Karnavedha, or ear-piercing, is one of the 16 sanskars performed by Hindus in a lifetime of a person. It is a significant ritual that is usually performed at the time of Mundan or aksharabhyasam i.e, vidhyarambham. During the ceremony, a child’s ear is pierced and a pair of ornament is worn. The ritual has religious as well as medical significance. It is believed to stimulate blood flow in the nerves passing through the ears and brain. It increases hearing power as well as mental ability and also prevents many diseases.
It is also said to open the inner ears of the child to receive sacred sounds. According to Hindu scriptures, a person is not allowed to perform the shraddha rites if he has not gone through the karnavedha ritual. It is also considered as important as Upnayanam (sacred thread ceremony) in Brahmins.
Brahmins and Vaishya perform Karnavedha with the help of a silver needle, while Shudra use iron needle and Kshatriya need a golden needle. At some places, Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas perform the ritual with a pointed needle and get their ear pierced.
Karnavedha is advised to perform on auspicious muhurat after worshipping the deities. It is said to be performed by making the child sit in the direction of the sunlight. The auspicious times to perform the Karnavedha muhurat is during the odd years of the child’s age. The ear-piercing ritual can be done only after six months of the child’s birth, as it is associated with mental and physical development. It is usually performed during Shukla Paksha of a month.
Karanvedha muhurat in March 2021:
Karnavedha should be performed according to the movements of planets and other celestial bodies. It should be avoided during Amavasya. Hindus usually decide the auspicious muhurat by consulting Vedic panchang and astrologers.
The auspicious muhurat for this ritual will fall on March 29 from 7.33 am to 11.03 am IST. The day will mark the Krishna Paksha Pratipada Tithi of Chaitra Maas.
Muhurat Dates And Timings Source: Astrosage.com