A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c44.s2.4

v3.c44.s2.4

Chapter two (sādhāraṇavandhyauṣadhakathana) is about the treatment of various unspecified types of infertility. Chapter three (puruṣavīryavṛddhikathana) contains recipes which promote male potency, recipes appeasing various disorders in men and women which prevent procreation, recipes of a vājīkaraṇa type, etc. Chapter four (garbhādhānakālarudrasnānakathana) describes rituals, including mantras, for begetting healthy offspring of the desired sex, a ritual to be performed in digging up the lakṣmaṇā plant, which, if put in the right nostril of a woman, guarantees her giving birth to a son,³⁰⁶ and elaborate rules for the rudrasnāna, i.e., a Tantric ritual,³⁰⁷ which ensures a childless couple of the birth of children. Chapter five (garbiṇīgarbharakṣākathana) is concerned with mantras and offerings to twelve gods and groups of deities³⁰⁸ protecting the expectant mother and the child in the womb during the twelve months of pregnancy. Chapter six (sukhaprasavopāyakathana) is devoted to procedures, for the greater part of a magical character, which secure an easy delivery.