The Sanskaras, spanning a person's life right from conception through marriage and then death, guide a person through 16 key stages in his/her life.

There are many interpretations of the purpose of Sanskaras, some superstitious, some spiritual or cultural i.e. :  

a)    Removal of hostile influences
b)  Attraction of favourable influences (e.g. deities)
c)  Self-expression (e.g. expression of joy at birth)
d)  Moral uplift
e)  Spiritual experience of key events  

The 16 Sanskaras are :

 1)        Garbadhana

 2)        Punsavana

 3)        Simatonnayana

 4)        Jatkarma

 5)        Namkarana

 6)        Niskarana

 7)        Anna-Prasana

 8)        Karanavedha

 9)        Chudakarana/Chaul

10)        Upanayaha

11)        Vedharamaba or Vidyarambha

12)        Samavantana

13)        Vivaah

14)        Avastyadhana

15)        Shrotadhan

16)        Antyesti or Antim

The Sanskaras were developed during or some say even before the Vedic period and the associated ceremonies have evolved with the passage of the years and at the end appear to be different between different religious castes.

While it is important to understand the various rites and ceremonies it is perhaps more useful to appreciate the intent of each Sanskara and gather the spiritual knowledge and experience available to us at these various key stages in life.

It is from this context that the reader is asked to read the brief explanation of the 16 Sanskaras. Since the sanskara concern the soul rather than the body, they should be performed equally both by males and females.