Jatakarman (Child Birth) – Literally translating to child birth, Jatakarman celebrates the birth of a baby. The origin of this ritual is in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad’s last chapter. During the ritual, the father welcomes the baby into the world by touching honey and ghee (clarified butter) to the baby’s lips. The scientific importance of this ritual is to ensure the child’s immunity is boosted and he or she doesn’t contract any viral infections of jaundice/pneumonia after birth. As per Vedic traditions, a human being is born twice, first physically through the mother, which is marked as Jatakarman and second time intellectually, through their teacher, when they begin studying, marked as Vidyarambha. The father also prays to the Fire God, by putting Yogurt and Ghee in fire, for continued prosperity and health of the family line, below is the prayer – “May I, as I prosper in this my house, nourish a thousand! May fortune never fail in its race, with offspring and cattle, Svah! I offer to thee [the baby] in my mind the vital breaths which are in me, Svah! Whatever in my work I have done too much, or whatever I have done too little, may the wise Agni make it right, make it proper, Svah!” With this ritual, the father ensures that he, all his off-springs and all the future generations stay prosperous, healthy and nourished. The ritual also includes the father praying to Goddess Sarasvati to bless his son with wisdom and knowledge. The ritual is usually completed within a week of the child’s birth, unless the mother is still in the hospital in cases of any complications. In ancient times, the ritual was done within a day of the child being born.