How babies ‘WERE’ born…

Hey! Don’t get too excited. I am not here to discuss how babies are born or about sex. Read the topic again. The topic says, “How babies ‘WERE’ born”. I am always excited and curious to know how babies ‘were’ born in our ancient epics. If I come across with any new character from our epics, first thing that comes to my mind is how he or she was born. I have been hearing stories of Ramayan and Mahabharat since childhood.  Birth of few characters in those epics has always amazed me. I am not challenging the stories or its creation or hurting any Hindu sentiments here. I always believed that we were much more advanced in those days than we are today. But it’s a fact that few babies born in those days were not natural.

Hanuman: is a son of Kesari and Anjana. Story of Hanuman birth is also very complicated.  Kesari and Anjana prayed to lord Shiva for a child.  By Shiva's direction, Vayu or Pawan transferred his male energy to Anjana's womb. Accordingly, Hanuman is identified as the son of the Vayu/Pawan. Thus Hanuman is also called as Pawanputra.

My Note: Wow! I have learned about wind, water, insect pollination etc. wherein pollen grains are carried from one place to another and where wind, water or bees acts as a pollen vector. But these types of pollination are restricted to plants. I have never heard of any human beings or animals being pollinated in that fashion.

Just imagine wind- pollination working for human beings. How scary it sounds.

Makardhwaja:  is the son of Hanuman and a crocodile. It’s said that, Hanuman took a dip in the water after burning Lanka. While doing so, a drop of his perspiration fell in to the mouth of giant crocodile making her pregnant.

My Note: Now hearing this story, few questions arise in my mind.

How can someone’s perspiration make anyone pregnant?

Except for a Mule, I have not heard of two different species give birth to someone.

Thank god, today we don’t have these facilities. We all might be worried while going out for a swim. And with two different species mating with each other we would definitely not have any pets at home. PHEW!

Pandawas: The birth story of all Pandu putra is also very amazing.

It’s said that, Brahmin rishi, Kindam and his wife were making love in the forest when Pandu accidentally shot them, mistaking them for deer. Before dying, Kindam cursed the king to die when he engages in intercourse with any woman. Due to this curse, Pandu was unable to father children. After Pandu's disability, the Pandavas were conceived in an unusual way. His wife, Queen Kunti, had in her youth been granted the power to invoke the Devas by Rishi Durvasa. Each Deva, when invoked, would bless her with a child.

Kunti gave birth to Karna by invoking lord ‘Surya’. Afraid of being an unwed mother Kunti, placed the baby in a basket and set him afloat on a river.

Yudhisthira was born by invoking the Lord of judgement, ‘Dharma’.

Bhima by invoking the God of wind, ‘Vayu’.

Arjun by invoking the god ‘Indra’

It’s said that Kunti also shared the boon with Pandu’s second wife Madri, who then invoked Ashwin Kumar to beget Nakul and Sahadev. 

My Note: Thank god, Kunti was the last one to receive this kind of blessing. Just imagine we are blessed with it too. Then, we too would have names our children in American style. Like in America, mother name her child as Tomson, Jackson to know who their father is, we would have named our children as Ravi putra, Vayu putra, Indra putra etc.

Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidur :  The birth story of these legends is also very complicated. After Vichitraviry's death, his mother Satyavati sent for her first born, Vyas. According to his mother's wishes, he visited both the wives of Vichitravirya to grant them a son with his yogic powers. When Vyas visited Ambika, she saw his dreadful and forbidding appearance with burning eyes. In her frightened state, she closed her eyes and dared not open them. Hence her son, Dhritarashtra, was born blind.

Then when Vyas visited Ambalika, Vichitravirya’s second wife, she did keep her eyes open but she became pale after seeing the formidable form of the Sage. Therefore, Pandu was born pale.

Being shocked by Vichitravirya’s wife Satyavati then decided to send Parishrami, the maid to the queens Ambika and Ambalika and Vidur was born.

My Note: Were we really so advance in those days that with yogic power we were able to produce babies?  Today if this kind of power exists, then, woman when detected with infertility would prefer to visit a yogi instead of visiting a Genealogist. Or probably this kind of power might be included in our educational syllabus for Genealogist.  

Draupadi: She is said to be born from fire.

 I am grateful that these things do not happen in Kaliyug. Just imagine, a girl going out for a job and becoming pregnant on the way back home. Or going for a swim on a nice lazy weekend and getting out from the pool with a baby in hand. And two different species giving birth to something, is just indigestible.  I always believe that our ancestors were much more advanced and technologically sound that we are today. And if we talk about technologies in those days …

Ramayan :

a.          It’s said that Ravan kidnapped Sita and took her to Lanka from Pushpak Viman. Today, after so many thousand years we have developed an airplane.

b.         It’s said we had lots of weapons in those days like Bhramastra – which is like nuclear weapon, Pashupat astra, Aindra astra, Agneya astra, Varun astra, Naga astra, vayu astra, Surya astra, Vajra astra, Mohini astra, Twasthar astra, Pramohan astra and many more. It’s said that those astra were much more advanced and had power to bring rain, to emit flames, to release torrential amount of water, create a dazzling light etc. If we say it’s all fake, then at least we should respect that they have got the power to imagine these kinds of weapons. And the description of Bhramastra is just like a nuclear weapon that we have developed today. So how can we say it’s all fake.

Mahabharat: It had all the miracles and wonders one can imagine.   

a.          Gandhari and Dhritarashtra had 100 sons and they were born in a pot. Today we have developed a technology of Test-tube babies or IUV. But probably we have still not reached that level. Today the fertilization is done in test tube and after some time is inserted back in women’s womb.  Gandhari instead had grown all 100 babies in pots itself. No women and give birth to 100 sons in natural way.

b.         When Kansa imprisoned Devaki and Vasudev, Rohini came to their rescue and agreed to give birth to their son Balram. Is it not like a surrogate mother that we have today?  Only the technology we had has to be much more advanced for sure.

On a lighter note, 'How babies WERE born' in our ancient epics has always been and will always be a topic of curiosity.