Welcoming The Babies

In Bali, at the birth of each babe, the midwives and all in attendance would begin to sing this song.  As the babe was crowning, it was very important to begin singing.  I fumbled along but never really got the words stuck into my brain like I wanted them to be.  This time around, I want to sing along knowing both the words and their meaning.  The midwife did explain to me something along the lines of, "we are welcoming each babe.  telling them we recognize the god in them."

For me, seeing words spelled out really helps to understand a language.  If I spell your name, when we meet, I am likely to recall it!  So, seeing the song spelled out is helping me to memorize it.  I am so stoked to sing along this time.  Oh, wait!!!  I am tone deaf.  I don't know a beat or a rhythm.   All memebers of my immediate family have asked me to stop singing at one point.  It's true.  This holiday season, as I sang Ezra Jack Keats' version of "The Little Drummer Boy", my Ez asked me to "just read it, mom."  Now, what?  Sing anyway and ruin the otherwise melodic births of these precious babes?  Or just spell it in my head as I hum or mumble along inside pleasantly happy enough to finally KNOW the words.

The babes at Bumi Sehat hear these words being sung over them:

Om Bur Buvah Suvaha
Thath Savithur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhi-Mahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat

What does it mean, you ask?  Well, I asked the same!  It means:

Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life, Remover of pain and sorrow, The Bestower of happiness, Oh! Creator of the Universe, May we receive thy supreme sin- destroying light, May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.

And, just for clarity, not every single babe hears these words first.  Why not?  It is tradition for the Muslim dads to whisper The Call to Prayer into their babe's right ear.  We are all quiet to honor this.  Everyone, including the dad, perhaps has been singing up until this point sometimes.  But, if we know the family is Muslim, all gets quiet for the dad to whisper.  I have seen it done with tears streaking down the dad's cheeks as he is so full of joy in welcoming his precious babe just as we, the birth attendants are.