War in Ancient India c5.s1.16

c5.s1.16

Great care was taken to promote the welfare of the individual even from birth by means of a number of sacraments, or *saṃskāras*. The naming of a child, to whatever caste it belonged, was considered a day of festivity and rejoicing. Only auspicious names, mostly names of their chosen gods and goddesses, were given to children. We are told in the *Maṇimekalai* how the whole city was present on the occasion of the naming ceremony of Maṇimekalai, the daughter of Mādhavi by Kōvalan. The cognomen of the name for a Kṣatriya was to be Varma, as that of the Brahman was Śarma.¹⁶ The investiture was to be celebrated at the age of eleven to entitle a Kṣatriya to style himself a *dvija* or twice-born.¹⁷