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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c12.s7.t4: Birth

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c12.s7.t4

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English

Birth

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The birth of a child was an occasion for great rejoicing in ancient India. We are told that after a period of nine months and seven days and a half queen Dhārinī gave birth to Meghakumāra. King Seniya was pleased to hear the news, he gave away all his ornaments except the diadem to the chamber-women (aṅgapaḍiyāryāo), anointed their head and, manumitting them, gave them manifold presents. In honour of the auspicious event, king Seniya ordered his chamberlain to declare a general amnesty to the prisoners (cāragasohana) and to clear the city and to decorate it with flowers, garlands, etc. The prices of the goods were lowered and the king having sent for the eighteen corporations asked them to celebrate the birthday for ten days During this period of rejoicing tolls or taxes (ussuṅkam · ukkaram) were suspended, agricultural operation (ukkittha), selling, weighing unwelcome visit of the police officers(abhadap-pavesam) and the payment of debt were held in abeyance for the time being Excellent women of pleasure and actors, clappers and drummers participated in the festivals.

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On the first day the parents observed the jāyakamma ceremony when the navel vein (nāla) of the child was cut and buried under the earth The second day jāgarikā or the whole night vigil was celebrated The third day the ceremony of showing the moon and the sun (candasūradamsaniya) to the baby was performed. Then for seven days there was a great rejoicing in the city. The eleventh day was the day of purification (suikamma) when the impurity caused by the birth of the child ended On the twelfth day the lustatory and birth rites were over and food, drinks, sweetmeats and dainties were distributed among friends, kinsmen, relatives and other subordinates There were dance parties in which the king participated and then in the presence of the relations the child was given a name (nāmakaraṇa) which had descended from generation after generation 34

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Then various ceremonies were performed when at appropriate occasions the child started babbling (parangāmana), and walking (cankamana), when he had the first taste of solid food (jemāmana), when the first intelligible words came out from his mouth (pajappāvana), and when his ears were bored (kannavedha) Then there was birth ceremony (samvaccharapaḍilakkhana), tonsure ceremony (colopana), sacred thread ceremony (upanayana) and ceremony of learning the alphabets (kalāgahana) 35

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In his babyhood a child was attended by five nurses as noted above 36 Besides there were a large number of attendants brought from foreign countries who were skilful, accomplished and well-trained, to be entrusted with the children.³⁷ The Nisītha cūrṇi describes in detail the various nurses, particularly the wet-nurse and the effect of her milk on the child.³⁸

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³⁴ Sometimes the name given had some reference to an earlier event. A son of king Seṇiya was named Mehakumāra because his mother had had the craving of seeing rain-clouds out of season (Nāyā 1, p 20 f); a boy was named Umbaradatta because his mother had had the craving of worshipping the Umbara Jakkha (Vivā 7, p 44)

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³⁵ Bhagavatī (11 11), cf Nāyā (1, p 21), Otū Su , 40, p 185, Kalpa Sū 5 102-108 For the daily life of a Jain with all details, see Ācāradinakara by Vardhamāna sūri, Bombay, 1922, also Indian Antiquary, 1903, p 460 ff

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³⁶ See p 107 The Divyāvadāna (XXXII, p 475) mentions four kinds of nurses ankhadhātrī, mala, stana and krīḍāpanikā, also Avadāna I, V, p 28

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³⁷ Nāyā ibid

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³⁸ 13, p 856 ff, cf also Pinda. Ti. 418 ff. Cf also Susruta Samhitā Sarirasthāna ch 10, Sū 25, p 281, also Mugapakkha Jātaka (533), VI, p 21, Lalita vistara, 100.

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POSITION OF WOMEN

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