraternity, that is seen in Vedic hymns is rare anywhere else.

Scriptures like Vedas, show greater significance of the consecrations. Even a man needs to be cultured in order to get social rights. If a boy, even though having (Dwija) Brahman parents is uncultured, can't be Brahman, Shruti has given the culture the same significance that it gives to the birth. By DWIJA is meant one who is born twice, first from the mother's womb and second through the cultures. The highest goal of human life is to achieve the Brahmatva. For the person heading towards salvation consecrations is a stimulating food, with the help of which he treads his path, without straying. Human Body is like a painting which he skilled brush of an efficient painter finishes with colours in the form of consecrations. Without them, human is incomplete - just a breathing mass of bones and flesh. That is why god Angira says:

CHITRAM KRAMADYTHNA KA RANGAIRUNMILYATE SHANAIH, |
BRAHMANYAPI TADVATSYAT SANSKAKAIVIDIPURKAIH||

As a painting is made by joining the different kinds of colours with a brush, similarly by following the ritual consecrations, this body also becomes able to achieve BRAHMA (Salvation).

WHY CONSECRATION ?

Culture is a natural part of the human nature there are three reason how it became a part of the human nature. Things received from nature are not useful in natural form. They have some impurities, which should necessarily be removed, and some properties are to be added, to make natural things useful. This process can be given following terms:
a) Removal of impurities,
b) Addition of properties,
c) Completion of absent parts.

To achieve these three aims, we treat everything in different ways, Take for example, The gold that is taken from the mines, to make beautiful ornaments, it has to pass all the three above-mentioned treatment, when mined; it is not more than a metallic mass smeared with earth etc. It has neither shine nor beauty. It is put in the hearth to remove its impurities. Fire destroys its impurities and it behind to shine. Thereafter, the jewelers convert the gold into beautiful ornaments. Remaining shortcomings are completed by fixing precious stones in it. Thus, after finishing of all the treatments, lump of gold is converted into a begemed crown. Importance of consecrations can be explained with an example of a shirt also. Nature produces it as cotton only. But the customed mind of the man treated it to form fibbers, then cloth and ultimately various types of beautiful and useful clothes.

When everything, present in the world, achieve completion passing through various treatment, then it is improper to say that the excellent creature like man, produced physically from his parents, doesn't need any consecration. Hence, to remove the congenital impurities of the man and converting him in to complete human, that fits in the society. Consecrations are essential. Vedic consecrations too have the three above mentioned aims and the three divisions. Human life begins with conception. With birth, a human comes in the world. Customs also begin with the birth itself. With Education and moral development merits are instilled in the human being. Marriage provides human with the missing part, hence, classifying the consecrations, sage Manu writes:

NISHEKAD VAJIK CHAINO GARBHIKANCHAPMRINYAVE |
KSHETRASANSKAR SIDDHISHCHA |
VIVAHASYAFALAM TVETAT VYAKHYATAM PARMARSHIMIH ||

With conception, the seed and all the other impurities are destroyed, and woman's consecration is also completed. Woman's consecration is also completed. That only the son is produced, So PUNSAVAN SANSKAR is done. SIMANTONNAYANA also purifies the fetus. With JATAKARMA SANSKAR, all the disorders related to the eating habit of the mother are removed. With NAMKARAN (nomenclature) life and glory are improved and an independent existence comes in to being. In NISHKRAMANA SANSKAR, the child is shown to the sun that the source of life on earth. With this, life and prosperity increases. With ANNAPRASHANA, those flaws are removed, that arise due to intake of impure food in fetus. Increase in force, life and glory, is the result of the CHUDAKARMA SANSKARA. With UPANYANA, the body comes in the DWIJA class, and gains the right to study the Vedas. After marriage, doing AGNIHOTRA ANUSTHANA with, he gains access to the heaven. A good son is also a result of an excellent marriage. Such a son serves his living parents while paves the way to salvation for his dead ancestors through SHRADDHA, TARPANA etc. All there are the result of marriage, which is a kin to a consecration. All the bright jewels in Indian history like Rama, Krishna, Ved Vyasa, Buddha, Mahavir, Ramanujacharya, RamaNanda Charya, Shankaracharya, Swami Vivekananda etc. were the result this same consecration.

NUMBER OF CONSECRATION