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Mahānirvāṇa Tantra cover

॥ श्री ॥tantraFor reading

Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 11.69

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Verses
2517
Minutes
1258
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 11 · Verse 69

भ्रूणवधे दण्डःKilling an embryo

Verse 69

आगर्भात् पञ्चमासान्तर्गर्भं या स्रावयेद्धिया । तदुपायकृतं ताञ्च यातयेत्तीव्रताड़नैः ॥ ६९ ॥

āgarbhāt pañcamāsāntargarbhaṁ yā srāvayēddhiyā | tadupāyakṛtaṁ tāñca yātayēttīvratāḍanaiḥ || 69 ||

Translation

The woman who within five months of conception deliberately causes the embryo to be expelled, and whoever provided the means: the king should afflict them with severe beatings.

Word by word

āgarbhāt
(āgarbhāt) from conception
pañca
five
māsa
months
antar
(antar) within
garbhaṁ
the embryo
yā
who
srāvayēt
(srāvayet) causes to be expelled
dhiyā
deliberately
tat
its
upāya
the means
kṛtaṁ
who provided
tāṁ
her
ca
and
yātayēt
should afflict
tīvra
severe
tāḍanaiḥ
(tāḍanaiḥ) with beatings

Meaning

Abortion is punished. These are the penalties of the Tantra's own ideal kingdom, given as the text states them; they describe its teaching, not any present law.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

Now he tells the punishment of a woman who causes the embryo to be expelled within the fifth month from conception, and of the one who provides the means, with "āgarbhāt" and the rest. The woman who, from conception up to within five months, intentionally (dhiyā, with understanding) causes the embryo to be expelled, and the one who has provided the means of the miscarriage: the king should afflict them with severe beatings.