* Description of various Samskars of Shree Hari, including nam- ing ceremony and narration of His noble qualities.
Shri Hari’s naming ceremony at the hands of sage Markandeya.
Suvrat said:-
On the eleventh day in the month of Vaishakha, of star Uttara, on Friday, in the fourth hour of the day, Bhakti raised her son to be cradled. 1.
Remembering the auspicious family-goddess Lakshmi and Vishnu, she cradled the child by putting his head first. 2.
In the beginning of the second month, one Thursday, she made the son drink pure, filtered, cow-milk, pouring through a conch (Shanka). 3.
In the third month he performed a ritual of taking the child into the open air for the first time and making him view the sun, with other purification rites. He was not to perform the ritual of offering oblations to manes Vruddhi-Shraddha on that day as he was a follower of Sama Veda. 4.
Covering the three-month child with pure cloth, Dharma performed the ritual of showing the moon in the evening and also offered worship along with singing of hymns (Sama). 5.
Once the transcendent great lustrous sage Markandeya in ascetic attire visited his house with disciples. 6.
O king, the Brahmin and his wife, knowing all the formalities, welcomed him with proper respect. 7.
Pleasing him with offerings to eat and drink, making him rest comfortably, the noble Dharma sitting near him said thus: 8.
‘Where do you come from? It seems people have been blessed by your great splendour, and now also making my hermitage holy. 9.
You appear to me as a treasure of learning, and you would be able to tell me something, what are all the study you have carried in the Vedas and other sciences’? 10.
Thus asked the all knowing great ascetic intellect, being delighted at seeing the son of Dharma, replied thus: 11.
‘O Dharma! I was on pilgrimage and wished to visit this house of yours. I belong to Bhrigu clan, known by name Markandeya. 12.
Vedas, Shastras and Puranas have been read astrology in particular, also ancillaries of Vedas with other subjects and I teach them as well.’ 13.
Saluting him, Dharma being very pleased, becoming desirous of naming the child in his hands, said: 14.
‘Owing to our fortune, your visit has taken place here. Hence be kind to me, stay here for a while. 15.
O great one! With your uplifting astrological knowledge, predict my son’s future-fortune, see yourself through your eyes of scriptural learning. 16.
O great one! Do arrange an appropriate auspicious time of naming ceremony and name him, for my sake, on the basis of real astronomical acknowledgment.’ 17.
Thus requested by him, the sage, son of Mrukanda deciding on the time of naming through an almanac, told him thus: 18.
‘The naming ceremony if not taken place owing to probable inauspiciousness relevant to the eleventh day or other consecutive days, the ceremony could be performed after hundred nights from the birth of the child. 19.
Tomorrow being the seventh day, the auspicious planet Guru (Jupiter) will be placed in the (fourth) sign of cancer and other positive planets also being placed at the auspicious centres; naming ceremony should be performed on that day. 20.
The positive and the negative aspects of your son’s future, I will tell you after the naming ceremony by going through his time of birth.’ 21.
Hearing this, the Brahmin became very happy. He gathered all the essential things and began his religious rites in the third hour. First, he performed the ritualistic offerings made to the past ancestors, on this prosperous occasion. Then secondly he lit the fire named Parthiva, and then performed sacrifice according to Vedic rituals beginning with utterance of hymns of Vyahruti Homa. 22-23.
Knowing from his inner vision, all the purposes (or wishes) of Shri Krishna to fulfil in the future, the sage named him and told the meaning or significance of it to the Brahmin. He said: 24.
‘As he takes away all the miseries of you and your people and as he is born at the moment when moon happened to be in the sign cancer, (hence) he could be rightly named `Shri Hari’. 25.
He could also be named Krishna due to his dark complexion and his ability of attraction; since your son taking birth in the month of Chitra it is also appropriate. O Brahmin! Though I named him with two individual names, it will be joined together in the future (Shri Hari Krishna). 26-27
Markandeya’s predictions about Shri Hari’s future. He is equal to Hara, the lord of Parvati, in virtues like generosity, knowledge, austerities and religiosity. Through his Yogic achievements he will be known as Nilakantha. 28.
O great Brahmin! Your son will get many names henceforth through his qualities and past deeds. 29.
He will be equal to the king Pruthu being a keen listener of stories of Vishnu; and to the king, Ambarish, in capturing the mind of Vishnu with devotion, and in forgiveness also. 30.
He will be compared equally to Hanuman in his devotional services of the Lord Vishnu. He will be like Vidura in the knowledge of law of do’s and ‘don’ts. He will have extreme absence of worldly desires like sage Shuka and intelligence of the king Janaka. He will be determined always to remembering Krishna like the devotee Prahlada. 31-32.
He will be similar to the sage Kapila in discerning between the great illusive mystic powers (Maya) and the Supreme reality. He will be like Dattatreya in abandonment of vices and acceptance of virtues. 33.
He will be similar to Yudhishthira, who is afraid of immoral deeds; and will be on equivalence to Rantideva king in compassion and fairness. 34.
He will be a devotee of Shri Vishnu, as Narada Muni. He will be victorious like Arjuna, over other rivals and also in calming his senses. 35.
He is like Akrura in perceiving real greatness of the dust of the feet of Krishna; He will be equal, in emphasizing the greatness of god and his devotees, to Uddhava. In simplicity and honesty he will be compared with Rishabhadeva and Bharata, who were famous in spirituality and neglecting of the worldly desires. 36-37.
With his inquisitive quests and queries and finding appropriate answers, he will be on similarity with the preceptor of celestials ‘Devguru-Bruhaspati and He is as dauntless as Bali. 38.
The auspicious sign lotus in his palm, the signs of goad and other vertical lines in his foot, signify that he will be a leader of thousands and thousands of people in the future. 39.
This son of yours will always protect you from all misfortunes as Shri Vishnu protects the gods. 40.
Thus, your son a complete genius, and his listless magnificent qualities, wholly could not be counted.’ 41.
Suvrat said:-
O King! : The sage Markandeya became silent. Then the Brahmin Dharma, with great pleasure, offered him new clothes, ornaments and ample wealth. Staying there for a day, Markandeya being happy having seen Krishna, proceeded to Prayaga, the holiest place, next day. 42- 43
O King, hearing the most wished virtues of the son, and obtaining the importance from stream of noble men, Dharma and his wife became overwhelmed with ecstasy and forgetful of worldly affairs. 44.
Thus ends the twenty-fourth chapter entitled ‘Narration of Shri Hari’s naming ceremony’ in the first Prakarana of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 24