The Domestic Sutras of Gobhila

"Through the pregnancy oblations, the birth ceremony, the first hair-cutting, and the tying of the sacred thread, the physical and hereditary defects of the twice-born are wiped away." original: Manu Smriti 2.27. The 'twice-born' refers to members of the social classes who undergo spiritual initiation.

The meaning here is that a child inherits the psychological impressions original: "samskara" of the father and mother. Consequently, if any kind of improper or base thought arises in the mother, it will certainly take root in the child's heart. It is recorded in the Mahabharata the great Indian epic that the hero Arjuna once narrated the details of a military strategy to his wife, Subhadra. When the story was only half-finished, Subhadra fell asleep. At that time, Abhimanyu, who was still in Subhadra's womb, was able to learn only that half of the battle strategy narrated by his father. Because his mother fell asleep, he could not learn the remaining half. According to the scriptures, it is observed that those initiated through such sacraments become truly fit for religious vows and fully qualified to grasp the teachings of spiritual science original: "adhyatma shastra".

2. Pumsavana

Every action has some purpose or another, and so the Pumsavana literally "quickening a male child," a rite performed during the third month of pregnancy must also have an objective. What is it? The protection of the fetus original: "garbharaksha". In general, the period between the third and fourth month is a critical time when miscarriages commonly occur. The primary purpose of this sacrament is to deliver the pregnant woman from this great danger. The second purpose concerns the procreation of a male child—that is, will the developing embryo be a boy or a girl? According to Ayurveda the traditional Indian system of medicine, this is not fixed until the third month. This is because, before the third month, the physical signs of 'female' or 'male' have not yet appeared in the fetus. Therefore, performing the Pumsavana rite at that time to encourage the birth of a son is a source of great joy; of this, there is no doubt.

After the husband performs all the ritual acts, he addresses his pregnant wife, saying: "Mitra and Varuna are two male deities—the Ashwini Kumaras are also male, and Lord Varuna is male. (By their grace) a male child has appeared in your womb," and so on. At such a time, it is certain that the pregnant woman becomes filled with great joy and a sense of peace. Without such encouragement and joy, the body—already weary from physical weakness, fainting, and loss of appetite—would have no means to sustain the pregnancy to its completion. Therefore, for those who seek the deeper truth of these matters, the Pumsavana sacrament is essential.

During the time of Pumsavana, the pregnant woman is made to inhale the scent of two banyan fruits along with grains of barley and urad a type of black lentil. It is written in the Ayurveda that this is an excellent medicine for removing defects in the woman's reproductive organs.