Vedic Wisdom
Before the fire, before the offerings, before anything else, the family says why they are here. That statement is the Sankalp, and it is the part of a ceremony most worth understanding.
Quick answer
Sankalp is the formal statement of intention made at the start of a Hindu puja or ceremony. The person or family holding the rite, with water and rice or a flower in the hand, states who they are, where and when they are, and what they are doing and for what purpose. It turns a set of actions into a deliberate offering, and it is the reason a ceremony belongs to the family rather than to the priest.
The names of those holding the ceremony, in many traditions the family gotra — the ancestral lineage name — and the purpose of the rite. The priest supplies the traditional description of time and place. If you do not know your gotra, say so; there are long-standing conventions a priest can apply, and it does not prevent the ceremony.
Every Hindu rite, from a short household puja to a multi-day wedding, begins in the same way. The priest pours a little water into the hands of the person holding the ceremony, adds rice or a flower, and recites the Sankalp on their behalf. In it the person names themselves and their lineage, places themselves in time and space using the traditional cosmological description — the age, the year, the season, the month, the fortnight, the day, the place — and states plainly what they are about to do and why. The water is then released. The intention has been made.
The word sankalp means resolve or intention, and the rite is exactly that. Hindu tradition holds that an action offered with a clear intention is different in kind from the same action done absent-mindedly. The Sankalp is where the family, not the priest, takes ownership of what follows. It is why, in a well-led ceremony, the priest will make sure the family understands what they are resolving before the words are spoken.
For British Hindu families the Sankalp is also the moment where practical questions come up. Which names should be given? What is our gotra? What should we say the purpose is? None of these needs to be a source of worry, and all of them are settled in the conversation before the day.
What is stated
The structure is broadly consistent across traditions; the wording and the level of detail vary.
01
A brief salutation to the divine, and to Ganesh, before the intention is spoken.
02
The traditional description of when the rite is taking place — the cosmic age, the year name, the half of the year, the season, the month, the fortnight and the lunar day. The priest supplies all of this.
03
Where the ceremony is being held, described from the widest scale down to the locality. In the UK this is adapted sensibly to the country, region and town.
04
The names of those holding the ceremony and, in many traditions, their gotra. For a couple, both names; for a family, usually the head of the household or the parents.
05
The rite about to be performed and its purpose — a wedding, a house blessing, a puja for the wellbeing of the family, a remembrance of a parent.
06
The water is let fall from the hand. The intention is complete and the ceremony proper begins.
Questions families ask
This is common, especially in families that have lived outside India for generations. Ask parents or grandparents first; if it genuinely cannot be found, there are long-standing conventions a priest can apply. It does not prevent the ceremony and it is nothing to feel awkward about.
Traditionally the given name as used within the family. Some families give a religious name alongside an English one. Tell your priest what you would like used; there is no wrong answer.
Yes. Alongside the traditional wording, the purpose can name the specific hope the family holds — the wellbeing of a child, gratitude for a recovery, the memory of a parent. That is what Sankalp is for.
Yes. The Sankalp is recited in Sanskrit, and a brief explanation of what is being resolved can be given in English, Gujarati or Hindi so that the family and guests understand what has just been said on their behalf.
Questions
Written by Shastri Ji Manishbhai Pandya. Last reviewed . Hindu practice varies between regions, communities, families and sampradayas; this guide explains a widely recognised form and is not a ruling on how any family should observe it.
A question is always welcome
Names, gotra, purpose — none of it needs to be settled before you get in touch. Tell us the ceremony you have in mind and the rest is worked out together.