Hindu Medicine c8.210

c8.210

The idea that semen originates from all parts of the male body is familiar to ancient Greek medicine;¹² that it is the product of the whole organism, gathered and expelled through sexual excitement, is a concept current in Vedic tradition. It is frequently stated in the explanatory texts of priestly lore, and alluded to in the ritual as well, for instance in a household rite of marital life for successful intercourse and procreation, which forms part of an archaic sacramental Kāma-sūtra. The husband, in commending cohabitation, addresses his semen, to arouse it from its dormant and scattered state, “Thou takest thy origin from every limb, thou art generate from the heart, thou art the condensation (kaṣāya, ‘ decoction, essence ’) of the limbs, . . .”¹⁸