Garbha Upanishad

a vedic treatise on fetus and child birth

English Translation by Saravana

This Upanishad explains in detail about the conception and growth of a child in the mother’s
womb. At each stage of development in the womb, the physical condition of the child’s body
and the mental state and the condition of the Jeevatman (the soul) within is also explained in
detail in this scripture. This Upanishad is part of the Krishna Yajur Veda and is told to Sage
Pippalada by Brahma when the former asked questions about fetus and its growth.
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Om! May He protect us all together; may He nourish us all together; May we work conjointly
with great energy, May our study be vigorous and effective; May we not mutually dispute (or
may we not hate any). Om! Let there be Peace in us! Let there be Peace in my environment! Let
there be Peace in the forces that act on us!

BACKGROUND

Garbha Upanishad is a Upanishad or a treatise which has been told by a Teacher to a student ( Upa +
Nishat = to the one who is sitting, from a higher plan to the one which is learning) . ‘Garbha means
‘Womb’. It expounds the details of what human consciousness goes through, while it still resides in the
womb, in the form of a fetus. You will find this entire treatise in an question and answer form which is
the actual form of every Upanishad.

When the brain of the fetus forms, its active mind is more active than that of children and/or adults. The
reason is that while in the womb, the fetus is not distracted by the senses, and its connection with the
attractions and distractions of the outside world.

So now the soul, impregnated and imprisoned within the mother, goes through physical and emotional
turmoil.

He now realizes the fact that he is going to incarnate once again to go through trials and tribulations,
whose main objective is that he learns through pain, to become, what he intrinsically is: An image of
God!

The Garbha Upanishad states that, the fetus promises God, that he will not repeat his evil deeds. But
alas! When the child is born, a force called the ‘Vaishnava Prana’ touches him, and he forgets his
thoughts and prayer. So the learning process continues.

Arjuna in the Bhagvad Geeta asked Krishna, what happens, if man dies while putting in his effort to learn
about Spiritual truths in one life? And Krishna answers, as it is very heartening to note, that a jivatman,
takes off, from where he left off, in his spiritual efforts.

Look deep within you as you read these words, do they ring a bell? Do they sound true? Ask yourself!
Your SELF will reply!

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THE UPANISHAD

The human body is constituted of five things (the five forces of earth, sky, air, water and fire)
and is of six shelters (like the physical, ethereal and so on). It is of six different characters and
seven compounds, three impurities and has two points of source of birth. It is dependent on
four types of food.

• Why is the body called as “Panchaatmakam”?

o (Pancha-Five)Because it is constituted out of the five forces of nature – viz.,
earth, water, fire, air and sky.
• Out of the body which portions represent each such force of nature?
o That portion which is hard is representative of the earth, the liquid one is of the
water, the hot one is of the fire, the airy portion is of the air and the portion
which gives space is representative of the sky or the space. The earth force
enables to sustain, water helps consolidation, fire enlightens, air makes the team
work, and the space gives time and options to carry on the various duties.

Each of the sense organs are created for some specific purpose – the ear (srothram) for hearing
sounds, the skin (thwak) for feeling the touch, eyes (cakshu) for the vision, tongue (jihvah) for
enjoying the taste, nose (naasika) to smell, the birth organ (upastham) to enjoy pleasure and
the rectum (apaanam) to shed the unwanted from the body. The jivatman (or the soul)
identifies through the brain, desires with the mind and speaks with the language (vaak).

• Why is the body said to be having six shelters?

o It can sense and distinguish the six forms of taste such as sweet, sour, salty,
bitter etc.,

The seven forms of basic sound viz., shatjam, rishabam, gaanthaaram, madhyamam,
panchamam, daivatam and nishaadam, alongwith the other three viz., ishtam, anishtam and
pranidaanam constitutes the ten basic forms of sound.

Again, the colors are basically of seven types viz., white, red, black, smoky gray, yellow and
golden white.

• Why is the body said to be of seven compounds ?

o When a human gets to possess and enjoy the material objects which are meant
for such enjoyment, because of the good combination of such objects, six types
of taste (rasam) are brought in.
Out of such taste is created the blood, from the blood the tissue, from the tissue the fat, from
the fat the nerves, from nerves the bones, from bones the body, and from the body the
reproductive fluids. Thus there are seven compounds and the body is formed of such
compounds. When there is a union of the male and female reproductive fluids, the garbha
(pregnancy or the embryo) is formed. That garbha is controlled by the Hridayam (the heart).

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The heart houses an ever-burning internal fire from which a biological fire is generated, which
in turn, gives birth to air. That air, which runs throughout the body, ultimately and dutifully
traces back its route to the Hridayam or the Heart, as a rule laid down by the Supreme.

• The formation of the embryo and its stages of development 1

o On a destined day and upon the unison of the male and female reproductive
fluids, after the lapse of one night, the embryo is in a mixed (semi-fluid) state.
After seven nights from thereon, it takes the shape of a bubble formed out of water. At the end
of a fortnight, it takes the shape of a solid lump. It gets solidified and hardened at the end of
one month.

In two months, the head takes form. At the end of three months, the feet are formed. And by
the fourth month, the wrist, stomach and the hip, waist etc are formed. During the fifth month,
the spine and the adjoining bones get shaped. The Mouth, Nose, Eyes and the Ears are all
formed during the sixth month.

In the seventh month, life or the jivatman enters the body shaped so far. By the eighth month,
it attains full shape and gets fulfilled with all other remaining parts. If the intention to have
progeny and potency of the father (the male) is stronger than the mother, it becomes a male
and vice-versa. If neither of the parents share the intention to have the progeny and with
vilified intention towards Tradition, Religion or towards each other, and with no pulling force in
either, it becomes a napumsaka. (Neither a male nor a female)

The child is born as blind or deaf or dumb or short or with other deficiencies if the union of the
parents happens with any mental confusion during the period of pregnancy. 2 If the male
reproductive fluid is split because of the air moving around in the body, twins are born. When
the body, comprised of the five natural forces acquires intelligence by the infusion of the
jivatman, it also acquires the five intellectual organs and the brain, which enables the jivatman
to distinguish between different forms of objects and tastes.

Having obtained this intelligence, the jivatman immediately starts contemplating on the eternal
syllable “OM”. Once he digests the essence of the same, he understands the fact that the eight
basic forces (five sense organs, the mind, intellect and ego) and their sixteen variants belong to
the soul or the jivatman residing in the body.

Whatever is consumed by the mother passes through the nerves dovetailed with the child’s to
the jivatman, which is satisfied with such feed.

1
Also Refer Aitareyopanishat: Chapter 2 – Creation of Human Beings
2
Astrologically certain good and prohibited times, dates and days are indicated in the calendar for congress as the
time and the mental plane of each partner play a very important role in creation, growth and life of the child

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It is during the ninth month that all the sense organs and intellect organs attain completeness.
And during this time, the jivatman is reminded of its previous birth and it realizes all the good
and bad deeds it committed during such previous birth.

Thus thinks the jivatman: “By me thousands of birth points (yonis, various lives apart from
human) have been seen; various foods have been tasted; and innumerable times mother’s milk
has been consumed (to convey that the jivatman had various mothers during its earlier births). I
was born and died many times. All my near and dear, from earlier births, for whom I performed
various actions, in earlier births, whether good or bad, have enjoyed the benefits of my actions
and have left me all alone. I am left behind all alone. Once I come out of this birth source (yoni),
I am going to surrender myself to the destroyer of all sins and the Salvation provider –
Maheswara, also called as Naaraayana (or the Supreme Being called by various names). I am
going to chant his name and other mantras to destroy all my sins carried from my earlier
births. 3

Once I come out of this birth source, I am going to practice the Gnaana Yoga (the pursuit of
knowledge) strictly to destroy all my sins and to release myself from the bondings of all actions
in this materialistic world. Once I come out of this birth source, I am going to contemplate on
this Supreme Divine Brahman.” – These are the thoughts of the jivatman during the time it
remains in the womb.

However, when he reaches the birth source (vagina) and comes out of it with great difficulty on
to the earth, he is inflicted with the illusory force (Maya) created by Vishnu and immediately
forgets all the previous births and the deeds performed therein. His memory is cleansed of all
the history the very moment he first inhales the air after coming to the earth.

• Why is the body called as “Śariram”?

o The body is composed of three different types of fire – viz., Gnaana agni,
Darsana agni and Koshta agni. 4

Koshtaagni is that fire which enables the digestion of all that is consumed by the human. It
creates the internal fire that is used to combust all the materials in taken. Darsanaagni is the
internal fire that gives the power of seeing to the eyes with which we are able to see different
objects. Gnaanaagni is that fire of knowledge which enables one to distinguish between the
good and bad. These three fires have taken their positions in one’s stomach, face and the heart
and are referred by the names Aahavaniyaagni, Gaarhaspatyaagni and Dakshinaagni
respectively. With these fires present within, an internal homa or yagna (or the ritual sacrifice)
takes place within a human body regularly and incessantly.

