A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.240.4

v1.c23.240.4

this upasneha, carried by the rasa-transporting vessels (dhamanī), which run through the whole body, supports the life of the unborn child (3.31);54 the opinions of a number of authorities on the question which part of the embryo develops first; this part is the head according to Śaunaka, the heart according to Kṛtavīrya, the umbilical region according to Pārāśarya, hands and feet according to Mārkaṇḍeya, the trunk according to Subhūti Gautama; the final verdict came from Dhanvantari who, declaring all these opinions to be false, expounded that all major and minor parts of the body develop simultaneously, although they cannot be distinguished clearly in the early stages (3.32);55 the constituents of the foetus derive from father, mother, rasa, ātman, and sātmya; of paternal origin are all the firm (sthira) parts: hair of the head (keśa), face (śmaśru) and body (loman), bones, nails and teeth, sirās, snāyus and dhamanīs, semen (retas), etc.; derived from the mother are all the soft (mṛdu) parts: muscles, blood, fat (medas), bone marrow, heart, umbilical region, liver, spleen, intestines, ano-rectal region, etc.; derived from rasa are: bodily solidity (upacaya), strength (bala), complexion (varṇa), maintenance (sthiti) and decay (hāni); derived from the ātman are: the senses, spiritual and worldly knowledge (jñāna and vijñāna), span of life (āyus), happiness (sukha), grief (duḥkha), etc.; the constituents derived from sattva will be discussed in one of the subsequent chapters;