Pumsavana (पुंसवनम्)
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Pumsavana is a rite which takes place to a pregnant lady. The term Pumsavan Samskara is having two words Pumsavana and Samskara. It is a procedure by which the chances of male child birth are increased. Samskara as described ‘Samskara hi Gunantaradhana’ which means to bring changes in the qualities. By Samskara, the refinement of the qualities is expected.
पुमान् सूयते अनेन इति पुंसवनम्। pumān sūyate anena iti puṃsavanam।
Male child is born by this and therefore it is called Puṃsavanam.
पुंसुवनं व्यक्ते गर्भे तिष्येण। (आपस्तम्बगृह्यसूत्रम्, १४.९) puṃsuvanaṃ vyakte garbhe tiṣyeṇa। (Āpastambagṛhyasūtram, 14.9)
The Puṃsuvanam is to be performed when pregnancy is apparent under the star "Tiṣya" ( = Puṣyamī) .
Puṃsavanam and Puṃsuvanam are synonyms. It is to be performed when the pregnancy becomes apparent, i.e. third or fourth month, and during the period of Puṣyamī star. A shoot from the fag-end of a branch of Nyagrodha (Banyan tree) is to be crushed and the juice has to be dropped in the right nostril of the wife by husband, while reciting some Mantras, prescribed.
Pumsavana: Historical Glimpse
Progeny is the ardent desire of every couple. The structure of the family involving the parents and children maintains a social identity. Every patent has a definite longing for the male and female children. Particularly at the moment of exploring the controls on population and binding socio economic conditions, the parents would definitely like to limit the number of their children and would expect to have choice of the sex of the child before his birth. Therefore, it may not be astonishing that the intellectual medicos of the society put some scientific efforts in this direction to fulfill the desires of the parents. Such endeavors do not seem to have arise only today. It definitely has a long trail of history backing it. The cultural and spiritual ideologies and performances of our society are quite evident for this notion. The ancient scriptures of the Veda also provide the historical support. Many rituals are advocated in the Veda are named as Pumsavan but is should not be considered that the efforts of intellectual and scientists are only towards the increment of the male individuals in the society. In the Veda has also been described the ritual called ‘Staishuya’ which causes the birth of a female child. However, due to certain social belief it seems that the Pumsavana procedure became more popular than the straishaya procedure. Putresti Yajna is also described in Charaka Samhita. A methodology is also explained as Pumsavana Vidhi or Samskara which includes administration of some drugs through the nose as well as the oral route for the pregnant lady. Such method of transforming the sex of the foetus is still new for the present scientific world. Only a few researches were under taken for trial and no such methods are presently observed in practice. Therefore, the Pumsavana Samskara not only provides a histological basis of the medical science but also faces a challenge ahead.[1]
Pumsavana described in vedas and Ayurveda
The details of Pumsavana vidhi can be found in Atharva veda and Ayurveda samhitas.
Atharva veda
Under Pumsavana Samskara, Atharva Veda explains a ritual in which the help of the sticks of Shami tree and Ashwattha tree are to be used. It has been stated that a worship conducted by placing the sticks of Shami tree below the sticks of Ashwattha tree signifies the holy union of male and female which results the male offspring.[1]
Ayurveda
Ayurveda acharyas have put forth procedures like oral doses or nasal instillation of certain herbs or herbal mixtures to get desired gender of the baby in womb. These procedures are called as pumsavana samskara or pumsavaan vidhi. Specific time during pregnancy, time and day according to the constellation to perform this vidhi has also been advised. [2] [3]
In case of the Pumsavana Samskara procedure, various measures that have been advised, but the action of these drugs and the procedures have not been mentioned anywhere. It can be considered that these drugs may act in changing the sex by their Achintya Shakti or the Prabhava.
Necessity of Pumsavana Karma and its scientific explanation:
The methodology of Pumsavana Karma does not limit to more scientific explanation or ritualistic performance. At the hour of population explosion, there is definitely a need to have the control over the population in a planned manner by which the ration between the populations be maintained. This is very much necessary to guard the social status and behaviors. Though many of the parents desire to limit their number of children but, however it becomes difficult for them due to the lack of facilities which either determined the sex in before hand or due to lack of known scientific basis to obtain a child of desired sex. However, the recent development in medical science has discovered a procedure by which the sex of the child in the womb can be determined which is well known as amniocontasis. This is resulted, however, in as bad practice of killing in numerical female foetus. Therefore, the safest measurement still remains negatively at large. On other hand, the science has absolutely no record of any of the in vitro method which can change the sex of the foetus as desired. Therefore, a methodology like Pumsavana Samskara is a needed entity for the present society. By proper understanding of the scientific background and its known implications will definitely receive rousing welcome from the educated individuals.[1]