Appendix 3 - Influence of Garbhopaniṣad on Śiva Gītā

1.0 Piṇḍotpatti Kathana Vairāgya Śataka Garbhopaniṣad.

Chapter eight of Śiva Gītā, Piṇḍotpatti Kathanam, is very much indebted to Garbhopaniṣad, seventieth among the 108 Upaniṣads, and forms part of Kṛṣṇa yajurveda. This lore relating to Liberation is revealed by the great seen Paippalāda (son of Pippalāda), Abhijñāna Śākuntala the supreme asylum. It deals with the pre-natal and post-natal characteristic and functions of human body and a sacrifice and winds up with pointing out the supreme necessity for attaining final emancipation by seeking shelter in Maheśvara, Abhijñāna Śākuntala the Great Guru.^[1] In this mokṣa śāstra by Paippalāda, written in prose, the short Upaniṣad graphically paints the picture of origin and development of embryo Abhijñāna Śākuntala well Abhijñāna Śākuntala the development of human body, its ramifications on physical, mental and spiritual planes. Abhijñāna Śākuntala one goes through the graphic presentation of embryo development stage by stage, it is interesting to note that intra-utirine photographs taken by modem medicine on embryo development closely resembles the Śiva Gītā version coined aeons ago. (Plates attached at the end of chapter )

2.0 Predominance of Earth

Because the body is formed by five elements, earth, water, fire, air and ether, one can identify in the body Abhijñāna Śākuntala earth formed whatever is hard, whatever is liquid is water, whatever warm is fire, whatever (gaseous substance) moves about the body (conveying to and fro from various cells) is air, and whatever is space enclosed in cavities, is ether. The predominance is, of course, for the earth. cf. Śiva Gītā^[2]

3.0 Parts played by Elements.

Therein (in the five fold functions) the earth element plays its role in propping up, water in converting into mass (and thus helping in mastication, deglutition, secretion, digestion, assimilation, excretion and other vital functions), fire in seeing forms, air in the movements (relating to respiration, circulation, alimentation, evacuation and other vital functions) and ether in affording sufficient space (and full scope for all subtle vital functions).^[3]

4.0 Inputs in foetus formation.

The foods consumed are of six different tastes, sweet, acid, saltish, pungent, bitter and astringent. After partaking the food and well digested by Jaṭharāgni, the animal heat of the belly, a percentage of that is transformed into blood. From the blood, a part is contributed to become flesh and from its essential part, fat is formed. From the fat bones, from it marrow and from marrow seminal fluid (of males and menstrual fluid of females) and from the conjunction of the two fluids (in the womb of female placed in the region of the belly), there is brought about pregnancy which gets rooted in the interior of womb.^[5] Vital warmth (springs up) in the interior of cavity of womb and the belly. In the seat of the warmth (in the triangle of Mulādhāra, the naval region) bile is secreted. In the seat of the bile (in Svādhiṣṭhana) the prāṇa (vital air) flows. In the seat of the Prāṇa the interior of thorax is established. The foetus that is formed by the conjunction of the male and female, at the proper season ordained by Prajāpati (the Creator) becomes well established in its career.^[5] The foetus formed by such conjunction at other times, does not become well-grounded.

5.0 Foetus development.

The embryo lying (in the womb of female) for a (day and) night is confused mass. Remaining so for seven days it assumes the form of a bubble. After an interval of a fortnight, it becomes a mass and after a month from the day of conception, it hardens. In the course of two months it develops the region of head. In the course of three months, the region of feet is formed. Then, in the fourth month, the region of belly and hip is formed. In the fifth month the back bone (vertibral column) is formed. In the sixth month, the nose, the eyes, the ears are formed. In the seventh month the embryo quickens with life. In the eighth month it becomes fully equipped in all respects.^[6]

6.0. Formation of gender.

Out of the preponderance of the father’s semen the offspring becomes male. Out of the predominance of the seed of the mother are generated females. Out of equipoise of the seeds of the two, offspring becomes eunuch. cf. Śiva Gītā^[7] If, at the time of confluence of seeds, the parents should be of agītāted minds, the progeny would become either blind or crippled or hunch backed or stunted in growth. Should the couple be afflicted with (apāna) vital-air-trouble at the time of copulation, the semen enters the womb of the female in two parts and in consequence, twins are conceived in the womb of the woman.^[8]

7.0 Jīva and Prakṛti

The jīva (in the eighth month of its stay in the womb of its mother) in conjunction with the Prāṇa of the character of the five vital airs (Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna, Udāna and Vyāna) which conditions its existence, acquires the capacity to know its past affairs (experienced during its previous incarnations). Similarly with its essential features amplified by the spirit of the Prāṇa of the five fold character, it conceives of the imperishable Ātman of the character of the Oṃkāra (In the attitude “I am Ātman”), through perfect knowledge and meditation. Having thus identified the monosyllable OM (with the Ātman) (the Jīva) sees in the body the eight Prakṛtis derived therefrom (Viz. earth, water, fire, air, ether, the mind, the intellect and the individuality) and the sixteen changes commencing from Prāṇa and ending with “Sa prāṇamasrujata,” detailed Abhijñāna Śākuntala sixteen kalās in the Praśnopaniṣad.^[9]

8.0 Total body formation

The body of this embodied Jīva then becomes fully possessed of all its characteristics in the ninth month of its potential existence. He remembers the series of his previous incarnations. The series of karma completed and not commenced are clearly manifest to such Jīva. He recognizes the auspicious and inauspicious nature of such karma.^[10]

