Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 10
The Lord’s Supervision of Embodiment: Fetal Development, Womb-Suffering, and the Jīva’s Prayer (Garbha-stuti) — and the Trap of Māyā
आरभ्य सप्तमान्मासाल्लब्धबोधोऽपि वेपित: । नैकत्रास्ते सूतिवातैर्विष्ठाभूरिव सोदर: ॥ १० ॥
ārabhya saptamān māsāl labdha-bodho ’pi vepitaḥ naikatrāste sūti-vātair viṣṭhā-bhūr iva sodaraḥ
गर्भधारणाच्या सातव्या महिन्यापासून जाणीव आली तरी प्रसूतीपूर्व काळात गर्भावर दाब देणाऱ्या वाऱ्यांच्या झटक्यांनी तो शिशु खालीखाली फेकला जातो। त्याच मलिन उदरगुहेत जन्मलेल्या कृमींसारखा तो एका ठिकाणी स्थिर राहू शकत नाही।
At the end of the seventh month the child is moved by the bodily air and does not remain in the same place, for the entire uterine system becomes slackened before delivery. The worms have been described here as sodara. Sodara means “born of the same mother.” Since the child is born from the womb of the mother and the worms are also born of fermentation within the womb of the same mother, under the circumstances the child and the worms are actually brothers. We are very anxious to establish universal brotherhood among human beings, but we should take into consideration that even the worms are our brothers, what to speak of other living entities. Therefore, we should be concerned about all living entities.
FAQs
In Canto 3, Chapter 31, this verse explains that by the seventh month the jīva becomes conscious yet trembles in fear and is helplessly moved by the forces within the womb, unable to stay in one place.
The comparison highlights helplessness and impurity: the embodied soul, bound by karma, is trapped in an unclean environment and tossed about without control, emphasizing the misery of material embodiment.
Remembering the helplessness of repeated birth encourages detachment from sinful habits and strengthens the resolve to seek liberation through bhakti—taking shelter of the Lord and living with spiritual discipline.