How do we name and welcome an adopted child the Hindu way?

hold a simple welcome pūjā and nāmakaraṇa at any age; an adopted child is fully your child in dharma.

Dharmaśāstra has long recognised adoption, the dattaka, and treats the adopted child as a full member of the family and lineage. Many traditional families have performed a small ceremony called datta-homa or simply a pūjā to mark the child’s entry into the home.

Today a gentle welcome works best: choose an auspicious day, do a Gaṇeśa pūjā, let both parents hold the child before the deity, whisper the chosen name in the child’s right ear as in a nāmakaraṇa, and seek blessings from elders. If the date or time of birth is known, you can use the nakṣatra for the first syllable; if it is not, choose a meaningful name freely.

If the child is older and already has a name, you may keep it, add a new one, or let them help decide. Above all, celebrate with the same joy as any birth.

Source: Dharmaśāstra on the dattaka (adopted) child

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