A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.240.2

v1.c23.240.2

the ārtava, which comes from two vessels (dhamanī), accumulates in the course of a month and is led to the opening of the female genitals (yonimukha) by vāta; its normal colour is slightly dark (kṛṣṇa) and different from (that of normal blood)³⁹ (3.10);⁴⁰ menstruation starts at the age of twelve years and stops at the age of fifty (3.11); intercourse on even days leads to the conception of a male, on odd days to the conception of a female child (3.12); signs indicating that a woman has recently conceived (3.13);⁴¹ signs indicating pregnancy (3.14–15);⁴² things to be avoided by a pregnant woman (3.16);⁴³ disorders of particular parts of the mother's body, caused by the doṣas, manifest themselves in the same parts of the unborn child (3.17); in the first month of pregnancy the embryo becomes what is called a kalala;⁴⁴ in the second month, due to the action of the mahābhūtas, it develops into a solid mass, which is globular (piṇḍa), elongated (peśī) or like an arbuda, which are characteristics pointing to the formation of a male, female or napuṃsaka child;⁴⁵ in the third month the arms, legs and head begin to appear, and all the major and minor divisions of the body are already present in a subtle form;⁴⁶ in the fourth month the major and minor body parts become visible, and the cetanā-dhātu (the principle of consciousness) begins to manifest itself because the heart of the foetus has been formed; the heart is the seat of cetanā;