सङ्गीतरत्नाकर: प्रथम भाग (शार्ङ्गदेव - स्वरगताध्याय सविस्तार व्याख्या व अनुवाद सहित)

42 Treatment of Svara
indistinctness¹¹ among hermaphrodites; that is, how it is
said.¹² (26c-27)
The heart of the embryo is a product of its mother¹³
and so it craves for enjoyment.¹⁴ Therefore the wishes of the
mother should be respected¹⁵ for the growth¹⁶ of the
foetus. (28)
the heart is considered to be the seat of consciousness, the embryo is
endowed with feeling, so much so that the desire for enjoyment is
awakened in it, which operates through the longing of the mother (cf.,
Suśruta Śā. Sthā. 3.21). Our author is suggesting that the embryo is
capable of mental states such as valour and timidity. But these are
taken as examples, what is important to note is that it is the fourth
month itself that endows the embryo with consciousness and craving for
experience.
The heart of the embryo is fashioned after the heart of the mother
as the author tells subsequently (verse 45) in this Section and here too.
The word heart is symbolic of the faculty of conation, of feeling and will,
of emotion and desire. 'K' interprets the text to mean that the heart
of the embryo as well as that of the mother beat in unison; they form a
unity, analogous to that of the twins. So the enceinte is named twin-
hearted. The cravings of the mother and the child are related in identity
11. The word saṅkīrṇa of the text literally, in this context, means
'petty', undeveloped, closed, i. e., devoid of manly or womanly
predilections.
12. Obviously, the author is not sure of the scientific basis for
this concept, so he attributes it to the general opinion as it
was prevalent.
13. According to 'K' the heart of the embryo (as well as of the
mother, the two being one in essence) desires, craves for
particular sensations. Literally, the text reads "its heart is a
product of its mother."
14. Viṣayān of the text literally means sense objects. The embryo
cannot possibly have a longing for the sense objects, for he
does not perceive them. So it is the heart of the mother
enjoined to that of the embryo that desires sense objects.
But indeed, since the embryo is endowed with consciousness
it is supposed to have longings for particular sensations which
the mother can relate to particular sense objects by intuition
or the suggestions of the subconscious mind.
15. That is, as far as possible the wishes of an enceinte should be
fulfilled.
16. Saṁṛddhi of the text literally means enrichment, i. e., physical
and mental growth, i. e., development.

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Section 2 : The Genesis of the Human Embodiment 43
Such a woman with two hearts (as it were) is called
twin-hearted by the wise. If the wishes of pregnancy¹⁷ are
not respected, deformity of organs may occur in the embryo;
for whatever is denied to the enceinte becomes a cause of
discomfort¹⁸ to it (the embryo).¹⁹ (29-30b)
If the pregnancy wish²⁰ pertains to royal audience,
the child²¹ would be wealthy, reveller of enjoyments and
fond of ornamentation²², if it pertains to visiting a hermit-
age, the child would be of righteous disposition; if it pertains
to visiting a temple²³, the child would be a devotee (of
and therefore the unfulfilled desires of the enceinte (pregnant woman)
are likely, not only to cause mental complications in her mind, but those
complexes react on the consciousness of the embryo, so much so that the
nongratification of any desire for a particular sensation during gestation
tends to adversely affect that particular sense organ of the child (cf,
Suśruta Śā. Sthā. 3.21). The fulfilment of such desires is conducive to
a healthy progeny.
There is a very close relationship between the mother and the foe-
tus, and this relationship is not only physiological but also psychological;
this latter aspect is sought to be demonstrated by detailing the effect of
17. Dohada of the text technically. means the wishes of an enceinte,
and the objects of those wishes are also called Dohada-s.
18. The text literally interpreted would mean 'By whatever (object
of enjoyment) the mother is deprived, the child born is ill-
formed by it (i. e., not properly developed with reference to
that particular sense organ).
19. Literally translated, it is the 'son', for a male issue is generally
desired.
20. The longings and wishes of the enceinte during the period of
gestation have been named as 'pregnancy wishes', i.e., the
dohada-s of the text.
21. Lit. the son.
22. K.R. translates the first line of verse 31 as—"(If she spends
her time) in the hermitage of sage, (he will be) indifferent to
ornaments and devoted to virtue", obviously, he construes
'alaṁkāreṣu lalitaḥ' with 'dharmiṣṭhastāpasāśrame'. It is, however,
not clear why it can be so construed.
23. Devatā-darśana of the text literally means a desire for being in
direct communion with a deity. In view of the widespread
image worship in India, obviously the desire can only pertain
to visiting the deity as represented by an idol in a temple.
The word darśana, in India, is used in the most profound sense
of communion, as well as, 'having a look at'.