Pearls of Wisdom - 66

Process of birth (Explained by Lord Kapila):
(Continued...)

The soul prays:

I, the pure soul, appearing now bound by my activities, am lying in the womb of my mother by the arrangement of maya. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Him who is also here with me but who is unaffected and changeless. He is unlimited, but he is perceived in the repentant heart.

I am separated from the Supreme Lord because of my being in material body, which is made of five elements, and therefore my qualities and senses are being misused, although I am essentially spiritual. Because the Supreme Lord is transcendental to material nature and the living entities, because He is devoid of such a material body, and because He is always glorious in His spiritual qualities, I offer my obeisances unto Him.

(To be continued...)

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 3 Chapter 31 Verses 13-14

Pearls of Wisdom - 65

Process of birth (Explained by Lord Kapila):
(Continued...)

The living entity in this frightful condition of life, bound by seven layers of material ingredients, prays with folded hands, appealing to the Lord, who has put him in this condition.

The human soul says; I take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appears in His various eternal forms and walks on the surface of the world. I take shelter of Him only, because He can give me relief from all fear and from Him I have received this condition of life, which is just befitting my impious activities.

(To be continued...)

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 3 Chapter 31 Verses 11-12

Pearls of Wisdom - 64

Process of birth (Explained by Lord Kapila):
(Continued...)

The child thus remains just like a bird in cage, without freedom of movement. At that time, if the child is fortunate, he can remember all the troubles of his past one hundred births, and he grieves wretchedly. What is the possibility of peace of mind in that condition?

Thus endowed with the the development of consciousness from the seventh month after his conception, the child is tossed downward by the airs that press the embryo during the weeks preceding the delivery. Like the worms born of the same filthy abdominal cavity he cannot remain in one place.

(To be continued...)

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 3 Chapter 31 Verses 9-10

Pearls of Wisdom - 63

Process of birth (Explained by Lord Kapila):
(Continued...)

Deriving its nutrition from the food and drink taken by the mother, the fetus grows and remains in that abominable residence of stool and urine, which is the breeding place of all kinds of worms.

Bitten again and again all over the body by hungry worms in the abdomen itself, the child suffers terrible agony because of his tenderness. He thus becomes unconscious moment after moment because of the terrible condition.

Owing to mother's eating bitter, pungent foodstuff, or food which is too salty or too sour, the body of the child incessantly suffers pains which are almost intolerable.

Placed within the amnion and covered outside by the intestines, the child remains lying on one side of the abdomen, his head turned towards his belly and his back arched like a bow.

(To be continued...)

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 3 Chapter 31 Verses 5-8

Pearls of Wisdom - 62

Process of birth (Explained by Lord Kapila):
(Continued...)

In the course of the month, a head is formed, and at the end of two months hands, feet and other limbs take shape. By the end of three months, the nails, fingers, toes, body hairs, bones and skin appear, as do the organ of generation and other apertures in the body, namely the eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth and anus.

Within four months from date of conception, the seven essential elements of the body, namely bile, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen come into existence. At the end of five months, hunger and thirst make themselves felt, and at the end of six months, the foetus, enclosed by the amnion, begins to move on the right side of the abdomen.

(To be continued...)

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 3 Chapter 31 Verses 3-4

Pearls of Wisdom - 61

Process of birth (Explained by Lord Kapila):

The Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body.

On the first night, the sperm and ovum mix, and on the fifth night the mixture ferments into a bubble. On the tenth night it develops into a form like a plum, and after that, it gradually turns into a lump of flesh or an egg, as the case may be.

(To be continued...)

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 3 Chapter 31 Verses 1-2

Pearls of Wisdom - 60

Continual process of birth and death (Explained by Lord Kapila):

(Continued...)

Thus he remains at home just like a pet dog and eats whatever is so negligently given to him. Afflicted with many illnesses, he eats only very small morsels of food, and he becomes an invalid, who cannot work any more.

In that diseased condition, one's eyes bulge due to the pressure of air from within, and his glands become congested with mucus. He has difficulty breathing, and upon exhaling and inhaling he produces sounds like "ghura-ghura," a rattling within his throat.

In this way, he comes under the clutches of death and lies down, surrounded by lamenting friends and relatives, and although he wants to speak with them, he no longer can because he is under the clutch of time.

Thus the man, who engaged with uncontrolled senses in maintaining a family, dies in great grief, seeing his relatives crying.

(Concluded)

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 3 Chapter 30 Verses 15-18