Garbhadhana (गर्भाधानम्)

Garbadhana (Samskrit: गर्भाधानम्) is classified as the first of the sixteen Samkaras followed by people practicing Sanatana Dharma. The rite through which a man placed his seed in a woman was called Garbhadhana. Saunaka gives the similar definition though in slightly different words: the rite by the performance of which a woman receives semen scattered (by her husband) is called Garbhalambhanam or Garbhadhana.

One of the prenatal sacraments, this Samskara of impregnation was performed at the time when the couple are mentally and physically fit to take part in the procreative process.

Introduction

Procreation is a natural act. A human pair copulated, whenever there was a physical demand for it, without any anticipation of progeny, though it was a usual consequence. The Garbhadhana Samskara, however, presupposed a well established home, a regular marriage, a desire of possessing children and a religious idea that a benevolent divine cause helped men in begetting children. So the origin of this Samskara belongs to a time when the civilization was far advanced from primitive social conditions.

There are many siddhantas involved in the development of an organized society and the role of a family as the fundamental unit of a society. Just like Upanayana is a required Samskara for initiation into education, Vivaha samskara is required as a foundation for the family support system. Begetting children was regarded as a sacred duty binding on every individual and the couple lacking children could not be relieved of their debt to their forefathers. We see that parental instincts found their expression in many Veda mantras containing prayers for being blessed with children. The family having many children was an indicator of their prosperity.

पु॒त्रासो॒ यत्र॑ पि॒तरो॒ भव॑न्ति॒ .... (Rig. Veda. 1.89.9) प्र॒जां च॑ ध॒त्तं द्रवि॑णं च धत्तम् । (Rig.Veda. 8.89.10)

Thus the idea and perhaps a simple ceremony marking that of conception were of importance even during the Vedic times. The ritual procedure adopted in the Garbhadhana must have assumed a fairly ceremonious shape before the codification of the Samskaras in the Grhyasutras.

Etymology

Literally it means "implanting an embryo (into wife)". The name suggests the first sexual intercourse of husband and wife. It can be traced to Atharvaveda (5.25) and Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣat (6.4.21). This is to be performed on the fourth day of the menstrual cycle of the wife.

Samskara Across Various Time Periods

In the Vedic period we find that many mantras have been expressed to contain prayers for begetting children as well as for their wellbeing.

Modern Findings related to Garbhadhana

The ceremony of impregnation instils ethical confidence in the minds of married couples to have sex and reproduce properly. In the individual consciousness, depending upon psychosomatic urges, they should be in a preparedness, mentally and physically, to satisfy the needs of the above obligations.

Modern psychologists assert that 'Development Psychology' starts from the conception and the list of Samskaras also puts Garbhadhana on the very top. Very minute details have been given as to why, when and how it should be performed for perfect impregnation to bear a perfect child at the right time.

Ayurvedic Perspectives

Garbhadhana is the process of containing a new life's seed by mother in her womb. This is the first step in producing a new life and it can also be called as the process of conception. Entire wellbeing of the new life in womb depends on this first step. Thus Ayurveda acharyas have given considerable attention to this. As a first step, they have defined the age at which a man and a woman should unite in order to produce a new life which would be of good qualities. They are set up the minimum age for conception for woman at 16 the yrs of age and 25yrs of age for a man. It is believed that, generally at this age a man and a woman have developed fully and can give birth a new life without much complications.

पञ्चविंशे ततो वर्षे पुमान् नारी तु षोडशे | समत्वागतवीर्यौ तौ जानीयात् कुशलो भिषक् ||१३|| (Sush. Samh. 35.13)

Along with the age there are few criteria set by the scholars which are believed to be essential for development of a healthy new life. Those are as follows,

