<p> Pregnancy</p><p>It is essential to highlight that when a woman is pregnant (garbh vaas), she has very many niyams she has to follow. A woman is pregnant when a man and woman have sexual intercourse. Believe it or not there are specific times to have intercourse and this is stated in ‘Sati Dharma’. We all know that women have their menstrual cycles. Sati Dharma also states that ‘For the finest and healthiest child, a woman is pure and healthiest on the fourth day of her monthly period. Meaning after the fourth day, impregnation is appropriate for the next twelve nights. Therefore from the beginning of the menstrual cycle she must not be touched for the four day period...There are now twelve days left from which the following days have to be deducted, being Padva days, Poonam, Ekadashi, Amavasya days and days in which a woman is unwell. The thirteenth night must be disregarded. The remaining eleven nights are open for intercourse (Varskar Grouhy Sutra)’ </p><p>Sati Dharma states that the thoughts during intercourse can determine the qualities of the child born. If we have pure thoughts while in intercourse then it may mean that the child will be born pure. However it can also the case that the night on which intercourse occurs determines the type and gender of the child born.</p><p>Sati Dharma states that ‘a better understanding of the type of child that will be conceived on the specific days after the 4th day of the menstrual cycle:</p><p>5th night – an ideal daughter will be conceived </p><p>6th night – an ideal son who saves his parents from the hells of ‘Pu’ and is a protector is conceived</p><p>7th night- produces a daughter who will be childless </p><p>8th night – an ideal son will conceived with all the perfect qualities</p><p>9th night – produces an ideal daughter who is very beautiful </p><p>10th night – a learned son will be conceived</p><p>11th night – produces a princess like daughter</p><p>12th night – an ideal son who is pious well versed in scriptures and a follower of Vishnu</p><p>13th night – a demonic daughter will be conceived</p><p>14th night – A prince like son will be conceived </p><p>15th night – a Pativrata daughter will be conceived </p><p>16th night – produces a knowledgeable son </p><p>The husband and wife need to decide one year in advance the type of child they wish to produce. Decide before and the types of qualities that one would like to instil in the child. Both should start to live and behave in that particular way, and whatever the qualities they wish there child to have, they should also try and posses.</p><p>Taken from Sati Geeta which is referenced to Satsangi Jeevan 5th Prakran (Vatsaayan Rushi) Prohibitions during pregnancy</p><p>During pregnancy it is very important that there is no harm to the baby. It is equally important that the pregnant woman does not over work herself which may affect the baby. Daily chores can be carried out by pregnant women, but she should take extra care when she is pregnant to avoid any chances of miscarriage. She may continue to work if doctors allow this, but again shouldn’t do anything to harm the unborn child. </p><p> She must not sleep during the day</p><p> She must sleep straight on the back so no affect is caused to the unborn child</p><p> She must no laugh strenuously </p><p> Sit with an upright posture</p><p> Travel alone</p><p> She must not consume oily or spicy foods</p><p> She should wear red clothes (why this is I don’t know??)</p><p> She should not consist of anger, mournfulness and frightfulness</p><p>All of the above result in the unborn child developing mental disabilities.</p><p>The consumption of pure saatvik food and carrying our daily satsang niyams enables the mother of the unborn child to think pure, and this will enable the child to attain the same qualities. </p><p>Anything a mother does whilst pregnant is easily remembered by the child and they can attain the same qualities even thought they are unborn. This relates to the story of Arjun and Subhadra; When Arjun’s wife Subhadra was pregnant Arjun was reciting to his wife what a Chakravyu (tactical circular war arrangement) is and how to penetrate and exit the Chakravyu. Whilst Arjun was reciting this, Subhadra fell asleep and while the mother fell asleep, unborn Abhimanyu couldn’t hear the rest of the story, so when he was born he only knew how to enter the Chakravyu and did not know how to exit once entering, and this is stated in the Mahabharat, and this is also how Great warrior Abhimanyus death occurred. Abhimanyu also stated to his wife Uttara that he knew how to penetrate but due to his mother falling asleep while Abhimanyu was in the womb, he did not know how to exit the Chakravyu.