Manava Dharmashastra 2.30

2.30

daśamyāṃ tithau dvādaśyāṃ vā'sya dārakasya nāmadheyaṃ kurvīta | ṇijartho na vivakṣitaḥ | tathā ca gṛhyam “daśamyāmutthāpya pitā nāma karoti” iti | nāmaiva 'nāmadheyam' | yena śabdena kāryeṣvāhūyate tannāma | 'prāṅnābhivardhanāditi' jātakarmaṇaḥ prakṛtatvājjanmanaḥ prabhṛti daśamīdvādaśyau gṛhyete na candratithī | iha keciddaśamīgrahaṇamāśaucinivṛttirityupalakṣaṇārthaṃ varṇayanti | atītāyāmiti cādhyāhāraḥ | daśamyāmatītāyāṃ brāhmaṇasya dvādaśyāṃ kṣatriyasya pañcadaśyāṃ vaiśyasyota |
tadayuktam | lakṣaṇāyāṃ pramāṇābhāvājjātakarmavadāśauce'pi kariṣyate | yadi tu brāhmaṇabhojanaṃ vihitaṃ kvacittadā yuktā lakṣaṇā |
yadi daśamīdvādaśyau vakṣyamāṇaguṇayukte bhavataḥ tadā tayoḥ kartavyam | atha na, tadā'nyasminnapi puṇye'hani | puṇyānyahāni dvitīyāpañcamyādīni | 'puṇyaṃ' praśastaṃ, navamīcaturdaśyādayo riktāstithayaḥ apuṣyāḥ |
muhūrto lagnaṃ kumbhādi | tasminpuṇye pāpagraheranadhiṣṭhite gurubhyāṃ ca dṛśyamāne | lagnaśuddhirjyotiṣādavagamyate |
nakṣatre ca guṇayukte | nakṣatraṃ śraviṣṭhādi, tadyasminnahani guṇayuktaṃ bhavati | nakṣatraguṇāśca krūragrahapāpagrahaviṣṭivyatīpātavivarjitam |
vā śabdaḥ samuccaye | tena praśastāyāṃ tithau nakṣatre ca śuddhe lagna ityupadiṣṭaṃ bhavati | samuccayaśca jyotiṣā'vagamyaḥ |
ayaṃ ca paramārthaḥ | daśamīdvādaśībhyāmarvāṅ na kartavyam | uttarakālaṃ ca yadaharnakṣatraṃ lagnaṃ pariśuddhaṃ tadahareva kartavyam |
idānīṃ yādṛśaṃ nāma kartavyaṃ tanniyamayati svarūpato'rthataśca —

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
One should perform the ‘naming,’ ‘Nāmadheya,’ of the child on the tenth or the twelfth day.

No significance is meant to be attached to the sense of the causative affix in ‘Kārayet,’ should have it done.’ For the Gṛhyasūtra simply says—‘On the tenth day the father should take up the child and perform his naming’ (without the causal form).

The term ‘Nāmadheya’ means simply ‘nāma,’ ‘name’; and it is that word by which a person is called during life.

In as much as the section has started with the mentiou of the ‘Jātakarma,’ as to be done ‘before the cutting of the umbilical cord,’ it follows that the ‘tenth’ and ‘twelfth’ (of the Text) refer to the day as counted from the day of birth; and they do not refer to the lunar dates.

On this point some people have held that the mention of the ‘tenth day’ is only meant to indicate the ‘passing of the days of impurity’; the past-participle epithet ‘atītāyām,’ ‘having passed,’ being understood. So that the meaning is that, ‘for the Brāhmaṇa the Naming should be done after the lapse of the tenth day, for the Kṣatriya after the lapse of the twelfth day, and for the Vaiśya after the lapse of the fifteenth day.’

This explanation, however, is not right. For there being no ground for taking the words in the indirect figurative sense suggested, the ceremony could very well be performed during the period of impurity, just like the ‘Birth-rite.’ If the feeding of the Brāhmaṇas were enjoined (as a necessary accompaniment of the Ṛte), then there might be some justification for the suggested figurative interpretation.

If the ‘tenth’ or the ‘twelfth’ day happen to fulfil the conditions mentioned in the second line of the verse, then the ceremony should be done on those days. Otherwise it should be performed on some other auspicious lunar date.

The ‘auspicious lunar dates’ are the, the fifth (day of the lunar month), and so forth.

‘Puṇya,’ ‘auspicious,’ means commended. The ninth, fourteenth and such other days (of the lunar month),—which are commonly called ‘Riktā,’—are ‘not commended,’ ‘inauspicious.’

‘Muhūrta,’ ‘moment,’ stands for what is called ‘lagna’ (the point of time indicated by the ‘contact with the Horizon,’ i.e., the ‘rising,’ of a particular Zodiacal Sign), Aquarius, and the rest. ‘At a moment that is auspicious,’—i.e., which is not possessed by any evil planet, which is looked upon by Jupiter and Venus. Such ‘auspiciousness’ of the moment can be ascertained with the help of the science of Astrology.

‘Under a propitious lunar asterism,’—the ‘are those beginning with Śraviṣṭhā; and that day on which these happen to be ‘propitious.’ The ‘propitiousness’ of the Lunar Asterism consists in its being free from the contact of ‘malignant’ and ‘evil’ planets, as also from the condition of ‘Vyatīpāta’ (a malignant aspect of the Sun and the Moon).

The particle ‘Vā’ in the Text has a collective sense (meaning ‘and’); hence the meaning is that ‘the ceremony should he performed on an auspicious day, and at an auspicious moment, and under a faultless lunar asterism.’ The due combination of all these conditions can be ascertained with the help of the Science of Astrology.

The final upshot of the whole comes to this:—The ceremony should never be performed before the tenth or twelfth day,—and after these days it may be performed only at the auspicious moment on that day which is found to be under a propitious lunar asterism.’—(30)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
The Author now proceeds to determine the form of the name to be given to the child.