By Swami Harshananda
Āditya-darśana literally means ‘seeing the sun’.
A person has to undergo certain sanskāras or sacraments - religious rites conducive to inner evolution at various stages of his life. The dharmaśāstras list them as sixteen; hence the name ‘sodaśa- sanskāras’ (ṣodaśa = 16).
One such ṣanskāra is called as ‘niṣkramana’ (‘going out’). It consists of taking the baby outside the lying-in chamber for the first time, to see the sun. This is called as ‘āditya-darśana.’
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore