Praying to Water to Protect the Newborn from Evil Forces

After the child is bathed with mantras such as 'kshtriyai twa' – for release from sins from earlier births, their effects and also for protection, in a small vessel made of bronze, curd and ghee are mixed and applied in the child’s tongue.

With the vyahrti mantras and omkara — 'bhu swaha', 'bhuva swaha', 'swa swaha' and 'om swaha' — then the child is placed in the mother’s lap and this mantra is chanted:
मा ते कुमारं रक्षो वधीत् मा धेनुः अत्यासारिणी प्रिया धनस्य भूया एधमाना स्वे गृहे
May demons not harm your child. May animals not harm your child.
Very interesting description – the cow who is enthusiastically playing and running around with its calf, may that cow not harm your child.
May he grow up strong in our home.

Now the first breastfeeding of the child. The right breast is to be used for this. The mantra is –
अयं कुमारो जरां धयतु दीर्घमायुः यस्मै त्वं स्तन प्रप्यायायुर्वर्चो यशो बलम्
The mantra is addressed to the breast itself.
Take this child to old age – meaning give him long life.
In the form of milk, you lactate ayu, strength, brilliance and fame.

Then the ground where the child is to be laid down is touched with these two mantras:
यद्भूमेर्हृदयं दिवि चन्द्रमसि तदुर्वि पश्यं माऽहं पौत्रमघं रुदम्
Bhumi’s heart is there in Chandra, is with Chandra.
This is like an assertion – statement of a fact – so, in the same way, may this child never be a source of sorrow to me.

यत्ते सुसीमे हृदये वेदाहं तत्प्रजापतौ वेदाम तस्य ते वयं माऽहं पौत्रमघं रुदम्
The connection between earth and moon is clarified.
It is the moon which fills all plants with their essence, the rasa.
This is why Soma is the adhipati of all plants.
सोम ओषधीनामधिपतिः समावतु
These are secrets revealed by the Veda.
Connection between moon and the plants on earth.
Science will find this out later.

The role of Chandra as the nourisher and protector Prajapati – prajanam palayita – is what is intended here.
Not Prajapati Brahma.
This is why in the earlier mantra it is said Bhumi’s heart is in Chandra.
Again, after stating this assertion – may this child not be a reason for grief for us.

See, the ritual is not just about calling the priest and getting something done.
So much of knowledge is involved in this. So much of manana is involved in this.
Someone who knows these mantras, when he does this, all these will flash through his mind.
The father–child relation, the earth–moon relation.
Karmic effects.
Every ritual is like a revision of the whole knowledge system.

नामयति न रुदति यत्र वयं वदामसि यत्र चाभिमृशामसि
The child is laid down on the ground, on the floor which was earlier touched chanting mantras.
नामयति – na amayati – this child will not fall sick here. This child will not cry here.

After this, a water-filled pot is placed behind the head of the child lying on the floor.
Mantra for this –
आपस्सुप्तेषु जाग्रत रक्षांसि निरितो नुदध्वम्
Oh holy waters, keep awake while this child is asleep and protect him from demons, chase away the demons from here.

See, all the natural powers – agni, water – they are being awakened and summoned for the protection of the child.
Not vaccination, not mosquito repellent creams – what better protection do you need?
Agni, water – they are all being invoked for the protection of the child.

Another point here. Rationalists say that demons and all this is superstition.
They even tried to get laws passed – anti-superstition laws.
But, if you believe in Sanatana Dharma, if you accept that Vedas are the highest sources of knowledge,
then Veda says they are there.
Umpteen references you will find in the Vedas about these evil forces –
rakshas, pisachas, guhyakas, pretas.

If you want to not accept, you are free to do so.
But these are all part of Sanatana Dharma, Hindu religion.
There are no two opinions about it.
If you have seen Hinduism from the surface, if you think Hinduism is only about Upanishads and Gita, then you may not realize this.

Even then – in Gita itself –
sthaane hrishikesha
What is rakshamsi here – demons.

I can give you hundreds of references from Veda itself – about demons, about exorcism.
Thousands from other scriptures.
If you accept Ramayana as genuine, if you accept Lord Rama, then you will also have to accept that Ravana was a rakshasa, a demon.
If you accept Hanumanji as divinity and respect Goswami Tulasidasji as a jnani saint, then you will also have to accept –
भूत पिसाच निकट नहिं आवै। महाबीर जब नाम सुनावै।

Let’s not play to the tune of some snobbish ignorant activists, who neither know about the world nor about themselves.

Take Ayurveda – what is graha chikitsa in Ayurveda?
It is about demonology – bhutavidya.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi