Pregnant elephants

The text prohibited the capture of pregnant female elephants. In this context verse 9 may be quoted which mentions that a female with calf or a pregnant female must never be caught.^[1] A female which is content and roaming at will brings good luck. A female elephant which is pregnant, grieves at being bereft of the leader of the herd and the herd, by stopping her exercise and food, (as) angrily curses, so that place must be avoided (v. 10-11).^[2] If elephant give birth or become pregnant in the village, this leads to the destruction of all creatures and rebellion. It destroys that kingdom as well as the army, the queen, the prince and the steeds without a doubt within six months. With her curse, the king loses the queen and the prince (v. 11-13).^[3]

The author of Gajaśāstra provides detailed knowledge on she-elephants especially those of which are pregnant. The text not only provides signs of identifying them, but also procedures of dealing and care for such pregnant elephants. We are appending a list of such signs and a sketchy manual below:

1. One must know that female elephants have hidden menstruation. Due to the nature of animals, their menstruation occurs inwardly^[4]. The menstruation which is entertaining in a female, is unseen, and the bleeding that occurs every month cannot be seen outside^[5].

2. A female can become pregnant from her twelfth to her fifteenth year. Her puberty starts at nine years.^[6]

3. A female that has been reared with care bear the foetus. She has a pleasant look, open and swollen genitals and discharges stained urine. She cannot tolerate another female near (her) male. She leaves the herd and goes away and enjoys dust, mud and water. She does not like kaṭaṅkara, leaves or mouthful. She does not approach an elephant, but gives him food. She stands where the elephant roams and smells his trunk, face, lips and genitals. After smelling all his body, especially his genitals, she stands delighted, embracing the elephant’s tusk. She stands with her hair raised, with bent neck, head and trunk, flaps her ears and moves her head, and crushes her trunk on the ground.^[7]

4. An intelligent man knows an elephant to be in season by these signs. In season, a female elephant is approached by the male.^[8]

5. After intercourse, the female’s menstruation ceases. When a female is pregnant, she does not perform intercourse.^[9]

6. She gives birth in the twelfth month. Anything else is a deviation.^[10]

7. The dhenu, the vardhakinī and the nāśorikā carry their young for a year, two years and three years respectively.^[11]

8. Freed after attaining the seed, the female goes with pleasure and effort, sees the male and obstruct him slowly. She scratches herself always on a tree, bathes in muddy water, stays in the cool shade, and resents a male coming near her.^[12]

9. To identify a pregnant female elephant one must know that in the first month, she resents male, likes astringent and sweet (tastes), is gentle and yawns often.^[13]

10. In the second she bears the foetus. In the other (third) her genitals are moist and she enjoys cool (weather) and is lazy. In the fourth she moves slowly and sits down slowly.^[14]

11. In the fifth, she has a full womb, enjoys dust, mud and water. In the sixth she leaves the herd, is gentle and lives on level ground.^[15]

12. In the seventh, she yawns excessively, is moving, grinds her teeth, and sprays water.^[16]

13. In the eighth and ninth, she shows a full womb, her face is worn, her hair scant. In the tenth she has tired eyes.^[17]

14. In the eleventh she abhors bending, finds it difficult to get up from a sitting posture, has a raised navel and is lazy because of advanced pregnancy.^[18]

15. Of a female of the mṛga type, the genitals show in the twelfth month.^[19]

An expert is expected to know all these signs of identifying a female pregnant elephant. It is interesting to note that the author mentions that he who, although sufficiently expert in judgement, yet falsely claims the non-pregnant as pregnant and vice versa, inflicts pain on the elephant as well as the king.^[20]

Gender of the unborn was also predicted and signs of prediction are also provided in the text. It mentions that if the wind of the womb is white bisected, there would be two male calves. If it is red and bisected, there would be two female calves.^[21]

Further the text also mentions the position of the unborn in the womb. In the right side of the womb is a male, on the left a female, in the middle a sexless calf. The text also mentions that due to the fault of the elephant, the wind of the womb and the mind, calves may be born hunch backed, deformed, short, extra-tall, dwarfish, blind and with other disabilities.^[22]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid., Appendix, atha garbhiṇīgrahaṇaniṣedha, v. 9, p.137.

[2]:

Ibid., v. 10-11.

[3]:

Ibid., v.11-13.

[4]:

Ibid., Appendix, atha Garbhiṇīlakṣaṇam, v. 1, p.138.

[5]:

Ibid., v. 2.

[6]:

Ibid., v. 3.

[7]:

Ibid., v. 3-10, pp.138-139.

[8]:

Ibid., v. 11, p.139.

[9]:

Ibid., v. 12.

[10]:

Ibid., v. 13.

[11]:

Ibid., v. 13-14, pp.139-140.

[12]:

Ibid., v. 14-16, p.140.

[13]:

Ibid., v. 18.

[14]:

Ibid., v. 18-19.

[15]:

Ibid., v. 20.

[16]:

Ibid., Appendix, atha Garbhiṇīlakṣaṇam, v. 21, p.140.

[17]:

Ibid., v. 22.

[18]:

Ibid., v. 23.

[19]:

Ibid., v. 24.

[20]:

Ibid., v. 24-25.

[21]:

Ibid., v. 26.

[22]:

Ibid., v. 27-28.