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Home , Karnavedha, Namakarana, Pumsavana

Ancient Science of Life, Vol. IX, No.3, January 1990, Pages134-139

PUMSAVANA

K.P. VARDHAN Sri. Ayurvedashram, Gadwal-509 125, India ______Received: 19 April 1987 Accepted: Revised Manuscript 20 January 1989

ABSTRACT: “ is one of the Shodasha (Sixteen rituals) performed in various stages of life in ancient India. It deals with the technique of genetic engineering to ensure healthy progeny and to determine the sex of the child. The author also probes here the relevance of this technique at this age and describes how the modern biology supports it.

Genetics plays an important role in the Seemantham, Post-natal are 4. Jathaka, 5. modern world. It is the science of life , 7. Annaprasha, 8. Chuda or pertaining to genes or the basic unit of Keshakandana, 9. , 10. heredity. It is through this science that man , 11. Akshrabhyasam, 12. is now able to bring about revolutionary Samavartham, 13. Vivaham, or Marriage, changes in the bio-logical features. It effects 14. Gruhasthashramam or household-life, not only plant life, animal kingdom but also 15. Vanaprasthashram or practice of human domain. It is a vast subject with a detachment, 16. Sanyasa or renunciation. multi-spectrum. But my article is restricted to the change of sex in the embryo of the In Mahabharatha we read about the lineage conceived woman. Pumsavana is one of the of Pandavas. The mysterious birth of sixteen rituals known as Shodhasha Karmas. Kunthi Puthras. How a virgin princess This samskara or treatment is administered would give birth to these illustrious sons to the pregnant lady in the third month after through the grace of Devas i.e., , conception. , Surya, Ashwani etc.,

In view of the adventurous journey of Another feat of genetic engineering, a case human life, ancient Rishis of India formed at of transplantation of foetus is observed in every stage throughout life, from birth to Bhagwatha Purana. Under the guidance of death. As rational beings we have to adopt superphysician – Bhishagvara Yogarat Lord those samskaras for the benefit of a , , the super lady prosperous and fruitful living. surgeon, pulled out the foetus from the womb of Devakidevi by applying hypnotic These ceremonies are divided into two anaesthesia and safely transplanted it in the categories 1) Pre-natal ceremonies 2) post- womb of Rohini. natal ceremonies. Pre-natal ceremonies are: 1. Garbadhana, 2. Pumsavana, 3.

Pages134-139 One more astounding case of genetic in life – chaturvidha Purusharthas, , engineering is noticed in Mahabharatha. , and . Aswathama, the heroic son of Dronacharya used a nuclear weapon called Nisheka is the sexual contact of the male Brahmasironamaka to wipe off the lienage and female, Garbadhna implies the sowing of Pandavas by killing the child Parikshit in of seed in the fertile field. Man and women its mother’s womb. are boundless electricity, when they are brought together sexually, a series of electric The child was protected by super genetic- currents would be released which may react engineer, Lord Krishna who neutralized the on them favourably or adversely depending terrific effects of radiation through his anti upon the harmonious or discordent nature of nuclear disc Sudharshanachakra. Similarly the vibrations released. Sexual union, we come across the queer births of several pregnancy and reproduction of human mythological figures like Kamalasambhava, species are the essentials on which the world Kumbhasambhava, Anjaniputra, Drona, and exists, sexual union should never be based Masthyagarbha etc., in puranic literature. upon simple sense gratification. There is a There was a time when such births were sacredness about sexual functions and when considered as fantastic myths or fictious moral and spiritual considerations are not stories, full of super-natural romanticism but respected and the corresponding offspring now we have test-tube babies among us. will be of most heinous type. They are the marvels of scientific research and genetic advancement. With the aid of Charaka, the glorious physician of ancient modern science we can understand the secret times, prescribes a code of conduct to be natural laws hidden till now behind the adopted by the couple to get the child of mysterious births of such mythological their choice.1 Man and woman should heroes. undergo cleansing process through Snehakarama or oil massage Svedhan or In the present article, I have labored to give Steambath, Vamankarma or Vomitting or a faint picture of the enormous advancement Virechana or purging. They should further made by our fore-fathers in the field of have both types of vasthis or enemas 1. genetics, thousands of years ago in the Asthapana and anuvasana vasthis, remote past when the rest of the globe had evaculating and assimilating respectively. not seen the ray of light. Our subject is Man should take in milk prepared from concerned with the pumsavana Samskara MADHUR OUSHADHIS and ghee. Woman which holds the nuclear part of the epic. should take in plenty of puddings prepared with blackgram (Udud) and sesame oil Marriage is not merely a social contact but is considered to be a sacred bond according to The expert physician, further advises the It is a pledge entering into woman to follow strictly the rules for three household life by male and female to carry days after menstruation. on “Gruhastha Dharma” for the purpose of keeping one’s lineage to achieve four goals 1. Sleeping on the floor.