9.0 Eradication of misery

The Jīva wails about the several thousands of sources of birth having been seen and having been experienced during previous incarnations, kinds of food appropriate to those incarnations having been consumed, various pairs of breasts having been suckled.^[11] ‘There is death again to me who is born. There is birth again to me who dies. Even prone to six forms of existence (Ṣatvikāra [Ṣaḍvikāra?]) viz. being, birth, growth, ripening, waning and perishing and drowned in the ocean of misery sees no expedient for rescue. cf Śiva-gītā.^[12] Should one ever manage to get out of this sorry situation of being born of a yoni, one should seek the shelter of Maheśvara through which only one is able to eradicate the doubt arising from ignorance relating to the existence of things apart from Ātman, which are really of the form of peerless nonexistence, on the one hand, and of the Brahman, which is the result of the negation of everything apart from it and is of the form of peerless existence, on the other hand, Abhijñāna Śākuntala to where there is, or there is not, the interrelation between each other, of the manifestation and what it manifests, the all pervading one and what it pervades or the one support and what it supports which brings about the destruction of misery of ignorance and bestows the fruit of liberation.’^[13]

10.0 Sufferings of the past.

The fully developed foetus (which has bewailed in aforesaid manner) in hundreds of women’s wombs and getting disgusted on that account on reaching the orifice of genitals, with its head down and its feet projecting upwards (in the manner of a sinner dropping from hell) tormented on all sides by the pressure of the mechanism of the female organ of generation, at the time of parturition, is born in this world, with the greatest suffering and at that very moment, is touched by the all pervading air. Then it does not remember the auspicious and inauspicious actions, which have been the cause of its frequent rebirths and deaths.^[14]

11.0 Malas and Yonis.

“śīryata iti śarīram”—Śarīra literally means what is shattered. It is because of the three malas and three yonis. The three malas arise from the union of filthy parts of the male and the female and the sperm and ovum generated, therefrom, respectively. The three yonis are plants yielding nutrient food, the male and the female that contribute to the generation of the body.

12.0 Mental Sacrifice.

In the heart is the Dakṣiṇāgni. In the belly is the Gārhapatya. In the mouth is Āhavanīya. Placing the intellect of the sacrificer in the position of his wife, his contentment Abhijñāna Śākuntala his dīkṣā (sacrificial vow) his organs of perception Abhijñāna Śākuntala sacrificial vessels (ladle and the like) his crest Abhijñāna Śākuntala sacrificial jar,

his hair Abhijñāna Śākuntala darbhā-grass, his mouth Abhijñāna Śākuntala the interior or the sacrificial ground and the sixteen lateral teeth (of the sacrificer), the one hundred and eight Marman (vital parts), similarly one hundred and eight joints (of the bones), the one hundred and nine tendons (such Abhijñāna Śākuntala interior of Iḍā, the Piṅgalā, and other nāḍis), the eight thousand crores of hair follicles (Abhijñāna Śākuntala Ṛtvics, priests officiating at the sacrifice and the assemblage of guests gathered there at), the yogin who conceives in the above said manner, becomes liberated through his mind, ripened pure in virtue of his devotion to mental sacrifice.^[15]

13.0 Vairāgya through learning

This lore relating to liberation, Abhijñāna Śākuntala revealed by Paippalāda, is closely followed in the chapter on Piṇḍotpatti Kathanam in Śiva Gītā , with little more additions on the state of affairs after the birth of the child till its death in poetic form and simple style to illustrate the essencelessness of the body and generate Vairāgya^[16] or desirelessness in the mind to ultimately help human beings to attain the exalted state of Mokṣa or liberation. The vanity of life during youth and old age till time of death is vividly described which forms part of the summary given on chapter eight of Śiva Gītā in the brief summary of contents of the Text (Vide chapter II).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

112 Upaniṣads-Garbopaniṣad—dhyāna śloka;—Also Vide Garbhopaniṣad 4.

[2]:

Vide Śiva Gītā chap.VIII verse - 2

This body is constituted by the five great elements and exhibits the nature of those five elements. There, the chief is earth; the rest of them have only auxiliary status.

[3]:

Vide Garbhopaniṣad 1.

[4]:

Ibid

[5]:

Ibid

[6]:

Ibid

[7]:

Vide Śiva Gītā chapVIII-verse -6

[8]:

Vide Garbhopaniṣad 9

[9]:

Vide Praśnopaniṣad 6-4

“He created Prāṇa, from Prāṇa came out faith, ether, air, fire, water, earth, the senses, the mind and the food. From food came vigour, penance, the Vedas, the Yajñas and the worlds. And in the worlds again was created Name.

[10]:

Vide Garbhopaniṣad 11

[11]:

Ibid 12

[12]:

Vide Śiva Gītā XIV-8-9

Six states for a physical body are known Abhijñāna Śākuntala : (i) is born (jāyate) (ii) is (asti) (iii) changes (pariṇamate) (iv) grows (vardhate) (verse ) declines (apakṣīyate) and (vi) perishes (naśyati). These six modifications (ṣaḍ-bhāva-vikārāḥ) are not for the self, but only for the body. For the Self (Ātman) there is no change just Abhijñāna Śākuntala the ether in the pot has no change. The Self is bodiless. So should the intelligent person reflect.

[13]:

Vide Garbhopaniṣad 16-17

[14]:

Ibid 18

[15]:

Ibid 20

[16]:

Vide Śiva Gītā IX-49

O son of Daśaratha! (addressed so, perhaps to remind Rāma not to follow lack of vairāgya of his father) The constitution of the body was described well to you. Hence, in all the three worlds there is nothing which is more essenceless than this body.