• अतुल्यगोत्रस्य : The man and woman should not be from the same Gotra (clan).
• तत्रात्यशिता क्षुधिता पिपासिता भीता विमनाः शोकार्ता क्रुद्धाऽन्यं च पुमांसमिच्छन्ती मैथुने चातिकामा वा न गर्भं धत्ते, विगुणां वा प्रजां जनयति| अतिबालामतिवृद्धां दीर्घरोगिणीमन्येन वा विकारेणोपसृष्टां वर्जयेत्| पुरुषेऽप्येत एव दोषाः| अतः सर्वदोषवर्जितौ स्त्रीपुरुषौ संसृज्येयाताम्||६|| Cha sha 8.6
• रजःक्षयान्ते : Menstruation of the woman should have stopped i.e. after 3 to 4 days of her menstruation only they should unite not during menstruation.
• रहोविसृष्टं मिथुनीकृतस्य: They should unite in a private place
• तस्मादुत्ताना बीजं गृह्णीयात्; तथाहि यथास्थानमवतिष्ठन्ते दोषाः|
• पर्याप्ते चैनां शीतोदकेन परिषिञ्चेत्|
• सञ्जातहर्षौ मैथुने चानुकूलाविष्टगन्धं स्वास्तीर्णं सुखं शयनमुपकल्प्य मनोज्ञं हितमशनमशित्वा नात्यशितौ दक्षिणपादेन पुमानारोहेत् वामपादेन स्त्री||७||

When all the above mentioned conditions are considered and followed a couple is advised to copulate for producing a new life. Acharya Vagbhata also gives a vedic verse that generates an environment and a call to the new life energy (atman) that is going to enter the product of conception to give it a life. The sutra is as follows,

तत्र मन्त्रं प्रयुञ्जीत- “अहिरसि आयुरसि सर्वतः प्रतिष्ठाऽसि धाता त्वा ददतु विधाता त्वा दधातु ब्रह्मवर्चसा भव” इति|

“ब्रह्मा बृहस्पतिर्विष्णुःसोमःसूर्यस्तथाऽश्विनौ|

भगोऽथ मित्रावरुणौ वीरं ^[२] ददतु मे सुतम्”

इत्युक्त्वा संवसेयाताम्||८||

सा चेदेवमाशासीत- बृहन्तमवदातं हर्यक्षमोजस्विनं शुचिं सत्त्वसम्पन्नं पुत्रमिच्छेयमिति, शुद्धस्नानात् प्रभृत्यस्यै मन्थमवदातयवानां मधुसर्पिर्भ्यां संसृज्य श्वेताया गोः सरूपवत्सायाः पयसाऽऽलोड्य राजते कांस्ये वा पात्रे काले काले सप्ताहं सततं प्रयच्छेत् पानाय|

प्रातश्च शालियवान्नविकारान् दधिमधुसर्पिर्भिः पयोभिर्वा संसृज्य भुञ्जीत, तथा सायमवदातशरणशयनासनपानवसनभूषणा च स्यात्|

सायं प्रातश्च शश्वच्छ्वेतं महान्तं वृषभमाजानेयं वा हरिचन्दनाङ्गदं पश्येत्|

सौम्याभिश्चैनां कथाभिर्मनोनुकूलाभिरुपासीत|

सौम्याकृतिवचनोपचारचेष्टांश्च स्त्रीपुरुषानितरानपि चेन्द्रियार्थानवदातान् पश्येत्|

सहचर्यश्चैनां प्रियहिताभ्यां सततमुपचरेयुस्तथा भर्ता|

न च मिश्रीभावमापद्येयातामिति|

अनेन विधिना सप्तरात्रं स्थित्वाऽष्टमेऽहन्याप्लुत्याद्भिः सशिरस्कं सह भर्त्रा अहतानि वस्त्राण्याच्छादयेदवदातानि, अवदाताश्च स्रजो भूषणानि च बिभृयात्||९||

Putreeya vidhi

तत ऋत्विक् प्रागुत्तरस्यां दिश्यगारस्य प्राग्प्रवणमुदक्प्रवणं वा प्रदेशमभिसमीक्ष्य, गोमयोदकाभ्यां स्थण्डिलमुपलिप्य, प्रोक्ष्य चोदकेन, वेदीमस्मिन् स्थापयेत्|

तां पश्चिमेनाहतवस्त्रसञ्चये श्वेतार्षभे वाऽप्यजिन उपविशेद् ब्राह्मणप्रयुक्तः, राजन्यप्रयुक्तस्तु वैयाघ्रे चर्मण्यानडुहे वा, वैश्यप्रयुक्तस्तु रौरवे बास्ते वा|

तत्रोपविष्टः पालाशीभिरैङ्गुदीभिरौदुम्बरीभिर्माधूकीभिर्वा समिद्भिरग्निमुपसमाधाय, कुशैः परिस्तीर्य, परिधिभिश्च परिधाय, लाजैः शुक्लाभिश्च गन्धवतीभिः सुमनोभिरुपकिरेत्|

