Shloka 14
महाभिष-गङ्गा-दर्शनं वसूनां शापकथनं च
Mahābhiṣa Encounters Gaṅgā; The Vasus Explain Their Curse
ययातिरुवाच वायु: समुत्कर्षति गर्भयोनि- मृतौ रेत: पुष्परसानुपृक्तम् | स तत्र तन्मात्रकृताधिकार: क्रमेण संवर्धयतीह गर्भम्,ययाति बोले--ऋतुकालनमें पुष्परससे संयुक्त वीर्यको वायु गर्भाशयमें खींच लाता है। वहाँ गर्भाशयमें सूक्ष्मभूत उसपर अधिकार कर लेते हैं और वह क्रमश: गर्भकी वृद्धि करता रहता है
yayātir uvāca—vāyuḥ samutkarṣati garbhayonimṛtau retaḥ puṣparasānupṛktam | sa tatra tanmātrakṛtādhikāraḥ krameṇa saṃvardhayatīha garbham ||
Yayāti said: At the proper season for conception, the vital wind draws the semen—mingled with the woman’s generative fluid—into the womb. There, the subtle elements take hold of it according to their own specific functions, and in due order the embryo is nourished and grows within the womb. The passage frames conception as a lawful, orderly process governed by natural forces rather than mere chance, underscoring the ethical idea that embodied life arises through a regulated cosmic arrangement.
अष्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Embodied life is presented as arising through an ordered, law-governed process: vital forces (vāyu) and subtle principles (tanmātras) operate in sequence to establish and nourish the embryo. This supports the Mahābhārata’s broader emphasis on ṛta/dharma—order and regularity underlying life and lineage.
Yayāti explains the mechanism of conception and fetal development: during the fertile season, vāyu conveys the generative seed—combined with the woman’s reproductive essence—into the womb, where subtle elements take functional control and the embryo grows gradually.