</p><p>Abortion</p><p>Abortion is the killing of a soul. Once the sperm enters the mother’s egg, a soul enters the embryo. If this embryo is killed, then this is the killing of a soul before it is bought out into this world. In the past it used to be the case that if were found out to have a female embryo, then they were ordered either by mother-in-laws or husbands to abort the child, the main reason was that if a female was born then they would not be able to advance the linage of the family. This is no reason to abort a child. Any child is considered to be a Dev or Devi, a female is the form of Laxmi and cannot be killed. </p><p>Maharaj also states in the shikshapatri: ||‘My disciples shall never kill or harm deliberately any living being in this world though they are negligible tiny insects such as lice and bugs. ’|| (11)</p><p>Is an embryo not a living being in this world? It may not be seen physically but it can still be felt and now due to technology can be seen through ultra sound. Maharaj goes to the extent to state in the widow’s niyams that women who incline abortion, should not be kept as a friend nor touched. Maharaj also disregard abortions through Shlok 170 of widows associations and through Shlok 11 of non-violence. </p><p>We live in a world which propagates equal opportunities. Both men and women have equal rights, anything a man can do a woman can. As a matter of fact the man is the one who is disadvantaged in front of a woman as he can do everything a woman does other than become pregnant. This means pregnancy through intercourse and not carrying after carrying out sex changes, or test tube babies etc. A child no matter what gender is a god given gift to a couple, whom should accept the child as it is and how it is. The consequences of the child are in the hands of the mother and the father. Family planning is something which requires planning as mentioned above. You have to plan one year in advance to enable that you yourselves are practising the qualities which you wish your child to attain. Once you are ready and are satisfied that you can instil these qualities into a child, this is when the decision to have a child should be taken. This may involve control of the Kaam sense of a person, Kaam is the shakti of every person. Maharaj states in Gadhda Pratham Prakran 76 ‘... a man consisting of Kaamna is one who I never believe to be a satsangi, and even if a man consisting of kaamna is in satsang he is considered as an outsider (Vimukh).’ </p><p>Shikshapatri Bhashya Shlok 11</p><p>Maharaj states in Shikhapatri Bhashya ‘ You should not harm somebody through man, karma and vachan. Without violence you cannot attain anything as everything you may day in sansaar may be considered a paap. Any kind of deed we try to do always involves paap. The main controller of violence is the Buddhi. Buddhi is something which enables someone to do something, it is what decides what is correct and enables vachan and karma to trigger the mind.’ </p><p>Shatanand swami also goes onto state in the Bhashya that ‘ A Jeev or any animal or living things should not be harmed with violence or any other way, If one understands that maharaj is only relating violence to bigger animals such as Sheeps, or Deers etc, then maharaj states that this person is not even liable to be holding or reading or even touching a Shikshapatri. ‘</p><p>From the above we can see the essence of not killing no matter what the reason. It is also stated in Shikshapatri Bhashya, that if a paap of violence i.e. harming or killing a small creature has been done by mistake then there are ways to prevail the paaps, by carrying out the necessary punishments as stated in Shikshapatri Bhashya. However in relevance to abortion and pregnancy, if you abort a child, surely you know that the child is alive and by aborting the child, you have committed hinsa (violence). Maharaj also states in Shikshapatri Shlok 12: </p><p>||None of my follower shall kill or harm goats or other animals even for the sacrificial ceremonies to propitiate a deity of manes (Spirits of fore fathers) because the Shastras assert that nonviolence alone is the best form of Dharma|| (12)</p><p>Maharaj states in the latter parts of Shlok 12 that ‘...non-violence alone is the highest ethical code of Dharma’ Non-violence is considered the highest in all our Shasta’s, so by killing an innocent jeep is surely regarded very highly. If a miscarriage occurs then this is a different case, however if the female is not careful and does not take care of herself and her to be child then this can cause severe consequences. If a miscarriage has occurred and precautions were taken then this can if wanted to be considered as the will of maharaj, however not looking after yourself and going against shastras and how to behave when one is pregnant, and being reckless can lead to the fault of the mother and also the family of the pregnant mother. </p><p>Bibliography </p><p>Sati Dharma – Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Bhuj- Kutch</p><p>Shikshapati Bhasya By Shatanand Swami – Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Bhuj – Kutch</p><p>Shree Shikshapatri – Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Bhuj - Kutch</p>