Pages134-139 2. Taking food in an unbroken new washed house. Her clothing bedding, plate. vehicles other utensils of domestic use 3. Avoiding all the articles of shringar should be white in colour. Both at sun-rise or items of dressing like kumkum and sun-set the woman shall have darshan of (Tilak) oil Kujal, lepan and flowers a big white bull or a horse or dolls of these etc. beasts made of white sandalwood (lvory) etc. She shall wear white washed house. After three days on the fourth day she Her clothing bedding, vehicles other utensils should be given a thorough oil headbath of domestic use should be white in colour. using sugandha ubaton paste. After bath Both at sun-rise and sun-set the woman woman should wear white sari. The man shall have darshan of the big white bull or a also must put on white clean robes the horse or dolls of these beasts made of white man and woman should adorn with sandalwood (Ivory) etc. she shall wear beautiful necklaces and flower garlands white lotus flower garlands and put on While exchanging sweet similing looks ornaments made of silver. She should be they are expected to have copulation when kept in joyful moods by means of interesting ignited by romantic sparks. stories or lovely chat. The woman shall always fix her mind in the personality of ideal Mahapurusha, whose characteristics HOW TO GET CHILD OF FAIR she intends to pass on to the coming child. COMPLEXION She is warned not to look at indecent, ugly, obnoxious, cruel and terrifying scenes or In charaka Samhitha sage Atreya applied the persons. She is advised to associate herself principles of colour therapy on the gees in with the gentle and handsome friends having the following formula. Man and woman sweet tongue. This should be continued for longing for a child with a good physique, a period of week days. There are elaborate fair complexion lion-heart full of grace and functions of Putrayasti or Putrakamesti noble qualities, should follow instructions described in vedic texts and Srimad given as under. On the fourth day of the Ramavana of Dasaratha times. But charaka menstruation of woman shall have a has simplified the ceremony. Where in the cleaning bath. She should be given in a man and the woman are made to perform silver plate Sattu (Flour of puffed wheat) with herbs like palasha, Hingudi, mixed with ghee, honey along with milk of Audhumbara, Madhuki, combined with whit cow having a white calf. This tonic ghee, honey and white lotus flowers under recipe should be continued for a period of the supervision of vedic scholars as seven days. In the usual menu also the Rithwiks. The Rithwiks perform Homa woman should be fed rice and other praying with the Rik (hymn) foodstuffs along with milk of curd, ghee and ‘Vishnuryonim Kalpayathu” for fruitful honey. Care should be taken that the milk conception of the women as desired before procured should be from a white cow having to get a noble son of great virtues. After a white calf. She should dwell in a white

