Shloka 13
षोडशर्तुर्निशाः स्त्रीणां सामान्यात् समुदाहृतः / या चतुर्दशमी रात्रिर्गर्भस्तिष्ठति तत्र चेत्
ṣoḍaśarturniśāḥ strīṇāṃ sāmānyāt samudāhṛtaḥ / yā caturdaśamī rātrirgarbhastiṣṭhati tatra cet
In general, sixteen nights are proclaimed as a woman’s season of fertility. Yet if on the fourteenth night conception takes hold and the embryo abides there, then—by this teaching—a particular outcome is indicated.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Rtu-kala (fertile season) and the significance of timing in conception; orderliness of procreation as a regulated act.
Vedantic Theme: Rta/dharma as cosmic order reflected in bodily processes; karma operates through lawful causality (niyati).
Application: Observe the traditionally taught fertile window; treat conception as a disciplined, intentional act with attention to timing.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.32.14-17 (continuation on auspicious conception, diet, regimen)
FAQs
This verse states that, as a general rule, a woman’s fertile window is counted as sixteen nights, forming the scriptural basis for timing-related guidance in household life.
Though the Preta Kanda is widely known for after-death topics, it also preserves dharmic instructions for embodied life—here, linking bodily cycles and conception (garbha) to traditional calendrical counting of nights.
It encourages mindful, responsible family life—treating conception as a deliberate act aligned with health, ethics, and tradition, rather than as a purely casual event.