Shloka 5
The Lord’s Supervision of Embodiment: Fetal Development, Womb-Suffering, and the Jīva’s Prayer (Garbha-stuti) — and the Trap of Māyā
मातुर्जग्धान्नपानाद्यैरेधद्धातुरसम्मते । शेते विण्मूत्रयोर्गर्ते स जन्तुर्जन्तुसम्भवे ॥ ५ ॥
mātur jagdhānna-pānādyair edhad-dhātur asammate śete viṇ-mūtrayor garte sa jantur jantu-sambhave
Drawing nourishment from the food and drink taken by the mother, the fetus grows, yet lies in that loathsome pit of stool and urine—the breeding ground of many kinds of worms.
In the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa it is said that in the intestine of the mother the umbilical cord, which is known as āpyāyanī, joins the mother to the abdomen of the child, and through this passage the child within the womb accepts the mother’s assimilated foodstuff. In this way the child is fed by the mother’s intestine within the womb and grows from day to day. The statement of the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa about the child’s situation within the womb is exactly corroborated by modern medical science, and thus the authority of the Purāṇas cannot be disproved, as is sometimes attempted by the Māyāvādī philosophers.
FAQs
This verse describes the jīva lying helpless and unaware in a foul, confined womb environment, sustained only by the mother’s intake—highlighting the misery of embodied existence.
To awaken detachment from material life by revealing the hidden suffering inherent in repeated birth, encouraging sincere pursuit of liberation and devotion.
Remembering the fragility and hardship of embodied life can reduce pride and sense-gratification, strengthening humility, gratitude, and commitment to spiritual practice (bhakti).