3
It has been prescribed to read Sri Vishnu Sahasra Naama, The Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu and Bhagavata,
the stories of Sri Krishna folklore and greatness to enhance this intention and strength, especially during pregnancy.
4
Refer: Aham Vaiswanaro bhutva praninaam deha masritah….. Bh.Gita Chaper 15:Verse 14 – In the beings, I am
like Viswanara fire, and stay in the body. United with prāna and apāna, I degest four kinds of food

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Atma or the soul is the performer of the homa; the mind is the Brahma (the one who makes it
happen); the bad intentions such as anger, greed, jealousy, desire etc are the sacrificial objects
(comparable to the animals sacrificed); Mental strength or control is the vow; Contentment and
the intellectual organs are the utensils that can be utilized in the homa; the sense organs are
the sacrificial objects (comparable to the Havis or the rice) to be used; the Head or the skull is
the utensil; the Hair thereon is the Darbha (the dried grass used in homa); the face is the
sacrificing stage and the two lines of teeth, the bones, nerves and tissue are comparable to the
other utensils and objects used in a Homa.

• What is the Constitution of a human body:

o (Apart from what is said in the earlier paragraphs), The human body consists of
107 secret spots (Marma sthaana, comparable to the genitals), 180 junction
points, 109 nerves called as “snaayu”, 700 other nerves, 500 tissue groups
(muscle), 360 bones, four and a half crore hairs, 8 palam (palam is an old
measure that weighs around 35 grams) weighing Heart and 12 palam weighing
tongue. The body also has got one ser (ser is a measure weighing around 300
grams) weighing biological fire, two ser weighing watery substance, a quarter ser
weighing semen or other reproductive fluid and two-sers weighing fat. There is
no laid down measure or weight of the urinary or the other solid excretions,
which are dependent on the intake.
(Having thus known the complete constitution of a human body), one should understand his
composition and divert all his power and energy into the path of attaining salvation. This
Moksha Sastra (the scripture leading to Salvation) was enunciated by the great sage,
Pippalaada.

OM! May Brahman protect us (the Guru and Sishya) both! May he give us both (enough) to
enjoy! Efficiency may we both attain! Effective may our study prove! May we not hate (each
other) at all!

Here ends the Garbhopanishad belonging to the Krishna-Yajur-Veda.

Om Shanti ! Shanti ! Shanti !

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Date of this scripture:

1416 BCE - (http://www.geocities.com/freethoughtmecca/embryo.html)

Moore hints at amazement with the Garbha Upanishad in almost the same breath. Regarding
this text, he writes:
A brief Sanskrit treatise on ancient Indian embryology is thought to have been written in
1416 B.C. This scripture of the Hindus, called Garbha Upanishad, describes ancient ideas
concerning the embryo. It states:
From the conjugation of blood and semen the embryo comes into existence. During the
period favorable to conception, after the sexual intercourse, (it) becomes a Kalada (one-day-old
embryo). After remaining seven nights it becomes a vesicle. After a fortnight it becomes a
sperical mass. After a month it becomes a firm mass

Pre-2000 BCE
The first question concerns the date of the Garbha Upanishad. Since it is ascribed to Pippalāda,
we need to determine this sage’s place in the Vedic tradition, although it is believed that the
text may not be as old as the sage. Pippalāda is also the instructing sage of the Praśna Upanisad
and the author of the Atharvaveda śākhā named after him (Paippalāda śākhā). As a principal
arranger of the Atharvaveda, he should be assigned to at least the middle of the second
millennium BCE, if the R›gveda is to be taken to be no later than 2000 BCE, as is suggested by
hydrological evidence related to the drying up of the Sarasvatī river around this time, and the
fact that the R›gveda celebrates this river as the great river of its time, flowing from the
mountains to the sea.

According to the Purāńªas, Pippalāda was the disciple of the Vyāśa, and he instructed
Yudhishtira in the significance of the A¡gāravrata, which is based on a dialogue between S˜ukra
and Virocana.

The physiological knowledge in the Garbha Upaniśad is consistent with that found in the oldest
Upaniśads. Like the other texts, it speaks of recursion, but it doesn’t list as many channels
(veins and nerves) as the other texts do. This indicates that this Upaniśad may be older than
what has been assumed.
Pippalāda answers six questions in the Praśna Upaniśad, a number that is reminiscent of the six
darśanas. The six questions touch upon six different aspects of reality: forms (nyāya), basis of
life (mīmā÷sā), origins (sā÷khya), devas within (yoga), next world (vedānta), and modifications
(vaiśeśika). This is not an argument for the lateness of the Praśna Upani¬ad, but rather for the
remote antiquity of six bases to reality, which mirroring the six directions.

CONCLUSION:
Given that this Dharmic Scripture may be in or just after the Vedic Period (4000 to 2000 BCE),
and associated with the Yajur Veda, it is most likely composed between 2500 and 1500 BCE.