The '16 sanskars' are primarily known to be a series of rituals and sacraments in Hinduism, that is followed and observed by an individual through various phases of his/her life. These sanskars are predetermined by ancient religious scriptures and proclaimed by religious sages and spiritual gurus as 'Rites of passage. Right from a person's birth to their death, these sanskars accompany an individual through important events in life, nourishing him/her spiritually while abiding by the social and religious traditions of our rich Indian culture.
Into the history of Sanskaras/Samskara:
In the past, Samskara i.e, a person's behavioural traits were said to be part of their inner-self or character refined through previous lives (according to some) and perfected/completed at an individual's birth, defining their personality.
According to the texts of the Gautama Dharmasutra, which is possibly one of the oldest existing Hindu dharmasutra, in the olden days Samskara consisted of 40 rituals, these have been altered and reduced to 16 main rituals to fit the ever-changing modern world. While these 40 samskaras were outer rituals considered gateways to attain a state of Brahma-Atman (the highest form of self/soul).
It is important to grasp the essence of these scriptures as they would refer to the samskaras as the means and not an end of fulfilling human life. In today's world, we continue to follow this path of living as dictated by our ancestors
Importance of 16 Sanskar in our lives: The religious texts state that the true purpose for human birth into the world is for god realization. These sanskars were passed down to guide us in achieving this very state of being. Scriptures say that a person in the womb is in a state of repenting for forgetting the purpose of life i.e attaining God in the last life. This path to fulfillment is often constricted by the feeling of false happiness. The 16 sanskars help us move towards our life goal right from the preconception period till death and thus are extremely important.
Each sanskar (ritual) performed during different parts of our life clears out any impurity present in an individual's soul from previous births, therefore, this cleansing of the soul brings about true peace of mind without which a person's life is considered incomplete. During these rituals, the pandit recites certain religious mantras according to the directions giving to devotees by Ishtadev Bhagwan Shree Sahjanand Sami in Shloka-91 of the ‘Shiksha Patri’.
16 Sanskars: 1. Garbhadhaan 2. Punsavan 3. Simantonayan 4. Jatkarma 5. Naamkaran 6. Nishkramana 7. Annprashan 8. Chaul/Mundan 9. Vidyarambh 10. Karnavedh 11. Upnayan 12. Vedarambha 13. Keshani samskar 14. Samavartan 15. Vivah 16. Antyesthi
With the passing years, the most undeniable fact remains that of all the sanskars, Garbhadhan and Antyesthi and the only 2 sanskar based on dependability on others (our family) as Garbhadhan is carried out before our birth and Antyesthi after death. That said, the last rite i.e Antyesthi is carried out as a formality and out of respect in memory of the deceased. However, the ritual of Garbhadhan is rarely carried out and forgotten in most cases.