Markandeyapurana 11.5

11.5

tvaci romāṇi jāyante keśāścaiva tataḥ param /
samaṃ samṛddhimāyāti tenaivodbhavakoṣakam //

The son spoke:
“Now human impregnation[1] of women is a seed sown in darkness; immediately it is discharged it sets out from Naraka or Svarga. Dominated thereby the two seeds attain firmness, O father! and next the character of a speck—of a globule—of a ball of flesh. As there may be a minute seed in the ball of flesh, so it is called a germ. So the five limbs up-grow according to their parts; and the minor limbs also, the fingers, the eyes, the nose, the month, and the ears, grow out of the limbs; similarly the nails and other features grow out of them. In the skin is developed the hair of the body, and afterwards the hair of the head. The womb verily increases in size equally with it. Just as the cocoa-nut enlarges together with its shell, so it grows in size. The womb is situated with its month downwards. But at the bottom of the womb the foetus develops, placing itṣ hands on either side of the knees: and its thumbs are placed upon the knees, and its finger in front of them; behind the knees are the eyes, and between the knees is the nose; and the buttocks rest on the heels; the arms and legs lie outside.