गर्भाधानम्Garbhādhāna, the placing of the seed
Verse 116
यथाऽग्निना सगर्भा भूर्द्यौर्यथा वज्रधारिणा । वायुना दिग्गर्भवती तथा गर्भवती भव ॥ ११६ ॥
yathā’gninā sagarbhā bhūrdyauryathā vajradhāriṇā | vāyunā diggarbhavatī tathā garbhavatī bhava || 116 ||
Translation
"As the earth is pregnant with fire, as heaven with the wielder of the thunderbolt, as the quarters with the wind, so become pregnant."
Word by word
- yathā
- as
- agninā
- (agninā) with fire
- sagarbhā
- pregnant
- bhūḥ
- (bhūḥ) the earth
- dyauḥ
- heaven
- vajra
- the thunderbolt
- dhāriṇā
- with the wielder
- vāyunā
- with the wind
- dig
- the quarters
- garbhavatī
- pregnant
- tathā
- so
- bhava
- become
Meaning
The earth holds fire within it, the sky holds Indra, the bearer of the vajra, and space holds the wind: so may the wife hold the child. The verse echoes the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (6.4.22).
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
At the moment of letting the seed fall the husband recites a mantra; he gives that mantra: "yathāgninā". Bhūḥ: the earth. Dyauḥ: heaven. "Vajradhāriṇā": by Indra, who holds the thunderbolt. [The mantra: "As the earth is pregnant with fire, as heaven with the wielder of the thunderbolt, as the quarters with the wind, so be you pregnant."]