30 Sep Embryology explained in Garuda Purana
Garuda purana is one of the eighteen Purana, composed in 1st millennium CE. Most of the text deals with death, sin, description of hell and spine-chilling Vaitarni river, torture of sinful human. But the way development of embryo and fetus is described is incredible.
Translations for few verses of Garuda Purana:
“I will tell you how the mortal is born when the male and female elements are bound together by the union of man and woman.
In the middle of the menstruation period, in the three days on the body begins to form.
The creature, in obtaining a body, according to karma, the divine eye, enters the womb of a woman, which is the receptacle of a man’s seed.
In one night it becomes a lump; by the fifth night round; by the tenth day like the fruit of the jujube tree, and after that an egg of flesh.
By the first month the head, by the second the arms and other parts of the body are formed; by the third occurs the formation of nails, hair, bones, skin, genitalia and other cavities;
By the fourth the seven bodily fluids; by the fifth hunger and thirst arise; by the sixth, enveloped by the chorion, it moves to the left of the womb.
The bodily substances are formed of the foods and liquids of the mother, and the creature at the time of birth lies in the disgusting hollow of the loins, amid feaces and urine.
All its limbs bitten constantly by hungry worms, it swoons away repeatedly through excessive pain, as they are very tender.
From the beginning of the seventh month, though he gains consciousness, he who is in the womb trembles and moves about because of the parturition winds, like a uterine worm.”
Now, in modern science, embryology is very vast . but in short, it amazingly correlates whatever is written about child birth in Garuda purana.
1st night it become lump – correlation =2 cells stage
5th night become round – correlation =Blastocyst
10th day Jujube fruit – Probably alot smaller than jujube fruit
1st month head is formed – correlation =The various processes from which face develops can be identified at the end of 4th week
2nd months arms and other part of body – correlation =by the 50th day the elbows and knees are esablished, and the finger and toes are free,
By 3rd month , formation of nail, hair, bone, skin, genitalia and other body cavities -correlation =the first hair to be produced by the fetal hair follicles, and it usually appears around 16 weeks of gestation, primary centers of ossification of long bone is seen around 8 weeks. Prostate begins to develop at the end of 3 month and vagina is canalized by 5 months.
By 5th month hunger – correlation =Does my unborn child feel hunger?
7th month , fetus gain consciousness – correlation =the brain structures necessary for conscious experience of pain do not develop until 29-30 weeks, while the conscious processing of sounds is only made possible after the 26th week.
Human embryology by Inderbir Singh
Human embryology and Development Biology by Beuce M Carlson
By Prachodayat Team