Samskara (rite of passage)

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Samskara (Sanskrit: संस्कार, IAST: saṃskāra, sometimes spelled samskara) are diverse rites of passage in Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The word literally means "putting together, making perfect, getting ready, to prepare", or "a sacred or sanctifying ceremony" in ancient Sanskrit and Pali texts of India. In Hinduism, the samskaras vary in number and details according to regional traditions. They range from the list of 40 samskaras in the Gautama Dharmasutra from about the middle of the 1st millennium BCE, to 16 samskaras in the Grhyasutra texts from centuries later. The list of samskaras in Hinduism includes both external rituals such as those marking a baby's birth and a baby's name giving ceremony, as well as inner rites of resolutions and ethics, such as compassion towards all living beings and a positive attitude. Samskara in Indian philosophy or saṅkhāra (Buddhism) is also a concept in the karma theory of Indian philosophies, referring to dispositions, characters or behavioural...

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