Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

f The Hindu scriptures regard that residence iu the womb is fraught with very great pain. The child has the capacity to feel it, although it forgets all about it as soon as it comes out of the womb. As every being has to take birth repeatedly, hence Emancipation from rebirth is the highest felicity. — T.

J Some texts read ‘ tasmattayoh. ’ This seems to be incorrect. I read ‘ tasmattasya ; ’ the meaning being that it is by these juice-bearing ducts that the eating of the foetus is done. The heart of the foetus is born of the mother. Whatever the mother takes as food and drink is borne by her juicebeariug ducts to the fcetus in her womb. ‘Tasya’ has reference to the foetus, ‘Tayoh’ would mean ‘of both foetus and mother.’ As there is no need, however, of explaining how the mother derives her nourishment, the reading ‘ tayoh ’ would seem to be incoriect.— T.

§ As the foetus delives its nourishment from the mother, the latter should never disregard the fcetus iu the matter of her food and drink'; i. e., she should never take what may be deleterious to the foetus in her womb. As

745'

From the mother’s disregard (of the foetus in matter of feed and drink), the destruction is caused of the foetus or various defects (both physical and mental)**1

During the period of pregnancy when the hearts of the mother and the foetus become united and dependant upon each other, the mother, in certain matters, becomes accordant with the foetus as regards the acquisition of what is unacquired and the preserva¬ tion of what has been acquired.

Hence, they that are skilled (in medical science) treat the mother during such a period with all that is agreeable and beneficialfM 2regards acts and practices also, she should not- indulge in those which may injure the foetus. On the other hand, she should always take such food and drink and indulge in such acts and practices as ore calculated to properly nourish the foetus and give it health as long as it remains in the womb, and heal th and intelligence to it after birth, that is, delivery. — T.

* The^mother’s disregard of the :fcetus in matters of food and drink and indulgence in acts ai d practices, lead to the destruction of the foetus or to the appearance of diverse defects both physical and mental, in the child after birth. Similarly, her regard for it as evidenced by the food and drink she takes and the acts and practices in which she indulges, serves to nourish the child and give it beauty of form and even complexion, as also health and intelligence. Some of the acts in which she may not indulge, as indicated by Gangadhara in his comment upon this passage, are the sight of ugly or hateful or disgusting or terrible objects, or the hearing of unpleasant and disgusting and fright- causing sounds. The sight of such objects may lead to various defects in the child, such as paleness of com¬ plexion, lameness, blindness, idiotcy, dei fness, dumbness. On the other hand, by contemplating on beautiful scenes of nature, beautiful pictures, gods and goddesses, pious and amiable men, &Jc., the mother may serve to make her .child beautiful and virtuous and possessed of various other desirable qualities. — T.

t ‘Yogakshema’ is a well-known technical word. Gangadhara explains it here in a novel way. There is, however, no need of understanding it in a sense different from that which is generally attached to it. It means the acquisition of what is unacquired and the preservation of what has been acpuired.