Pages134-139 Homa the couple is made to partake the grasped the teachings of the saint and that Yognasesha that is remnants of the payasam was the reason why prahallada became a ghee etc., with the blessings of Ritwiks. staunch Vishnubhakta since his birth though Subsequently the couple is advised to have born to a Rakshasa Parents. copulation for eight days. In the second instance the Mahabaratha says This is the technique to get a child of one’s that when Abhimanyu’s father Arjuna was choice in hue and complexion. But only describing the secrets of warfare – change in he procedure as described above Padmavyuha to his consort subhadra is to change the colour as per one’s desire Abhimanyu listened to the conversation charaka the wise sage has still further form other’s womb. simplified the method for mass the poor and depressed householders need not perform The above two incidence seem to be more Yesti ceremonies. It is enough that they fictious and they need verification of the approach Mahatma or siddhapurshas and facts whether it is possible to impart pray falling on their feet to grant their instruction to the child in the womb. desire. The success of the technique lies in Recently some light has been thrown by the making the woman to constantly recall to U.S Scientists on this dark chamber of her mind the noble qualities of the person human life. The U.S Scientists studying the whose characteristics she intends to implant hearing capacities of foetus confirmed that in her coming child. The picture formed on learning begins before birth. A report in a the screen of brain T.V. and the thought leading magazine “Science” says. currents generated will be transmitted The report says that human babies have the through channels of motor nerves and these ability to recognize voices and even poems waves are received by the brain studio of the that they first heard before they were born. embryo and forms a replica of the original. Mr. Anthony Decasper, a psychologist at the That is the reason whv declare that University of North Carolina and his father is born in the form of son* colleague William Fifer, tested ten new-born It will not be out of place if I quote two babies with a system in which the babies mysteries of instructing the child in the could suck a nipple that was attached to a womb of its mother through the genetic tape-recorder. Engineering process mentioned in the By sucking in one pattern, a baby would ancient scriptures Bhagavatha Purana and hear its own mother’s voice and by sucking Mahabharatha. another way, the baby would hear another Rani Leelavathi, the consort of king woman’s voice. Babies, Mr. Decasper and was pregnant when she was Mr. fifer found tended to suck so as to ear taken to Naradamuni’s Ashram in exile. their own mother’s voice. There Maharshi took care of her well-being. They also found that this preference for He made her listen to the glorious of mother’s voice occurred no matter whether Narayanatatwa. The child in the womb

Pages134-139 the babies were breast and whether they The wise physician charaka offers a feat of were less than 36 hours old or more than 72 Genetic Engineering for the change of sex. hours old. A woman having all the female issues continuously in every delivery is sure to Mr. Decasper wondered if babies might not have a male child if she follows the just learn to prefer any voice that they heard techniques given by him. This technique is form birth onward. So, he and his colleagues known as Pumsavana Samskar. (Puman Phyllis Prescott asked six men to participate Syevyatha Anena Karmana Ithi Pumsavana in another experiment. Karma) the process by which the female is The report says these men, who had been changed to male in the foetus that is known present at the birth of their baby daughters, as pumsavana. This process is conducted were asked to talk to their babies as much as during the third month of the pregnancy. possible. Only during third month of the conception of the sex entity I.e, male or female comes By the time the test began, five of the men into life. had spend about four hours each talking the their daughters and one had spent ten hours. In recent years the science of Genetic has made astounding advances. It will not be out The scientists found “These babies had of place if I may just make a few negligible contact with male voice”. observations of modern medical science. According to modern biology the human Further studies indicate that these babies body like other multicellular living things could not discriminate between male voices. plants, or animals consists of innumerable They just did not seem to especially prefer minerals, which are responsible for its to hear the voice of their own father when structure and function. Each cell is a they are two days old. However, within a miniature organism ad regarded as the few weeks they did prefer to hear their fundamental unit of life. New cells come father’s voice. There-fore, the scientists into being by the diversion of previously conclude that “it looked like auditory existing cells as noted by 3Dr. villee the cell preferenced after birth are influenced by theory includes the concept that the cell is what is heard pregnantally”. the fundamental unit of both functions and These findings have been further confirmed structure. The fundamental unit that shows by the scientists when they asked 16 all the characteristics of living thing other pregnant woman to read aloud a book twice than the body cell or the germ cells which a day before and after birth. have the property of reproduction. The resproductive cell in the female body I the (Hindusthan Times 30-7-84) Ovum or egg. The common name for both I the egg. Each gamet is single cell which the CHANGE OF SEX PUMSAVANA acquired traits of parents belong to the body SAMSKAR cells, their inherited characteristics belong to the genetics the egg and the sperm. So the

