Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

Thou art Ahi 1 Thou art A'yus (the period of life) ! Thou art Fame extending over the whole world ! Let Dhatri ordain Thee! Let Vidhatri ordain Thee! Endued with the glory of Brahma will it be ! Let Brahman, Vrishaspati, Vishnu, Soma, Surya, and also the Agwins. Bhaga, and also Mitra and Varuna, ordain me a heroic son !

Uttering these words, the man should unite with the woman.*12.

* The commentators avoid explaining this mantra or formula. It is difficult to say in which scriptures this mantra occurs. It ought to be in the Grihya sutras ; but in those of Agwalayana which we have, this mantra cannot be found. It probably occurs in the lost 1 Ayurveda ’ traditionally attributed to the Grandsire, Brahman. Every act of the Hindus is sought to be regulated by religion.

No virgin can be approached without first performing the ceremony or rite known as ‘ GarbhSdhana ’ or rite of Impregnation. Every virgin is supposed to have a Gandharva as her guardian. The husband, after performance of the rites of Garbhadhana, utters an invocation to the Gandharva to leave his charge.

It is difficult to identify all the deities mentioned in this mantra ,

The first three invocations are apparently addressed to the woman,

* Thou art Ahi,’ meaning the Earth or soil. ‘ Thou art Ayus ’ or the period of life, for the child’s life will be derived from thee. Ayus is used in the sense of giver of Ayus.

‘Thou art Fame.’ It is worthy of note that the wife is frequently styled as the ‘Pratishtha ’ or fame of the husband. It is through the wife that one’s race is perpetuated. The purity, again, of one’s race is entirely dependent on the wife or the purity of her conduct.

The rest of the invocation refers to the would-be child. As usually used, there is no difference between ‘ Dhatri ’ and 1 Vidhatri,’ both the names being applied to the Grandshire, Brahman, the Ordainer or Creator of the universe. Here there is evidently a distinction.

Vrihaspati is the chief priest of the celestials.

Vishnu is the deity who preserves the universe. Soma and Surya are the deities of the moon and the sun. The Agwins are twins, They are the celestial physicians. Indra had excluded them, in spite of their useful vocation, from participating the Soma juice in sacrifices. But through the powerful intervention of Ihe Rishi, Chyavana,. whom the Agwins had restored to youth.

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If the woman desires to hat/e a son that is large-bodied, of fair complexion, of eyes like those, of the lion, endued with great energy, of purity of behaviour, and of powerful mind, she should then be subjected to the following discipline from the day of the purificatory bath : thick gruel of barley, well-cleaned, mixed with honey and ghee, aild combining it (in a heated Cauldron) with milk obtained from a white cow having a calf of the same colour, should be given to her for drink, in a vessel of silver or white brass, for a period of seven days, at proper times i every morning, food made of $ali rice and powdered barley, mixed with curds, honey, and ghee, or with milk, should also be given to her,13

Every evening she should sleep in a good (spacious and well6 ventilated) room on a good bed, and use good seats and vehicles and wear good robes and ornaments,14

Morning and evening she should frequently look at a white and large-bodied bull of excellent breed, smeared with paste of white sandal.

Her mind also should be entertained by means of agreeable and delightful converse.

She should also see other women and men who are of agree6 able appearance and conversation and dress and conduct, as also such objects of the senses as are the best of their kind,

Her companions should also treat her with all that is agreeable and beneficial to her.

During this period her husband should have no intercourse with her.*16

Indra was compelled to recognise the twin brothers and admit them td companionship.

‘ Mitra varunan,’ in the dual, means Mitra (Surya) and Varuna, the lord of waters. The separate mention of Surya, however, precludes the supposition of Mitra being the same deity. The fact is, the earlier conceptions of these deities, as derivable from Vedic hymns, underwent considerable modifications in progress of time, till at the Pauranic period, it became really difficult to realise the individualities of many of the deities of the early times.— T.

* Chakrapani reads ‘ atij'aneya ’ for ‘ ajaneya,’ Both the words mean ‘ of excellent or superior breed.’ Some of the Bengali translators wrongfully take the word as implying a noble steed. It is better to take it as an adjective ol ‘ rishabha.' _

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HaVirtg abided, according to these ordinances, for seven nights-, “on the eighth day she should, accompanied by her husband-, perforin h'e'r ablutions in water, dipping her head-, and then Cover herself with a piece of white and Untorrt cloth*, and also Weaf 'garlands of White lowers aftd diverse ornaments.*10

After this the priest, beholding a site gently inclining towards ‘the east or the 'north, on the north-east corner of the house, and Smearing it With cow-dung and water-, and sprinkling it (again) With wateh, Construct an altar Upon it.