Shloka 1.18.20
पुत्रजन्मोत्सवः — Birth of the Princes and Viśvāmitra’s Arrival (Bālakāṇḍa 18)
अतीत्यैकादशाहं तु नामकर्म तथाऽकरोत्।ज्येष्ठं रामं महात्मानं भरतं कैकयीसुतम्।।।।सौमित्रिं लक्ष्मणमिति शत्रुघ्नमपरं तथा।वसिष्ठ: परमप्रीतो नामानि कृतवान् तदा ।।।।
atītyaikādaśāhaṃ tu nāmakarma tathā ’karot |
jyeṣṭhaṃ rāmaṃ mahātmānaṃ bharataṃ kaikayīsutam |
saumitriṃ lakṣmaṇam iti śatrughnam aparaṃ tathā |
vasiṣṭhaḥ paramaprīto nāmāni kṛtavān tadā ||
When eleven days had passed, the naming rite was duly performed. Then Vasiṣṭha, greatly delighted, bestowed the names: the eldest, the great-souled one, as Rāma; Kaikeyī’s son as Bharata; and Sumitrā’s sons as Lakṣmaṇa and likewise the other as Śatrughna.
After a lapse of eleven days, the naming ceremony was performed. Highly delighted preceptor Vasishta named Kausalya's son Rama, Kaikeyi's son Bharata, one son of Sumitra, Lakshmana and the other Satrughna.
Saṃskāra-dharma: life is sanctified through truthful, orderly rites conducted by qualified elders; names are conferred within tradition, anchoring identity in responsibility and lineage.
Eleven days after the births, the formal naming ceremony is performed, and the royal preceptor Vasiṣṭha assigns the princes their names.
Vasiṣṭha’s role as a dharmic guide—authoritative, joyful, and precise in conducting rites that shape the princes’ social and spiritual identity.