Pages134-139 inherited characteristics are transmitted to In the third month after conception the the offspring but not the acquired traits woman should be administered Pumsavana according to the present day biologists. treatment before the manifestation of the sex in the foetus. Inside the reproductive cell there are rodshaped bodies called chromosomes. Obtaining two un-broken buds from two Inherited characteristics are carried from twigs proceeded from the Eastern and generation to generation by the Northern side of a banian (Ficus Indica chromosome, a complex protein structure in Linn) growing in a cowyard as also a dingle the nuclear of the cell. Man has normally 46 grain of paddy and a single seed of masha chromosomes which are designated as XX (Phaseolus Radiatus Roxb). Both well (female) XY (male). The remaining 22 pairs developed or two seeds of white mustard ad are called autosomes. (not sex determents) throwing them into a quantiry of curds. The Chromosome are composed of thousands of woman that has conceived should be made genes, which are the basic units of heredity. to drink it under the constellation of pushya. It is the gene which is the information area Another Pumsavana Medicine is the for the transmission of an inherited trait. following: The genes are arranged in a linear fashion on the chromosomes. The exact location of The Kalka are paste of (a) Jeevaka (b) gene on a chromosome is its locus. Each Rishabaka (c) Apamarga (d) Sahachara or of chromosome has thousands of loci arrange each if desirable should be boiled with milk in a definite manner and the number of and given to the women to drink. arrangement of genes on homologous Further in the likeness of a man very small chromosomes are identical, genes which proportions made of gold, or silver, or Iron occupy homologous loci are alleles, or made red hot in fire and then dipped into a partner genes. Each individuals therefore has measure of curd or milk or water should be 2 of each kind of gene, one on each pair of swallowed without leaving remnant, under chromosomes. the influence of the constellation pushyami. Although genes usually remain stable from Under the same Nakshatra of Pushyami the generation to generation, it is possible for woman may be made to inhale the vapours them to undergo a change or mutation, and of a cake (pishta) that is being baked on fire there by to transmit a new or altered trait. and then dissolving that cake a measure of This change will then be transmitted to water the mixture should be cast over the future generation Mutation may occur threshold of the door. This water the woman should then using a stick of cotton spontaneously or may be induced by such 5 environmental factors as radiation, apply to her right nostiril. medication or viral infection. Both In the above process we find that the 4 advanced maternal and paternal age favour. condition of human well-being is linked up with the position of constellation. Hence THE PROCESS OF PUMSAVANA astrology plays vital role in every sphere of SAMSKAR

Pages134-139 Ayurvedic treatment. For the convenience of if fertilized when first discharged from the the learned readers I shall quote some of the ovary the Ovum is female in tendency while observations made by Prof. B.V. Raman, latter as the ovum ages it becomes male so editor astrological magazine of International that fertilization between the third and fifth fame. day after menstruation is liable to produce a girl, between the fifth and eighth days a boy The Ceremony of Pumsavana should be or a girl and between the eight and between celebrated in the third month when signs of the eight and twelveth days, a boy. pregnancy are evident. All lunar days except the fourth, sixth, eighth, nineth, Through Pumsavana Samskara, it is evident twelveth, fourteenth full moon and new that our ancient Rishes brought sexual moon days are good. changes in the embryo son or daughter as desired. Hence, even now in this ultra Prof. Nicoklai Constantinovitch of Moscow modern space-times the principles of discovered an electric treatment which Pumsavana Samskara as enumerated by separates and segregates the male and Caraka can be practiced for the benefit of female spermatozoa. Children of either sex the human society. But this much we are may be obtained by using chromosomes of sure that the process of Pumsavana the opposite in artificial impregnation. Samskara is in vogue in upper strata of the Natural spermatozos are deposited in the society in our country and it is yielding curved end of the tube filled with a satisfactory results. physiological solution. A slight electrical current draws, the male and female cells to opposite ends of the tube. The male spermatozos are deposited in the curved end REFERENCES of the tube filled with a physiological 1. Charaka Sarirasthana solution. A slight electrical current draws, Chapter 8 Slokas: 4,5,6 the male and female cells to opposite ends of 2. Sarirasthana the tube. The male spermatozoa are drawn Chapter 8 Slokas: 8 to the Anodes or the side where the current 3. Swamy Satprakashananda: How is a leaves. Macfaddan says “Conception time man Reborn with reference to the menstrual cycle 4. Claude A. Villee: Biology normally runs its course in twenty eight days 5. Marcus A Krupp: Current Medical and so corresponds in length to the lunar Diagnosis and Treatment (1977) month”. There is a feminine physiological 6. Margare Kosek: Genetics habit which in some ways at present clearly 7. Charaka Samhita Sariram Chapter understood, closely corresponds to the VIII Sloka: 17 movements or the moon. The theory is that

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