Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 410

THE ADOPTION CEREMONY
370
distinct voice, in presence of the whole assembly,
whether she delivers over her child to be brought up. To
this she answers in the same tone that she does deliver the
This utterance bears a compre-
child to be brought up.
hensive meaning. It is a formal intimation that she gives
up her son not as a slave who is sold, but to be looked upon
and treated as a child of the family into which he is about
and
to enter
l
.
They next bring in a dish filled with water into which
some powdered saffron has been thrown. The purohita
blesses this mixture by muttering mantrams and performing
Then the mother of the child hands
certain ceremonies.
the dish to the adoptive father, and at the same time,
2
fire to bear witness to the deed, she thrice repeats
/ give up this child to you ; I have
the following words
no more right over him.'' The adoptive father then takes
the child, and seating him on his knees, addresses the
This child has been given
relatives present as follows
to me, after fire has been invoked as a witness of the gift
invoking
:
—
'
:
—
'
:
by this saffron water which I will now drink, promise
From this moment he is
to bring him up as my own son.
entitled to the enjoyment of all his rights over my property,
sharing, at the same time, the burden of my debts.'
After these words, he and his wife pour out a small
and
I,
quantity of the saffron water in the hollow of their right
hands and drink it up. They then pour a little into the
hand of the adopted child and make him also drink it,
adding
We have admitted this child into our gothram,
and we incorporate him into it.'
This is the last event in the ceremony of adoption. I
have remarked that at the age of six months Hindu children
are solemnly invested with the girdle or waist-string, to
'
:
1
Generally a boy is adopted when he is fit for the wpanayana ceremony
and both ceremonies are performed simultaneously. Ed.
2
It is the mother of the child who plays the most important part in
the father being present there only as a mere formality.
this ceremony
The reason is that in India all the children are supposed to belong by
Should a married man, or a man living in con-
right to the mother.
cubinage, happen to separate himself, for some cause or other, from his
wife or concubine, the latter would be entitled to take away all their
;
;
children, without the possibility of the slightest opposition on the part
of the father.
Dubois.