Shloka 7

The Lord’s Supervision of Embodiment: Fetal Development, Womb-Suffering, and the Jīva’s Prayer (Garbha-stuti) — and the Trap of Māyā

Devanagari script

कटुतीक्ष्णोष्णलवणरूक्षाम्‍लादिभिरुल्बणै: । मातृभुक्तैरुपस्पृष्ट: सर्वाङ्गोत्थितवेदन: ॥ ७ ॥

Transliteration

kaṭu-tīkṣṇoṣṇa-lavaṇa- rūkṣāmlādibhir ulbaṇaiḥ mātṛ-bhuktair upaspṛṣṭaḥ sarvāṅgotthita-vedanaḥ

Translation

Do người mẹ ăn đồ đắng, cay, quá nóng, quá mặn, khô ráp hoặc quá chua, thai nhi phải chịu những cơn đau gần như không thể chịu nổi, dấy lên liên miên khắp thân thể.

Synonyms

• kaṭu-tīkṣṇa-uṣṇa-lavaṇa-rūkṣa-amla-ādibhiḥ: by pungent, sharp, hot, salty, dry, sour, etc. (things)
• kaṭu-tīkṣṇa-uṣṇa-lavaṇa-rūkṣa-amla-ādibhiḥ: Karaṇa (करणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṭu + tīkṣṇa + uṣṇa + lavaṇa + rūkṣa + amla + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga/Napuṁsakaliṅga-sāmānya, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Bahuvacana; -ādibhiḥ = ‘etc.’ instrumental plural

• ulbaṇaiḥ: intense/violent
• ulbaṇaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa of karaṇa (करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ulbaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Bahuvacana

• mātṛ-bhuktaiḥ: by what is eaten by the mother
• mātṛ-bhuktaiḥ: Karaṇa (करणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + bhukta (भुज् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Bahuvacana; ‘mātṛ-bhukta’ = eaten by the mother

• upaspṛṣṭaḥ: touched/afflicted
• upaspṛṣṭaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / subject-predicate adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-spr̥ś (स्पृश् धातु) + kta (क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana; past passive participle ‘touched/affected’

• sarva-aṅga-utthita-vedanaḥ: having pain arising in all limbs
• sarva-aṅga-utthita-vedanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / subject-predicate adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + utthita (उत्-स्था धातु, क्त; कृदन्त) + vedanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana; ‘sarvāṅgotthita-vedana’ = whose pain has arisen in all limbs

Purport

All descriptions of the child’s bodily situation in the womb of the mother are beyond our conception. It is very difficult to remain in such a position, but still the child has to remain. Because his consciousness is not very developed, the child can tolerate it, otherwise he would die. That is the benediction of māyā, who endows the suffering body with the qualifications for tolerating such terrible tortures.

Characters & Entities

• mother (garbhiṇī)
• the jīva (embodied soul in the womb)

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam say about suffering in the womb?

This verse explains that the fetus is affected by the mother’s diet; intense tastes (bitter, pungent, hot, salty, dry, sour, etc.) cause pain throughout the body of the embodied soul in the womb.

Why is Śukadeva Gosvāmī describing the fetus’s pain in Canto 3?

In this section he describes the miseries of material embodiment to awaken detachment (vairāgya) and encourage sincere surrender to the Lord as the true relief from saṁsāra.

Practical application: what can I learn from this verse today?

It teaches that bodily life is inherently vulnerable and conditioned; reflecting on this helps reduce obsession with sense enjoyment and strengthens one’s resolve for spiritual practice and devotion.