A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c25.603

v1.c25.603

The chapter continues with measures making sure that the pregnancy is maintained (prajāsthāpana) (1.34);⁴¹ the care to be given to the pregnant woman by her servants and husband;⁴² a rule for intercourse during pregnancy (1.35); factors influencing the colour of the child’s skin are: the characteristics of the male seed, the mother’s diet, the country and family of the parents (1.36), and the predominant mahābhūtas (1.37);43 the sattva of the child is determined by the sattvas of its parents, the sounds heard by the mother, and the karman of the child (1.38);44 factors leading to a sustained stability of the ārtava (during the fertile period of the cycle) (1.39); impregnation will take place when both partners are well prepared (1.40); puṃsavana will be successful in the absence of contrary daiva and an unsuitable time, and should be performed before signs of pregnancy become visible (1.41);45 thus sons with desirable characteristics will be born (1.42–43); the seed (śukra) that flows out of the female organs during intercourse will not contribute to conception (1.44).