गर्भाधानम्Garbhādhāna, the placing of the seed
Verse 108
तद्रात्रावन्यरात्रौ वा युग्मायां निशि भार्यया । सदनाभ्यन्तरं गत्वा ध्यात्वा देवं प्रजापतिम् ॥ १०८ ॥
tadrātrāvanyarātrau vā yugmāyāṁ niśi bhāryayā | sadanābhyantaraṁ gatvā dhyātvā dēvaṁ prajāpatim || 108 ||
Translation
On that night or on another, on an even night, going with his wife into the inner room of the house and meditating on the god Prajāpati,
Word by word
- tad
- (tad) that
- rātrau
- on the night
- anya
- another
- vā
- or
- yugmāyāṁ
- even
- niśi
- on a night
- bhāryayā
- with his wife
- sadana
- of the house
- abhyantaraṁ
- the inner room
- gatvā
- having gone
- dhyātvā
- having meditated on
- dēvaṁ
- the god
- prajāpatim
- (prajāpatim) Prajāpati
Meaning
The rite takes place on the night of the ṛtu-saṁskāra or on another night, but an "even" (yugma) one, the second, fourth, sixth and so on counted from the start of the season, in the belief that a son is conceived on an even night. The couple go to the private inner room. The husband holds Prajāpati, lord of creatures, in mind. What the Tantra prescribes here is its own teaching, given as the text presents it; taking up any practice is a matter for one's tradition and teacher.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
Now he gives the procedure of the act of garbhādhāna (the placing of the seed) itself, with "tadrātrau" and the rest. On the night of the ṛtu-saṁskāra or on another night, but only on an even night, going with his wife into the inner room of the house, meditating on the god Prajāpati and touching his wife, the husband should recite the mantra "āvayoḥ suprajāyai tvaṁ śayye śubhakarī bhava" ("O bed, be auspicious for good offspring to the two of us"), with the seed of māyā, hrīṁ, at its head (puraḥsara, going in front).