...is not to be ignored. On the contrary, besides the visible result, there is also an unseen spiritual benefit original: "adrishta phala" — karmic merit or spiritual fruit that is not immediately visible.

3. Simantonnayana The hair-parting ritual

Just as the period from the third month to the fourth month is a time of risk for miscarriage original: "garbhachyuti" — the premature falling away of the fetus, so too from the sixth month to the eighth month is another period of risk for premature birth original: "garbhabhransha" — the slipping or displacement of the fetus. The more depressed the pregnant woman’s mind becomes and the more her body is gripped by weakness or lethargy, the greater the possibility of a premature birth. This Simantonnayana literally "parting of the hair upward" sacrament is intended to remove that exhaustion and physical weakness.

Simanta means "the parting of the hair" (the line on the head) and unnayana means "lifting up"—that is, formally arranging the woman’s hair. The husband himself should gather two Udumbara twigs of the cluster fig tree (Ficus racemosa), considered sacred and cooling twigs on a single branch, along with a swastika and several other auspicious items, and tie the pregnant woman’s bun with a thread. Afterward, while using stalks of kusha grass, a bunch of leaves, and a thin piece of wood to lift the woman’s hair, the husband should explain the meaning of the mantras he must recite to his wife with great sweetness and gravity.

4. Jatakarma The birth ceremony

This is the fourth sacrament. This act must be performed after the child is born and before the umbilical cord is cut. At that time, while chanting mantras, one must write the syllable "OM" on the tongue of the newborn child using a golden rod dipped in a mixture of clarified butter ghee and honey. This increases the child's strength, vitality, and brilliance. This is the perspective of the religious scriptures; now listen to the perspective of medicine and science:

According to chemical processes original: "yaugika prakriya" — referring here to the science of combining substances, it is known that when two or more substances with different properties meet, they produce an entirely new quality. For example, when white lime and yellow turmeric meet, they create a new red color. There are many other such examples. Therefore, there is no objection or inconsistency in the idea that the mixture of clarified butter, honey, and gold used during this sacrament would similarly produce a new, distinct property. It is not a matter of surprise that this elemental power serves as a special benefit to the newborn child. Rather, according to the study of the properties of matter original: "padarthatattva", it can be called a supreme elixir original: "rasayana" for the newborn’s body—providing strength and nourishment while removing imbalances of wind vata and bile pitta—