branding for children

[Ute Huesken]

Dear Adam,
the aspects that are not dealt with in Srilata Raman's and my dealing  
with "branding" (tapasaskara, taptasamskara) as part of the five  
Vaishnava samskaras (pancasamskara) is the fact that in contemporary  
South Indian practice the initiation into Vaishnavahood is usually  
performed only for adults. However, it seems that the Pancaratra  
priests (for them it is one of a number of initiations) perform these  
five samskaras in conjunction with upanayana - and thus usually  at  
the age of ca. 8-15 years. However, I am not aware of any medical  
explanation for this practice.
Best
Ute