grāmyadharmayānavāhanādhvagamanapraskhalanaprapatanaprapīḍanadhāvanābhighātaviṣamaśayanāsanōpavāsavēgābhighātātirūkṣa- kaṭutiktabhōjanaśōkātikṣārasēvanātisāravamanavirēcanaprēṅkhōlanājīrṇagarbhaśātanaprabhr̥tibhirviśēṣairbandhanānmucyatē garbhaḥ, phalamiva vr̥ntabandhanādabhighātaviśēṣaiḥ; sa vimuktabandhanō garbhāśayamatikramya yakr̥tplīhāntravivarairavasraṁsamānaḥ kōṣṭhasaṅkṣōbhamāpādayati, tasyā jaṭharasaṅkṣōbhādvāyurapānō mūḍhaḥ pārśvabastiśīrṣōdarayōniśūlānāhamūtrasaṅgānāmanyatamamāpadya garbhaṁ cyāvayati taruṇaṁ śōṇitasrāvēṇa; tamēva kadācidvivr̥ddhamasamyagāgatamapatyapathamanuprāptamanirasyamānaṁ viguṇāpānasammōhitaṁ garbhaṁ mūḍhagarbhamityācakṣatē ||3||
Meaning of the śloka
The passage lists numerous circumstances said to loosen a fetus from its attachments: sexual intercourse, travel in vehicles or on animals, walking a long road, stumbling, falling, severe pressure, running, injury, uneven posture in lying or sitting, fasting, suppression of natural urges, excessively dry, pungent, or bitter food, grief, excessive use of alkali, diarrhoea, vomiting, purgation, swinging, indigestion, measures intended to cause pregnancy loss, and similar factors. Like an unripe fruit separated from its stalk by force, the fetus is described as becoming detached, passing beyond the uterus, descending through spaces near the liver, spleen, and intestines, and disturbing the abdomen. The resulting disturbance is said to derange apāna, producing one or more of pain in the flanks, bladder region, head, abdomen, or vagina, distension, or urinary retention, and to expel an immature fetus with bleeding. If that same fetus has grown, enters the birth passage incorrectly, fails to emerge, and is rendered unresponsive by deranged apāna, it is called mūḍhagarbha.
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tasya hētuṁ darśayannāha- grāmyadharmētyādi| grāmyadharmō maithunaṁ, yānaṁ rathādi, vāhanamaśvādi, adhvagamanaṁ padbhyāṁ mārgagamanaṁ, praskhalanamākhuḍanādi, prapatanaṁ prāsādādēḥ sakāśādatiśayēna patanaṁ, prapīḍanamatiśayēna pīḍanaṁ, pradhāvanamatiśayēna dhāvanam, abhighātaḥ śastralōṣṭakaśādibhiḥ prahāraḥ, vēgābhighātō vātādyavarōdhaḥ, prēṅkhōlanaṁ hindōlanaṁ, garbhaśātanaṁ bhēṣajēna garbhapātanam| kēcidētadgadyamanyathā paṭhanti, tattvabhāvānna likhitam| bandhanamatra garbhāśayapratibaddhāḥ sirāḥ pēśyaśca| mōcanē upamānamāha- phalamityādi| ētēnaitaduktaṁ bhavati- yathā vr̥kṣē'paripakvaṁ phalamabhighātairakāla ēva patati, tadvadyathōktapātanahētusāmarthyādaprasavakāla ēva garbhaḥ patati| atikramya ullaṅghya| vivaraiḥ antarālaiḥ| avasraṁsamānaḥ adhaḥ patan| kōṣṭhaśabdēnāmāśayapakvāśayādisthānam| saṅkṣōbhaścalanam| tasyāḥ striyāḥ| mūḍhō vimārgagāmī | anyatamam ēkatamam| āpādya nirvartya| taruṇaṁ garbhamapānō mūḍhaḥ san cyāvayatīti sambandhaḥ| taruṇam aghanāṅgamavyaktacētanam| mūḍhagarbhasya niruktimāha- tamēvētyādi| asamyagāgataṁ vilōmabhāgēnāgatam, avāggamanāt| apatyapathaṁ yōnim| anuprāptam āśritam| anirasyamānam aniḥsarantam| sammōhitaṁ mūrcchitam||3||
Meaning of the commentary
The commentary explains the listed causes individually: grāmyadharma means sexual intercourse; yāna and vāhana refer respectively to conveyances such as a chariot and mounts such as a horse; adhvagamana is travel on foot; praskhalana is stumbling; prapatana is a severe fall, such as from a building; prapīḍana and pradhāvana are excessive pressure and running; abhighāta is a blow from a weapon, clod, or similar object; vegābhighāta is suppression of urges such as flatus; preṅkholana is swinging; and garbhaśātana is causing pregnancy loss with medicine. It notes that some read this prose differently but does not record that reading because it considers it inauthentic. Here, ‘attachments’ means the vessels and muscular tissues connected with the uterus. The fruit simile indicates premature loss caused by the stated factors, as an unripe fruit falls through trauma. The commentary glosses the fetus as crossing or passing beyond its place and descending through intervening spaces; koṣṭha includes locations such as the stomach and large intestine, and saṅkṣobha means disturbance or movement. Mūḍha apāna is described as moving in an improper course. Taruṇa denotes an immature fetus whose limbs are not firm and whose consciousness is not manifest. For the derivation of mūḍhagarbha, ‘incorrectly entered’ means coming with a reversed part rather than descending normally; apatyapatha is the vaginal birth passage, ‘not expelled’ means not emerging, and sammohita is glossed as unconscious or fainted.