Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 51, Shloka 21
Adhyaya 51 — Yaksha Injunctions: Graha-Children and Female Spirits Causing Domestic and Ritual Disruptions
अनज्ञया जन्मनश्च प्रशमं याति गण्डवान् ।
गर्भे स्त्रीणां तथान्यस्तु फलनाशी सुदारुणः ॥
anajñayā janmanaś ca praśamaṃ yāti gaṇḍavān | garbhe strīṇāṃ tathānyas tu phalanāśī sudāruṇaḥ ||
By proper authorization and by birth-rites, one afflicted with gaṇḍa comes to pacification. But another affliction in the wombs of women is exceedingly terrible, destroying the fruit—the fetus.
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FAQs
The text stresses responsible ritual and social order (‘permission’ and proper birth-rites) for alleviating misfortune, and it underscores the seriousness with which pregnancy is to be protected—calling for heightened care, restraint, and śānti measures.
Dharma/ācāra and nimitta-prakaraṇa (supplementary).
‘Fruit-destruction’ in the womb can also symbolize the destruction of nascent spiritual potential when life is lived in disorder. The remedy framework implies that right sanction (ājñā) and right saṃskāra stabilize both physical and subtle ‘births’ (new beginnings).