तत्र प्रणीयोदपात्रं पवित्रपूतमुपसंस्कृत्य सर्पिराज्यार्थं यथोक्तवर्णानाजानेयादीन् समन्ततः स्थापयेत्||१०||

ततः पुत्रकामा पश्चिमतोऽग्निं दक्षिणतो ब्राह्मणमुपविश्यान्वालभेत सह भर्त्रा यथेष्टं पुत्रमाशासाना|

ततस्तस्या आशासानाया ऋत्विक् प्रजापतिमभिनिर्दिश्य योनौ तस्याः कामपरिपूरणार्थं काम्यामिष्टिं निर्वर्तयेद् ‘विष्णुर्योनिं कल्पयतु’ इत्यनयर्चा|

ततश्चैवाज्येन स्थालीपाकमभिघार्य त्रिर्जुहुयाद्यथाम्नायम्|

मन्त्रोपमन्त्रितमुदपात्रं तस्यै दद्यात् सर्वोदकार्थान् कुरुष्वेति|

ततः समाप्ते कर्मणि पूर्वं दक्षिणपादमभिहरन्ती प्रदक्षिणमग्निमनुपरिक्रामेत् सह भर्त्रा|

ततो [१] ब्राह्मणान् स्वस्ति वाचयित्वाऽऽज्यशेषं [२] प्राश्नीयात् पूर्वं पुमान्, पश्चात् स्त्री; न चोच्छिष्टमवशेषयेत्|

ततस्तौ सह संवसेयातामष्टरात्रं, तथाविधपरिच्छदावेव च स्यातां [३] , तथेष्टपुत्रं जनयेताम्||११||

या तु स्त्री श्यामं लोहिताक्षं व्यूढोरस्कं महाबाहुं च पुत्रमाशासीत, या वा कृष्णं कृष्णमृदुदीर्घकेशं शुक्लाक्षं शुक्लदन्तं तेजस्विनमात्मवन्तम्; एष एवानयोरपि होमविधिः|

किन्तु परिबर्हो वर्णवर्जं स्यात्|

पुत्रवर्णानुरूपस्तु यथाशीरेव तयोः परिबर्होऽन्यः कार्यः स्यात्||१२||

शूद्रा तु नमस्कारमेव कुर्यात् (देवाग्निद्विजगुरुतपस्विसिद्धेभ्यः [४] )||१३||

या या च यथाविधं पुत्रमाशासीत तस्यास्तस्यास्तां तां पुत्राशिषमनुनिशम्य तांस्ताञ्जनपदान्मनसाऽनुपरिक्रामयेत्|

ततो [५] या या येषां येषां जनपदानां मनुष्याणामनुरूपं पुत्रमाशासीत सा सा तेषां तेषां जनपदानां मनुष्याणामाहारविहारोपचारपरिच्छदाननुविधत्स्वेति वाच्या स्यात्|

इत्येतत् सर्वं पुत्राशिषां समृद्धिकरं कर्म व्याख्यातं भवति||१४||

Phalam:

यथोक्तेन विधिनोपसंस्कृतशरीरयोः स्त्रीपुरुषयोर्मिश्रीभावमापन्नयोः शुक्रं शोणितेन सह संयोगं समेत्याव्यापन्नमव्यापन्नेन योनावनुपहतायामप्रदुष्टे गर्भाशये गर्भमभिनिर्वर्तयत्येकान्तेन|

यथा- निर्मले वाससि सुपरिकल्पिते रञ्जनं समुदितगुणमुपनिपातादेव रागमभिनिर्वर्तयति, तद्वत्; यथा वा क्षीरं दध्नाऽभिषुतमभिषवणाद्विहाय स्वभावमापद्यते दधिभावं, शुक्रं तद्वत्||१७||

Carakasaṃhitā (Śārīrasthānam, 2.25) says that the lady would give birth to a child similar to the one whom she had had in mind during conception:

गर्भोत्पत्तौ तु मनः स्त्रियाः यं जन्तुं व्रजेत् तत्सदृशं प्रसूते। garbhotpattau tu manaḥ striyāḥ yaṃ jantuṃ vrajet tatsadṛśaṃ prasūte।

An example of this point is seen in Pravarakhya, the legend of Varuthini and Pravara.